At least it has text and picture capability for crying out loud!, but it takes him forever just to type in a text…he needs to take lessons from our niece who can accomplish thousands of messages a month in lightening speed, all while NOT looking at her phone. I have offered to get him an iphone or equivalent and he’s not interested. He likes what he has…I suppose that should satisfy me knowing that he doesn’t need to have the latest and greatest thing; just think, if he were always wanting a change, maybe he would trade me in for an upgrade! Hehe.

Oh well, I make up for his lack of enthusiasm for the most current technology. I have all the gadgets and from time to time, he actually will sneak a peek!!!

I only decorate two times of the year…Fall/Harvest/Thanksgiving and Christmas, and I like each one to have it’s own space. I want to enjoy the distinction and do not want them overshadowed by one another. It’s like going to the church potluck and putting the jello on the same plate as the potatoes and they run into one another…no!

I know, I’m getting a little wound up unnecessarily, right? True. But I really wished the retailers would at least let Halloween have it’s own space, then maybe the

Now, someone has come out with a toy that children (and I adults who act like children..hehe) play with that grows “smarter” as they interact with it. It’s being manufactured by “Bossa Nova Robotics”.  Allegedly, one of the co-founders named Sarjoun Skaff, used to design robots for the National Defense Department and apparently thought this could translate to toy-development. The latest creation are robots called Mechatars. Kids can play on or offline with them…when connected to a computer, they can watch the characters become virtually real.

Target, Amazon, Toys R Us.

Okay, disclaimer…for those passionate about American-made, apparently the company utilizes a Chinese company to make the toy and some commentary on the device complained about how installation was cumbersome.

I will probably get one for the grandkids (oh, and MAYBE, I’ll play with it too!)>

When she was in the womb, ultrasounds were suspicious and then subsequent studies after she was born confirm that she has cysts on her kidneys. Physicians have indicated this will inevitably lead to kidney failure necessitating dialysis and then a need for transplant.

We are taking this a day at a time, keep telling ourselves to not let this news rob us of enjoying her each moment, and we are praying/hoping that experts will capably care for her appropriately when the time warrants.

I keep telling our son and daughter-in-law that we will get through this, there is a special plan for our little princess, and that no matter what happens, all things are meant for good.

I do not for a moment make light of this, and it is truly difficult to struggle with the unknowns, but out of adversity comes great strength and resolve.

I will hope for better days.

That’s what one lady did according to an article I read today…yep, she called the authorities and reported a robbery…when police arrived, she said her TV remote control was missing. What?!? They actually helped her look for it and found it in a drawer. Well, that’s service for ya.

What is the matter with folks? Are you serious? I also remember hearing a recording of a 911 call on a local news station where a woman reported her fast food delivery items were warm versus delivered hot as the vendor had advertised. She was seriously distraught!

I know, how about I call 911 and report that someone in my household (Mmmmm, since it’s just my husband and did not change the toilet paper dispenser when the roll had only two sheets left…now THAT’s an emergency! Hehe!

In the 1930′s my husband’s grandparents bought a piece of land in an undeveloped, very rustic part of northern Indiana around “Lake Syracuse”…they paid a few hundred dollars for the lot. Well, fast forward to today, and the area is very resort-like. Gorgeous homes, a golf course right behind us, beautiful lake-front views, and a wonderful respite for family.

My husband’s parents inherited the place years ago, and now it’s been passed down to the next generation. My husband coordinates an account that all his siblings contribute to, and about 4 times a year, he and others go back to perform up-keep on the house and grounds.

It’s like “On Golden Pond” and is a marvelous place to hang out. We try to vacation there at least one time a year, during the summer months. We have our favorite places to visit while we are back there as it is rich in Amish culture and do they ever have the best bake sales right out in their front yards…homemade breads, cakes, pies, cookies, jams, jellies…and then there are some restaurants we always frequent when there-one in particular called Das Essenhaus (the eating place) and boy do we eat! It’s family style roast, chicken, dressing, mashed taters, veges, bread and pie for dessert!

I guess I will also hit a gym while I’m back there!!!

Yep, there’s a whole new wave of psychological analysis about this because so many of us have an obsessive-compulsive illness…so many of us have a preoccupation and fixation with the darned devices! We can have fun and laugh about people being in love with their phone and buying it attractive protective cases and never going ANYWHERE without it.

Have you been out to dinner with family and friends and feel like you are invisible as they are texting, answering emails, tweeting, face-booking, you-tubing as if you don’t exist? (I’m guilty too!). How about the booth next to you where the person on the phone is talking so loud, you can’t enjoy your dinner!?!

And then there’s the folks that are doing all kinds of things with their smart phones while driving! (Me too!) Yikes!

It’s a whole new classification of mental illness, woul

…moving after 15 years in the same house. We set up a rule before packing that anything we had not used in the last 12 months would be tossed or donated. I’m embarrassed to say that we took SEVEN truck loads to the church yard sale! Now folks, that’s ridiculous, wouldn’t you say?

My husband knows me well, he will ask me what I’m doing when I am cleaning out my clothes closet…I sweetly and innocently proclaim that I am doing a good thing because the clothes will be donated to goodwill…but he knows my truer motivation…to make room for new clothes (man, I hate it when he’s right…hehe).

On a serious note, I do have a family member that I am convinced has a “hoarding disease” problem. She has a path-only you can walk through the house. She goes to garage sales often and buys a variety of things for who knows why? She is getting ready to relocate from California to Washington State and another family member has been to her house twice this last month to help pack…quite a chore and quite a mess!

Well, in the meantime, I will keep us pretty  cleaned out

On the way over, we stopped at Casa De Fruita to stretch, grab a snack and drinks, and enjoy the infamous resident peacocks. After about 30″ we loaded back into the car and headed to the Boardwalk.

Good grief, we certainly did NOT anticipate what was awaiting us: major traffic jams, a challenge to find parking, 50 million people (you may think I’m exaggerating, but I think it’s an accurate description of what we saw), and the sandy beach consumed with blankets, lawn chairs, volleyball, umbrellas, awnings, and in essence, very little room to even walk!

We managed to find a restaurant with only a 30″ wait on the pier and were thankful. We were also thankful for the chill of a cool breeze, the clear sky after the fog had burned off, and excellent service and food. What we were not particularly interested in was wall to wall people…it was just plain CRAZY, and in all my years going to the Boardwalk, I had never seen anything like it. I thought, is there something special going on?, I thought we were in a down economy, is it like this every weekend?, is it a sumer thing where folks are vacationing? Whatever it was, we decided to cut out warily, head back to Casa De Fruita so we could at least let the 16 month old enjoy a train and merry-go-round ride that was much less congested.

It was all in all still a good day, but I think we will plan a mid-week day trip next time!

For the longest time, out of frustration, guilt, sympathy, and wanting a better situation for him, my husband and I have been “rescuing” him from the dysfunction…until now. It’s time for him to grow up.

Over the past few weeks, he has once again thrusted himself into a situation where he is calling us for help. In the past, we had usually tiptoed around being completely frank with him and saying the “tough love” message, but that all has changed. It is an “intervention” of sorts and the immediate and extended family are cooperating in not enabling him to continue in his struggles as well.

This is strenuous, it is terribly difficult, and trying, but necessary. He has hit rock bottom and is responding very favorably to this stern approach. I suppose he has no choice, because we have not given him one. I think that was the problem in the past, we gave him an out every time…not any more.

Life is going to be different and we realize it will not be an overnight thing and we do know there may be setbacks, but we are determined to stay the course.

My granny used to have a saying…”when kids are young, they are on your shoe strings, and when they are old, they are on your heart strings”…it’s true.

We love our son, and things will be all right. But in the meantime, we must stand firm for his sake and ours.