Goodbye 2008

Hip Hip Hooray! Here's to 2008! May she rest in peace.

I've had so much fun this year getting to know so many new friends and keeping in touch with family members that I love but seldom see. Who'da thunk that telling the world all about private matters could become so addicting.

I love the way I've been able to connect with people from different countries without ever leaving my easy chair. My bucket list of the places I would love to visit just keeps getting longer.

Before the final hours of 2008 tick away, I want to take a minute and in front of the whole world of bloggers, say Thank You to God for a beautiul year.

Thank you Lord for the highs and lows that 2008 brought my way, for the feeling of being pushed beyond my comfort zone, and for the disappointment of lost love, etc. For it all I am grateful. Your goodness and kindness never cease to amaze me, and the way you make good out of bad is truly astounding.

Thank you for the gift of Family that are such an important part of my life. For my precious grands who add such joy to my world with their love and laughter. May 2009 find them loving you and realizing how much better life is with you than without.

Thank you also, for the gift of the people who have made me a part of their life. I am blessed by the way their helping hands have reached out to me. I am blessed for the times you have allowed me to help others in their own need. Bless all who have touched my heart this year with their laughter, tears, and friendship.

Thank you Lord for the opportunity to grow my faith and love you deeper and more complete than ever before.

I pray that 2009 will be a year of greater serving, greater love, and greater sacrifice.

Thank you for loving me and drawing near. I love you!
~~~~~

And now dear bloggy friends I bid you adieu until 2009. Have a safe NYE and a wonderful and blessed New Year.

So long, farewell, auf Wiedersehen, good night.

Luanne

Be Careful What You Ask For

When I was finally getting around to begin my Christmas shopping a week ago, I asked the grands what they wanted for Christmas. "Ummmm let me think" was the reply. I wasn't in the mood to hear that. I wanted them to be able to spit it right out and not have to think about it.

Later that evening my phone rang and my grands were calling me from their moms cell phone. She had run into the grocery store and left her phone in the car. I could hear plenty of giggling in the background before AJ finally said in his pretend little girl voice. "Grandma, I want a dolly and a pony for Christmaaaaaas! More squeals of laughter and the phone went dead.


AJ wasn't laughing as hard; in fact he wasn't laughing at all when he opened his gift from me Christmas morning.







That'll teach him to not be a smart "alex" with me.

Baking Day

I should be wrapping presents, but I'm taking a break. I thought I'd tell you all about my yummy new treat I just took out of the oven.

Last year my sister made some candy out of Rollo's, a waffle type pretzel, and a pecan. They tasted just like bite size turtles. I tried some this morning and they turned out really good, so I thought I'd try something a little different with the left over pretzels.


First, I put the pretzels on a cookie sheet.

Next took Hershey Cherry Cordial Creme Kisses and put one on each pretzel.

Like this.



I put them in a 250 degree oven for two and a half minutes.

While they were cooking I cut marachino cherries in half.

Immediately after taking them from the oven, I took one of the cherries I had cut in half and pressed it down in the middle of the warm kiss.

Up close you can see how the creammy center of the kiss flows out. Ummm Ummm Good. And so easy even kids can do this.

I'm also posting here today.

Angels In Our Midst

I left my purse in the shopping cart at Walmart today. I didn't realize it until 4 hours later when I got ready to go back out shopping. I was shaking as I tried to look up the number of the store.

The phone rang for what seemed like 5 minutes before someone finally answered. I asked if anyone had turned in a purse. They transfered me to another line. After 3 more transfers and 3 more times repeating my question the woman asked me what my name was. After I gave her my name, she told me they had it.

I hung up and began singing "thank you Jesus, thank you Jesus until I realized maybe whoever turned it in found it laying on the ground after someone else had emptied the contents.

My mind was thinking negatively then I realized they wouldn't have known my name unless my wallet was still there. But......that didn't mean my credit cards would be there or my check book.

The five mile drive seemed to take forever, but finally I was inside the store. I didn't ask where I was supposed to go so I stopped a man who looked really official and asked him. When we got to customer service, the line was a mile long but the nice man took me over to an empty spot and unlocked a door and when he did I spotted my purse. After he handed it to me he wanted me to see if everything was in there. It was all safe and sound and turned in by some wonderful angel who was full of kindness and the Christmas spirit.

I don't know who that person is but I'm praying that God will bless them for their kindness. If you're reading this post please ask God to bless them too.

Our white Christmas has arrived. In fact it's so white I can't get out of my driveway to finish my Christmas shopping. Oh wait let me reprase that ....I can't get out of my driveway to begin my Christmas shopping.

Depression, Prayers and Meatballs

That last post was depressing. I need to snap out of this funk. Is it possible to be depressed without being sad? Cause thats the way I felt last week.

Sunday I learned my friends daughter lost her battle with Melanoma. She was diagnosed in May and she is already gone. Would you please pray for my friend Kathy and her family. Friday will be the funeral and Friday evening her grandchildren will be moving out of state to live with their father. I can't imagine burying my daughter and then feeling like my grandbablies are being ripped from my arms as well.

I don't have one single Christmas present purchased yet. I have no desire to shop for anyone either. I wish I could just write a check and send it to a charity. The grandkids have more than they can possibly wear or play with. I'm leaning towards a trip someplace when it gets warmer and I don't have to worry about driving in the snow or ice.

I'm paranoid about driving my van on icy roads. About 6 years ago I went to our office Christmas party. It was at our office managers home way out in the country on some rarely traveled road. About midnight I decided to head home. As I loaded the crockpot containing left over meatballs into the back of the van I almost slipped. We had recieved some freezing rain, which meant I was going to have to drive really slow.

About 5 miles down the road I hit a slick spot and the van started fish tailing. I couldn't get it under control and I spun in a complete circle and somehow the vans back tires slid off the road and the entire van landed upside down in a ditch.

As the van was spinning I did notice I was in front of a house. When the van finally came to a stop I took a breath and determined I was okay, and then tried to get out of my seat belt as I was hanging upside down. It would budge. Probably because all my weight was pulling on it. I reached around in the dark and managed to turn on the dome light.

I could see my cell phone laying out of my reach, but beside me was my purse with a long strap, so I began trying to lasso the phone. It worked and I pulled it to me.

I should have know it wouldn't work. Getting a signal when you are out in the middle of nowhere is difficult, but when you are upside down in a ditch its impossible.

I kept honking my horn hoping the homeowners would hear me. And I kept praying. I wasn't sure how much longer my coworkers would be staying. I was sure someone was getting their coat on as I was going out the door. Surely they would be coming down the road and see my lights.

I was starting to get cold. Then the thought hit me. What am I going to do if I have to go to the bathroom. Of course thinking about it makes you have to go, so I started praying harder and louder. I was even calling in all my favors from my dead ancestors.

40 minutes later I heard a car door and a voice holler "Is anyone in there"

"Yes, but I can't get out"

The next thing I knew a man had jumped into the ditch and was beside my window.

"Can you open the window?"

I had power windows and evidentally in my upside down cofusion instead of turning the engine off I turned it to accessories. The window opened.

The man laid on his back and was able to reach in and while I held myself up by pushing against the steering wheel, he was able to unlatch the belt, get out of the way, and then I dropped down.

My van was full of all my real estate files and when the tow truck pulled the van out of the ditch it looked as though I had wall papered the inside with my purchase agreements and other legal documents.

Durning the night we had a fresh snow. After church I went to the yard where they had towed the van so I could retrieve my belongings. A very nice man walked me out to the van.

The papers were still stuck to the windows and it looked like I had every paper ever written in there. It was a mess. As he opened the sliding door on the passenger side, something fell into the snow. It was big brown clump resembling a turd. The man looked down and when he lifted his head his eyes were about to pop out.

It's a meatball!" I said. "I was carrying a crockpot full of meatballs."

He started to laugh "Whew, For a minute I thought you had a dog in that mess to!"

The Gift

Yesterday on my First Tea blog I posted a story about a dream my husband had just weeks before he died; a dream that would later prove to be somewhat of a premonition.

This week end marks the 15 anniversary of the he last shopping excursion my husband and I shared. We had driven to Detroit to attend a family wedding and driving back home the following day we began discussing all the upcoming events on our busy social calendar.

“I think it’s time for me to finally buy a suit”, he said as I began naming everything we had coming up in December. Ed hadn’t owned a suit since high school.

“Let’s stop at the mall and see what they have, and maybe do a little Christmas shopping while we’re there,” he suggested.

I was shocked. Ed hated to shop and any shopping he needed to do usually took place on his last day of school before Christmas break, and usually after he’d stopped off to have a few beers with his fellow teachers. I guess the beer dulled the pain of shopping. Unfortunately many times it also dulled his fashion sense and the results were less than favorable. Needless to say I was jumping for joy that it was his idea to shop.

We pulled into a parking spot and headed into the first store. Ed was on a mission, and didn’t have the patience to browse and leisurely peruse the assortment of clothing. Instead he quickly picked out a Navy blue suit and held it up for my approval. I nodded. As he came out of the dressing room I noticed how the suit enhanced his body. His muscular physique was still quite evident despite the extra pounds he’d accumulated after his playing days. He could still make my heart race after all those years.

The tailor was on hand and the salesman promised to have the suit waiting for us in two hours. In the mean time, we could go off and finish our shopping.

Going through the aisles of the department store, I veered slightly off course as we passed a jewelry counter, and I paused to admire the necklaces in the case. I had never been one to wear any jewelry except my wedding ring, but lately, I had been admiring the gold herringbone necklaces many of my friends owned.

“Which one are you looking at?” Ed asked as he came up behind me and leaned over my right shoulder. I pointed into the case just as the sales woman turned over the price tag. I heard a slight whistle and Ed spoke up,
“Your taste is definitely improving!”

Ed proudly showed off his new suit at the REALTORS Christmas Ball the following week. It was a perfect fit. “If only I didn’t have to wear this stupid tie.” he muttered as he slid his finger in the 16 ½ inch collar of his dress shirt and tugged to try and make it loosen. “Life would be perfect if I never had to wear a tie!”

Who would have guessed that the next time he wore his new suit and tie he’d be laid out in a casket!
~~~~~~~~

“It’s time for the final good-byes. Family please step up to the casket”, the funeral coordinator directed, and I stepped toward the casket for the last time. My left hand clenched my neck as I took the last few steps. My ring finger slid back and forth over the herringbone necklace I wore. Earlier that morning our son Danny had handed me a dented box.



“I thought you might like to wear this for Dad today, he’d said. Inside the box was the necklace Ed had seen me admiring in the department store. Danny and our friend George had gone to the salvage lot where Ed’s demolished Grand Am had been towed, and in the back seat, along with his real estate files they found a shopping bag containing the necklace as well as a beautiful sweater that was wrapped and waiting for me to open Christmas morning.

The sight of the necklace moved me, and for a minute I thought I was going to loose control, but I quickly regained my composure. There would be time for tears later, but today I needed to stay focused. I would be stepping to the podium soon to deliver Ed’s eulogy and I couldn’t afford the mental breakdown until after that was done. As I fingered the necklace I drew strength for the task ahead.

I gazed down at my always hyper husband’s lifeless body for the last time. I stared longingly at his precious face hoping that just maybe I would see his eyelid flutter and he’d sit up and this would all be a terrible mistake. With one deep breath I reached out I patted his hand for the last time. “I love you Eddie, I whispered. I love you.”

I turned to the funeral director standing at the side “Do whatever you have to do, but don’t bury him with his tie on!”