Hubby Harley Goes To Surgery

This is my hubby on his Harley just 6 days after knee replacement surgery! And he is not just sitting pretty either ... Kevin zoomed off into the sunshine with his cane inside his saddlebag. I'm not sure if my sweet self is recovering from his surgery as well as he is!

We believe that you will never meet another set of faces on the planet that has been graced more than us! Throughout the time leading up to, during, and after surgery, a wonderful support system of family & friends showed us buckets of love. So many prayers, visits, calls, cards, emails, and help ... too numerous to count. Click here to see a little project that Nurse Kay put together for sharing with our church family this morning.

A little bit of rambling:

• Dr. VanMeter prays with his patients before surgery, and we had to hold hands "or it won't take" he says!
• Kevin tried to convince the young nurse to marry our son, but I think she's scared of being his daughter-in-law.
• Although I was technically on vacation for 3 days, suffice it to say billable hands are happy hands.
• I've been meaning to blog about attending the Women of Faith conference, it's on my radar. It was wonderful and overwhelming and full of grace.
• 3-year old birthday girl Rosalie called me on the telephone and said clear as a bell "Thank You for the gift Aunt Kay!" Can anyone say precious? I loved it!
• I'm a little bit tired, but don't plan to be 10 minutes from now.
• There are more angels carrying me than I will ever understand.
• Some of my friends in blogaroonie land will never know how much I appreciate them.
• Football season is starting - YAY! The Hood is prepared for a little thing called Super Bowl. Go Blue!
• Kevin's Sarah Palin glasses broke. So much for Alaska.
• I broke out the pots & pans recently, and remembered how to use them!
• Keaton, Math Teacher Extraordinaire', is back in full swing, only this year he's working on his Masters and tutoring kids on the side. The gift of youth!
• Good friend Debbie P. sent a singing get-well-soon card that made us laugh.
• Kevin is smokin' hot! I want to send a paper plane to my Harley Hubby and say "I Love You"!

The Man Cave

This is the new "Man Cave" in my living room, appropriately named in preparation for hubby's upcoming knee replacement. We shopped and we shopped (like we huffed and we puffed) and we blew the budget with this oversized, overstuffed, overpriced piece of fluff, more commonly known as a recliner. I call it a sleeping pill, but Kevin calls it Clifford, the Big Brown Chair. The shopping part was easy (funny, that's never been a problem for me) but the getting it in the house part was the real story!

First you must understand that I plan to ask the hospital to label his wristband "Mr. Stubborn" which might be worth more than a 20% tip. So when this massive piece of fluff arrived at the warehouse and Mr. Stubborn went to load it in his trailer, the nice people at the furniture store loaded it. Fast forward to when it was sitting in our driveway. Mr. Stubborn hobbled inside after a long day at work, and first sat down to eat a couple of chicken salad sandwiches, compliments of my famous cooking (and Sams Club). That's when the doorbell rang. Very good friends & neighbors Bear & Lynn had that huge recliner ON our porch and said "Furniture movers here! Where would you like it?" Thanks seems trite, but I offer it humbly.

Thus, the Man Cave! The Miracle of the Man Cave!

Ohhhhh'Malley

He's a monster! O'Malley used to be tiny and cute and he used to be sweet and innocent and he used to make me dash home and purr with him. That was then. This is now! Look at those devient eyes! Arrest the cat! And don't post bail!

One morning last week, we came downstairs to find that O'Malley had simply helped himself to my ribbon/yarn drawer and had a ball with a ball of yarn! It is wrapped around and around and about the dinning room table and all six chairs, six ways to Sunday! He should sleep for a week! There's no getting this mess untangled without scissors!

Right at this moment, O'Mally is sweetly curled up in his sheepskin bed right in front the computer monitor telling what to type. Sigh. He's SO darn cute. That was then, and this is now!

Happy 29th Birthday!

Oh my heck, I love being 29! But for the life of me, I don't know WHY I waited 52 years (figure that one out yourself) to take a day off work and just do w-h-a-t-e-v-e-r! It was the best day! It started with a drop-in visit from very good friend and neighbor Lynn, with a super duper cute magnetic board she made me with pictures of all 3 grandkids! I'm tellin' ya -- toooo cute! Then I stopped at a way cool gift shop near my house and browsed like there was no tomorrow. Then my sweet darlin' daughter, Andrea, and I went to the movies and saw "The Proposal" and we laughed and danced our way right outa that theater, singing "It's takes two to make a thing go right"! We had popcorn for lunch. Then it was time to meet Princess Rhegan and King Clayton at the bus stop after school. Clayton rocks! He took these pics of us so we could remember every stinkin' moment of me being 29! Then my hero husband took me out to eat and we went to another movie - Julia & Julia. TWO movies in ONE day because I'm 29! Does is get any better than this? It was the BEST day!

Rhegan Goes to Kindergarten

It's a very l-o-n-g way down off that big bus step! I give her a 10 for landing with both feet on the ground, and because she is THE cutest dressed little girl in bus-land. (That's what happens when Grammy goes shoppy!) Hmm, what's missing on the cutest dressed little girl in bus-land? Well, I'd say it's her snazzy princess backpack which is conveniently sitting on Rhegan's front row bus seat! Hero Bro' Clayton saved the day!

First order of business after de-busing ... hug mommy! As it should be, my sweet child!

Next order of business, flop on the couch and demonstrate the effect of the first day of Kindergarten! I can relate girlfriend, only I don't look quite that cute when I flop on the couch after work.

Next order of business, time for a treat! Ice cream is a GOOD reason to come home after a hard day of kindergarten. So - to recap in the words of my talky talky granddaughter, the top 5 reasons to come home after school are as follows:

1. To see mommy

2. See grandma's new pictures

3. Eat ice cream

4. Change into play clothes

5. Finally .... to see talky talky gram gram

At least I made the list. Praise Dee Lord! It was, after all, my 29th birthday!

Ramblings

• I'm going to the Women of Faith conference tomorrow and Saturday and I'm just darn tootin' excited about it!
• Favorite new smell: new car! You know that "cash for clunkers" program all over the news lately that is running out of $$? I got $4500 of it. Yay for Kay! Silver Mercury Mariner with black leather seats with the coolest white stitching! Bells and whistles galore. It almost drives itself. My scripture memory cards look good near by gearshift!
• Jane recently told us that when she goes over to the main building for dinner, she stays a long time because all the ladies get to gassing. Yep, you read that right! Not sure what they eat (beans?) but I'd go gassing with my girlfriends too! Beano optional.
• Kevin's knee hurts. Bad. Riding the Harley still makes it feel better though (!?!).
• Sister Joyce is still in Greece & Turkey. I wonder if they have scrapbook stores there?
• Dear sweet friend Debbie P. had a 29th b-day again. Dear sweet friend Eleanor will have a 29th b-day again in a few weeks. Dear sweet friend Karen will have a 29th b-day again next week. And dear sweet self will be 29 on the 12th! 29 rocks!
• Our summer bible study ended tonight. Humble pie! With ice cream!
• I'm drinking Diet Coke again - Sprite had it's day in the sun. And I've fallen for Margarita Jelly Beans - closest thing I've ever had to the real thing! Well - Diet Coke IS the real thing, now isn't it?!
• Someday I'll figure out why I'm so blessed! Until then, I'll just remain astonished.

You Had Me At Hello

Remember that rag doll you or your sister used to carry around when you were a kid? I bet it was named O'Malley! Rhegan had a sleepover with us and she got to meet the newest member of our family (who just happens to be sitting directly in front of the computer screen and watching each and every single letter as it appears!). It was love at first sight! Rhegan knew she loved O'Malley the moment she set eyes on him! He hippity hopped in his cute little crooked fashion right to her and she scooped him up into her arms and never let him down (except to go to the bathroom and eat and get our nails done).

O'Malley Duty:

• We slept on the couch so we could be near O'Malley (until Grandma carried us upstairs to our beds).
• We made a "duty list" which included practicing our music, getting our nails done, McDonald's and loving O'Malley.
• We had to come home after our nail salon visit and check on O'Malley.
• We sang songs O'Malley liked, like "Rhegan Had a Little Lamb".
• We gave O'Malley his medicine with an eye dropper and then fed him treats.

Love puts the fun in together. It was the bestest sleepover!