I'M BACK!

Back from St Louis! What a great conference! Jolene Brackey, an expert in programming for Alzheimers, was our keynote speaker. So inspiring, and creative! Our company really gave us the royal treatment- super accomodations and wonderful food, too. We ate at a Kobe's Japanese Steakhouse (my first time) and were thoroughly entertained and the food was awesome! Got to stop in KC on the way through and see my Number 2 son, too! He works at a Mediterannean Cafe and we ate supper there. My group was impressed- and I was thrilled to spend time with my son, even if it was only for an hour or so. So glad to get home and see my husband and doggie......and my bed.

Fat Blue Chicken

My husband decided to try making a batch of wine the old-fashioned way- with a balloon- even though we have the other equipment that makes it easier and you don't have to black tape it to the carboy. He used a blue latex glove for his "balloon" and it is H-U-G-E! It also looks like a blue chicken head- which is kind of cool, because it compliments the Rowdy Rooster! Sure hope it doesn't POP! while I'm gone to St Louis. Hate to see it spew all over my laundry room and curtains! On second thought, if it is going to spew, maybe it would be best if I'm not around for a few days- that will give him time to clean up the mess.

REFLECTIONS

Good Morning! I just l-o-v-e Saturdays! The only thing better is Friday night, when it is a pay week! Attended a funeral yesterday about 125 miles from home for a friend's mom. She has now joined the ranks of those of us who no longer have a living parent. A pretty scary step for her- as it was for me. I wish so much sometimes that I could visit with my Mom one more time- get her take on a situation- or just show her that I have grown (matured). I do have 3 wonderful sisters that each represent Mom in special ways- but the only place I have ever discovered unconditional love (outside the love of Jesus) is from my Mom- and I didn't properly value it when she was living. I think when we attend funerals it makes us think of our own relationships with loved ones who are no longer on earth- it was just a day of reflection. Had 125 miles of driving both ways by myself, so lots of time to think. Heading to St Louis on Tuesday- leaving husband to take care of himself and the dog. Bet they will be fine. Plan to bottle wine next weekend when Son # 1 comes to visit! I'll post the wine recipe we used for Almond wine- which is the one we're bottling. It is a wild and has been in the carboy since September 2008. Should be awesome! Take care all!

HEARTACHE IN HAITI

I've been watching the discovery of the intense devastation in the country of Haiti since the major earthquake almost a week ago. My friend, Danielle, is from Haiti and both her parents and her husband's parents were out of communication for over 3 days. On Friday, she contacted us to let us know that both sets of parents were alive. Such a relief...amid so much suffering. God is good. Danielle is a spirit filled woman and while their US family awaited word on the condition of their family, and although very sad and concerned, she remained strong in her faith. A great lesson in waiting on God. His timing is not ours. I have always admired her, and now, more than ever, as I watched her wait on God. I asked her one time, " With so many of your family in the states, why won't your parents come to live here, too?" She said, "My parents say that if all the good people leave Haiti, who will be there to help those in need?" I know her folks, if they are able, are helping those in need. What a legacy they are leaving their children.

EXPLANATION OF LIFE

One evening an old Cherokee told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside of people. He said, " My son the battle is between two wolves inside of us all. One is Evil. It is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority and ego. The second is Good. It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity,humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith."

The grandson thought about it for a minute then asked his grandfather, " Which wolf wins?"

The old Cherokee simply replied, " The one you feed."

Thanks to my friend, Audrey, for this piece of wisdom!

A Bit About the Rooster......

The awesome rooster on our wine label has a fascinating history. When we were visiting my sis-in-law and brother in Phoenix, I mentioned that I'd love to have a rooster to sit on the front porch. We kind of looked around but didn't find anything. Several months later they came to see us. They had been to Oregon to visit other relatives and one of the cousins had this rooster out in her yard. My sis-in-law finagled it away from the cousin and brought it to Kansas - by way of Arizona- with Oregon dust on it's feathers! Our house is red, so he looked pretty smart sitting on the front porch. Not long after that, we were looking for something clever to incorporate into our wine label. I went out on the porch and got the rooster - brought it in and set it on the cedar chest and Son #1 , who dabbles in photography, took his picture. We were thinking along the lines of " Black Rooster Wine" but.....he looked a little plain, so we got a wine bottle and stuck it under his wing and voila! "That Rowdy Rooster " was born! With a little photo shop magic from Son # 1 he had a new home worthy of crowing about!

National Certification

Great news! I got my certification in the mail on Friday! I worked so hard for it......it's a real accomplishment for me! Now to work on specializing in dementia so I can add it to my title! All I've got to say is Yippee Skippy!

The post with the artwork I did for the grandgirls for their birthdays went up before I figured out how to add text. Need to get a little more familiar with this format. Anywhooooo.....The pics are of some of our grand daughter's names and around the edges are a few of their attributes in fun fonts. Just a lil' sumpin' sumpin' I like to mess with when I have some free time. Actually it is an activity that positively fills me up again when I am empty. I love to draw people's names . I remember doing it in highschool and girls paying me to draw their names and the names of their boyfriends in bubble letters back in the '60's. Spent many an hour in study hall doing this when I should have been figuring out algebra. Oh well!

Birthday gifts