The last photo of me...

...BEFORE I turned into a walking SCAB!

My wonderful "Princess" (firstborn daughter, Pam) took this picture of me with my Grandsons last week.  I love those boys SO much!  However, that is not why I'm posting the photo today .  I posted it on my CaringBridge site and introduced the boys as my "post-operative medical team".  On here,  I'm using this photo to show me before I turned into a disaster area ~ not that I look all that great in this  picture but everything is relative...

A couple of hours ago, I put my hand to my face, only to discover that I had a great, BIG  PIMPLE, right on the end of my nose!   I went into the bathroom to use the mirror to witness this atrocity, where I noticed that I not only have a rose like Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer, but I also have a second pimple, on the tip of my chin!  As if that weren't bad enough, I have a great, big, honking COLD SORE in the corner of my mouth.

My mastectomy is scheduled for this Wednesday morning. 

 I figure I'll be a walking scab by then!

...sigh...

A letter to my daughter...

I had no idea what I was going to post today.  Or even if I WOULD post.  But then, I started writing an email to my Beautiful Baby Girl.  Katie (my BBG) is in Florida this weekend, with her handsome fiance.  I'm happy when I know that she is happy. 

Anyway,  I started writing to Katie about the song  that I chose for us to share, before she was even born.  I have a special song with each of my kids.  Each has a story behind it.  If you're interested, I've copied part of the email to Katie (I decided to send it to all three of my kids since  I have a special song ~ and special memories with each of them.  Here's what I wrote:

This started out as an email to Katie. As I kept writing, I decided that each of you should have a copy of it. As I'm writing, I am smiling and I am crying. It brings back SO many memories. Good and bad. Most of all, it reminds me of how very blessed I am to have three, incredible, wonderful children who make me so very proud and fill my life with JOY...

Have I ever told you what "our" song is?  I'm sure that I have, but perhaps you've forgotten. (click on the colored links to see and hear the video!)

When each of my babies were born, while I was still in the hospital, I chose a song that I sang over & over again to my precious newborn baby. My song with Pam Is: "Sunshine on My Shoulders" by John Denver. Pam was born in June and I had the bed by the window, during our hospital stay. Back then, new moms stayed for days! I'd stand by the window, holding my precious baby girl in my arms, watching the sun come up and sing "Sunshine on my shoulders makes me happy".

And the tears would flow. I think the day that Pam was born was the happiest day in my life.  In the absolute euphoria that followed her birth, I remember thinking that this feeling ~ this "high", had to be the feeling that people who used drugs were trying to get!   The phrase, from the song,: "if I had a day that I could give you, I'd give to you a day just like today. If I had a song that I could sing for you, I'd sing a song that makes you feel this way."  summed up exactly what I wished for my precious little Princess.


When Ben was born I was so afraid. There were 'complications' with his delivery and I was afraid that I was going to lose him. That he would die.  Shortly before Ben was born, I saw a movie on television ~ I can't remember the name ~   and there was a song (again by John Denver) called "My Sweet Lady". It was beautiful. Sad. Hopeful. Beautiful. The lyrics lodged in my mind and deep in my heart. When I stood in the hospital newborn intensive care unit and stared at my son, hooked up to wires and monitors, so helpless and seemingly alone. All I had to do was change one word ~ "Lady" became "Baby" and the song became real:   "Baby, are you crying? Do the tears belong to me? Do you think our time together is all gone? Baby, my sweet baby, I'm as close as I can be. And I swear to you our time has just begun...."

I sat in that intensive care unit, holding Ben and singing those words, until they'd MAKE me leave .  And the tears flowed. It still gives me goose bumps, thirty-some years later and brings tears to my eyes. I am so grateful that God chose to let Ben stay with us. What a gift he has been!

I never imagined that I would be thirty years old and pregnant!  Back in 'those days',  thirty was considered pretty old to be having a baby.  Pam and Ben were both finally in school full-time and I was free for the first time in years!  Yet, I knew ~ long before any doctor confirmed it ~ that you were going to be a part of my life. I knew that I was pregnant within days of conceiving you! And I was thrilled!  I was SO excited and happy to be having another baby. I wanted another little girl so badly that I would have felt terribly guilty if you had been a boy!  I was sure that people thought I was crazy for wanting to be pregnant again. I didn't care. There was nothing that I wanted more than to bring my baby into this world so that I could hold her and love her. "Our" song was a natural. When I heard Elvis Presley sing "Can't Help Falling in Love Again", there was no doubt in my mind. We had our song. I sang it throughout my pregnancy and our brief stay in the hospital. I sang it to you when sitting up with you in the middle of the night, when you had your days and nights mixed up and I sang it when you were a rebellious teenager. I still sing it when I think of you...

"Wise men say, only fools rush in
but I can't help falling in love with you.
Shall I stay?  Would it be a sin?
If I can't help falling in love with you.

Like a river flows, surely to the sea,
darling so it goes,
somethings are meant to be.

Take my hand.  Take my whole life too.
For I can't help falling in love with you..."

It may seem like a song that is talking about adults and certainly seems like a perfect wedding song, but it was also perfect for us. It may have seemed silly (fool-ish?) that I wanted to have another child ~ with Ben needing so much extra care. But I couldn't help how much I loved you. Even before you were born. I think my very favorite verse  is "take my hand, take my whole life too..." I would picture your tiny, little baby hand, wrapping it's little fingers around one of mine and holding on ~ as if for dear life. I would have laid down my life in an instant  for you.

And I still would.
I love you very much,



Mom

In a Pig's Eye...

AudioEnglish.net  defines "in a pigs eye" as: 

very unlikely.

I suppose it is fair to say that the odds of a certain shepherdess driving a metal rod into her eye, while chasing a chicken, would be 'very unlikely'.

Yet, I managed to do it.

:-(

Please trust me when I tell you that a metal rod, through the eyelid and scraping the eye ball is excruciatingly painful!  I think I stood there, holding my head and screaming, for about five minutes, before I could even move.

The pain was so intense that I was nauseous.

I (selfishly) did not want to call an ambulance so I called my oldest daughter, Pam.

I knew that Pam ~ being a full-time working mother of three extremely active boys, with lessons here, there and everywhere on any given night ~ would have nothing better to do than leave work early and drive 45 miles out in the middle of nowhere to take her mutilated mother to the doctor.

Of course Pam, being my "Princess" insisted that it was "no trouble at all".  That she was sorry I was hurt but glad for the excuse to spend time with me! 

Do I have great kids or what:?

(I love you Princess)

The eye doctor 'numbed' the area and then proceeded to clean up the eye and lid.  I swear, it felt like he was poking glass INTO my eye!

Luckily for me, the iron rod had pierced my eye lid, just below the socket, but only scratched the surface of the eye ball itself.  Although, I'll never understand how the hole in my eye lid is above the eye but the scratches on the eye ball are on the bottom...?

A thorough cleaning, antibiotics and a tetanus shot later and Pam & I were free to leave!

We stopped at a local restaurant for a quick bite to eat and then hurried home, just in time to watch "The Bachelor".

P.S.

As you can see, Holly and Ivy are growing rapidly.  I am VERY much enjoying having pigs and think that they will be ready to move out into the barn soon.  It will be fun to see them interacting with the sheep.

DREAM says...

"In a Pig's Eye!!! "

Success!

We did it!  We found the perfect wedding dress for my Beautiful Baby Girl!

Katie O.K.'d me posting this photo because it doesn't actually show the dress ~ which is, by the way, absolutely stunning!  It is very simple, elegant, graceful, unexpected and fun!  Katie tried on SO many gorgeous dresses and looked beautiful in them all.  Every time she'd step out of the fitting room, Pam and I would just OOOOO   and Ahhhhh.  But the dress she chose was somehow different.  Not that we weren't OOOOOOing and Ahhhhhhing...we were.  But Katie was different in this dress.  She smiled.  She moved.  She looked happy!  In the other (many fancier) dresses, Katie posed.  She looked stunning.  And posed.  In the dress she chose, Katie played!  She twisted and turned and  walked and spun and said:  I want a dress that I can have FUN in at my reception (which will be in New Orleans ~ with plans to hit Bourbon Street!).  She wanted a dress that will let her move and this one does it.  It just flows.    It is both simple and elegant, yet it has an air of innocence and playfulness about it.  A perfect "Beautiful Baby Girl" dress...

Life is good!

(many thanks to my "Princess",  *Pam*  for taking such lovely photos of her baby sister as the three of us shared this happy day.  Katie even managed to include her big, brother, Ben, in the day by joining him for a Margarita when the dress shopping was done.

It Pays to Follow Up With Grandma...

Because I keep my house so cold, when my Grandsons visit I give each of them one of my shawls to wrap up in (usually in ADDITION to their coats!).  The last time the boys were here, Nick (the youngest) asked me if I would knit him his own wrap to keep.  Of course, I said yes.

Then, like I always do, I forgot all about it.

At least I forgot about it until two weeks ago.

That's when Nick called me to ask how his 'man shawl' was coming along.

So I got out my bulkiest home-spun yarn ~ a Shetland - Mohair blend 2 plied with fawn (taupe) and light musket (off white).  I used a size 11 needle and whipped up this puppy as quickly as I could!

It has a seed stitched border and stockinett stitch body.  Nick wanted it blue so I died it blue in my Turkey Roaster!  I think it turned out pretty nice.

I hope my little man likes it!

Let the Good Times Roll...

Oh, my Goodness!  For a dog that was SO very unhappy with the arrival of our new puppy, Bellamica has made a complete turn-around!  These two are absolutely nuts!  They play

and play...

and play...

and play some more!

Sable even got to come with me on Christmas Day and Pam took this picture of her playing  with my youngest Grandson, Nick:

I don't know about the dogs or the kids

but I'm exhausted!!

DREAM says...

"Things are pretty peacefull out here, Mom.  If you need a little peace and quiet, you know where to find me!"

I may just have to take you up on that, Dreamer! 

;-)

Three Princes...

My three handsome, charming Grandsons came to visit yesterday. They are the greatest helpers any Grandma could ever ask for!

Josh, the oldest, at 11, mowed the entire nursery pasture and paddock on the riding mower ~ after only a very brief lesson in which I showed him how, if you pull back while trying to maneuver, the steering wheel comes off! ~ his very first time, EVER, driving a riding mower! He was incredible.

Master of the push mower, Matt, the 'middle child' at 8?9?, did my entire back yard ~ ALL BY HIMSELF!! Totally awesome!! Then he wanted to do the ram's paddock for me but found the long, thick grass in there really tough with a push mower.

Nick ~ the youngest at 6, wanted to give it a try...

Big brother, Josh, finally came to the rescue and finished the ram paddock and then went on to do my FRONT YARD! This kid was like a mowing MACHINE!!!

After the mowing (and fence mending ~ THANK YOU NICK! ~ and plant watering ~ thanks Matt!) was done, we had an ice-cold Root Beer break and then the boys wanted to "go throw rocks in the river". This has been a favorite sport when visiting Grandma's since Josh was 2 years old...

Of course, on the way to the river (actually, a creek across the road from my place) the boys have to practice aiming at a road sign.

If you look closely (click to biggify) you can see the rock, flying through the air!

And the SPLASH as it hits the water below!

As sunny and beautiful as the day may look, if we looked over our shoulders, towards the other side of the bridge, THIS is what we saw:

STORM CLOUDS were building in a HURRY!

We RAN back to my house, just in time!

I've got pictures to show of the boys with their chickens and stories to tell about NAUGHTY sheep but this is already too long so I'll save them for the next time.

Thank you Josh and Matt and Nick for ALL the hard work you did yesterday! You really were such great helpers for Grandma and saved me SO much work!! And Thanks to Pam & Karl (the boys' Mom & Dad) for the wonderful meal of cheeseburgers on the grill that you brought and prepared when you came to pick up the boys!I love you all and hope that you know how much joy you bring to my world!

Wishing you a Safe & Memorable (in a GOOD way!) Memorial Day Weekend...

I finally got around to finishing shearing Zaria! Poor thing. I was able to roo most of her but used the hand shear on her hind quarters. She hated every minute of it but looks SO much better now....

The lambs are growing like weeds!


They're so fun to watch and very loving when I sit with them. What an absolute JOY.



Beautiful Bella Luna keeps a close watch over her babies...

Even MY "Beautiful Baby Girl" is home for a few days, before leaving for a year in Georgia!

Tomorrow night, I'm having dinner with ALL THREE of my children!

Life is Oh-So-Very-Good in the Bluff Country...

Lambs at School....

On Friday afternoon I loaded up three of my precious babies and made the one hour drive to visit the Elementary school attended by my three Grandsons.

I took 3 lambs: "White Night", because I figured the kids probably thought that lambs are supposed to be white and that they'd be interested to know that the baby rams have horns when they are very little ~ "Kat Nap", because she's so friendly and most kids have heard the term "black sheep" ~ and "Chance", because she is so obnoxiously incredibly friendly and I thought the children would be surprised to see a lamb with her markings.

Needless to say, the lambs were a big hit!

The children were incredibly well behaved (which could also be said for two of the three lambs that I took). Mr. White Night let it be quite clear that he was not thrilled to be away from his mom/on a halter/ and touched by humans!

Sweet Kat Nap and Chance even posed for pictures with the children!

Don't let his expression fool you ~ this little boy kept coming back for more!

I don't know who she is, but I think this little girl really NEEDS to raise Shetland sheep!

All in all, I'd say it was a very positive experience for children and lambs (OK ~ maybe not so much for White Night) alike.

Thank You Nick & Matt for inviting Grandma and her lambs to visit your school! I love you VERY much!!!