Apples2

Soooooooooo.........now that we are sharing about funeral and the such.....you guys are going to think I am so off the wall. But, know you enough that I think you will appreciate me and my wit the way my real life friend do. This is a notorized paper on the very top of my will. I have notified DH and both DS's in the event of a sudden death (no plans but ya never know). OK.... we were church goers our entire life...never missed a Sunday. Things changed (actually, I think DH and I took a few minutes out of our busy lives and actually talked about our spirituality) and decided we did not need a building to be able to talk to the man upstairs. Thus, the sunporch church. Anyway, it's all in writing...my funeral and I would hope you could all be there to partake. We are hard working West Central MN farmers. We love our friends and every once in awhile are not worried about sitting down and having a little happy hour on the deck. DH knows if I have had more than the equivalent of a shot, I'm shot. So....not big drinkers. Ten years ago I had a health scare. DH knew I was adament about not having the "traditional" funeral. Here's what that top paper of my will says.... Creamation....service at the local funeral home....mention God, please...and...make sure to play Louie Armstrong's "What a Wonderful World" and Patsy Cline's "Crazy" continuously throughout the entire 2 hour service. Next step of the party...out to the farm and everyone has a shot of Johnny Walker Blue with a toast to the dead lady. Crazy? I think not

Gosh Dang...you would swear this is the LBT chat room the way we are talking back and forth tonight.

Julie...I sang in our church chior for many years also. Many funerals with ppl I knew. Could hold it together. I could be focused when up in the chior loft. My hope for you is some sleep tonight or some good sleep in the car tomorrow. If Monticello was not so far away and dental appt not so painful tomorrow, I would meet you. Maybe on the way back.

So, LauraK, I'm shot too. I shared details on my busy/fun weekend. Wanna share? Would love to hear it. Just junking up the thread cuz I'm 15 miles away from the closest town. The New York and LA Times crosswords are done, the dog and I took a 5 mile bike ride, the laundry is done, and I even have my outfit picked out for work next Monday. Just want to visit.

Cheri...you are a girl comparable to my son (also ADHD). He worked his butt of during college getting through in three years but also tutored and was tutored. He excelled in math and tutored 6-12 hours a week besides working 45 hours and taking over 20 credits a semester. But, the trick was....he was never afraid to ask for help. English and history scared the crap out of him. The money he made tutoring math paid for the tutoring he needed for the other subjects. He was young and was able to recognize his shortfalls and found a way to get through them. My point....whether it be a teacher, a tudor, a mom that is willing to home school.....I admire the person that has the patience to do it. I DREADED having to train (even for one day) the person that would replace me in a job.

Sooooooooooooo....I bet you guys are thinking..."What the hell"....she said goodbye 10 times today. "What is she doing here"? Well, went to my wake. DH warned me to just go to the lake and not go to it alone. A guy (aged) near and dear to our hearts. I am the worst. I didn't want to drive the miles to the lake (no windsheild wipers for my eyes) so I just came home. OK...have a question for all of you. I know I do much better (as far as crying and falling apart at a wake) if a person is cremated. Both my boys have made the statement that if something happened to them, they would want cremation. DH and I both voted that way also. My vote was early in life and b/4 permanent eyeliner....I wanted cremation because no one would put my makeup on the way I would. (Kidding....I am not that vain). Anyway, back to the question.....Do you handle (not cry) better if you do not have an open casket? Let's get this discussion on the table!!!

Melissa....have you ever thought of having your DH pay for individual policies for himself and your DS and you going on your own with a policy subsidised by your state? I am not sure of the GA health ins laws, but in our state it is the most reasonable way to go when one family member is a high risk to ins companies. Might be worth checking out. Even with a high deductible, would be much less than paying out what you would with Cobra. Just a thought. If your DH and DS are healthy, they could choose a high deductible also and everybody would have a savings on premium. Do you have and ins agent that would go to bat for you? If not, find one that will take a look at your situation. I think of you often and the struggles you have been through the last few months. And, YES, you CAN get back to Onderland. Heck, I weighed 119-125 until I started on the weight gain wagon. Put your sights on a number you feel comfortable with and focus on that goal. We are here to help you along that path:tt1:

Awwww...we are Aunties. Tell Kelly thank you for sharing her special moment with us. Congrats, Grandma Arlene. We love you and know you will be the best GM ever. You have a kind heart and and such a positive outlook. Enjoy! Congrats, Joyce. We are going to make sure you get that fancy umbrella in your drink in Vegas.

OK...don't know where my text went to so I will start over. Don't think I'm crazy if half of one shows up. Off to a wake and then heading north to the lake. Dog and I should get there about 9. Just enough time to finish my book and get some good sleep. I always sleep so good at the lake. Julie...safe trip and some results for you is what I am wishing. Would someone text me when you hear something? Thanks. Arlene...happy healthy baby before the sun sets. Can I get one of those fancy umbrellas in my drink please?????? You all have a good one. Sending the love.

Come on Bethany!!!! Push your way out of there. I want that Foo Foo drink in Vegas!

Didn't even think it was belittling the stress, Lori. No problem:wub:

Arlene....I'm always one to place a bet. My guess is 4:43pm. I am sure it is tough for you to sit and wait. Thank God you have your Sydney there to occupy your time. Hugs. Janet...who said I didn't have a breakdown?????????LOL. Didn't you hear me all the way from SoCal screaming a few times. It is not that I don't want to share all with each and every one of you, and know you all care it's just some stuff I don't want floating out there. We are a strong family unit (DS, DS, DH and myself) and no worries there. Extended family crapola. Great...I figured a couple pair of capris, a pair of shorts, some nice jeans, a couple of tops, etc. Nothing too dressy. It will be plenty chilly here when I leave and get back so will need to have a jacket with me. I can get by with sandals to and from the airport.

Great...there are 2 kinds of 7 jeans out there. I would be surprised if the 7 for all mankind were in Costco but I could be wrong. There are Seven 7 jeans I have picked up at TJ MAXX and really like the fit. They run from $17-$40. The other I have also gotten at TJ Maxx and discounted quite a bit in that store. I paid about $100 and a little more at TJ. (I know...crazy)

Janet...a girl after my own heart with the 7 for all mankind jeans. I don't have to spend a lot on jeans but will for the fit I get with them. The difference we have is that I don't have trouble with them being too long. I just love the fit and the black stay so black when I wash them (inside out to save the color). I also wore heels for years. I could walk anywhere and teeter on those high/skinny little things. I still wear heels but I go for a little more sturdy heel. I am clutzy and don't want to end up with a cracked A$$ or a broken skull. Great...wouldn't surprise me if DS ended up in California. Will see. He is flying out of two airports in our area (70 miles away) and instructing. He is very hyper (wonder where he gets that from) and has to be busy every waking momet

Eva....I think you are correct in having to change the font with each post. At least I have never found a way to save it but have been known not to be the computer whiz some are. We are thinking of closing things up at the lake on the weekend prior to going to Vegas. DH is trying to talk me into some Oct visits up there but our harvest is during that time and want to just close it up and be done with it b/4 the threat of freezing. You are so right with your statement about being lucky to have that place to flee to. We have had a very stressful summer(will share in person in Vegas...things I don't want "out there" with things pending) and the time spent there does rejuvinate us. Think of your back problems and try to prevent any further pain for yourself when it comes to picking up those rocks....would hate to see you suffer and put a damper on your trip due to back pain. Cheri....sounds like a wonderful weekend with your son and family. I bet it was a beautiful spot for a weekend vacation. Also good to hear that your son is now treating you with respect. Have a great school week. School just started today in our area. The school busses were out in full force about 6:45 this morning. Julie....thinking of you and the long ride ahead of you. Mayo is about 5 hours from us so I am guessing it's a 9-10 hour drive???? I am hoping you have a way to keep us informed on what you find out. I think we are all sitting on the edge of our seats hoping there will be some solution to your months and months of pain and disruption in your life. Take care and sending the love. Laura....try not to feel guilty on having to rearrange your school mom volunteer hours. You are going above and beyond with the time spent the way it is. Thinking of you and the all the stress of worrying about mom and dad. Joyce....good choice in choosing the gym over the movie. Looking forward to meeting you in a couple of weeks. Great.....try not to take your DD and SIL's decision to head back early personally. Kids being kids. That BBQ was just an impulsive decision. We all can get our feelings hurt with things our children do and can sit and fell unappreciated at times. And, I would bet 99% of the time when it happens, the hurt is unintentional. Jessica....hope this week is better in school for DS. Both my boys had a tough time with being bored the first couple of years of school. Just try to work with is teacher on a plan to keep him busy and keep an open door with her. Have fun working with the kids on the library program. Jodi...you are still going to Vegas, right????? Good going on taking the steps to making your financials a priority in the coming new year. Hi to everyone else. I know I left some of you out. Not intentional. Running around getting things done here. 1pm appt for hair (cut, color, highlights) and then up to the lake with the dog. I get scared staying here alone so far out in the country so to the lake it is. Tomorrow I have a 3 hour dental appt. Getting permanent caps on front uppers and prep work done for front lowers. My men will most likely not be back till Friday. Will not unload trailer until we know which way DS is headed. Have moved that kid from one side of the country (and Alaska) more times than we care to admit. This is the first time we have physically moved him....other times were moving companies. My guys are rained out this week...cannot tile...cannot harvest so off they went to save us from hiring the moving company. Dryer is beeping with a done cycle so better run. You all have a great day. Linda...hope daughter continues to improve and you get some answers soon. I pray that she think of herself, her family and her daughter and start of the road to recovery and taking care of herself.

Arlene...sending positive thoughts your way as you await that baby. BTW...not sure if youngest DS will be here for long. MN weather is not condusive to the type of work he does. At least his stuff will be back here. Janet...awww...I know you love Andrew and you are sad that he has left. Not a bad thing for GM though. As I stated....time for you. Great photo...I vote you sexiest of the bunch. Cute outfit, hair looks great and just all dolled up.

Good Morning to each and every one of you. Got home about 5:30pm yesterday. No time to post. Was helping DH load some things for a trip out to Atlanta. Him and DS are heading out early this morning. Going to move younger DS's belongings back to MN. Long trip ahead of them and they plan on driving straight through. I thought of going but I have never slept in a car or on a plane and I would be shot and underweight by the time we got back. They can handle it. Just thought I would go for moral support and help organize. Maybe better to not be in their way. We had a very nice weekend and said goodbye for the season to many of our friends. Quite a few of the younger couples with children shut things down Labor Day weekend and cannot find time to come back due to kids being in school. Those goodbyes are tough. The moms and little ones coming over for hugs. Won't see most of them till next April or May. And, they will be a six inches taller, it seems. Janet...not sure if I can say I'm sorry to hear you had Andrew issues (well...sorry for troubles but you get what I mean). I think this is maybe a good thing. Let him live in chaos with his big dog with all those siblings. Maybe a situation like that will kick him into working towards a place of his own or with buddies. He's most likely already sorry for leaving GM. So cute how he checked to see if you were sad. You did a wonderful thing by raising him and caring for him for so many years. It's time you look at life for YOU. Time to come home and truly relax. Eva...counting down the days with you. So happy that you are treating yourself to this trip at the start of your retirement. Laura...happy your parents were able to make the trip to your home. Photos were great. OK guys...thought I had time to post but want to give hugs and help load some things and see my guys off. Later

First off...just have to say, Linda, what great news about DSD. So happy to wake up and see your post that she took a turn for the better. She is so lucky she has you and your DH to look after Aylah. Nice gesture with baking for nursing staff and her other GM. Makes me sick to think that GM has never seen Aylah in almost 4 yrs. She is lucky she has you. As you stated, hopefully this will be a wake up call for DSD. You just never know what it takes to make a troubled person to turn that corner. Maybe this will do it. Also, noticed your ticker...at goal. Congrats. I feel I have missed so much this summer with you girls....even though I catch up with your posts each week. Soon I will be back full time and you will all be wishing me back to the lake. Take care of yourself and hope you can get back to some normalcy in your life soon. Sending the love.

Julie...forgot to wish you luck with your Mayo appt. Safe travels....watch the crossroads (My grandfather's fav saying when us kids were travelling to college). LauraK...what did I miss??????? I'm disappointed...thought you were included in the Vegas trip. I was so looking forward to meeting you. Hope you get the answers your looking for when you meet with PS doc. That soft tuck sounds like a good solution. If I went for anything done it would be that. My muscles are in tact so it would work. I think the one and only thing I would do PS on would be that little armpit slice and pull up the skin on upper arm. I have these little wrinkles when I hold my arms a certain way. I am accepting them more and more as time goes on so don't think I will be even thinking about doing something about it. Great...pap smears...fun. Wishing you good results

Good Morning to All... As soon as wrap up the farm and tiling bookwork, I will be hitting the road. A busy day ahead and will end it at the lake this evening with the dog. Will be back Tuesday. Have lots planned for this weekend. A few potlucks with friends and a picnic that includes all the resort ppl and their families. Having dinner with a friend tonight and another friend tomorrow night. Janet...keeping my fingers crossed that your GF can hold out and get through without quitting. And, you should show off those arms....they look really nice and you CAN see the definition of your muscles. Pays to spend time in the gym. I do 3lbs weights (40 reps) 3xdaily. Not sure how much good it does but cannot hurt to do them. LauraK....give it time...your DD will fit into some friendships. She has not been out there very long. Soon you will be wondering why she is not calling you more. We never quit worrying, do we? Eva...yep, the purse party was pure crap. I could not miss the party as it was put on by two good friends. And, we had to travel 65 miles one way just to get there. They were the most cheaply made purses I have ever seen. Ended up getting a flat/hard billfold for inside a purse. I swear this lady goes dumpster diving to find her product. There were studs missing, scuff marks of the billfolds, tears by the zippers, etc. It was tough to find something that was worth buying. Good to hear you had a nice trip. Hopefully you will have many more wonderful trips once you retire. Linda....hoping you can resolve your tough issues with family soon. Tough to live in turmoil. We've had our share of it with family (both DH's and mine) the last few months. Frustrating but sometimes does not deserve the time spent worrying about it. I was at the end of my rope with it all the last few weeks and have pulled back to just see how it all plays out. It was affecting every aspect of our lives and will probably never be resolved but I am determined to not let it flow over into our daily lives any more. Too much crap. Phyll....love the photos and love the fact that you plan to meet some fellow bandsters on your way out west. Just plain fun. There's a few winerys around the Alexandria area that have the exact shirts that your sisters were wearing. I thought of you when I saw them. Cute. Welcome Susan...hope you feel comfortable enough to join our group. We have ppl in all LB stages and enough of us that are down the road enough to be able to answer most questions. Hope you stick around and let us follow you as you go through the various LB stages. Cheri....sounds like you and Janet are in the same boat with your job situations. Cut everything to the bone but take on more work. Sucks. And, not only does it affect the teachers, the students are not getting what they need. Hopefully they can find the funding to get the programs/classes back in place that are usually part of most school's ciriculum. Hang in there. Also, congrats on finding out about your 8th GC. Fun. Joyce...just a hi and hope you get all your computer problems solved soon. I have a bit of a built in computer repairman (DS) and appreciate not having to call for one. Jessica...you will be learning so many things over the next few years with your schooling. I am so envious. I would love to be back in school. DH is aways trying to convince me to take classes at our U, but I just have not made myself look into it. Maybe this winter. Laura....Gold Star for the day! Congrats on your new volunteer job and also admire you for what you are doing with Nels school. It does take more than a few but I have found that with every volunteer job I have had. So short of ppl. Ppl put their name on the list and never show...not once. I love volunteering but I like to be productive if I'm going to set the time aside to do it. Don't want to show and have absolutely nothing to do. Anyway, I hope you get out of your new job half as much as I know you will give. So rewarding for you and for your patients. Arlene...we get the humidity for about 3 months during summer. 80% is about the norm and hangs in the upper 80 degrees most of the time. This week is not as humid as last and looking forward to temps in the 70's. That hot and humid weather is perfect for major skeeter breeding. Lots of rain this summer so they are TERRIBLE this year. You had mentioned to Linda you have had some drama with DD's life lately also. Hope it has settled down and she can get on with her life without being pestered by her ex. Can be scary with things like that. Great...how fun shopping for maternity clothes with DD. They make such cute stuff now. Target always has a few cut peices. When I was in the weightloss stage, I did a lot of scouring the Target racks. My midsection was the last to reduce so I would buy clearence maternity crops, pants, sweaters, etc. No one knew. They were very reasonable and laundered nicely. My mouth is doing fine. Really is only bad while in the chair and I have healed fast with every procedure. Doc is amazed with condition of my gums for my age. I have always brused 3xdaily...just had soft and discolored teeth. I am going to be so thankful that I was able to do this and that DH didn't think twice when I told him what the cost would be. I have confidence to finally smile and don't even have the permenant yet. I have been wearing temps on the front bottom where they pulled the teeth since June 3 or 4th. Also, have had top cap temps on 10 top front since first gum surgery in early July. Very comfy and look nice. Get my permanent front top caps next Wed and not sure when I get bottom permanents following that. Told doc I want them both done b/4 Vegas trip. After that I have right side top and bottom sides to do. Left side has been done for quite a few months. Lots of procedures and I would recommend this dentist to anyone looking for almost painfree dentistry. He's very concerned about his patients and has stated that he hates to see me come in when he knows I have to do procedures without numbing meds or anesthesia. I would do it all again though. I think it was you and LauraK asked about the color of new vehicle. Light grey. Just a car. Hubby won out (even though it was a nice gesture to get it for me) and have a feeling my truck I have babied for 9 yrs will start to show it's age once he starts taking it for farm jobs. As you can tell, I'm attached to it. Melissa...hope you are feeling better. Have my fingers crossed that you find the perfect job (yeah, I know there's no perfect job....can only wish). OK guys....better hit the books and do a few last chores around here so I can go sit on my butt at the lake. Have a couple of new books to crack and friends to spend time with. Hope you all have a great weekend. Maybe a baby to read about when I get back???????

Would love the recipe, Arlene. With harvest coming up, it's nice to have a variety of baked goods in the freezer. Always looking for something new and different. Thanks. Well, I am heading out to a purse and jewelry party. Going with my neighbor from the lake (also a neighber here at home). I am not a purse snob but I sure do not like these parties. I find the purses to be cheaply made for the price and I don't wear jewelry except for what my DH has given me. Ooops...maybe I am a snob. Oh well......

Jessica...requesting a conference sounds like the best thing to do in a situation like this. Best to get to the bottom of what is taking place asap and to make it clear that you want it spelled out and what his teacher's guidelines are when it comes to disipline. This conference will also give you the opportunity to share what Jake is like with you and DH and what YOU expect when it comes to being informed as to what is going on in the classroom. Ask her to spell it out. Hugs

Melissa...were you in the hospital? How did I miss that? You gotta get some added rest when you are sick. You know how you feel....just do what you feel you can. Others don't have a clue what you feel up to. Arlene...DS and GF have been together a year this month. But, they have been friends since high school. They both say they will never marry (she was married to father of children). I stay out of it...figure they will do what they want, when they want, where they want, etc. That threat by the doc that face up Bethany would make labor more difficult would make any momma happy to wait for the turn around of the baby. Difficult to wait but best when it on baby's terms..IMHO. Nice thing about the cherry nut cake is that it is just the little 8" pan. Not so much to get rid of

OK...gotta post one more "Thankful Tuesday" items. I am thankful that when I went to laundry room, DH had ALL of his laundry done from the week. With his busy life and working from dawn till dusk, he found the time. It's those little things in life (like making the bed when he gets out last) that I find so loving and romantic. Would I chose a diamond ring or those little things in life? Those little things in life would be my choice. Janet...gosh, you have had your share of sh_t at work this last year. Hope you have a good day, that your GF does not walk and that your producer has the ability to get his head out of his A$$ and learn to respect the ones that do his leg work. Have been where you are sitting right now and know your frustration. Hugs.