WE GATHERED TOGETHER

Doesn't Bob look like BLUTO, a character in the POPEYE cartoon?






It was a nice Christmas. Nobody seemed rushed and we were able to visit. The kids and their toys kept us entertained. Of course we had a lot of food to eat and after that it was naptime for the fellas and a few of the ladies. Some of the kids even took their naps. We watched a couple of movies and ate lots of food too. Thank you Jeff & Marianne for a good time.

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYBODY! 2009 IS HERE!!!

MY MOUTH STILL HURTS

Got my stitches out Monday and now I can carefully brush my teeth and gums. Hooray...no more placque. My gums feel wierd though and it feels like they are still swollen a bit, and, when I smile, my cheek feels like it is still numb a bit.
The Orthodontist said the bone in my gum will heal but it could take 6 mo. to a year or more.

I am knee deep in wrapping paper and gifts. I'm trying to get them done before Jeff's girls come to stay with us this weekend. Jen and Bob and boys are coming also, so I had to get things done a week sooner than planned...but hey...it's done! Did I tell you I don't like wrapping? Now I have to get everything put away again.

I am looking forward to going to Jeff & Marianne's for Christmas. Jen will be here next week to help get things cooked to take to Jeff's. We hope to make it as stress free for Marianne as possible. (We plan to go to her Dr. Apptmt. the next day (Friday) to see her sonogram and what sex the baby is. Exciting!!!) Christmas with the grandkids will be fun also. Then the rest of the family will be there for Christmas Day. We will eat, play games, eat, and visit, eat, etc...

HOPE ALL OF YOU HAVE A MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR.

DENTAL PROBLEMS

I have been having trouble with a tooth that abcessed on my upper right about a month & a half ago. First, it is a crown that had a root canal done a few years ago by a different dentist. Evidently the guy who did it, didn't see the fourth root that needed cleaned out too. Anyway, I had to go to an orthodontist who cleaned it out by drilling in the middle of the crown and then filling it back in like a cavity. Well, the swelling went down with the medication and root clean out...for awhile! Then it started swelling & abcessing again about three weeks ago so the orthodontist gave me penicillin for two weeks and Monday I went in to have him look at it. He said he would need to go in under the crown, through my gum, in order to clean it out or cut off the nerve in the event the nerve was cracked. It wasn't cracked, it had a big cyst that had wrapped around two of the roots. He said it was surprising that it hadn't gone into my sinuses. He cleaned the abcess out and sewed me up. (No cracked root.) Now I go back in a week and have the stitches taken out. It wasn't too bad yesterday but today is was hurting and my cheek was swelling pretty good. I have Hydrocodone to take for the pain every 4-6 hours. It started hurting worse as night time came on. Linda drove me up to the doctor yesterday and tonight she fixed supper for Janette & Danny and David & I. I can only eat soft stuff so she made biscuits & gravy, skinless baked potatoes and fried apples. She sent me a plate of food with David, because I was hurting too much to go down there. She is such a thoughtful sister-in-law. Hope everyone is well and happy.

THANKSGIVING BLESSINGS

We had a beautiful day on Thanksgiving. The weather was just right and it encouraged all of us to go out and enjoy it at least in some part. Rob & Bob were really rocking with Rob's guitar and banjo that were enhanced by Rob's speakers. They played their concert outside. Grandma was loving it. So did Pastor January who was our guest that day. The kids (& some adults) played football, frisbee, & climbed on the play set. Thank you to all who were able to attend. It was a very enjoyable day. On Saturday David went to the church to help put up the tree in the church sanctuary. On his way home, a deer tried to hitch hike a ride in his truck. He had just looked to his left and was looking to his right when he saw the deer start his leap from the driver's side toward the passenger side. He stepped on his break (was going south on 69 at 70mph) and hit the deer at about 50 mph. It's body hit the windshield and was inside the cab for a bit and it's head swung around and hit the passenger side window knocking it out too. He said he was kind of shaky for about 15 minutes aferwards. (I put the pictures on Kodak Gallery). We were very thankful that David wasn't hurt.

THE NORTH WIND DOTH BLOW!

Well, we have had lots of blustery wind, cold temps, a few flurries, & rain. OK, enough already. I'm ready for Spring now! I have been having headaches every day. Please pray that when they go away, I'll have somewhat of a brain left. I can hardly think straight when I have these.

Thanksgiving is just around the corner. I haven't heard from too many of you yet. Ruthie, is your crew coming this way or will your kitchen be in good shape to cook in it?

David got his shed done, as much as he can til Spring anyway. It looks nice. We still have siding, window screens and guttering on the house to get done. He gets froze out working outside in this cold though.

ALL MY CHILDREN & GRANDCHILDREN!

I will be sending this picture in my Christmas Letter. Can you believe it...Christmas is just next month. Wow this year really flew by for me! How about you?


This is what the girls wore for Halloween. Katrina was a fairy princess or maybe it was Tinkerbell and McKendra was Little Red Riding Hood.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

We went to see the Granddaughters on Sunday and took them their Halloween "Treats". Forgot the little one couldn't have peanuts or peanut butter, so Mom & Dad get to have a few treats. Jen said they are going to bring the boys over to "Trick or Treat" us on Halloween. It will be fun to see them in their costumes. We will be going over to Christy's to help her hand out hers and our goodies. Mom will come over also. Hope you all have a fun and HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

WE ARE HAVING ANOTHER GRANDCHILD ADDED TO THE FAMILY!

Jeff and Marianne are expecting a third little one in May of 2009!!! I was just thinking on Saturday morning that Camden is getting so big that he won't be a baby much longer. Now we will have a new little one to cuddle and spoil. :-) We had a picnic that night for family and friends and it was so cute how they announced it. Katrina went and got Poppa and told him he had to come over to Grandma with her. She then said, "We are going to have a new baby.". I looked up and Jeff and Marianne were watching us and then it sunk in. Hooray! It was so fun to get the news that way.

LOVELY WEATHER!

I love the Fall weather we've been having. Not too cold, not too hot. It is picnic weather. We are gathering friends and family to do just that this Saturday night. A good old fashioned wienie roast (some bratz too).

I lost another 1.4 lbs last week. I was afraid I'd gain as I ate out a couple of times last week.

David has been working overtime since Saturday night. He did the walk for Ahlzheimer's on Sat. morning, got an oil change and new tires on his truck, shopped a little and then we went to Linda & Eddies for supper. He got called just after getting home and didn't get home til 2 a.m. and then had to go in for a long day on Sunday. He has had late nights since. He is really zonked at night.

I had to take my laptop in to be fixed last Saturday and won't get it for another week and a half. I feel lost without it. I have this computer at least but sitting here at the desk makes me feel like I did at work...sleepy. I felt that way with my laptop too but I could just go to sleep in my chair using it. Lol

Jenny sent me the cutest picture of the boys. I hope she doesn't mind if I put it on here. I love it.

WENT TO A FAMILY REUNION

4 Generation picture with Decovin.


4 Generation picture with Camden.

We took David's Dad to the annual reunion of his cousins on his mother's side of the family. Paul's mother's sister's son has been having a reunion every year for quite some time. He fixes a great meal for everyone (usually roast, potatoes & gravy, a couple of veggies, and homemade ice cream. His sister always brings her lettuce & strawberries salad. The cousin always says not to bring anything but our appetites, however Dad's sister Carol brought fresh cut tomatos and two pans of 2 kinds of cinnamon rolls and Aunt Norma brought a chinese slaw, so we had more than we could eat. We had a good visit and then came home to find the front yard filled with David's 2 sisters & husbands along with Jen & Bob and the boys. They wanted to visit a little bit with Dad & Loree before they went home. We were able to get 4 generation pictures with each of Jen's boys.

Mom C. came over today and had supper with us. She forgot her hearing aids so it was like a comedy of errors with me practically getting hoarse from yelling everything to her so she could hear & understand. I did her bank balance; showed her how to work her heater & air conditioner on her car; & sent her home with some Casey's donuts & leftover cherry-angelfood cake. She does love her sweets.

WENT TO SEE OUR GIRLS

David & I went to see Jeff, Marianne and the Granddaughters on Wednesday night. David took vacation days on Thursday and Friday so we could be out a little late. Katrina is getting to be such a pretty young lady and McKendra is looking more like her every time I see her. I gave them a game of "Hi Ho Cherry-O" and we tried to play a game as best we could. It was a little over McKendra's grasp but we had fun anyway.

David is working on his shed again. The rain put a halt to getting the outside stuff done. Hopefully it will be dry for awhile.

ANOTHER SUCCESSFUL WEEK

Well, I have been watching my points and lost another 2 1/2 lbs. last week. I am so excited. My clothes are fitting better and even getting loose. Still have a lot to go before it shows yet.

Enjoyed Ruthie's visit last week also and I know that Mom was happy about it. She helped Mom go through a couple of boxes and put all pictures they found in an album.

Well, how many of you had your 401Ks hit hard by the stock market? I hope something changes soon. David was going to retire next year in August but if things don't change, he may have to keep working longer. Sigh!

Christy and I went to Jen's on Saturday and had a good time playing with the boys. She & I also got haircuts at the Spa in Burlington. I have to learn how to fix my short cut but I like it.

No Dr. appointments this week. Kind of nice not to have to be on the go. Next Monday Mom gets an x-ray of her lungs again but not sure if they will since she is not coughing anymore. We will see.

Tuesday night is our night out at the New Dinner Theatre. I will tell you about that next week.

Have a good week!

A NEW WEEK.

Not much news from last week. True to nature, Mom couldn't remember what she wanted to tell the dentist about her denture. I asked her while we were there and she said no, her dentures were just fine...so I left it at that...??? I, on the other hand, was supposed to go back on Thursday but it was a dreary day and I just didn't feel like getting out just to get a filling replaced in my capped tooth. So I changed the apptmt to next Monday!

David got the yard mowed on Friday night so he felt like he at least got something done. It was too wet for him to work on painting so we went to his Mom & Sam's on Saturday and his Dad & Loree's on Sunday afternoon. Christy went with us and took them all a giant cinnamon roll, that was delicious, for Grandparent's day. Jen and the boys stopped by at Mom & Sam's and we enjoyed the visit and the entertainment the kids gave all of us. (Sent pictures on Kodak Gallery.)

Well, I lost 2.5 lb. this week. Hooray! I can bend over easier now.

DENTIST TOMORROW

Tomorrow Mom and I are going to our dentist in Louisburg. Mom wants to talk to him about her partial. It hurts her gums sometimes. I will find out if he is going to replace my cap or put a hard filling in it. The Orthodontist cleaned out the extra root in it and said it would be up to my dentist as to what is to be done next. Since I didn't have to have another root canal, I got by cheaper at the Orthodontist at least.

We went to three birthday parties in the last 2 weeks. Norma and Donnie had a surprise party that was given by their kids last week. Then on Friday night we (Jen & boys, Christy and us) met Jeff & Marianne & girls at the Legends and we all ate at Dave & Busters for McKendra's 2nd birthday and after that we played arcade games. The kids loved it (& so did we). Then the very next night we went to a surprise 40th birthday party for Rosemary Long. They barbequed hamburgers and hotdogs, and had pot luck as well as cake and homemade ice cream. I am not good at turning down foods because I gained .5 lb. last week and 2 lb. this week. Now I have to get with it and start losing again. I had fun at all the parties so I thank all of the people who were in charge of them. I may have to become a hermit to keep on track lol.

Aunt Marilyn and Uncle Chuck came over yesterday to visit mom and then they brought her out here to visit some more. It is always fun to visit with them and Mom was on cloud 9. Her left big toe is feeling some better and she is back to visiting with her neighbor but not all day long yet.

A little hint about your automatic dishwasher...Even if you JUST start the washer and turn it off, don't touch the heating element. I dropped a spoon in the bottom and went to get it when the phone rang and made me jump and I touched the element with my middle finger on my left hand. Let me tell you THAT HURT! I have a big blister on it. Another OUCH!

YEOUCH!!!

Well Mom and I went to doctors two days in a row. I saw my cancer Dr. yesterday. She said everything looks good and I won't need to get another mammogram for a year but I still have to see her in 6 months. Then we went to Mom's eye surgeon for her one week check up after the laser op. He said she has 20/20 with her glasses in her good eye. Then today we both went to a dermatologist. The bumps she complains about are normal for a person her age and the bump under her left eye is just fatty tissue that sometimes swells. We all have them under both eyes. She did get the mole taken off her wrist and it will be biopsied even though she said it didn't look bad. I had a mole on my upper lip taken off and a gob of skin tags taken off my neck and under both of my arms. The mole they deadened but the tags were just "snipped" off with scissors and no deadening. I almost hyperventilated. Had to wait awhile before I sat up to go home.

David is almost finished with the new window in the basement. Just has to finish it on the inside and make the steps going up on the outside.

MOM'S LASER SURGERY

Linda drove Mom and I up to Olathe today. We went out to 54th Street Bar & Grill to eat before taking Mom to the surgical building at 12:30. They took her into the pre-op room that had lounge chairs instead of beds. I was able to sit with her. They took her information and got the paperwork done and signed, etc. Then they said I could wait in the waiting room with Linda. That was at 1:00 and before I even got halfway through a magazine (Linda brought a book), she was walking out with the nurse who told her to make an appointment next week for a follow-up. That was at 1:20. They said she would have some blurry vision and her eye would feel scratchy & maybe see a lot of floaters but it should go away. We went to WalMart and got a few groceries and then home by 3:20. Just another Dr. day. Her big toe that the podietrist cut her nail off on both sides is still bothering her a bit. She is on her second round of anibiotics (Leviquin?) for her bronchitis. She will get another x-ray taken next month. If she isn't better by the end of this antibiotic, I don't know what to do. Next week, we both have Dr. appointments in Olathe on Tuesday AND Wednesday. Gee, aren't my blogs spellbinding reading? Over and Out!!!

MY BIRTHDAY PARTY WAS FUN!

Our kids met David and I at Andy's Wok for a Chinese supper. I had been wanting it for awhile so they set it up and we went for my 61st Birthday. It was fun having everybody there and especially the grandkids. I love 'em to pieces!

2008 Hanthorne Reunion

The Hanthorne sisters plus one "like a sister" had a really good time visiting. They are older now and of course it wasn't complete smooth sailing. Helen was hospitalized the first couple of days she got there. She did ok the rest of the time. Then Mom's cough kicked into gear and went to Bronchitis for the whole three weeks she was there. That made it tough for her but she made it through. (She is doing better now.) They were just glad to be able to get together. I told them to show me their "sad, it's time to end the reunion" faces and this is what I got. lol

MUD, SWEAT & CEMENT!

Yes, we have had rain and the workers have been working in the hottest days of the summer and they sure poured a lot of cement yesterday and today. I am hoping the yard doesn't take more than a year to look better. lol I don't think that the Kansas clay will be pushing in our wall again. At least in our lifetime.

GRANDPA LONG'S NEW CHAIR

We went over to Mound City last night to see the ramp which still needs a little more done to it but is mostly done. All of his kids bought him a motorized chair and he likes it. It is smaller than most and he can run it just fine. We told him he still has to do his exercizes though.

P.S. It did rain (2 inches) David drained it yesterday and they are working on the new window for the basement today. It is the kind you can get out of in case of an emergency. It looks like rain again today.