"Happy 18th Birthday, Jonathan!"

Today, 10 November 2009, was our son, Jonathan's (we just call him "Jon") 18th birthday! It's so hard to believe that he's 18 already. It seems like it was only yesterday when he had to hold on to my hand when we went to the antique car shows with his brother, Joshua, his dad, and me. He would look to me for protection and security, and he used to be so little. But now...oh my goodness, just look at him now! He must be at least six foot three or four inches tall!

We're very proud of the man that he is becoming. He is a sensitive, caring, young man. For the most part, he is very good to his father and me--much more so than most young men his age. He has been a blessing to us for most of his life. He has been agreeable and helpful, and hasn't given us too much trouble when we've asked him to do things for us or even when we've asked him to just wait for something that he really had been wanting for a long time. He has always been wonderful about doing chores for his dad, like mowing the lawn or helping him clean out the gutters, and when we all got together to clean out and organize the attic and the dining room, he was right there, all ready to pitch in. And when we actually did the work, he was fast, efficient, and he gave me some great ideas to speed up the process that really helped! (In the photo above: That's my husband, Dion...Jon's dad...with Jon, the "birthday boy" himself, today, right on his birthday. I love my handsome boys!)




There are so many memories throughout the years, but I think my favorites are when I'm listening to the laughter of he and his dad as they watched movies/DVD's in the livingroom while I was in the bedroom, surfing the web on my laptop or reading, staying out of the way (they never put it that way—it's just a cute way of stating it) so that the guys could have some special "alone" time—I thought they needed it because they don't get much time together, really, and once the time is gone, you can never get it back.




So, Happy Birthday to you, Jon, and remember that we love you very much and always will.




Until next time...stay safe, stay well, and may the Lord bless you all.

Cynde

Please check out my other blogs:
Cynde's Got The Write Stuff ~and~ Usurper Exposed. Thank you!

"Happy Six-Month Birthday, Little Noah!"

You may have guessed by the title of this post that our adorable little grandson has just recently turned six months old. The second of November was the big day for little Noah and, as always, it was marked with laughter and smiles, all the way around. I don't think that his Grandpa (my husband, Dion) or I have ever seen him cry, since the day he way born. He is such a happy, well-adjusted little boy. He exudes joy and he makes people want to smile just by looking at him--I've never seen anything quite like it.



Noah's giggle is quite infectious, too. His tummy seems to rumble with the joy of it. And somehow, he can't seem to stop after he has started. He is just too precious for words! Quite honestly, I'm sure that I would still love him, even if he weren't my grandson. But the fact that he is my grandson fills me with such pride that I could burst to overflowing. To think that Dion and I are that little treasure's "Grandma and Grandpa" makes me ecstactic beyond words. By the way: did you notice that Noah is sitting up all by himself? Isn't he amazing?




The Lord has really blessed us this time. Praise the Lord big time!



Until next time...stay safe, stay well, and may the Lord bless you all.

Cynde

Please visit my other blogs:
Cynde's Got The Write Stuff ~and~ Usurper Exposed. Thank you!

"I Confess To A TinkerBell OBSESSION!"

There are so many people that love TinkerBell, too. I have her EVERYWHERE at home, do you? I have posters, bank checks, keyrings, backpacks,note cards, address labels, necklaces, earrings, Christmas decorations, yard art, you name it! I guess I must be OBSESSED! I have even named my computer TinkerBell and put beautiful little TinkerBell stickers on my laptop and even inside my CAR! Weird, huh?






And now that the new TinkerBell movie, "TinkerBell: And The Lost Treasure" is coming out, Dion (my husband) has ordered that and "TinkerBell: The Movie" both for me for presents for our eight-year wedding anniversary, which falls on a Tuesday this year (17 November 2009). I can't wait to watch them. Here are the clips that are posted on YouTube.com from "TinkerBell: And The Lost Treasure" for you to enjoy:

















I bet you're just as hooked on TinkerBell as I am now, right? Well, there is plenty of TinkerBell memorabilia out there for you to choose from and you'll be able to surround yourself with TinkerBell things to your heart's content.

Until next time...stay safe, stay well, and may the Lord bless you all.

Cynde

Please visit my other blogs:
Cynde's Got The Write The Stuff ~and~ Usurper Exposed. Thank you!

"Happy Blogaversary To Me!"

If it hadn't been for "Teena in Toronto" who owns the blog called "It's All About Me", I would have completely missed my "Blogaversary" for this blog. Teena left me a "Happy Blogaversary" message, for which I am very thankful (Thank you, Teena!) and it reminded me that as of 27 October 2009, I have had this blog up and running for a whole year now!

So, "Happy Blogaversary" to ME! And to all of you, of course, because without you, I probably wouldn't even bother writing this blog. Thank you for reading my posts and for always encouraging me when you do. This has been a great year for me and I have met a lot of wonderful people. You have changed my life and also become a valuable part of my life.

Cynde


Please visit my other blogs:
Cynde's Got The Write Stuff ~and~ Usurper Exposed. Thank you!

"Birthdays and Other Stuff..."

Boy, it sure has been an eventful couple of weeks these past few weeks! On Tuesday, the 29th of September, my sister, Carol Lee, took me to my monthly trip to the pain clinic in Groton, NY (she has to go to the same doctor as I do, so we ride together and make our appointments together every month). It just so happens that this day it was also Carol Lee's birthday.

"Happy Birthday, Carol Lee!"


The only photo that I have of Carol Lee at the moment is the one that was taken about six years ago (see above) for a "four-generation" photo. It has from left to right in the top row, Carol Lee's daughter, Audra; then Carol Lee on the right; then on the bottom row it has Carol Lee's mother, Mary Ellen, with Carol Lee's granddaughter (Audra's daughter), Olivia, in her lap. Carol Lee looks basically the same now as she did then; if anything, she has only gotten prettier.




After our appointment, we did the usual and picked us a few groceries at Shur-Save in Trumansburg, then went to Mom's to spend time with Mom and Sande there. We look forward to the gab-fest that we have there together every month. It's the only time that the four of us can get together; and this time we had an extra special, surprise treat: Audra was able to join us, too!

I brought along a bunch of pictures of Noah (my grandson) for everybody, and they all picked out their favorites so that they'd have some to show off to the rest of their family and friends—even Livvie picked one out for herself. It was so adorable.

Then, on Thursday, the 1st of October, Dion reinjured his back at work again. He really did a number on it this time—he can hardly stand up straight at all. He was bent over so bad that he couldn't even stand up straight. It was just pitiful and it totally broke my heart. It is so unusual to see Dion down for the count like that and it really scares me. It also makes me wonder: if something happens to him, then who is going to take care of us? Because right now, Dion takes care of both of us. I'll just have to trust in the Lord, that's all. So...all of you out there reading this, would you please pray for my husband. I can't bear to see him in pain. I love him so much.





The next thing that happened was on Friday, the 2nd of October. Our grandson, Noah turned exactly five months old on that date. Isn't that amazing? And, as you already know by the photos that I have been posting, he is an adorable little guy. I'll post a couple again, just for a reminder. Here's Noah:















The final thing that has happened is with my nephew, Carol Lee's son, Bret. He had to go to court today to find out what his sentence would be after something that he did in March 2009 that he regrets very much.

Bret got a DWI; and then when the police went to arrest him, he took off, so they had to chase him, so he was cited for resisting arrest and fleeing the scene. I can't remember what else. Anyway, the Judge, who happened to be the same judge that denied me my right to get my pistol registration, was the one he had to go before.

The purpose of this court date today was for sentencing from when he went before and was found guilty. Carol knew that there was a chance that Bret might go to jail, but for some reason, she didn't think that he should have to go. I feel really bad that he did have to go, but we do have to face the consequences of our actions, and the only thing that I can figure is that the Lord must have thought that Bret must have needed to go. I am sure that the Lord is watching out for Bret, and not matter what happens, He is in control. I believe this with all of my heart—I have to—because if I didn't, then I would just break down and cry.

It breaks my heart to think of the possibility that Bret may be scared or claustrophobic, but Carol Lee hasn't mentioned it, so it must not be a problem. I've been praying for him and plan to write to him several times while he's in jail. I just hope he'll read my letters this time.



Until next time...stay safe, stay well, and may God bless you all.

Cynde

Please visit my other blogs:
Cynde's Got The Write Stuff~and~ Usurper Exposed. Thank you!

"More Photos Of My Adorable Grandson!"

On the 1st of September, Dion went over to visit Josh and Noah and he had a great time. Noah was still taking his nap when he got there, so he talked to Josh for a while, and patiently waited for Noah to wake up.


Every time we go to Josh and Chrissy's place, we take our camera along so that we can take picture. Lately, Chrissy isn't there anymore because she's at her job at the bank and we're usually just stopping by after a physical therapy appointment for me or a doctor's appointment for Dion and it's a couple hours before Josh has to drop Noah off at Chrissy's mom and dad's house so they can watch him while Josh and Chrissy are both at work. Then Chrissy goes over there after work and stays until Josh gets home, or at least until it's Noah's bedtime.


I wish that Josh had normal, daytime hours for his job, but he makes good money and it's a good job with lots of responsibility, plus he's excellent at it and the main point is that he loves it. The fact that he loves his job is worth his weight in gold!


Anyway, after a little while, Noah did wake up and these are the pictures that Dion took of him. He sure is adorable, isn't he? He has been gorgeous since the moment he was born. But the best part of him is his sweet little spirit. He is so filled with joy and love that it just oozes out of him. You can tell that Josh and Chrissy shower him with love—and so do the rest of us! We can't help it—we love him so much!





Until next time...stay safe, stay well, and may God bless you all.

Cynde

Please visit my other blogs:
Cynde's Got The Write Stuff ~and~ Usurper Exposed. Thank you!

More Exciting Family News and Photos!

I've been working on my writing quite steadily and I thought you might like to see some of the main characters ( or "protagonists", as we call them in the writing world) in the book that I'm working on for my grandson, Noah.

First of all, let me introduce you to the twins, "Joey" and "Baby"; and "Joey's" little friend, "Teddy".

"Baby" is pretty much the lead protagonist in the book because he is the most fearless and he is a leader. He is very loving, but he's also very spontaneous, which tends to get him in a lot of trouble.



Then there's "Cowie". He has very low self-esteem because people usually just automatically don't like him. It's not because of anything he's done. He's not rude or mean and he doesn't even smells. Also, it's not because of anything that's he's done, either, because you see, "Cowie" is the nicest guy around. The only reason people don't like him is because he's a different color—and that's it! So..."Baby" and the gang set out to fix that problem, set people straight, and teach them a valuable lesson...with the Lord's help, of course.

Which reminds me: my brother, John S. Bond's book, "Blood Kin" is now on sale at the Ithaca Border's Bookstore. The books were put out for sale on Monday, 31 August 2009—which, coincidentally, would also have been my brother's 62nd birthday, if he were still here will us.

If you would like to check out the two special articles that I wrote about my brother's book (one of the articles includes excerpts from the book) that are in my blog, "Cynde's Got The Write Stuff", they are here and here.

Until next time...stay safe, stay well and may God bless you all.

Cynde

Please visit my other blogs:
Cynde's Got The Write Stuff ~and~ Usurper Exposed. Thank you!

"Catching Up Again!"

I thought I would post a recent photo of Dion and I so that you could see what we look like, just in case you don't know or don't remember. There is so much to catch up on, too.

As you may remember, one of my two best friends, both of whom are named Penny (I call them "My Pennys from Heaven!") was very saddened by the death of her father in July. Her name is Penny McGill. Well now, ironically, my other friend named Penny—her name is Penny Flora—has also lost her father. He died on August 22nd, while Dion was on vacation so we were blessedly able to go to the funeral.

Gerald A. Flora,72, VAN ETTEN, NY — died Saturday, August 22, 2009, at home. He was born in Brownsville, PA, July 1, 1937. He is survived by his wife, June M. (Pratt) Flora; two daughters and two sons, Penny Flora, Lansing, Allen (Marjorie) Flora, Las Vegas, NV, Pamela (David) Golden, Ithaca, Douglas Flora, Tres Pinos, CA; five grandchildren, Jessica Golden, Ashley Golden, Elizabeth Flora, Douglas Flora, Leland Flora; sisters, Joyce Broida, Long Boat Key, FL and Norma (Donald) Southard, Toano, VA; brothers, Leonard (Barbara) Flora, Horseheads and Danny (Sandra) Flora, Lockwood; aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews and very special companion, "Charlie."
Jerry was predeceased by parents, Charles and Pearl (Cundy) Flora; brothers, Charles Jr. and Timothy; sister, Patricia Flora Brown. Jerry retired from Streeter Associates in Elmira after 38 years as carpenter. He was a member of Local 281 Carpenters Union for 50 years. He was a member of Van Etten Fire Department. Jerry had supervised on the Van Etten Town Highway building and worked on the Van Etten-Spencer VFW Post 8139 building addition.
Funeral services will be Tuesday, August 25, 2009, at 5:00 p.m. at Allen-Manzer Funeral Home in Spencer, NY. Friends may call from 3 to 5 p.m. before the service. Interment will be in Mount Hope Cemetery, Van Etten, NY. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Van Etten Fire Dept. or Southern Tier Hospice.

Penny's father was always very sweet to me. He seemed to be able to tell that I was shy when I went over to their house with Penny, so he would go out of his way to make sure that I felt comfortable. He would make sure that I always had plenty of pop to drink; he'd always keep the conversation going; he'd show me his new lawn mower or whatever gadgets he just bought and how they worked; he would show me whatever the latest projecthe was working on outside/around the house.

I particularly remember the time I went out to the house when they had first been given "Charlie". I couldn't believe that someone would want to give away an adorable little guy like him and I remember thinking that he was a perfect fit for June and Jerry and that God must have wanted "Charlie" to be part of their family. God works in mysterious ways, doesn't he? Look at how much joy "Charlie" brought to especially Jerry and vice versa. And now "Charlie" will be there to comfort and cuddle with June — how sweet can you get?

When I would spend Christmases with Penny and her family, both her dad and her mom treated me like gold — just like I was a member of the family. Those were good memories — memories that I will always cherish.

Jerry Flora was a lucky man. He was well loved by the community and his family. He was a good husband; father; grandfather; brother; uncle; cousin; friend; mentor; neighbor; fireman; carpenter; and whatever he set his mind to — Jerry Flora was just a good man...period. May he rest in peace in the arms of the Almighty Father. Amen.

Until next time...stay safe, stay well, and may God bless you all.

Cynde

Please visit my other blogs:
Cynde's Got The Write Stuff ~and~ Usurper Exposed. Thank you!

Did You Miss Me? Well, It's TINKERBELL's Fault!

Did you miss me? Well, I certainly have missed you! I have been so busy, and I have lots of news to catch up on, too.


The only reason that I haven't been online is because: "Tinkerbell" (my laptop computer) has been extremely naughty! She refused to cooperate with me--at all! And then when she did decide to, it was only for an hour, here and there. She was driving me crazy!

I finally had to have the "Doctor" look at her, and her prescribed some medications that have worked wonders on her, shall we say, "attitude", and she is feeling much better now.



After I get situated and all of my photos downloaded, I'll try to get some more postings done in the next few days so that I can catch up on some of what has been going on.

I am amazed at how helpless I felt when I didn't have a laptop available to use. How did I become so dependent on one? I'm wondering--do all of you out there feel the same way as I do? I wish you would leave me some comments and tell me one way or the other and if you have an interesting story to tell along those lines.

Also..."Tinkerbell" just asked if she could leave a message for all of you and I said, "yes". Here is her message to you (and to me) for messing up my computer and interrupting my blog for three weeks:



"Awww...Your apology is accepted, "Tinkerbell". Right, guys? Now...let's try to put this episode behind us and we'll all try to do better, OK? But...if you do it again, I'll have to replace you. Understood, "Tinkerbell"? Alright then. Great!"



Until next time...stay safe, stay well, and may God bless you all.

Cynde

Please visit my other blogs:
Cynde's Got The Write Stuff ~and~ Usurper Exposed. Thank you!

"Ahhh...The Memories!"

This past Saturday, (08 August 2009) Dion was outside walking around our property, and guess who was keeping an eye on him? Yep, our kitty, Capote. Dion got a shot of him on a tree stump just behind our yard, right in front of the gully. We have a really deep gully running the whole length of our property, behind our home, and when it rains, the stream runs so wild that you would swear there was a train traveling full speed behind our place. Some nights, though, the sound of the wind combined with the roaring stream is so soothing, that it lulls us to sleep.

Also...back in the 70's, one of our favorite places to go was a little place on Rte. 96, just outside of Ovid, called Argus's Drive-In. They had a little Restaurant with regular tables and a bar to eat at inside the place, plus outdoor tables for when the weather was good, a really nice Gift Shop for the locals and the many tourists visiting our area, and a really nice spot for Miniature Golf.

The proprietors of the establishment, Walt and Jean Argus, were friends of Mom and Dad's and they always bought their cars from Dad. Dion's father used to own a gas station in the early 60's called R & R Texaco on the corner of Rte. 96 and County Rd. 139 in Ovid, which was just up the road from Argus's, so he knew Walt Argus pretty well. The Argus' son and daughter, Rick and Cathy (?), used to come over to our house and play with us when we were little--that was a long, long time ago, but they were very happy memories.

Argus's has been closed since 2001 or thereabouts, so Dion took our "new" car over there and snapped a few pictures of the place, just so we'd have them for our memories. The place hasn't really changed at all (except that it's all run down now) since when it opened up originally (in the 50's, I think). It was such a popular place, and it was so cute in there, too. It had a real homey feel to it, and everyone was very friendly. It kinda reminded me of "Happy Days" in a way, with the comaradarie and all of that--I wish that restaurants were still like that. Every once in a while you can find one that is, but not very often. When we do, those are the places that we keep going back to...so we can hold on to that feeling of "the good ol' days".

Dana's birthday was yesterday. He would have been 57.

Until next time...stay safe, stay well, and may God bless you all.

Cynde

Please visit my other blogs:
Cynde's Got The Write Stuff ~and~ Usurper Exposed. Thank you!

"Happy Birthday, Josh!"

Dion had the day off on Monday (03 August 2009) so he took me to my early morning appointment with Dr. Alexander regarding my Worker's Compensation injury of my left shoulder. I've been dealing with this since 1992, and then I reinjured it in 1993, so it's been a long time that it's been hurting. When I hurt it again really bad in December of 2007, I thought it would never get better, and since then, I have had to go to court to have things approved. I wonder if they'll still give me a hard time or not because I took so long to go to the Drs. after then. Who knows?

Anyways...after that, we stopped at Empire Vision to see if they could fix my sunglasses, but they weren't open yet. So, we went over to Penny's Restaurant to have breakfast. That has fast become "our place" to have breakfast and lunch whenever we go out, which isn't very much, really, but has been more than normal lately, I'm happy to report. I go stir-crazy being cooped up at home all the time—I feel like life is passing me by and it scares me. I'm in pain a lot, but I can't let that totally stop me from living, can I? I have to do something to get out of this rut!

We had a nice breakfast and we laughed, talked and really enjoyed ourselves at Penny's. Then we went over to the drug store to pick a birthday card out for Josh while we checked on my prescription (which wasn't ready, of course!). We found the perfect card for Josh, and since they also would not make the copies we wanted made there, our next stop was "The Copy Shop."

We parked quite a ways down the street from "The Copy Shop" because it was such a beautiful day, we wanted to get some fresh air and exercise. When we opened the door to the shop, there was quite a heated discussion going on between two customers (an elderly man and his wife) and the proprietor of the shop. The proprietor was trying to convince the customers that "Obamacare" (The forced Healthcare package that Obama is trying to "sell" to the country) would be beneficial to all of us, and they just weren't having it. I thought I might need to jump in and assist the customers, but they were definitely holding their own while at the same time maintaining an air of dignity and decorum. They knew exactly what they were talking about! Of course, the proprietor kept waffling back and forth when the customer had an answer for everything she tried to point out (all of it false, naturally) and she was faltering, so she had to give up so she woundn't totally lose face in front of us (too late!). It was great to see that not all Americans have fallen for the propaganda that "Obamacare" is the next best thing since sliced bread.

After they left, we got our copies made in relative silence (which we were thankful for) and headed over to Josh's apartment. You know, I really love Josh and Chrissy's apartment. It's so bright, clean and airy. It's in a nice location and it has a great big yard—I really think they'll be quite happy there.

When we got there, I felt terrible because Josh had been sleeping—he said Noah was up late, so he looked exhausted. But Josh is always so happy to see us. He's such a sweet boy—he's a man, of course, but I can't help referring to him as a boy because he's my boy.

Anyway, we gave him his card, because his birthday is tomorrow—he'll be 22 yrs. old—it's hard to believe, but true. We went to the livingroom to talk for a while and catch up, plus we wanted to try out a DVD that we had brought with us because it would not play on our DVD player. It ended up not playing on his either, so Josh suggested that I try playing it on my computer—which I did later, and that didn't work, either. Oh well...the DVD must be defective.















I wrote a note to Chrissy and explained that she could go ahead and exchange the things that I had brought for Noah (I brought some adorable printed t-shirts for him) if they didn't fit or she didn't like them, but Josh said they would be fine.

We were just getting ready to leave (Noah had been taking his nap this whole time, but Dion wanted to leave because he didn't like being there when his "ex" was there. She acts like he doesn't have a right to be there!) when all of the sudden we heard Noah moving in his little crib. We all went into his bedroom, Josh picked him up, and he was scowling at us—he was trying to focus and wake up. I know that a couple of the pictures that I'm going to post aren't all that clear, but I have to post them anyway—they are just too cute not to. My camera doesn't click when a picture is done, so we don't know when we can click again, and the pictures sometimes turn out blurry. Time for a new camera, I guess.

When Noah heard our voices and finally focused, he was all smiles for his grandma (that's me!) and grandpa (that's Dion!). You can't imagine how that made me feel—I lit up like a Christmas tree inside. We love that little guy so very much that it's unbelievable. We are so blessed, aren't we?

Until next time...stay safe, stay well, and may God bless you all.

Cynde
Please visit my other blogs:
Cynde's Got The Write Stuff ~and~ Usurper Exposed. Thank you!

"What An Awesome Day We Had!"

On Thursday (30 July 2009), Dion took the day off from work because he was scheduled to work on Saturday and Sunday due to the special "Cash for Clunkers Sale". Thurday just happened to be the day that Carol and I were scheduled to go to the Pain Clinic together to see Dr. Ortiz, so Dion said, "Why don't I go along with you?" I was ecstatic! I was so excited that he would finally be able to get to meet "Dr. O" and see what I was talking about, so he could decide if he wanted him for his pain doctor as well.

Things were going along great; I had my clothes laid out; the packages that were to be mailed were ready to go; everything that I had to take with me was lined up; my list was ready; and I was ready to step into the shower. Then the phone rang. It was Josh. He had Noah with him and he wanted to visit, but I really didn't have time, or I wouldn't be able to get ready on time.

Dion decided to zip on over to his mom's and meet Josh there and take some pictures and then I would finish get ready when he came back. (He helps me with my shower, etc. because I'm disabled.) So he was only gone about 15 minutes and I got the bathroom ready for my shower when he was gone.

When he came back, we still had two hours before Carol was to pick us up, so we were still in good shape. I hopped in the shower and started singing away, happy because I knew my sweetheart would be with me all day, and then the phone rang again. I dismissed it, thinking it was probably just a telemarketer (they hound me all through the week, every week!), but it wasn't—it was Carol, wondering if it was at all possible if we could be ready in 20 or 25 minutes!

She had explained to Dion that "Dr. O" was being called away on an emergency and that if we weren't able to get there early, we'd have to wait a whole week until we could get in to see him again—and I couldn't wait that long. My prescriptions were running out! So, I told Dion to tell her we'd be ready.

And we were! In fact, Carol was late five minutes and we were standing outside waiting for her! That's the fastest I've ever taken a shower and gotten dressed. I would never have been able to do it without Dion, though. And when we got home that afternoon, I felt as if I'd been run over by a Mac truck!
But we did have a great day. We went to the doctor's, and then to Shur-Save for groceries, then to the Post Office in Trumansburg to mail a couple of packages, and then on to Mom's to see Mom and Sande. We laughed and talked and had a great time.

I was so proud to be able to show off having Dion as my husband—you know what I mean, right? I mean because I'm proud to call him my husband. I love him so much and he's so sweet—that kind of showing off.


While we were at Mom's, Dion showed us the pictures that he took of Noah at his mother's place. He said that Max, her dog, was so jealous that little Noah was getting so much attention, that he was barking his head off. Poor little Noah jumped about a foot every time Noah barked because his bark is so shrill. I know that Max likes Noah—he's just a little jealous of him, that's all. He'll get over it. And when Noah gets older, I bet that he and Max will be the best of friends!

Aren't those photos all adorable? He is so photogenic! And look at those huge eyes. He is such a good-natured little guy, too. Dion and I love him so much! And his mother does, too. My mother hasn't had a chance to meet him yet, but Josh and Chrissy and Noah will be going to see her very soon—probably in the next few weeks. I can't wait. I'd like to have Jon there with us so we can have some pictures taken. Maybe Sande and Carol can go, too.

By the way—Noah is three month old today—
"Happy Three-Month Birthday, Noah!"

Until next time...stay safe, stay well, and may God bless you all.

Cynde

Please visit my other blogs:
Cynde's Got The Write Stuff ~and~ Usurper Exposed. Thank you!

"Flowers, Flowers, Flowers!"

While surfing through my Bloglist and checking out friends of friends, I came upon the most delightful site yesterday. It is called Today's Flowers, and it's full of the most beautiful flowers. It's run by a woman named Denise who is really sweet, and evidently, she allows people to become "Guest Friends" and post their own pictures of flowers on her site. Here is her logo:



I'm going to start searching for flowers around here that are worthy of photographing so that maybe I can become a "Guest Friend". I would love to do that! Here's a photo that would probably be ok:



Flowers have always been such an important part of my life, whether they be real, plastic, or even silk. My husband, Dion and I are just preparing to overhaul the window-boxes on the house and replant the flowers. The flash sleet-storm that we had on the 25th of June really destroyed a lot of our flowers. I'm just glad that I hadn't purchased our hanging plants yet or they would have all been destroyed, too. When we're done with the project, I'll take photos and post them, and then you can tell me what you think, ok? But before I go, I'll post two more of my favorite photos of flowers for your enjoyment. Here they are:

This one, of course, is a multi-colored rose. The rose is the most popular flower, by far, and is available all year-round, in all the colors of the rainbow.

And, each color has a different meaning meaning, so before you send them to your loved one, it's best to ask your florist. Here's a brief list of the most popular ones used:

• Red Roses—Red roses speak of love, romance, passion, and beauty. The color red is the most popular of rose colors, expressing clarity and boldness of feeling. Red roses are perfectly suited for romantic adventures.


• White Roses—The white rose symbolizes purity, innocence, virtue, girlhood, and happy (bridal) love. It also stands for truth, humility, secrecy, spirituality, and reverence. White roses add harmony to red or yellow bouquets. And, a single white rose bud represents pure and innocent youth. White may be the most widely used in the meaning of rose colors.


• Yellow Roses—The meaning of yellow roses was once infidelity, jealousy, and dying love. This image may have been due to its once malodorous nature, which has long since vanished. The yellow rose is now admired for its sunny good looks. It represents joy, delight, friendship, and freedom (from romantic entanglements). Send them for “Congratulations” and “Get Well Soon.”


• Pink Roses—Appreciation and gratitude capture the primary meaning of pink roses. Their cheerfulness sends a message of gladness, joy, happiness and fun. Their grace and gentleness make them appropriate to send for friendship as well as for sympathy.


• Yellow Roses With Red Tips—Yellow roses with red tips represent friendship with the promise of love. We can easily hide our meaning behind the sunny disposition of the yellow rose, in case our feelings are not returned. But who knows what might happen if we add special meaning to our gift of flowers with a hint at attraction. Already have someone special in mind? Consider sending them a yellow roses with red tips birthday ecard.


• Coral Roses—Coral roses speak of passion and desire. They are not quite as hot-blooded as red roses, a useful nuance in the language of flower colors.


• Black Roses—The meaning of a black rose is death, farewell, and mourning.
  “Black roses” are actually dark red or deep burgundy in color. They are the closest thing to a true black rose, which does not exist in nature. There are a few appropriate occasions when you might like to send black roses. You can send a black rose birthday ecard anytime.


• Hot Pink Roses—Dark pink and hot pink roses express thankfulness, appreciation and gratitude. Use them on any occasion when you would like to say “Thank You.”


• Blue Roses—Light blue roses are often called lilac or lavender. They tell a recipient of your enchantment with them, and of love at first sight. The blue rose also symbolizes mystery and yearning for attainment of the impossible.


• Peach Roses—Peach roses express appreciation, admiration, sincerity and gratitude. These positive and gentle emotions are perfect for sending flowers to friends and business associates...to say "Thank You" and "Congratulations."


• Purple Roses—Among blue colored roses are the purple roses. The purple rose represents majesty and protection. It has also come to symbolize love at first sight.


• Orange Roses—Orange roses “turn up the heat” and represent enthusiasm, fascination, even desire. Consider these to add "spice" to your floral message.

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Then, some added information that I thought that you may like to have:

Meaning Of Color Combinations
Red and White.......... Unity, harmony, and bonding
Red and Yellow......... Happiness, joy, celebration, and congratulations
Yellow and White...... Harmony
Yellow and Orange.... Passionate ideas

How Many Flowers To Send?
Single Red Rose........... I love you, I still love, new love
Single Rose, Any Color... Thank You
Rosebud..................... Pure and lovely, beauty and youth, innocent heart
Two Roses Entwined..... Engagement or marriage is eminent
Bouquet in Full Bloom.... Suggests "full flowering" of the emotion conveyed
One Dozen Roses......... Gratitude
Two Dozen Roses......... Congratulations
Four Dozen Roses......... Unconditional Love

I hope you've enjoyed this posting about flowers as much as I have. Don't forget to visit Today's Flowers as soon as you get a chance. I promise you won't be disappointed!

Until next time...stay safe, stay well, and may God bless you all.

Cynde

Please visit my other blogs:
Cynde's Got The Write Stuff ~and~ Usurper Exposed. Thank you!

"This Sure Has Been A Looonnngggg Week!"

Dion and I finally have our new (to us) car on the road. He took off a couple of hours from work on Tuesday and we went to the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) to have it registered, etc., and everything went perfectly.

Sadly, on Wednesday evening, we had to attend the calling hours for the father of one of my two best friends named Penny. I think I've spoken about them before. I call them: "My Penny's From Heaven". One Penny's name is Penny Flora (she's not the one from Wednesday night) who used to work with me for Cayuga Auto Parts and also Allan's Auto Repair. We also used to be roommates and she was a bridesmaid in my wedding. She's been my best friend for about twenty years and I love her to death! The other Penny is Penelope McGill. She's been my hairdresser and my best friend for about eighteen years. I've known her father for just about as long, plus, when I used to rent an apartment from Penelope's sister, Patti, her father used to live right next door to me.

He was a sweet man who was lonely and just needed someone to love. He married two women that were not right for him and seemed to abuse him. They took advantage of his giving spirit and I do believe that they broke his poor little heart, but he never complained. He always had a smile upon his face. And now, praise God, he is with the Lord and reunited with the wife of his youth, the mother of his four loving daughters: Patricia, Pamela, Pandora and Penelope. Frank Peabody is now in Glory; he is happy and without pain. We don't have to feel sad for him anymore. I thank the Lord for that!

Please remember to say a prayer for Penelope and her family, won't you? Her husband, Doug (I call him Doogie!) and their children, Jon Philip (J.P.) and Faith, will be missing Frank and will need prayers for comfort during these coming weeks as they adjust to this tragic loss. Please also pray for Patricia, Pamela, Pandora and their families as well. Thank you.

My 84-year old mother made a peanut butter birthday cake for my twin sister and me (it's our favorite!) and it turned out so cute. Let me describe it for you: The cake itself was a yellow cake with peanut butter icing. (Yummy!) There was a bird in the middle of the top of it, flowers and candy sprinkles surrounding the bird, then chocolate buttons lining the whole outside of the cake. In addition to it being a very pretty cake, it was very moist and delicious! Check out the pictures. Am I right or am I right? (hahahaha!)

Mom also sent over enough ziti and meatballs for a couple dinners for both of us. That was scrumptious as well. My mom is an excellent cook—the best in the county, for sure and maybe the best in the state! I guess I'm prejudice, though, right? I've always thought that Mom was actually the best cook in the whole world, but I didn't want to go overboard and say that. That would make me sound quite juvenile, wouldn't it? ("Well, too bad! That is what I believe! So there! Naa-naa! she says, as she sticks her tongue out at the people looking backing at her.) LOL!

Speaking of moms...Dion's mom—one of my favorite people in the entire world—is in the hospital right now. She drove herself to the doctor's office yesterday, because she hadn't been feeling well for several days and thought it was because she had switched medications, and they sent her to the hospital. She had them call Dion at work so that he could take her to the Emergency Room (ER). I'm so thankful that he was not delivering a part or a car out of town, because then he would have felt terrible. This way he was able to take almost the entire day off and wait at the hospital with her until she was waited on, then when Aunt Betsy (his mother's sister) got there, they waited to hear what the results of her CT-scan and x-rays were.

In the meantime, we had gone to check on her the night before and brought Max, her dog, up to our place to watch him because it was getting too hard for her to keep letting him in and out to go potty, so we're going to keep him for a few days. He always settles right into the schedule here like he's always lived here because he had to live here for three months one time when she went into the hospital. She had major surgery and we almost lost her—it was pretty scary. Max was so glad to see her when we were finally able to return him to her. It was so precious when they were reunited. He must have thought she was gone forever! That's him in the photo. We just adore him, and he loves us right back.

It turns out that Barbara has a very mild case (thank the Lord!) of diverticulitis and she also has a urinary tract infection (UTI)—not good, either one! She must be absolutely miserable. No wonder she hasn't moved an inch off her couch in days. And now she's going to miss the festivities for her "60th High School Class Reunion". That is such a shame. Please pray for her speedy recovery, ok? I love her so much! She's been just like a second mom to me ever since I've been 14 years old—that's fourty years! Can you imagine that? Wow!

Until next time...stay safe, stay well, and may God bless you all.

Cynde

Please visit my other blogs:
Cynde's Got The Write Stuff ~and~ Usurper Exposed. Thank you!

"Cars, cars, cars!"

Dion and I have been driving ourselves crazy trying to find a car (pardon the pun) these past several months, and there just hasn't been anything worthwhile out there. For the past 20 years, Dion has always bought his cars for a substantially reduced priced through his job, but that is not an option anymore. I can't imagine why they have taken that employee benefit away, but it has really caused hard feelings throughout most of the rank and file. Thankfully, Dion is not the type to let it bother him—he knows that the Lord is the one that provides for him, not his employers, so he doesn't worry or hold a grudge. I'm so blessed to have Dion for a husband—I love him so much!

Anyway, to make a long story short, I think we've finally found one. We're really excited. It's a 1999 Mercury Marquis LS, Limited Edition. It's light blue in color, just like the one that we had before it that we loved so much. We had to let my twin sister, Sande's husband, Allan, tow that one away because it had a broken frame and it broke our hearts as well because we loved that car, but with a broken frame, it just wasn't safe to drive anymore, and Dion feared for my safety. He's such a good man.

So, if all goes well, they'll deliver the car some time today and we should be able to drive it on Monday. I've posted a picture of the car so that you can see what it looks like. Isn't she beautiful? Those wheels are the exact ones that we have, also.
Now all we have to do is come up with her name. Do any of you out there have any ideas? Let me tell you the names of some of our other vehicles so that you'll know how we usually name them:

• 1963 Chevy Impala = "Bullet"


• 1990 Oldsmobile Cutlass = "Rocket"


• 1973 Honda motorcycle = "Punkin"


• 1970 Honda motorcycle = "Goldie"

I'd appreciate it if you'd post your ideas by commenting to this posting. Then I can choose the one that I like the best. I'm really having a hard time thing up a name for this one and usually they come to me quite easily. I'll be trying to think up one tonight, but I sure would like it if someone out there would give me a helping hand!

Until next time...stay safe, stay well, and may God bless you all.

Cynde

Please visit my other blogs:
Cynde's Got The Write Stuff ~and~ Usurper Exposed. Thank you!