These are a Few of My Favorite Things

Please Sing the next lines...oh come on sing!!!!

Rain Drops on Roses and Whiskers on Kittens
Bright Copper Kettles
Warm Woolen Mittens
Brown Paper Packages tied up in Strings
These are a Few of ME & AJ's Favorite Things:

Folgers Coffee is our favorite and if you look close you will see there is a spare. We will never run out of Coffee, not in this house. I use the Coffee Mate, AJ drinks his Black. The Popcorn Salt is also a Favorite. AJ is a Pro Popcorn Maker and Eater and only Fine Grain Morton Popcorn Salt goes on his Home Made Popcorn!

Now ME on the other hand likes Microwave Popcorn and my Favorite is White Popcorn.

My Favorite afternoon Sugar High is sometimes a Candy Bar. My Favorites are Musketeers & Milky Way. It just so happens these are Madisons Favorites, unless in the fridge is some cold Mars Bars which are AJ's Favorite and then they become her Favories!

Favorite Puppy Treats are these Duck Jerkys...now they are not my Favorites, because they are very pricey. I made the mistake of buying these treats and now the Puppies stick there noses up to anything else. Spoiled Dogs live at my House!

Now the Kitties are different. They like anything I have a coupon for. This week my Favorite was Friskies, a coupon for "Buy one and get one FREE!!!!"

Blue Bonnet is my Favorite, but if AJ picks up margrine it is usually Parkay. I never say a word...it saves me from buying it! Hiland Milk is our Favorite. He likes Whole Milk. I like 1% or even Skim, so we kind of compromise on 2%, although sometimes I just go ahead and get my Favorite a Gallon of Skim Milk.....he then will make a secret, unknown to ME, trip to the Grocery and come home with a 1/2 Gal of Whole Milk.

My Favorite Shampoo is the Classic Prell. Been around for years. I like it because it is a good Shampoo for deep cleaning. Gets out all the hair spray and gels I put on my hair. I sure hope they don't quit making it. It is getting hard to find. I like it so much I put it on my Christmas list and Jen comes up with a few bottles every year....Thanks Jen!

Now this Favorite is AJ's. Really-really...AJ has a Favorite Dish Soap. He loves the smell, Waterfall Mist Scent. I like Dawn any kind, regular or with Olay. I like it, because it is used to wash the Little Critters Clean that get caught in the Oil Spills.

Coffee is my Favorite hot drink, but I do enjoy an occasional Hot Apple Cider and only my Favorite Brand, Alpine. I also like a cup of.....

Hot Chocolate, when it is really cold out. I found this last year and have been hooked on it ever since. It is Swiss Miss "DARK" Chocolate Sensation. It is soooo good. It is now my Favorite Hot Chocolate.

These little Electric Heater are our Favorites when the degrees drop around zero. We will run one in the garage and kitchen to help make sure our pipes do not freeze up. They also feel so good blowing on your feet when it is extra cold outside.

These little Red Ball Point Pens are my Favorites. They write really well, feel good in your hand, they are Bright Red so they are easy to see in the bottom of your purse and what makes them my Favorites is they are Free at the Bank!

Bar Keepers Friend is a must under your sink. It shines that stainless sink, cleans Copper and Brass, takes the coffee stains out of your white coffee mugs, take water marks off of your glass coffee pot, it is just great for getting marks off of just about any thing. I could not live with out my "Friend"!

Salt Water Taffy is sold in Bulk at the Grocery Store. I am pickey and only like Cinnamon, Licorice and Peppermint, they are my Favorite Flavors. So once a week you can see ME at the Grocery standing in front of a Big Box of Bulk Taffy with my plastic bag, digging through the Taffy finding only my Favorites.

Speaking of Bulk, my Favorite way to buy my Favorite Hair Spray is in the Gallon Size, along with big bottles of liquid Hand Soap and Mouth Wash.

My Favorite Painting is this one called MY MOTHERS SHOES. This Little Girl reminded ME so much of myself at that age. I loved to wear my Mom"s shoes and my Mom French Braided my hair just like the Little Girl's in the picture. I admired this painting for years and one Christmas Jen purchased it for ME...Thank You Sweetheart!

Another Favorite picture is this one of Madison. This was an oops. The photographer just took it for kicks and we ended up loving it!

Our Favorite Bathroom Spray is OUST. It cleans the air and does not leave a strong odor. And of course that is one of my 2 Favorite Cats.

I love these Salt & Pepper Shaker. Do not ask ME why, I do not know, but they are my Favorites and I have 3 sets of them.

My very Favorite Cat Toy. Why? Because the Balls stay put and do not roll under the furniture. The Kitties love it too.

I hate Plastic Bags, but if I do have to have them, this is the one I want. It is my Favorite because.....it has that extra Pink strip. That strip insures you the bottom is not going to split if it is full of cans of Veggies, a gallon of Milk or a bag full of Clumping Kitty Litter Poop & Pee balls after cleaning the Cat Pan.

My Favorite Mugs...because it reminds ME of all my Grandbabies...

My Favorite Sign on the wall...because WE are!

and I have left my Very Favorite to the Last....can you guess????









Yes this is My very Favorite thing to see.....Rather He is sleeping, working on a car, tending to the birds, giving the Puppies a bath, scrambling ME the best eggs in the world!

This is my all time Favoite Thing!!!!!!!

Madison in Angel Wings

Madison is 11 1/2 years old and is a Tween (not quite a teen).

At this age Girls and Boys are struggling with all kinds of things. Their little bodys are changing, they are very aware of the opposite sex, they feel very grown up, Mom & Dad just don't understand, embarassed to show you affection in public (no kisses good-bye when you drop them off at school), so worried about being "popular", and a very Big Thing...wearing the right clothes.

Madison fits right into all of the above. She has spats with the Girl Friends, has crushes on the Boys, daily feuds with Mom & Dad, worries about her grades (she is an Honor Role Student), loves this Teacher and dislikes that Teacher, loves Dance Class this week and wants to quit Dance next week, dabbling with a little make-up and sleeps with stuffed animals.

One thing that starts to happen at this age is Girls and Boys have a pretty good idea of what kind of clothes they want to wear. And this is a real Biggie to them. It is very sad but Kids are graded by their peers on what they wear. This is where I can say Madison is a very Lucky Little Girl. Jen has always been Fashion Conscious, even when she herself was a Tween. I can honestly say, I did the best I could, to keep Jen in the Newest Styles and Fads when she was a Teen. Jen and Wade are doing the same for Madison. She usually has all the latest styles and fads. Her closet is filled with Name Brands...Aeropostale, Holister, American Eagle, Abercrombie, Uggs, Borin, Toms and right now her very favorite PINK by Victora Secret.

Is Jen spending a small fortune on these clothes? Well some would say yes, but it isn't as bad as it could be. Alot and I would say at leat 75% of her clothes are used. She has taught Madison to be thrifty along with stylish. Jen goes to Thrift Stores, Garage Sales, Children Consignment Sales and Consignment Stores. Name Brand tops at Garage Sales can be found from 50 cents to a few dollars. Thrift Stores about $2.69 and the Consignment Stores will buy the clothes back from you. Madison loves to Shop these places over the Malls. She knows she can get more second- hand clothes, then if they were brand new. Jen does buy her shoes New, very seldom does she buy second-hand shoes unless they have barley been worn.

The other day Jen had an early morning meeting so I kept Madison over night. The next morning I got to seen first hand a Tween getting ready for school.

Here is a black knit shirt with FREEDOM on the front accented with Rhinestones...$1.00 from a Garage Sale

The back has Wings and hundreds of rhinestones. This is layered over a gray long sleeve Tee...50 cents at a Garage Sale.

These are new Jeans. They also have wings and rhinestones on the pockets. They are a Knock-off of the high-end jeans "Miss Me" that cost over $100.00. These are Miss Chic and cost $47.00.

Yes these are Uggs and we will not go into the price of them...but Madison will get 2 years wear out of them.

This is a linned knitt zipper Hoodie jacket with Wings and lots a bling...Jen bought this at a Consignment Store for $20 bucks used and her and Madison both wear it.

Put it all together and this is the outfit...from the back. Madison had not done her face and hair so all she would allow was pictures of the back side!

Now is this outfit my Cup of Tea? is this what I would have picked out for Madison to wear? is this the look 90% of the Girls at school have? Answers: No-No-Yes. Did these clothes help Madison learn more at school?..yes.. she felt good about herself, and that was one less worry for this Young Girl. Less worry equals more learning.

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A New Normal in My Holidays

This is the beginning of a New Normal when it comes to my Holidays. This is the first year where I have ate Thanksgiving Dinner with Family & Friends then left early to go to a Nursing Home. This is a Day of Thanks and I am Thankful My mom is still here with us, but not at all Thankful for her condition. I am Thankful she does not realize just how sick she is, but not at all Thankful she usually does not even realize who I am. She does know Me & Jen are familar and that we are someone who loves her. I am very Thankful she is still eating and does not rely only on her feeding tube. I am not at all Thankful she can not feed herself and that I feel, I must be there at least once a day, at one of her meals, to just be sure she has gotten real food into her tummy.
I am Thankful that Mom is 90% of the time in a Good Place in her mind. She tells ME sometimes, when I ask her what shes been up to, that she has been shopping all day with Aunt Juilie. Sometimes she says her Mom has been there with her or her Brother Jim came to visit awhile. Alot of times she just looks past ME and smiles. I do not know who she sees but whom ever it is makes her happy.

I am not at all Thankful that along with Mom's regular Meds she also gets some drugs that keep her calm. Jen and I wonder sometimes what she might be like if these drugs were not given to her. But one thing that I am really "Thankful" for is that Mom is at the this Nursing Home. This is the third Nursing Home she has been in and as of right now I do not find any faults with it. She seems to be well taken care of, I have never found her in a condition that would upset me, they call ME if there is any changes in her, like a cold and just lately, a UT infection. I am also Thankful this Nursing Home is so Friendly, clean, does not smell, and they keep it decorated and so cheery for the residents. They really go above & beyond when there is a Holiday.

When you enter through the front door you are Greeted by a great collection of Holiday Decor. I was so impressed with the Decorations I just had to take pictures. I hope you enjoy this Little Tour...

This Turkey was animated and moved his head back and forth.

This is a Big Blow up Turkey, the kind you see in a front yard.

There are Pilgrims Greeting you as you come in.

This Tree stands in the corner all year long. It is Christmas Tree, a New Years Tree, a Valentine Tree, an Easter Tree, 4th of July Tree, a Halloween Tree and today it was a Thanksgiving Tree.

There are Lots of Scare-a-crows and Pumpkins scattered about.

Colors are everywhere you look....you should see the bathrooms!

If you look close you will even see a Crow perched in the Plants.

Every Residents Room has a plaque on it.

Every little nook & cranny or shelf is decorated.

The Fall/Thanksgiving Theme just goes on......

and on. You saw the Pilgrims earlier so they could not forget the Indians!

Jen and I spent the Thanksgiving Evening with Mom. The Home had a Turkey supper but Jen and I took her a plate of our Turkey Dinner. She ate her supper really good, I give her an A+. We told her it was Thanksgiving, but I do not think it registered with her. She seemed to be well but I did noticed she was hanging her head more the usual. Jen ask her if she was hurting anywhere and she answered no.

After feeding her, kidding with her and loving on her, it was time to go. We pushed her over to the TV area. It was close to her getting ready for bed and you could tell she was getting sleepy. Mom makes no fuss when I leave and for that I am Thankful......