Reasons to be thankful:
Family ~ for bonds not broken
Sisters ~ they know the good, the bad & the ugly and love you anyway!
Friends ~ share laughter and sadness ~ joy and heartbreak.
Parents ~ for love, direction and support
Home ~ where love and safety surrounds
God ~ for unconditional love
Country ~ freedoms
Jobs ~ to support family
So many things to be thankful for and so many, many more to count!
I am thankful to be such a blessed woman and so glad to be alive!!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE!!!!

CHERISHED MEMORIES
Cherished memories
Is what we have together
I'll always hold them dear
In my heart forever.

We did so much together
Just you and I
The love you gave me
Had a never ending supply.

The things we did together
I remember so clearly
These memories are in my heart
And I'll always hold them dear.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

(author unknown)

My mother would be 76 years old today. She passed away two years ago. I miss her so much~ her smile, her touch. No one will ever be able to replace her. She had a spirit that could not be broken or crushed. Even death could not defeat her, for I know she is in heaven, surrounded by angels and sitting at the feet of Jesus.
I love you Mom~I always have~I always will.

Oh my, oh my! Where does the time go? I can't believe it's November already! Before we all know it, we'll be shopping and then celebrating Christmas!

I have two sisters whose creative juices are just flowing abundantly!
My baby sister just had her jewelry line accepted into a local shop for sale and my next youngest sister's knitting ability is growing by leaps and bounds!!

If time permits for anyone, I would strongly urge you to stop by and check out my sisters sites... Etsy :: C.Gail Designs & crystaleverchanging.blogspot.com... you won't be disappointed!!

JR still has had no luck in finding another job, but he's still looking! How's the market up there in Emmaus?? Maybe we will move closer yet! And if things couldn't be bleaker, his car is not being dependable. Every time he goes to use it, it won't start. Probably the battery. And THEN! Along comes some good news...JR's dad calls and says he has a truck for him that he picked up at a sale. It's ours! All we have to do is drive toJuniata county and pick it up!! Woo-Hoo!

Maybe the next time I write I'll have some new hobby that I'm working on and I won't be so green with envy!!!

As you make your way through this hectic world of ours, set aside a few minutes each day. At the end of the year, you’ll have a couple of days saved up.
–Age 7

Another time to post.
Today was my 2nd anniversary of being married to JR. Where has the time gone? We went to the Macaroni Grill & it was awesome!! I had the 'Layers of Lasagna', a salad and a dessert. I also had a Peach Italian Cream for drink. Mmm-Mmm!! JR had the Scicilian Pizza. WOW! Very good (yep, I had to try it!) OH! I forgot, I also had Crab stuffed mushrooms. Now, that's a dinner! Umph! But I know I'll pay for it later~I already feel the tummy gurgling!
Been checking out my sister's jewelry site ~ cgaildesigns.blogspot.com and she has got some AWESOME rings she has been designing! I wish I knew where this creative gene is coming from (or should I ask, who?). I am so proud of her & her work. She is definately an up-and-coming artist!!
No luck yet for JR and a job. Still looking!
Just found out today that both Bryan and Daniel have also been laid off from their jobs too. For now, it's only a two week lay-off. I'm hoping for the best for them.
Looking forward to this Saturday and the arrival of King Frost! I keep hearing rain in the forecast...I hope it's WRONG!!! Otherwise, I might not see it, esp. if they postpone it to next Saturday. This is always such a great time of family togetherness and fun!
Ok...enough for now. Gotta save things to write about another time! LOL!!

"Love is more than three words mumbled before bedtime. Love is sustained by action, a pattern of devotion in the things we do for each other every day." - Nicholas Sparks

Oh my, where has the time gone? Me thinks there are people out there wishing I would update my blog, but I find it so hard to just sit down and do this!
So following my sisters (and niece's) example, I will try to be more diligent in keeping this up-to-date!
Let's see, I'm still working at Brethren Village, in the Assisted Living wing...and lovin' it lots!! Oh the stories!
Bowling season has begun again....why I torture myself...I'll never know! I guess a 140 average isn't so bad, but I want to be better!
I've discovered my new favorite ice cream "Summer Peach Pie" by Edy's. MmmmMmmmm!
Oh yes! There's gonna be another new little one come March. Andrew and his girl are expecting a baby. So that will make 5! Oh my!!
In past posts, I've talked about my non-smoking success, well that's been tough! I quit. I start. I quit. I start. Now I shall quit...again! One of these times, it's gotta stick!! LOL!
And lastly, and sadly, JR has lost his job. I hope he can find something, cause this not working, for him, is driving him crazy! I guess being able to watch as much TV as one wants to, is not all that it's cracked up to be!!


Treasure relationships with people who let you disagree with them.

It's time for an update. My journey to being smoke-free has resumed. It's been 13 days since my last cigarette and at the moment, I'm not missing them at all! Must admit though, the first few days this time around were definitely much harder than the first time I quit. Dummy me, just HAD to have a smoke!! Yes well!
I've joined the fitness group at work, so I've begun introducing real exercise into my life. I say 'real' because my job requires me to be on my feet 90% of the day~ walking, bending, stretching~ but not in an aerobic/cardio way! So the weight (and the waist) keeps increasing. Thus! The need for exercise!
Oh! Back in March, I had a delicious visit with two of my sisters for a whole weekend! What an amazing way to relax, rejuvenate and revive one's soul, spirit, and body! Thank you Sisters!

If a man insisted always on being serious, and never allowed himself a bit of fun and relaxation, he would go mad or become unstable without knowing it.

Herodotus (484 BC - 430 BC), The Histories of Herodotus

It's been so long since I've written, that I think I'm a bit rusty. I'm just not quite sure as to where to begin!
To start, the reason it's been so long is I've moved to a new place. One i just love! It's an old farm house, somewhat out in the country, but also a little too close to a main road. Oh well, it's kinda of hard to be too picky when you are just renting!! I've felt so at home since day one, and I think my sister Crystal nailed it on the head with her comment about the house..."it has 'Mom' written all over it." You tour the house and it seems you see Mom everywhere. She would have loved this place. It's spacious (friends & family that have seen it declare they need a floor plan to get around!) yet cozy, friendly and inviting.
Second, shortly after moving in we tried to get our computer up and running, but nooooo, somewhere in the move, it died!! Great! Moving can be quite the expense, then add the cost of a computer too! Oh well, obviously we did, and here I am finally trying to catch up! Ha!
And now to catch up on my smoking progress...........I fell off the wagon. Oops! Who knew that moving could be so stressful as to make one want to have a cigarette and want it REALLY BAD!!! I couldn't believe how strong the pull was going to be to have one, and of course, I didn't stop with just one. Yes, I'm still smoking, but good news to be had, I've finally restarted my Chantix and I plan by next weekend March 22nd (or sooner) to have put them down again, but this time for GOOD! At least I truly hope so! Sometimes I enjoy my smoke, oh-so-much, but most times I can't figure out why I'm smoking. It just leaves a bad taste in my mouth AND I feel guilty. Not sure where the guilt comes in, maybe cause so many people were pulling for them and I feel as though I left them down, who knows?
So much for being rusty...I guess it's like riding a bike...it all comes back again!

Before I close, I need to leave you all with a quote.....

It's bad to suppress laughter. It goes back down and spreads to your hips! ~F. Allen