Who Am I ?

I am Diana Marie. My Mom wanted to name ME "Valerie Marie", but my Dad liked the 1940's Movie Star "Diana Lynn" and he was determined to name ME "Diana Lynn". Well my Mom and Dad compromised and came up with "Diana" (made my Dad happy) "Marie" (made my Mom somewhat happy). She has tolds ME many times how she wanted Me to be named Valerie.






"Diana" is a nice name and I have become used to it over the years although most people, including Family call ME Diane and drop the A. In Mythology the name "Diana" is the Goddess of THE HUNT & MOON. That's her up there ^. Ya, no resemblance to ME!

My Birthday is the Best Day in the whole year to be born on..Feburary 14 and I have always Loved it! That is why my Mom wanted to call ME Vallerie, because I was born on Valentine's Day. She said she would have nicknamed ME Val. I think I would have liked that. One thing about having a Birthday on Valentine's Day is, almost everyone remembers your Birthday, when you are asked "when is your Birthday?" they say awww... your a Valentine's Baby and of course it is a Day of Love.

I was born in the 40's, so yes I am a Baby Boomer. I have 8 Grandchildren and 1 Great Grandchild. I do recieve a SS Check every month. That's all the hints you get to guessing my age.

My Mom was 20 years old when I was born and my Dad was 25 years old. I was 10 days old in this picture...my Dad left to go Over Seas the next day and did not see ME again untill I was a year old. I think this may be the reason him and I never got along. I think he just never got a chance to bond with ME as an infant or Me with him.

My nationality on my Dads side is Czech-Slovak. On my Mom's side is English Dutch and Irish. What a combination!

I was born in Illinois (there is no "noise" in Illinois) and raised in a small Railroad town called Silvis. The biggest thing in Silvis was the Rock Island Yard. This place kept alot of food on peoples table. My Dad worked for John Deere. I grew up in a very industrial area.

When I was 11 years old I became very sick. I ran a very high temperture, a very sore throat, aches in my joints and lost alot of weight because I could keep no food down. I was in the Hospital for 2 months having test after test. At one point the Doctors told my Parents they thought I had Leukemia. Back then Children died of this disease. I had to have my Hip Bone drilled into to get some Bone Marrow to be tested. Of course it came back not to be Leukemia. After ruling out everything one Doctor finally said I had Rheumatic Fever. I spent 1 year almost next to being bedfast. This disease can damage your heart so, rest is very important in getting over it.

I have been married twice. With my first husband I was very young and and got Friendship and Love mixed up. I had three babies by him and that is the best thing that came out of that marriage. In 1977 I married Aaron...he is my "Life Partner". Sometimes I wonder how I have put up with him all these years and "all the time" wonder how he has put up with ME all these years!

I saw this cartoon and thought of myself...I wish I could find that Tee-Shirt, I would buy it and I would wear it! What happens to us after about 50? I always weighed 100 pounds soaking wet. I hit about 50 and my body became a sponge...just a soaking up them calories!

One thing that kept ME so slim & trim in my Prime was that I was a waitress. When you are a Cafe Waitress you have got to move it! Those Guys want to get that food, eat it and get back to work!
Also seeing food so much daily you tend to get turned off on food. I could have ate anything I wanted in my Mom's Cafe but, I can remember days I just could not wait to get off work and go home and eat a Bolonga Sandwich.

Well Old Waitress Never Die, thet just get sent back in the Kitchen to become the Cooks. Yes, the last few years of my Food Service career was cooking in the Kitchen. I was a darn good Grill Cook! I love cooking Breakfast and if I had a $1 for ever Buger & Fries platter I cooked, I would be rich! That picture up there ^ looks like my plates. Our Burgers were served open-faced with all the trimmings. Or in restaurant talk "Run it through the Garden!"

I think this picture ^ tells it all. Yes I am a Left Winger, I always Vote Straight Party, I believe in Freedom Of Choice, and I am Pro Union. I think you get it.

Now one thing I have always told my Daughter Jen and AJ is when I am no longer on this Earth, I want my Head Stone to read....Here Lies a Woman that had Everything!

Okay now that you have read this all I can say is

"TO know ME is to Love ME"! ...............or not.

Craft Shows...&...Craft Malls

If you haven't been to a Craft Show or Craft Mall you are missing out on a quite enjoyable time. It is really fun to just walk around at your own pace and look at the Wares that are being sold. There are some really talented people out there making these items. These are the perfect places to find a unique Gift for the "Person That Has Everything" This past week-end I along with Jen, became, for a few hours, a Vendor at a Craft Show. One thing I knew I would see was Crocheted House Slippers...these seemed to ME, to be the main staple at a Craft Show. I was very pleased to see so many trendy Crocheted items.


One thing that was selling like Hot Cakes were these Crocheted Head Bands.

Just a simple idea and the Young Girls loved them. Every where you looked a Gal was wearing one.

Now this was my table. I had kept all my Mom's Costume Jewelry...and believe me she had quite the collection. My Mom was a very Classy Lady in her Prime Time.

It was quite the job sorting through all of this and pricing it. I was a Smart Cookie, I think! I colored coded every thing...and it was all Dollars 1-2-3-4 &5, so there was no coins to mess with.

This was a 6 foot table and I could have used a bigger one. The items were pretty crowded.

I finally did get a little extra table to put some Christmas Wares on.

Jen was right next to ME with her table full of her Scentitize Candles, Spritzers, Reed Defusers and Oils.

Her Stuff is so pretty when displayed and of course.....

it smell so Goooood!

She has about 42 different fragrances so after smelling each one for awhile the smells kind of run together. She has a little container of Coffee Grounds and if you take a whiff of the grounds it will clear and cleanse your nose, Smell Palette. It works the same way when tasting wines you eat a cracker to cleanse your Taste Palette.

One Little Girl came by my table and she was wearing Hand Warmers. Just had to get a picture of these. They also were being sold at the Craft Show. After seeing her I saw these all over the Show. Little Girls, Tweens, Teens and Ladies were all wearing the Crocheted items.

Now this is the one handcrafted item I really liked...and this Little Gal didn't mind posing for some pictures.

I told her my Sissy in Illinois does alot of crocheted items and I wanted her to see this Band.

So she let ME take pictures of ever angle and side. Thank you Sweetheart, I didn't get her name?

This was my Neighbor at the Craft Show. He makes these Leather Bags and Bilfolds. He was a very Sweet Little Guy. Our show was 11:00 to 4:00 and he never got up once.

Now these hats are a popular with the Girls. The reason I am showing these is, I mentioned my Sis crochets items and makes these same hats and sell them in Illinois. These are not hers but are some I seen at a Craft Mall where Jen has her products. These cost $10.99 each, and my Sis makes hats like these and sell them for $5.00 each and they are so much prettier then these in the picture. I keep telling her to raise her prices!

This is a picture of Jen's End-Cap at the Craft Mall "Feathered Nest" in OKC. This is also a picture of Jen's back side! Sorry Jen :o( Wade built this little display for her. Good job Wade! :o)

Jen is having alot of fun selling her Smellies. She has a page on Facebook you can go to if you want to know more about this product..."Scentitize"

One thing I saw at the Craft Mall that I really liked and wanted to pass along to my Sis who also has a Booth in an Antique Mall in Illinois, was this booth trimming.

This Gal has just taken some old yellowed book pages and strung them on a cord and has made a Garland out of them and then hung it around her Booth. It looked better in person, but it was really quite eye catching!

Well this is my Blog on Craft Shows and Craft Malls. Oh ya, Jen and ME did super well at the Craft Show. This was my first Craft Show and I would sure do it again. The Show was at The First Baptist Church and a percentage of what we made went to the Missionaries. I did a Little Work for the Lord and in turn He repaid ME 10-fold! Thank You Jesus......

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A Lovely Poem....THE BAVE LITTLE SOUL

There are some Guestions I ask myself quite often. Questions that are very personal and only between ME and ME. One thing I wonder about and ask myself almost daily is "Do I sit on the computer to much?". Well yes and no. I sell on eBay and that does take computer time. Even though I do it at my own speed and out of my house, eBay is a job. It is a supplement to AJ & ME's budget. eBay is our mortor, it fills in the cracks. Computer Games are something I do just before I go to bed. They are a mind cleanser. One I really love is Jigsaw Puzzle Games. It is just putting together a puzzle like you would on your kitchen table, but there is no mess or small pieces to loose. Another thing I have found on the World Wide Web is a Chat Room. This forum is a bunch of Women, of all ages, just talking about their lives, kids, grandkids, hubbys, sharing recipes, the government, breast feeding, home schooling, pets, diets, God, home decor, ...just like a bunch of Gals having coffee and a dounut at a round table in a Cafe. I love it! Then there are Blogs. I follow a couple, that means I read them everyday. The one I am very interested in is "EBing a Mommy". This is a young Mom that has a 2 1/2 year old Baby that was born with EB....a skin disease, no cure, sores all over the body, in constant pain and will die from it. The Little Boy is named Tripp. The husband/Daddy could not handle the horrible problem and checked out. It is her, her Mom and her Sister that are taking care of Tripp. You can just Google "EBing a Mommy Blog" and take a peek, but let me tell you it is not for the everyone. It is very sad and there are pictures of Tripp. Now ack to the Question "Do I sit on the Computer to much?" My house would say "yes", my laundry would say "yes", my cooking would say "yes", AJ would say "no"...why because he is on the PC as much as ME. I find alot of nice things on the Computer. Today I read EBing a Mommy Blog and she had posted this Poem and although it was wrote for Tripp, it can pertain to many Children. When I read it I thought of "Our Brandy". Just change HIM to HER...He to SHE. and after reading this I decieded I DO NOT SPEND TO MUCH TME ON THE CONPUTER, how else would I have ever found this Lovely Poem. I sure hope you enjoy this Poem and you can think of any Child or even any Adult that has suffered on this Earth and has brought People together in Love.



The Brave Little Soul
By: John Alessi
Not too long ago in Heaven there was a little soul who took wonder in observing the world. He especially enjoyed the love he saw there and often expressed this joy with God. One day however the little soul was sad, for on this day he saw suffering in the world. He approached God and sadly asked, "Why do bad things happen; why is there suffering in the world?"
God paused for a moment and replied, "Little soul, do not be sad, for the suffering you see, unlocks the love in people's hearts." The little soul was confused. "What do you mean," he asked. God replied, "Have you not noticed the goodness and love that is the offspring of that suffering? Look at how people come together, drop their differences and show their love and compassion for those who suffer. All their other motivations disappear and they become motivated by love alone."
The little soul began to understand and listened attentively as God continued, "The suffering soul unlocks the love in people's hearts much like the sun and the rain unlock the flower within the seed. I created everyone with endless love in their heart, but unfortunately most people keep it locked up and hardly share it with anyone. They are afraid to let their love shine freely, because they are afraid of being hurt. But a suffering soul unlocks that love. I tell you this - it is the greatest miracle of all. Many souls have bravely chosen to go into the world and suffer - to unlock this love - to create this miracle for the good of all humanity."
Just then the little soul got a wonderful idea and could hardly contain himself. With his wings fluttering, bouncing up and down, the little soul excitedly replied. "I am brave; let me go! I would like to go into the world and suffer so that I can unlock the goodness and love in people's hearts! I want to create that miracle!"
God smiled and said, "You are a brave soul I know, and thus I will grant your request. But even though you are very brave you will not be able to do this alone. I have known since the beginning of time that you would ask for this and so I have carefully selected many souls to care for you on your journey. Those souls will help you create your miracle; however they will also share in your suffering. Two of these souls are most special and will care for you, help you and suffer along with you, far beyond the others. They have already chosen a name for you". God and the brave soul shared a smile, and then embraced.
In parting, God said, "Do not forget little soul that I will be with you always. Although you have agreed to bear the pain, you will do so through my strength. And if the time should come when you feel that you have suffered enough, just say the word, think the thought, and you will be healed." Thus at that moment the brave little soul was born into the world, and through his suffering and God's strength, he unlocked the goodness and love in people's hearts. For so many people dropped their differences and came together to show their love.
Priorities became properly aligned.
People gave from their hearts.
Those that were always too busy found time.
Many began new spiritual journeys, some regained lost faith - many came back to God.
Parents hugged their children tighter.
Friends and family grew closer.
Old friends got together and new friendships were made.
Distant family reunited, and every family spent more time together.
Everyone prayed.
Peace and love reigned.
Lives changed forever.
It was good.
The world was a better place.
The miracle had happened.
God was pleased.

Party Time!

It is no Secret that Jen is selling a product "SCENTITIZE". This is Candles, Spritzers, Reed Defusers and Oils. She has been doing Craft Shows, Has a Booth at a Craft Mall and doing some Parties. This is really a great product. She mentioned this product one day at my Mom's Nursing Home and the Girls were very interested and invited her to bring her wares over. She had an evening party and an afternoon party. The afternoon Party had a Special Guest. Can you guess who?


Yap...my Mom and her Pup, that Cher gave her. The Pup even dressed up for the Party and wore Beads. Mom got her hair prettied up and her nails polished. She looked so pretty! She also was very alert that day as you can tell.

Jen set up all her Smelly Goods and the workers did walk ins for about an hour and a half. She has 42 different fragrances so it take a while to give it all a sniff.

Mom decided she like the "Lemonade" candle and very much disliked the "China Rose" candle. Every afternoon the Home Pops Corn for the residents, so Mom and I had a Bag of Popcorn and shared a Coke.

After about an hour you could tell Mom was starting to tire. This is usually when she naps. So I took Mom and Pup back to her room. The aides got her into her recliner chair and she quickly dozed off. She had a busy afternoon and I really believe she had some enjoyment! And, oh ya, Jen did real well...the Girls loved the Smellies and did BUY!
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Have you noticed the Bugs and Insects and Worms and Grass and Flowers and Berries and Seeds and Fruits and Veggies are all gone. It's pretty bare out there and very slim pickin for the Wild Birds. Please feed the Birds...they will "Thank You".

Dec. is the Busiest Month of the Year!

Well it is the first of Dec. and Thanksgiving is over and Christmas will be here in a Blink of an Eye. When you were a Kid it took forever for Christmas to arrive, but as an Adult we need 6 weeks in the month of Dec. instead of 4. There are so many things to do in 24 days. Decorate the inside and outside of the house and put up the Christmas Tree, Christmas Shop until 6:00 PM Christmas Eve, bake Cookies & Breads and make Candies, plan the Christmas Dinner Menu and shop for it, wrap Gifts, go to Company Parties and School Programs and Send out Christmas Cards. Some of these things I still do, but most of these have been deleted since the Kids have grown up and have Families of their own. I do decorate a bit outside, but not inside, not even a Christmas Tree. I do shop but not up to the last minute the Stores Doors are open. The Christmas Menu is left up to the Younger Ladies, but I do still make a few Cookies & Candies. No Company Party for ME & AJ although we do make it to Madison's School Christmas Program. I have quit sending out Christmas Cards, I would rather pick up the phone and give you a call and tell you Merry Christmas. I got thinking this year, I really should give everyone a Card.....so here they are....you just look through them and take which ever one you like. Enjoy!

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****** 23 ADULT TRUTHS ******

This is oh so true...I am sure you Ladies will find it alot funnier then the Gents. Click on the page and it will get larger....

Don't you just Love # 23....I was laughing before I read "Quit Laughing"