This is Bailey while still at the breeders. Her sister is at the far left. I was deciding which one to pick. One of the breeders is in the background with one of her dogs beside her. She's holding my cousin's yorkie, which also came from there. This is Bailey sleeping on my lap on the ride home. Not sure why it turned sideways. She fell asleep on her little pink bear blankie. She still loves that thing!

Bailey has arrived!!!!!!!

Alright, so Bailey is my new puppy! lol She is a Yorkshire Terrier, and she is gorgeous!
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Bailey is 12 weeks old, if I remember correctly, with the classic black/tan markings. That can change some as she matures. She was 2.4 lbs when we got her at 8wks.
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We got her from a private breeder just northwest of Dayton. On the way home, we stopped at the Jeffersonville outlet mall and she experienced her first shopping trip. Gotta start her out right, don't I? Did you guys know that mall is dog friendly? It's awesome! I hope that catches on around here. I mean, I take Bailey with me anyway in her bag and no one knows she's in there, but how fantastic it would be to not have to keep her hidden.
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I've got her housebroken 99.9% already. Ok, here's the thing...she's like a child that you're potty training. You think they have it down and then she's had two accidents, two weeks apart (I think it was). And I'm thinking they were both when Daryle was here?? Hmm, now that's the first time I've thought about that. Anyway, she's doing fantastic and I think only two accidents in all that time is pretty dang good! lol
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I'll have to find a pic to post!

Old pictures

I sat down today to sort thru old pictures finally. I've been putting it off for a long time. You know how it is. You have all these pictures from when you used to use the "antique" 35mm camera (ha ha) and you've never done anything with them except thrown them into drawers, etc.
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When I moved I found them everywhere! I just kept running across them when going thru the stuff from storage. So I put them all into a few containers so I'd be able to know where they were for when I was ready to tackle them. That day came today.
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I had the photo boxes ready and waiting from an earlier shopping trip to Hobby Lobby. After multiple trips down memory lane today, all my photos are now sorted into categories for scrapbooking. Yea!! That's a huge accomplishment. Of course, it will take me forever to scrapbook them all!! ha ha At least one leg of the trip is complete...

Back from retreat

Retreat was awesome! It's always nice to get away for a couple days and relax, or at least try to. This is me and Pat sitting at our sewing machines.

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I had a great time seeing my friends again, and I even sewed this time. I made a tote bag. It was a total change for me since I usually just hang out and talk the whole time instead of sitting at my machine sewing so much. But I accomplished something this time!! No one can believe it.

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The first steps of the tote bag are hanging behind me in the picture on the design wall. It is done in 5 inch charms of Kansas Troubles fabrics by Moda. I love it!

Daranda at the Longaberger Factory.

This is Daryle and me at Thanksgiving 2009.

Wow, so I haven't posted in forever! I've been busy. haha
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We just finished Easter. I had a really nice time with family. We went to dinner at Texas Roadhouse. Then we had an Easter Egg hunt for the little kids at Janet's house. That was really fun. Eventually we ended up over at Angie's house playing games. All in all, it was a really nice day.
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I'm gearing up for the OhioQuilter's Retreat right now. That's going to be relaxing! I can hardly wait for it to get here so I can go spend some time with my friends and enjoy Amish country. I don't get much sewing done but it sure is fun!!

Birthdays...

Danielle turned 14 yesterday! Wow...can't believe my baby is growing up soooo fast. She had a volleyball game last night so we are going out to dinner tonight to celebrate it. Then she's having a big party with her friends next weekend at a friends' house on the river. That will be a blast!! (Now just between us...if anyone finds a way to keep them little, let me know! haha) Gosh I love that girl so much! I look at her and I am just so proud of the young lady she's grown into so far. What they say is true, it seems like only yesterday when her dad and I were driving her home from the hospital. HaHa This pic is her cheering. She is a varsity cheerleader too this year. This was at our 2nd home game this season.

End of Summer

Can't believe summer is over. Danielle went back to school. Waaaa
That's the worst part of it if you ask me, when the kids go back to school. I'd rather have them out much longer. I like having the neighborhood kids in the house all the time. I think I like the noise and chaos. Weird huh?
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Wrecked my Jeep a couple days ago. Boy, that was an experience. And I don't mean one of those good ones either!! It was really one of those freak out moments where you start having all this pain. The fire department guys were doing a good job of keeping me entertained (trying to keep my mind off the pain) waiting for the squad to arrive. Then they took me out on a backboard and had me immobilized on that dang thing. The ambulance ride was a nightmare. Painful! I wasn't able to straighten my left leg once they got me on the board out of my car. Why? Who knows cause nothing was wrong with it. Stupid fibromyalgia I guess.
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Anyway, got to the ER. My cousin got there 2 minutes after I did but the hospital said I wasn't there. Told her she should check another hospital. Took her 20 minutes I think before she finally called the ambulance company that took me and they verified through the squad what bed I was in.
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Meanwhile, I'm laying in that room strapped down to this board with no one helping me!! My head is in a neck brace and taped down. I had finally managed to figure out how to release the straps holding my body down. I then had that part free! I worked trying to find the ends to the tape to free my head but couldn't find them. So I jerked really hard on the tape and found that it ripped!! So I ripped off the bottom piece, then the top piece just as my cousin is shown where my room is! Oh sure, NOW I'm free and NOW you decide to show up! (that's what I was thinking) lol
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She brought reinforcements though!! She brought Daryle who works there in the ER. He stayed then the rest of the night until I was released and safe in the van! It was great too. He was a real Godsent. He went with me to CT, helped them move me on and off the table since they wouldn't let me move! He even held my earrings....what a dear. HA! But seriously, he kept on top of my tests, seeing what was being ordered and when results were back, etc. Angie and I were both so glad he was there. He put both of our minds at ease. And Angie was wonderful to have there. She came to my rescue just like him, as soon as she was called. She kept on the people who came in the room to do things (ie. get me for tests, run tests, etc.) asking them questions, or telling them how it was going to be! It was awesome. What a team I had!!
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Oh, and the best part was that the woman who came in to do my EKG....she thought Angie was my MOM!!!!! Yep, I'm loving that part. Cause Angie is really 10 months younger than I am. So I just think that's hysterical. I will make sure to remind her of that often. :-)
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Other than that, I am just getting over the soreness. I am bruised and sore from the soft tissue damage. It will heal though. I got my rental car today. Just in time too cause here came the rain (can't drive mine in the rain due to damage with the rear door not shutting right). Well, neither door on the driver side shuts right now. Can't wait to get it all fixed!!
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Ok, rattled on long enough. Will try to not make it so long next time!!

Mother's Day & the hot water tank saga

Guess what I got for Mother's Day this year?
A shiny, new, hot water tank!!! LOL
How funny is that?
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Ours went out so we had no hot water on Sunday. We went out to eat with my parents and had a really nice day with them. Then just relaxed the rest of the day.
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Dan took Monday off work to fix the tank. He got the old tank out and bought a new, bigger tank. Got it all installed. The pilot light wouldn't light. He determined it wasn't getting gas. He called Lowe's and talked to a manager and worked it out with them to just get the part needed instead of taking the whole thing out and returning it. He got the new part installed. It was now getting gas. Now the ignitor was bad! He was fit to be tied!!
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He called the manager back they had a nice discussion. Dan told him if he had to uninstall the tank and bring it back for a refund, he was NOT going to buy his new one there. He'd take his business elsewhere. He wanted them to send a technician to fix it. They said they couldn't send a technician for free, even though it was under warrantee?? But that if he returned it and bought a new one there, they'd give his $150 off the new one. Now tell me who it wouldn't be cheaper for them to send a technician out to put an ignitor on instead of giving us $150 off a new one??
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Made no sense to us. But it did made it worth our while to not take our business elsewhere, no matter how disgusted Dan was at the time. So he told the manager he would do it the next day because if he went down to uninstall it at the moment, he would end up beating it to death. LOL
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So no hot water on Monday either. We packed up and went to my parents for hot showers. And then visited out there all evening. Tuesday morning I took Danielle to school while Dan started draining the new bad tank. Then he called his brother to help get it out of the basement.
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Now his brother had to yesterday off work so it was easy for him to help then. But today he had to work so he had to leave work to come help with the tank this time. So he and his partner had to drive the fire truck to the house to come help. But we needed them for more than that. The gas line in the basement had gotten hit (not really sure what happened but that's what Dan said) and he wanted them to check the connection since it was old to make sure there was no gas leaking from it. So they brought their tool to check for a gas leak. You can't be too safe with those old lines. We even thought of just switching over to an electric hot water tank but we love having hot water when the electric goes out. lol
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Anyway, the second new tank is here. Dan is in the basement now installing it. Fingers crossed that this one works. If it doesn't, I'm packing my bags and moving back in with my parents!! LOL So if you're reading this Mom and Dad, you might want to start getting some room ready for me....
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Happy Mother's Day to everyone!!! Hope it was wonderful for all!!!!

Quilting Retreat

I just returned from a quilting retreat in Amish Country.
Oh it was just beautiful there!
We had so much fun, and it was very relaxing there.
I didn't do a lot of sewing but I visited a LOT!!
There were so many lovely quilts that people were working on.
Check out my pictures if you'd like.
http://community.webshots.com/user/nursekdmc

Danielle's Confirmation

The day of Danielle's Confirmation at Church. April 6, 2008
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Danielle and I after the ceremony. I stole her away from her friends for a few moments of pics.

This is a picture of the front altar of our church. I decided to take a pic of it since I rarely have a camera in church. lol

Danielle looks absolutely beautiful!!

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Grammie got her a diamond cross that she is wearing.

This is the Confirmation group with the Bishop and Fathers. Danielle is in the white dress in the middle, down in front of the Bishop.

Softball

Softball season has started. This is keeping me quite busy. Driving her back and forth to practices. Of course, she's still having to go to cheer/tumbling and sometimes those practices are clashing with the softball practices so it's all quite a challenge. Sometimes we're even running from one straight to the other. It's crazy! Or I'm crazy. I'm not sure which!!

They've had their first game(s). They had a double header last weekend. They won the first game and lost the second game, but it was close. Danielle had a really good game. You can tell that her playing ASA ball last year really improved her game. She's playing second base this year and she did really well. She had several outs and good plays, etc. I'm really proud of her. It will be exciting to see how the team improves as they get a little more cohesive as the season goes along a little more.

When life catches you off guard...

A dear friend of mine lost her husband this week.

He passed away unexpectedly.

Such a complete shock.

I'm still reeling from the news.

He was too young.

Now the healing begins for Tippy & Georgie, and the rest of the family.

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I guess it just goes to show that you never know how much time you have.

Time is too precious and you shouldn't waste it.

You should cherish each moment and make the most of them.

Starting now...

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Winterplace Ski Trip

We just got back from a ski trip to Winterplace in West Virginia.
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What a fantastic time we had!
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Here's Danielle as she's coming off the slope to head inside, after being soaked in the downpour of rain that hit. LOL

Flying Geese

I got back from a quilting retreat this past weekend. It was a much needed break after everything that's been going on. We were snowed in at a beautiful cabin in the woods. Couldn't have asked for anything better if you ask me. We had good food and great friends and more UFO's then anyone could finish!! LOL
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I worked on a new Homecoming Queen cape for the high school. Got it made. Not bad at all if I say so myself. Which reminds me, I need to get a pic of that.
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This photo is me with my Moose Quilt I'm working on. I put a flying geese border on it at the retreat.

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I also worked on a Jean Rag Quilt which is turning out darling. I'm putting a flannel moose print on the back of it. Love Moose!!

Shooting at Danielle's school

We are still in shock over the shooting at the school Thursday. For those who may not be aware, Mrs. Layne, a 5th grade teacher was stabbed 13 times and shot by her husband in front of her students at the elementary school. I won't go into all the details here but I will say through the grace of God, she survived, came through surgery and is talking today. She is in critical but stable condition. Mr. Lane ended his own life after being cornered a few minutes later in his home by the police and swat teams.

No one ever expects anything like this to happen at their school, and we are no exception. We are a small, private school and to say our community has been "rocked" is an enormous understatement. Counceling was begun immediately for the students and is continuing. Everyone in the school, church, and community are just pulling together to begin healing.

Danielle is at the high school building so she was never in any danger. Of course, that didn't make the initial fear any less. I was an hour away from home driving on the highway (albeit wayyy too fast!!) and nearly wrecked when the announcement came over the radio. Terrifying. She is such a sweetheart though. She said she wished it would have happened at the high school instead because at least they were all old enough to handle it better than all the little kids. She is so protective of the little ones. She loves so many of them sooo much! I know it was scary for her to think of any of them in danger. We have so many close friends with kids still at the grade school, many of which witnessed the attack.

I do fine talking about it but when I start thinking about the "what ifs" and all that could have happened it takes my anxiety through the roof. You just wish you could protect your child always. I just have to keep reminding myself that God is watching over her every second of every day and He is her ultimate protector. You can't ask for more than that.

To everyone who has been sending prayers, I can say they are very much appreciated. God is answering prayers as Mrs. Lane continues to recover. She, the children, etc. will need prayers for quite awhile so if you are inclined to pray, please do so. The families and friends of Notre Dame Elementary and High School thank you as we begin to heal from this horrific tragedy.

Check out my Slide Show!

The Let-Down

Jayne has left

The let-down begins

LOL

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We had such a glorious time while she was here. We had party after party with all the family members. So many we hadn't seen in years. It was wonderful!

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The cameras were out in heavy numbers, so there are LOTS of photos to check out. Many, many memories have been preserved. I don't know who had more fun, the adults or the kids!!

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Just be sure to read the captions under the photos is all I can say. Just wish I had photos of the kids when they climbed out on the icy swimming pool room roof at Angie's house, or when they were playing in the Dippity Doo at Dale's!!

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Now back to life as usual...laundry, housework, cooking!!!

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I miss you Jayne!! Love you!! Hurry back soon!!

Your dear sister,

Nancy

Jayne is home!!

Jayne is home for a visit!

This is Teisha (in the green) and Jayne (in the brown).

Her schedule is hectic with all the parties and get-togethers.

It is so wonderful having her home and we are trying to make the most of every moment we have. lol

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

2008 is here!!

And so far, so good. Alright, so we're only a few days into it but hey, they've been a good few days. lol I still have all my decorations up. I love them and have no desire to take them down. I wonder how long it will take the neighbors to start talking if I leaves the decorations up outside and keep turning those lights on every night?? **evil laugh**

I was a good girl and ate my cabbage on New Year's Day, so I am hoping for prosperity for 2008. I also made my resolutions for the year. Keeping my fingers crossed that things work out. Must stay positive! :-)

Happy New Year everyone!!

2007 Winding Down

Only a few days left in 2007. Wow! Where has this year gone? All in all, I guess it's been a pretty good year. Nothing real remarkable, but okay. I would have liked to have had better health, felt better and have been back to work but I'm thankful that I've felt as well as I have. Tomorrow is a new day, and almost a new year!!

We have a friend of Danielle's visiting with us from Texas. What a sweet girl. I am really enjoying her visit. We also have another friend of theirs staying with us too while she's here. It's so nice having a house full of girls again!! I love it! We take her back to Columbus tomorrow though to meet up with her parents. We're going to do some shopping at Easton Mall first. LOL Girls have to shop, right!! We are talking about letting Danielle fly down to Texas over the summer to visit with her. Just talking though, cause it makes me nervous thinking about it! lol

Let's see, New Years' Resolutions.....get healthier, eat better, lose some weight, work on quilting UFO's (un-finished objects), and get the house more organized (always a constant in my life lol.) I'd like to start walking again so I will start that again as soon as it warms up a little bit. I can't take the cold anymore. There are probably some more but that's all I can think of off the top of my head. The first three I listed are also in the hopes of me going back to work. I miss Nursing.

What New Year's Resolutions have the rest of you made?

Happy Birthday to ME

That's right, it's my birthday! 29 again!! lol
Danielle and Dan are in the kitchen right now fixing me breakfast. Is this the life for what?
Danielle is fixing it and Dan is supervising her. Then this evening we are going to my parents for dinner, then opening presents there with them. All in all, a very relaxing day for me I am hoping.

Christmas is tomorrow. I am finally all ready I think. I thought I have been ready many times but keep thinking of "one more thing" I need to get. lol Then all those little things I've put off till the end that only take a few minutes to do, I finally started working on and it took a long time to do them all. Not such a great idea to put them all off till the end now that I think about it!! LOL

Merry Christmas everyone and blessings to all.

Catching up again

Hmmm, catching up is all I seem to do anymore. lol I have been a busy, busy girl. Doing what you ask? Nothing much worth noting. LOL

I took Danielle and her friend, Erin, to the Easton Mall in Columbus on Sunday. My friend, Pat, went too to keep me company. We all had a good time. We had some bad weather on the way there and did some scary sliding across some bridges, right past 2 cops and 3 separate head-on collisions. The last thing I wanted to do though was turn around and drive BACK over those bridges to return home, so we continued onward and had no further problems.

We shopped in the beautiful falling snow. We laughed, shopped, and ate all day long. It was wonderful. And thankfully the drive home was completely uneventful. Whew!

The next day I started coming down with the classic winter cold. By now it is full force head congestion, sneezing, etc. The whole 9 yards. I got a Z-pack of antibiotics from my doc yesterday, and started them today, so hopefully this will calm down. And no, I wouldn't have gotten antibiotics for just a cold, in case that is what you are thinking. I had the signs of a sinus infection so that's what I got the Z-pack for. lol It's handy sometimes being a nurse. lol

I have almost everything done that needs done for Christmas so that is good at least, but there is still quite a bit more I would like to get done. Mom and I were going to get together to make cookies this week. Now we have put that on hold, waiting to see if I get to feeling better in enough time. Argh! I just have a few presents left to wrap...maybe 5. Then only have stocking stuffers left to buy. Not too bad. Still though I'd like to be out doing that right now!! Oh well...

So that's it from me. I am just sitting back in the recliner for a few days. Drinking OJ and taking it easy, trying to get plenty of rest.

One down, 26 to go

I finished one of my UFO's. If you check my huge list to the left, under my picture, I have them all listed. I started with 27 but finally finished one of them. Just 26 to go now!! Woo hoo!! Some are really close and some are barely started. I'm hoping with not being in any swaps or anything that I can focus all my sewing on those. Alright, those who know me are really laughing right now!! I'm just hoping to FOCUS so I can keep on track and SEW. ROFL