Birthday Dreams

Today is my grand-daughter Laila's sixth birthday. I have never seen her,(except for photos) never held her and know little about her except that she is part of me. Happy Birthday Baby. You may not know who I am, but I know who you are, You are the child of a strong young man, who is stuck on one side of the U.S. while you are on another. Your mother won't let you get to know him..It makes me sad. Your the grandchild of a woman who would love to take you shopping, sit by the duck pond and giggle, eating peanut butter sandwhiches, telling you stories of where you came from and all about our family history. But now is not the time...Someday...Someday
One can only hope.

Life hits hard

Sometimes life hits you like a ton of bricks, and that seems to be what is happening all around me lately.
For the most part we are all ok, my daughter is feeling the pangs of early pregnancy, and we are anxiously awaiting her first DR. appointment next week. She finally got the ok today for her medicaid insurance, and unless something happens to prevent it it should be in place by the appointment.
She is still working for a few more weeks at her dancing job, but with her tummy already growing she is taking it a week at a time. Once she quits the extra money stops. That alone is a worry, but on top of the financial strain she is going to have to change baby sitter's soon. "Nana" as we call her was diagnosed this week with stage three lung cancer, It has already started to spread, and she is starting her radiation/chemo next week. We are so sad for her and for the family. Cody has been with her for almost three years now. Nana is only 69 and it has hit us hard. She has two daughter, and one son all living in the area. Her youngest daughter has a five year old and Nana has raised him, keeping him and Cody during the week while his mom and my daughter work. I use to work with her daughter so I feel bad for her, she is unmarried and about to lose her mom.
Her son works at the same store I do in our dock area, so we have connections with this family.
I can only imagine the horror of what they must be feeling. I don't know what I would do if I received this same news. It makes us realize how fragile life can be.
I don't know if any of you are country music fans, but this song seems to fit a bit of what I want to live by.




Live Like You Were Dying
Sung by Tim McGraw

He said: "I was in my early forties,
"With a lot of life before me,
"An' a moment came that stopped me on a dime.
"I spent most of the next days,
"Looking at the x-rays,
"An' talking 'bout the options an' talkin’ ‘bout sweet time."
I asked him when it sank in,
That this might really be the real end?
How’s it hit you when you get that kind of news?
Man whatcha do?

An' he said: "I went sky diving, I went rocky mountain climbing,
"I went two point seven seconds on a bull named Fu Man Chu.
"And I loved deeper and I spoke sweeter,
"And I gave forgiveness I'd been denying."
An' he said: "Some day, I hope you get the chance,
"To live like you were dyin'."

He said "I was finally the husband,
"That most the time I wasn’t.
"An' I became a friend a friend would like to have.
"And all of a sudden goin' fishin’,
"Wasn’t such an imposition,
"And I went three times that year I lost my Dad.
"Well, I finally read the Good Book,
"And I took a good long hard look,
"At what I'd do if I could do it all again,
"And then:

"I went sky diving, I went rocky mountain climbing,
"I went two point seven seconds on a bull named Fu Man Chu.
"And I loved deeper and I spoke sweeter,
"And I gave forgiveness I'd been denying."
An' he said: "Some day, I hope you get the chance,
"To live like you were dyin'."

Like tomorrow was a gift,
And you got eternity,
To think about what you’d do with it.
An' what did you do with it?
An' what can I do with it?
An' what would I do with it?

"Sky diving, I went rocky mountain climbing,
"I went two point seven seconds on a bull named Fu Man Chu.
"And then I loved deeper and I spoke sweeter,
"And I watched Blue Eagle as it was flyin'."
An' he said: "Some day, I hope you get the chance,
"To live like you were dyin'."

"To live like you were dyin'."
"To live like you were dyin'."
"To live like you were dyin'."
"To live like you were dyin'."



Please keep this family in your thoughts and prayers.
Also my daughter found out today that her partner at her day job is going to have to move. They have some financaial difficulties and are losing there mobil home and will be moving to stay with family. This means that Rebecca will have to get use to a new girl to work with everyday (she cleans houses and has worked with this lady for over 3 years now)
Why is it that when it rains it pours?

Flowers For Heroes In Gettysburg

This seems to be a travel photo for Gettysburg, but I found it on YouTube and wanted to share it. Each year on July 4 flowers are laid on the graves at the National Cemetery along with the American Flag. Even if your not a Civil War fan, you have to admit, this is pretty over whelming

Weekend Chit Chat

Most of my weekends seem to fly by, but for some reason this one has been sooooo long. I'm not big on the 4h of July, so we stayed pretty low keyed. I opted to grill burgers on Friday night and had left overs so yesterday I threw some hot dogs on the grill and re-heated the burgers and called it a day. My daughter and I started the day out by planning a trip to take my grandson to the local petting farm, but when we got there they were closed. Who the heck closes a park on the Fourth of July.
Anyway since that fell through we stopped at a couple of thrift stores and wound up at Sears, so Rebecca could buy her some elastic waist shorts. She is already popping out of hers.

I can't believe how fast she is showing with this baby. According to her cycle she is only 8 weeks, but I have a feeling that she is farther along. Either that or there is more than one. Her boyfriend is a twin, so we are holding our breath.
She is suppose to go to the DR. on the 15, and we are hoping she gets the ok on her application for Medicaid by then so she can keep the appointment.

I've been busy trying to clean out my spare bedroom. I still have a baby bed in there from when Cody used it, so I will leave that and plan on adding a twin bed for him to sleep in now. My ex has got him started on spending the night once a week with him, and now he wants to choose a night to stay with me too. I am having a hard time finding a place for all he junk in that room, and really need to throw away about half of it.
I have more books than I will ever read, and tend to be a pack rat. I need to just take a deep breath and give them to the thrift store. I have to admit that I am a bit overwhelmed with all the junk in the room and find it easier to just close the door.
In my dreams I live in a big house like this



Ok, well maybe not that big, since it would be a lot to clean, but we do need more space. This apartment is only 950 sq. ft. I would like to add at lest 50 sq ft when we move again.

Anyway we had a long boring weekend.

Today

Today is Friday, July 3, the 184th day of 2009. There are 181 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On July 3, 1863, the three-day Civil War Battle of Gettysburg in Pennsylvania ended in a major victory for the North as Confederate troops retreated.



Eternal Peace Light Memorial....May Peace rule always in our land and in our hearts

Whaley House Tour

A friend of mine recently visited the Whaley House, Located in San Diego California




The Whaley House has been called the most haunted d house in the United states by the travel channel. The Whaley house was haunted even before the house was built and the family moved in. The first ghost to be reported was the ghost of James “Yankee Jim” Robinson who was hanged in 1852. He was hanged on the property that was used as a gallows before Thomas Whaley purchased the property and built the house. According to the San Diego Union, after the Whaley family moved in, they heard the sound of heavy footsteps moving around the house and concluded that these footsteps were made by “Yankee Jim”. Years later, many visitors to the house said that they saw the ghost of Thomas Whaley
Four family members of the Whaleys died in the house including Anna Whaley. The ghost of Anna Whaley has been seen by visitors in the garden or in the rooms located downstairs. Furthermore, some visitors claimed that they have seen an apparition of a woman in the courtroom.
A spirit of a dog was captured; it is said that the dog was a spotted fox terrier; the apparition of the dog was caught running into the dining room in the house. The Whaley family used to own a terrier named Dolly Varden when they were still alive. The dog died of natural causes and is said to lick the bare legs of women and is mostly seen by children....



While my friend was in the home, she said that the batteries in her camera died, only to have full charge again once she left the house. Also she said that she turned her cell phone to silence while in the home, yet when she entered the chidlrens bedroom, it rang..TWICE and no one was there.
Here is her tour exactly as she gave it to me....


First lets see the courtroom. Originally built as a granary this room was expected to be rat proof because of its brick construction but it wasn't. This room was also used as a school house, a billard hall, a ballroom and a church. From 1869-1871 Mrs Whaley rented this space to the county of San Diego for use as the courthouse.



Next is the general store, Whaley was foremost a business man, and the original design of the house had this in mind. In the earliest found documents he sold buckwheat, macaroni, leaf lard, clear pork, codfish, preserved fruits, oysters, lobsters, pickles, and tomato catchup. His merchandise also included household wares such as wooden wares, tin wares, hardware, and stationary. As well as all manners of clothing such as boots and shoes. Later in the years he also dabbled in liqueur sales such as champagne, ale, porter, hock wine, and schnapps.



As we round the corner we enter the dining room. The chairs are circa 1860 walnut and covered with actual horse hair. The original kitchen was outside and the floor cloth was made of oilcloth and painted with many layers of varnish





Rounding the corner we have two ways to go. Across from us in the rear downstairs bedroom or the guest chamber. General Sedgewick stayed here durning his campaign to attract a transcontinental railroad to locate its pacific coast terminus at San Diego.
Stories passed down from the family say that Lillian Whaley used this room as she got older and her health declined.



Now we move upstairs


From here there are three ways to go. Striaght ahead lies the theater, to the left the master bedroom and on the right the childrens rooms. Lets start at the theater.


Feel free to have a seat, the theater, was leased to Mr Thomas Tanner from Oct 1868 thru Januay 1869. His group was called the Tanner Troupe, and they boasted a diverse repertoire from dramas to comedy. Mr Tanner died shortly after the theater was opened and the troupe was disbanned, so in 1869 this room was rented to the county for meetings of the board of supervisors and the storage of county records




Now lets move onto the Whaley's master bedroom. The orignal bedroom suite is walnut and the hand woven coverlet is circa 1850.



Now lets go to the most haunted room in the whaley house. The children's room is considered cottage style. It is said the dolls will be moved in the dark hours of the night and that the puzzle will be scattered across the floor when employees return for work the next morning.



As we leave the upstairs the last room we visit is the rear bedroom. The furniture in this room is not original to the Whaley family but is from that time period. It is also unkown who would have used this room, employees spectulate that it would have been used for up to four children or visiting family members





As we head back downstairs be aware that there have been stories of Mrs Whaley standing at the head of these stairs in a frock coat and pantaloons.





From here we will visit the Study, and the palor which are attached to each other.
Thomas Whaley was also a city clerk, notary of the public, realtor and real estate investor as well as the railroad secretary. His did much of his paperwork and correpsondce in the study.


This chair rocks by itself

Now to the parlor, it is furnished with items that originally belonged to the Whaley's. The pump organ was Anna's and still works today. She was a musical woman who passed this love onto her children. In fact her son George played professionally at Horton Hall in San Diego's new town.

Remembering

Today I am remembering all the men who fought and died at Gettysburg Pennsylvania and Vicksburg Mississippi. (Major battles of the Civil War were fought July 1-3 1863). At lest two of my great great grandfathers saw battle in Vicksburg July 1-3 and were captured on July 4, 1963. I honor them today and all the men who fought and died for what they believed in.

In The Know

My blog friend PepperLady does a feature once a month called In the Know. She will ask a question and then you answer it on your own blog. This month she is talking about our eating habits.

Even though I am over weight, Mine are ok, Not great, but ok. Most of the time I skip breakfast, but if I do eat I will usually get a buttered biscuit from the Chick Fill A in the mall. I use a pack of jelly on it. I try to avoid the fatty biscuit of sausage egg and cheese, but have to admit I do love them.

Lunch varies. I try to bring from home at lest 2-3 times a week, which may vary from a ham sandwich with some chips, to a frozen dinner. I only buy Marie Callenders and even though they are a bit higher on sodium, they have the best flavor for the money.
If I have left overs such as spaghetti I will bring that from home too.
On the days I do buy lunch or dinner in the mall I will choose from Subway (and try to get a big chef Salad), Chick fil A grilled chicken sandwich, or sometimes Chinese
I work in a mid size mall so we have about 9 places to eat at, but those are my favorites.

Supper (or dinner as some people call it) is done more what time allows. I don't fry any meat (or if I do it is once every few months) and stick to baking. We eat more chicken than anything else, but must admit I would have steaks on the grill every night if I could afford it.
My husband prefers rice or noodles over potatoes, so when I make them I usually use instant. Along with the meat I open a canned vegetable or maybe some frozen broccoli.

I almost never have any dessert at my house. If I do buy something sweet it might be a package of chocolate covered graham type cookies from the store.
My husband loves ice cream, but he is much more over weight than I am so I won't buy it for him often.

I have to admit that I do have a weakness for chips and dip and will buy that about once or twice a month, but I try to pop popcorn in the microwave when I want a snack.
Also if you have a Walmart near you try there Sam's Club brand trail mix, I buy the one with M&M and nuts. It gives in to those sweet cravings but is still healthy

We don't drink alcohol, so my vice is Diet Dr. Pepper. I keep it for home. At work I will get sweet tea, lemon aid or regular Dr Pepper, because I buy from Chick Fill A.
I have a plastic handle cup that I get refiled for 87 cents a day with free refills once I pay for the first one. I bought it about a month ago and have been saving $1.00 a day from the regular price of a drink. That is $20.00 a month and that money is going into my vacation fund for my trip back to Gettysburg this fall.

Anyway as you can see I don't have any really healthy eating habits, but at lest they are not horrible.

Mist in the Hall

One of my co-workers Who for the sake of her privacy we will call Betty is a huge fan of ghostly things like myself, and when I arrived at work today she called me aside to tell me what had happened to her sister this week. I forget her sisters name but for the sake of this blog we will call her Linda. Linda's mother in law (Whom she did not get along with) passed away four days ago. Last night Linda was laying in bed and suddenly got very cold. She looked out into the hallway where she saw a mist. Thinking it was smoke she sat up and took a second look. The mist was growing thicker, and the room colder. All at once the mist took on a human shape and started to come into the room. Linda Yelled out, NO I DON'T WANT TO SEE YOU...And snapped on the light. As she did the last of the mist disappeared and the room grew warm. Linda said she knows it was the mother in law.
Both the girls (Linda and Betty) grew up in a haunted house and both have had these type of experiences before. Betty said she told Linda to set up a video camera tonight and see what happens. I told her to also make sure she has her regular camera close by...Freaky huh

sky watch

Thunder Boomers rolled in here earlier this week, and of course I grabbed my camera so I could use a photo on Sky Watch Friday
The sky got really nasty, but we only got a few spinkles at our house.