Laurel Siegel

My Father-in-law was one of the good guys.
 Right up there with Roy Rogers, Andy Griffith and The Lone Ranger.
 In all the years I knew him,

I don't believe I ever once heard him raise his voice.

 (And goodness knows we all gave him 1,007 reasons to!)

Laurel loved his garden, his flowers, his pond and his family.
With all he had.

He also loved to dance.

 I like to imagine that when he enters the gates of heaven
and they give him his wings,
he will meet up with his old friends and family,

and dance through the beautiful gardens all day long. 

Without ever running out of breath.

(He might even give them a few gardening tips
or show them a few fancy dance steps!)

I imagine as he looks down on us, he is whispering,

"Don't worry about me. I've got it good here!"

Happy trails, Laurel.

Until we meet again.

Oct. 12th, 1936 - Feb. 25th, 2011

High Five From Lucky

Well, hello there!

How ya doin'?

(Yes, he's standing up!)

The Paper!

Landon and his Valentine's box made the paper!

He made a deer stand, complete with grass and deer.

He put real moss (Craft moss) on the bottom for the grass,

and glued deer and moose in it there too!

The white poles are the legs of the tree stand.

He was so proud.

We are too!

Birthday Pizza

Landon wanted homemade pizza

for his birthday supper.

(His birthday was on the 24th)

So, I called on my good ol' friend,

Chef Boy'Ardee,

and he hooked us right up!

(For a boxed crust mix, I have to say it was pretty good!)

Basketball!

Tim helped coach

Landon's Basket Ball team this year.

Landon getting ready for the shot.

Did he make it?

You bet!

That's my boy!!

Pajama Day!

Every day should be pajama day!

The Boys

Landon celebrated his birthday

 a little early with a few of his buddies.

Are we there yet?

Front Seat: David and Matthew

Back Seat: Sam and Landon

Pizza Ranch!

What do 9 year old boys eat?

Cheese pizza, more cheese pizza

and 2,344 glasses of pop!!

The boys were soooo impressed

with this bus boy!

Full bellies.

Think those 2,344 pops are kicking in!

How did I kill the pop buzz?

Gave them new tablets and pens,

and told them to write something!

Of course, that only lasted two minutes...

Ended the party at the bowling alley!

Landon's DS

Well, I did it.

I broke down and bought Landon

 a Nintendo DS for his birthday.

 He loves it!!

 Because he actually wanted one for Christmas,

I let him have it before his actual birthday.

 The best part about it is,

now when we have an occasion to go out to eat,

 because he has something mind numbing to do,

he no longer gets antsy waiting for his food to arrive.

See?

Works like a charm!



In My Next Life

In my next life,

I'm coming back as a cat.

My Funny Valentines

My Funny Valentines

Peel and Burn? Not Really.

I had my "peel" done last Friday. I was very nervous and didn't even dare drink my normal two cups of morning coffee. I didn't know how long it was going to take and I didn't want to be laying on the table worried that my bladder was going to rupture at any time! The clinic was very, very nice and the staff was very professional. My chemical peel took about 15 minutes tops. The physician applied a clear solution quickly over my entire face. I had a small fan that I was allowed to use at any time. The solution did burn a bit, but with the fan it dried in about 30 seconds and once it dried, it no longer hurt. Then she applied three or four other solutions with the same results. After that, I was done. Piece of cake. There was no change in the color of my face and she even put make up on me before I left! She said that some people peel a lot and some not so much, and that I would probably start peeling on Sunday. Sunday came and nothing. Monday, nothing. Today, a little "flaking" like dry skin and a little bit of pink. She also said some people break out (Welcome back to the teen years!) and that can be a good thing, as it is a result of all the "impurtities" coming out. I can see a few little bumps around the edges of my face. I don't really see any change other than my skin is super soft and my skin tone seems to be a little more even. I won't really know for sure until the pink goes away. I do know that good results take more than one treatment, but I am not sure I am buying into it just yet. I did buy some good wrinkle cream though.
I am determined to kick Mother Nature's butt one way or another!
Where there's a wrinkle, there's a way!!!

About an hour after my procedure.

Coffee never tasted better!

Tellin' It like It Is

It's flu season. Every year, the nasty little bugger doesn't stop until it has hit each and everyone of us it seems. Today it snuck in my house at dinner time. I only had three little ones at the dinner table today. Two girls and a boy. I was standing at the sink washing up a few dishes while the kids were eating when I heard one of the girls sitting next to the boy say, "**** threw up in his spaghetti!" I turned around and ran to the table with two seconds to spare before round two came. I encouraged him to lean over his plate, as I didn't want him to get it all over himself or my upholstered chair. (I had no idea I would be doing dc when I purchased that dining set!)
The little girl who made the announcment never stopped eating. But after round two, she paused for a few seconds, looked at his plate and said,
"He's gonna need more spaghetti."

She was just tellin' it like it is. But, she made me laugh when I least expected it. Puke and all, it made my day.

*For the record, I took away ALL the plates and gave the girls NEW dinners AFTER I bleached the entire table, chairs and floor down! I won't go down without a fight! (The little boy's dad came within minutes and took him home.
Hope he feels better soon!)

What Do You See?

I love this picture.

I haven't a clue who they are, but look at them.

What do you see?

Three old ladies sharing a laugh over a drink?

If that's what you thought, you probably are right.

Because that is what a normal person would see.

Allow me to share with you a tiny bit of what it's like to be me. I can't just look at this picture and see a simple laugh being shared among friends. My mind is constantly turning and never shuts off. Here is how it goes...When I look at the first lady on the left, I think that she probably has worked hard all her life. Her hands look like they have scrubbed many floors, peeled a thousand potatoes and rocked many babies to sleep. Her husband has probably passed on and not only are her children grown, but her grandchildren are grown as well. They all live close by and take turns picking her up for the holidays. She is loved. She lives alone and has two or three cats curled up right now on her bed, just waiting for her to come home. Or maybe one of those little dogs that yip and yap all the time. She likes to cuss and shock people. She is really enjoying herself and will probably have two or three more drinks because life is short damit, and she deserves it. The middle lady is probably married with three or four grown children. Her husband is at home sleeping in front of the T.V., waiting for her to come home. She is the one who everyone in the family comes to, when they need something. She uses humor to keep peace in the family. She is loud and funny. She looks the happiest of the group, but she's not as happy as she looks. She is tired and wishes her family would take responsiblity for themselves and not depend on her so much. When she gets home, she will wake up her husband, fix him and herself a sandwich which they will eat in silence in front of the T.V., before they shuffle off to bed. She will hold a pillow over her ears most of the night, because her husband's snoring drives her crazy, but she doesn't have the heart to make him sleep in the guest room. The lady on the right. She looks lonely and stressed. Her husband has probably passed on recently and she has two grown children who live in another state. They don't visit often. She tells herself and her friends that her children are very busy with their careers and she is proud of them. Her children don't respect her or appreciate all she has done and given up for them. They think she is clingy and wishes she would "get a life." Her whole married life was spent taking care of her children and her husband. She was the perfect mom and the perfect wife. She doesn't know how to be anything else. Now she doesn't know what to do with herself. So she eats. She has gained 15 pounds, but has not purchased any larger size clothes. She tells herself it's just a little bloating. She just needs to use a lighter hand with the salt shaker. Her friends talked her into going out tonight, but she wishes she would have stayed home. She wants to join in with the laughter at the table, but is afraid if she laughs too much, people will think she is being disrepectful to her late husband. She tried on several outfits that afternoon, all of them are still laying on the bed and a few are laying in piles on the floor. She finally decided on the dress she wore when her husband took her to Palm Springs for a business conference, seven years ago. It's tight, but it's the only one that would button. She will hang the clothes back up as soon as she gets home. 

There. That is what I see. That is how I see things all the time. Welcome to my mind. Always looking at the big picture. Now, go back and look at the picture again. Do you see it now? Told ya.

P.S.

I also see a short happy version. Three old ladies sharing a laugh over drinks.
Well, I am a little normal, ya know.

Happy 65th

I dread my birthdays. It started when I turned 30. No matter how hard I try to embrace them, to accept them with grace, I still tend to want to push them away. I am constantly thinking about how short life is. Even if everyone lived to be 100, that isn't very long. Really. It's not. Think how fast the years have flown by for you so far. Wouldn't it be wonderful if the average life span was 200? I'm not saying we need to look, act or feel 200. But, wouldn't it be nice if 200 was the new 100? Someone needs to make a pill for that. So, I've decided that starting this year, I am going to be 65. If I add a few years to my age, then I will not only look half way decent, but I'll FEEL GREAT too! For my age. When I am celebrating my 85th, the folks will say "Honey, you don't look a day over 65."  It could change my whole attitude!
And if I play my cards right, I just might make it to 125.

Burn Baby, Burn!

Tim's birthday and my birthday are four days apart. (Landon has a Feb. birthday too!) We have been together long enough now that when our birthdays come, we just pick up something we really want or need and say that it's from each other. This works really well for us, as Tim doesn't need another tool box and I don't need anymore trinkets that really aren't my taste. Last summer Tim and I were in a giftshop in Royalton and he spoted a key chain with his name on it. He bought it, handed it to me and said "Give this to me on my birthday." Done. I love it. This year however, what I want for my birthday, isn't quite as simple. I have to go back several years to explain it. For most of my teens and 20's, if I wasn't at work, you could find me in a beach chair, laying on the beach. I loved to set my chair right in the water at the edge of the ocean. I would only get up to flip over or to move my chair as the tide came in. I was a beach bum and I have the sun damaged skin to prove it. So for the last 10 years or so, it has been on my bucket list to get a skin treatment. To be more precise, I want a chemical peel. Yowza! That's right. Burn baby, burn! ( A chemical peel is a facial treatment where, the doctor applies an acid that is stronger than what is available in topical creams. The acid burns the outer layer of the skin, which peels off, causing new, smoother skin to regenerate. Like a sunburn. Only this burn doesn't cause damage. It makes your skin better! Now, doesn't that sound like fun?)

I love how this lady is SMILING!

I hope to be smiling too...

Yes, I do know that it will be a little painful.

But, don't most things worth having

cause a little pain?

I am sure you all have heard the nightmare stories regarding chemical peels, and I have no doubt most of them are true. However, there are varying degees of peels. Light, medium, and deep. The deep ones are where all the horror stories come from. I just want a light one. The prices range from $50 to $5000. Peels are a very common facial procedure and millions of women have them done every day. The only thing that has prevented me from making an appointment, is the uncertainty of where to have it done at. There are many fly by night shops set up and way too many quack Dr.'s out there. It's my face. I don't want it messed up any worse!! So a few months ago, I was at a small gathering and I couldn't help but notice the woman sitting next to me on my right side. Her face was pink and flaking a bit. She was fanning herself with a piece of folded paper. I immediatly thought, "Chemical Peel!" I wanted so badly to ask her about it, but since it's such a personal topic, I didn't know how to approach her. So while I was trying to think of a question to open the floor and get her to talk to me, the lady on my left made a comment to her. (Thank you woman on my left!) I honestly don't even remember what she said, but I think it was something regarding the temperature in the room. I was so shocked when the "right" lady just came out and said she had a peel and started to tell us about it. I told her that it had been on my bucket list for years, but I just didn't know where to go. She told me where she went and I decided right then and there I was going to do it! I have a lot of respect for this lady and know that she would only go to a clinic where the best Dr.'s would be available. I trust her 100% and besides, her skin is fabulous! So I made my appointment. I am going to the Catalyst Medical Center in Fargo. (You can google it.) I am getting a light peel. The peel is $80, but I get a $25 discount for it being my first visit! It takes more than one visit before you see real results. That's o.k. I'm prepared for that. So when I told Tim what he was getting me for my birthday this year, he was so happy and thought it was a fantastic idea!!

O.k. I lied.

His actual response was,

"What? You want a what???"

Then,

"O.k. Whatever makes you happy dear."

(That's why we are still married after all these years!)

Now, here is the real reason that I have decided to share my "peel" story with you all. I live in a small town. While there are many wonderful things about living in a small town, one of the bummers of living in a small town is, people love to talk. By the time a story goes from one end of the town to the other, it gets so blown out of proportion and it is no longer anywhere near close to the original story. So I wanted to put my story out there, so that in the event you should happen to hear someone talking about it incorrectly, you can correct them for me! I can hear the rumors already....

 

"Did you hear about Desiree?

Poor thing.

She had a face lift.

 Didn't help at all.

 Not at all...."

Happy Birthday To My Favorite Ground Hog!

Happy Birthday Tim!

Smores Anyone?

Won't be long now and we can build a fire again....

HAHAHAHAHAHA!
Yeah. Right.