I miss... (a blast from the past)

...the Saturday morning cartoons of my childhood.

(Would Wile E. Coyote EVER catch that Road Runner?)

(I learned how a bill becomes a law
and I can still sing the Preamble to the Constitution
because of these little educational snippets.)

(Not animated, but oh how I loved to be scared by those Sleestaks!)

(Hey hey hey!)

(Porky Pig...whatever happened to that dude?)

I miss the way I used to feel as the weekend drew nearer and the excitement grew. : )

For you young whippersnappers out there,
please understand that there didn't used to be
a Cartoon Network or a Disney Channel.
You couldn't flip through the channels any ol' day or time
and find a couple dozen cartoons from which to choose.

You simply had Saturday morning sitting there at the end of
a long, tough week of elementary school,
filled with the promise of at least 5 hours of your favorite cartoon treats.

This morning I heard my father-in-law ask my 8 year old son if he was going to watch cartoons.
I heard the hesitation in Tucker's reply,
as if he wondered why his Papaw would ask that.
But I knew why.

And it brought back all sorts of wonderful memories.

: )

I'm just ALL KINDS of HAPPY! : )

I read a really cool thing this morning. Here is what it said:

Happiness is a way of travel,
not a destination.

Nice, huh? : ) And it got me to thinkin'...

Every day of our lives we are faced with people and situations that require us to make choices. Seriously...be conscious of the number of choices you make today. I think you'll be surprised how many times you have to choose one thing over another in a single day. From little things such as what to have for lunch to the more weighty issues that can make a difference not only in your life, but also the lives of those around you.

And yet, even considering all those dozens of choices we make in a single 24 hour period, I think that initial choice we make each morning when we awaken is the single most influential decision of our day: Hopeful positivity or despairing pessimism?

I know which one I like best. : )

When you have a newborn around to cuddle and kiss and get all weepy over, it can really get those ol' wheels in your head to turning. I've had so much going through my mind the last few days and I've been very emotional, but none of this is a bad thing. Guess you could say I've been countin' my blessings. ; )

My life is indeed very blessed. I have a husband who works hard to provide for this family; four great kids who mean the world to me; a son-in-law and a (same as) daughter-in-law who just belong and add so much to our family; two bright and beautiful grandsons; the best friends a girl could ever hope to have. All of these things bring me so much happiness and I am grateful. Life is good. Hectic and stressful at times, yes...but never anything so overwhelming that I can't recover.

At this moment there are tons of things about which I could be complaining, if I chose to do so.

But today?

(Don't you just love that? : ) )

I'd rather count my blessings than my trials.

I'd rather share smiles and laughter than scowls and hatefulness.

I'd rather carry that lighter-than-air, I Love My Life kind of feeling than the heavy burden of despair regarding things over which I have no control.

So I choose HAPPY. : )

There are things and people we can't control.
But we can control our reactions to them.

My hope and prayer for you, my friends, is that you consciously choose the same. Yes, sometimes you have to work at being happy. It's just a matter of changing your point of view. Even if there are situations in your life right now that don't inspire great optimism and even if the bad seems to outweigh the good, your outlook and attitude can make all the difference.

A happy heart makes the face cheerful, but heartache crushes the spirit.
Proverbs 15:13 (NIV)

All the days of the oppressed are wretched, but the cheerful heart has a continual feast.
Proverbs 15:15 (NIV)

Now I'm gonna get bossy with ya.

CHOOSE HAPPY!!!

And that's a direct order.

Eli's Coming

Remember that song?

Eli's Coming

Well, around this house we've been humming it, whistling it and had it running through our heads for the last couple of weeks. And guess what......HE 'S HERE!!! : )

This is Eli!

Elias Harrison Roush

8 lbs. 1 oz. and 21" long

I am a very blessed Grammy! I now have TWO gorgeous grandsons. :)

The ABC's of Me

I'm sure I'm a little late seeing this one but I still thought it would be fun.
I found it over at Stacey's place.

A. Age: Well, in December I celebrated the 16th anniversary of my 29th birthday. ; )

B. Bed size: King, and I'm not sure how we survived just a few short years ago when we still had a full size bed. I LOVE my HUGE bed!

C. Chore you dislike: I don't mind laundry, or anything in the kitchen, or even vacuuming...but would someone PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE
clean the toilets for me?

D. Dogs: Always wanted a dog but it never works out. :(
We had a lab/Chesapeake Bay mix once.
His name was Barnabus and he was absolutely beautiful.
He ate the barn.
Literally.
As far up as he could reach, he chewed all the 1"x 4" trim
from around the doors and such.
Then he chewed the fog lights off the Hubster's work truck.
Then he found a new home. :(

E. Essential start to your day: LOVE me some diet Dr. Pepper, and I've tried so hard to stay away from it in order to get off the caffeine.
But alas, I am human.
Correction: I am a human with no willpower.
Zero.
:(

F. Favorite color: Coral
And yellow. I love yellow.
And some shades of green.
And orange.
Oh wait. Did you say 'color'? As in just one?
Sorry. Not happenin'. I LOVE color!

G. Gold or silver: Gold and Silver
(You knew that, right?)
I have mostly gold, but I also own a few silver pieces
and I like them muchly.

H. Height: 5' 4 1/2"
And I'm probably exaggerating with the 1/2".

I. Instruments you play(ed): I never seriously played any instrument.
No lessons or anything like that.
But I can pick out a tune on a piano and I LOVE music.
When I was a kid, we had a Lowery Genie 88.And I could play that puppy! : )
I spent hours and hours sitting there,
learning the songs in the books that came with it.
Yes, I was a geek.

J. Job title: Wife, Mom, Grammy, chef, baker, laundress, maid.
aka: Jack of All Trades, Master of None

K. Kids: 2 boy bookends with 2 girls sandwiched in between. : )

L. Live: Wild, Wonderful West Virginia!

I LOVE my state! More on that HERE.

M. Mom's name: Donna Mae

N. Nicknames: I've had a couple through the years, but none that have really stuck.
Except for 'Kid'. My brother has always called me Kid
and he's the only person who calls me that.
One of my best friends in junior high called me Bozo and that stuck for a while. : )

O. Overnight hospital stays:
T&A when I was 16
4 babies
1 hysterectomy
Does it count that I stayed with my little kids when they were hospitalized?
If so, 1 bout with tularemia and 1 bout with HIB (Brie),
and 2 bouts with pneumonia (Tucker).

P. Pet peeves: People who treat others as if they're beneath them. (We all put our britches on one leg at a time, people!)
People who judge others based on rumor and hearsay.
Can't we all just get along???

Q. Quote from a movie:

The baseball lover in me adores this one:

"Hey, is this heaven?"
"No, it's Iowa."
(Would that not be THE most fantastic thing a baseball lover could ever see?
All those amazing dudes walking out of a cornfield to PLAY BALL!!!)

and the romantic in me loves this one:


"Nobody puts Baby in a corner."

What can I say. I'm well rounded. ; )

R. Righty or lefty: Righty

S. Siblings: 1 sister and 1 brother
Fun fact: We're each ten years apart from the next.
I'm 45, my bro is 55 and my sis will be 65 in June.
Yes, we all have the same mom AND dad. : )
They just didn't get together often. ; )
(That's a joke, people! They were married for 52 years.)

T. Time you wake up:
6:00 a.m. Mon.-Fri.

And hope to sleep in a little on the weekends.

U. Underwear: Yes. ; )

V. Vegetables you don't like: I LOVE most veggies!

My dislikes would be most squash (it's slimy, people!), eggplant, avocado (which I had to look up to be sure it isn't a fruit...either way, I don't like it), and I'm sure there are some more exotic veggies I haven't tasted or liked.

I LOVE asparagus, broccoli, corn, peppers, onions, green beans, peas, carrots, etc.

W. What makes you run late: I try SO very hard to not be late and typically,
if I am running behind, it is because of someone else
(ahemmm....ONE OF MY KIDS!) dawdling.

X. X-rays you've had: Other than dental, sinus/nose is the only one I can recall
at the moment.

This x-ray probably caused me the most grief though.
(Well, one much like it. I Googled for this one.)
All four wisdom teeth were impacted and I had to be knocked out
while they cut them out.
Good times.
NOT.

Y. Yummy food you make: Well, I have lots of often requested dishes,
but I'd have to say my pizza tops the list. : )

Z. Zoo animal favorites: MONKEYS!!! I can spend HOURS watching them. : )

So, now you know my ABC'S, won't you come and play with me? : )

Just copy and paste the questions and let me know you're playing along!

Zantac, Borrowed Clothes and a Side Salad

That's what blind dates are made of.

Fifteen years ago today I was a nervous wreck. Why had I said yes? Why did I willingly do this to myself? Oh. My. Goodness. I wasn't even sure I'd survive it.

The day before I had gotten a phone call from an old friend. His boss had a couple of tickets to a concert and he wondered if I'd be interested in going with him.

"Who's your boss?" I'd asked.

He explained that I didn't know him, but I knew lots of the guys he worked with and they'd all suggested ME as a date for that night. What on earth had made them think this was a good idea is beyond me. I hadn't been on a date in more than 12 years. I was a single mother of two, 30 years old and most days felt much older than my years. The divorce had been hard and I doubted I'd ever date again. EVER.

The next word out of my mouth?

"Okay."

Very nervous and not sounding any too excited at the prospect, I'm sure, but I'd said it. Now I was stuck. I immediately began swigging Pepto Bismol to settle my nervous stomach but I'll tell ya, butterflies don't drown in the pink stuff. I was one hot mess.

I had agreed to let him give his boss my phone number and he was to call me to make arrangements for the date.

Dear me, I was going on a date!

He called and I have no idea what was said other than I would meet him at a restaurant prior to the concert. Didn't want him coming to pick me up because what if it was horrible and I wanted to escape? I wanted my own wheels.

Fast forward to the evening of the concert. I'm right where I'm supposed to be, scanning the crowd coming and going through the mall before the concert, and I am on full alert.

Is that him? *GASP* Please don't let that be him! That dude has Elvis Presley sideburns and his jeans are about two and a half sizes too small. He might even be curling his upper lip. I had already made up my mind that if he approached and asked if I was Kelli, my reply would be "no hablo inglés." No way was I spending the evening with that guy. I guess he saw the fear in my eyes and mistook it for admiration because he winked at me as he sauntered by.

A few more prospects happened by and then I heard "Are you Kelli?" and I turned and found myself looking into the bluest eyes I had ever seen. Honestly, I couldn't look him in the eye all evening because I was afraid I'd just melt and possibly drool on my borrowed outfit.

Yeah, I had to borrow clothes for the date. I had a couple of really great outfits, but they were really great in 1983.

Then we had to order. FOOD. I had to eat in front of this guy. Seriously??? I'd survived on half a box of Zantac and a bottle of Pepto Bismol since the phone call the night before. Now I have to eat FOOD???

So I ordered a side salad. "Is that really all you want?" he'd asked. I assured him. And I also ordered precisely what my much younger niece had warned me against. "You'll have something green stuck in your teeth and you won't know it!" she'd said.

But I had to order something and that was the smallest thing I could find on the menu.

Then I spent the entire evening checking my teeth.

We walked through the mall and window shopped a bit. He had to buy a birthday present for his neighbor and I helped him choose it. We talked. We laughed. We had a good time.

WOW! This was going well!

We went to the concert. It was Tim McGraw and Faith Hill and I didn't care much for either beforehand. I ended up a HUGE fan.

He walked me to my car.

He kissed me goodnight.

I went home, crawled in bed, grabbed my notebook and wrote him a letter telling him how I knew he was the one. How he'd receive the letter on our wedding day, just before the ceremony, so he'd know that I had known all along.

I put it in an envelope, sealed it and wrote his name across the front. Then I put it away to give to him the day we would get married.

And six months later, he got to read that letter.

The rest, as they say, is history. : )

Favorite Things

I am joining Rachel for Friday Favorite Things.
Pay her a visit and join in the fun!

~The sound of a bat striking a ball! Yes, baseball/softball season is underway! April has begun and after several days of dreary grayness, I'm actually seeing a little peek of sunshine! I'm hoping this is a sign of things to come and I will ignore the fact that I'm seeing the occasional snowflake fluttering about. I'm really tired of Old Man Winter and ready to send him on his way.

After all, having bleacher butt is bad enough.

WET AND FROZEN bleacher butt is just a bit much.

~ My new washer and dryer. I am loving them so much! Laundry is no longer a chore. What used to take 1/2 the day now takes a couple of hours. This makes me very happy! And I do believe I've come up with a great idea to add a little down-home comfort to that room via decor. I'm about to start working on that and if it goes as planned, I'll post some new pics next week.


~I do not like pictures of myself. Period. But if I had to choose a favorite it would be this one. It has been my Facebook profile pic for a few weeks now and I've left it there because it reminds me that I need to laugh more often. It was taken the day of Brie's 'Sprinkle' and I was really enjoying myself. : )

~The sound of my little guy giggling. And I haven't heard that nearly enough lately. :( He is such a happy child most of the time and I really take notice when he's not his usual, cheerful self. I think spring allergies are taking their toll and he's not feeling the best in the world. That and the daily disappointments he has been dealt in recent months...it just adds up, ya know?

~Hearing "I wuv you, poopy!" Yes, I said poopy. That sweet, feisty grandson of mine. One day he was being his usual, rotten self when they were leaving here to go home and every single time I would tell him "I love you, Hayden!" he would look at me and say "No!" and then giggle like crazy! After several attempts to get him to tell me he loved me, I gave up and said "Well, I love you, you little poopy!" And of course he decided that would be the best way to express his love for me from now on! LOL!!!

~My beautiful picture quilt. I'm sure I've blogged about it before, but this is Brie's first ever completed quilt and she made it for me for Mother's Day three years ago. It was from all four of my terrific kids and they put great thought into choosing the pictures that were included. I will always treasure this quilt. : )



~The fact that I talk to each of my kids every single day. How many moms with grown kids can actually say that, I wonder? Drew and Brie call me daily, and I see Brie most every day as well. She lives close and that makes it nice. : ) Drew lives further away but makes a point to stay in touch. Must have done something right, ya think? : )

~The Peppi from Tudor's.(A biscuit piled high with pepperoni slices and melted cheese. OH. MY.)

And I'm happy to report that I was able to control the temptation this morning when I ended up having to drive Perri to school. I somehow managed to drive right past the drive-thru, in spite of the tremendous gravitational pull in that direction! ; ) However, the fact that I'm still thinking about it says a LOT, too!


~The support I'm finding in the form of friendship. : ) Our family is facing some issues lately that could make a mom and dad feel pretty much like it's us against the world. But I'm happy to say that my mommy friends have been very supportive and understanding, willing to let me talk and get things off my chest, and I'm finding that there are plenty of moms out there who share my feelings on many issues facing our kids today. This gives me...


~HOPE. Who isn't thankful when faced with hope? : ) I am learning that while you can't change the way some people behave, it is awesome to find hope in the fact that there are plenty of other parents out there who are also trying their hardest to do what's best for their kids and your kids, too. : )


~A chance to spread a little bit of happy. : ) I'm going to put forth a concerted effort today make another person's day a little brighter.

How about you? What is topping your list of faves on this glorious day?