Crazy busy seems to be the name of the "game" these days. I am on a few days "mandatory" rest as I have developed shingles. While my case doesn't seem to be as bad as it could be (I know lots of people who have had super severe cases) it is VERY uncomfortable. Mine seems to be located mainly on my right hip and goes around some to the front and some to the middle of my back. It feels like sandpaper when wearing pants so I am trying to wear loose clothing. Since my DIL is pregnant again the shingles can be dangerous to the fetus so I have been quarantined from watching my granddaughter (who can get chickenpox from this and then pass to the fetus) until I know the blisters have crusted over which is when they say it is no longer contagious. I forgot what not having much to do is like....I am already bored and ready to get up and go. I feel fine other than the pain so I may just have to figure out what I CAN do. Well, I guess getting caught up on e-mails and such is one thing.

My DIL should find out today if she is having a boy or girl....super excited to find out and then I can resume the shopping for whichever sex it will be! Her due date is February 22 so we are all on pins and needles hoping/praying she has no problems and can finish our her last semester of college after the baby is born. She is an amazing young lady and I have no doubt she will make it all work out.

My daughter and SIL are doing really well in AZ. Erik is doing well with his job and Ashley was blessed to have found a long-term sub job teaching HS math. So far she is loving it and is hoping it will turn into something more permanent. They are enjoying the congregation where they attend and Ashley has made some wonderful friends by joining the local ladies barbershop chorus in the area. She does love to sing. I am very proud of them.

Very proud of my hubby who got a promotion with his job. He is now salaried and manager level which opened up lots of benefits. Of course with it comes long hours at times, but he is loving the position so that is good.

My mom has had a rough couple of months and alas we realize she has taken another downturn with her memory. It is so sad to watch but I am so thankful/glad that I live close to her now and can be there in just a matter of a couple minutes if need be. She often tells me she "just can't remember anything" anymore and wishes God would just "take her". I feel so bad for her....it is a hard thing to watch/hear coming from someone who at one time was such a vibrant independent woman.

I continue to (except while I have shingles) babysit my granddaughter 3 days a week. I have been doing more transcription lately as well so have kept very busy. Our 31st anniversary is coming up later this month so we are hoping we will be able to get away for a couple days and enjoy some time together.

I hope everyone is having a great week/month and want you all to know I still read your posts....just don't always take time to reply, but I do still enjoy reading what all of you are up to. Love you all!

Okay, so my daughter reminded me I hadn't posted in awhile and that several things "needed" to be shared. First off, we literally just got moved into our new place. Talk about a challenge. Three years ago we went from a 3000 sq ft home down to 2500 sq ft and that was actually hard enough. This time we went from our 2500 sq ft home into about a 1200 (give or take a few inches) sq ft home. We also are still lugging around a lot of my mom's stuff that she has not been ready to get rid of and didn't fit in her apartment, still finding a few items from both our kids who are now long gone and in their own places, and as we started going through stuff we have been coming across some of the things we used for our condo in Florida.....so there is a TON of stuff to be rid of. Our piles include: taking with us (to the new place), putting in mom's storage, putting in our storage, selling at garage sale or e-bay etc, and then what is left to donate....and then throw away.....wow. No wonder it is taking us forever to get it done. Anyway, we spent our first night in the new place Tuesday night....not so bad. It may be small but the positives include being just around the corner from my mom which will be much easier for me to get to her to help with things and the next street over from our son and his family for babysitting, etc.

Speaking of my son and his family.....his family will be growing some time in February. Yes, that is right I will be a "Gran" again. They just found out they are expecting. I am very excited of course. I am a little concerned cause Caitlin will be in her last year of college and that is right in the middle of the last semester....say a prayer that all goes okay and she can get finished so she can start her new career the next Fall as a teacher.

Then on another note, my daughter and her husband are in the process of moving from CA to Arizona. Erik got a new job there which will pay better and the cost of living for them will be less. They are excited about this new venture and we are very happy for them. Grady (Erik's son) will stay with his mom during the school year, but visit them in Arizona for the summer and several holidays throughout the year. It is only a short drive for them so they will be able to drive and see him on many weekends as well. I believe the move will be a good one for all involved. Grady will get some stability in his life as right now he goes back and forth during the week and I actually think this will be a much better situation overall. They have gotten some flack from certain people but they considered all aspects of it and believe as do I that this will be a great thing for them all.

I am taking advantage of my little "break" from babysitting and meeting up with friends (when I am not moving and going through stuff) and enjoying the pool at our old house that I so love and will miss like crazy. This is a hard move.....but....must keep my chin up....

Hope everyone is doing well out there.

has gone by since my last post....time just seems to fly by lately. Always busy....busier now than when I worked full-time, but I wouldn't have it any other way. I have a week break from watching my granddaughter before my DIL starts a summer school class so I am hoping to catch up on some things here at home, although when my mom got wind that I wasn't spending "as" much time with the baby she started calling "needing" me to do this and that....lol.

With the economy the way it has been we have been on a downward spiral for the past 3 years which started with us losing our business due to our companies outsourcing all our work overseas. It has not been easy or fun, but I have faith that the Lord will continue to watch over us and that we will persevere. My husband has a full-time job for which I am so very thankful. When you have been used to making a certain amount for so long though and about 95% of that is taken away something has to give.....we are losing not only our condo in Florida (which we had hoped some day would be our retirement home) but also our home here that we have lived in for so long and where our kids basically grew up. It IS just material things but hard nevertheless....lots of wonderful memories here. I covet your prayers as we try to decide which route to go....rental of an apartment or a small house....weighing the pros and cons. Yes, a move is taking place over the next 3 months or so which I am not looking forward to. Upside....I am determined to do major weeding out of things and am ready to downsize all the "stuff" we have....

My daughter and her new husband are doing great and so are my son and DIL and family....for which this mom is truly thankful and grateful to God that he watches out for us and when it comes to the truly important things we are certainly blessed. I hope all of you are doing well and to all you mothers out there.....HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

So I can't believe we are back in AR and looking at 2 weeks the other side of the wedding now. In a nutshell, I cannot complain. It was a whirlwind but everything pretty much went really well. It was a super busy time and although super nice, I AM glad it is behind me. We had a couple of glitches with both the wedding cake (they used the wrong color of pink) even though it was still pretty it wasn't what we asked for. The florist was not worth paying for. Luckily we did not have too much from them, but what we did have was all falling apart before people even got them on/used them. They were definitely a disappointment. As soon as I have some pictures of things I will try to remember to post a few. The photographers took many, many pics and if what we have seen so far is any indication, they came through for us, doing a super job.

The newlyweds honeymooned in Orlando, FL and then flew here to AR for a few days. We had a local reception for them for our family and friends that were unable to come down to FL for the wedding. It turned out real nice. The same weekend my son and his wife had bought their first house and had to be out of their rental. Talk about a busy weekend....very glad to get them settled into their new/first house and it is going to be a real nice place for them. My new SIL was a real trooper and spent much of his time here helping them move.

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Thats right, all of a sudden it is just 3 weeks until our daughter's wedding.....where oh where has the time gone. I am feeling stressed with wondering how it will all come together....we have things in Florida, in California, and here in Arkansas....sure hope we remember everything. With that said I have some pretty awesome friends who are so willing to help and I am so humbly greatful for them. I have a friend here who will be driving down to Tampa the week of the wedding and she has agreed to be "in charge" of taking charge of decorating the reception room. Awesomeness! We have another friend in Tampa that will be in charge of coordinating the actual ceremony at the building. She has been in charge of many weddings there so I feel very comfortable all will be in good hands.

On a rather sad note, my mother has decided she cannot handle the trip from here to Florida. I had gone to great lengths to arrange things for her. We had bought her dress/shoes and I had several friends in Tampa who were going to make it their mission to keep track of her and "visit" with her. Just as we were making our plane reservations she decided she could not go. After talking to the social worker (who works with Alzheimer's patients) I realized she was very scared and just not at all comfortable with herself and this trip that involved many things to her. We decided it would be best to not guilt her into going and instead embrace it. This is my daughter's day and I will be more relaxed knowing my mom is okay where she is and can concentrate solely on my daughter. My daughter was also sad in the beginning but she does understand. Since we will be having a reception here in AR the following week as the newly married couple will be coming through here, my mom can enjoy that time with them. So all is working out just fine.

We have some uncertainty in our lives due to the economy and all and I do ask for your prayers out there. All of you are so good about that and for that I am very thankful. Most likely we will lose our house soon and we want to make wise choices/decisions as to what we should/need to be doing. Prayers are very solicited and helpful right now. Thank you!

Hoping all of you out there are having a great month and I hope you will have a wonderful week. Many in our area are on spring break this week and I will be praying for safe travels and fun times for all.