Kaden's First Birthday

Yes, I know it has been a week since I have blogged...Shame on me. But I have been so busy that time just got away from me!!! That this past Saturday was my great-nephews first birthday! His Mom and Dad (my nephew & his wife) decided that they wanted to have his Birthday party at my house. They said it was because my house was bigger than theirs. I think it was cause they wanted me to help clean up the mess!!! LOL Anyway, my Saturday started out with the phone ringing off the hook. That is both phones!!!! Seems that they waited untill the last minute to get everything together. Lord will these young chaps in their twenties never learn????

About 2 hours before the party was to start the rain started coming down. :-( And of course here came Josh & Lauren with the stuff for the party. Now they had forgot some items. You know the goodies for the treat bags that the little kids get for attending the party, etc. So off to the store I go to finish getting these things. Next it was my cell phone ringing asking me to pick up some bags of ice! Well I asked them was there anything else they forgot! LOL To which they replied "NO!" Whew, thank goodness. I finally got home with just 45 minutes to spare. Now I needed to get ready myself for this party!

Needless to say everyone started showing up and the rain still kept coming down. But hey, I do have a pretty good size house to hold them all in! So inside we all were. Now the men were out in the garage doing the cooking on the grill. The kids were ...well being kids! :-) Let me just say a great time was had by all. The food was tasty, and the best part was the expressions on Kadens face at his cake and presents. More so over his love for his Sock Monkey!

By the way, the pictures towards the end are of Kaden, his Dad Josh, his Uncle Nathan, and his cousin Kaydence. Who happens to be just 4 months younger than him! And can you believe they weigh exactly the same? Plus there is one of Sugar in there with them too with her cast on. Which by the way we got the cast off of her leg yesterday!!!!!! WOO HOO........

Here is to my great-nephew's first birthday and for many more to come. Hope you all enjoy the slide show!

Friends

Sometimes in life we meet people and do not know why. Yet they come into our lives for either a brief period of time or forever they stay! That since I have only been blogging for a short time I have met some who appear to have remain steadfast here by my side. For that I want to say "Thank You!" Though these two words do not really describe how I feel. I felt I needed to say them.

That when I was going through my rough patch with my lungs you all were there with your wonderful words of encouragement & prayers! To me that really showed me how wonderful are. Plus the kind of compassionate people you are also! For some reason you were put into my path of life and I am so happy and thankful that you were! And to think you still checked in on me even when I was not blogging! LOL

I am trying to get back into the flow of blogging on a regular basis. Though at times I do get discouraged. Guess because I feel at times as though I really do not have much to say. MY "Tastier Tuesdays" did not draw much response so I decided to drop it. Instead I will just post a recipe ever now and then. It is not that I did not want to do it, I just lost interest in it myself. Plus this winter has not been to kind to me either. Still I am trying to think of other things to blog about. Some things I honestly will not blog about. Mostly because it will cross certain boundaries!

Anyway back to thanking you all. The saying up above just says so much! That it for me describes you all! That I honestly do not think I could forget any of you. Each one of you have a unique talent of your own. It is shown through each of your blogs!!! And I honestly do get a laugh, shed a tear, and at one time or another about choke on my coffee when I read your blogs! :-) But most of all I do take something away from each of them. And that is a lesson in itself. So for that I again applaud each of you!

So here is to my blogging buddies and friends in the world! Take care and know even if I do not have much to say here on my own blog. I am checking in on yours! Blessings to you all and Happy St. Patricks' Day!

Nana Net (Annette)

Race City Chihuahua

Meet the newest addition to my ever growing family! Her name is "Sugar" and she belongs to my nephew Nathan and his family. Now she is just 8 weeks old and is quite the little charmer! Seems that she thinks she rules the house here whenever she comes to visit. Of course my Sadie Bella & Lucky are not to sure what to make of her as of yet. Sadie Bella though does act as if she is Sugar's Mom. LOL I caught her the other day licking her all over and being playful with her and all. But of course Lucky just snarls at her and then goes outside to bask in the sun. Sort of like "Well, you are getting on my last nerve!" :-) I just laugh at them all and think to myself that I truly have gone to the dogs!!!!




So, anyway this past Tuesday, Natan came over with his daughter Kaydence to visit while his wife was at work. We were sitting around doing much of nothing but listening to KayKay being vocal. For being 8 months old she sure has a good set of lungs on her! Well Sugar had to go outside to take care of business. Of course we do not let her go out there by herself right now. So Nathan picked her up and off he went. About the time he headed out the door my phone rang. So he grabbed Kaydence to go out with them. While on the phone I heard all of the dogs raising such a ruckus. The next thing I knew I heard Lil Sugar howling in pain. I quickly got off the phone and got up to see my neighbors Rottweiler on my back porch. Of course "Max" is a friendly Rotty and such a big old baby. But Lord knows he has not been over in ages. Let alone climbed the fence in the last 6 months. To say I was surprise is putting it mildly!!! Before I could get the door opened Nathan came flying through it with Sugar and Kay Kay and said "I think her leg is broke!" I just stared at him and then said whos?" He said Sugars.... I took her from him and look at her front left leg. She was howling up a storm. For such a small dog she sure could howl! After inspecting her it appeared her leg was broke. I immediately called my vet. Unfortunately he had just left his office. Now it was just 6:00 PM. which was the way my luck was going this past couple of weeks! So his nurse told me to take her to the Emergency Vets office. Well I got ready to hit the road. But first I had to make sure that Max got back into his yard. Which his owner had already got him back there. Then asked what happened. We told him how Max decided to visit, and in the process of climbing the fence to come play with Sadie Bella and Lucky, he accidently ran over Sugar! Guess she was so small he did not see her. :-( Luckily for us my neighbor said he would take care of all of the vet bills. Just let him know how Sugar was and all. After that I called Mike as I headed out for the 20 mile one way trip with Sugar curled on my chest.



Well we got there and had to wait. Seems the "Full Moon made for a busy night at the Vets office. Yep, the evilness was out in full swing for the animals. The vet finally got us back there and after the exam, and x-ray it did not sound good. Nope, the surgeon thought Sugars growth plate had been broken!!!! I just cried, and cried. She recommended that I leave her overnight and let the head surgeon take a look at her and call me in the morning. So that is what I did. Of course I said my see ya in the morning to Sugar for I left and just cried all the way home.


We got the call from the head surgeon about 9 am and he said that the leg was broke at the wrist area and the growth plate was pushed out. But he did not recommend the $1200.00 suregery. WHEW, talk about relief. Instead he wanted to push the growth plate back into place and put her into a cast. I told him that sounded good. he next told me we could come pick her up after lunch. So about 12 noon I went to get Sugar. Talk about love, and tears of joy. Oh my how happy she was to see me and I to see her. As for the ride home, it truly was a challenging one. But she is now safely back home. And Max is got a new collar to keep him back in his yard. Seems that his battery had died in his that keeps him inside his yard. As for the Vet bill........ well the grand total so far that I had to pay in full was $583.42. :-() Was it worth it???? You bet your sweet hiney it was. Will I be reimbursed by my neighbor? Yep, at the first of the month! Thank ya sweet Jesus. And thank goodness for VISA!!!!!!

Times Flies By

Boy oh boy...Can you believe that the month of January is just about over? Where did this month go? Seems like it was just the beginning of the new year. And now here it is almost February!

Is it just me or does time seem to be going by faster and faster the older we get? I remember as a kid thinking, man I can not wait to become an adult! Now I find myself thinking the opposite! LOL Guess that is why I will never ever grow up. Or at least never loose the child that is still inside of me!

Still though I find it hard to believe that Valentines Day is just a mere 19 days away. You know it will be here sooner than we think! That the days will surely just roll by in a flash. Yet there are probably some who will disagree and say that time goes by way to slow. Especially when they are at work or doing something they really do not want to be doing!

To me you sort of realize more how time passes you by so quickly when you run into people that you have not seen in years. An example would be like yesterday for my husband Mike. See he had to go to a funeral for an old friend he had worked with. The company they worked for has been closed for 13 years! Yep, that long and Mike did not realize it till he seen all of his old co-workers at the funeral and they got to talking. When he got home, he really looked down trodden. That they all felt bad how they had lost touch with each other, etc. But did exchange phone numbers, addresses, e-mails, etc. Plus the promise to keep in touch. Hoping that another 13 years do not pass by or a funeral happens to bring them all together again! I truly do hope they keep in touch. Which leads me to say this. Though time appears to fly by, we can stop and enjoy it. Plus try not to forget your friends, family and anyone who may have made a difference in your life! More so before they pass away!

So here is to not wishing or trying to hurry your life along! Blessings to you all. And know that I am not going to be watching the clock today! LOL Instead I am just going to enjoy listening to my Lucky lay here snoring the day away. Plus watch Sadie Bella run in and out of the doggie door chasing whatever catches her fancy at the time!

Nana Net

Hey.....It's Me......Oh So Thankful

Hi Everyone.........

Yes, I have returned. Yet, still am a little weak, but getting stronger everyday! I first and foremost want to "THANK YOU ALL," for the prayers, well wishes, positive energy, and everything else you sent my way. I know without it the results may not have turned out as great! So THANK YOU ALL..........

As for how I am now.... Well it will take no less than 8 to 12 weeks for me to get back to feeling normal. Though not sure if I ever was! LOL But still the two Doctor visits this past week went great. That all of the "BOOP" disease is gone! YEAH!!!!!! And I do not have to take any type of steroids or prednizone medicines for now. My Doctors said that he will be seeing ALOT of me and me of him. This is to make sure that I stay healthy and do not get sick again. For which I am Thankful for. Seems I was blessed with some really terrific doctors and surgeons.

Am sure you all are wandering what exactly is "BOOP" disease. Well I have enclosed the link for you to check out. That it is a very bunch of big words and sort of hard to explain. All in all it is treatable! So here is the link to it. http://www.epler.com/BoopWhat
If you have any questions, just ask and I will do my best to answer them.

Just know that now I am back, I will try to Blog about what happened to me. Plus get caught up on my "Tastier Tuesdays" for you all. There is only one thing...... I do tire out easily, so some of the posts may be very short. Overall though I will get them done.

Till then I wish you all a wonderful and safe Thanksgiving. Enjoy it to the fullest and try not to overdo it! LOL

Here Is What Is Happening....

Hi all. First I am truly sorry for not being able to do "Tastier Tuesdays," this past week. Now will I be able to this week. See today is the first day I have been able to use a computer since the debut of my "Swiss Steak" recipe.

Plus I am n ot sure when I will be able to use one again for a very long period of time. The reason for this is that I am in the hospital.........This is my 8th day and there looks like no definite date as to when I will be going home either. What started out as so called "Flu-Bug symptoms" on Tuesday, October 14, 2008, turned into something much worse we discovered. That finally on that Friday, the 17th, my Doctor decided to send me to the ER, who then admitted me into the hospital. So here I am still today.

The only thing we know so far is that after being in "Isolation" for 7 days, I am no longer contagious, nor was I ever! That I do not have pneumona, nor the flu. Nor have I had for the last 24 hours anymore of the 102 -104 degree temperatures! The broncoscopy thingy the Dr. did came back negative. Although the other folks would have liked more tissue samples than what they got! Still I will take the good news anyday!

Now as to why I am still here. Well, seems that I still do have this mass in my right lung. And that yes it did go from being 3cm in size to 6cm in size in just 3 days. Though by all Medical Doctors who have seen me all agree it is not cancer. They do want to perform another procedure on me! And it is one that I am very familiar with. It is an "Open Lung Biopsy." That we will be talking to the Pulmonary Cardiologist about everything Friday sometime as to the when, whats and hows of it all.

Till then just know that I honestly did not abandon you all, nor my blog. I have just been out of touch with the world the last week is all. And once we get everything settled back down I will post those recipes. Plus it will be more than one at a time. At least till I catch them up! Just know that my energy is very low to nothing now . But it will be back soon..... So enjoy your weekend everyone. Plus take care and let someone somewhere know you love them!

Blessings,
Nana Net

Tastier Tuesdays'

Okay everyone I have come up with an idea. Hopefully you all might like it. That by now most of you have read my profile and seen where I do "LOVE" to cook! Well needless to say it got me to thinking. Which in a nutshell means "Watch Out" here we go again. :0) But no not this time. Instead I want to propose to you the following.

That starting next Tuesday, October 14, 2008, I will start listing some of my recipes! These will be ones that I have either made up myself or have had handed down to me from family and friends throughout my lifetime. Now I choosen this day because it is the best time for me to do it on. Plus I figured everyone would be able to either use the recipe during the week or on the weekend!

Of course I will do my upmost best to include pictures to go along with it. As well as my own recommendations of what side dishes to use. Plus if the food can be cooked using the oven, crock pot, or stove-top! And other little tid-bits of info.Also, you would be able to go back and look at other "Tastier Tuesday" recipes you might have missed, cause they all would be under one link!

So please tell me if you would like for me to give this a whirl or not. I just know that "Cooking is great for the soul." And it surely does fill my heart with joy! Plus it truly makes for some great memories to come back into my mind again and again! And for me to make some new ones too!

Okay, I await your responses....

Blessings,

Nana Net

Fall Has Arrived

Fall weather just somehow renews my body. Maybe it is something in the air. I really do not know what it is. Just that I absolutely do love the Fall Season!

It is the time of year when everything starts to change. The leaves on the trees, the temperatures, and even the days seem to get shorter. That there are lots of Fairs, Festivals, Football games, and others things to do and see! For me it is time to get out your decorations for Halloween first. Then next would be the Thanksgiving ones. And after that …well we all know it would be my Christmas Decorations! Now mind you I wait till after each one is over with! Oh yes, how I do love decorating this time of the year. I just wish the stores, etc. would at least let me ENJOY each holiday before shoving the other one down my throat. You know wait before putting out the Christmas décor until at least the week before Thanksgiving and so on!

Still Fall is the time that I love sleeping with my windows wide opened at night. You know to let in that cool, crisp night air. Aww, how refreshing it is! Plus during the day we have such wonderful cool breezes blowing throughout our house. You should see our babies, Sadie Bella and Lucky. Lord they just love to stay outside all of the time now. That Lucky can be found on her backside with all four legs up in the air snoring away! And Sadie Bella not to far away looking at her like “Lord would you please hush!” :0)
These two surely do keep me laughing. Plus watching them chase each other in the yard is surely something to see. Oh my, how I love my babies!

Another thing that comes along during this time of year is cleaning! Yep, got to get them their cobwebs down. Believe me this is a chore that is not done in a day either. Nope, cause there are windows to be cleaned, siding and decks that needs to be pressured washed, on your hands and knees floor scrubbing, furniture moving and rearranging, and lots and lots of other cleaning! It is also when I go start moving my summer clothes to another closet in another room. Then take my fall and winter clothes and move them into my bedroom. Plus go through them all (summer, fall, and winter) and sort out the ones I no longer wear. Then take the ones I am keeping and wash them all. To which once done I either haul them down to the Goodwill store or donate them to a shelter or something. Do any of you do that?

Yes, Fall has arrived and I am so thankful that it has. Tell me is it your favorite time of the year too?