12 Days of Christmas!

I heard this song on the radio the other day and liked it, but did not know who it was done by. Then the next day I heard the announcer say it was by a group called "Straight Up No Chaser". I searched you tube and viola! Here it is! Go see for yourself and let me know,. What do oyou think? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=28GUU1YbP_E

MERRY CHRISTMAS

A NOTE TO SAY MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL


FROM OURS TO YOURS,


BY THE GLOW OF THE TREE,

OUR HOME IS DECORATED FOR ALL TO SEE!

THE PUPPIES ALL SNUGGLED UP IN THEIR BOWS,

Well, a poet I'm not, but you get the pictures! This is a blog card to wish everyone a Very Merry Christmas! I hope everyone has their decorations up, presents bought, wrapped and under the tree! I still have to wrap, but I also still have 3 more days. I still have a list of things to do and I am slowly marking each item off of the list. So, please, everyone have a save, happy and very Merry Christmas! Love Tom, Connie, Koty & Gizmo!

MERRY CHRISTMAS

Isn't this a great picture! It is a car magnet! I am going to order one, but I have to order 25 to get 1! I am going to see if anyone else wants one. They are $3.00 a piece. Is anyone interested in buying one of them. If so, please let me know. If I get enough orders, even if it is not in time for this year, I would order them and get them to everyone by next year. As you know, I feel very strongly about the message this magnet is spreading! Please ask other people you know, and some of you, you know who you are, please ask others (that do not have computers) if they would like one. Again, just let me know. Then when I get enough orders I would order them for everyone. The total order has an $83.00 total, which includes tax, therefore I cannot order alone, that would be a pretty costly magnet. I seen one yesterday while shopping and took the website address off of it. They are about 4 to 5 inches square I would think. Thanks!

MY NEW TOY...

Well, it is that time again! YEP indeedy....Christmastime is here, well at least for me it is. I know, I know, I am a little early, but who cares! I love Christmas! I usually wait until after Thanksgiving to put up my tree, but this year Thanksgiving comes late in the month, cutting my weeks short and my weeks become very busy from here on out. Therefore, Tom and I put up the tree this past weekend. As for my new toy...well...I bought it on sale after Christmas last year. I couldn't wait to try it out this year! Tom, of course, thought it was a stupid idea, that I wasted money, it wouldn't work, etc. etc. etc., but when we hooked it up, turned it on...VIOLA! He LIKES it! I do too. Well, enough already I will tell you what it is. It is a rotating Christmas tree stand!!! Excited? I am! Plus, it works, Tom even likes it, Mom and Dad liked it and I LOVE IT! This way I get to see all of my ornaments, not just the ones on front! Plus, when Tom was putting on the lights, he just turned it on and the tree rotated itself making the light job a little easier. Yes, I know, you all think I'm nuts, but oh well, I LOVE CHRISTMAS! I took this video to show you all what I am talking about. I hope some of you like it too!


MERRRY CHRISTMAS...EARLY!

I'M BACK! FINALLY!

The new rug on top and below is the old one

These are both the old look

I Picked the 2 on the Right!

New look brown and old is blue

New look-brown & old was blue

I know, I know. I have been gone for awhile. I have a good reason, sort of. Part of the time, I was just busy doing other things (like hooking up the new turntable to the computer and downloading the first 14 of approximately a couple of hundred albums for our Ipods), downloading approx. 30 C/D's for a friend to download onto her new Ipod, just to tired, or the last 2 weeks...I have been messing with my stupid computer! It seems that everytime I go into one of my main programs, it is missing the exe. file, will not work, locks up, etc. etc. So I have had to trouble shoot my Kodak, Norton, ITunes and Excel programs, erase and download a couple of them again, and do fixes on the other 2. Not my idea of fun!!!! and it was of course, hours and hours and hours, well you get the picture!!!

Finally, last night I got my Kodak program to work again, therefore the last post about My MOM!!!!! WHOPPPEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Now, I am back in the grove, hopefully. With Thanksgiving, then Christmas coming, things will still be hectic, but I am going to try to keep up with my blog again. That is if this thing called a computer cooperates!!!

Now for the answer to a question posed to me from my last blog...Yes, I picked out the shades for my bathroom lights! I did not happen to pick any of the shades that I had previously posted, because I found a new one at Home Depot that I liked. I took some before and after pics (which, as I said above, I was just now able to download as of yesterday), therefore I am posting the pics today. I still have a frame on each wall to fill with a pic of my own and I have a couple of ideas not yet completed, and I have already made some changes that are not reflected in these "old" pictures, but hopefully you will get an idea of what I have done so far. Let me know what you think.

Glad to be back! Hope you will continue to read. See you soon!

!!! SHE DID IT !!!

She's done! Mom has made it to the end of her year long journey! A year ago this December, mom went for her yearly checkup, was sent for a mammogram, a biopsy was performed, then a double mastectomy and 7 lympnodes removed, she had her port inserted, went through 6 chemotherapy treatments, and as of Friday, November 14, she finished 33 radiation treatments! The only things left to do now...go to the doctor December 12, start taking a pill once a day for the next 5 years, grow back her hair and know that she is a SURVIVOR, all the way!

I know she is very happy to be done with the long journey. We, her family, Dad, Tom, Me, Dave & Joi, have been with her all the way, tried to support her the best we could during all of the trials and have had to just stand by and watch helplessly as she went through this long journey. I can say, without a single doublt, that we are all extremely proud of this beautiful, wonderful, loving woman that we call, wife, mom and mawmaw. She has BEAT IT, SHE IS DONE and

SHE HAS KICKED CANCERS BUTT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Therefore, CELBRATION! And that we did! All of us took Mom out Friday night to celebrate and took her to Cracker Barrel (her favorite restaurant) for dinner. Then Saturday, without her knowing what or where, Joi, Dad and I took Mom to a tea house called Jospehine's, went shopping and then took her to the Alton Belle (to do a little gamling!) for the day! We came back home and met up with Tom to eat dinner! Mom says that she had a great time and is starting to finally feel human!

As a reminder to all you women out there, please, please please, check yourselves monthly, get your yearly mammogram and IF you feel a lump, get it checked out IMMEDIATELY!

I have included a couple of pictures from this weekend to show you Mom's Celebration!

PICK A SHADE

A B

C D

E F

G H

J K

L M

N O

R S

Ok, here's the scoop...I am redoing the bathroom. Tom and I went shopping, found a rug we liked and decided to buy it. Of course, it did not match the rest of the bathroom, so...I just have to redecorate it now. I am getting there, but have a way to go. I took before pics this time (I know, I don't believe it either), and once I'm done, I will show before and after pics (I'm so glad I remembered to do this for once). But I have a dilemma, I am having trouble picking new glass shades for my light fixture. So here are just a few that I like (I deleted some of them), so what do you think? (I have posted a copy of the rug too...and an FYI, I went with the chocolate brown and teal colors in the rug). My fixtures are silver, my walls, floors, cabinet, tub, etc. are all white. Excited to see what you pick. Thanks for you help in advance.

WHAT A KLUTZ!

Yup...that's me! What was supposed to be a walk around the park with my daughter and us taking my 2 puppies, Koty and Gizmo, well......it turned into a "really graceful FALL! for me!" We actually walked about 1 block, turned a corner, got to an alley and whoops...down I went. There was an alley with the exit in concrete, rocks all over the concrete, my foot hit the rocks, they acted like marbles and you guessed it! Down I went. Nothing broken, but a goose egg on the arm, a rock & bruise in the left hand and down on my knee right on a rock! Graceful, yikes, NOT! Sore, and aching all day...yyyyyeeeeessss! siree! So gimpy for a couple of days, and I think I keep my walking, for now, at Club Fitness on the treadmill (no rocks!)

ACHY BREAKY HEART!!!!

Is he good lookin or what?!






Wow! Friday morning I was at work, received a phone call from Joi, and found out that Billy Ray Cyrus may be coming to Park Grill in Granite City within an hour. Me being at work...I was trying to find a way to get someone to go see him and take pics for me! Well low and behold, I was working the early shift for Chuck (he works this weekend) and he was home! I called, he went, he seen, he took pictures and brought them to me! He even shook Billy Ray's hand, then shook mine (you know, to transfer the goodie feel!). Oh well, I know not everyone likes Billy Ray, but I do! I have now tried to see him, up close and personal, 6 different times, like at Fan Fair, Duquoin Fair, etc. Next year, I am joining his fan club and each year after, until I get to Fan Fair, go to his personal party where he holds his meet and greets. I never have been signed up the years I go, or I am signed up too late to get tickets! NOT ANYMORE! He was here in GC and I missed him!!!! But... for those who like him like I do! Enjoy the pics, my great friend CHUCK, brought back to me!

!!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY JOI !!!

THIS IS A BIG HAPPY BIRTHDAY WISH FOR MY WONDERFUL DAUGHTER! I LOVE YOU WITH ALL MY HEART AND HOPE YOU HAVE A FANTASTIC BIRTHDAY! I CANNOT BELIEVE YOU ARE 26 YEARS OLD TODAY! "YOU ARE MY SUNSHINE!" AND YOU ARE MY HEART. I LOVE YOU! LOVE MOM AND TOM

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM! HAPPY ANNIVERSARY MOM & DAD!

MOM CELEBRATED HER BIRTHDAY 8-18-08, BUT SHE WAS STILL SICK FROM CHEMO. WE PLANNED ON TAKING HER OUT THIS WEEKEND, BUT SHE WENT TO PEORIA WITH HER SISTERS TO SEE UNCLE LESTER. SHE WAS SUPPOSED TO LEAVE EARLY SATURDAY AND, I THOUGHT, BACK SUNDAY NIGHT. INSTEAD SHE LEFT LATE SATURDAY, AND IS NOT DUE BACK UNTIL TOMORROW. SHE LEFT ON HER ANNIVERSARY AND DAD HAD TO WORK! GO FIGURE! THEREFORE, I HAD PLANNED ON HER READING THIS TONIGHT, WHEN SHE GOT HOME, BUT ALAS...SHE WILL HAVE TO WAIT UNTIL TOMORROW. KIND OF HARD TO SEND THIS TO SOMEONE, WHO IS NOT GETTING ON THE COMPUTER LATELY AND THEN, NOT HOME TO READ IT! BUT CONGRATULATIONS TO BOTH OF YOU, MOM AND DAD!! WE LOVE YOU WITH ALL OF OUR HEARTS AND WISH YOU MANY MANY MANY MANY MORE YEARS TOGETHER AND MOM...MANY MANY MANY MANY MORE HAPPIER BIRTHDAYS TO COME!!!!! LOVE YOU!

LIFE AS I KNOW IT! (PART 3)

Well, It has taken me a while to get back to this, but believe me, I have my list! So here goes:

51. Watching my daughter get crowned "May Day Queen". She looked like a Hawaiian princess out on the gym floor with her halo (she wanted a crown!) Oh well, she still looked beautiful and I was so proud of her!

52. Watching Joi graduate from Granite City Senior High School!

53. Seeing Yellowstone for the first time when I was young and then seeing it again last year with Tom. It is an awesome place. Each turn, hill, etc. is more beautiful than the last!!

54. Seeing the "GRAND TETONS". What can I say but "MAJESTIC!"

55. Going to Branson with Sherry Burris and spending the week, renting a boat (we neither one knew how to drive, or how to find our way around, so we just drove it back and forth in the area we rented it!) But, we had a GREAT time!

56. Seeing Joi's face when she came around the corner riding her first go-kart!!!PRICELESS!

57. Going to London with Joi and several of her friends and families. I never thought I wanted to go there, but I would go back in snap. We also seen the city of Bathe (the Roman Baths) and Stonehenge. Joi and I got to see a stone beach, not sand, but round stones. We seen foot paths (sidewalks), car parks (parking lots), minded the gap (watched our step), see the lieu's (toilets), and many many other fun memories which would take forever to write down.

58. Parasailing for the 1st time in Key West, then going again with Joi in Myrtle Beach and again in Panama City Beach! WHEW!

59. Having a surprise birthday party thrown for me by my best friend "Nanette", including being picked up for work that morning by...SURPRISE..a knock at my door, a driver informing me that my ride was here to take me to work and Joi to Happy Day. None other than a gold limousine (Joi was not too sure about it!) Then, well, not so much, but the cop, well I mean the stripper she supplied for the birthday party!

60. Taking my helicopter ride, FINALLY AFTER 3 trips to Hawaii and 3 attempts, around the island of Maui and the Road to Hana and Haleakala Crater!!!!!!! WHAT WORDS CAN I USE TO DESCRIBE SUCH BEAUTY!

61. Joi and I going across the Royal Gorge Bridge to ride the skylift (which we did not do, because the electrical lightening which was on its way), but the whole time dad telling us we were not going, but he would not step out on to the bridge-----he is afraid of heights!!!!!

62. Going to Elephant Rocks and Johnson Shut-ins for the 1st time with Tom. They were beautiful and so close to home! Who knew?!

63. Learning to drive and ride John and Cindy Miller's SEADOO in Panama City Beach. Then having Cindy come barreling in to the shore, yell and me to come on the other Seadoo, followed her out and we rode along beside a pod of DOLPHINS and their babies for a long time!!!! WHOOOPPPPEEEEEEE AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!

64. A couple of years ago, Tom and I went up along the Great River Road during the winter to see the Eagles and boy did we see the EAGLES. The frozen river and the sounds it made really was awe inspiring too.

65. Receiving my high school diploma.

66. Watching Joi graduate college and having David there too, no less! BONUS.

67. Getting to see Tom parasail with Shane in Panama City Beach.

68. Walking out on the Chain of Rocks Bridge across the Mississippi River.

69. Seeing the Moose and its baby in Yellowstone.

70. Seeing the momma black bear and her 2 cubs in the Tetons, cross the highway right in front of our car!

71. Watching ALL of my daughters several dance recitals (little miss bossy...she knows what I'm talking about!)

72. Buying bikes a couple of years ago and riding the MCT trails with Mom, Dad, Joi, Dave, Tom and me!

73. Seeing Cumberland Falls in Kentucky, last month on vacation. It is actually only about 5 to 6 hours away and it is a smaller version of Niagara Falls!

74. Seeing a COMPLETE-DOUBLE RAINBOW going with Sherry Burris up to Alton Square to pick out a dress to be her bridesmaid. It was enormous and beautiful! God is a wonderful painter!

75. Last but not least until the 4th and final set....... Riding the small motor boats with Joi in Myrtle Beach. We had a blast!

You know what, while thinking up this list and remembering all of these things that I have seen, done, witnessed, lived, etc. I realize over and over again just how wonderful my life has been, how blessed I am, how beautiful this world is and that I have the most wonderful family and friends. I love you all and thank each and everyone of you for being in my life and giving me wonderful memories, whether mentioned above or not. I thank God for my family every single day! Of course, I have to add a picture, but look at the rainbow I captured with my cell phone camera a couple of weeks ago going towork at 6:00 a.m. (it was actually a double if you look close, plus I could only capture one side. It was actually a full blown rainbow. Where is a panoramic camera when I need it!)

DUCHESS OF DISTINCTION
Your home is quite a masculine environment, but it's nonetheless comfortable, with an air of maturity: you enjoy the good things in life, and that includes the furniture and furnishings you like to have around you. What could look quite conservative is, in fact, seriously sleek.
Living Room
Playboy, gent, aesthete - your living room is a shrine to bachelorism. The masculine look finds its apogee in the bachelor pad, and at the heart of every bachelor pad is the living space, with its sharp lines and a hedonistic approach to life that's all about having fun and very little to do with mundane chores. This is the lifestyle of a Gatsby or a 007, and the fact that both are fictional characters says it all: this look is about illusion and seduction and a dash of hustler chutzpah. This is a look that can't take clutter: rustic accessories can work surprisingly well, giving the room a rugged aesthetic -- it's the rough with the smooth, the grit to the mill. Rich, dark colours are generally bold and inviting but can be overwhelming by day, while leather is smart and tactile. After pottering about in the garden, your living room's somewhere to put up your feet and take a well-earned rest.
Bedroom
Your bedroom has that classic look that never goes out of style. Sleep is fundamentally important to our well being. In busy towns and cities, noise can often hamper a good night's sleep. Soft furnishings really do absorb sound, and touch is such an important sense in the bedroom, from crisp, linen sheets to wool or even sheepskin underfoot. Elegance and relative simplicity are keynotes in your bedroom, using rich, chocolate browns to create a warm and cosy escape from the rest of the world.
Dining Room
You're a modern maverick, a supremely elegant entertainer. At home, you have a fresh, contemporary dining style that is versatile and achievable on almost any budget. Keeping the basics simple, try using colour or picking something a bit unusual to add character and to give the dining area some definition. Good design and quality materials can really lift a place setting. When it comes to entertaining, you're pretty casual and relaxed.
Home Office
You have a place for everything and everything has its place. Decorating your home office to reflect the spirit and personality of the rest of your home really does make all the difference - especially when it comes to sitting down and sorting out the filing! The modernist adage that form should follow function is nowhere better demonstrated than in the home office: keep things simple and add your own sense of style by using a splash of colour or a single, well-chosen decorative piece.


Well I did the test! Masculine!?! Oh, well. I took it twice, picked out some different items and both times came out the same. Do you agree?

!!!! ELVIS !!!!!

Yes, the "King of Rock n Roll", Elvis Presley! Just an FYI to all you ELVIS Fans! Elvis is putting out a new album! Can you believe it! Yes, you heard me right! A new album! Well, at least new technology is making it happen. Remember when they had Celine Dion sing with Elvis on the American Idol Gives Back Special? Well, they are at it again, but this time, it will be a re-release of his 1957 "Elvis' Christmas Album". The Jordanaires will still be doing the backgroud vocals and are rerecording them currently. I clipped the article out of the paper and I will be buying the album! I already have the album & c/d currently, but just take a gander at who will be singing with him: "Blue Christmas" with Martina McBride, "Here Comes Santa Claus" with LeAnn Rimes, "Merry Christmas Baby" with Gretchen Wilson, "White Christmas" with Amy Grant and I'll Be Home for Christmas" with Carrie Underwood. Others to be on there will be Wynonna Judd, Sara Evans, and Anne Murray!!! I know I'm excited how about all of you?!! I know, contain yourselves!

AM I A DOG GROOMER, OR WHAT!?

GIZMO BEFORE
KOTY BEFORE
KOTY AFTER
GIZMO-1/2 WAY DONE-He got tired and jumped up and run away-notice one side 2-legs are done, the other is not! hehe
GIZMO DONE

Well, I did it! I gave the puppies haircuts! Yep, I took the plunge, dove right in and gave both Koty and Gizmo their haircuts! I kept thinking about saving $75.00! Then I thought, I can do this, what could be so hard? Well, 2 days later and 4 1/2 hours total, I got them both done, even clipping their toenails (this part, much to Koty's dismay!). But whew, they are both done now. Need I say, I did okie dokie, if I must say so myself. I need to even them up some, but I think I will give them a couple of days rest before attempting this part. Of course, I have pics of the little darlings. What do you think?