Just another Day of Cold

These are my 2 gc and Jacob is as tall as me or should I say short!

Well I have been in a deep "funk" since Pop's death and I know I need to "snap" out of it, but the new meds have not kicked in yet. I am sorry I sounded like a "cry baby" for not having any followers---I'm off the Pitty Pot!

I did manage to make a beautiful candy boquet and will post a picture later.

Al gave me money to play bingo and I won $125, so was able to get some shopping therapy at my favorite store--"Bon Will". I am hoping that Hobby Lobby has marked down their Christmas things to 90% off because I want some more flocking for cards and crafts. I bought all the pink, but they still had lots of red and green left, plus some felt embellishments that would be nice.

We are expecting temps in the teens at the end of the week and that's not the cold I like, so will probably grab a good book and stay under the electric blanket. I am hoping I can avoid back surgery a little longer, because it just may be the cold that is making me hurt so much with every move.

Would you believe that my Christmas decorations are still up! Maybe after an injection, I will be able to start taking things down. My Mardi Gras things are usually up by now and not even sure I will pull them out. I want to start crafting again and sometimes you just have to skip a year of decorating. Who knows!

Well as we say here in the south, "I'm fixin to take a shower" and get dressed for my appt. I hope you all have a great day doing what you like to do. For those that are sick, I do pray you get better soon. Love and Hugs, Pat

What a way to start the New Year

This is what Donnie sees from his window and across the street. Oh how I wish I were there, but it's white right now and very cold, so hopefully in the fall, I will get to go.


I am so ready to start boxing up everything, but we always wait until the 5th. It seems as though the trials are continuing---my aunt had to have an emergency surgery last night for an obstruction and lost 6" of her large intestines. Luckily she became very sick, other wise, it would have been worse. She is doing good today and we are all grateful.





Even though the last 8 years have been hell, I have so much to be thankful for and we have received so many Blessings from God, family, and friends.





The 5Th officially starts Mardi Gras Season, but the King cakes are already in the stores, not to mention Valentine. I didn't go to any after Christmas sales, but hoping that Joannes will still have these organizers for glass ornaments that I Need!





My Joys today


Blessings from God


A beautiful email from Donnie


My aunt is okay


Deena is doing better


Our weather is nice





I wish all of you, better days ahead, but I am sure most of you are like us---tightening our belts and forgetting about the "Wants" and concentrating on the "Needs". I did some more organizing and I just cleared a space to work, so hopefully I can get back to what I like to do. Have a great weekend. Love and Hugs to all.

Start of my Christmas blog

It will take time, but I am working on my Christmas blog. I should have the entire week to finish up. I hope you will visit on the 15Th when I will have it completed. I want to look for old pictures that are pretty awful decorating, but it was always fun.

This is the link to my new blog. http://urbanchicchristmas.blogspot.com/

My joys today

Christ will soon be born again

My grandchildren visiting this weekend

A craft show we are about to attend

Cool day

Many Blessings and prayers I have received.

Prayers, love, and hugs, Pat

A Great Day

Who knew that a few days away could re-energize you. I have been totally busy decorating and running to the hospital. Bubba is getting better, but will be in rehab, but he has lost 61 lbs and can talk so much better now.

I already has visitors coming to see my house and it's not finished, but they will return when it's done. Lucky for me, they didn't notice the boxes every where and just noticed the gingerbreads.

I hope you all have a very Blessed and Happy Thanksgiving. I don't shop on Black Friday---it's just not worth it, especially when fights start over some product that we can all live without. If I had a choice, it would be Micheals or Hobby Lobby, but Al has to work and the mail must go through.

My Joys today
Beautiful Day from God
My friend is getting better
My wonderful neighbors
My family and friends

My Thanks to God for all the many blessings He has bestowed on us this year, even the pain is a blessing because it motivates me and brings me closer to Him every day. Love and Hugs, Pat

It's beginning to look like Christmas

Well the elves showed up at our house and it's really starting to look like Christmas. After Thanksgiving, we start decorating the trees and it's always fun looking at them as many of them have a sentimental meaning.

I save the Nativity things for last and at night when I go to bed, it's the last thing I see and in the morning the first. We have already made plans for next year to make a display in the entry, so when you walk in, you know Jesus comes first for Christmas. We need small tables that can be taken apart and stored. Al has even thought of painting a background with mountains, palms, and a Bethlehem scene. My brother is coming over for Al to paint a memorial sign for mom and dad to put with his Christmas yard decorations, since he has all of dad's things. I can't wait to bring the gc to see it. We always take them riding to see Christmas displays. We gave our youngest son our first nativity and just as they did when they were young, my gc remove Baby Jesus until Christmas and then put him in his crib.

I start early because it takes time to do it, but I take the same care as I did when I prepared for my children's birthdays, so preparing for Jesus's birth always takes more time. I even bake a cake and the children blow out the candles and sing Happy Birthday to Jesus.

Good news today, my friend was moved into a private room, so is doing a bit better. His doctor said if he keeps improving, he will get to be home for Thanksgiving and go to therapy as an outpatient. I wasn't planning on cooking, but we will see to it that Bubba has a good meal. If his electric wheel chair is ready, we may take him to my brothers with us, as they know him.

I did go to bingo last night and it was very quiet. We all signed a card for J and it will be a long time before she returns to bingo. She is afraid that the rapist will be there and see her. She is going to therapy, which is good. I got there early and got a parking place just outside the door.

My Joys today

Jesus forgives me every day

My friend is better

My husband's love

My children and family

Sunshine

Flowers blooming

My wish today is for World Peace and cures for all the diseases that plague us. I know that Heaven will have all that, but it would be so wonderful to have it here also. Love and Hugs, Pat

Beautiful cold Day

Today is a beautiful day but a cold one. The winds died down during the night and the sun is shining and there will be frost on the ground in the morning. I do wish for snow, but in the south it is very rare and the one time it did snow in New Orleans, I was to be meeting one of my craft friends and New Orleans cancelled all flights, so we never got to meet.

My friend is still in ICU, but no surgery on his heart. His oxygen level keeps dropping so the doctor said he is keeping him in there so he can be watched. I met his doctor yesterday and Bubba introduced him to us as his emergency contact, so now the doctor has a face to go with the name. I think I am going to change my PCP because he seems very nice and concerned about his patients and I'm not crazy about the one I have.

My house is starting to look like the 9Th floor at Macy's---trees every where. My dining room is tiny, but I have trees all around the room, some small theme trees and it really cheers me up. The only room that looks the same every year is my kitchen and even that has some changes. For some it looks cluttered, but most like it and get excited about coming by. The ornaments are the last thing we do and that is done after Thanksgiving. This year my neighbor told me not to cook a big meal for just Al and me, because she is fixing us a plate or we can go and eat with them if we are home. They are the sweetest and nicest people I have for neighbors.

My siblings and I have decided to have a real Christmas and not a commercial one. No store bought presents! We have to make or purchase something that is used and was discarded. I would never do anything like this with friends, but I have found almost new things in boxes at Goodwill for my sisters and sils. I found a new purse with the tags still on it and it has an A on everything for my sil Angela. I also found a "Cadillac" walker for our brother and we all pitched in to get it. We gave it to him early and he was like a kid with a new toy. He has severe brain damage from a fall years ago, so he needed one to get around without fear of falling.

Warning about the next news---if you don't want to read about negative----just skip it, but it's a warning for women, even though it's happening in my hometown of Jennings.

We have a serial killer, even though the police will not call it that---all the girls lived in the same "crack house" and there are now 7 young girls killed and dumped in fields. They suspect it is someone knowledgeable in crimes because they are leaving no clues. And now on top of that, a friend I know from bingo was brutally raped Monday night behind the bingo hall. I do not go to this one, but it is still scary as he didn't kill her. The bingo players who went out at half time to smoke heard her yelling for help and they found her naked in her car. She fought him, but then passed out and he dragged her into a field behind the hall. We all think it's the killer who wants to throw the police off. She got there late and when she parked, a man was hidden in his van next to her and he jumped out wearing a ski mask and white gloves. She is not a drug user and is one of them like me, who goes alone to bingo. I'm not even sure if I am brave enough to go tonight, but I always get there before dark, so I can park in the front. There will be security tonight for us, so that is good, but I already told Al that I will not stop for anyone, including police until I drive into a public place. I carry mace with me and always have it on the seat with my cell phone. Even though these girls are living in bad places, they still don't deserve to be killed---we are all God's children and he wants His lost sheep more than those who are Christians. The only black girl that was killed is a cousin of the girl that my neighbor babysits for---scary. So a warning to you, it can happen anywhere and you should always be aware of your surroundings. I refuse to live in fear, but I am careful where I go and who I am friends with.

My Joys today
Jesus died for me
My husband and children
An almost pain free day---yea!
A warm roof over my head
My Internet friends

I wish all of you a beautiful weekend filled with joy and love. Life is what you make, so if life hands you scraps, make a quilt. Prayers, 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

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.