In which a birthday celebration turns into a drunken fest...

Summer is full of birthdays in my family.

July 11, my mom. July 19, my sister. July 24, Joe's mom. August 15, Joe. August 27, Gabe. (He gets his own non-alcoholic party later this month).

We decided to celebrate with a steak-and-wine dinner at Valley Vineyards Winery.

The evening started off with smiles, with me surrounded by my mom and my mom-in-law.



And steak...


We convinced another couple to get a picture of our group once we moved outside to enjoy the sunset.

After the first bottles of wine were consumed, we bought a few more. Along with a free bottle of champagne, donated by the winery to Joe's dad (he is a friend of their family).

Rhonda and I thought something was hilariously funny, and Joe was shutter-happy with the camera...

Us girls.

Um, I'm not sure what happened after the fourth bottle of wine, but I'm pretty sure some drunk people showed up and took over...

Aww, sweet picture of my sister and her hubby. (Until you notice where his hand is.)

I had to use force to keep Joe's hands to himself.

Kay is usually a lightweight. I think we were a bad influence.

Oh, yes, this is the Kay I'm used to seeing:

Clearly, a good time was had by all.

Can't wait til October, when we have birthday fest number 2 for mine and Paul's birthdays!

A good cause.

I'm not sure how many of you know about my friend, Kori. She is an amazing Christian woman who is smack in the middle of a horrible situation. Her sweet husband, Richard, is actively dying of Cystic Fibrosis and colon cancer. They have two incredible boys who are getting ready to start school with the knowledge that their dad won't be around much longer.

Losing Richard is bad enough. Having to be a single mom again is bad enough. Having to worry about having enough money above all this is just too much.

That's where we come in. The power of blogger friends uniting for a good cause. Giving Kori and her boys a little breathing room, so Kori can stay home a while longer and help her family through this heartwrenching time.

Please visit Shannon's blog, Welcome to the Nuthouse, by clicking on the button below. She's holding an auction with over 30 items donated by many awesome bloggers like you!

And if you want to bid on my little contribution of a set of eight Christmas cards, handmade with Debbie Mumm cardstock by little ole me, then please do! I'd be honored. (And if no one bids, I'll be crushed...just sayin'.)

I know these are tough economic times for all of us. But to be honest, I'm willing to give up a movie and a couple of meals out to make a difference for Kori. Could you?

Coming soon

Tomorrow, August 11th, is a special day in our neck of blogland.

Stay tuned for an incredible auction for a dear friend. (Hint: my contribution involves my cutter, red and green paper, and envelopes.)

Please come by and help support a worthy cause!

New books, oh my!

I love to read posts about other bloggers' favorite books.

There is nothing quite like getting lost in a great book. Especially if that book is one in a series, or the author has written many books that you can look forward to reading.

I got lost in the Outlander series two years ago, and there is finally a new book coming out next month (thanks for the reminder, Jenny!) Sexy men in kilts, intrigue, history, medicine and enduring love...Diana Gabaldon is the master of weaving all these into incredible novels.


My other two favorite authors, Stephen King and Dean Koontz, are also coming out with new books this November. I can't wait! Nothing like curling up with a good scary book when it's cold and snowy outside!

So, what's your favorite book or two or three? Do you love to read? Do you have a favorite author that you recommend to everyone? C'mon, let's have us a mini book club right here!

Not just another day.

To many people, August 5th is just another day.

To me, it's the day that we made the hardest decision I've ever had to make.

The decision to allow my dad to die with dignity, taking him off of the ventilator, giving him enough pain medicine to prevent him from suffering another minute from the cancer that was killing him.

He was only sixty years old.

When I was leaving work this morning, I ran into the nurse who cared for Dad the week he was in the ICU. We exchanged good mornings, she went on to work and I went home. She doesn't remember the significance of today. Had I reminded her, she would have, I'm certain.

My mom called me this afternoon, just wanting to talk to someone else who knew what this day meant to our family. My sister did the same. It felt good to talk about Dad, and this year we were able to do it with laughter instead of tears. It has taken four years to get to this point.

I still miss him. I'm sad that he's not around to be Big Papaw to my babies. To see Gabe being a "mini-me" of his grandpa. To discuss the newest Stephen King or John Sandford books. To hug. To call me his "tiger".

Time does heal the wounds of loss, but it doesn't mean that this day will lose its memory of sorrow.



William Albert Klenk
February 7, 1945 to August 5, 2005

Noise

noise (no̵iz)
noun
loud or confused shouting; din of voices; clamor
any loud, discordant, or disagreeable sound or sounds
a sound of any kind (the noise of the rain)

Usually noise doesn't bother me.

I love the sound of my kids playing, laughter interjected with shouts of joy.

I'm not too crazy about the noise of a crying kid, but I can deal with it.

Today is a day when the noise level in this house is driving me crazy.

I don't even have a headache (yet).

I just wanted to get some sleep. Like, maybe, four hours in a row, uninterrupted by kids/husband/dog.

I had my white noise fan on. I had music on the TV to drown out the noise outside of my door. I had my head buried beneath two pillows.

To no avail.

At one time, there was a total of nine children at my house. (I only own three of them).

Most days, I am glad my house is the place where everyone wants to hang out. (Not today).

Today, I just wanted some sleep. Before I have to go back into work for my third night in a row. Before I turn into a cranky sleep-deprived monster-mommy.

Damn noise.

I've gotta get some ear plugs. Stat.

ABC

Lately, Isabel and I have been trying to get Gabe to learn his ABC's.

Our latest strategy involves playing "school" in Isabel's room and buying a new scrapbook with an ABC scrappin' kit for Gabe to make.

Needless to say, I have ABC's on the brain.

So when I saw Betty's fun post using the alphabet, I really wanted to play along. Here's my version:

A-Age: 35

B-Bed size: Queen

C-Chore you hate: Laundry, especially putting it away.

D-Dogs or cats: Both...Ellie our toy fox terrier, Sugar our all-white cat, and Autumn the cat who insists on peeing on my countertops (which is why she is now an outside kitty).

E-Essential start your day item: Um, no-brainer there...coffee and my bloglist.

F-Favorite color(s): Green and brown.

G-Gold or silver: Silver (unless we're talking gold nuggets here!)

H-Height: 5'7"

I-Instruments you played: Flute.

J-Job title: Nursing Supervisor/Mom/Wife.

K-Kids: Three. Elijah (11), Isabel (9), and Gabe (4).

L-Loud or quiet: Depends on how much I've had to drink :)

M-Mom's name: Carolyn

N-Nicknames: Heather Feather knows the Weather was my nickname in grade school; my dad called me "Tiger" after my favorite Tony the Tiger cereal, Frosted Flakes; don't really have one now.

O-Overnight hospital stay: Three childbirths and one bout of pneumonia.

P-Pet peeve: Possessive/jealous people.

Q-Quote from a movie: "I'm your huckleberry." Val Kilmer in Tombstone.

R-Right or left-handed: Right.

S-Siblings: Three sisters. All older than me. Michelle, Kim and Rhonda.

T-Time you wake up: Um, this is assuming that I got to go sleep that night...Usually by 8am, or 2pm if I worked the night shift.

U-Underwear: Bikini or thong, if I don't want to have a pantyline.

V-Vegetable you dislike: Raw celery...yuck!

W-Ways you run late: When Gabe can't find his shoes, again!

X-Xrays you've had: Head (after a bike wreck) and mouth (for the dentist); no broken bones here.

Y-Yummy food you make: Chicken potpie, white chicken chili, chicken rice soup (notice how much I like chicken?)

Z-Zoo favorite: Feeding the giraffes at eye-level. So much fun!

Wow, that only took fifteen minutes! If only it were that easy to teach Gabe his ABC's...