Do you know how proud I am of you?

Ben and Dan hated being called "the boys" as they were growing up as opposed to be individuals and have many stories to tell of me always calling them "the boys". But I just want them to know how proud I am of them. The bottom picture is of Julie and Ben now 4 years married and living near Dayton, Ohio. Julie has been having very serious chronic problems with sympathetic nerve syndrome and thank goodness Ben is the kind person that he is and has been able to help her out for Julie has been confined to a wheelchair from time to time as her legs have given her such pain that she cannot walk. She is taking some acquatic exercises in an effort to control whatever it is that triggers the nerve to fire off pain whenever it feels the need to do so and no one knows why. Julie is a school teacher of special needs children and there will probably have to be adjustments with her classes in future as to how she will accommodate her own physical needs with their needs.

Lilon and Dan (top photo) are expecting their third child. Dan is schooling at Purdue on his Masters/Doctrate program in physics. They have been blessed to be able to buy a home there in Lafayette as they are prepared to be stationed there for quite a while. They have been painting and learning all about plumbing and electrical systems in houses besides quantum physics and food preparation and entertainment for 2 hungry, intelligent little girls with another on the way in the Fall of 2010. I love "my boys" and just wanted them to know it..............xoxoxxo Mum

Taking Care of Cancer Care

I take my job very seriously, but once in a while we have to let our hair down and just have a good time. This is a picture of some of the girls I work with who got into the spirit of dress up week and really set the office to laughing. Every day it was great to see what would be the next surprise as we came to work each morning. It was a fun week for everyone

MY THOUGHTS ON APRIL 15

Today is tax day and I am bummed. I have worked so hard and there it is on paper, I am not worth a whole lot :) The IRS does not allow me to deduct for things I value, like plane rides home to see all my lovely children and grand children or gas spent on visiting teaching, nor hours spent on preparing primary lessions, and certainly nothing on hours in learning how to splash color on a canvas! Oh well, someone must keep the wheels of big government turning (sigh), someone must lead out in the work-force and add to the billions (sigh). That is a 1 with zillions of zeros that Mr. Obama keeps shelling out to this program and that.

But I am reminded that the Lord said "the earth is mine and there is enough, and to spare." I am healthy and glad I am able to earn and the Lord is in charge and in His tender mercies He provides for my every need. So what the heck....Mr. Obama, here is my tax return, use it wisely and remember that we really are a blessed nation, under God - from whence cometh all our wealth!

I loved, loved, loved Paris!!!

I never did put my feelings about the trip to Paris into my blog. It was the BEST, BESTUS, GOODEST most TERRIFIC thing I could have done. (There are just no perfect words to describe how great it was). I will have memories of that trip for ever. We did the Metro, Versailles, Mont Matre, Notra Dame, D'Orsey and every other side street you can think of. The free trip around the streets of Paris was the greatest little side gift and the commedienne was soo FRENCH and so funny. I need to mention here for posterity about leaving my green card in Florida in the drawer in my kitchen and not being able to get on the plane because I must look very much like a terrorist or something because my passport says that I am a resident ALIEN of the US and they (the French or US govt) would not even give me a visitors visa to fly into the US and get my greencard from the drawer. NO.....I had to wait four days, forfiet my flight, pay for a hotel, pay for an inquiry as to whether I was a terrorist or not or on the 10 MOST WANTED list or something, pay for more photographs, to make sure I look like my passport - WHAT ARE THEY - BLIND? and how Rome (that is where the US Homeland Security for Europe reside) knows whether I look like my passport from the Embassy Desk in France I have no idea. But even then with all the walking from the Jardin du Luxembourg (sp?) to the Plaza d'Concord each day and being treated like a disease, I had a great time. I met Mary Knudson from Arizona and her son John and saw how the rich live in Paris in townhouses over the Plaza d'Concord and over the Rue de Rivoli. It was all only icing on the cake after having had some wonderful 5 days with Chris, Rebecca, Kelly and Erin in gay Paris and lets not forget sweet William - what a good baby! I am planning something else in about five years, so girls look out for some great trips to the Greek Islands, or maybe Alaska! Maybe my girls can join us then. Thank you for the memories.......xoxox

GRANNY SMYLIE AT 83

This is a picture of your Granny Smylie and your cousin Emma Green (Uncle Andy's and Aunt Trish's daughter). Emma is about five years older than Rachel. She was the flower - girl at your Dad and Mum's wedding. Granny is 83 in this picture and it was taken at a shower for your cousin Ellen who was married recently in March in the Adelaide Temple.

SARIAH GRADUATES FROM EDISON

This little baby came into my life at a time of much turmoil and sometimes she was the only reason I got out of bed each morning at that time in my life. She learned to roll with the good times and the bad. Sometimes she let me know in no uncertain terms that she thought her life should be different, more like the other teenagers in Greenville, who had cell phones, and cars, and WI's and other game systems. Oh well baby, for all the things you did not have, you certainly had a lot of love and laughter with your old Mum. I am so proud of you as you finish the first 2 years of college and graduate with your Associates in Fine Arts from Edison College, Piqua, Ohio on May 14, 2010 and will then head for Brigham Young University in the fall. Congratulations m'darlin' - I had no doubt you could do it. You have worked hard and you deserve the very highest honors. You will always be my baby though, even when you are 65! So never doubt that you are loved and thought of daily. May the Lord bless and keep you in all your honorable dreams......xoxoxox Your ever lovin' MUM xoxoxx

THERE ARE IRISH PEOPLE EVERYWHERE

This is Karen Coyne, my Irish freind from Dublin, and another friend Joyce Allen, both belonging to the Cancer Registrar's Association here in Florida and we are at a meeting in the lovely Radison Inn in Orlando near Disney World in March planning the State of Florida educational forum for later in the year. Karen will be president 2010-2011 year and I will be president the 2011-2012 year. They twisted my arm, but I said I would do it only if they were on the council with me. I may not live that long anyway. hahaha

FROM THE SCRIBE'S PAINTBRUSH

Well it has been months since I blogged, but thought it would be good to use as a journal of things I am doing here in Florida. I, of course, am still painting and these paintings are not finished, but it is fun to see them take shape. The tree picture is a recycled canvas project that had a previous southwestern looking window and cactus and I am trying to see if I can make something of old canvases. The balloon picture is another that I was experimenting with saving a previously painted on canvas. It had some huge flowers on it but I decided to do something simple for my primary class to hang in their room......It may or may not work out but I am having fun seeing the end results. I have a couple of new canvases going on, one with the yellow abstract flowers and the other is a boat and water scene. With oils you can have three or four canvases going at once because they take so long to dry and I do not want to make mud so I let it dry and paint in stages. No matter if it does not work out. The canvases only cost me a couple of buck as opposed to $50 - $100 for the large 2 inch stretcher board canvases. I may just be making brilliant messes, but I am learning a lot.