COUNTRY MUSIC

 Maybe you don't like country music but there are so many talented people there. What I dislike, its the fact that the Grand Ole Opry is concerned about record sales, so they let literally anyone in there these days. It is very sad.

Rhonda Vincent and the Rage are a bluegrass singer and her band. Last week she was on the Opry and she sang a bluegrass version of Dolly's song 9 to 5! It literally gave me chills and I could see Dolly in Heaven probably thinking, why didn't I think of that? Dolly was  a real icon and she was involved in so much always with helping others  in mind.  She lived a glorious life and sang with all kinds of singers even getting into the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame! That girl could sing!

John Foster is a new kid! He is barely 20 years old. He writes with Bill Anderson and Jamey Johnson and lots of established folks. His music is amazing. Last week on the Opry, he sang Dolly's song "Coat of Many Colors" and I know Dolly would have been very proud of John. 

There are a couple of guys who do mashups! Cody Alan and Thomas Mac. They both also have written songs of praise to Jesus! They were told that would never fly but their fan base says otherwise! 

 Bill Anderson is my very favorite country music songwriter/singer . He is the longest serving Grand Ole Opry performer with 65 years! Bobby Bare and Jeannie Pruett are older than Bill but they have not been in the Opry as long as he has!

My favorite country music performer. He wrote the song Give It Away with Jamey Johnson, another great country performer. George Strait took that song to number one! Sigh...

Have you been to the Opry? Tell me about it if you have!

Prayer Requests Pamela and Steve and their family. A relative has the evil one Satan on his side. Pray for Gary too.

Pray for Mary she is going through a difficult time, please pray.

Prayer for Jeremy the son of a social media friend. He's discouraged. Too many surgery and emergency hospital visits.

Thank you.

Prayer is as natural an expression as breathing is of life Jonathan Edwards

Prayer is a surge of the heart,  it is a simple look  toward heaven Therese of Lisieux

TUESDAY4

 I am going to redo my TUESDAY4 post.

SEPTEMBER 27, 2026 

THE COZY PASTIME OF READING

Welcome back to Toni Taddeo's Tuesday 4 where we give you 4 questions to think about each week.

People make reading lists for the various seasons and many mention how cozy it can be to cuddle up in a favorite spot to read.

1. Do you have a list  of books you'd like to read?

     The Chanel Sisters, The Last Twelve Miles , There is a series of books by Jeannie Chin, an Asian author but there is lots of steamy reading in some parts. Which I was not prepared for! I

remember my favorite aunt Ang loved the steamy romance novels and my uncle Louie would get so mad, he'd shake his head. Because he turned me on to the novels like The Good Earth by Pearl S.  Buck and a former bloggers Iggy was her neighbor at one time. (Sigh...) As a Catholic school educated kid, I read every classic novel, Don Quixote, Moby Dick, The Great Gatsby, my all time Favorite To Kill A Mockingbird and dozens of others. They were always on the summer reading list. Our oldest girl went to public school and when she had to do a book report on Me & Elvis, My Life With the King I nearly fell through the floorboards!!!

2.Where do you get ideas for books you want to read? What kind of books catch your interest?

I read Proof of Life by Hilary Williams, daughter of Hank Williams Jr. She survived a near fatal roll over car accident . If you know anything about Hank Jr. he also survived an incredible fall off a mountain in Montana where his friend had to hold his skull in place!

 I do like autobiographies and I was reading any books about the Holocaust. I am the biggest fan of Bill Anderson the longest living Grand Ole Opry member still performing there! He has written several books and I have read them all. He is a fascinating person still writing hits songs. He wrote Whiskey Lullaby with Jon Randall and he sang two beautiful duets with Dolly Parton and wrote songs with Brad Paisley, Bobby Tomberlin and Vince Gill and many others. Bobby wrote his own country music account called  I've Lived Country Music. George Strait turned Bill's hit song Give It Away into a number one song on the charts! It was co written with another favorite country artist Jamey Johnson.

3. What have you read lately?

I read Run Rose Run surprisingly written by James Patterson and Dolly Parton! Growing Up With Tammy and George, written by their daughter Georgette. It is an oldie but I love country music. I use to buy a lot of cookbooks and a favorite was the Gooseberry Patch collection and it still is.

4. How do you find time to read and what do you do to make yourself  cozy and comfy?

I like to throw a comfy blanket over my legs when I read. I like reading in my husband's comfy recliner or our bed which is adjustable. I have a Donald Duck and a Daisy Duck soft comfy blanket so I am never without them. I talked to one of the cashiers at a Dollar Tree store where I often find random books for $1.50 each! She told me a lady comes in and always buys everything they have because she takes them to a nursing home where they have a large library, I thought that was the sweetest thing!

I have always been a good reader and English was my favorite subject because I wrote poetry and stories . Even as a kid my friend Karen and I would write stories pretending to be married to rock stars Mark Lindsay and Peter Noone! Oh the memories.....

I hope someone will stop by and read this updated  Tuesday4! I want to always thank Tuesday4 for hosting this. Annie is such a favorite of mine. I am so sorry I have missed so many of these wonderful Tuesday memes. 

"Once you learn to read you will be forever free." Frederick Douglass

"The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more you learn, the more places you'll go!" Dr. Suess

"Your never to old, too wacky, too wild, to pick up a book and read to a child." Dr. Suess

Tuesday4

 

Sunday, September 27, 2026

The Cozy Pastime of Reading

 

Welcome back to Toni Taddeo's Tuesday 4 where we give you 4 questions to think about each week.

People make reading lists for the various seasons and many mention how cozy it can be to cuddle up in a favorite spot to read.

1. Do you have a list of books you'd like to read? I do! It is quite lengthy. The Chanel Sisters, The Last Twelve Miles and other older books I find at reasonable prices.

2. Where do you get ideas for books you want to read?  What kind of books catch your interest? I read Hilary Williams story.  "Signs of Life". She is the daughter of Hank Williams Jr. and nearly died in a tragic car accident. It was hard to read but so worth it. I like autobiographical books, interesting stories, anything to do with real Country music

3. What have you read lately? I read Looking For Salvation At the Dairy Queen. Different but a good story. Also I've lived Country Music by Bobby Tomberlin. A book Called Run Rose Run written by James Patterson and Dolly Parton.

4. How do you find time to read and where do you make yourself cozy and comfy to read? I like to throw a cover over my legs when the a/c/ is on. I read in bed which is easy because we have an adjustable one. 

A quick little input. I have found amazing books for $1.50 at the Dollar Tree. An older gal who works there said a woman comes in a couple times a month and buys all these books and takes them to various nursing homes. They have libraries too!

SONday

 ISAIAH 40: 22-23

It is HE who sits above the circle of the earth,

  And it's inhabitants are like grasshoppers, 

Who stretches out the heavens like a curtain.

And spreads them out like a tent to dwell in.

He brings the princes to nothing.

HE makes the judges of the earth useless.

This is a favorite verse I found in the Old Testament. I love it for so many reasons. But watching the John Denver memorial service in 1997, at a Christian church in Aurora, Colorado, the home church of John Denver's mom. Many of his friends got up being very spiritual saying they felt John's presence. The senior pastor spoke after all the dancing around and he spoke this verse out loud. It has stayed in   my heart for all these many years later. I particularly love the last verse. Only GOD HIMSELF has full authority.

One day we will see JESUS return and we will all bow down to HIM. What a glorious day that will be.

I am missing in action so many times and miss this blog place. But life gets in the way and turns us upside down. Today I thought I would post something simple. Missing all of the wonderful blog friends. Thank you to anyone who stopped by here. 

Prayer Request

Always requesting prayer for sweet MaryDon. She was one of the first people to welcome me here and I miss her precious love is.... postings. We recently heard from another dear friend Tanza who let us know MD has been sent to a care facility. It is hard for me to fathom all her strong-willed ways were taken away in a flash. Mother's never tire of loving their children. It is all I will say.

My dear friend Bea had turned 96 in May 2025. She was sent to live in a care facility in another state. I heard from her at CHRISTmas  2025 and than nothing. It hurts my heart that no one could pick up a phone, write a note or simply state what happened to her. Her phone was never disconnected but when I called repeatedly, no one answered. I don't think these facilities are always the right answer to an elderly person's well being. Sad how so many can simply let go and go forward.

My best pal Karen from our infancy has been a dear friend since those days in the playpen together. We still keep in touch. She told me how her eldest sister, who had been an RN and widowed for many years being a recluse. Stuck to a certain TV news channel and spewing hatred to any and all who tried to speak to her. She had two sons, both single in their 50 plus years. They put her in a facility. Not even two days later she fell, always a convenient end to one's life. No more information was given about her or what happened. Such a sad world we live in.

Avery has had some rough weeks and months with his asthma. The pulmonologist gave him a new medication. But he did not research it very well. If he simply looked over the Cardiologists notes he would have seen that this medication would have made his symptoms worse and not better! If you can not advocate for yourself as you age, you are tossed into a world-wind of helplessness. I worked for over 35 years in the medical field from insurance companies and private practice administrative support in a surgeons office. Many years at the UCHSC with Microbiology/Immunology and those research docs were truly, sincerely interested in helping you stay healthy. Today everything seems out of order. I worked in the JFK Child Development center, the emergency room at the hospital as a secretary support staff and I can tell you, I saw, I learned and I pay attention to each and every detail I need to. I ask for prayer for myself and Avery as we continue our own journeys down many unknown roads.

Weekends for us are busy. Saturday church although with Avery's cough he does not like to sit in church and have these awful coughing spells. So we watch Hannah and Jake's pastor from Western NY on their live services. Pastor Bill is in a series right now about the end times. It is sad how many who attend church do not believe it will happen. Avery studied two years of New Testament Greek so he has studied this for several years and we study together today as well. Keep looking up, Jesus is going to return when anyone least expects Him to.

The B&B brothers play soccer ( Lil B) and flag footballs (Big Bro B). Their games are roughly an hour apart. So we try to attend most of the games.

Zach, our son-in-law had his shoulder surgery August 20 (Nick's birthday) and he seems to be recovering well. Still being a one armed man for the time, he does as much as he can with his non dominant arm. We go to Sushi with them and he currently can not use the chop sticks! It's ok, we like the old fashioned fork! Laughing out loud! He and Rebekah both go to P.T. 

Rebekah had hit from behind coming home one evening from her office. The guy had an ID but no valid drivers license. He basically demolitions their car. She has been saving for years and they went out and purchased a brand new little car. It is a beautiful bright shade of blue, which they love and seems to be a great little car. She sought the advice of an attorney, is receiving PT and trying to stay healthy. She appreciates prayers too.

Noelle has a badly sprained knee so she needs prayer too. Her job is standing and moving all day long so it has taken a toll on her poor knee!

We've been watching football on and off today and we cleaned our house and did several loads of laundry which is standard on SONday.

Jeremy and Brittany are at the Bronco game with Addy and Big Bro B! Lil B is interested in higher education and he loves learning. He plays soccer to run off some energy although he learns quick fast and always has an encouraging word for us.

I may have told everyone this already but one day he was having a serious conversation Auntie Noelle. He said, Auntie, money can buy you anything in the world, anything but LOVE, and LOVE is the greatest gift.

If you read 1 Corinthians 13 you will notice that  in verse 13 "And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of theses is love." 

LOVE & HUGS  to everyone who stops by. May your week be filled with good things and beautiful blessings.

RANDOM THOUGHTS

Since I created two posts my my blog My Tata's Cottage here I am over here creating a random post. Let me put my thinking cap on!

Rebekah will be leaving on a jet plane tomorrow to spend a week with Hannah and Jake and the boys. She will help with big brother while momma tends to the little baby boy. Dad Jake will head back to his office. Ah....the joys of children! No regrets ever for the large phamily we created!

My Rebekah Michelle with me on Mother's Day 2026. We had a lovely day. Do you think when she boards her flight she will think " I can't wait to  walk down the aisle and hear those magical words...

 this is your Captain speaking?" Say a prayer for her to have a safe flight to Buffalo!

              

My love of baseball began when I was a small child changing that TV channel for my daddy.

I learned everything I know from Dad. He was and always will be my personal hero.

My beautiful mother is in the very back row and she has the dark short haircut on your right side.  she is holding a brooom. She played ball for the National Broom Company.

A beautiful memory. 

I love baseball trivia too. Cal Ripken Jr. played his entire 21 year career with the Baltimore Orioles and and holds the record for 2,632 consecutive games played. He surpassed Lou's Gehrig's 2,130 consecutive games! He is also considered one of the best shortstops in the MLB game!

I hope you all have a terrific weekend. Take care, stay safe and sending love your way! Hope you liked my random thoughts!

CATCHING UP WITH BLOG FRIENDS

 COme visit WORDLESS WEDNESDAY  I am rarely speechless and wordless! Ha Ha Ha! I have been away from my blogs for a long while. You know how life just interrupts your plans? I am anxious to move forward and live and laugh and love seeing everyone again.

I mentioned on my My Tata's Cottage that we have a new grandson. As of May 1st. He is his grandpa's namesake. His big brother is happy to have him here. We will see them and meet the new baby later this summer or in the early Fall, God willing.

I am constantly reminded of my dad and all of his biblical knowledge. I am so grateful my folks are not here to witness phamily breakdowns. You know the expression, you can choose your friends but not your phamily. I will not go into detail, I H A T E drama! So I will only say my dad would be brokenhearted to see so many phamily members falling away from the happy life I was personally raised in. Can't speak for other folks, but I loved my childhood. Loved my siblings, my friends and my upbringing. All of it based on wonderful parents who had faith in God and raised us according to the way God intended.

Losing contact with loved ones is devastating. I am sad every time I think of my mom and dad and how much they loved their own siblings, their parents and their children.  They would be sad to see this world and all the disrespect in it.

One of my nephews contacted me. Sweet Troy. He is that wonderful middle child who makes sure everyone is accounted for. He takes good care of his precious mom Karla,  who raised him right, Sometime others go off the road that was well paved for them. Another nephew, Charles, who lives in Kentucky contacted Troy and sent him a link he found on ancestry that took Troy to my blog and a post about my childhood in Bojon Town. Troy loved the post and thanked me for it. I just can never say enough about my upbringing. It was a wonderful world that we lived in. Thanks to both of my nephews for reminding me how important phamily really is.

A prayer request in the middle of all this blogging tonight.

My great cousin Michael B has been in and out of the hospital for his heart condition. Now I know it is all medical and I pray he gets all the care he needs. But he has one of the kindest hearts. Oh my goodness, he can make me cry happy tears talking about my dad. My sweet daddy was Mike's favorite uncle..Mike and his wife Velma are grateful for the prayers. They have lots of need for prayer. Thanks to all who can pray.

My prayer list grows daily. Always keep sweet MD in your prayers. She is a former blogger and she and I shared a passion for the love is....comics. I need to post a few of those too . I want to get back to blogging and hearing about your lives and loves and likes. I really have missed you.

I said my oldest friend Karen, who is a "kick in the pants" kind of friend who comes up with things to say that makes me roll over in laughter. She is a "hoot"! We lament to each other about the cost of everything, the out of control medical costs and the ongoing merry go round of doctor appointments.

After I finish with my dentist, Dr. T. She is a real sweetheart. She is going to give me my two "golden crowns" next week. When she is working on you, she has the prettiest eyes that smile and tell you everything is going to be alright.  My fear of the dentist is slowly fading away.

If I could get my claustrophobia to go away so I can have my MRI and have my ENT find out why I have having all these issues from the Vascular surgery last year. I saw the Vascular doc last month. He is confident there are no Vascular problems. I had my ultrasound and all was well. Praying always that it stays that way.

Avery has an appointment with our Cardiology doctor. tomorrow. He is the kind of doctor who listens to what you have to say and finds a way to help you. He is a gem. A kind heart says it all.

The kids, Rebekah and Zach brought salad and sandwiches from the European Market. I wish we had snapped a picture. They have the best food and lots of interesting snacks and drinks too. 

I get to have my mammogram tomorrow. I do not mind it. I would love to go to the imaging facility close to my home but had an awful experience with the two techs who worked with me for a CT Scan of my brain. She was extremely clueless. Not once, or twice but seven times she said, "well your shunt is non-functioning!" To which I replied, my neurosurgeons, Dr. B and the head of NSS Dr. C both told me they concluded that my shunt was not failing. It was functioning properly. It was working properly and unless I feel the need to see them because I know the classic symptoms of a failing shunt, I don't have to see them! They are some of the best I have seen in years! My CT Scan, surprise, surprise, showed my shunt working and functioning properly!

The MRI tech was nice until she stuck earplugs in my ears without warning, had icy cold hands and proceeded to place a plastic mask across my face! If she looked up the definition of a claustrophobic person she might have found my horrified photo . I leapt off that table and said I could not do it. She was getting upset but the younger gal who cleared my veins for the intravenous medication they give you for the MRI, was kind and told me to stop saying I was sorry. She said if you can not do it you can not do it. Please don't feel bad. Unfortunately the other two techs soured me on using that facility in the future. I am the easiest person to get along with as long as you know my strengths and weaknesses. Listening is so important and so many people today just glide right over it.

love is...has been a favorite of mine since I met my husband in 1977. I saved hundreds of newspaper clippings and when we married in 1984 I gave him all of those I collected plus daily new ones. They use to be in the local newspaper comic section. I sure miss those days. 

Avery is my love and everyone of these little cartoon drawings can relate to our relationship. MD who use to blog and her husband Harold  had the same love of this comic love is...

" Happily ever after is not a fairy tale, it is a choice." Fawn Weaver

" Sexiness wears thin after a while and beauty fades, but to be married to a man who makes you laugh every day, ah, now that's a  real treat. " Joanne Woodward

I thought Joanne Woodward knew my husband!!!!! Laugh Out Loud! My husband Avery is a natural born comedian. I usually have one eye opened early in the morning and he is bounding out of bed with a smile and something hilarious to say. 

Finally , I need to share Maxine. That old gal cracks me up. Years ago there was a blogger from Brooklyn I believe. She would share Maxine each Saturday and I was enthralled. I have a Maxine calendar hanging in our hallway.

In honor of my mammogram tomorrow...here's Maxine!

One more time!

Good night and God Bless You !

L I F E !

 So much happening around here! The snowy days are beautiful but it is so cold and the icy walks and roads are everywhere. We knew it would eventually come our way. So as long time  Colorado natives, we go with it. 

I celebrated another birthday yesterday and was grateful to be surrounded by so many of our loved ones. Avery was still home with me and it was good to have him here. He ventured out to work today. His co worker Geraldine has a leg injury and she is going on three weeks out of the office. That's what is hard about growing older. So I want to share lyrics to a beautiful song. Jimmy Fortune is an incredible songwriter and performer in his own right. He said he was missing his dad and dreamed about him and God gave him a tiny glimpse into " On The Other Side". Listen to it if you have a chance.

On the other side the sun always shines
No minutes, no hours, there’s no such thing as time
Where streets are paved with gold
And you never grow old
On the other side

On the other side everybody sings
There’s miles and miles of flowers and lots of pretty things
Where the skies a perfect blue
And everything looks brand new
On the other side

Well I’ve never been to heaven
Didn’t know what it was like
But God let me have a glimpse
In my dream last night
And I could see you smiling
And you were looking right at me
And for the first time in a long time
On your face I saw some peace
And I knew everything was gonna be all right
On the other side

On the other side do you ever see me cry
Do you know how much I miss you
Wish I could have said goodbye
Just one more I love you
Oh, am I really getting through
On the other side

Well I’ve never been to heaven
Didn’t know what it was like
But God let me have a glimpse
In my dream last night
And I could hear you laughing
You were looking right at me
And for the first time in a long time
On your face I saw some peace
And I knew everything was gonna be all right
No more tears, and no more sad goodbyes
On the other side, on the other, on the other side
I’ll see you on the other side

I need to re-install my photo grid. Rebekah and Zach went to Estes Park for their 8th wedding anniversary this weekend. They bought me this sweet Snoopy and soft blanket throw for my birthday. Snoopy's jacket is made out of parka material. Rebekah says she is going to borrow it to let Loki wear it! That is her number boy, the long haired Chihuahua.I love this sweet gift.

Please visit Brian's Home Blog

When you go to my other blog My Tata's Cottage you can see the celebration at Noelle's place. Her gift to me is always precious too.

Neither one of my blogs are showing up on the reading list. This one is https://annesphamily.blogspot.com

 

FRIDAY IS HERE AGAIN! PRAYER REQUESTS

 

                                                                      GUANELLA PASS

Two weekends ago we took our annual trip to Georgetown, Colorado in order to go up the Pass and see the Autumn colors. Here is a favorite photo as it was a wild crazy time to get up to the top of that mountain but the Lord was shining down on us.

When we arrived in Georgetown there were foot patrols directing traffic. We found out the whole town is run on electricity and therefore nothing was up and running. We thought of turning around to go home but we forged ahead and although it took a long while we saw so much beauty. We decided to keep traveling West and we came home through Bailey, Colorado. More beautiful scenery was in our view. We were also prepared for our journeys but many people needed gas and others to charge their EV's. No such luck. It was a small taste of what could happen to us on a grander scale. Grateful to God for His mercy and care.

I have many prayer requests. I hope you will join me.

A dear blogger friend lost their daughter Shelby. They are very private but please for her phamily as they navigate life without her. Pray for Renee who lives nearby and has her mom Barbara living about 30 minutes away. They don't get to see each other very often due to circumstances beyond Renee's control so I promised her we would pray. Prayers for Jacob going through some difficulties in his life. Prayers for Gina who has some throat issues due to a hospitalization and damage to her vocal cords with being vented.

Our weather is shifting from summer time heat to cooler breezes, rain and lower Fall time temps. The change is always very welcomed. It is the snow, which we saw on mountain tops near Breckenridge two weekends ago. 

I have missed everyone and hope to get back into the blogging swing of things. Thank you for the friendships.

"the prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective." James 4:16b

Feline Friday

Some cute kittens to give you a weekend S M I L E !

HAPPY TUESDAY WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

 Happy Tuesday

We have these shirts. hahaha As children we knew the difference between a cartoon and real life. Still love Tom and Jerry today.

Wordless Wednesday

I seem to violate this rule all the time! But my husband sings this silly song to me! Did you know, it is a real song?! 

We have had lots of rain.. Now to clear the weeds which apparently love the rain! We thought we might need an ARK somedays.....

love is...always has the right attitude.

Feline Friday On Saturday & Friendly Fill In's

 Feline Friday

We bought this sweet graduation card for Blake. He will advance to the first grade and will celebrate pre-school graduation on May 22. He always loved Mister Kitty a/k/a Tiger so I hope he will love this card. I hope you visit Mimi as she is such a faithful blogger. I enjoy all her posts.

FRIENDLY FILL IN'S

Ellen and Lorianne share these sentences. Ellen came up with the first two and Lorianne the other two. These ladies are such fun bloggers and their love of felines shines! Please join the fun. I am backward or forward or just plain darn late! But I am going to participate.

1. My _________________is too_______________.

2. ______________calls me______________.

3. I'm most likely to to take _______________to a potluck.

4. I need to ask _____________for help with __________________.

My answers:

1. My bedroom is turning into a storage room and is too full of paperwork, books and binders.

2.  My husband calls me "The Rummy Queen but Harrison & Shea call me grandmother while the B&B Brothers, Brody & Blake call me Grandma.

3. I'm most likely to take a fruit bowl and relish tray to potlucks. Unless it is brunch and I can whip up Belgian Waffles from scratch .

4. I need to ask Nick or Rebekah for help with my Apple account. I had Apple music and two extra storage because I have so many photos and apps. But now I only pay for 2. The notice I keep getting is not an Apple app so I am fearful it is a scam. It would be nice if you could speak to a live CS rep. Sigh!

MOTHER'S DAY WEEKEND AND MORE

 

Here is hoping each mom has a beautiful weekend. We are headed to the golf course, at Top Golf of course. Most of the phamily will be with us. Missing Hannah and Jake and our grandson. I want to acknowledge a very special mom. Andrea is the beautiful daughter of my late nephew Ed and her holidays will be sadder because he is no longer here to share them. But he lives on in everyone's heart that knew him. I am sending extra love & prayers and hugs across the miles to Andrea and her phamily in Kentucky. 

Here is a pic from long ago. Today Andrea is mom to three and wife one great guy Nick. They are all missing Ed and appreciate prayer. Happy Mother's Day Andrea! You are a great mom!

Proverbs 31:10 " Who can find a virtuous woman? For her price is far above rubies." 

Recently, my son-in-law Jake was chatting with his brother Brian and his asked his wife, Hannah, our girl, what are some of the clean curse words that I say! Here is a short list:

Son of a Buck-Hiver! This one particularly cracks up my son-in-law Zach! He will seriously ask me every time, what is a Buck-Hiver? I have no idea!!!

H E Double Hockey Sticks! This one use to drive Sister Beatrice O.S.B. in our fourth grade classroom up the wall! She wondered why we used bad language. We would laugh our heads off all the way home! She once caught my friend Karen passing a note, confiscated that note and told Karen, make sure you go home and tell your parents I was cursing! The nun said I am going to raise H E L L with you!

Son of a Southern Baptist minister !

For the love of Sam Hill, what in the world are you doing? ( thanks to Ginny who told me where this expression came from)

What in the Sam Hill.... one other variation!

Great Caesar's Ghost!

Son of a Biscuit eater!

Shut that Front Door! You weren't born in a barn were you??

The devil will ride a jackass when he is doomed to hell!

When Noelle and her friend Crystal were pre teen girls I would call them "Egg Head Moringues! 

Dag Nabbit!

Son of a drunken Sailor on a three day pass!

The icing on the cake was I was so furious once and Devin, Christal and Alex's youngest was about 9, I spelled out a really awful curse word! My son-in-law Roger chimed in, "He can spell you know!" I said ' listen Buster, it was for the benefit to the little ones who could not spell.'

I lost my editing app as it was getting too expensive and can not find anything reasonable and I am tech unsavvy! My mom and I around 1972 Mother's Day.

                                             Hannah and I circa 2016 at Jeremy & Brittany's wedding. 

TSO 2023 with Noelle, my husband Avery and Rebekah and Zach. Good times, great concerts!

                                            Bobbie and her girl Brittany, our daughter-in-love.

                                                             Jacey and Shea Avery Marie 

 

                                       Auntie Ange (center) Mom (left) and my sis Mary (right)

Proverbs 41:25 " She is clothes with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come."

BIG ED AND BIGFOOT

 

It was one month ago today that we lost my nephew Edward. He was a giant of a man, six feet tall and seven inches! He was the twin, smiling exactly like his mom, my big sister Pat. I am hopeful they are together in the afterlife. I won't go into detail about Ed's passing but it should not have happened. He was treated so poorly at the hospital and his cries for help went un-noticed. His daughter and son are grieving along with their spouses and the grandchildren.

Edward William was born on October 8th, in Kansas. He was an Army baby and the second son for my sis and her husband. He was a great baby, happy and he grew up alongside Gary, his older brother so they could give me the business when were kids. I am 8 years older than Ed. He was a terror but as he grew older he found all the things he enjoyed.

He once was on a program hosted by Larry the Cable Guy in searching for Big Foot. Ed tracked those woods certain that the big guy was out there. 

Bigfoot Path of the Beast:

Jane Goodall is quoted " I'm a romantic; I would like to believe that Bigfoot exists. I've met people who swear they have seen him, and I think the interesting thing is, every single continent , there's an equivalent of Bigfoot or Sasquatch. There's the Yeti and the Yowie in Australia, the Chinese Wildman and on and on and on. "

Ed had a heart of gold but if he took a political stance, look out! He defended his beliefs no matter if you agreed or not! But he had a soft side. The love of the children and the five grands! All broken at his sudden loss.

Ed and I argued over a Kentucky Derby,  where the winner was told they did not win but the second place horse was the real winner. I don't even remember the year, like you remember Secretariat or American Pharoah if you follow the Derby. But I remember Ed's passion over the second place horse being the true winner! He loved to tell me what he thought and he was quite knowledgeable. 

My heart is broken over Ed's loss. He leaves his beautiful children Andrea (Nick) and their kids Timothy, Mayleigh and Beckett and Gerard (Kari) and Olivia and Elizabeth. Ed adored those kids and grands. They were his world.

Ed was the second of five boys. My sis Pat always said she'd get her girls in the grands and she sure did!

My nephew Gary is the baby who knocked me off my perfect throne as a five year old! He taught Ed how to be a terror to me! haha....

Then there is Charles (Cheryl), Tony dad of Shelby and Joe (Terrie) and his kids Joseph who my sister adored. That boy was the perfect angel. She would love to see that he married Jessica and took her children in as his own. It was the way those kids were raised. Phamily first. Jeremiah and Hannah. Later came Paisley Joe ( a twin to my sis). Oh that smile and they have a son as well Bentley. Jeremiah has his own son and I am not certain of the boys name but what a phamily! My sis is smiling I Just know she is. Then Racheile another twin of my sister Pat. She is a smart young lady and I know how proud my sis would be . There is McKenzie. Soon to be a Mrs. Oh how my sister would love these beautiful people!

Ed was surrounded by so much love and cherished especially by me and my husband Avery. 

Ed was visiting once long ago and staying with my sweet mom. He and Avery read that wrestling was coming to my hometown. It turned out to be a bunch of fat dudes trying to wrestle. No Hulk Hogan, no Randy "Macho Man" Savage! hahaha

The two of them headed to the Colorado State Fair. I remember it well, our son Jeremy had just been born and Ed and Avery won so much stuff they had to get a hand stamp, bring everything home and went back for more!  Memories that helped my heart, even if it is to laugh for a moment.

Ed was like that, always looking out for the little ones. His presence will be missed but Ed will always be my dad's twin. If there was one thing dad loved it was the children. Ed was very much like his grandpa Ed . I believe they will all be reunited along with us when Jesus returns. 

Prayers are sent daily for Andrea and Gerard and the kids and phamily. Life is hard, I hear my mom's voice telling me to pray harder. So I do...

Rest Easy Ed! we missed you at the Derby viewing. You always had so much to say about it. I know every one of the horses that ran was a direct descendant of Secretariat. (smile)\

He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. Psalm 147:3

EASTER BLESSINGS

 

I love Easter lilies. I had one gifted to me about five years ago. It was replanted and it bloomed each Spring but last winter was too hard so it never made it's appearance again.

Who has believed our message
    and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?
2 He grew up before him like a tender shoot,
    and like a root out of dry ground.
He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him,
    nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.
3 He was despised and rejected by mankind,
    a man of suffering, and familiar with pain.
Like one from whom people hide their faces
    he was despised, and we held him in low esteem.

4 Surely he took up our pain
    and bore our suffering,
yet we considered him punished by God,
    stricken by him, and afflicted.
5 But he was pierced for our transgressions,
    he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was on him,
    and by his wounds we are healed.
6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
    each of us has turned to our own way;
and the Lord has laid on him
    the iniquity of us all.

7 He was oppressed and afflicted,
    yet he did not open his mouth;
he was led like a lamb to the slaughter,
    and as a sheep before its shearers is silent,
    so he did not open his mouth.
8 By oppression[a] and judgment he was taken away.
    Yet who of his generation protested?
For he was cut off from the land of the living;
    for the transgression of my people he was punished.[b]
9 He was assigned a grave with the wicked,
    and with the rich in his death,
though he had done no violence,
    nor was any deceit in his mouth.

10 Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer,
    and though the Lord makes[c] his life an offering for sin,
he will see his offspring and prolong his days,
    and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand.
11 After he has suffered,
    he will see the light of life[d] and be satisfied[e];
by his knowledge[f] my righteous servant will justify many,
    and he will bear their iniquities.
12 Therefore I will give him a portion among the great,[g]
    and he will divide the spoils with the strong,[h]
because he poured out his life unto death,
    and was numbered with the transgressors.
For he bore the sin of many,
    and made intercession for the transgressors.

Wanted to wish everyone a beautiful and Happy Easter.