Happy Birthday Becca!

I am so sorry I missed your day! I hope your Spend The Night birthday party was a blast! How nice your dad and Beth did this for you. They are very brave having 13 teenage girls over to spend the night!

Becca, did you turn 13 on Feb. 21st? I hope you had a beautiful birthday!

Beth, could you please send me your birthday list? I do not want to miss another family member's birthday. Or perhaps you could post it here.

I love you Becca!

Nancy

Hello

I hope everyone is doing okay!

Barb, wishing Morgan a good check up tomorrow and I am happy he is doing so well after his surgery. Sorry about all the colds being passed back and forth between the kids. Spring will be here soon. I hope. The Ground Hog said so!

As far as your surgery; this is a decision between you and your family and you have to do what is right for you.

I am now very leery of elective surgeries and fear there is a connection between surgeries which are traumatic and auto immune problems. There are too many women in this family with autoimmune illnesses; there is a history. I certainly hope this does not happen to you Barb because it is not a bed of roses. Ask Dixie and me.

This has been a terrible winter so far. I am in my sleepy period again. I guess the pain is so bad my body just tries to sleep through it and all my worries too. I can't believe how much I sleep and how tired I feel all the time. I am working hard on trying to gather up some new friends very close by to hang out with. Socializing helps so much. Having support helps more.

One good piece of news is that I will finally have Medicare on March 1st. The bad news is that social security will be taking almost $150 a month out of my check. Then I have to pay the deductibles and co-pays. This is going to make things much tougher now. I have been getting free meds and doctors visits. Now with Medicare this will be cut off. It never stops.

Love,

Nancy

Sure is quite around here

Hello everyone,

It has been pretty slow around the blog lately. Give us some update people. What has been going on with everyone lately????

At the Decker household it is busy as usual. School, work, colds, doctor appointments. I sure am ready for Spring!!

Anyone have a new recipe to try? I am always looking for ideas.

Morgan will go for his post-op on Thurday. His hand is healing very nice. And he is happy not to have to wear the brace anymore.

News for me. Just to let you all know that I will being getting surgery on March 1st. It is mine choice and thanks to low apr for this we could finance it. It has been a longing of mine since I was a teenager to get a breast job done. I have talked about it forever. Scott surprised me with it for Christmas. He said he didn't think I needed it, and if I changed my mind he would go get me something else. I want it for me. I am not asking for anyone's 2 cents here. I have done alot of homework on this. Having you all be supportive of me would be great. I know there are many who won't agree with me and that is okay. Just wanted to let you all know.

Love you all,

Barbara

Hi Barb:

I sent Beth another invite the same day I learned about the problem. She said she may have accidentally deleted the email with the invite. So I will send another invite now.

Love,

Mom

Beth

Hey Mom,

Could you send Beth another invite? She still can't log in to read or post. Thanks

Love,

Barb

Happy Birthday Beth:

and even more shocking is how fast the years have passed since you were born; 34! I also remember this day like it just happened.

You were so cute when you were born, so quiet and thinking and not in a hurry to make loud noises just content and happy laying there. You were such a beautiful baby girl and now a beautiful woman!

I was so worried that your dad would be disappointed he did not have a son. He wasn't not for one second! He exclaimed "There is our Elizabeth, our beautiful Elizabeth!" He touched your hand and you immediately curled your tiny fingers around his finger; holding onto to your daddy for the very first time.

You were such a good baby! And a crowd stopper! And independent too.

I wish I could be there today to celebrate your birthday and Morgan's too. It is still hard to believe you both were born on the same day 21 years apart in the same hospital!

I love you Beth; more than words can ever say! I am so proud of the wonderful woman, wife and mother you have become! Very very proud!

What a lovely birthday present to know that your husband is going to be okay. I just knew it in my heart that it wasn't that thing the doctor spoke about. I am however sorry he is in pain. I pray that he gets some relief and soon!

Happy birthday dear daughter of mine!

Love,

Mom

Happy Birthday Morgan! A Teenager At Last!

I cannot believe it has been thirteen years since you were born. I remember that beautiful day like it was yesterday. We were all so excited, so happy and so proud.

And you were so sweet and beautiful. Well you still are!

I remember you lying in the warmer right after you were born; laying on your side very quiet. Just listening to all the voices in the room and trying to get used to all the light and the commotion. I softly called your name "Morgan, how are you Morgan we are happy you are here finally." And you stopped moving and slowly tried to turn your head to see who was it behind you calling your name. It was a very special moment.

And your Dad when he was cutting the cord was so nervous and so happy! And your Momma, crying soft happy tears "oh Morgan you are so beautiful and your are our son!" All of us began crying happy tears too.

Morgan, in just a few years you will be a man. I think you are going to be a wonderful man! And I am very proud of you!

Happy happy birthday Morgan. I wish I was there to share it with you and the rest of the family!

Love you very very much,

Grandma Cookie

Hi Ava:

I hope you are doing okay! I miss talking to you. Please give me a call every now and then. I am sure your Mom would not mind at all. Ask your Mother if you can post something on this blog. Or upload some of your drawings and/or stories. I still have the stories saved on my computer that you wrote when you were here. Ha! Ha!

I love you Ava and miss you very very much!

Love,

Grandma Cookie

Work In Progress:

Finished!

A street in France I am drawing for the Weekend Drawing Event on Wet Canvas. I am only using a ruler to get this right. It is about four hours of work so far. 8x11.5 on Canson drawing paper with Derwent Inktense, tinted Graphites, White pastel and drawing pencils.

Dear Zoe:

this is Frankie when he was a kitten

I hope you are feeling so much better today! It was a lot of fun talking to you on the telephone last night. I miss you so much Zoe! Here is something just for you. It is pictures I think you will love. I hope they make you laugh too.

Be a good girl and always be as sweet as you are right now!

Love,

Grandma Cookie

Dear Morgan:

I was so happy to be able to talk with you last night and that you are recovering from your surgery so well! I am also glad that you should be back to normal real soon and especially by the time your birthday rolls around on Feb. 9th! Take good care of yourself!

Love,

Grandma Cookie

Morgan

Hello Family,

Just wanted to let everyone know Morgan had the cyst removed from his hand today and is resting and doing well. He was more worked up about the "laughing gas" than anything. Morgan will have a brace on his hand for about two weeks and then can return to playing as usual.

On a different note I have decided with out a doubt that Winter Sucks!!!!!!!! I hate being cold!!! Come on Spring.

Love you all,

Barbara A.

Beth Had A Problem Posting Today:

She received a message that her invitation had expired. I checked it out and figured out what happened.

I sent out invitations when I first started the blog. Only two other members accepted the invitation. While the site allowed the invitees to post apparently there is a time limit.

So if you still have my invitation sitting in your inbox; go ahead and accept it. Then you will become an Author. Right now there is just Dixie, Angie and myself listed as Authors. The rest of ya'll are listed as Guests. So that is how it works.

Love,

Nancy

The Storm That Didn't Really Happen:

It was beautiful this morning; with huge white flakes falling down enough to cover the back yard completely. We got about three inches. But so far the ice storm has failed to materialize. I am so happy about that. It was a cold and miserable day once the freezing rain started; then the temps went up to above freezing and stayed that way most of the day. So the snow is about gone now.

I slept most of the day away. I could not get warm. My pain level went almost through the roof. My hips were so bad. My ankles too. I had to do a lot of stretching today to walk okay. Everything was so tight and tender. Fibro is something else. I also have another low grade fever; it is probably the inflammation in the joints.

I almost made a terrible mistake though. I let Johnannes out to pee; grabbed my second cup of coffee around 10 am and went to the bedroom to warm up. I felt tired so I laid down "for just a few minutes". I forgot all about him outside in the freezing rain!!!!!!!!!! I woke with a start about 20 minutes later. I ran as fast as I could to get him inside. He was stuck up against the door as close as he could get and he was soaking wet and so cold.

I got my biggest and thickest towel and rubbed him dry as best as I could. I turned on the dryer for about 20 minutes to warm him up. I feel so bad. If I had not woken just then he could have died out there. I am going to buy a cooking timer for days like this. It was right at freezing when it happened. He is okay though.

I hope ya'll did okay during the storm. I did see the news that Atlanta got some snow too. Is everyone okay?

I found this photo in a travel book that I bought used at the library. I have already posted a few other paintings from photos in the same book. I loved the expression on this boy's face. It is not finished. I need to do some more blending in the face. It does have some deep shading going on. But what an adorable child. It is 8x11 on heavy drawing paper and done in all Derwents; watercolor pencils, Inktense and tinted graphites too.

Angie, have you used Derwents yet? If not, if I ever get a few extra dollars I am going to treat you to a 12 pencil set. I promise.

Tomorrow it is supposed to warm up to the mid 40's so all the ice left on the ground and the streets should melt off.

Love,

Nancy