Loving My Life as Wife, Mother and Grandmother

Wednesday, May 27, 2009

a little break..


I took a break from the computer the last few days. I have a few health issues that have been making me feel a little under the weather..I felt like I just needed a break and to spend some time vegging out with my family. I suffer from pretty severe anemia and have have mitro-valve problems with my heart. I also suffer from arthritis. For the last year or so I've been running a low grade fever most of the time. I have no resistance against anything either so I get sick...a lot...My mother and sister both suffer from rheumatoid arthritis so the doctor is thinking that may be what is causing my trouble. I've had arthritis since I was a child. Back then though, the orthopedic doctor didn't know much about juvenile arthritis. They didn't have advil when I was a child either. I am allergic to tylenol. I have been all my life. A few yrs. ago I dared to try it just to see..I broke out in hives and my lips swelled. I won't be trying it again! I guess eventually I am going to have go give in and have bloodwork done again. Financially the last year has been tough so I've been trying to just hang in there. It seems like when summer comes I just try to do too much. Then I start in feeling rather badly...I think I might just have to go at a slower pace and take it easy. It kind of affects you when you try to sit down and write something happy. When you're feeling bad it almost gives you writers block :) I definately don't want anyone feeling sorry for me..I just wanted everyone to know it kind of slows me down a bit. Between me not feeling well and having to deal with Sam's tourettes..sometimes life can get a bit overwhelming at times. I am hoping that the rest of the week will go smoothly and things will get a bit less stressful. :) I appreciate all my sweet bloggy friends and all your sweet comments. Hopefully I will be posting more very soon!! I'm off to enjoy taco salad and watch Hotel for dogs and Tale of Despereaux with Sam....Love, Jerelene

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Retarded Grandparents

I thought this was hilarious...hope you do too!!



RETARDED GRANDPARENTS
(this was actually reported by a teacher)

After Christmas, a teacher asked her young pupils how they spent their holiday away from school. One child wrote the following:
"We always used to spend the holidays with Grandma and Grandpa. They used to live in a big brick house but Grandpa got retarded and they moved to Florida .
"Now they live in a tin box and have rocks painted green to look like grass. They ride around on their bicycles and wear name tags because they don't know who they are anymore.
"They go to a building called a wreck center, but they must have got it fixed because it is all okay now, they do exercises there, but they don't do them very well. There is a swimming pool too, but all they do is jump up and down in it with hats on.
"At their gate, there is a doll house with a little old man sitting in it. He watches all day so nobody can escape. Sometimes they sneak out, and go cruising in their golf carts.
"Nobody there cooks, they just eat out. And, they eat the same thing every night --- early birds. Some of the people can't get out past the man in the doll house. The ones who do get out, bring food back to the wrecked center for pot luck.
"My Grandma says that Grandpa worked all his life to earn his retardment and says I should work hard so I can be retarded someday too. When I earn my retardment, I want to be the man in the doll house. Then I will let people out, so they can visit their grandchildren."
.

Monday, May 18, 2009

The mystery revealed!!!!



We finally figured out what the blooming vine was at the back of our yard....It's Wisteria!!! Thank you to Allyjo for suggesting looking up native vines of Indiana!! It is beautiful and smells heavenly. It is probably technically considered a weed, but isn't morning glory considered a weed too? I love blue morning glories. We started some in jiffy pots and I will be planting them this week. I just have to pick where I want them. Have a great day!!!!

My Daybook

~FOR TODAY..MAY 18, 2009~

OUTSIDE MY WINDOW****A beautiful sunny day!! A little cool, but I think it's suppose to warm up nicely later :)

I AM THINKING****About my youngest daughter turning 17 tomorrow!

FROM THE LEARNING ROOM****Metric system, linear graphs, Modern China, snakes (Yuck!) I hate even reading about them...sorry ;)

I AM THANKFUL****As always, for my family...(and a very sweet Aunt that has been helping me with the quilting)

FROM THE KITCHEN****oven baked chicken and homemade potato salad

I AM WEARING****Long plaid shorts and a v-necked black t-shirt with a cat on it...black flip flops to match :)

I AM READING****Nothing right now...too many things I'm working on

I AM HOPING****That my son's Tourettes might let up in severity...his tics have been so severe the last week that he's been hurting and having trouble even falling asleep. He is suppose to go see a new pediatric neurologist later this month...I don't want to have to put him back on the meds, but it has been SO severe that I'm afraid we might have to.

I AM CREATING****I have Sam's quilt top pinned together..now to try to do the actual quilting...(He and I have both been working on them a LONG time...they've been done for a while and I just was leary of doing the actual quilting..I've not done it before) I'm going to put a border around mine. It is almost big enough to go on my queen size bed. Sam's is smaller..more like a nice throw...I've also got a scrappy, plain old square top that I started a while back. I'm going to use it for a throw on the couch. Then last night, I started trying to put something together for my oldest daughter. I'm thinking a raggy quilt. So, I've got 3 or 4 squares started to see if I like it or not. She wanted it purple, pink, green and orange. Her fave colors are purple and orange...so she said to just do whatever..so that's what I'm doing. We'll see how it goes. I have nothing in orange so I guess I get to go fabric shopping :)

I AM PRAYING****For God to heal my son's tourettes and for blessings on my family

ONE OF MY FAVORITE THINGS****To go fabric shopping...(which I think I'm going to be doing very soon! :)

A FEW PLANS FOR THE REST OF THE WEEK****schoolwork, celebrating my daughter's 17th birthday...Time sure flies doesn't it? .... Plant the morning glory, watermelon and pumpkin starts...

The picture I'm sharing is of my daughter Sarah....This is Sarah (on the right) with her friend Hattie..they were getting ready to go to prom....(not together..they had dates)...HAPPY 17th BIRTHDAY!! (tomorrow)

Thanks Peggy for hosting the daybooks!! If you would like to participate visit Peggy at
http://thesimplewomansdaybook.blogspot.com/





Wednesday, May 13, 2009


Hello to everyone!! I'm feeling a little under the weather today so It's going to be a very quick and short post. I've had a runny & stuffy nose for the last few days and even coughing some. I don't think I totally got over being sick from before. I went ahead and shut the windows last night because I thought maybe my allergies might be making it worse. Everyone in the neighborhood took use of the last few days being rainless to mow!! I will share with you a photo of Mickey, our baby chihuaha. My daughter took the picture..(she's in the background.) He's almost 6 months old now. He is a very good little boy!! Loves to snuggle and is and expert at begging for food. (And I do mean expert!) I guess the rainless couple of days has came to it's end. We are under a tornado watch again!! Ughh!!! Hopefully it won't get bad here. Talk to you all soon!!! Love, Jerelene

Monday, May 11, 2009

My Daybook


~ For May 11, 2009~

OUTSIDE MY WINDOW ****A beautiful sunny day!! What a wonderful sight..No Rain!!

I AM THINKING****About the garden..we actually got some of it going now..15 tomato plants, 16 zucchini, 4 green bean starts (we're also planting some seeds,)sugar pea pods, we also have seedlings of watermelon and some prize winning pumpkins (for Sammy :) we're going to get some brussel sprouts, cabbage green peppers and some green onion going this week as well. Oh yes, some yellow crookneck squash too!

FROM THE LEARNING ROOM***just trying to get as much done as we can...I really don't want to have to do schoolwork all summer. That, and I'm trying to pick out what I'm going to order for next year.

I AM THANKFUL****For my family (always:) For the rain ending and the sun coming out! Forthe yummy oatmeal-raisin cookie candle from my daughter..and for my Aunt buying me the foot I needed for my machine so I can finish Sammy's quilt :)

FROM THE KITCHEN****Yummy strawberries, cool-whip and shortcakes..and as always a a pitcher of coffee to drink with my vanilla-caramel creamer I just got!!

I AM WEARING****A green skirt and black top

I AM READING****Nothing right now..I've been working on finishing my quilt and Sam's..

I AM HOPING****That I might get Sam's quilt done this week..I don't know..it's my first to actually quilt. Well...I just hope I get SOMETHING done on it!!

I AM CREATING****Again, just working on the quilts..(I actually have started another one, and I'm going to try to start putting some fabrics together to start one for my oldest daughter..she likes orange and purple :)

I AM PRAYING****For God to Bless My Family and my Home

ONE OF MY FAVORITE THINGS****A fuzzy orange blanket that I recieved as a Christmas gift several years ago. I was babysitting a tiny little baby named Lily. It was a gift from her Mother. Every time I snuggle up in it I think of Lily.

A FEW PLANS FOR THE REST OF THE WEEK****Work in the garden, work on the quilts, work on putting a flower bed in by the front porch. The kids have dental appointments this week..

THE PICTURE I'M SHARING****Is my oldest daughter with her new boyfriend John. He is in the marines. He was in this past week visiting. He left to go back yesterday. He will be going to Afghanistan until January. Please keep him in your prayers.

For more great Daybook entries and to participate in your own blog go to Peggy's at http://thesimplewomansdaybook.blogspot.com/ Thank You Peggy!!

Saturday, May 9, 2009

Happy Mother's Day


Happy Mother's Day to all my dear and sweet bloggy friends!! LOVE YOU!! Have a Wonderful Day!!!!











Bunny

This article was in our local newspaper. Bunny was originally from the Evansville zoo. All of us in the tri-state loved her greatly! She is one of the reasons I LOVE elephants SO MUCH!! I am so saddened to hear of her leaving us. It's amazing how these wonderful animals stay with and comfort each other in death. A true testiment of what a blessing they are to our world!!
Bunny 'a success story,' says Elephant Sanctuary founder
By Rich Davis (Contact)
Thursday, May 7, 2009


Bunny walks along the woods at the sanctuary in this file photograph


Ten years ago, under a postcard-blue September sky, I stood outside a million-dollar barn and watched Bunny the 8,000-pound pachyderm become part of The Elephant Sanctuary in tiny Hohenwald, Tenn., southwest of Nashville.

The other Asian elephants had already entered the pasture, Barbara the matriarch lying in the sun in a far field, Tarra roaming a fence line and Jenny and Shirley — best buds, I learned — waiting for the new kid from Evansville to join in.

For an hour, Bunny stood at the barn door, occasionally looking out.

Finally, having dumped a pile of hay on her back, sort of like a traveling lunch pail, Bunny suddenly ambled down the hill and into a whole new world.

A world of purple thistle blooms and a creek shaded by willow and oak trees, without chains and commands, where she could freely roam 2,200 acres.

Reporters are supposed to be impartial observers (Bunny’s move from her outdated concrete pad at Evansville’s zoo wasn’t without controversy), but that morning my heart sang as Bunny began to merrily trumpet.

She was part of the founding herd, and some of the Evansville zookeepers and officials who made the 5-hour drive were in tears, of joy.

“She was a success story,” Carol Buckley, cofounder of the nonprofit sanctuary, said tenderly on Thursday as she described how Bunny is going through the dying process. “I’m still in denial.”

Bunny, she explained, is doing what elephants in the wild do when they realize it’s time to go, to succumb to old age. Since last Saturday, Bunny’s been lying on her side in narrow valley next to a brook, at the bottom of a hill three miles from her fancy, high-tech barn.

Shirley and Tarra are keeping a vigil and won’t leave her side even after she passes, which could be a matter of hours or days.

The law requires a burial within three days, said Buckley, so Bunny’s final resting place will be atop the nearby hill, an area she adored.

“It’s bittersweet,” said Buckley. “It’s like losing a family member, but we’re happy she had a full life, isn’t dying from some horrible, disease (an infection of the bones, for instance) you can get in captivity.

“She had one decade of freedom, but that’s better than 90 percent of the elephants in captivity who don’t get one year.”

Tests indicate Bunny’s body is shutting down; veterinarians are giving her fluids and caring for her.

At 57, Bunny didn’t survive as long as similar elephants who grow up in the wild (60 to 70 years), but Buckley said Bunny has lived longer than Asian elephants in captivity whose average life span is 40.

Buckley is convinced the Evansville Parks Board’s decision in 1999 to send Bunny packing to Tennessee prolonged her life.

Part of Buckley’s goal when she and partner Scott Blais founded the sanctuary in 1995 “was to rescue all the elephants living alone in zoos.”

“I will never forget the effort it took to get Bunny here,” Buckley recalled, noting she lobbied for five years before Evansville officials gave the OK.

“Bunny was loved by everybody in Evansville,” said Buckley, “from those who loved her enough to let her go to others who couldn’t let her go, but still loved her.”

Buckley said Bunny’s calm but playful personality will be missed.

When Jenny died, Shirley was devastated, but Bunny stayed with her friend, coaxing Shirley back to normalcy, Buckley recalled.

However, she said Bunny’s lasting legacy was evident the moment she stepped out of the barn on that September morning:

“That lady was determined never to go back in. She liked to be outdoors more than anything. Because of her, the other elephants started sleeping outside at night, too.”

Friday, May 8, 2009

Storms..

Sorry to say, but I'll have to visit all of my bloggy friends later. I had to unplug the computer last night due to the really bad lightning. We are now under a tornado watch and there are really bad storms heading my way. So, once again I am having to unplug the computer. Pray for a safe day!! It's suppose to storm again tonight I think..I'm really tired of this rain..rain, rain go away...come back again sometime after May :) We've had enough!!! Talk to you soon...Jerelene

Wednesday, May 6, 2009

A good day!!

I had a wonderful day today. I was able to do a few things I had been wanting to do. We planted some plants in jiffy pots too! Some beautiful blue morning glories and some red english daisies. I thought I would share something beautiful with all my wonderful friends. Love You!!! Jerelene
BE SURE TO SCROLL DOWN AND TURN MY MUSIC PLAYER OFF..(It is well with my soul is my favorite hymn) :)




Tuesday, May 5, 2009

Pictures....







Here are some pics..I apologize for the quality. The digital camera quit and we have to use the cell phone camera. When I said bush honeysuckle; I literally meant bush. These are actually bushes that grow huge. They flower in the spring and grow berries late in the fall. The wood twists around and hangs over. They are very unusual looking. But it is not your usual honeysuckle. I posted a picture of whatever the wierd stuff is growing on the fence at the back of our property. I seriously don't know what it is. I've even tried to find out on-line...No luck... Also, the first pic is of our beautiful Rhododendron bush. Gotta Go....School is calling!!!!

Bush Honeysuckle


Well, we had a bit of a break from the rain yesterday. Just enough to get out and do a few things in the yard. Needless to say, I did too much!! I am definately feeling it too..We did get a few things into the garden and we're hoping to get a few more out today. The rain is suppose to return tomorrow. We just need a few, good, dry days. I just don't think that is going to happening. I didn't even get to do a Daybook entry yesterday. I guess that sometimes..LIFE comes first. In the midst of cutting back the whole line of bushes that line the middle of the yard..I found rose bushes growing. We have an abundance of what they call "bush honeysuckle." After researching it shortly after moving in here in the fall; we found out that technically they are considered a nuisance bush. I had never heard of them before. They are a strange bush. The wood is really something to see! Some of them have died though, and some are just taking over!! So, we are trying to cut them back. BIG job!! I had Mark help me move the rosebushes so we'll have to wait and see how they do. I just couldn't kill them. I LOVE roses!! They are climbers so they were huge. I hated to cut them back because there were little buds everywhere. Does anyone know what kind of vine-like stuff grows and has flower buds that look like the heads of a snake? It's growing on our back fence. I guess we shall soon find that out too!! I better go for now. We didn't get school work done yesterday. So, today we will play catch up. That, and I have laundry to hang on the line! Have a GREAT DAY!!!!!