RAIN!!

Yippee! It's raining! Well, sort of. More like a light sprinkle, but boy do we ever need it badly!

For those of you who really know me, you know that I am NOT a rain lover. But we've been SO parched and dry, and all kinds of allergy-producing junk in the air, and we've needed something like this to clear the air. I love the smell of rain, and even better is the CLEAN refreshing smell after a good rain. Just suck it into your nostrils snd enjoy!

Of course, with this current rain, there's also the stifling humidity-that's a BIG ugh...but that's also when we go outside, enjoy the water falling from the sky, then come back inside, where the AC is running 24/7...I really do sympathize with those who don't have AC....

Oh and of course, there's just enough rain to not really drench everything, but it does do a good job of mucking up the car! Took a trip to Wally's this morning, and by the time I got home, there was not only wet dust, but some kind of oily substance all over my van. Just nasty, and I'm sure not good for the paint job... That meant a trip to Jerry's B Street Car Wash. So now my van has no more of that nasty whatever-it-was on it. 7 bucks well spent in my opinion.

Enjoy the rain while it lasts. Even though we're fast approaching our 'rainy season', there's no guarantee that we'll see rain anytime soon...

Blessings!

She Ain't Heavy

Oh yes she IS!! 'She' being Peyton. I had the pleasure of entertaining her last night while the rest of the family did their Fantasy Football Drafting....we had fun! She was Grandma's siamese twin...joined at the hip for most of the night, only seperated for a few brief moments when she went to see someone else....but as soon as she eyed Grandma, it was arms outstretched and little fingers wiggling. SO very cute, and do you have ANY idea how it feels when a grandchild says 'I love you Grandma', as Alissa & Justen so often do, or a grandbaby that can't talk yet makes the motion of wanting you? Man talk about the BEST feeling in the world! Their love is SO unconditional. They love you just because you're you, and for no other reason.

Back to Peyton...I'm sure she, at 7 months old, had surpassed doubling her birthweight. I'm sure because I'M feeling her weight this morning! LOL...again, being a 'Grandma's Girl' meant Grandma packed her around on the hip, and said hip is NOT happy this morning. Oh, but what a small price to pay for having such a good time. We had floor time, we had toy time, we had a short naptime, and we even took a little walk outside, then sat & chatted with the 3-year-old ADORABLE neighbor boy, until his mommy told him it was time for his bath...then it was back upstairs to rejoin the group and say our good-nights. Oh yes, and we ate too! Squash and peaches...and we also now know how to do a 'raspberry' with food in our mouth! Fortunately, she didn't do that but once last night, and then it only seemed to be more of a 'warning' that more may be coming...whew-it didn't! LOL...

Well, Grandma will remember NEXT time that Peyton has a stroller, and also that Peyton doesn't NEED to be picked up every time she whimpers, but it's SO hard to resist! I have to keep reminding myself that by 'rescuing' her every time she whines makes it harder on Mommy & Daddy when no one else is around. Of course, I'm not the ONLY one to blame here-there are plenty of relatives just as guilty as me...LOL...but hey, as a Grandma, that's my 'right'.....right?

Blessings~

Summertime/Fantasy Football

One of the things I love about summertime is the lesser amount of laundry that I do. This was especially true when my kids were growing up. I did an average of 12 loads per week, and more in winter! Of course, that included both school AND play clothes, but summertime was shorts and t-shirt (or NO shirt for my boys) time, and made this mommy's chores alot lighter! Even now that it's just Jim & I at home, laundry is a breeze, with shorts & t-shirts, and summertime jammies...

Summer evenings are an absolute delight lately. Have you noticed the significant change in our weather pattern this year? It's nowhere near as hot as summers past. I just LOVE sitting outside on my porch swing during sunset. Not only is it a beautiful sight to behold, but all seems so quiet at about that time. Folks are home from work, and probably inside eating dinner and unwinding from yet another day at the grindstone. Even the neighborhood doggies seem quiet. Shortly thereafter, the neighborhood comes alive again, with families taking evening walks, and people walking their dogs. I love watching the activity!

Talk about good sleeping weather-we have it! Cool enough, in fact, to pull not only the sheet up, but the lightweight bedspread as well...downright chilly! But oh so wonderful to NOT have 75 degree nights when sleep evades us...

It's also Fantasy Football time! My family is SO into it! We're meeting at Brian & Katie's tonight to choose our teams. I'm not playing...I just never could grasp football, but I love getting caught up in the excitement and good-natured teasing that goes along with it...I'll play 'babysitter' to Peyton-hey, someone's gotta watch the kid, right?

Last year Summer (Brian Hathaway's fiancee) was the champ-and she's determined to hang onto her title this year too...way to go Gingy Snap! It'll be a fun season, and will give us yet one more good 'excuse' to have a family BBQ after the season is finished....so off we go!

Until next time....Blessings to you!

Two Brothers, A Little Sister, And A Baseball Bat

I just finished reading Jess LaTour's latest blog entry. Her boys, Noah & Jack, one by one, 'biffed it'. Boy did that story take me back in time...22 years back in time!

Picture it....Summer 1986...two young boys, ages 8 & 11, and a 5 year old girl.

The boys decided to play baseball out in the yard, and after a stern warning from Mommy to watch out for little sister, they happily went out to burn off some pent-up energy. All was well, for a short time.

All of a sudden an ear-shattering scream rocks the quiet summer evening.

The little girl comes screaming bloody murder into the house, with a knot the size of a baseball right smack in the middle of her forehead! Mommy, of course, is panicked, thinking that this child's skull is broken for sure, and immediately calls the Dr, who assures Mommy that all will be well if she follows instructions and wakes the poor little girl up every hour during the night to make sure her pupils are equal. Oh and give Children's Tylenol for pain too, that will help her sleep.

Once the Mommy and the little girl are calmed down, Mommy goes out to find the brothers to find out exactly what happened. She finds the 11 year old, in tears, but the 8 year old is nowhere to be found! Daddy & Grandma start looking for the missing child, when all of a sudden he appears, seemingly out of nowhere, and he is as white as a sheet, and terrified that his baby sister is dead.

You see, HE is the one who accidently clubbed her with a baseball bat! And when he thought he'd killed her, he ran and hid in the shed.

So Mommy, feeling SO bad for these little boys, calls them inside and assures them that their baby sister isn't dead, just hurt, and that this is the very reason Mommy warned the brothers to be careful, and had also warned the baby sister to stay away from the brothers while they were playing baseball...but, being a typical 5 year old, baby sister did NOT heed Mommy's warning, ran behind her 8 year old brother, and therefore got lambasted...

A happy reunion for the 3 children ensued, and all was well, once again.

The End....

Vacation Time!

Well, almost...
The next 30 days are going to be mighty busy ones! The BIG event, of course, being the wedding of Jimmy & Jessica, which I talked about in my last blog. Between now and Sept. 20th, there is much to do...whew! But I know it'll all be SO worth it...

Once we get our son married off, Jim & I decided that it's time to take some time for US, so we're planning a little mini vacation...to the Colorado River! Ok so I know what you're thinking...'No way! You are NOT going to the Colorado River! You don't have a boat, you don't have camping equipment, so how are you gonna go??'

Well, let me tell you...the Colorado River runs for miles, and one of the places it runs through is Laughlin, Nevada, and yep, that's where we've pretty much decided that we're going. We've been several times before, and had lots of fun. It's SO much better than Vegas, in terms of cleanliness and crowds, and one of our favorite things to do is walk along the Riverwalk, the whole length of the strip. Heck, maybe this year we'll get brave and rent jet skis! That'd be SO cool...

I'd be lying to you if I told you we weren't going to 'play' just a little. We WILL play...a LITTLE. We also like to drive around surrounding areas and communities, kind of see how other towns are set up, and what they have to offer. It's just fun little day trips, but we get to see places we normally wouldn't.

Laughlin also has a TOTALLY awesome Outlet Center, with all kinds of shops-it's one of my favorite places, and I never leave empty handed! The casinos are fun to browse too, if you keep an open mind. It's not all just about gambling, but I'm really into the architecture of the buildings, how they're designed, and decorated. Some are so beautiful...and just the general upbeat atmosphere. Some may not agree with my opinions, but that's okay-they're MY opinions. The key is to keep yourself in check when you're in places like that, and for me it's just never been a problem, thank the good Lord.

Jim & I really NEED this time away. It's been an extremely rough year, and in everyday life, there are alot of distractions, i.e. the tvs, phones, computers, scanners, jobs, and a whole host of other 'issues'. We have our very best talks on long road trips. No interruptions, and most of the time we end up making some of our most important decisions in the car, simply because we've REALLY been able to communicate. I am SO looking forward to this trip, if for nothing more than to 'Get outta Dodge' for a few days, forget everything, relax, and decompress. It does wonders for the mental health! And for the marital lines of communication!

I can't wait!

Until next time....Blessings!

A Family Affair

We're a mere 5 weeks away from Jimmy & Jessica's wedding. It's really been quite the family affair! You can bank on King Family involvement any time there's a wedding, bridal or baby shower, birthday party, or any other kind of celebration. Yes, even a memorial service for a beloved family member who has passed on. We're there.



It's been fun being involved in this wedding from the get-go! As parents of the Groom, our role is small in comparison to that of the Bride's family, but nonetheless, we're as involved as anyone else, and we are honored and appreciate the opportunity to help out wherever we can.



Shannon cranked out over 200 wedding invites, as well as the bridal shower invites. She had some very real issues with the paper punch (or should I say SEVERAL paper punches), but she was more determined than the paper punches were, and she prevailed. The invitations are beautiful. She and Katie have been planning the bridal shower for Jess...with the help of Jess' Matron of Honor, Annelise, who is helping from her home down in the south-Tennessee I believe, and of course, Jess's mom Linda and myself as well.



Brian, as his brother's Best Man, has been helping as much as he can too, when he's not out somewhere on a fire! He just got back from the fire at Yosemite, and is now able to take a more active role as Jimmy's 'right hand man'. The King menfolk went down today to get fitted for their tuxes. Jim, Jimmy, Brian & Justen will also have the afternoon to spend some quality 'guy time' together. I love it. I love it when the 4 most important men in my life have time together. I think it's a top priority for the family threads to strengthen with passing time. And this afternoon will be one that my guys will remember and look back on fondly. I'm excited for them!



Jessica & I went over the rehearsal dinner menu today. I've had some thoughts on it that I ran by her before, but we haven't had the opportunity to REALLY sit down and discuss it. So, it's all set. We also ordered the bouquets a few weeks ago, so that's one less thing to do. Now it's just a matter of synchronizing everything so that it all falls into place. No problem. I'm a planner. It'll work out wonderfully, of that I am positive!



Both Jessica's family and ours are DIY families. We figure the more we can do ourselves, the sweeter the occasion, because everything is done with love. Yes, even the blood, sweat and tears portion is SO worth the eventual outcome. Hence the invites made by Shannon, and the weekends spent up at Tom & Linda's house, preparing the land and doing everything possible to ensure that this day will be a day that Jimmy and Jess will never forget. Everyone has had a hand in something, and I believe that those are the ties that bind both families into one GIANT family. And BTW-'giant' is an understatement...I thought MY family was big...Jess' is HUGE!



Jess' family hails from Guam, down in the South Pacific Islands, and she has aunts & uncles that will be preparing the wedding dinner, or should I say FEAST...let me tell you something, her family ROCKS! You have not had a 'feast' until you walk away from a Long Family dinner! Not only are they master chefs, but they are multi-talented as well, and, along with the DJ, will be providing some of the music at the reception. I can't wait! There are SO many wonderful Guamanian traditions, and several will be incorporated into this wedding. I love learning about other family traditions, and maybe even 'stealing' a few to inject into our own...you can never have too many family traditions...



As time draws near, and things get more hectic, I take moments like this to reflect on the core purpose of this celebration: the beginning of a new chapter for our son and his beautiful bride-to-be. We are so thankful. Jess is a most welcome addition to our family. My only hope is that I can be as wonderful mother-in-law to her as my own mother-in-law was to me.



So, things are pretty much set. Location, invitations, flowers, music, minister, menus, attire, and everything else that goes along with planning a wedding....now we just eagerly await Sept. 20th...when a new chapter begins.



Until next time....Blessings~

Wednesday Blurbs

Good Evening All!

It's been a marathon month, but I think things are FINALLY starting to settle down...at least for the moment. There's still a wedding that is now only about 5 1/2 weeks away, which brings me to my first blurb...Those closest to me know that I absolutely HATE dress shopping for myself. I can never seem to find just what I want in the color that I want or in the style that I want. I think God knows this. I'm sure He does. I get a mental picture, but can never seem to find it in the 'real world'. Today was no exception. I had an idea of what I wanted to wear for Jimmy & Jess' special day, so I made the trek down to Ross in Escondido. Going through the numerous racks of dresses, and all I can find is GRANNY dresses! Definitely NOT in the style, color, or size that I'm looking for. Ok, ok, I know what you're thinking...'Penny, you ARE a Grandma!'. Yes, I'll give you that. I'm a Grandma 3 times over, but that doesn't mean that I have to LOOK like a Grandma, right? Ok, scratch Ross. I'll swing by North County Fair, it's on my way home.
I get to NCF, walk in the door of Sears, and this beautiful blouse just seems to jump right out at me! And it's on the clearance rack! Yippee! I grab it-it's my size! Oh joy! Oh and look at this! It's marked down to $9.99! It's beige, and lacy, and very feminine, just perfect. Does life get any better??? Ok, so...now I need a skirt. No problem, a brown skirt will be great. Oh there they are, on yet another clearance rack! Whoo-hoo! Oh and whaddya know? Just my size! Better try them on together to make sure it's a 'go'....and it IS! Oh man, do I feel blessed! Something that looks good on me AND fits! Yay! I am SO done shopping! I check out. (By the way, the skirt was on sale for $17.99, but at the register, it was marked down to $15.00!), so I got the whole outfit for less than $26.00! Yeehaw!
Now for the REAL test-the approval of my kids! I stop by Jimmy & Jess' house on the way home-they both REALLY liked it! Of course, the wedding colors being predominately brown & yellow, it blends right in, and I won't stick out like a sore thumb in the pictures. And of course, I want my kids to be proud of me. I think/hope Brian, Katie & Shannon will like the outfit!

Got my computer fixed today. I've been having trouble with the monitor and these weird squiggly squares on it, so decided to chat live with a Dell tech. That went well, until my computer shut down as the guy was tinkering with it-yes, HE was tinkering with it-from INDIA! He asked permission to access my computer, and it was pretty funky watching my mouse move all over the screen...turns out it was the video card. This was decided after 3 hours on the phone with the guy from India...good thing it was an 800 number! Long story short, they ordered the part, and a Dell tech came to my house today and had the new video card in in less than 10 seconds-amazing! And now no more irritating squiggly squares on my monitor! It's clear as a bell-YAY! Maybe those squares were the beginning of the end of the video card, huh?

Jim's in Vegas this week for his annual union conference. I talked to him today while I was on my way up the hill after my happy-ending-dress-buying mission. No worries, I had my hands-free headset on. The conference is going well. They're actually finishing up things earlier than planned, which, of course, means more 'free' time. Translated, that means more 'PLAY' time....he's bummed. Says the stars must not be aligning right or something because he's not winning. I told him, 'Do NOT lose everything! Mama needs new shoes!' Literally!.....

Until next time....God Bless!