Nonnie's Place

BOY IS THIS WRONG. . . . .

I took this test as a challenge for the Sweet Shoppe and boy is it ever WRONG about me.

What Do The Flowers You Pick Say About You?

Tulips Say You're Very Positive

You are very popular and universally admired. You are often hopelessly in love, and you connect to other people easily. You are a naturally cheerful and upbeat person. You have an amazing smile. You have a fresh perspective on things. You have a different way of looking at the world.

THIS ONE IS WAAAAYYYYY. . . .

OFF base.  This is so far from who I really am that it is funny.  Thanks for the laugh.

You Are a Winner

You tend to find yourself lucky - both in business and in life. And while being wealthy is nice, you enjoy sharing your abundance with others. You put your luck to good use: you are very ambitious and goal oriented. Often times, you get over excited and take on more than you can manage. Your strength: Your ability to make your own luck Your weakness: Thinking you can do it all Your power color: Bronze Your power symbol: Half Moon Your power month: August

AND THE RESULTS ARE. . . . .

What's Your Word?

Your Word is "Fearless"

You see life as your one chance to experience everything, and you just go for it! You believe the biggest risk is being afraid and missing out on something amazing. Sometimes your fearlessness means you're daring. You enjoy risky activities. And sometimes your fearlessness means you're courageous. You're brave enough to do the right thing, even when it's scary.

Who would have thought?  Guess I am fearless because I am so willing to explore the world.  I want to travel Europe now that I have had several tastes of what it is like.  Next year DD, next year.

IS THIS ME?

Think it fits me or not?  Decided to do this little test to see what it would say about me.  Close I think.  Definitly weired though.

Your Snow Test Says You're Independent

You feel like something good will happen to you eventually, but not soon. You don't really like to work, unless work feels like play. You only are successful when you are doing what you love. You are an independent, individualistic person. You thrive when you're doing your own thing. Your biggest worry in your life is your health. You tend to be a bit of a hypochondriac. When it comes time to relax, you have difficulty relaxing. You are a bit high strung.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!!!!!

Family and friends.  Another year has come and gone and I cannot believe that we are in 2009.  Some people are making New Year Resolutions and some of them won't succeed in keeping them.  Me, I avoid making resolutions, but what I have done is told myself that I cannot afford to lay around another year and gain more weight.  So starting today when John goes to work, I will be using the college gym and start my walking again.  I also have a Richard Simmons Sweating to the oldies DVD that I will be using every other day.  I am determined to get healthy so I can watch my grandchildren grow up, should the Lord tarry.  So the two goals I have set for myself are to get more excerise and eat healthier.  Wish me luck.

 You know, I never thought I would be alive to see this year.  I remember when I was 16 years old and thought ahead to the year 2000 and how old I would be, I wondered then if I would be around because it just seemed so unbelievably far away.  But, here we are and I am here enjoying grandchildren I never thought I would have.  I miss Riley and Regan terribly, but Laura keeps me updated in their growing process and the little antics they pull.  I see Elise and Levi once a week at least.  I babysit them on Mondays.  What a joy they are too. Levi is starting to teeth and he likes making his little baby noises while he's blowing bubbles.  Too cute I tell you.  If I can ever figure out how to do this blog stuff on my own, maybe I can get a little video posted for you all to see. 

We didn't do anything special for the New Year.  I think we were fast asleep by midnight.  I know some fireworks were going off about 11:30 p.m. and that's all I remember.  We always sleep the new year in.  Guess that is because we are getting old.  The second day of January and we woke up to a dusting of snow.  They said that we would be getting more snow.  Doesn't look like it is going to stick around though.  We have discovered that we like the snow better than the rain.  It's a dryer cold and we can get around in it with our 4WD truck.  So let it snow mother nature.

Well that is all for now.  Think after I get back from running my errands and get the laundry started, I will try and figure out how to post a video.  Wish me luck!

LET IT SNOW, LET IT SNOW. . . .

let it SNOW!  Boy have we been having the weather.  The snow started last week and we have a foot so far.  Another big storm is moving in today and we are expecting another foot of snow.  Must be our 100 year big snow storm.  I have been taking pictures like crazy because it is so beautiful.  Everything is WHITE!  Driving conditions for those who think they are the "Most important people in the world" have proven to be tough for them.  For some odd reason we keep finding them in ditches or up against telephone polls.  Don't they know that when the roads are covered in compact snow and ICE they are suppose to SLOW down.  But, they don't so they are the ones that usually get into trouble taking out a few innocent people with them.  John and I haven't had any problems with our 4WD and taking it real slow.  It's been quite enjoyable actually.  We went South yesterday to Silvana to pick up our Christmas ham and what a gorgeous drive that was.  I will post some pictures at the end of this blog.

Elise and Levi are really sick.  Poor babies!  Levi has RSV so Mary Ellen and Rodger have to keep a close watch on him and his breathing.  But, Elise is getting better.  Now mommy is getting the crud.  The family traditions continue.  ALWAYS before the holidays one of us kids would always get sick.  Never failed either and Mom would get so frustrated, but what could you do?  It's that time of year.

We are all ready for Christmas early this year which is surprising to me.  I am always rushing at the last minute to grab a few things here and there, but this year everything is done and we are ready.  I am going to attempt, for the first time ever, to make a traditional Christmas pudding.  I sure hope it turns out.  I'll keep you posted about our Christmas festivities.  In the meantime, everybody have a very Merry Christmas and a safe and Happy New Year.

TURKEY DAY. . . . .

has come and gone.  What a day.  Rodger and Mary Ellen, her mother and Elise and Levi came over for dinner.  What a fiasco.  It took forever for that 23 lb bird to cook.  Turns out my oven is off by 25 degrees.  So, consequently, we didn't eat until 7:00 p.m. by which time Elise was tired, I was beat and Levi wanted to eat.  The kids cooked the dinner which was a HUGE help for me.  However, when I am teaching someone how to make something I tend to take over and that is what I did this time.  Mary Ellen wanted to learn how to make my grandma Holzborn's Sage Stuffing so she could pass the recipe on to Elise.  Well, I was telling her what had to be done and she was doing it until she had to step away because of one of the kids.  My stubbornrn, natural instinct was to take over and I did.  Sorry Mary Ellen.  Next time I am leaving the kitchen and if she needs help I will go in and help.  Too many cooks spoil the pot.  And in this case I was the extra cook.  I love the do things up fancy, for some reason it makes me feel good.  So I did my table up with my best china and silver as evidenced below.

 We had a great time in spite of the lateness of the dinner and BOY was it ever good.  I outdid myself on the gravy this time.  I think Rodger and I have discovered a new way to bake a turkey.  Start out at 325 degrees for 3 hours before you realize it isn't cooking like it should be.  Turn the oven up to 350 and after another 2 hours of realizing it still isn't cooking, you leave it unwrapped and turn the oven up to 375 degrees until the temp gage finally pops up.  Turkey's DONE.  So you let it set covered, to keep it hot, while you get the potatoes mashed and all that last minute stuff you have to do before you carve the turkey.  Finally, you can carve the turkey after sitting for about 20 minutes, it's still hot that white meat is moist as can be.  Next time the turkey will get put in the oven earlier.  All and all it was a wonderful day.  We missed Laura, Jaime and the girls, of course, but they had Josh there so I was happy about that.  Finally some family for the holiday.

An update on my knee and heart.  Well got the second shot in my knee and this one hurt more than the first one did.  I could barely walk out of the doctor's office.  It wasn't the needle it was the stuff injected to my knee that hurt so bad.  And I still have one more to go.  Oh well, at least I know at some time that stuff will take affect and my knee won't bother me so much.  As for my heart, I saw the heart specialist and he said I had nothing to worry about.  He said if I had continued chest pain after that first incident then he would have done an angiography, but because I wasn't he didn't feel the need to do that procedure.  He said that it possible was an esophageal (sp) spasm.  So that was a big relief.  YEAH!!!

Josh made it back from Germany okay and brought me back two kinds of parfume boxes with 5 different samples in them.  One was my favorite Lancome and the other was from the actual French parfume factory.  OMG does that stuff ever smell beautiful.  I was just tickled to death to receive that.  Early Christmas present for me as far as I am concerned. 

Well, I have blabbered on long enough and I have to start getting ready for church.  So, until I post again, ya all have a wonderful rest of the Thanksgiving week.

GOT SOME. . . . .

pictures from Josh today.  There are some posted on Laura's blog too.  You should hop over there and take a look.  So Josh got to Germany safely and is having the time of his life.  Riley and Regan are so excited to have him there that they won't leave him alone.  But it's okay with him, he loves those girls just like he does his other niece and nephew.  I plan on helping him put a scrap book of his travels together so he can take it to work and show the people he works with.  After all, how many people get a chance to go to Europe and tour parts of it?  Not many I would imagine.

Remember a while back I was talking about possible knee replacement surgery?  Well it isn't going to happen soon. I will be getting three shots in my knee to lubricate it and that is suppose to last anywhere from 6 months to a year.  Starting today, oh OUCH!  One a week for three weeks.  I sure hope they numb the area where that big needle is going to be inserted.  I just may come off the table.  Not really, but it is a bit scary to have a huge needle stuck in your body.  Its bound to hurt.

So anyway, that is all the news from here for now. 

TOMORROW IS THE DAY. . . .

when Josh flies out of here for Germany.  He is going to visit his sister and boy he is on pins and needles.  He couldn't eat all of his dinner last night because of his excitement.  So I had to get busy and wrap Christmas presents that I was procrastinating on and get a DVD for Laura, Christian the Lion.  A very good documentary on a lion that was purchased in London and rehabilitated to the wild in Africa.  Tonight Pop and I have to tape a little Thanksgiving message for the family so Josh can take it with him.  A little hi to the girls from their Nonnie & Papa.  Papa and Nonnie wish they were going too, but maybe next summer.  If we do get to go I can say hi to an old friend in Strasbourg when we go.  I have neglected keeping in touch with her too.  Bad me!  But, such is life.  I am so glad my son gets to go though.  He is going to get to see what we have talked about since 2004.  I'm excited for him too.  Well that's it for now.  See ya.

FINALLY!!!

I decided to update here.  It's been a rough month for me all together.  I haven't been on the computer hardly at all this month.  Between health and the meds, I'm a lazy bum.  Anyway, a couple of weeks ago I thought I might of had a small heart attack.  The pain was so bad and it was pain I had never felt before that when I told my husband he kind of panicked a little and my son informs me a friend had the same exact symptoms and he had a heart attack.  So off to the doctor's I go.  Of course, my doctor is out and I have to see a different doctor.  So they do an EKG in the office, normal, they take a blood test to check the heart enzymes, normal.  Then the doctor orders a treadmill test with nuclear pictures of the heart.  Didn't last 10 minutes on the treadmill BECAUSE I am so OUT of shape.  (Have to have knee replacement surgery)  I was at the hospital for almost 3 hours on Friday then I  had to go back on Monday, get some more radio active stuff shot into me then go eat a highly fat breakfast and wait an hour so they can take more nuclear pictures of the heart.  Boy is that stuff making me sick.  I'll sure be glad when it is out of the system.  I see the doctor on the 3rd of November, so I'll post my results then.

On the brighter side of life, the grandkids are growing up.  Riley and Regan have turned into little ladies, of which I am missing, they sound so grown up.  Riley is in Soccer and really likes it from what I can tell.  Elise is growing by leaps and bounds and talking up a storm.  She is so smart.  Her comprehension level amazing.  And, she is such a good little girl and boy does she love her baby brother.  She doesn't seem to be jealous of him at all.  Levi is getting big.  That boy EATS and it shows.  We went to the school pumpkin carving event for the kids and there was a 4 month old baby there and the man brought her up to say hi to Levi, who was tigger, and Levi was bigger than her and he is two months old.  He's gonna be just like his dad and mom, TALL!  He sure does look like Mary Ellen too.  Isee it more and more every time I see him.  He is starting to smile more and more and talks to ya.  He is noting shapes, patterns and colors now.  He loves bright things as all babies do.

So enough on my grandchildren.  I got a new Flip video camera.  Quality isn't too good but it will suffice for now.  I want to get a video up for my kids in Germany so they don't forget what their Nonnie and Papa looks like.  ;))  I'll try that soon.  So back off to bed.  It's 6:00 a.m. and I need to get some sleep.  Had to get hubby off to work.  Talk to ya all later.