Missing Fun Meme's

Do you remember doing Alphabe Thursday with Ms. Jenny? My goodness, it was just yesterday, if I recall. She had stuck by the AT bunch for a long while and needed a break. I was sad but I thought I know somehow she will be back! Thank goodness Mr. Jenny told her to try something new.  She now hosts Warm Heart Wednesday. Jenny has always been good at organizing and then participating in these fun meme's, But her health took a detour and it was hard to keep up. She did a great job and I miss it so I may do a little potpourri of old meme's for your reading enjoyment. Next there was Thankful Thursday, and although I am not certain who hosted this one, Sandee stills does this because she likes be thankful! I will share here too. Finally Angela, who no longer blogs for lots of busy things going on in her life, including celebrating four years since she discovered she had breast cancer!  She is currently cancer free! She hosted Tuesday Show and Tails and everyone shared their pets and other precious animals each Tuesday. I hope you will join me and perhaps share some of your favorite meme's too.

Before I share my favorite things here, I wanted to mention, occasionally someone posts here at the blog or at social media that we should not use google images because people are suing and people who use those private images are paying lots of money. I say ridiculous. I never use anyone else's work without telling everyone who it belongs to. But if it is on google why not sue them? They probably have more money than the rest of us? ! I think it is foolish and simply another waste of the judicial systems time. I once found a cute google image of a crocheted tea cozy cover. A lady came over and told me her neighbor who was quite elderly use to make those and that cozy was one her friend made. We exchanged pleasant conversation but no lawsuits were filed. Thanks goodness! I guess I need to call my friend  Cat and have her make that watermark we talked about so I can at least see my photos with my blog name on them. She designed my blog header for me with photos that are my mom and her older cousin Hedwig.  We incorporated a few of my favorite things. Thanks Cat, you are such a superb talent.

Mary D use to have a wonderful blog and do a weekly Love is....I have a book filled with these cartoon treats as well as a pinterest page filled with lots of them. The late Kim Casali created these fun cartoon characters and Love is...By the way, at pinterest, if someone does not want you to have their image/photo etc. pinterest tells you that they had to take it down. Easy peasy. No hassles and certainly no lawsuits! Whewwwwww......I use to cut these from the newspaper each day and glue them on to scraps of construction paper. Somewhere in storage here, my hubby has all those! Remember the Rubik's Cube?  Do you think sometimes love is like one?

I miss Mary in Queens, NY. She use to host Maxine on Saturday's! Oh goodness, Maxine is a real pistol! She is very outspoken and I love her and you know, the creator of Maxine is actually a gentleman! Life got in Mary's way too. She was a college professor and I really had fun visiting these each week. I dedicated a board on pinterest to Maxine too. If you follow me there, you will see many Maxine quips! John Wagner is the brains behind Maxine and her creativity.

I suppose you noted my apples at the top of this post. I took that photo when my lil great grandson Jayden was here. He asked me if he could please have an apple. As I was washing the apple he said, "Grammie, please don't take the peel off. Then I won't know if it is a red or green apple, and Grammie, I only like the green apples!" Some of the best conversations I have are with that small boy. This photo is Jayden's "Say Cheese" face. He was entertaining my tiny Cabbage Patch baby named Sierra Miranda. So I think you know that "A" is for that bowl of Apples. I miss Alphabe Thursday too. I did add some pink so stop by the Pink Saturday Pinkies too! I bet you will see other pinks here today!

This tiny sad face is Michael, Jayden's little brother. He loves Grandpa Roger but his teeth were giving him a bit of trouble, so he was a little sad. I am thankful for these boys and their sweet faces. Grateful that they are related to me. Thank you Sandee for reminding me again of doing this Thankful Thursday. Whoever initiated this meme, thank you too.

I thought these two furry friends were perfect to remember a Tuesday Show and Tail! I agree with the words here too, 100 percent!

I would love to see your favorites posted at your blog so please share some soon. In the process of preparing for these meme's I found a couple great pinks to share with Beverly and the Pinkies too. I will get those posted for Pink Saturday! Everyone, have a terrific weekend.

"Y"our Own Story

Everyone has their own story.   I want to tell you a story that belongs to a very young and very strong willed baby girl. Mayah June was born on September 28, 2015. She was born with a condition called Skeletal Dysplasia . It is the medical term which describes the condition most know as dwarfism. The term is an umbrella for a group of hundreds of conditions affecting bone and cartlidge growth. A child born with this condition with have abnormal differences in the size and shape of their legs, arms, trunk or skull. Mayah is a fighter. She is one tough little cookie! I think she will grow up and she will make a real difference in the world. But right now she is in the fight for her life. She had casts on both of her legs and somehow managed to get those off. She has fought her trach  and pulled it out of place. She has battled for her tiny life since she was born. If you are a prayer warrior, please pray.

I think about Mayah every single day. She is the grand daughter of my sweet friend Cheri in Ohio. Mayah has brothers and sisters at home waiting for her to come join them. She is a beautiful little one with dark hair and her eyes say "I am a a fighter, don't mess with me." She is like a pretty Bruce Lee, swinging into action to show the doctors and nurses who is the boss! I think back to my several surgeries and how we managed to survive. We were younger back than but we raised our children and kept going with our lives. Somehow Mayah's phamily will do this too. I just know God has a plan for this little miss.

Several years ago a friend of mine had a friend and their three year old was dying from a rare form of brain cancer. I just knew I had to do something. Several people discouraged me but the more I prayed the more God told me to move forward with this.  I recruited the help of a good blog buddy Suzanne and she and Sue finished a beautiful quilt.

Let me back up a bit here, they finished it after all the outpouring of quilters and friends in blog land pitched in and helped create the quilt. Oh the stories we heard, the tales many told. It was such a blessing and then we got the news that Shannon had passed away. Suzanne thought giving it to her parents as a "Remembrance Quilt". At first they did not wish to accept it. They were grieving and Suzanne and I felt if we kept praying they would eventually change their minds. Suzanne was pressing the quilt before she packed it to send to Sue in another city in Texas to finish with her long arm. She said her email announced "You've Got Mail" and when she read it it was from Shannon's aunt. Her aunt said the parents would like to accept the quilt. Do you know that they sent each one of us who participated a letter with a packet of Forget Me Nots and asked us to plant them in memory of Shannon? They were reeling from the fact that so many strangers wanted to give them some comfort. They were blessed by the outpouring of love they received from total strangers. Do you know I still think of Shannon and especially when I see  forget me nots?

An update on Mayah June, she has an infection in her chest. Please pray because they would like to do a surgery on her in two weeks. Her life may include a rocky road at times but the joy this little spirited child will bring can not compare to anything. Each one of us has a story to tell and I want Mayah to tell us her story someday when she is older and understands what a beautiful gift she is. Send your prayers and all the good thoughts you can muster to Mayah June and her family please.

On another sad note to end the day Jenny will no longer host  Alphabe Thursday  after this round. I am very sad, Jenny is one of the kindest people I have ever known and in November 2011 I was blessed to meet her when we traveled to the Phoenix area. This was a blessing to participate in each week although I had missed many rounds of it. But Jenny is dealing with major health issues so she has to give her full attention to finding the right treatment for her particular health issue. I think we  will all be sad and miss her leadership here but she we all want her to get better and get rid of her pain. Ms. Jenny we are going to miss you so much and this wonderful weekly fun too. PLease visit Ms. Jenny and join the "Y" is for...Alphabe Thursday fun.

Weird Weather and the Whys of Life

This was an Autumn day 2014. The sky was perfectly painted and it was cool but calm.

This was Monday, October 19th, 2015. The clouds were low but the sky was still marvelous with color.

Earlier today you could see the cloudy skies from all the rain but my neighbors autumn tree was still golden. The past two mornings I could not take a sunrise photo. The sky was black as in pitch black. The rain was coming down so hard and fast it took a long while for the skies to change from black to cloudy.

This reminds me of the weather we have had all across the country. Downright weird is about the best description of it. Last week we were still in the 80's, this week the low at night hits 40! Brrr....time for electric blankets, hot cocoa and flannel sheets. I hope you will visit Ms. Jenny and the "W" featured at Alphabe Thursday.

This is a Kelly Black print of the Colorado Columbine. It is the state flower of our glorious state. But today I thought about it in a whole different light.

My FB friend Coni Sanders had a tough day today. She has been struggling with some health issues herself. She was recently married and she holds a relatively high stress job. But  at Face Book she talked about her dad. Dave Sanders would have turned 64 years old today. Coni misses him. She wishes she could hug him and eat some Mexican food with him and drink a rum and coke together. But that won't happen, her dad, lower left of this photo was the lone teacher who died at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado . April 20, 1999 was a beautiful Spring day and then Coni's dad like the twelve students pictured above were murdered .Today Coni is mad. She wants to change people so violence like this won't happen. She wants no one else to feel the pain she feels every single day.  Coni is a brave lady, she counsels at risk human beings. When people ask her why she says because she  wishes someone would have reached out to the young men who took her dad's life. Coni is an inspiration to all of us. She is smart, she is kind and caring. She reaches out a helping hand and yet she herself has had more struggles than a person should have to deal with after such a violent loss. She is a kind lady with a big heart and she is filled with compassion and encouragement. She won't be able to hug her dad today but he is shining down smiling at her. I just know it, because he would be so very proud of all the things she has done. So happy heavenly birthday Coach Dave Sanders, You would be proud of this beautiful lady you called your daughter. She deals with the tough stuff. She took after you and we all know that you gave your life protecting so many of your students.

I hope this google image makes Coni's dad smile from his heavenly home. I don't have the answers to the whys in life but I know I can be a better person and pray and reach out a kind hand to someone hurting today.

I can pray and I can trust God. Sometime you need just a smile:

Thanks to my friend Lorna for posting this cute kitten. Have a beautiful and blessed weekend.

The Usual......Usually

I have been trying to be clever. I wanted something unique, understandably, since it is the week of the letter "U" at Ms. Jenny's. Then I decided, I would just go with what I wanted, something, not so ordinary but undeniably and hopefully something to make you smile.

Each day I live, I wake up and drive my honey to his bus. On the way home I usually can catch the sun peeking over the clouds and bursting into the most magnificent colors! So I wanted to share some things that makes you remember how unique you are in this huge world and yet remind you that life is a gamble, it is a dare, we are giving some many days and we should use them wisely. My sister posted this on FaceBook. Made me smile.

A couple days ago I was running an errand and was in the parking lot where the Krispy Kreme Donut shop is. If you roll the car window down when they flash the hot sign you can smell those donuts.....sigh......So although I really could not afford the box of donuts in a cute Halloween box, I slipped inside where I was first mesmerized by all those glazed donuts passing by on the conveyor belt being drenched in warm glaze.

Although I do not believe I would ever enjoy a Krispy Kreme donut filled with a burger, you can get one, I heard, at country fairs! I did gladly accept the F R E E hot and fresh glazed donut the gal behind the counter gave me. I ordered a box to go, half glazed, half mixed and sat in my car enjoying that tasty warm donut . I lifted my eyes upward and said "This is for you ma"! She loved a glazed donut. It was a very usual moment, a normal Tuesday, the rain was coming and it was cool and overcast. I ate that donut with all the passion I could muster in memory of my sweet mom and her love of the plain glazed donut. But it was really a unique moment for me. A lot of the time I am quite predictable but when I think about my age, how long I have already lived , I think, I need to live before I die! So even though it was a simple little donut it made me smile.

Do you ever see these ultra thin people? They are everywhere. I know so many who are more concerned with their weight than their own mortality. They never think about what will be. They want to be thinner, taller, prettier, etc. I think perhaps they do not know the Lord:

I think in life too much priority is put on things that will fade away, looks, cars, money, homes, material things....We forget to be kind. We forget that everyone is struggling with something.

It has taken me a long time to put this post together. You know, life happens.  But spending time with phamily is very important and I had to share a couple more things before I wind this up:

Michael is starting to cut some teeth and he is still such a happy little fellow. He stopped to pose with Grandpa r. for a quick minute.

This boy will jump out of your arms when he smiles! He has the best disposition and lights up a room when he turns on that sweet baby charm!

This is a favorite one of mine. I like to remind the kids, especially Nick, because he is away at school.

The Kansas Wesleyan XC team ran at Victoria, Kansas today. Nick ran into a former high school friend Josh. He attends Adams State College in Alamosa, CO. and is an outstanding athlete . It is always good when friends get a few minutes to say hi in this busy world.

A team photo after the race today. I sure love this team.

I want to remain healthy so I am going to continue to enjoy laughter. I hope you enjoyed your visit today. Thank you for stopping by. Until next time:

"T" is for Tea and Things and Pink Saturday with Breast Cancer Awareness

I love tea and all thing related to tea. Since I have been unemployed it has been tough, not being able to buy all the tea and such that I love. But I found a new tea today,

Elderberry wine is quite sweet and it is good, I purchased some last year while visiting Nick in Kansas. It was made locally and I always buy from small businesses. So when I found all the health benefits of the Elderberry tea I thought I need to get some of this.It is filled with many healing qualities and people often like to drink it when they feel a cold coming on or when they have a cold.

Here is another tea with some healing qualities. You can find lots of huckleberry items in Idaho and Montana. They love their huckleberries. I think I need some biscuits and Huckleberry Preserves. Sigh!

A perfectly beautiful pinterest find! Let's have a tea party.

A pretty image at google from a mismatched tea party. I imagine they were enjoying the Mad Hatter and Alice in Wonderland.

Silly rabbit and Alice watching that Mad Hatter. Alice has no hat. I will fix that!

Hats in boxes for all kinds of fun!

Berkley Hats wants to share in the tea party fun. Lots of styles and colors to choose.

An Autumn style pinterest find. So pretty and elegant for my tea party that you are invited to!

Some treats to enjoy! Now you just need to remember which tea is your favorite and do you prefer it hot or cold? Please join Ms. Jenny today and share your favorite "T" tyme treats too!






Then hop over to Beverly's and join October Breast Cancer Awareness month. I noticed lots of the teams were wearing their pinks to show support in the NFL. I found these eggs at the grocery store:

Aren't these Eggland's Best eggs just sweet with their tiny pink breast cancer ribbon showing support? Lots of wonderful survivors out there, Coni, who lost her dad Dave Sanders at the Columbine HS school shooting is one herself. She recently remarried and we are grateful she is here. She is a shining light in these dark times. My aunt Ang lost her battle in 2000 and my sister's friend Joan is kicking cancer's butt again having just completed her final round of radiation and chemo! Pray for all those effected by this awful disease. Remember, get your annual mammogram! Mine is due in December 2015. My maternal grandmother and two of my dad's sisters were survivors when they basically told you, ok, we cut off your boobs now go home and take care of your families! It is amazing they survived in the 1950's and 1960's because they did not have the treatment that is     available today.

"I'm happy to tell you that having been through surgery and chemotherapy and radiation, breast cancer is officially behind me. I feel absolutely great and I am raring to go."

Carly Fiorina

 I am not a political person but this quote shows you  that this is a true statement:

And please always remember to:....

Sadness for My BoJon Heritage Phamily

Today was a really difficult day for me. I spent a lot of time in prayer and was thinking about so many folks that I know who have experienced loss recently. Loss is never easy. No matter, young or old, we are sad and we miss the person who has passed away. Larisa and Trace waited anxiously for their tiny boy Caleb and he was taken from them in a few short hours. Yankee great Yogi Berra passed away at age 90. He is sorely missed by so many  but he had lived a wonderful and full life. He was a New York Yankee. Quite an accomplishment in this old world. My nephew lost a high school friend this week . My nephew is 22. Today the good Lord took my cousin Sammy. He was a great guy, a fun kid growing up. He was 57 if my memory serves me right. I don't like to meddle in private business. Especially at a time when phamilies are hurting. My heart breaks for Beth. Although I have not had the opportunity to meet Sam's wife, she and I have had some great conversations. She was excited and enjoyed learning bits and pieces about our BoJon Heritage. Sam shared a great childhood story with me, telling me he remembered watching baseball with Grandma Kocman on Sunday afternoons and Grandpa Kocman making them root beer floats. He said he remembered so clearly how ill grandma really was.

I need to sort through photos but I do not have any recent ones of Sam. I can tell you this, he had a smile that lite up a room. Always so kind and funny too.

He loved auto racing and had raced cars himself. He was a good guy and loved his phamily dearly and he never forgot his BoJon heritage.

He served his country well. He and Beth lived in South Carolina. Although Sammy grew up in Pueblo, Colorado and Fulton, New York he never lost his love of phamily or his roots. His heritage was important and Beth was learning all about these wonderful BoJon stories from all of us.

My heart is aching for Beth and Sam's phamily tonight.  I know he is watching down on us and probably enjoying catching up with his folks, my folks, all the BoJon and Italian relatives gone before us and even smiling at some of the great racing legends who have left us too soon as well. I just hope he will tell Yogi Berra I said "Hi" too.

Loss is difficult, it is hard to understand. We spend so much time running away from those we should love first that often it is too late to say those final goodbyes or "I love you's". I am going to continue to pray. I pray for the hatred and bitterness many feel towards their phamilies. The difficulties, the regrets they will feel once it is too late to say "I am sorry". People think life will keep going. We live in such difficult times and I am giving my heart to God. I hope you will too.

Goodnight my dear hearts, until next time. Ms. Jenny my "S" post is quite sad today.