Party room- a place for fun, pity, commiserating, or any other thing you come up with

[Leeaelle]

Hey Big Joe -- Good to "see" you. Hoping everything is ok with you. We're still freezing our fanny's off up here in the tundra of Michigan. I'm so tired of it. It snowed yesterday, but we didn't get enough to measure. Still, it's white and I hate white!!!

My daughter is moving out today, and leaving for Tennessee. Gosh, I'm going to miss her!!! It's such a long way away and since I'm disabled I can drive/ride that far so she's going to have to come visit here. I MIGHT be able to have son drive me 1/2 way down but that's as far as I'd dare try. Even that would put me in misery. Not sure how I'd do going that far. Seems now I have Fibromyalgia, along with all the stupid spinal crap. NUTS.

Anyway -- just wanted to stop in and say "hi" to everyone. Hope all are doing well, and beginning to warm up after a VERY long winter! Take care and God bless. Hugs, Lee

[Mark N]

Lee and Jo good tidings to the two of you. I hope both of you have had a good start on the weekend. Lee, have you heard from Gina yet to find out if she is down there? Jo, you talked about going into the mountains in the Fall to see the colors changing and that is the nice thing about living here in the National forest and hills. A bit further North people from all over come around to see the colors and if our area advertised more they would come around here as it is just as beautiful.

I got outside for a bit today and did some edging around the flower beds. Iam just doing a little of prep work for when it warms up enough to start seeing the flowers blooming. We have erly Spring flowers and some late Spring flowers so we have a lot of color in our flower beds. I fixed a custard pie to go along with the cabbage, potato, and bits of ham soup. I also did a little bit of work on the closet cabinet and got it hung up and secured. I think I am going to do an addition to it down to the floor then paint it so I can move my clothes and shoes into the closet leaving the dresser in the basement bedroom for our guest that spend the night. Semper Fi

[Mark N]

I had a good weekend as it start with the kids inviting us out to eat on Friday. I ended up holding the youngest granddaughter the whole meal. She was in a good mood and looking around including leaning way back to look at grandpa several times. She was just about asleep while I bounced he on my knee and when grandma took her she dropped off to sleep almost immediately, I guess she felt safe in her arms. Saturday was a day of sleep except for a couple of hours when I got outside to help Penny plant some bulbs and lilies. It was good I slept as I had been up for close to 40 hours and we were having a cook out with the kids on Sunday. Sunday opended as a nice warm day just about perfect for a cook out. Hot dogs and hamburgers for lunch with Audyn sleeping through lunch and about an hour after that. Megan and Darrin went out to do the weekly shopping so Penny and I kept the two girls. We went out on the porch with Penny and Audyn on the swing along with Emery on the swing with them. Audyn was happy and made a sqealing happy sound with Emery repeating it, Audyn did it again to follow her big sister and Emery echoed it. This went on for about 5 minutes with them laughing with us and having a good time. Needless to say it was a fun day. The only bad thing is I haven't been able to sleep tonight so another long time kbefore sleeping a day away tomorrow I would guess.

[Leeaelle]

Hello all ~ I guess you could say Spring is TRYING to arrive here. We're under a high wind advisory with wind gusts up to 50mph until tonight. And boy are we getting it! The sun finally came out after a morning of gloom. Tomorrow we're supposed to have thunderstorms, and the next day (get this) we're supposed to have rain changing to SNOW!!! HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I can't take it!

Today is my birthday. (ugh) and I'm 64 yrs old. Where in #$%#$ did all the years go? My brain says I should still be a teenager! I FEEL so young, but of course the body has been waging war on me for years. In fact today there's a huge rebellion going on due to the weather. ARRGGHH. At least the brain fog has lifted and things are making sense again. LOL

My daughter who moved to Tennessee 2 weeks ago finally got a job down there, and started the new job today! They make lodging arrangements for the Navy personnel when they're on leave, all over the world! It's also for the Navy families too, and retired Navy personnel so they're kept very busy!! They'll be expanding to include everyone soon -- so it's going to be a very busy place. Gina said that Navy 'big-wigs" listen on the phone when Gina and the others are dealing with the Navy personnel and if she isn't pleasant & courteous, she & others get fired on the spot!!! They don't tolerate anyone that isn't courteous!

Enuf of my blabbing. Hope the roof doesn't get blown off. Have a GREAT DAY everyone! God bless. Hugs, Lee

[Mark N]

Lee Happy Birthday and I know what you mean about the brain feeling like we are teens but our bodies are waging war against us. Great news about your daughter getting a job. It is easier to get a better job once you are working than it is to be out of work and find a good job. I hope this turns into a full time job with benefits and she enjoys the help she is giving our military personel. Spring has really sprung here this week as our temps are in the 70s and are supposed to stay there this week.

I enoyed the cookout with the kids and grandkids Sunday. The best part was when Penny and I were watching the two girls as they were having so much fun out on the porch with Penny and me. I hope everyone had a good weekend.

[Mark N]

Well I went to visit the grandbabies while Penny was taking a nap. The infant Audyn wanted grandpa to hold her the whole time so it was a fun vist. Audyn was smiling and laughing having a good time. She is sitting up on her own and really interesed in things she can see. Emery was at the door waiting for me but she was a bit shy and then was in the kitchen helping mom make dinner. Both girls are now in their own bedroom instead of Audyn sharing a bedroom with her parents. The kids are in the middle of refinishing the hardwood floors but are holding right now with the carpet up and the floors unfinished right now. They are waiting until they get a couple of things done first IE they just got brakes replaced on the SUV. I did a little bit of yard work today but it was too cool for me to stay out very long. I did get the string trimmer out and edged the walkway. I also made a bit of a change on the stone wall where the water from the eaves downpour comes out. The stones fit better the way I did it changing some around. Now I need to go out and pick up more flat stones so I can finish the side yard bedding around the River Birch tree. Tyrel did call Friday and talked for a bit. He is in the middle of paperwork checking out of his current group and then paperwork to get into the 82 Airborne 4th brigade so they have him hopping back and forth to get everything changed for him. He likes being in the Army but has decided it isn't what he wants to do for a career so he will do his service like his dad and get out to do the job he wants wants he finishes his 6 year tour. It is supposed to be in the high 70s today so maybe it will be warm again like it was earlier this week. Penny and I tried to take a walk yesterday but it was too cool so maybe we can today. I have most of the yard work done so unless Penny comes up with some change she wants to make I only need to keep up with the maintenance. I hope all have a good day today and wake up after a good sleep.

[Jo6]

5 yrs

hi Mark & Lee. Spring has sprung . I think the sentence Grinch is stealing whole sentences from this post!! Happy Late Birthday, Lee. yeah, don't have a clue where the years get to . I am 70 and it doesn't feel like it sometimes, then again other days I feel like I'm 170!!

My dear brother Ben was 10 years older than I was, but he would always tell me I was older than dirt!! lol. I loved him so, but about 5 yrs. ago he had a massive stroke and he passed on after less that 2 weeks. He was more like a father to me. Our dad had died in 1979. He had barely turned 62.

Mark, we live just at the base of the Blue Ridge Mountains. We live right smack dab in the middle of a small town. We have to drive less than 30 min. or so to get to Table Rock State Park. My younger brother has a place up there and in the summer he and I took a few of our grandkids up and we all enjoyed a couple of weeks or so. We had access to the swimming pool, tennis courts and a great resterant that was near . all the other things the kids liked. This was before the sisters wanted to go elsewhere.

that group of grand's are in their 20,s now.. I heard them saying those being the best summers they had as they were growing up. It was this past Christmas that I heard them talking.

aaa.hhhh., such fond memories. Better yell to Ken to ..
start dinner. I'm glad he likes to cook, but mostly he likes to eat! lol


hugs to all that don't mind hearing all those sweet and lovely things our precious grand's. BTW, we have a brand new great-grand-daughter. she is about 4 weeks old.* happy

my love to all, Julia

[Mark N]

Hi Julia, I remember you describing Ben as a father too you in the past. It is no surprise the grandkids remember the trips to the mountains as the best summers they had. Hearing that Ken does most of the cooking makes me wonder why some many of the husbands end up being the cooks in the family. I have cooked most of our married life and no of many other men that do the cooking too. Enjoy that new grandbaby, one of the best things about grandkids is when they get older and push us aside then we can count on a new grandchild coming along that will be the apple of our eye. Emery was grandpa's little girl for the first 2 yrs but now is moving on but Audyn still finds grandpa fun to be around and someone safe to be with. She knows I will be focused on her and pay attention to what she is interested in.

It was warm today so I got outside a did a little bit in the yard. I also sprayed down the sidewalk to get all the leaves, grit, and grime off heading into warmer weather. Penny and I had a good day overall as she got the stairwell to the attic painted and I got the side yard mulched then we went to Walmart got some paint for the bench in the side yard stopping to get so food from Arby's to bring home.

[Mark N]

I hope everyone is ready for the weekend. I have been putting up new blinds in the living room this week as the ones we had came with the house and Penny wanted to have a new color and I like the wider slats instead of the narrow ones we had. The blinds in the Kitchen and Living Room sure has changed the look of those rooms. It doesn't take a lot to change the look of a room if you do the right things. I am really happy with the improvements we have made in our home and I just have to keep Penny understand this is are retirement home.

It was good to hear the second Boston bomber got caught last evening. I am not surprised about what the bombers were and their faith is. Everyone needs to keep their eyes open when they are out and don't be afraid to point out a person or object that doesn't seem to fit being there. It is time for many people in our country to figure out that the enemies are instead of each other just because we disagree about things.

[Jo6]

Mark, I so enjoy reading about your family, what they are up to and especially those 2 little angel's that gives their papa such joy. All of mine live fairly close except for oldest grandson & his sweet little wife. They live in Chicago and he works at O'Hara Airport.

I have 2 that live near Atlanta. Jon brought them up to spend some time with us Monday. One is 11 and the other is 9. They both had just had birthdays so I had them some stuff from Bath & Body Works. Jon thought they were too young to have these things. lol I got 2 pretty party bags and picked out what I thought they would like. They had to admit they loved their gifts. Jon may as well get used to the idea that they are growing up and will be teenagers soon.

My grand's are divided into groups these days. It's good for me, this way I can get the older one to help with the little ones. Now Ryleigh just had her 2nd BD and she thinks she's is everybody's boss! She is still very small for her age, but Dr. says she is fine and healthy.

Mark, Ken gave the Navy 6 years of his life. When he got out he moved to Clemson to finish his degree. That where I met him. I needed a repair man to work on the TV's & helped in the sales Dept.. He only worked part time. We got to know each other well before we decided we liked each other a lot.

He had cooked for himself when he lived off base. So, when we got married I was glad to have him cook for all of us. when I opened a Catering Shop he would help me out when I needed another hand, but I enjoyed the planning, pricing, doing some really nice jobs. Ken was still working so usually having time to do the books. I hired college girls and sometimes boys part time with several fulltime help. It really was fun and I did enjoy it, but my spinal problems were getting worse and that was about the time Mom got sick. I closed up shop and sold all my equiptment . Now I would just be happy to take Lauren Julia, age 16, shopping.

So, I said all that to tell you why so many men cooked. If they didn't they would starve!! lollol I have noticed that too Mark, especially those that spent time in time military. Good to talk to you and hope you and Penny have a good week-end.

s to all, Julia

[Mark N]

Julia, it sounds like you have had a few good days and time to be on the computer. I was in the Marines but special intelligence had the top people from every service so I dealt with people in the Navy, Army, and AF. Ryleigh sounds like our 3 yr old granddaughter, she is strong headed and puts her foot down if she really doesn't want something. She isn't a problem at all but she knows her own mind. I stopped by the kids house early in the week to visit for a short time. Like usual Audyn wanted grandpa to pick her up and hold her as she likes to look around at everything. Emery was helping mom fix lunch so she was busy out in the kitchen only coming in to say hi. While they were eating I went to the store and they asked me to pick up some Coke for them. I walked back in the house and Emery was excited to see me until I found she was allowed to have one cup of Coke, we take what we can get.

Yes Jon does need to get ready and understand the girls are growing up; teenagers aren't the easiest group to deal with. He will have a lot to worry about but just tell him he only has to worry about boys that are like he was at that age:). Your family sure sounds like a good family and it is nice all but one is close to you. The grandson in Chicago must be very busy with his job since he works at Ohara [busiest in the world at one point]. Parts of Chicago are nice but it changes quickly in a few blocks.

Not much going on as I slept a lot yesterday and it is cool outside so I am not eager to be out. I did mow the yard [nice that it only takes 5 minutes] as the grass and plants are really growing. I was glad to see our new River Birch as greened up along with the other trees in the area. We had it put in when it was dormant so this is the first to see it with leaves. It is a 20 ft tree so there wasn't much chance it wouldn't make it but it was still nice to see the leaves come out.

[Leeaelle]

Hi Jo and Mark ~ I like reading about your families. Mine is so small that there's not much to write about anymore.

My daughter Gina moved to Memphis, Tenn. about a month ago. It seems like 2 years ago to me. I really miss her. Her daughter, my granddaughter Mariah lives with her Dad now, after having lived here for 10 years. She's 17, and a senior in high school. She's doing well, but unfortunately she inherited the depression that plagues the whole family -- on both sides. So she's also in therapy besides going to school and working part-time.

You were talking about having the men doing the cooking. Well, my late husband used to love to cook. I miss that. But I have a son living with me that used to be a CHEF -- and do you think I can get him to cook HERE? Heck no!! I'm lucky if he even gets off the couch! Granted, he WAS recovering from a very serious illness he had last summer, and that's why he's living here. He's still on medication for it. But for Pete's sakes, I'm not asking him to dig ditches! It wouldn't KILL him to whip up a meal once in awhile. Good grief. Working in the kitchen for me is torture! I'm being totally honest when I say that standing on my feet for 5 minutes is absolute torture! If I can keep moving, that's better -- but if I have to stand almost still to watch something, or stir something, or keep flipping, etc., then YIKES! Then he wonders why I go straight to bed after supper. lol

Hope you're all okay! Looks like it's gonna rain here and I'm tired of getting wet when I go outside. But that's April in Michigan. Have a great day everyone! Take good care of yourselves -- no one else will do it for you. God bless. Love, Lee

[Mark N]

Hi Lee it is good to see you in the room and hear about how things are going in your family. I am surprised your son doesn't want to cook as you would think a former chef would be eagr to cook now and then. Your granddaughter didn't have much hope of avoiding depression with both sides of the family dealing with it. At least she had the stigma, that some people have about therapist, wiped out by other family members before her dealing with depression. It should help her avoid the more serious issue that can come from depression. I hope your pain is under control as I know the cold wet weather usually plays havoc with your pain levels.

The kids called and wanted to know if dad could be at their house to sign for the laminated flooring they have coming in on Monday. I will help them put it in at least giving them some tips on what to avoid. I was hoping they would refinish the oak floor they have but with a new pup and a rescue dog that still gets excited and wets the floor a laminated floor is the way to go for now. In another ten years when the problems are gone they can always refinish the oak floor as the laminate will be a floating floor system. Penny is getting the bug to redo things in the house and on the porch. We have a couple smaller projects that need to be finished yet so her dreams will be a couple years off yet. We work it where she checks things out and we go around about different options and take our time so we are sure about what we want to do. She is talking about new kitchen cabinets [doors and drawers as the base is solid wood] which I had been askiing her if she wanted to change them for a couple years now. That is the news around here for now. Tyrel hasn't called this week for the first time since he has been in the Army but I knew he would be calling less as time goes by.

[Mark N]

Friday evening was such a nice surprise as I was in the basement watching TV when I hear people coming in upstairs. Down comes Emery leading the way for her dad and Audyn. Emery wanted to come over and visit so Darrin brought them over while waiting on Megan to get off work. I called Penny and he called Megan so we got dinner set up and it was a nice evening together. Emery painted with water colors with Penny. I was surprised that I could tell what she was painting as she did a house and rainbow. I watched for a bit and it was funny to see Emery get paint on the brush then daub it off on a napkin before putting it to paper. I said something about it and Penny said she did it and Emery saw her then Emery did it every time after that. Later on Emery was trying to gain some attention and getting into a bit of trouble so I asked her if she wanted to go out on the porch swing with me. We sat out they for a while talking and watching the world as it went by - birds, clouds, cars, people, etc. Audyn was a cutie and was getting plenty of attention. She wanted grandpa to hold her when they first came in with Emery hanging on Darrin. Audy was a bit impatient at first because she was wanting to walk around and see things. I used to do that with Emery and show her things up higher that she normally couldn't get to. Audyn thought it was great to touch the ceiling light when I held her up. Finally she got hungry enough she let us know about it so Darrin mixed her up a bottle and I held her for a bit until she dropped off for a nap. I ran out to KFC to get dinner before the two wives got off work, that way they could relax and play with the girls while Darrin and I cleaned up after dinner. I always like to have them visit but it is especially nice when Emery wants to visit and it is a surprise.

[Leeaelle]

Hi All ~ A beautiful day here in Michigan. Kinda nice seeing it's April, and we usually are rained upon constantly in April. lol I'm going to have to call my 'lawn guy" and have him start mowing again. It's getting pretty high.

My granddaughter is coming today to spend a couple of days with us. I've missed her, as it's been a couple of months since she's been here. So we'll have some catching up to do. We've talked on the phone alot, but that's not quite the same. We need to have some "girl talk" -- the kind where we hole up in the bedroom, away from my son so he can't hear. LOL We used to do that all the time, even when my daughter lived here. Mariah (granddaughter) used to confide in me more than she did her own mom at times -- her mom would fly off the handle a little too much. So I was kind of the "middle-man" and would tell mom what she said (with Mariah's permission) and calm her down before the two met. lol Other times Mariah just needed someone to talk to, and Mom wouldn't understand. This is weird, cause back then she hated me. LOL Couldn't stand me, but yet she'd want to talk to me. Then about 6 months ago, she came to me and apologized for all the years she treated me like crap. (and she did) She said she didn't know why - she was just angry about her parents splitting up and I got caught in the middle. Poor baby -- I knew she didn't REALLY hate me, but it did hurt at the time. AAAhhhh teenagers -- can't live with them, and can't kill them. I love her to death tho.

I haven't done a darn thing to speak of today. I tidied up the house a bit -- and that's about it. Even doing that raised cain with the back. It just makes me so darn mad! Seems I can't do a darn thing without it raising havoc with the old spine. But we all do the best we can, right?

Hope everyone is doing well. Take care & God bless! Hugs, Lee