It figures that the very week that my niece, Tara, has her baby and the Beast goes away for a few days, I would get sick. Yeah, I know…life can suck that way at times. So, I had to cancel the exotic dancing guys (wouldn’t want them to get sick, too, now, would we?) and I can’t get over to Tara’s to see the new baby. (Insert really sad face here because I just adore babies).

The Princess is sick, too, but her boyfriend is over today to offer some aid and comfort. It seems mainly to consist of holding her but, hey…different strokes….LOL. It’s more than the Beast offers me but I am glad he is gone because he is the WORST possible whiny patient when HE is sick. At least God has spared me that much annoyance. TYG!

So Tara’s new little son is now at home with her. He was born on Tuesday (I didn’t get the time yet) and weighed 7 lbs. 2 oz. and is 18 inches long. The Princess made the trip up to Huntsville to see the new baby and Tara and said that he seems like he’s fatter than Chewlee was mainly because he is shorter than she was. He only weighs less than two ounces more but I do know how a few inches in length can make a difference. I remember my own babies vividly. Isn’t that amazing?

I remember staring at their little faces and feeling the most incredible things. Inspecting their faces, toes, fingers, ears and even the little bit of hair on their heads. I didn’t have babies with a lot of hair, unfortunately, but I really didn’t care. Which brings me to what started me down this road, other than being happy that Tara finally had her new baby.

The Princess was assigned a paper by her English teacher in college. I remember how awful some of her English composition were in high school. Ugh. She put absolutely NO effort into them. I tried to tell her it should be like telling a story that she made up in her mind. She should think about all the things that she enjoyed about reading and try to make the thoughts flow smoothly. She couldn’t be bothered. I had no idea what to expect when she asked me to read her paper for her English class in college. I had no reason to expect anything different, actually.

Imagine my surprise when I read her paper and it was really good. Perhaps it was the subject matter? It was about a life-changing experience in HER life. The teacher said that EVERYONE has one moment in time that changed their life forever and that was to be the subject matter. Her subject was the birth of her daughter, Chewlee. It’s a good paper. If this teacher had been one of her high school English teachers, it would probably be considered a GREAT one just because it IS interesting and it flows well. Somewhere, somehow, she actually DID learn. I am amazed and so happy for her. Speaking and writing English well is an important skill. ‘Nuff said now. I just hope she gets a good grade on it.

I was so hoping that it actually made it up into the 60′s today like the weatherman predicted. I wanted to be able to call the Beast and torture him with that fact while he was in knee deep snow, ice and all that cold. It got up to 52 at one point but that wasn’t enough to torture him so I refrained. Besides, I was not really feeling up to it. Because I can be anal at times, I DID get my fridge cleaned out of all the science experiments and other things that were not only taking up space, but also starting to smell up the place when I opened the door. I dragged it outside and threw it in the bin and then ran back into my room and under the warm electric blanket in my computer room. It had dropped down to 40 degrees (and it was wet and windy out so it felt even colder than that) shortly after the sun went down. The wind has stopped now and the temp seems to have settled into 40 on my deck.

Chewlee got her bath and we both wrestled her down and into her pajamas. She is having a ball running through the house and back and forth out of my computer room. It’s a good thing her mother got most of her homework done before this cold or whatever it is hit her HARD but she sure is making her life miserable now. She will be in her snug little bed in about an hour or so and probably sleep better than the Princess and I will. Of course, if we down some Nyquil, we might avoid the discomfort.

I actually had to watch a dvd on the Beast’s computer last night to put myself to sleep. It seems like it was the only way for me to be distracted enough not to be constantly aware of how awful I felt. Works every time, too. LOL I briefly woke up to use the bathroom and shut it off, removed the disk and plopped back into bed. I don’t remember laying there at all to go back to sleep, either. It was a real treat since the last couple nights have been toss and turn ones for me.

Well, it’s time for me to stop this endless chatter and take my own shower. I pulled out my warmest pajamas and some nice warm socks to put on. I will turn on the electric blanket to pre-warm my bed and then settle down to watch Wyvern on the Sci-Fi channel.

Keep warm, stay healthy and I love you much. Talk to you again…..soon, I hope.

Today was probably one of the strangest and funniest days I had taking care of Chewlee. The Princess’s first class at college starts at 7:45am so she was long gone before any of us even started to wake up. That included Chewlee. I was sitting at my computer, trying to drink my first cup of coffee for the day and read my email when I heard Chewlee’s yell to let us know she was awake and wanted OUT. I decided to let her wait for a minute or two while I got a few more sips of coffee in me before I had to face the inevitable diaper change.

So what do I hear but utter silence, as sudden as it had been startling, and then a THUMP. Imagining Chewlee will begin to wail at any second from falling out of her crib (it sounded that way), I barely reach the door when it swings open and there’s Chewlee. She had a big *aren’t I smart and clever* smile on her face and was clutching her always present blankey and an empty bottle. All I could think of was…*Oh, boy…are WE in trouble now!*

I changed her diaper and discovered that it was THAT problem that had awakened her when it did. She really does NOT like a soaked diaper nor a dirty one. Within 10 minutes, she went cheerfully back *night-night* and slept for another hour. Needless-to-say, when she woke up THAT time, I didn’t want to take the chance that her getting out of bed unhurt was a fluke. If she’s had enough sleep, she’s always bright and cheerful and just heads to get her breakfast. *I*, her servant, am expected to attend her promptly and when she is done, she puts her hands out to be wiped and lifts her face up so that I get that, too.

Recently, she has been picking up some mimicking habits. Some I know immediately where she has gotten them, others are not so certain. When I get mad at her ignoring what I tell her, I guess I have this habit of folding my arms across my chest and giving her a stern look. Today, she whirled around and gave that look right back at me. I was so startled, I almost couldn’t stop myself from laughing. I sat down (all the while stifling a laugh) and beckoned her to me. She kept both her hands folded across her chest, closed her eyes and shook her head *no*. I pointed to the floor in front of me and said, *Come here!* in my sternest voice and it was then that she unfolded her arms, her face broke into a big smile and she came running up to me laughing and making kiss-y face. I laughed at her then and I guess that was what she was expecting because then it was normal play and read time. Until lunchtime……..

We left the computer room so I could make her some lunch and I have no idea what she saw the Beast do or thought he was doing but she suddenly broke into a run, chattering like mad with both her fists clenched and slightly out in front of her. She was yelling at him for SOMETHING and it was so apparent she was pissed that the Beast turned to me and said, *What did *I* do?* I told him I didn’t know but she sure thought he did something she didn’t like. After she had her say, she turned around, walked over to her high chair and waited for me to pick her up and put her in it.

After her nap, she was in a kind of mellow, *leave-me-alone* mood so she piled some of her favorite toys that were scattered in my computer room into the clothes basket, climbed in and played quietly with them. She has a counting frog that talks that she likes to play with but she tired of that and it got throw out of the basket. Then her talking baby doll with hands that you can place over various parts of her (eyes, mouth, tummy, feet) and she says various things. She loves to have it say *Peek-a-boo* and recite the A-B-C’s which, being age appropriate consists of *A,B,C,D..hmm, hmm, hmm, boop, boop, boop, dum,dum, dum..now I said my a,b,c’s..don’t you think you can sing with me?* When she tired of that, it too hit the air and landed a few feet away. As soon as she had managed to empty the basket of all her toys, it was finally time for her to have me read to her again.

Most of the time, I take her finger and point it to different things and ask her *what’s that?*. Today, she grabbed (of all things) my THUMB (and that can be both uncomfortable and not easy to see past your palm when a baby is using it to point at things with) and she wanted ME to tell HER what she was pointing to. It was a battle of wills when I tried to give her my index finger to make it easier for both of us but she really wanted my thumb. She finally closed the book, disgusted and got down off my lap and proceeded to pace, arms folded and shooting me really dirty looks. I couldn’t help it, I laughed. It was THAT funny.

I will relate our experience with a mirror that drove me nuts until I finally figured out what was making her so hyper tomorrow. Right now, I am so dead tired that I can hardly think straight and my bed is beckoning. My niece, Tara, had her new baby today and both are doing well.

Love you all and have a wonderful night and a great day tomorrow. It’s a shorter day for me tomorrow since the Princess has no school but has to open the store early. I am going to lock my door when she gets home, I think. Although I may not have to since I think she will be going over to Johnnycakes instead and she will be taking Chewlee with her. I have learned to treasure these times.

Oh, one piece of bad news. The Beast has not left for his brother’s yet. They were expecting an ice storm but lucked out and didn’t get it. However, they got several inches of snow so I guess the soonest the Beast will be leaving will be on Thursday. *sigh* Oh well, c’est la vie!

I got a day off from babysitting today. The Princess took Chewlee over to the motel that the paternal grandfather was staying at for the day. He tries to get up here to see her at least once a month and keeps her overnight. He really loves her and enjoys his time with her. The only problem is that Chewlee usually doesn’t sleep well away from her crib but we will deal with it. Her sleep pattern is just screwed up for a couple days. He’s moving back to Florida for a while since his house there hasn’t sold yet so I doubt he will be seeing her for a while. It’s a long drive from there to here.

It was nice to be able to take a leisurely shower. The Beast and I made plans to go to Huntsville to stock up on lots of canned goods and other stuff at Sam’s Club. It was actually fun to go up and down the aisles and pick out things that we use a lot. We bought lots of veggies, pastas, sugar, coffee creamer, coffee (I didn’t buy too much of THAT because it was the same price as Walmart, of course) and I picked up some fruits and treats for Chewlee that I know she will enjoy. I also picked up some dried fruits that they had women giving out samples of that were much more moist than usual. I always try the apricots because I love them and they usually aren’t as moist as these are. We got lots of albacore tuna that I love and use. I grabbed one pack of 8 and the Beast threw in two more so I think we are set for a while. I also bought the macaroni and cheese that the Princess likes (you know the kind…it has the dried cheese that you use and is really inexpensive). I normally buy the Velvetta shells and cheese (and we did grab a case of that, also).
I’m not going to give you the whole list but we packed the trunk of the car with stuff and still had to put things in the back seat. THAT upset Baron who took the trip with us and just enjoyed himself.

It was funny on our way to Huntsville because of the route we take. We go past the park that the Beast takes Baron occasionally when he wants to let Baron run. Baron started getting so excited because he recognized the area and thought he was going for a run. He whined when we breezed past the site and flopped down in disappointment. I was amazed that he actually knew the route. He watched us drive past and KNEW the area. He kept his eyes on the site until we were well past it. I felt kind of bad for him. I had hoped we would return home when it was still light enough to stop and let him take his run but no such luck. It was really overcast and got too dark earlier than normal. We had bought a big bag of some chew treats that he likes (and it’s touted to be good for his teeth, too) so he was pacified once we got home and brought that in for him.

I had wanted to buy a big bag of pig’s ears for him because he loves them but he also gets frantic trying to find a place to hide one when he’s given it. He runs all over the house looking for a place to hide it. He will put it here or there and then go back to retrieve it because it’s not good enough. He will try *burying* it in the folds of the love seat or the covers on our bed. He’s come into my computer room and gone nuts trying to find some way to hide it in here. I had a blanket I had folded in here once and he actually came in and decided that was a perfect spot. He must have spent about 5 minutes trying to hide it in the folds to his satisfaction. Once that was done, he returned to the living room for maybe 2 minutes and then came in to push at it and make sure it was still there. He left for 5 minutes and then came back in, retrieved it and started his frantic search for another place. It was funny but the Beast felt sorry for him and wouldn’t let me get them. He said it was mean to upset him that much. Hee hee hee. He didn’t get it. That was the whole point. He would do that for all of a half hour or so and then he would sigh and lay down to finally eat it. He loves them but he goes through that routine each and every time we give him one. *sigh* Oh well, we still have a couple here. I will just have to wait until I am bored to be entertained by giving him one.

While we were in Huntsville, we took advantage of it and stopped at Outback for a treat to ourselves. We just love their coconut shrimp and shrimp on the barbie. Once we were seated, the Beast told me that the Princess had given him money to pay for our *treat* so I could order whatever I wanted since it was on her. We tried their french onion soup (it’s *ok* but not the best I’ve had) and ordered our usual shrimps and a drink. The Beast had his sweet tea and I had a vodka and gingerale. Their gingerale is very mild but that didn’t bother me at all. It was just nice to have something different that someone else made….LOL.

Although I did a lot of walking, it was fun to look and see everything that Sam’s Club had and compare the prices and quality that was offered on them. Many of the clothes they had were not a bargain but it WAS from different manufacturer’s OR was different styles than offered at Walmart. Since we have the big outlet center in Boaz, I wasn’t really tempted there. I just love to go to the Carter’s outlet and see all the cute outfits for Chewlee. I always buy at least one outfit for her when we go because I just can’t resist. She is such a doll and I love to dress her up. She loves new clothes too (already!) so she makes it fun. She has to run and look in the mirror to see how she looks. She will run back and forth saying *pretty! pretty!* like little kids do. You know the tone of voice, I’m sure.

Once we came home, we unpacked only the things that needed to be refrigerated and decided that we will tackle the rest tomorrow. We have to straighten out both pantries and my cabinet in the garage where many things will go until needed. THAT cabinet is pretty empty right now so that won’t be a problem but our pantries in the house are another story. Those have gotten a bit messy over the months. The Princess will enjoy helping mainly because it will give her an idea of what we have or don’t have. She was clueless for a long time and didn’t realize that I had lots of stuff in the garage cabinet until she was here for a couple months. She would search the pantries here in the house and think we were out of something and then, when I would turn up with it, she would be totally confused. She thought she was losing her mind or her vision until I finally felt sorry for her and clued her in.

Well, it is late and I didn’t get a lot of sleep yesterday. My IBS flared up and kept me from sleeping well. It’s much better today so I am grateful for that much. I had some tablets that seem to help and, at least, kept it calm once it kicked in. Have a great day and try to do something that you enjoy. It doesn’t have to be shopping but do SOMETHING different. Treat yourself. You deserve it. Love you all and I shall return….

It was bound to happen one day. I just never thought it would happen this soon in my life. One of my long-time friends died yesterday. Her name was Dolores and she was a funny, happy, giving person. She found joy in such simple things as cooking…and she could never cook for anything other than some crowd that she managed to *find* to share this largess.

It sounded like she was having a heart attack but didn’t know it. The signs were all there but no one caught it. After vomiting, she assumed it was from something she had eaten that didn’t agree with her and went home early from work, changed her clothes and laid down to rest on her couch. She never woke up.

When we were young, Dolores had entered a convent with all intents of becoming a nun. She never took her final vows, however, and returned to the world to endure two marriages, I believe it was. Not that it mattered among the group of us that had found ourselves together in our mid-teens. We were all girls from dysfunctional homes that were considered bright but needed some peace, calm and supervision. Thus we were sent for 18 months to the House of the Good Shepherd in Chicago. The house was attended by nuns and our teachers were regular lay people that were very wonderful and sought to challenge us. After an initial adjustment period, we were allowed to go home on weekends but had to return Sunday evening. In many ways, it was one of the most peaceful times in my life. Many of us girls bonded and, to this day, are in touch one way or another.

Not all the girls did well. Some are dead from drug overdoses. There is one gal that is in prison but a few try to keep her from feeling totally abandoned since she was actually an abused wife that finally snapped. She was probably the most unlikely personality of all to end up in prison but that is life. It’s not always fair, nor predictable.

We are scattered over many states and some of us (some of us grew up in the same neighborhood and went to grammer and/or high school together) were planning on a get together this summer just for *shits and giggles*. We will still get together but there will be a measure of sadness for us all with Dolores being gone. We are all just barely over 60 but try not to admit it unless we must…..LOL.

The person I feel great sadness for is my girlfriend, Marilyn. She was closest to Dolores and they spent the weekend together most of the time. They shared making scrapbooks, cooking for crowds (that’s not an exaggeration but they always managed to find enough people to share the food with them one way or another) and just shopping, hanging out or working on personal projects like painting. Not pictures but rooms…LOL Dolores once conned Marilyn into helping repaint what turned out to be her whole house. It’s not exactly her forte either and it still makes me smile. I believe Dolores even managed to recover her furniture as part of that project.

When Marilyn called me to tell me about it, I had my first real wave of mortality hit me like a brick. After all, Dolores was one of US. I managed not to cry about it while speaking with Marilyn but I shed my tears afterward when I looked at the Christmas card she and Dolores had done up together and sent out to all of us *girls*. I know she will be with us in spirit at our mini-reunion this summer and that makes my heart feel better.

I have to check with the Princess to find out how much time she needs to notify work that she needs the time off because I won’t be here to take care of the baby after 5pm. She will have the baby in daycare by then but, if she doesn’t make the trip up to Chicago with us, they will have to either give her time off or work around the day care schedule. Her college classes will be over for the term so that won’t be a consideration. If she doesn’t go with us, then she will have to have all day time working hours. We shall see. There is time yet.

We had incredible weather here in NE Alabama today. It was up to 63 before noon and there was no breeze to speak of so it felt wonderful! We opened up the windows on the storm doors for some fresh air and finished vacuuming the rugs in the house with the Dyson. It really did an incredible job and the rugs look and feel cleaner. I even walked around looking for cobwebs and got those. They seem to proliferate when you are using heat but I got all of them. We will probably use it (finally) on the love seat tomorrow and get all the dog’s hair off it. Then the Beast says he is going to use it in the car. It REALLY needs it since it is just full of hair from all his trips with the dog. Baron thinks the back seat is HIS because he’s never really seen anyone in it and never had to share it, either. Heck, I wouldn’t subject anyone to that….LOL

We also discussed just when the Beast is going to travel up to Chicago to spend some time with his brothers. He is supposed to be going up there around the first of the month (February) but he doesn’t seem like he’s mentally prepared to make that trip yet. His brothers are calling him, however, so he may get into the mood for the trip in the next few days. It will be a treat for me because he will be taking Baron with him. I won’t have to worry about taking him out for a run or a walk while juggling baby-sitting Chewlee.

Chewlee has been in a real loving mood the past few days, which I just *eat up*. She will want kisses or hugs. She will climb up in my lap and want to be hugged and lay in my arms. She got up on my chair today behind me and threw her arms around my neck and kissed my face and my shoulders. She even made an attempt to scratch my back like she has seen me do for *papa*. She even tried *rocking* me gently while she hugged me. It was just so damn cute.

She took her bath after dinner and I put her into the cutest towel her other grandmother sent. It is almost like a costume and I made it into a kind of game so she wouldn’t just try running around naked. I showed her herself in the mirror and then showed her how she could put her hands into the pockets and walk around with it looking like some Mayan chieftan’s caped outfit. I then had a hard time getting her out of it so that I could put her into her pajamas. The *hat* section has eyes and what looks like it’s supposed to be feathers. It comes down over her forehead and she thought she looked just fine in it. However, it had her hair almost dried by the time I wrestled her out of it. I don’t think I will have a hard time in the future getting her out of the tub as long as I give her the time to admire herself in the mirror I have in here. Is there such a thing as being TOO successful?

Well, I am tired out and we all need to get up early tomorrow so I am going to close for tonight. Love you all and remember to tell those you love that you do. We’ve just had another example of how short life can be.

If you didn’t catch the first speech that Obama made to the newspeople and his staffers at the White House, you really missed a good one! I was actually stunned AND impressed. I’m sure it’s probably word-for-word on CNN or some other news site but the gist of it is this: He is going to change the way *things get done* in Washington. He is putting a stop to a lot of things that have been considered part of doing business in Washington, D.C. That means those *gifts* and *special trips* and other *perks* that have been bandied around in order to get certain favors for various industries and special interest groups. He is going to insist that nothing is hidden from the American public….that the Freedom of Information Act is exactly that….open to all and has the pertinent information we are entitled to have.

There is so much more to it but I knew when I heard it, the Gold Ole Boys network was going to rally together to fight any changes Obama wants to make that threatens what they feel is THEIR domain. We have to really get involved in this and give our new president the support he needs. We need to remind our ELECTED representatives that we agree with him and that we will be watching THEIR reactions. If they don’t get behind him, we will NOT re-elect them to those cushy offices and huge salaries and other benefits they so covet. This is OUR power and we need to use it effectively. This is how we MUST get involved. We can’t sit back and just *let things happen* without letting our representatives hear OUR voices in this. I heartily approve of many of the things he has proposed. If you didn’t hear the speech and haven’t read it yet, do so. It is well worth your time and should, as it did me, give you a real feeling that there just might be light at the end of the tunnel. It’s a long tunnel but there IS light……IF we get involved as he has said we must. Just DO it, folks.

Now, on to other things since I don’t like trying to make people look at things my way. If I seemed preachy, I apologize. I know politics is as personal as religion and I normally don’t try to force people to think about or be converted but you can read this and see if you, too, don’t feel a sense of wonder and shock. It will be fantastic if it works. I think it can. See what you think.

Chewlee fought taking a real nap today and the Princess had plans to take her to visit with Johnnycakes and his family. At least, she DID until she realized that she was exhibiting signs of being very, very tired. She was asking to go *night-night* at 4:30, which was really too late for a nap and too early for the night. So, since she had to study for a test tomorrow in her psychology class, I kept the baby home with me. She did fall asleep on the rug here in my computer room around 5pm and I decided to let her sleep for a bit then I would wake her up to feed her and let her play for a while. I knew she would go to bed early anyway.

I woke her up after about 40 minutes and changed her diaper, fed her and we played for a bit until she got too crabby for words. Nothing made her happy and she was so tired she could hardly walk. I gave in and put her down for the night. It wasn’t more than 10 minutes and she was sound asleep. She didn’t even finish her bottle, she was THAT tired. It does mean, however, that she will be up bright and early in the morning so I need to get this done and posted (I am writing this early but will cut and paste it later). The Princess has her first class at 7:45am so she will be long gone before Chewlee wakes up. I need to be more than a walking zombie so sleep I must.

The Beast surprised me with a new vacuum cleaner today. It is a Dyson. It’s not the rolling ball one (which would have been cheaper) but the one that is best for pet hair. It will also be good for the Princess’s hair, too, which is long and she seems to shed everywhere. She showered tonight and it looked like her little sister was flushed down the drain…..LOL. I am constantly finding these long ass hairs everywhere. My hair is cut in a spiky, pixie-type cut so it’s not me…and definitely not the Beast’s. Chewlee’s hair is longer than mine but she is a blonde whereas her mother has darker hair.

We had vacuumed earlier but the Dyson picked up so much from just the living room that I shudder to think what it will be like when I use it in our bedroom tomorrow. That is where Baron spends a great deal of his time, either sleeping or just staying close to the Beast. He even naps when the Beast naps.

After vacuuming the living room with the Dyson, the Beast then cleaned the rug. It actually looks the best it has almost since we moved in here. I was surprised at that. I think there was so much dog hair ground down into the rug fibers that it affected the color. At least, I think it might have been that. I can’t think what else would have caused the difference. And we DO vacuum regularly so it’s not like we had an obvious MAT of hair. I’m really impressed with the Dyson.

It comes with a 5 year parts and labor warranty. What’s funny is that you call the service line and they say they will try to service any problems OVER THE PHONE (meaning WE do the actual work, I gather from that) and, if it can’t be resolved, they will arrange to have it PICKED UP AND SERVICED. *Insert shocked look on face* Picked up? Wow…THAT is impressive. I have a feeling they don’t anticipate having to do that often. We shall see. I registered it online (as suggested), stapled the receipt for it into the instruction book (which is very slender but has nice size illustrations explaining pretty much everything). It also came with a bag of cleaning granules and a can of spot lifter. The cleaning granules are *easily vacuumed up*. It also came with a small bag of attachments just for cleaning out the car or truck. The Beast is looking forward to that since the car has a lot of dog hairs in it. I expect that he will be using it tomorrow (today) or Saturday since our weather is going to be downright balmy with highs expected around 60….LOL. I’m sure many places in the country would love to see 60 degree weather.

We cleaned my computer room carpet, too, and it really needed it. I don’t think it’s been cleaned more than once since moving in here and I have dripped coffee more than once on my way to my desk. It’s all nice and clean now so I had no worries about Chewlee sleeping on it in her clean jammies.

Time to close this out and get a few more things done while the baby is sleeping and I still have the energy. I will get this posted after I finish cleaning up my kitchen and folding some of these clothes I got washed and dried. Love you all and have a great weekend.

I’m really not political in the true sense of the word. I don’t believe that I should force MY personal views on anyone nor should they try to do the same to me. I would like to see people use common sense about all things but that seldom happens and so we have a political mess most of the time.

I do hope that Obama is able to meet some of the goals he promised but, I think that the *good ole’ boy* way of dealing with issues in Washington is going to be more than he can overcome with all THEIR personal agendas. Today is the first full day he has to start working on his own agenda…..the things he promised he would try to overcome and achieve. We will have to wait and see.

Chewlee’s grandparents (paternal) sent a big box of Xmas stuff for her. They deliberately waited so that Chewlee would have a *second* Christmas and hoped she would also be able to remember it was sent by them. *Eyes rolling over that possibility*. She’s only 18 months old, guys!

They sent her some cute toys that are educational and just about perfect for her age. Two of the three talking toys also speak the same things in Spanish. They think that, as do I, exposing her to Spanish at an early age helps her to learn some Spanish words. It seems to fascinate her to switch back and forth from English to Spanish but how much she will absorb, I am not sure. She seems to learn it better if I repeat the words so we do that when she is interested. She just gets bored quickly at this age.

They also sent some nice pajamas and a cute outfit that are a great fit for her age and adorable. I noticed that some of the things came from K-Mart. I’m really going to have to check them out because the quality is good and it’s also different from what I have found at Walmart. They sent a book of baby prayers with pages that are thick and easy for her to turn. That came from her other great-grandmother and she signed it so it should be a nice keepsake for Chewlee.

I know she will remember her paternal grandfather because he is able to come to spend time with her. He usually keeps her overnight at least once when he is visiting. I just hope that she might actually sleep the whole night for him soon. He manages to buy her something that MOVES….like her first little trike and then he’s bought her two that are battery operated and move if you press the right button or turn the handle. They are adorable and she loves them but they are too big to keep in the house and the weather sucks. She will have a ball with them this spring, however, and will probably not be half-afraid of them by then.

Her paternal grandmother recently moved to Knoxville after a corporate restructuring so I expect that she will soon be claiming Chewlee for at least a week when she is more settled in and the weather is better. I’m so glad that Chewlee has family that loves her and wants to keep in contact with her. She is adorable and has lots of love she will share. Even Johnnycakes family loves her and spoils her rotten….LOL

The Princess told me that Johnnycakes grandfather called when they were there yesterday and Chewlee, of course, wanted to get on the phone to talk to him. Ha! Ha! Half the time she gets totally frozen when you hand the phone to her and says nothing. The other half, she talks gibberish and gets upset when you tell her to say *bye* and take the phone away. She apparently spoke her gibberish and then the grandfather wanted to know when the Princess was going to bring *their* grandbaby over to meet them. The Princess thought this was really funny….NOT. But I told her that she should take the teasing with a grain of salt and realize that this was really a nice thing. The whole family is willing to accept both her and Chewlee as *family*. I just love how they tease the Princess and she gets flustered.

Chewlee is walking around here right now with my sneakers on her little feet (and doing a good job of walking even though she looks like she has clown shoes on). She’s got her mother’s belt draped over her shoulders like it’s a long necklace and she’s carrying a tote bag. She reminds me of a homeless person for some reason. Right now she is stuffing the tote with a variety of her toys that are strewn around the room. I know that, in a minute, she will want me to read to her from one of her books that she has in the bag. Ut oh, looks like it’s going to be right now. Yep, she’s grabbing her blankey, her bottle and has a book in hand. It’s too funny to see her trying to manage all three items since the book is a big, heavy one.

I will close for now. Love you all. Have a great, if cool day. It’s 17 degrees here as we speak and is 40 degrees in Fort Lauderdale AND windy….LOL At least WE are spared the wind.

Let me tell you first why it is a sad one. Today is the day my Aunt Bernice is laid to rest beside her husband. She died on Friday, January 16 surrounded by her children. I spoke of her in yesterday’s blog. Today is a day she had hoped to see. The historical day that a black man is sworn into the highest office of our country. Today is the day that Barack Obama becomes president of the United States. It is a historical day for many reasons.

It is not all that long ago that blacks were herded like animals and brought to the United States to be sold as slaves. The were treated like cattle, perhaps not even as well. Then came the Emancipation Proclamation that freed the slaves who then were subjected to a different form of subjugation in the form of prejudice and unfair laws. They were still second or even third class citizens. They were not able to obtain the education that whites were given, let alone secondary (college) educational opportunities. Jobs they were able to obtain were low paying and often dangerous. They faced death and harassment by the KKK, local police forces and other radical elements in our society. This applied to the vote and when they rallied in the 60′s for equal rights. That is not all that long ago. I remember so many things that seemed unfair to me growing up.

My mother had the wisdom to instill in her children the view that all people really WERE created equal. You viewed a person by their actions, not by their skin color. This was not easy for her because my father made Archie Bunker look like a liberal. He had very different ideas about any race that was NOT white. Yet, he was a peaceful, easy going man so it was difficult for us kids to realize that he did not have our world view at times. I am sure he must be rolling over in his grave, in fact, spinning like a top, because we elected a black president.

I truly think that his being black was beside the point this time. His viewpoint of the world, the economy and many other things was just a more realistic and yet hopeful one. He made us feel that, although things would be difficult, we could and would pull out of it. It meant working together and not having unrealistic ideas about the future. He didn’t have the *good ole’ boy* network going for him. He didn’t come from a rich, privileged background with no idea about how the *real* world was for the majority of us. He was truly a man of the people that other politicians were and are not for the most part.

So today, although a sad one for me, it is also a day to rejoice about a historical event taking place. I just hope that we all remember that nothing good comes easy….or necessarily fast. We need to remember that he has a lot of bad things to undo and new solutions to come up with for our many problems. We need to cross our fingers and hope he maintains that common sense he seemed to display all during his campaign and that he holds fast to his promises. We also need to hope that his advisers don’t have their own agendas. This is my greatest fear for his first years in office. Good advice is a precious commodity.

So let us watch the Inauguration Ceremony, the parades and all the people gathered in Washington, D.C. to share in this wondrous day and celebrate in our own way. And let us all offer up a prayer that he holds fast to his promise and has some special angels to guide him. He will need it and so will we.

Love you all. Have a wondrous day.

Since it is after midnight before I am writing this, my cousin, Linda, called me yesterday to let me know that my Aunt Bernice had died. I knew it was coming, as did she, from our last conversation together. She has had recurring cancerous tumors in her abdomen and on her leg. She also had knee replacement surgery during that time frame. The woman was in her 80′s and had endured a lot. She underwent several bouts of radiation therapy and chemotherapy. The last bout of chemo about did her in because it put her into the hospital and it took two weeks for her to recover.

Her big worry was making it through the Holidays, which she did, although I could tell it took it’s toll on her. Her children and nephews didn’t let her do anything since they knew how ill she really was but she knew her body was shutting down on her. I told her how much I loved her and how glad I was that she had come into my life. I was the richer for it.

If that sounds strange, it’s because she was not a part of my life until my 30′s. To make a long story short, I was the daughter of her brother, Fritz (actual Fredrick). He and my mother were childhood sweethearts and married too young. They divorced within a year after my birth and shortly afterward, my mother met and married the only man I knew as my father until I found my mother’s divorce papers when I was eleven years old. It explained a lot to me about some things that had hurt my feelings about my father’s family’s treatment of me but actually lifted a weight off me at the time. I then wondered why my real father and his family had rejected me and didn’t keep in touch. It was a question I never had the nerve to ask my mother for years.

It turned out that they HAD tried to keep in contact. My mother, however, didn’t want me or my siblings to feel *different*. At that time, divorces were NOT common and people who had gone through them were looked down upon. She returned the cards they sent me for my birthdays as well as Christmas gifts they tried to send. Once my mother knew I had found the divorce papers, she did allow me to attend a funeral that the family begged her to allow me to attend. I took the bus to the funeral home and asked about my father to all those that I spoke with there. I was told that he couldn’t be there in order for me to come. It was much later that I realized he had, indeed, been there and I had seen him but he had not approached me to speak to me. It was part of the agreement that he and my mother had made when I was an infant that allowed him not to pay any child support.

Jumping ahead to 1978……his sister, Julie, actually got my phone number, finally, from my grandmother via her housekeeper. She knew that it was going to Julie and felt that it was time enough for the family to get in touch with me since my biological father was dead for many years (he died when I was 16). Julie was traveling out to California to visit with her son and another sister there so she was very excited when she found out that was where I was living with my family. She called, I returned the call and was stunned to find out who she was. But it led to a meeting that had me very nervous at the time.

Her son and his family were wonderful people, as was Julie and her husband. She got me on the phone to talk to Bernice, the aunt I lost last Friday night, as well as the other sister, Mary. Mary and her family lived in Palm Desert, California. Her son, Jim, lived (and still lives) in La Mesa, California. The rest of the family lives in the Chicago area.

I visited Chicago each year for a week or so every year at the end of June. I would always make it a point to stop in and visit with both Julie and Bernice until Julie’s death. Afterward, it was stopping in to visit with Bernice and I also spoke to her on the phone often. The last few years, I tried to call her every Sunday to check on her health and what was going on in the family. I flew up to Chicago to attend Bernice’s 80th birthday party which was a wonderful affair and I got to visit with more of the relatives and lots of her friends at the time. Before her husband died, I flew up to attend their 50th Anniversary and the renewal of their vows in the same church they had originally been married in.

She made me feel very loved and would talk to me like I had been a part of her life all along. In many ways, I had been one way or another. I know they searched long and hard for me as soon as they knew I had turned 18 but, alas, it wasn’t long afterward that I had married and then we moved to Florida.

She had a wonderful heart and was a fiercely independent woman who was active almost to the very end. She took great pride in her home and her family. She was always there with a helping hand or just to listen if you needed it. I know she did this for her family and friends and especially her nieces and nephews. She had great faith in God and pride in her country. She might not have been perfect but she tried hard to be the best person she could be. I will miss her greatly. I am glad she is now out of pain and with those she loved that passed before her. I am certain that, if angels are given their wings upon arrival, that she had hers waiting for her. I hope she will keep an eye out on me and mine because, heaven knows, we can sure use it.

Love you all. Tell those you love that you do as often as you can because…as I have said before, life is too short….and getting shorter all the time.

The Princess announced that Johnnycake’s mother had found my blog and spent hours reading all of the ones that were still available. I’m not sure if that takes her back to my first one or not. I was shocked and asked her how she could have found it. Well, it seems that the Princess was telling her about Xanga and being able to blog. She also told her that *I* had a blog on this site. She mentioned somewhere in the conversation that I had one that had Sex in the title so she googled me! I don’t think it’s all that interesting except, perhaps, to my family and a friend or two but Welcome Kim. Have fun with your own blog and let me know your Xanga name so I can return the favor.

I really should blog about the Princess and Johnnycakes being *best friends*. Yeah, right. We all believe that crap. NOT!!!! When was the last time you cuddled with your best male friend??? Exactly!!! Kim and I both give them a lot of teasing over that. Let them say what they want but WE KNOW BETTER. I could say more but I won’t right now. My movie is over so I am going to bed now. I know it won’t take me long to conk out tonight. Hugs and kisses to you all. Love ya!

I had one of those nights last night. By that I mean I never went to bed until almost 6:30am. I was up from 8:30am the previous day. Don’t ask me why. I was playing on Pogo to win one of this week’s badges and was thinking about calling it a night when I noticed it was already 2:30am. The Beast scared the hell out of me by coming into the room (he had been sound asleep when I went to get another Sprite Zero a few minutes earlier). He had set our alarm clock in order to download big updates during our *free* time on HughesNet. He said to me, *Have you been up all night?* Well, duh! It wasn’t even halfway through the night at that time.

It was my newly transferred computer that needed the updating since the Beast had put a new operating system on the new hard-drive. I had Windows Ultimate on it and it enabled us to download the total program and all the other stuff on my computer to another drive as a backup in case of the primary drive failing. We had done it. I believe I told you in yesterday’s post that THAT was a big failure….until the Beast realized today that what he should have done is use THAT one as the primary and then copy it all onto the new hard drive and then swap. You really can’t copy it unless it’s on disks. But…back to the downloading….

Since I was up and I am still becoming familiar with Vista, I decided to watch what was being done because we needed to download updates to several programs, not just Windows. The Beast suggested I make a pot of coffee so off I went while the 300 mbs of updates on Windows was downloading. I love my Bunn coffee maker because it takes only 3 minutes to make coffee with it. I got both of us a cup of coffee and returned to the computer room. I mainly need to become familiar with the difference between where I found things in XP and where Vista puts them. I swear they change the names and places just for the sake of change and not because it’s necessary. Vista is not really consumer friendly. You need to be an intermediate user or start off on it (or be a kid…their minds are like sponges…they just suck up the info once and go to town).

By the time we finished downloading what we could (and we were downloading quickly for a change…HughesNet was very fast for a change), it was after 5am. The Beast kissed me goodnight and headed back to bed. I stayed up to try to find out how to shut down my virus program for when we downloaded programs in the future. After reading the help file and frequently asked questions, I decided the heck with it. The Princess, in the meantime, was up and dressing for school (although I asked her if she knew what time it was because I almost thought she was sleepwalking. She was up about an hour earlier than I figured). She came in while brushing her hair and asked me if I had been up all night. I told her yes but I felt fine (and I did). She finished dressing and left to run over to Johnnycake’s house to pick up a book she had left there that she needed. Johnnycake’s first class wasn’t until 9am so HE got to sleep in longer.

Shortly after she left, I realized that I was cold (it might have been partly the lack of sleep that did it) so I threw my pillow down on the floor, laid out a down comforter I have in the closet to lay on and covered myself with my electric blankey. I think I fell asleep within 10 minutes while watching TV. I actually slept for 2 hours and the baby waking up got ME up, too.

So here I am. It’s 9:45pm and I think I will be heading for bed early tonight. At least, early for me. I am usually up until about 1am most nights, playing games on Pogo and chatting with my sister, Bratfink on Yahoo Instant Messenger. Tonight is going to be the coldest night of the winter here in Alabama with wind chills expected in our area up to minus 12 below. It’s dropped down to 20 degrees already on our back deck and Baron, of course, needs to go out to pee but only got his nose and one paw out the door before he backed up like a trucker. This is NOT going to be a good time for him. I’m grateful we have indoor plumbing these days. Can you imagine having to use an outhouse in some of the temperatures around the country? I mean, it was 40 below in Minnesota yesterday. Who in their right mind LIVES there????? Just experiencing one winter like that and I would be out of there so fast……..

Good night all and I love you. Love deeply, laugh often and dance like no one is watching. Hugs for you all and be sure to say *I love you* to everyone you DO love. It might be the last time you talk to them. There are no guarantees in life.