Just stopping by to wish you a belate Happy Easter

Well I have been so busy that Easter slipped my mind a little and forgot to come in wish all of you a very Blessed and Happy Easter. Sorry I'm late. I did have a wonderful day and Al came over and bar-b-cued for me---that was sweet of him. I made the potatoe salad and beans and he cooked chicken and pork sausage---I don't eat red meat and it was so good. My son and family went to Heidi's mom's for Easter, but we have the gc next weekend, so we will have another Easter with them.
Please keep me in your prayers this week. I am having an MRI to see how much damage my brother caused and then in the afternoon of the same day, I will have my mammogram. I will let you all know if I am approved for breast reduction, but not sure I am brave enough to post pictures. We will see. I know that it is a painful surgery, but my neck and back can't take it anymore and I can't have anymore epidurals for a year.
I lost some more weight, I went from 133 to 125 and didn't even try to lose it.
I will tell you another sorry story later, but now I need to get my booty to bed and get some rest. The weather is too great to sleep the day away and I have more painting to do. This one is a project I am making to sell, but it will have to be locally and I don't think I will have a problem selling it. I also want to finish my giveaway and I will give you a few hints. It's an altered canvas with music, lace, old trim, and some bling, so stay tuned, because that will be done before anymore projects are started.
Love, Hugs, and many Blessings to all of you and prayers for all who need them. May God answer your prayers as He sees fit. Just remember, He always gives us what we need. Have a great day.

An Almost Perfect Christmas

Our Christmas was almost a Perfect day, but Chris and David could not be home with us. This is my wonderful family, bottom row, left to right is Me, Pat, granddaughter Theresa, grandson Jacob, and Al

Standing from left to right is our oldest son Donnie, dil, Heidi and our youngest Jonathan.

Now you can see how happy I felt that day and for the first time in over 10 years, I was pain free. I just wish it could last forever, but I am enjoying it while I can.

Now Donnie's smile was worth a million bucks to me after not seeing him for 2 years.

Not many decorations this year, but having him home was the best gift after Jesus's birth.

Jonathan and Theresa in the kitchen having fun. Jonathan is 6 ft. tall, so you can imagine how tall Theresa is for being 9 years old.

That's my little angel and I'm praying Chris will have children, because I think Jonathan and Heidi

are finished having children.

She is such a sweet child, but when I have her and her brother together, they fight over such

silly things, so I try to have one at a time. Of course Jacob is at the age when it is not cool to hang with granny.

3 generations of Jochums, so hopefully when Jacob is old enough, finished with college and finds his mate, they will have a boy and we will have 4 generations. Al's mother is still living, but his dad drowned when he was about 3 years old, trying to save his nephew from drowning. His mom raised 5 boys alone at a time when there was no welfare for her.

Everyone, including myself, thought they were not ready to marry, but Heidi was pregnant and here they are together and will be married 15 years this April. Both have great jobs, but I always wished that he would return to college and get his degree like our other children and Heidi.

Here we are, the men in my life---Al is still a part of my life, even though we can't live together.

Chris, if you are reading this, we missed you and David, but we understand. Maybe next year, we can all be together and you and David will be married by that time.

Our Christmas was not about gifts, but about Jesus and Love of Family, so for me, it was the greatest gift.

Donnie left on the 28th and flew out on New Year's Eve, after visiting some of his friends. He rested and then caught a train on New Year's Day and spent a few days in Montreal. He will now leave for Portland, Oregon and will have his Christmas with Chris and David in Vancouver.

I hope you enjoyed seeing my family. We are very close and we all love each other unconditionally. They are my strength and it's what kept me fighting when I was so sick.

I hope that you all had a wonderful Christmas with your families, because without family, there is a void.

We are having a deep freeze, but nothing like people are having in the Midwest and North, but with temps in the low 20s, we have to take precautions and get things as though a hurricane were coming, not to mention protecting pipes. There is a possibility of some snow mixed with ice. I like the cold weather, but not in the teens.

I wish all of you the best this year filled with many Blessings, lots of smiles and buckets of hugs. Take the time to say I love you or that you are sorry for hurting someone when you didn't mean to. Life is too short to hold grudges. Love, hugs, and Prayers. Pat

400Th Post----Gotta love those Saints

Had to show this cute picture of what the New Orleans sky looked like 2 weeks ago. The Saints are doing great and I hope they make it to the Super Bowl. I thought it was held in New Orleans, but it will be in North Carolina this year.

Well today is my 400Th post and although many have been negative, my New Year's Resolution is to get back my mojo and start creating again. As I said, I will have a giveaway, but it will be posted after the New Year and since it's too late to make a Christmas giveaway, this one will delight the Heart. No hints-lol.

Donnie will be arriving on Friday and I am very excited and I know there will be many tears of Joy shed.

I am having another epiduram next Wednesday, so I will have help in the kitchen, as I am supposed to take it easy for 48 hours and this time, I will!

The weather here is nasty and wet and more rain expected tomorrow. The ground is so saturated, there is no place for the rain to go. Thank God, that we are in the South and it won't freeze up. Would be fun to slide on the ice, though---well not me, but the children.

I see the end of the circle, so only good things ahead for me. I know that 2010 will bring lots of Joy, Happiness, and praying for better health or at the very least, not get worse.

My neighbors in Crowley are both moving, so Al doesn't know what to expect. They were both wonderful families and it will be sad to see them move.

My daughter is after me to open an Esty shop. She started one, but I haven't looked at it yet. Dial up is soooo slow and I can barely visit one blog and it takes almost a half hour to load all the beautiful Christmas decorations. Al pulled out 2 trees that stay decorated and I am hoping that he can bring an empty one out and get Donnie to help.

One of our friends son died and he was so young---in his 30s. His dad had MS in his early married years. His mom is a very dear friend of my aunt and she picks her up once a week to go out and eat.

I will be posting again before Christmas, but I hope you all are enjoying the wonderful festive lights and visiting family and friends. As for me, the True meaning of Christmas will be in my Heart more than ever this year. I have stayed away from the stores and malls, but had to make one trip for some bath gel and get Christmas cards for my children. It's crazy out there and this was a Thursday, so I can't even imagine what it is like on weekends.

Well Al brought me some huge plastic containers, so I am packing things that I don't need and sending most of my craft things home. Brenda wants the house to be presentable, so I don't feel the need to fight about this one. I am keeping my case with beads and stitching cards to keep me busy while watching videos on my laptop. Wishing you all a Happy fun filled weekend. Love, Hugs, and Prayers to all who are fighting illness right now. Pat

Happy Valentines Day

Happy Valentines Day

Having a wonderful Day and wishing you all a Happy Valentines Day. My sweetie couldn't resist and bought me 3 of my favorite boxes of chocolate. Guess he doesn't like me being skinny-lol.

I also received a beautiful gift from our Sweet Deena---a hummingbird figurine because she knew I loved them as much as she did. Thank you Deena. I will post a picture tomorrow. I really like it and now have 5 different birds to my collection. With all that she has going on in her life, she finds a way to lift another person's spirit.

Love and Hugs, Pat

Very Sad Day yesterday

Mr. Benoit has been taken home to be with his loving wife and Garland.

December 26th is not a good day for my friends or me. Pop, Mr. Benoit, died yesterday afternoon, one year apart from my dad. I am doing what I can to help Bryan and the rest of the family and I for one will surely miss this wonderful and generous man. He was is loving father, husband, grandfather, etc. He was also a great soldier in WWII and earned a Bronze Star. After having a few bad days, yesterday, he went peacefully. Another part of my heart is missing and you can't imagine the love I had for this man who could have been my fil and was always treated like family. One of the daughter told me yesterday that he called "My Pat". I cooked Christmas dinner for them and now am going to make a large pot of shrimp, okra, and sausage gumbo. I'm sure there will be lots of food.

Words cannot express how I felt about him. He was a kind man and had no enemies and was always willing to help others out. He was also one of the first entrepneurs in a small town and succeeded with the theather and his service station and auto parts store.

Here is a picture taken at 1:pm on December 26th of last year and that night my dad left us to go home to be with our mother.

I hope you keep all of the family in your prayers. Brenda, Sandy, Netta, Joshlyn, Beth, Bryan, and Monica and all the rest of their family. I was humbled that they allowed me to stay for the blessings after he passed on. I have been blessed knowing this loving family and I too need some prayers for strenght to get by. We are all exhausted, but they have so much to do tomorrow, so I won't be going until later in the day, so that I can cook and order flowers. I do pray they all get some rest, because they were taking 2 hour shifts to stay up with him. Thank you all in advance for all the prayers for a peaceful passing and that is what he got. Love and Hugs, Pat

37 years and counting

Today is a very special day----37 years ago, Al and I got married and it was the start of a wonderful, yet sometimes difficult, time. The picture is what he gave me for our anniversary-lol. Wouldn't that be great if it were real. We have many wonderful memories and a life filled with humor from him. His humor makes my eyes roll, but always comes with a smile. We answer each others thoughts too often. Every one said it wouldn't last because I had 2 babies that he adopted and raised like they were his own. All our friends envied our marriage, while they all divorced and remarried. I think the one thing they all lacked was commitment and most of all---God. We have been through the gamut of problems that most married couples face---through rich and poor, sickness and health. Through all my surgeries and hospital stays, Al would never leave me alone and made sure they gave me exactly what the doctor ordered. He questioned every nurse who would come in with something and he slept on a hard sofa bed many a night. He is my BFF and even though we separated for about a year, it was the best thing we did for our marriage. The stress was getting to both of us and the time apart brought us closer together. I'm not saying we have a perfect marriage, but it was one made in Heaven and I knew him only 5 days when I decided to move to New Orleans to be closer, then 7 months later, we were married. We lost our first baby, then 3 years later, I got pregnant again. I had severe endometriosis and was told not to have any more children and we almost lost him 3 times. He was the first miracle that I was given when the doctor told us he wouldn't live and it was in God's hands. He is now the father of my 2 beautiful grandchildren. My daughter was a blessing also, as I developed hepatitis when she was born and my doctor said I needed to get away so I could heal. So that is how I met Al. I went to stay with my sister in New Orleans and she introduced us---the rest is history. It feels like we were just married and the spark is still there. Who could ask for more!

Today is also my mom's birthday and I know she is looking down and watching over me. In her last year, she changed so much and this was the mother I had always wanted, but it wasn't to last very long. God knows what He is doing and I think He felt she had done her job and took her home. She is not suffering, so that is a blessing. Happy Birthday Mom, I love you and miss you.

As for my friend, Bubba, (yes, that is his nickname and he is not a redneck), he is not doing so good. His heart is badly damage from the lung disease--emphysema. He may have to have surgery on his heart and the doctor will be checking him today. He will be in the hospital for a long time, then to rehab. The nurse called us yesterday just as we were leaving for ICU visiting and said he wanted us to come and visit him. With his family all gone, he is lonely and I promised him, we would visit every day. I called some of his guy friends and they will go at different times to help keep his spirit going. Please continue to keep him in your prayers. Love and Hugs, Pat

My joys today

Another gift from God

My "Peter Pan" husband

My wonderful children

My family and friends

My Internet friends

A day with very little pain

Beautiful day and good news

My friend is doing okay---he has pneumonia and it was a good thing he was with someone or he would have died alone. He was cracking jokes in ICU, so at least he hasn't lost his humor. I will be checking on him daily and helping him get meals brought to his home. As a bachelor for too long, his house is a mess, so I am going to get my cousin who cleans houses to help me---to much dust for someone on 100% oxygen. Going back this afternoon to visit him and then check on his house. He lives 2 blocks from me, so the walk will be good. I am hoping we can get him home health care and Al is going to build a ramp for his scooter, so he can get out and get some fresh air.

Well I am off to do some more decorating. With the Christmas music on and the cool weather we are having, it's perfect for me. Some peppermint hot chocolate would be good also. Having shrimp and okra gumbo, which is a staple in Southwest Louisiana, for supper, along with some Texas Toast. I usually fix potato salad, but with the price of mayo, it's almost become a luxury. Have a great day everyone. Love and Hugs, Pat

Busy, Busy, Busy

Today, I hope you are all mindful of the Veterans who gave their lives for our freedom and for those who are still fighting far away. God Bless them all for their service.

I am missing blogland so much and only get to visit a few because as some of you know, I am busy beginning Santa Land in our house. I find as I get older, it takes more time, but I should be finished by December 1st.





Today I am headed to our parents house to meet my sister to clean and price more things. We both lost 2 dear friends this weekend and one of them was really a blessings as she has been suffering for over a year from cancer that had spread through out her little tiny body.





Deena, I mailed off my Pay it Forwards and they should have gotten them by now. I do hope they enjoy the things I sent.





I will be gone for a couple of days but will be thinking and praying for all of you. Enjoy your week and I will visit when I return. Love and Hugs, Pat

Beautiful day despite the rain

I woke up early this morning feeling the best I have felt in a very long time. Guess my daughter was right about cleansing your body of toxins once a month, so I am going to do a liquid diet one day a month. I haven't had this much energy in a very long time, so maybe it was the toxins dragging me down---the pain I have learned to deal with, but the lost of energy was a battle.

Going into my holiday closet and start some decorating. Thank you all so much for your prayers. The only concern now is my very high blood pressure---so I have decided to eliminate the salt and sodium until my stress test---good bye puffed corn, pretzels, and all the goodies I do enjoy from time to time.

I hope you all have a great weekend and smile where ever you go---makes people wonder what you are thinking about. God Bless you all, Pat

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

After hearing about Deena's MRI, I got the urge to decorate for Christmas. I know it's early, but it will take me a while and I can't do like I did in passed years. We only brought out the trees and put them in place. I still have to pack up things as I do every year, but it's a start. I can't afford to go pink, so I will still have the traditional red and green. Micheals has a cute flocked pink tree that I have been eyeing, but will have to wait and see if Al's overtime kicks back in. At first I wasn't going to decorate but my brother reminded me of how much dad loved decorating at Christmas. It was always a joke each year about me needing another tree, so one year I told my dad, yes as a matter of fact, I do need another one---which started my gingerbread ornament collection over 15 years ago. Not sure if I will put my Red Hat tree up, because I put the Nativity tree in my bedroom.

Had a rough night, so when he left for work, I just stayed up. Will catch a "catnap" later. I don't really sleep, but it does rest my muscles.

An update on my friend Dot, her body has still not been released because her daughter's confession does not match the autopsy and now we are thinking she died a cruel tortured death in a wooden box---they built. Yes, it happens in the best of families and poor Dot was just trying to help her daughter out of a bad situation.

Well I am going finish my coffee, then relax before deciding how I will decorate. Praying you all have a wonderful weekend, no matter what your situation---you can make it happen.

Just stopping by

Life is busy around here and I just wanted to pop in and say hello. I have tons of material and lace to put away and then start dusting and packing my "normal" things away to begin preparations for Christmas. I don't decorate for fall because it takes too much time for Christmas and we usually don't spend Thanksgiving here. Because of all the furniture we had to bring here, I won't have as many trees up this year. My enlarged craft room has to wait until next year so I am using my bathroom as a storage room, which is not fun for me.

I will be working on a new blog about my trials and tribulations and I want to keep this one for fun stuff. I am hoping to reach out to people who suffer from Chronic pain due to surgery or disease. I am also hoping that it will help people who suffer silently from GERD-gastric esphogial reflux disease. Nexium came to late for me as many of you know and I went from being a avid garderner, all night crafter, 5 mile a day walker and baking maniac to a disabled person who requires injections weekly just to get by. I don't want you to think that I live on a pitty pot, but my faith tells me I need to share so that others who suffer can deal with. You will get to see how much I have done in recent years---pictures of my old craft booths and such. Plus it will be a place for prayers, because I was given a miracle through prayer and I want the world to know that it happens and Never give up.

I am also doing this for our Sweet Pink Warrier and you will see her name mentioned often. She and Amy from foursistersinacottage have both helped me when I thought the worst of life. Deena and Amy have both been an inspiration in my darkest hours and I had many.

I hope that when I get started, you will join me in prayers. I am not looking for sympathy, but prayers are what I yearn for the most. My dad was my greatest source of prayer and he is gone, but I know that he is looking after me still.

Well I am off to boxes and boxes of wonderful lace and goodies. Every piece I touch, I think of mom and all the wonderful things she made her entire life. I hope you all have a Blessed Day and smile, it takes less energy for a smile than a frown. Love and Hugs, Pat

Pink October Event

In honor of all the Pink Warriers.

I had almost forgotten today, so my pink things didn't get downloaded from my camera and I do apologize. So you get to see things that I have made or gotten from my PSP club. I hope you all go out today wearing Pink in honor of Deena's One year anniversary. Let's keep all the Pink Warriers in our prayers, including those who have lost the battle and those are just beginning.

Today is October Pink event day, so I hope to see lots of pink things in honor of Deena's 1 year annivsary. Deena you are an inspiration to all of us, with your strength and faith. You have cheered me up many days and for that I am eternally grateful.

Today is such a beautiful day, but I have to spend it inside packing up craft things so the Dish Network guy can install the digital recorder on my TV. We got a better deal by packaging all our services into one bundle, so we are dropping Cox cable to save $20 a month. We had Dish before and the clarity of the picture was so great, but they installed the satellite wrong, so half of the time, we had nothing. Al will be here to make sure they put it in correctly. Now I don't have to worry about finding a tape to record Army Wives and Grey's Anatomy when I'm not home or too busy.

On sad news, a friend of ours that helped us out when my parents died has been missing since Tuesday and it isn't looking good for her. Her medicine, debit card, and her cigarettes were all left in her house, but because of some text message left on her phone and then stopped in the middle of a sentence, they have to wait 72 hours until after the text message to start looking for her. When I saw her last Sunday, she was in good spirits and was excited because she finally got to receive her husband's VA benefits, so things were going to be easy. The family has contacted a psychic and she claims they will find her in some water under a bridge and I pray this woman is just a looney. Please keep Dot in your prayers. I pray she just needed to get away from her daughter who just moved in with her.

My Joys today

God in my life

Sunshine and beautiful weather

My family and friends

My beautiful "Father in law"

I want to dedicate this page to the man who would have been my father in law, had my boyfriend came home from Vietnam, but destiny is cruel sometimes, but Mr. Norace still treated me as though I was a part of his family. He was a captain for a tank brigade during World War II and now he is very ill and they have sent him home to die at his request. There is nothing more that they can do for him, except to pray that he is not in pain. I love this man dearly and they accepted my husband and Mr. Norace respected him so much and Al felt comfortable sitting and watching some games with him when we would visit him. He is a big teddy bear and the most gentle man I have known. He raised 8 children with good manners and respect for others. The bottom picture is me and Garland at the age of 16, serving in my brothers wedding. The other picture is Garland and is one of the last pictures we have of him, because his platoon leader got his film wet and lost all the pictures he took of his men in Vietnam. Please keep this lovely man in your prayers. He keeps saying he wants to go home to meet Mom and I know that soon they will be in each other's loving arms again. I am going to visit him tomorrow and his son told me, I am trying very hard to prepare myself, but how does one do that?

To the Benoit Family, you will always be like part of my family and I love you all as though you were. God had other plans, but I am grateful for still being around all of you when we can. Prayers for "Pop" Benoit. Love and Hugs, Pat

Happy Birthday Theresa

I didn't have time to go through all my pictures of my little Theresa, but I just don't know where the years have gone. As you can see, I still don't have the knowledge that most of you have to post a really good blog and put pictures in order. When she was born, I couldn't hold her because I had surgery a month before she was born and she weighed 9Lbs14ozs, so that had to put her in my lap for me to hold her. I am so hoping for another grandchild, but I may have to settle on Theresa and Jacob. I want to hold a baby. She played all afternoon with her CuttleKid and then went next door to play with the kids there.
As you can tell, she is a ham when in front of a camera. The little Christmas dress where she is sitting on her pawees lap is one I made for her---she loves when I make her clothes. In about another year, she will be as "short" as me, but will pass me up like her brother is doing. Chris is my only chance for another grandchild, but her clock is ticking fast at 37, but who knows.

We celebrated my beautful Theresa's 8th Birthday last night and her dad pushed her face into the cake. Poor darling got icing up her nose and I was very upset with him.