More braces

I have a full set of tinsel teeth. They put the lower ones on today and three brackets have popped off already! The first one popped off while I was still at the office and it happened again at home, with another one, too. They are the ones glued to the crowns and apparently it's hard to keep brackets glued to crowns. My lower lip is all cut up inside. This is NOT FUN.

Okay so I'm a little grumpy. But we have a lovely new floor! Check out my "photo each day" blog to see a picture of the guy spreading grout on the new kitchen floor. It's pretty.

Not a bad week

While LAST week was the week from outer darkness, THIS week has been pretty good. I gave my talk on Sunday, Monday we had a good FHE with friends, Tuesday I went to a Red Cross meeting, Wednesday I did my caseworker volunteer job at the Red Cross and today I can't get my lazy body moving. Tonight is a stake meeting. Last night was supposed to be our book club discussion but since so many people hadn't finished reading it or just couldn't come, it is postponed. The book was pretty good. It's a YA book about a family in Germany at the time Hitler is taking over.

The weather has been glorious - sunny and in the 70's all week, PLUS a bonus thunderstorm yesterday that was very fun and scary. The lightning was crashing all over the place. I was at work with our huge floor to ceiling windows that gave us a terrific view! If I am home during a thunderstorm you can usually find me hanging out the upstairs bathroom window watching it all. The window faces south so sometimes I have to run back and forth between that window and the north windows, depending on where the storm is. I always pray that our neighborhood will be safe. I know how dangerous storms can be but I still appreciate the beauty of them!

Happy Monday

It's 5:30 AM. I am awake for some crazy reason, but there is a bird outside singing the most lovely song. I've never heard it before but it makes the morning so pleasant! It's too dark to see what kind of bird it is, but since it is warm out and the windows are open, I can enjoy it anyway! I think that hearing the birds is one of the nicest parts of warmer weather.

One morning in Sicily, I was up early enough to see the fishermen go out. There was the most beautiful sunrise so I grabbed the camera. Here are the sunrise pictures - you can see the fishing boat in the second one.

Mt. Etna and me

This is one of my favorite pictures from Sicily. It's in the town of Taormina, on the eastern coast of Sicily. That's Mt. Etna in the background. I was SO HAPPY to be there that I cried. Well, I cried (or laughed) most of the trip!

The funeral and all the family stuff that went with it was really stressful today. I need to think of happy things and my trip to Italy was most definitely a happy thing!

Sad days

Friday morning - my cousin Judi calls with the news that her 91 year old mother was headed to emergency in an ambulance. It looked like a massive stroke. We waited in emergency all day for a room. She was admitted that night. While waiting in the ER which was VERY crowded, I saw a friend from church wheeled in on a stretcher. I ran over to him to see what was wrong and while we were talking, I heard a voice call my name. I turned around and there was another friend from church - she had been in a car accident. So within 10 yards of each other are my aunt, and two friends. Then....I saw my mother for the first time in 10 years. She ignored me. This was in the waiting room.

Saturday - I had to get Larry ready for another trip to Madison and then meet my cousin Judi at the hospital. I couldn't let her sit there all alone. Both her siblings were out of town. In fact her sister's fiance had died Thursday.

Sunday (today) - My aunt died this morning. Larry left for Madison. I was with my cousin again all day. We went to the funeral parlor to arrange things and pick out the casket. We talked and talked. I was hyper woman with an appetite to match. But I STILL haven't had any dessert, sweets, pop, candy, anything like that. I just ate bread and pasta all day long. What's worse????

My aunt is at peace. She's with her family again. She had been "seeing" them for weeks as they were probably preparing her for her journey home.

I love the plan of salvation.

Here are some pansies in her memory. She loved pansies.

Attention readers........

Especially you Carol and you Katrina, both of you who love These is My Words (can't figure out how to underline)

ANYway, run don't walk to your nearest library or bookstore and pick up Jodi Picoult's Change of Heart. Then cancel all your appointments, get a babysitter and hole up for three days. You won't put it down.

Well THAT'S over

Okay I'm better. No hot fudge sundae. No banana split. But maybe a facial this week.

General Conference was just so good this weekend. How could I NOT feel better? Actually, I am speaking on the 20th about one of the Sunday talks so I listened extra carefully. I think I know which one I will speak on, but how do you paraphrase an apostle?? Can I say it any better than him?

It was such a pretty day today. The sky was so blue and the sun shone all day long. The birds were having fun at the bird feeders out back and it all made me happy.

Here, for your viewing pleasure is me up in the air in Key West. I LOVED parasailing!

Grrrr....look out world

I am in a VERY bad mood. Just call me Crabby Appleton. This is what I want to do:

-Throw something

-Swear

-Take a few Excedrin for a killer headache but then I'll be wired

-Eat a hot fudge sundae with chocolate ice cream and really HOT hot fudge

-Then eat a banana split

-Sleep for two days and magically be 20 lbs thinner when I wake up

-Get a massage, a facial and then a pedicure

-Go to Key West and eat a key lime pie ALL BY MYSELF

-Go to a spa and be pampered

-Go to a warm, lovely beach somewhere FAR away and float in water that is 90 degrees

What I will really do is go to bed and feel better tomorrow. We can only hope.

Introducing.....

.........a new baby in the house!  We bought a MAC!  Oh my. This computer is sweeeet. And oh so pretty.  Ours is more grey than white. Thank you Carol and George for giving us the little extra "push" we needed to take the plunge!

A big thank you to my little friend Adam and his mom who came for a visit today. We had fun playing, finding the ball, reading and chasing the red bus! What a great little kiddo. WOW!