Jacob

My little boy.........years ago.

A long. long time ago....

A little boy blessed our home. It happened on April 28th, 1992. He wasn't such a little boy at 10 pounds 3 ounces but he sure was cute! It made my mommy heart break when they let me give him a quick kiss before running off with him to put him in the incubator on oxygen. He has brought alot of joy to the Gates' household and I wouldn't change him or the world. We love you Jacob Daniel!

That's the way I like it!

Laying all snuggly in my bed when it popped in my head.....I should fix my hubby some breakfast. Sooo, I dragged my sleepy self to the bathroom and asked him if he would eat oatmeal if I fixed it and he said he sure would. I can't believe I was able to pull it off without burning the place down since I am not a morning person. I was quite pleased with myself because while breakfast was cooking I also packed him lunch and made my hot tea. By 7:04 I had done the lunch and breakfast, showered and dressed as well as packed my stuff to go to work. Yep, hubby thinks I might be a morning person yet. I doubt it. Some things just never change. :)(:! I am slowly changing some things though. My breakfast ALWAYS includes an apple. I eat less chocolate and I try to behave!!!! Except for last night. I fixed milkshakes. I told hubby I wasn't sure I wanted one but I wanted to do something bad and that sounded like it was bad enough. I asked Seth if it made him happy when he saw me doing bad things like drink milkshakes or eat candy. The reason for asking this is because when I get rid of my last 25 pounds he is going to buy me a CRICUT cartridge!

I wonder.................

I say I am not a cat person but I find myself sitting here wondering what the vet is telling my hubby. I wish he wasn't going through this alone. I was asked yesterday if we would get another cat and the answer is "no." I have learned to like this cat but don't have any desire for another one. I suppose there have been some good times. I will miss her on some level. I know that she doesn't have a soul and when she is gone she will just be gone. I think the neighbors cat died because she had her garbage out and it smelled like something dead was in there. I wasn't unfortunate enough to be home to smell it but Jake took the trash out in the wee hours of the A.M. because he said it was stinking up our Apt. too. Poor Chompers...she was so mean to that cat. One can only wonder how he died. She used to throw stuff at it and you could hear dshes crash against the wall. My hubby said he hopes she didn't accidenly kill it with a plate or something. Only God knows how long it was dead in there. :( Who knows maybe our cat just has some sickness going on.

Poor Kitty

I am not a cat person and never have been but I feel pretty bad for my "cat person" hubby right now. Seems as if the "Sarah Cat" is nearing the end of her journey! What a journey it has been. She got dropped off at our house about 14 years ago and through much care on hubby's part became a part of our family. She has used up several of her lives in that time. I nursed her back to health after some kind of bite in Fla then a year or so ago she got sick and we thought she wasn't going to make it. I guess now she is old and tired. She no longer grabs his shoestrings every morning. Funny how she was never a mother but mothered everything else...including me! I woke up more than once with a big toe between her paws getting a good "licking." She used to love to sleep on my hip! It was weird to wake up with a cat on me like that. When we first got our lab she didn't like him AT ALL! She wouldn't even pretend. Then one day she started to cozy up to him and his eyes were wide with fear but over time he relaxed and it wasn't unusual to see them fast asleep together. It was quite funny to see her groom him. He was usually less than thrilled. Nope, I am not a cat person but I love my hubby and what hurts him hurts me. I guess in some small way I have also gotten attached to her and when she is gone I will miss her. It sort of broke my heart to wake up to hubby getting dressed late last night. He was headed out to get something for her that would perhaps make her feel better.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

It's been 17 years since our home was blessed with a beautiful girl. Our baby has grown up and we couldn't be more proud of her. She works hard at home, school and her job. She got 3 CHAMPS cards in one day! AWESOME! The years have flown by since they laid our 8 lb. 3 oz little one in my arms. Our family has been better because she has been a part of it. I love you, beautiful daughter!

HUH?

I am addled, bewildered, befuddled, confused and alot of other words that mean I have no idea what is going on. For months the computer wouldn't recognize my memory card reader. Today I tried to set up a new tower and it wouldn't show the internet explorer icon so I set the other one back up and WOO! HOO! It reads my "doogmaflopper" again! I am thinking I will never understand computers. If I can drag my sleepy little self out of bed tomorrow then I will post a more recent picture of my little girl.

Our Girl

I won't be here tomorrow to wish a Happy 17th Birthday to my littlest angel. I can't believe how the years have flown. I told hubby yesterday that I was definitely feeling my age. Anyway, April 20th, 1995 I woke up thinking that after hubby got home from work we would go to the hospital and they would do a little magic, send me home and the next day we would go back in and they would do a little more magic and AARON JOSEPH GATES would be born. That wasn't how it turned out. We did go in and they did a little magic but baby #4 decided not to put me in the misery that inducing might cause. There wasn't any going to eat at Red Lobster. I didn't get to go home at all. It was so funny because I had never come close to being induced and didn't realize that sometimes it didn't go the way you thought. We actually had Jonathon with us but whatever they did made me actually start labor! Daniel had to quick take him to our friends---after grabbing him a bite to eat. Before the midnight hour rolled around we were blessed, not with Aaron but a beautiful baby girl. I was shocked when my hubby whispered, "it's a girl." The Dr. said it at the same time. I raised up and said, "it's a WHAT???" Sure enough, there was the cutest baby girl I had ever seen! They put her footprints on daddy's arm and he carefully washed around it for 2 weeks or so. I had to trade my Cavalier in for her but it was a trade that was well worth it. We love you Abigail Celeste Gates! I hope your birthday is wonderful. You have made mine and dad's world a better place by being a part of it!

JUNKIN'

Last night as I was taking Seth to work I saw an old window in someones trash but we didn't have time to turn around and stop. On the way home with hubby we got to it before I remembered it. I told hubby I wanted it but he kept on driving. I wasn't really surprised because getting treasures from anothers trash is not fun for him. When we got home he told me that he would of stopped but there was someone too close. He asked what I wanted if for and I told him it was kind of hard to explain. On the way back to get Seth he had to pass it again because someone was too close but he actually turned around! YAY! When we got there the window that I thought was laying ON a table actually had been made into a table. COOL! The legs on the table were pretty new and possibly oak so hubby got something out of the deal too. I am so happy because not only do I have a window I have been wanting I have an OLD window. Hubby says that based on his experience it is from the 60's and maybe before! He asked me to try to explain what I am going to do with it. My plan is to distress it with black paint and put a black and white picture of each of the kids in the panes. He thinks it sounds cute. I hope it turns out like I picture it. I will post a pic of the "table" and the after pics of our projects. I think he is going to use the legs to make me a side table! Thanks, hon. I think I might turn you into a trash collector yet!

a few pics

My 25 cent sconce. Before

After pic of my mirror. I need to redo it since I have learned a few things!

Roses from Seth.

A few of my cards.

Apple Blossom.

A bush at my clients.

I'm gonna miss you!

Another friend has left us for a better place. I am sure going to miss Sam Roy. He used to tease me alot when I was a teenager. Actually he never quit! When we lived in Florida and came home on vacation he asked if I was still married. Of course I told him I was and he looked at me and said he couldn't believe it. I was like, HUH? He said that my husband must be quite a man to put up with me all those years. I sort of smiled and he bumped my arm and said he was kidding me. The last time we were all there as a family he told me it was great to have us in the service and I had a fine looking family. I appreciated his kind remarks regarding my family and it is nice to have that memory!

AAAHHH!

It was nice to have yesterday off. I wish eating had been easier. I am going to try soft foods for a couple of days and if that doesn't help then I will have to see a Dr. I had given real serious thought to trying a Dr. approved diet to lose some weight but found out that you are strictly monitored which is a good thing but it messes with your system and you have to gradually enter food back into your diet. If I needed to lose alot it might be worth it but not for 25 pounds. I have lost 6 in the last few days by having a sore mouth! LOL! Hubby and kids didn't want me to do it anyway. I guess they think I am just fine the way I am or they were afraid I would give up cooking. Plus, I would hate not being able to eat the candy I got for Easter! Oh, well. I am looking forward to the day off tomorrow. Seems like my energy level is high right now. I got up and showered and fixed hubby a lunch and did some staightening up before leaving the house. I was glad for company on my way to work this A.M. Saturday and Yesterday stunk! I made the trips alone! On the plus side, walking into my house and having my hot tea ready for me yesterday was AWESOME!

:) :) :)

I'm SO happy! The schedule falls in such a way as to let tomorrow be my day off! YAY! We had dinner with Jason, Linda and the girls last night. I am thinking the only thing better than Easter dinner is 2 Easter dinners. I only wish I could eat.
:( I woke up Wednesday morning and the roof of my mouth felt sore and by the time I got home I could barely talk. OMW! It really hurt. I felt like it was so swollen there was barely any room from my tongue! Abby looked in there and told me it was really swollen and looked like I had a blister. Not sure what it was or why it popped up but I am glad it is better. I just have to get ALL better by tomorrow. I ate some last night but it was more torture than pleasure. :(

Wonderful!

I had a fabulous day off. It was nice to spend the day with my hubby. I just wish my girl wouldn't of had to work early. Her dad picked her up, brought her home then took the boys to work. Seems like someone is always gone but I guess in the grand scheme of things that is good. They are all happy to have jobs and we are happy for them. We took it easy all day. I think the hardest thing I did was make a Chef Salad and wash the dishes that wouldn't fit in the DW. It was greeeeaaaat! I got my new Country Sampler in the mail which was unexpected because I was so busy looking at the "Home" edition I didn't realize it was time for a new one. Drinking hot tea, looking at the mag and enjoying the chimes Seth got me last week made for a pretty relaxing day. I got the deck fixed up the other day and hubby likes it. The flowers are all potted and waiting to be put in the ground when we move. The invention of solar lights makes for a nice ambience out there when night comes. The only not so wonderful part of the day was having 4 wasps sharing the kitchen with me. Seth had a good time getting rid of them! He learned from his father that it is more fun to whack them across the room so they hit the wall then it is to just kill them outright!

Oh?

Seems like some friends are only friends when they need something. What about the times when you need a listening ear? I guess I always thought the friendship thing should go both ways. Funny how you can look at a message or text and know that someone is down or they want something from you because otherwise you wouldn't be hearing from them. On the other hand, there are the ones that you see and you know before you even look at it that you are going to be laughing because that is what they do best---make you laugh! AAAHHH, the joys of life!

FABULOUS!

I had alot of "fabulousness" going on lately! Fabulous birthday: complete with shopping, lunch and a beautful cake made by friends. A bunch of nice gifts from my hubby and kids as well as pampering. My hubby even took the day off! I got to go out the following Wednesday and shop at some out of town shops~~~hubby had another day off! It was FUN! I am thinking I like these "ME" days alot! I get kind of blue thinking about my kids getting to be adults but when I come home to a clean house and can just enjoy them I realize that even though they are growing they are turning out to be exactly what we tried so hard to raise them to be...hard workng, productive members of society. I love my famiy and I am looking forward to some of the positive changes that we are hoping will take place real soon!

Good times...........

My birthday was awesome! We went to some of the little shops that I love so much. It was so much fun! We ate lunch with friends. The cake was beautiful and the food was yummy! I got alot of nice birthday things. My sock collection is growing~~~thanks to my Abigail! I was so thankful for some good sleep. After 2 nights of barely 4 hours I was exhausted! I am going to post some pictures pretty soon. I can't do it at work anymore because for some reason the computer doesn't recognize my cable. Weird. I was posting right along on FB then one day I tried to load some and it won't let me. :(

Hello, blogger world!

It seems like I have something going on all the time but nothing to post about! I guess I could be like some people and post every detail of my life! I have been doing some redecorating and some card making with my "Cricut." I love that thing alot!!! It is so much fun and every cartridge has so much to do. I am going to make some stencils for my hubby real soon so he can make me some signs. I redid a sconce and it looks passable. LOL! It turned out like I was hoping it would so I guess that is what matters. Hubby got my shelf done~~~it is painted,"federal blue." I like it! He has the wood cut out for the cupboard/cabinet he is making for the kitchen. I can't wait to have that done! Let me see....I am planning to takea day off real soon. That's about it in the Gates' world. Besided the fact the whole family is employed!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

I can't say I'm not glad to see the end of 2011. Not nearly as glad as I was to see the end of 2009, though. The Holidays are over and they were good. It was great to have my son, Jonathon, home for Christmas. Just watching my kids interact and enjoy life makes everything good. My hubby went to the Tin Shack in Georgetown and got some of my Christmas gifts.....lucky me! I LOVE that place! I am going to redo a very short wall in my dining area so the gifts are for that area. I have been eyeing a nightlight/tart warmer that was in the Country Sampler...I now own it! I am looking forward to just doing some things that I have been wanting to do. My client got me a "cricut" and some cartridges along with some accessories and her daughter got me some more accessories and scrapbooking stuff. I have made an appointment with myself to have some play time tomorrow!
HAPPY NEW YEAR to you all! Oh, yes! Unlike some people I didn't gain a pound over the holidays in spite of homemade cinnamon rolls, candy, chocolate and other good stuff. I am proud of me!!!