The Kid Turns Four Years Old...........

Of course, the Kid I'm referring to is Cassidy. Today is her fourth birthday. I can hardly believe that this beautiful young lady, who less than a year ago was sticking her tongue out at me and calling me Lady, is now a little sweetheart who calls me Grandma. I'd also like to add that when she says "Grandma" it is with some measure of enthusiasm and delight. Yes, a small gift each time you see them doesn't hurt one little bit.


On October 27, 2006, at 10:16pm, my little angel was born. She was wearing this little pout on her lips when she arrived. I knew right then we were looking at a high maintenance female.




This pic is a little blurry, but I was having trouble with corrupted files as I tried to download pics. Here, she was learning to sit-up. Notice Neela the cat in the background. She was pretty confident in herself at this point because Cassidy couldn't stand up yet. Once Miss Cassidy was walking, Miss Neela was hiding.




Cassidy on the swings at the park. Remember I told you she was high maintenance? When you would hold Cassidy as a baby on your hip, she would never help you by hanging on. The swings were no different. She was not interested in moving her legs and keeping the momentum herself. Nope....it's you standing behind her pushing...forever. I even tried to entice her with swinging on her belly, just for laughs, but she would never take the bait.




Miss Princess as she turned 2 years old. She has been so much fun to be with. Except when leaving parks, play areas, or McDonald's. Other than that, she's such a little angel.




Cassidy two months before she turned 4 years old. No picture ever taken captures her personality better. She is sweet, loving, affectionate, and smart. She is also perpetually bored with the adult world. Life is about moving, doing, and going!!! She has no time for adults who want to talk, sit down, or heavens forbid, read for a moment or two. She's always ready for a party, but please, don't talk on the phone...unless it's to her. High maintenance............:) I love you Cassidy!!

I'm Going to Die from Lack of Sleep or Too Much Sleep

Well, I am a life long insomniac. From as far back as I can remember, I have lain upon my bed awake, while the world around me slumbers and dreams. I know this to be a fact, because I used to smoke cigarettes while hanging out of my bedroom window, and the world was asleep. Except for the one time I saw the imprint of my father's face on the screen in the next room. I did a good imitation of deep sleep when he came in my room a few minutes later.

The years I had babies were not as traumatic for me as they were for "normal" sleepers. I was awake anyway, why not feed the baby? When my daughter was in the hospital ER all night long one time, I sat upright in my chair with my eyes as wide as an owl's all night long while the nurses and doctors struggled to stay awake.

One time I stayed up for 72 hours straight. That however, ended with me having a conversation on the front porch with someone who "was NOT there" and I knew it. Not good.

So, I spent a decade working with a doctor to get my insomnia under control. It is medically documented that too little sleep has many health repercussions. I've finally gotten to the point that I can sleep with the rest of the world, and I can even sleep after the rest of the world has arisen, commuted to work, and made it to their lunch break. What can I say, I have alot of sleep to catch up on. So imagine my pain when I read this from Dr. Mercola's sleep article:

___________________________

Dr. Mercola states:


Increase your risk of cardiovascular disease – One recent study found that sleeping fewer than five hours a day more than doubles your risk of being diagnosed with angina, coronary heart disease, heart attack or stroke.

But sleeping more than seven hours also increased the risk of cardiovascular disease; more than nine hours of sleep resulted in a 50 percent increase in risk.

________________________________________

I live in a family where cardiovascular disease will probably kill you, at a young age. I learned a long time ago that poor sleep, or not sleeping at all, was detrimental to your health. Now I find out that sleeping too much is just as bad.

Has anyone told Sophia Loren? She goes to bed at like 5:00pm. She says sleeping is her most favorite thing in the world. She tries to get 12 hours a night. Now I'm no expert, but isn't she in her 70's??????

My father died at 56 years old. I didn't see him sleep very often. Ms. Loren sleeps alot and is in her 70's.....I think I'll go to bed now. I'll see you at the crack of noon.

Doing New Things.....

Since turning 50 years old, I've been trying to do some things that are new, or if not new, more difficult, to exercise my brain. I read that to ward off Alzheimer's disease you should challenge your brain. I'm not really into competition, so that will be a challenge, in and of itself. Come to think of it, can the brain, the most complex of all organs, which will never be truly understood, be challenged by me??? Apparently not.

I decided to try to knit cables. It didn't really seem to be that difficult. You just slip onto a cable needle X number of stitches, knit the same X number, then slip the stitches back onto your left needle and knit them. How hard could that be?

As usual, in my zealous state one cool, autumn night, I ordered $130 in yarn off the internet. Waiting anxiously for my order to arrive, I studied both books and youtube learning how to knit the perfect cables. I mentioned, rather casually, to my daughter Julie (known as the human knitting machine from an earlier post) that I was going to try my hand at knitting cables. When my ordered arrived, I dropped everything, and began knitting a cable scarf. Perhaps I would knit one for each of my sisters for Christmas!

Either everyone conspired to fool me into the simplicity of knitting cables, or I am too far gone to learn a new skill. I would show you a pic, but I have unravelled everything I've knitted in a fit of rage. I tried both the "S" cable and the "Basket-Weave" cable. I tried four different weights of yarn and three different needle sizes. I've knitted six inches of "scarf" about a dozen times.

Julie, of course, in a few days time, knitted up a really keen cable knit blanket she will be gifting this Christmas. I love her, I really do. After all, she is my daughter.....don't her accomplishments mean I've accomplished something? Even if it is only bringing her safely into this world...to knit...and make it look easy.

I'm now trying a chevron stitch. A 2nd grader could do it, but for me it's a challenge. It's all about the challenge.... :)

Maryland Wine Festival

On Saturday morning Susan, Bill, Billy and I piled into the car and headed for Hollywood.....Maryland, that is. We attended the Maryland Wine Festival held at the Sotterley Plantation. It was such a beautiful day...the temperature was perfect at 75 degrees, the skies were blue, and the wine was flowing. Here is a little background on Sotterley Plantation:


"Older than Mount Vernon, older than Monticello, older than the nation itself, Sotterley Plantation stands majestically on the banks of the Patuxent River. It is the only remaining Tidewater Plantation in Maryland that is open to the public with a full range of visitor activities and educational programs. Sotterley's significant architecture features the early 18th-century Mansion, a rare original slave cabin, and a full array of outbuildings set amidst 95 acres of rolling fields, gardens, and riverfront". (cited from the History section on the Sotterley Plantation website)

Some of Maryland's finest wineries were represented at this festival. Each winery was set up under their own tent. You were given a glass when you arrived, and then you just stepped up to the challenge of how many wines can you taste in one afternoon. At least that's how I understood it. I'm competitive like that.


This is Sotterley Plantation, at least part of it. It sits on absolutely gorgeous land the rolls down to the Patuxent River.




Susan and I at the beginning of our wine adventure. Like a kid in a candy store, there were so many different wines to try, I didn't even know where to start.




Here is an example of what the tents looked like. Susan and I are in front of the Fiore winery tent. They made some of the best cabernet franc I've ever tasted.



A nice pic of Bill and I. By this point in the day, I was really in love with him. :)




I don't actually remember having this pic taken, neither does Susan. I think we were clowning around and Bill snapped a photo. I do believe, however, we left shortly after this.




So for the cultured among us, a wine festival is a great place to meet new people and sample some fine wines. For the rest of us, it's a great day, made a whole lot better because of wine.

Grandparents Day at the Library

Today was Grandparents Day at the library. Cassidy was, of course, the only child with TWO grandparents present. This was because:

a. You are at least the 10th grandchild, or


b. You are actually the Great-grandparents

There is no other reason to have BOTH Grandparents present, during a weekday, at something as innocuous as Grandparents Day at the local library storytime. Cassidy, however is one lucky child....... as we were both there.

Cassidy is truly MY grandchild. We arrived a few minutes after storytime started. She looked around, saw us, and then acted as if she'd never laid eyes on us before. During an interlude, she went over to her mother, verified that we were, in fact, her grandparents, then went back to storytime.....


Miss Cassidy coloring her card for her grandparents during craft time.



Cassidy is proud to show-off her artwork.




Did I really allow myself to be photographed inside the library in a boat???




Cassidy blowing us a kiss goodbye.

Completion of Home Project #1 - Only A Zillion More To Do

Well, this was a month of accomplishments around here. We were suppose to put our home on the market to sell last Spring. We thought we'd take the month of April to spruce it up some and put it up for sale in May. We couldn't have been more wrong about that.

Not only did we go on a string of vacations, but the list of what actually has to be done around here is quite daunting. We've actually been getting it ready for close to two years by replacing carpets, flooring, appliances and some painting of walls and trim. But those were projects I spearheaded. They don't include projects delegated to "If it wasn't perfect when I started, it will be when I finish" Bill who can take a relatively simple project like staining the deck, and make into a project worthy of stimulus money.

I was fearful at times that he was going to replace the entire deck. Everytime he replaced a board, he would be dissatisfied with the one next to it. Eventually all the handrails, and a few steps were replaced.

Next came the staining. What a job that was. Where are the day laborers when you need them? But seriously, he did a beautiful job.

This was after he pressure washed the deck, but before he stained it. The little stand the plant and cat are on was the weathered color of our deck.



In this pic, the rails are stained but not the floor of the deck. I think Bill would rather get a root canal than stain all those rails again.




Here, all the rails are done, but the floor has not been done.



Here is the same shot, with the deck floor stained.



In this pic you can better see the color of the deck.



This is almost the same pic as the beginning, minus the little wooden stand. Sometimes I can hardly believe that's my deck when I see it. Wonder if someone out there would like to make it their deck????

A Half a Century........

Wow, I turned 50 years old on August 31st. I'm too honest to lie about my age. At least I haven't lied yet. It's hard to believe that much time has gone by because I still feel so young inside my mind. Very juvenile most times. But I have a few observations about turning half a century old......

1. Time on this earth is not forever. Life really is a vapor.

2. Don't waste precious time on relationships that are shallow.

3. If you really want it, and can buy it, do it.

4. Walk as often and as far as possible.

5. Food is your friend. Don't abuse that friendship.

6. Family is the most important relationship you will have, next to God.

7. Own a really good dog... at least once...it will enrich your life.

8. Don't keep a dog that is not a good one. Life is too short.

9. Grandchildren are the reward for surviving parenthood.

10. Take moment each day to thank God for loving you enough to send His Son to
die for you.

Nothing else really matters. Life is so short. You hear that your whole life, but suddenly you realize how short it really is. My father only lived 6 years beyond 50.....my beloved mother-in-law only lived 11 more months. I may only live another hour. It doesn't matter because for all of eternity I know where I'll be. But life is truly a gift not to be wasted. If you learn that early, imagine how wonderful your life will be?

But I can be distracted by wants, and not just needs. I never want to be that person who resents things that are not "a need." Here is what Bill gave me for my birthday. This is a "two-part" ring. The center diamond he gave me for our 30th wedding anniversary.



My daughter Julie made these cake balls for me. There was devil's food and red velvet. If you've never had one, you are missing a real treat.



The sweetest girl who ever lived. She was so excited that it was my birthday. Aren't kids wonderful? They don't care whose party it is, the fact that there is a party is enough for them.



Susan took me out for mexican food and bought me "Mastering the Art of French Cooking.". Melissa, Tommy, and Billy all gave me Bath & Bodyworks gifts. All of my family truly blessed me that day with their presence. I wish I could take that day, put it in a bottle, and open it up from time to time to enjoy it again and again. Come to think of it, I think that's called a memory.....