CeramicTile Will Break Glass

Hey, Y'all,
Today began rather well, and I did not arise for good until a little past 8 a.m. After a leisurely breakfast of french toast and hot tea, I came into my bedroom and got dressed. On to Kroger's I went to get the groceries I had been delaying in purchasing. The store was quite busy when I got there, with the aisles semi full of carts and people filling them. When I got ready to check out, there were several people in front of me, and as I waited I chatted with people and noted a lot of them were apparently buying soft drinks and other beverages to celebrate the ushering in of the New Year. I'll bet my head will be more clear than a lot of theirs will be on the morrow. Ha.

I stopped by Carol's on my way home for a few minutes and then continued on home, where I proceeded to put some of the groceries away. I have a kitchen counter that has part of the counter in the kitchen with a pass through to the dining room. I really use the counter for a lot of things. In the meantime, I had placed a container of Tyson Beef Tips in Bourbon Sauce in the microwave to heat for my lunch, along with browning some okra to go with it. I then continued removing groceries from the bags. I had set a small glass container of pasta sauce on the counter and was removing cereal boxes and a box of Bisquick. The box of Bisquick knocked over the boxes of cereal, which in turn knocked the small jar of pasta sauce off the counter onto the tile floor. OOOPS! Yeah, what a mess with sauce and glass shards everywhere, with the okra cooking on the stove and the beef tips ready to eat in the microwave.

I have a new philosophy that states, "If it can, it will" meaning, if a paper aimed for the wastebasket can miss, it will, especially when you are in the middle of doing something else. If a jar can be knocked off the counter, it will. You get the idea. I had to turn off the okra, and go into another room to get a new roll of paper towels in order to clean the stuff up off the floor. So the question is, If a thick glass container hits the ceramic tile, will it break? Yes, indeedy, it will, for sure. Does it make a horrific mess? Yes, indeedy, it does. Does it take quite a while to make sure all the glass shards (which went several feet) swept up? Yes, indeedy, it does.

I finally got it all cleaned up, I sat down and had my lunch. It was quite good, thank you very much, and with the mess cleaned up, I was able to enjoy it. I really needed the rest, because it just kills my back to do that kind of clean up work.

I will be going over to have supper with Carol and Daryl tonight and then come back here and will probably welcome in the New Year by having a cup of hot chocolate, and watching the ball drop in New York City.

This afternoon, I accessed my e-reader that Teresa and Tom gave me for Christmas last year, and downloaded several books to read. They also gave me a gift card worth fifty dollars to spend on buying new books to download from the website. That gift card was given to me in May for my birthday and Mother's day. That was shortly after Dubby had fallen and broke his hip. It was all downhill from there, because I had no time to spend downloading books, between visiting him in the nursing home, and then the move here to Texas, and his passing on. It was a new technology for me, and it is always a little daunting for me to deal with new technology. If you can believe it, it took me awhile this afternoon to refigure it out, but I did so. And now, I can carry my e-reader again, and enjoy its use. Thank you, Teresa and Tom!

I really feel like I am beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel I have been in for the past eight months, and it is wonderful. I am just hoping that Tom and Teresa are seeing that same light. We are all hopeful, Including Carol and Daryl, looking forward to the new year that is fast approaching, trusting in Him who holds our lives in His hands.

This is Blabbin' Grammy signing off for now. Wishing each of you a Happy and Prosperous New Year. Much love to each of you, my friends and family. Bye for now. More later.

One Day at a Time, Sweet Jesus

Hey, Y'all,
Last evening I was not sleepy at midnight, so I stayed up a while longer, into today. I decided to do some filing of papers that had been occupying my worktable in my "daily room". My daily room is where I am sitting right now, and where I spend a great deal of my time. When I open mail, it either goes on my kitchen table where I pay the bills, and then the part to be filed goes in here on my computer desk or my worktable, and waits to be filed away, or it comes directly in here to be opened and either filed away or tossed into file 13. I had at least two months worth of papers that needed a decision made as to where to put them, and then to put them there. That took about 45 minutes or so, and then I was ready to go to bed.

Then on to bed, and watch a little more tevee from my bed till I was sleepy. Up then at around 7 a.m. and figuring out what to do with this day that has been given to me to use however is best.

I still haven't removed the Christmas decorations (that should take about 20 minutes at most, ha), and I have been working on a project concerning my fireplace, which I will describe later (with pictures). I need to go to Hobby Lobby to get materials to be used for that project and hopefully today will be a good day for it. No rain today, and cloudy but with high temperature of 75 degrees. I am hoping to go to Carol and Daryl's home to day to watch a bowl game with University of Tennessee playing. Daryl and I are both graduates of University of TN and are definite supporters of the team.

I also need to visit the grocery store some time soon, since I am out of a few staples, and (no not metal, just food staples. ha ha). No, I am not starving,, which you can see from looking at my pictures. I still have eggs and bread and butter and cheese, and all of that kind of thing.

That is how I am taking my days, and learning to live alone again. It is not so bad, because I have almost always been happy being me, and enjoying just living and taking life one day at a time. I thank the Lord that He is so good to me, even though I don't deserve it.

This is Blabbin' Grammy signing off for today, and waiting to see what the day has in store for me. Much love to each of you, my friends and family. Bye for now. More later.

Almost New Year's Day

Hey, Y'all,
Today I'm posting some pictures of some recent "stuff". The top picture is of the birdbath in the back yard with winter pansies planted around it. Last week, Carol and Daryl took me to Lowe's to pick up some garden soil and bricks. I had gone to Lowe's a couple of days earlier to get the pansies. When we got home from Lowe's, they unloaded the 40 bricks and the two bags of dirt into my garage.

Yesterday, I began the task of moving the bricks and dirt to the back yard. I did this by carrying 5 bricks at a time through the house, and out the back door to the birdbath. That took a while and quite a bit of energy, and strength, which I am very limited on. Not the time, but the energy and strength. A couple of hours later, I had placed the bricks the way I wanted them, and was ready to move the big bags of dirt out to the backyard. That took some more energy and strength, but I was determined to accomplish my goal (planting the pansies before the afternoon was gone). Do you know how to move a huge bag of dirt without carrying it? You simply take a corner in each hand, and walk it like you would a year old baby, scooting one corner, and then the other, til you have moved it from point A to point B.

I had my bath stool to sit on, (the length of the legs can be adjusted to the correct height to sit comfortably on,) and I cut open the bags and scooped the dirt out of them into the flower bed, and then proceeded to plant the flowers. Voila! Within another hour's time, I had planted my flowers, and the task was completed.

Another of the pictures is of the gift basket brought to me last week by one of the associate pastors at our church, welcoming me to the church community. The other picture is of the new kitchen hutch that I purchased at the Antique store when Dot came to visit me a couple of weeks ago. Doesn't it look wonderful?

Today is a cold, rainy day, but not bad since I am warm and cozy inside my home. This morning, I have been busy. I did three loads of laundry and put them away, and I have also done some "farming" on my Farmville farm. Ha. I also did my fingernails, which always makes me feel better. Nothing like a manicure to make one feel good. I had a pretty good night's sleep as well. This afternoon, I'll be going to Carol's for supper, and I always enjoy that. A good friend, Judy, sent me a new red billfold, and I changed my credit cards and insurance cards, etc. into it. It will take less space in my purse than the credit card holder I was using. Now, if I could just get my papers filed in my filing cabinet, and a few other things done, it would be nice. Ha. Just a little bit at a time gets it done eventually, doesn't it?

My grandkids gave me a beautiful new ceiling fan for Christmas, and it was a real surprise. I was only expecting a season pass to the theater from them, so I was really flabbergasted to see something not on the Giftster list that we used. They are very good at listening to things that are mentioned during the year. (I had mentioned the fact that my dining room was really warm and the only room without a ceiling fan, when they were here after my Dubby's funeral). Ha. They are good, aren't they? My grandson, Matt, is going to install it for me. He is very handy with such things!

Well, it is supposed to rain all night tonight into tomorrow morning, but at least we can be very thankful about not being blanketed with snow, like they have in the east. Brrrrrrrrrr! How bad would that be? I guess I need to take down Christmas stuff tomorrow, not that there is a lot of it to do. Just a couple of small fiberoptic trees and the lights on the hedges near the front door, along with a wreath hanging near the door. That would be it.

That is about it for today. I'm still in my gown tail and housecoat. A shower for me in a little bit, and getting dressed to go to Carol's for supper. Much love to each of you, my good friends and family. This is Blabbin' Grammy signing off for today. Hope you are doing okay, today, Teresa. Praying for you and Tom always. You are never far from my thoughts. Love, Mom, and Ruby. Bye for now. More later.

Some Pictures from Christmas Day

Hey, Y'all,
I thought I would just post a lot of pictures today from our Christmas day at Carol and Daryl's home. I know it is of us opening presents, and they were wonderful gifts, but the best part of it all was our being together on that special day, and knowing that we all will be together some day in Heaven with one another and with those believers who have gone on before us, and those who will come after us. If Tom, Teresa, B.J., Dan and Whitney and their family, and other family members could have been there with us, it would have made it perfect.
I hope your Christmas was as good as ours.
Begin at the bottom and work your way up with the pictures, to get the correct order. This is Blabbin' Grammy signing off for today. Please remember Teresa in prayer this week. She is getting her chemo infusion today and will be under the weather for at least the next five days. Thank you. Much love to each of you, my friends. Also remember others who have lost family members and going through that loss anew with this being the first Christmas holidays without those family members.

Christmas at Andrew and Julia's

Hey, Y'all,
Well, we went to Andrew and Julia's home to share Christmas with Andrew, since he will be working this morning. Julia and the girls will be coming to Carol's for the family Christmas with all the rest of us this morning. We had a lot of fun, and got to see Andrew open his gifts from us. Julia had prepared snacks for us, because we left from there to go to the church Christmas Eve services. Julia's mom and dad, Kathy and Doug, and sister, Alyson (sp?), were there, as well as Kathy's mom and dad (the older couple). Sorry I can't remember their names, having heard them only the one time, but I think they were Ethel and Claude. (Forgive me, if I am wrong...it won't be the first or last time I will be wrong). Ben and Emily joined us and we really enjoyed the visit. The children are adorable, of course, and we had a lot of fun with them.

We had a beautiful church service and greeted a lot of people with "Merry Christmas" and then made our way home. The rain was falling and the weather cold, and getting colder.It was down in the 20's last night, I think, during the late hours. The high for today here is supposed to be 41. They are expecting a white Christmas in Atlanta, though, for the first time in a hundred years. Does that sound like global warming to you, Mr. Gore? Ha! I reckon not!

Well, that is about it for me right now. I hope each of you has a wonderful day today. Spend some time with family or friends if you are alone at home today, if you can. It is not good to be completely alone. This is Blabbin' Grammy signing off for today. Much love to each of you. Bye for now. More later.

Christmas Eve- 2010

Hey, Y'all,
This past week (since I posted on Tuesday) has been a quiet one. On Tuesday during the day, I worked out in the back yard, and pulled up the plants that were planted at the base of the bird bath. On Wednesday, I went to Lowe's and purchased some pansies to plant around the bird bath. Also, I talked to my sister-in-law, Mae, and really enjoyed that, as well. Wednesday evening, I went over to Carol's and had some really tasty homemade vegetable beef soup that she had prepared. Yesterday, I had a visit from Rev. Dusty Burris, one of the new associate pastors from our church, and he brought me a beautifully wrapped basket of goodies, as a gift from the church. We had a lovely visit together, and after he had left, I heated the leftover soup and had it for my lunch.

While I was eating my lunch, who should call me but my good friend, Mark Bennett, Daryl's cousin. Mark and Allie moved to California shortly before I moved to Texas. It was wonderful to be able to chat with him for awhile. It was like old times. Thank you, Mark! You lit up my day. :)

I just talked to sister-in-law, Imazo, and wished her a Merry Christmas, and enjoyed our chat very much. It seems she is going to be great grandma, and very happy about it, (of course). Her grandson, Andrew, and his wife, Laura, are going to be parents in June. Congratulations, you all!

On Wednesday, I attempted setting out some of the pansies, and realized the ground was too hard, and not enough dirt anyway, so I asked Carol if she and Daryl could help me by getting some more bricks and dirt. Last evening, we went to Lowe's and purchased the same, and also got some plywood to close up my fireplace in the living room. I am going to decorate the plywood, and Daryl will close in the fireplace after I get it decorated.

This morning, I had just gotten up and turned on my cell phone, when it rang, and it was Carol telling me that they were going to fix the fence in the back yard, and see also if the plywood fit (I had premeasured the other day and taken the measurements to Daryl). They would be here soon, she said. Well, a little later, I look out in my back yard and see Santa's little helpers, with their elfin toboggans and coats on, working on replacing the missing planks in the fence. Voila! They did fast work, and then came on into the house where they placed the plywood into the openings of the fireplace. Voila! Those fit, too. Shazam! What great work they do!
Then, with a goodbye hug and kisses, they were on their way to do other good things with their day.

This afternoon at about 3:45 they are picking me up to go to Andrew and Julia's home for snacks and exchanging of Christmas gifts with their family. Then on to church for a Christmas Eve service, then back home for supper and rest.

It is rainy and cold here today, and very quiet. I am missing my Sweetie Pie, of course, but I know he is celebrating with the Master, and very happy with rejoicing. I will get through this, and I know I am not going through anything that millions of other people are not or have not gone through. I am blessed in having so many people who love and care for me, and I know it.

Merry Christmas to all of you, my dear friends and family. I love all of you, and wish you only the best. This is Blabbin' Grammy, signing off for now. More later.
P>S> Don't eat too much dinner tomorrow or Christmas candy and snacks. :)

Pictures By Jan

Hey, Y'all, It was the evening of the 22nd Annual Neighborhood Bennett Christmas Party, and we all came bearing gifts and food, then proceeded to have a dandy time. (As you can see from the photos).

I decided to just mostly let the pictures do the talking for me. Most of them were taken by Jan, who is the lady in the first picture, pictured with her husband, Patrick. Jan is the mother of Amy, my grandson, Matt's, new bride as of this past May. Jan is a terrific lady and an excellent photographer. You may notice several people holding up the same gifts. When we opened a gift, that didn't necessarily mean that we could keep it, if someone else who had not yet opened a gift wanted it. Anyway, some of us wound up with the gifts we brought, including me, which suited me just fine. Had I not liked what I brought, I would not have brought it.

Well, that is about it for today. Enjoy the pictures and know that we all had a great time. The y0ung people in the last picture are mostly neighborhood kids that have been coming ever since they were born, and some were not even born when the parties were initiated 22 years ago. The others are newcomers by marriage, (i.e. Emily's Ben, and Matt's Amy).

This is Blabbin' Grammy signing off for now. Much love to each of you, my friends and family. Bye for now. More later.