Wow, what a crazy past couple of months!

We had to have the some repairs done to the house. Those of you that own a home know what it takes to get estimates scheduled. Meet with the contractor & make the decision. The type of repair we had to have done of course leads to other repairs that need to be made, then you must go thought the scheduling of those contractors to get those estimates. Believe me the house is secured for the winter with more repairs & work to be done early next year. Oh & don't forget Bryan had the LAFS School Skit in October he was scheduled to do.

We have always felt very blessed with a wonderful daughter & son. When Bryan or I could not make a scheduled meeting she/they was here to help out. Thank you Jenn, Cary, Brylee & Chester for being so flexible with your schedules to help us.

We also had to make a prioritize the repair list. One because of trying to schedule time around the important work that had to be done & holidays coming up. Two MONEY!!!! With the type of repairs a lot of inside work now needs to be done. Well while you are doing those you might as well do this, we want to change that. As you can see a domino effect starts in.

Well I'm not going to go through all the details of the repairs but touch on some FUNNY comments/sights that happened while the repairs were going on.

Last year we went from Halloween/Game Night to Thanksgiving /Baby Shower in 15 hours. Well this year we went from Game Night to getting ready for a leak. Everything in the Dining room had to be moved out.
The living room had furniture & other boxes similar to this 28 years ago on Halloween. We had just moved in a few days before.

This is what happens when you do not move vacuum under the China Cabinet for 20 years......you have a mound of dirt.

Chester trying to dig a hole deep enough to get rid of the mean old cats!!!

Jennifer wanted to put Brylee's hand prints in the fresh concrete. Looks like the cats thought they deserved the honor!

As you can tell we kept our sense of humor while we went through the repairs. So far the west side of the yard took the worst hit. Looks like I will need to get out & do a lot of therapy next Spring!

Home Sweet Home!

The Christmas Dinner

And it came to pass on a Christmas evening,
When all the doors were shuttered tight,
Outside standing, a lonely boy-child,
Cold and shivering in the night.

On the street every window
Save but one was gleaming bright;
And to this window walked the boy-child
Peeking in saw candlelight.

Through other windows he had looked at turkeys,
Ducks, and geese, and cherry pies;
But through this window saw a gray-haired lady
Table bare and tears in her eyes.

Into his coat reached the boy-child
Knowing well there was little there
He took from his pocket his own Christmas dinner
A bit of cheese and some bread to share.

His outstretched hands held the food and they trembled
As the door it opened wide
Said he "Would you share with me Christmas dinner?"
Said she gently, "Come inside."

The gray-haired lady brought forth to the table
Glasses two, last drops of wine.
Said she "Here's a toast to everyone's Christmas,
And especially yours and mine!"

And it came to pass on that Christmas evening
When all the doors were shuttered tight
That in that town the happiest Christmas
Was shared by candlelight.

Performed by Peter Paul & Mary

Happy 35 Years

Bryan I wanted to let you know just how wonderful you have been over the last 35 years!

Thank you for making me laugh. Wiping away the tears when I'm sad. Holding me when something upsets me. My strength when I just can't go any more. Your support when I make decisions. For being there when I have been sick and/or surgeries I have had to go through. The adventurers we have had. You pushing me when it need a nudge. Making me laugh! Yes, I said it twice because you know I do believe that might be our little secret to our long marriage.

Thank you for being the Ashes to my Petunia. Santa Claus to my Mrs. Claus. Poppy to my T-ma. Dad to my mom. Thank you for being my husband!

Thank you for not only keeping me safe, warm & protecting me but for the love you have given & shown all these years.

Not long ago you brought up that even though The Jarvis FunHouse has been dubbed as our home in the last 5-6 years, you stated that it was est. on November 26, 1975. You are so right! When I hear the Jarvis FunHouse I think of all the laughter & love that it has meant to me & of course the first thing that comes to mind is YOU! What a perfect name for our home.

So I wanted to let you know how much I love you! I'm looking forward to the next 35 years of adventures with you.

Love you!

Tressia

M & M Cookies

This is the time a year that traditions & memories seem to fill the air. The time that we all gather together with all our family & friends. As with many of you we have do have a couple of traditions. M & M & No Bake Cookies.Yes we have had Rice Krispies bars, haystacks, cakes but nothing seems to be more of a tradition at Thanksgiving as M&M & No Bake Cookies. Well with the lifestyle change & thinking maybe others are getting tired of the M&M & No Bake Cookies I have entertained the thought of not doing them any more. To me this would be hard to do. Then I start thinking of all the memories that have come because of 2 little letters. M&M
When I was 8 years old my mom presented me with a recipe book. One of the first recipes I baked was one called Colored Cookies. The few times I was able to make them I liked it. Why? Was it because it was the first cookie I ever baked? My daddy smiling when he had his first bite?
Bryan & I were married on November 26, 1975. During the first couple of weeks of our marriage I was telling him about these cookies I made as a chIld. He in turn was telling me about a cookies his mom made that he called Dog Food Cookies (No Bake Cookies) we decided to bake some Colored cookies since I had my little recipe book. What fun we had making them & eating them.
I usually try to stay home the day before Thanksgiving to get everything ready for the wonderful day. One year I went into Jennifer's room to ask her what time she needed to be at work, & she told me, I took the day off so we could do our traditional baking together. REALLY?!?! I always enjoyed our time baking. Munching on the M&Ms while putting a few more on the cookies. Talking. Eating the right out of the oven cookie. I was not sure she enjoyed it as much as I did. Well I received my answer that day.
I have a niece that loves my cookies. One year she was not able to come to Thanksgiving or was it Christmas? Anyway, I wanted to let her know how much I loved her so with the help of her sister & mom I sent her a tin of cookies. I loved doing it because even though she was miles away we were still sharing the holidays. I try to be sure she leaves after Thanksgiving that she has a bag of cookies to go.
There was a time that Bryan & his partner in crime, I mean friend/co-worker worked from the house. I loved baking the cookies & taking them a sample cookie from each batch as they came out of the oven. I think they enjoyed it. I know I loved the critics comment, Mmmmmm
Amy & her family stopping in for a moment to drop off Boy Scout Fund raisers to go on to Mike's family thanksgiving then come back & have left over Thanksgiving. When they came in they always asked where the M&M & No Bake cookies were. Hey it was a long trip & they needed something to keep them going.
Jennifer went to London 4 years ago. This was one year I had to work the day before Thanksgiving. What a night. I needed to talk with Jenn about some pretty important things, but had no way of getting her. She finally called me to see how the baking was going & say she that even though she was glad to be in London she missed baking cookies with me. We were able to get everything handled & worked out. Thankfully I had the cookies keeping me busy. Yes, I saved her some cookies so when she got back. :)
3 years ago while Jenn & I was baking, Cary called. Jenn said she would need to leave for a few minutes if that was OK. Of course I understood, I knew what the errand was before she told me...they went to get their marriage license.
Well this year we had a great time with the cookies. Jennifer on one side of the counter & me on the other. Cary running after Brylee & handling supper for us. Bryan making it in from his business trip just in time to eat with us & sample the cookies. This year was special not because we had all of us gathered but it helped me to make a decision. Brylee did get to sample the cookies. She loved eating them with her Poppy/B-pa. When I finally was able to get my hands on her for a minute, she started signing & looking in the direction of the cookies. She was signing eat & more. I went over & broke off a piece of cookie & gave it to her & handed the rest to her Poppy/B-pa. Yep that is what she wanted.
Remember me mentioning at the beginning of entertaining the idea of retiring the cookies? Well the decision has been made..........M&M cookies stay! As long as God will allow me to bake cookies for the moments like this I will.
I know what the M's stand for on the candies. Do you??? Moments & Memories
HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE!!!

HAPPY FIRST BIRTHDAY BRYLEE

Happy 1st Birthday Sweet Girl!
There is so much to tell you about your first year. The list would go on & on & on.

From the first time we saw you in the nurse's arms going down the hall & getting to ride with you in the elevator to the nursery to have you checked out. Now you are a beautiful little toddler. The smiles & expressions you have. The curiosity you show. And so, so much more.

We feel so blessed to have you as a BIG part of our lives. You have turned our world upside down. We can not wait to see what the next year will bring.

We love you sweet girl!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

TMA & BPA/Poppy

How did you Spend your Extra Hour?

How did you spend your extra hour?

Well, I was awakened by another Hot Flash! I looked at the clock & it was about 3:40. Of course then my brain started waking up wondering if it was 3:40 AM Daylight Savings Time or Standard Time. You see we have a new clock & it is suppose to change the time automatically! SWEET! Well until I was sure of what time it was I had to get up and check the time. Well now my body is completely awake & I had to get started. (I would have tossed & turned & then Bryan would not have gotten any rest.)

This is what I did with my extra hour(s):

Got on Facebook & remained everyone to change the batteries in their smoke/Co2 alarms if they have not done it this year. Be sure to test once a month.
Ran 6-7 errands.
Did one Geo Caching. This one was FUN!
Put out Thanksgiving Decorations.
Found a Brylee Bottle from last weekend so that took some cleaning.
Since Brylee had a cold I took & cleaned everything in her bed & wiped it down really good. (Yes, she is sharing her cold with me.)
Re-arranged the front porch decorations.
Had to water all the outdoor pots by carrying out water from the inside of the house to the yard. I could not get to the outside faucet due to repairs being done on the house. (That blog to come soon)
Watered the indoor plants.
Spot cleaned the couch & the carpets.
Wrapped a few Christmas Gifts.
Picked up the yard a little from all the work being done on the house, so it could be mowed.
Took a nap. (remember I had been going since 3:40AM)

Now don't get me wrong I also had to do my normal weekend chores. You know the ones; washing, ironing, sweeping, vacuuming, cat litter boxes, etc. Read the newspaper. Made a couple of phone calls.

So as you can see my brain wondering what time was it, gave me more than 1 hour, it gave me what? 3-4 extra hours to do things around the house. Believe me this is not all I did but I did not want to bore you too much!!!

So how did you spend your extra hour???

Mileena

Before I tell you of the visit with sweet Mileena I wanted to brag on my nephew & niece, Jeremy & Monica. After years of trying for a small blessing they have a beautiful little one, Mileena,a MIRACLE BABY! Monica had to go on complete bed rest for 50 plus days to keep Mileena safe until she would be strong enough enter this world. Thankfully Jeremy & Monica understood what they had to do for this little blessing. Monica's Baby Shower was even held at the hospital. It took a lot of planning but the shower was wonderful! If I remember there were 3 or 4 shifts of guest that weekend to shower Monica with gifts & love. The room was decorated in butterflies & so many gifts. Very well planned.


Well Jennifer, Cary, Brylee & I finally were able to go & visit this sweet little angel. We took dad out to lunch before he went to work so we could see him. Mom followed us over to Jeremy & Monica so she could see how big Mileena had gotten. Of course as soon as I could get my hands on Mileena I had her. I heard Brylee in the background crying but knew her mom & dad had her so I did not pay too much attention. Well I looked up to check on Brylee & realizes she was not real happy that her TMA was holding another baby! I gave Mileena another couple of squeezes & gave her to her great grandmother (mom), & took Brylee. While looking & admiring Mileena I realize that Brylee was no longer a baby, she was now a crawler/toddler.



Monica was so sweet, she got out a few toys for Brylee to play with. We had a wonderful time visiting.




Monica put Mileena into an Halloween shirt & we took a few pictures of Brylee & Mileena. This is Mileena 1st holiday & Brylee's last 1st holiday. We tried to take pictures of Brylee kissing Mileena. It is a little blurry but you get the picture.

I enjoyed visiting with everyone & seeing Mileena. I hope to get a chance to do it again soon.

Congratulations Monica & Jeremy! Welcome Mileena! Love, hugs & kisses to all!!

Halloween 2010

HAPPY HALLOWEEN EVERYONE!!
What a fun evening with friends & family. We all got together about 5:30 & I think & hope had a great time, I know I did! A few of us dressed up. We enjoyed mummy dogs, chips & cupcakes. We played a couple of games; CREEPY (Spoons) & some played Apples to Apples. We visited & enjoyed the younger children playing together. Brylee was so excited to be playing with other children. Evan (3) & Ashton (4) were so good with her. You could hear her squeals of joy over all the talking in the other room! Thank You Evan & Ashton for letting her join you.

We decorated pumpkins!!! We had teams of 2-3 for each pumpkin. Everyone would have won 1st place if I was judging (and could vote more than once) We had misc items you could choose from to decorate your pumpkins. Curling ribbon. Pom-poms. Scary Piece (Mr Potato Head parts but Halloween) Markers. Everyone was so creative!

We already have an ideas for next years decorating contest so we hope to see you then!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

Happy Birthday Jarvis FunHouse!

Who would have thought that when we signed the contract 28 years ago we would still be calling you "HOME".

To some you are just a house but to us & many others you are "HOME". A place that has been part of our lives for years. A place that we can feel safe. A place to gather together with friends & family and feel welcomed. Oh the FUN, laughter, tears & memories you hold for each of us.

If anyone that is reading this blog has a favorite memory to share please do, we would love to hear your favorite memory.

Tiny Room

There is an e-mail that I love. It is called the Tiny Room in Heaven or something similar to this .It talks about an new angel making the tour of Heaven & when they come to one room it is very small & only 1 angel is working in it. When the new arrival ask what room this is the Other Angel answers, This is the room Thanks Yous are received. It makes me think every time I read it. It is so true I'm always asking God for something, but how many times do I say, " THANK YOU"? After reading this I decided I would make it my mission to say "Thank You" every chance am given. Not just for the prayers he answered for me but for the every day blessings. My family. The warm bed I wake up to. The roof over my head. For me not burning my forehead with the curling iron that morning! You get the point.

So I hope that all the "Thank Yous" I say to God for the prayers & daily blessings he gives me he will need to add one more angel to the room.

So if we all said, "Thank You" for answered prayers & everyday blessings maybe, do you think God will have to add on to the tiny room? I'm doing my share are you??

November Goal

Another reason I maybe doing a lot of reflecting is because I'm trying to discontinue my HRT. Since a doctor told me I needed to be off by the age of 55 then why not at 53? With the possibility going off my High Blood Pressure medicines in November what a way to celebrate & be off all prescriptions!

After reading everything about HRT I have decided to do it slowly by cutting the dosage down slowly a little more every 2-3 wks. Believe me HRT is my happy pill & when mama is happy everyone is happy! A lot of doctors recommend cold turkey but I will not subject my family to that! Believe me I know my limits & so do they. When I told Jennifer what I was doing she said she understood & she had Brylee as a shield. THAT IS NOT PLAYING FAIR!

I'm not sure this was a good time to do this. Between home & work there are a lot of emotions. Home is fine, just a lot of changes. Work well we all have our challenges. I did tell a couple of co-workers about decreasing the HRT so they could help me stay in check & not get to grumpy. One recently commented I was not my usual out going, hyper self. Well I will use this to my advantage to mask the possible real reason. I love my job! I love almost everyone there but it only takes 1 person to ruin it for everyone! Remember 1 person. I'm I that person? Are you that person in your work place?

So at this time until all the emotions are in check I will look for my happy place. It might be remembering the weekend FUN! Planning a game night. What can I do to make someone else day special. Saying extra prayers. Just some way to make the day better & brighter.

Yes sometimes reflecting on yourself will guide you in directions you did not think of. Over all I'm really harder on myself than I should be. Over all I'm not as selfish as I think. I'm very thoughtful of everyone around me & I try to take care of everyone else. As I have said Brylee is my STOP button. Now I need to focus on what I can change about me to be a better TMA & a great influence to Brylee.

Thank you God for my Wonderful life & everyone in it!

Stick & Stones

Stones may break my bones but, words will never hurt me. You know every time I think of that saying I think a child or a parent made that up to take away the sting of the hurt they felt when someone said something to hurt their feelings. Yes, WORDS hurt! I know each of us do it. We call names or say hateful things.Yes, we call someone names while out driving and someone does something stupid, like run a red light when yours is green. Or is cutting in & out of traffic. I will give you the name calling as long as your windows are up. You do not make certain jesters or you don’t do anything stupid yourself. Why? Because they do not hear you.You are able to vent & life goes on. No hurt feelings.Is it necessary to call someone you care about or love,names? Or say hateful words, we generally do this when we are angry or mad. How does it make you feel when you are called a name? How do you think the person feels being called names? When I have called someone a name or said something that hurt their feeling it weighs on my conscience for hours & sometimes days.I even get madder at myself the longer I think about it because what I did is unforgettable by my standards & as a Christian. I know that it is according to the person that I have been rude to, they may let it roll off their back or they are hurt & will not say anything.But was it really necessary? How does this affect our relationship.These are just a few questions I ask myself over,& over & over.
So the next time you are about to call someone a name or say something that could really hurt STOP. Don’t do it. I’m learning to bite my tongue or ways to rephrase what I want to say or I just walk away.
I guess as I get older, I'm learning to pick my battles & there are not as many. So remember sticks & stone may break your bones but,WORDS really hurt! Question, ever wonder how God feels when his name is used in vain?

His Not Heavy He's My Brother!

Many of you know I'm blessed with several siblings. It is according to how you look at the families to say am either the oldest or in the middle. At this posting am the OLDEST. I can say I love all of them equally. They each have a special place in my heart.

I'm the oldest at this posting because my oldest brother passed away some years back. I wish I could tell him today how much I loved him & admired him. I always loved telling people about my Big Brother. Love & Miss you Gene.
Toney is 3 years younger than me. Growing up people thought we were twins! Some of the stories I could tell. Toney now lives in South Carolina, with his wife Angie , Stepson Josh & grandson Laythan. Let me tell you Laythan adores his Papa Tex! He is really a great outstanding man in his community. Again his greatest joy in life is the grand baby. (Sound familiar?) Toney is Toney. He speaks his mind. He earns his pay. If you need a helping hand he is there! I'm very proud of you Toney.
Richard was born when I was 9 years old. So as you can see Toney & I had a strong relationship growing up. Richard was Daddy's buddy. He also made me walk miles & miles up & down the street to either wait on daddy to come down the road so he could "drive" home with him or me walk him until he fell asleep in the evening! Richard & Kim have a wonderful son named Richard Ashton Martin. Most of you know Ashton was diagnosed with Cancer a day before his first birthday. Richard is also a very hard worker & he works when he can get the hours so Kim can stay at home with Ashton. Richard is also the shortest of all my brothers, still taller than me . He is also I think the body builder of all of us. Don't get me wrong Gene, Toney & I have the Martin arms but he has the over all muscle/toning. Do not punch Richard in the stomach...you will be hitting a brick wall! Keep his family in your prayers as they continue work through all that life throws his way.

Bill is my youngest brother. We are 14 years apart but at this time in life the closest. Bill & I enjoy picking on each other. Bill is more like an older brother to Jennifer than an Uncle. Bill & I can talk about everything. Best conversations are our yards! We bounce ideas off each other. We talk hours about nothing. Best of all we pick on each other.

As you might imagine I feel very lucky to have so many brothers. They would do just about anything for me. I love each & everyone of them & Am proud to say...
They're not Heavy.... They're my BROTHERS!!!!

Brylee's Eyes

I know many of you might be wondering why I have Brylee's eyes as the picture for this series. Well, My blue-eyed Sunshine is the one that started all this thinking. As I said before she sees everything so differently than we do. It's all New! It's Amazing! Isn't that the way we should feel everyday? OK I got off track again! Brylee likes to bump heads. rub noses, try her best to kiss you, slobber & all.

One day while playing this game I realized that she was looking into my eyes. Not in playing but LOOKING deep into my eyes. It was like she was looking at my soul. Was she just playing? Was she really looking as deep into my eyes as I thought? or was she the eyes of GOD? This of course started me thinking, again. (I have friends that say I over analyze things, and this would be one of the times.) What did Brylee see when she looked inside? Did she see the love I have for her? Did she see the child in me? Did she see a caring person? Does she see how much I love GOD? What did she see?

Well of course that got me to thinking again. What changes do I need to make in my life to be a better person in this world? A good example for Brylee? I need to be a better Christian. I need to set good examples. I need to show Brylee how to help & take care of others. I need to be sure I keep GOD first in my life!