Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Summer 2011

I have prayed and thought long and hard about how to finish blogging about my summer with Sweet pea.

She felt like her Father was punishing her making her to stay away from her friends for the summer.I aloud ed her my cell phone so she was in constant, I mean every moment in touch with them.  To the extent that some of her friends parents complained about the constant, calling or texting.

Melissa was so exited about her coming she was sure they would be best friends while she was here.
Sweetpea immediately pushed her away and was rude and hurtful to her.

She didn't want me to say any thing, like do you remember living in the apartments here and going swimming.  I tried very hard not to mention things then that would remind her of her Mother.
But I guess I was the biggest reminder of all.  She tried to put someone between the two of us all the time.  Unfortunately I had a friend who was mooching off of me, because she had lost her job.  This friend was only to glad to be around all the time and do this so she could get most of her meals and any fun things I had planned for Sweetpea with her included.

Things at my son's house were escalating to the boiling point and unfortunately I got in the middle of them. ( I am too protective of my grandson that I have been so close to).  Sweetpea was a spectator at the melt down and took the side of what she preseved as the underdog.

Sweetpea wanted to separate herself from everything in her past that was hurtful to the inclusive of wanting to change her name.  She thought this would make all the hurtful past go away. 

Unfortunately I got my feelings hurt because I was expecting the sweet little girl.  I helped raise for most of her life.  Just my presence reminded her of her Mother and the past.  She responded by shutting me out and we were at a stand still. Every time I would get close to her she would run to either my supposedly friend or the underdog at my son's house.

My supposedly friend was only to willing to stand between us. 

Monday, November 07, 2011

July 17 to finish Sweetpea's Visit

July 17 was my turn to furnish snacks at Church Sweetpea and I arrived early and carried many bundles into the fellowship hall.  I put coffee on while Sweetpea went to Church.  This is a big job and really too much for one person to do.  I decided I wouldn't volunteer again until they did something about the way we have to prepare and serve coffee and hot water.


My friend Harvey helped me empty the big pots I can't handle them by myself.  We went to brunch with him.  His X-wife has taken his car away from him.  He has some dementia problems. He lives on my way to Church and is in my SS class, so I volunteer to pick him up and take him home.  If I take him home after SS that is 10:30 and he has the rest of the day by himself.  He likes to go to Brunch and I don't mind going.  I spend the rest of the day by myself also.  This man is no dummy he use to be a personnel recruiter for Sandia Labs, but he is older and lives alone.  He forget to change his clothes as often as he should.  I believe this is the lest of his problems.

Sweetpea was very rude to him during brunch.  So he could have smelt better but that was no reason to be rude.  Our relationship has been very strained during this visit.  I finally realize that every time I pinned her down to get her to talk to me she ran to my friend..  The interference that friend caused was beining to bubble over.  She tried to get her to not help with VBS.  She didn't like her going to Church with me.

Sweetpea helped with crafts at VBS all week.  I had very good reports about  her actions during the week.  She was still not talking to me.  Every time I would break though and she was getting close,   my friend would interfere.  Friday was the breaking point.  I picked her up from VBS and she had a sack full of things they had made.  I ask about them and got no response.  I ask if she would like to go for Pizza as we needed to go shopping.  She answered that she was tired and wanted to go home.  I took her home and went to the store for a few things we had to have.  When I returned my friend was their again expecting me to feed her along with Sweetpea. 

Sweetpea would talk to her and not me.  I ask my friend to leave and she was  arguing that she was needed.  Sweetpea wanted to leave with her and I told her if she left with my friend she could not come back.  Of course my friend didn't want her so she contacted Dad to get her home of course  that was what Sweetpea wanted.

This  was unfortunatly a very harsh statement but I was very hurt this point and was lashing back in a very hurtful way.


Tuesday, October 11, 2011

July 10, 2011

Sweetpea and I went to church afterwards we  rushed down to Monroe's for lunch with Uncle Mark and friend.  We spent a great afternoon at the aquarium  watching all the fish and visiting the gift shop.

Sweetpea has had my phone and keeps in constant contact with all her friends in New Bern.

July 12 we spent the morning at the mall and the afternoon at tumbling.

July 15 Sweetpea, Shari, Candy and I took the early morning Rail Runner to Santa Fe.  We visited the Cathedral, the chapel with the magic stairs.  We had lunch at the La Fonda and spent the afternoon shopping.  The afternoon Rail Runner full of noisy kids was a long trip home.

Sunday, October 09, 2011

Sunday June 26th

Continuing with the summer. 

I found another great buy at Good Will.  A Singer sewing machine a dress maker head model.   I bought it.  Sweetpea was excited and wanted to learn so sew.  I got excited that someone wanted me to teach them.  We went shopping and bought all kinds of fabric and a pattern for Sweetpea to make for Abby.

Monday 27th of June was spent cutting out fabric and sewing

29th Sweetpea at Uncle Pat's I had a MRI and a Retiree's meeting.  Sweetpea loved to play with Abby.  She acts like she has a real live doll to play with.

30th  we had lunch with my friend Candy and I took Sweetpea across town to tumbling.

4th of July we drove all over far west mesa trying to find a place to watch the fireworks.  We finally settled for the grass in front of Restaurant on Nine Mile Hill.  Watched fireworks and had a late night dinner.

5th of July Sweetpea and I both left street address and phone number at home.  We drove for hours looking for tumbling.  I was sure I could find it but I didn't.  Come to find out we drove by it several times. We couldn't see it from the main road.  Sweetpea missed tumbling and was not a happy camper.

7th of July we took directions address and phone number and found the place for Stunt Class.  We raced across town to Shari's belly dancing class.  We had permission to watch and Sweetpea was fascinated.  I fell on the way in and Sweetpea and Shari took off and didn't look back to see me fall.  I was miserable all during  class.  Everyone was disappointed that I couldn't go on to dinner.  I had to come home and collapse.

9th of July took Sweetpea to a Stamp it up class across town.  She was the youngest in a table of 6 women.  The instructor sat her next to her so the instructor could help her with a rather complicated card project.  It didn't take the instruction 10 minutes to find out Sweetpea's abilities and have her helping the rest of us to make our cards.  The ladies speculated after class at how old Sweetpea was. The youngest they guessed was high school.  Crafts are and will be a breeze for her and should be encouraged.

More log at a later date.

Suprising Sunday

I had a couple of things happen today that were most unexpected.

While I was reading before I got up this morning.  Hubby laid this arm around my shoulders.  Hubby never does anything but touch me, once in awhile. I went off to 8:00AM  service with the sky full of balloons( that Hubby loved) with a very warm feeling.  I had just stepped in the kitchen door ( with my salad for the pot luck today) when there on the floor was a penny.   My Penni sends them to me in the most unexpected places and times.  I don't know why them both chose today to send me messages of love, but the messages were received and very much appreciated.  

Saturday, October 08, 2011

catching up on Summer

I have been unable to publish anything on my blog until recently.  I am going to try and catch up on what I would have been publishing.

June 21, 2011

Hot and humid day in Albuquerque, but a special day I had all my December 30th birthdayer's together.

A Birthday picnic was planned including a cake will all the names Bruce  will be 60 (son) Eddie  will be 30 (gran son) and Michelle (gran daughter)  will be 12.  It was such a rare treat to have all of them together.  We had two tables at the neighborhood park, with 2 great grans  in attendance they got to play on the slides and money bars.  Michelle helped and even get Abby to crawl through the tunnel on top of the slide.

We stayed drinking lemonade and melting until the clown on the cake melted, that was too much.  Most of us when down the street to my little house to cool off.

I think hubby would  have been very pleased and happy for our family to have expanded to include the 12 that were present.

Tuesday, September 06, 2011

Trying to post

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Family Time

Sweetpea and her Dad are here. We went to Glorieta yesterday. We spent some time in the Prayer Garden. Non of us could feel Penni's presence. We all saw butterflies at different times. Of course she is not there but I feel we were acknowledged by the butterflies.

We went to the B&B of Joe and Annie's,she so grasiously fed us lunch. It is so beautiful hubby would have loved to see it completed. He so loved to watch it go up.

Number two son and family is planning my belated Birthday Party today.

Sunday, May 01, 2011

Trouble with IRS

Maybe I should title this trouble with H and R Block software. Or Just no matter how old you get, you can still do something stupid.

Using daughter-in-laws software for H & R Block for taxes. First clue don't use a program you are not familiar with. Smart me I thought I could just go step by step and everything would be fine. NO NO

I filed the federal, not feeling comfortable with the results. I had a return of $876.00. I thought that was fine. I had a lot of medical expenses as well as property tax and mortgage interest. Last year, I paid a couple of hundred dollars to federal. State last year was big, as I hadn't had any taken out. This year I had withholding taken out for state.

I filed the federal to get the monies back to pay the state which was $133.00. I didn't file the state until just before the 17th. So, I could use the federal return monies to pay the state.

State came back and said I owed a lot more money. So I went and got a Turbo Tax and redid both federal and state.

To make a long story as short as possible I owe federal $708.00. I need to return the $876.00 plus pay additional $708.00. Are you adding that is $1,584.00.

At the advice of number one son. I went to the local IRS office and tried talking to a tax adviser. She told him her computer did't recognize that I had ever filed a return and she couldn't help me until I filed a return. I tried to explain the problem to her. Her reply was that 700 from 800 was 100 and I only owed 100 dollars. I should have had her put that in writing.

I came home and cried on the shoulder of a friend, that use to do payroll for APS. She is smart, she had some one else do her taxes. They are more complicated than mine. She suggested that I get a book and forms and do the taxes my self.

I down load 197 pages of tax information and the forms to fill out. I came out with the same figures as Turbo Tax. Information I downloaded told me local office had HAD to help me with the problem.

Back to local office and luck was with me, I got a different adviser. A very nice Navaho ,middle aged, lady which took her lunch hour to help me fill out an amended return. I just needed to come home put my figures in form on line and print it out to send in. Along with an agreement to pay it off monthly, over the next year.

Only problem I can't print.

I made a visit to the retirement office and increased my federal withholding $175.00 and my state $30.00. That with the monies to pay back I am short $300.00 a month.

Just thought I would post my sad story. Maybe I can lay this to rest now. Doesn't mean I can't do something stupid again, but I hope not




I

New post

The last two posts went to an old bog. I had set up for sweetpea ages ago, about her cats. I haven't figured out how to transfer them to this blog. So I will just start over.

Number one son was here over night, while he was taking his daugther's car to her. We enjoyed him very much. The stay was much too short but I am hoping for more later.

Facebook tells me son-in-law and his new wife are back together. They seemed very happy in the pictures they posted. I'm am relieved that sweetpea is not sad, as she was in her last picture.

I am back in the political stuff for the state. I am not sure how I am feeling about that. I quess physically I am up for doing this, but do I want to spend the time. I am getting selfish with my time.

The weather is terrible windy and cold. I am ready for spring we were given a preview of.

Close friend was just fired for a really stupid reason. Sounds like age discrimintation.

I installed windows 7 and now I don't have a printer and can't find a driver on the internet. I am going to take it back to my computer guy and let him find it for me.

Thursday, February 17, 2011

Shades of the Past

Yesterday a friend of 30 years and I were traveling down Lomas past the cross street where we use to live. She remarked "It is the same color that it use to be."

Shortly after we bought the house on Hermosa hubby decided to paint the out side. It had been white many, many year before and needed something. Second son was working as stock er and all around flunky at Skaggs Drug down the street. We purchased many gallons of paint with his employee discount. Hubby bought several big fluffy rollers and he and the boys proceeded with the big, big job. Well boys the house still looks pretty good but daddy's yard and everything are all long dead. Only the cactus are thriving.

But painting always reminds me that both boys would paint when Mom decided something needed to be painted but just don't put both of the boys in the same room to paint that would start a battle royal.

By the way my kitchen cabinets need to be painted any takers?

Wednesday, February 09, 2011

House Churchs

When hubby and I returned to Colorado from California. We were contacted by Missionaries of the Home Mission Board. They ask us if we would help form a Spanish Mission. Hubby was Ordained 1956, while we were in California and he was going to College. This was my first experience with a Home Church. The missionaries were a couple with a little boy, about the age of our two. They held the church services in there home. There son had chicken pox and our house was commandeered for services. This was during 1957 or 8 when there was still a big push on for new churches. Our boys learned to sing Jesus Loves me in Spanish.

When it became evident 1996 or 97 that Fundamentalist had taken over all of our local churches. A young man contacted us and ask for help forming a moderate church. Our home was again commandeered for services. I look back at that time as good one for our family. The pastor's family had so many problems it was impossible to continue the Church.

Now son is involved again in a House Church and I am looking once again at House Churches. All Churches were started in Biblical times in homes. It is amazing to me that once again people that hold on to Biblical beliefs and principles are having to resort to House Churches.

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

What If

On the way to Church Sunday a Sunday School bus passed me. I begin to wonder what if.

What if, a Nazarene Church in Pueblo, Colorado had not had the vision of a church bus? Hubby would never have receive a elementary taste of Jesus. His home was a good home but religion was not important. No one there would have been concerned about his knowledge of Christ.

He repaid that Church many times over by working in the Bus Ministry at First Baptist Albuquerque.

My grandmother was interested in reading the Bible little else in our household. Daily paper which I am sure she was not interested in. I slept with her so we spent a lot of time together. She taught me the Lord's Prayer when I was so small I don't remember not knowing it. My parent were both Christan and Baptist. They didn't fit in to the First Baptist in Pueblo so they stopped going. A smaller Baptist Church was convenient to sent me to. When I was too little to walk they took me and picked me up.

After my Great Aunt and Uncle moved to town and started going to the same church. I stayed for church. One Easter Sunday my mother who didn't usually go to church with me, went to church with me and my girl friend. I had been asking about going forward at the end of the service and on that Sunday my mother ask me if I wanted to go forward. So Margie and I both went forward and were Baptised that evening.

When Hubby ask me to marry him I told him I had some idea's, he may not agree with. I wanted us both to go to Church not just send our kids like we were sent. I also wanted to say grace at meals. Hubby which was home from the Marines said that sounded OK to him. He didn't like being sent to Church either. After I agreed to marry him, he went back to the Marine Base located at Barstow,California. He joined the local Baptist Church. He was Baptized after we were married. The church was in a Quonset hut. He was Baptized in a stock tank in the Quonset hut, winter time cold, cold. We started going to classes on Sunday night to learn what it meant to be a Baptist.

Now all of our children are Christian oldest son in Ministry. Daughter held on to her faith until her last breath. Second son is a good preacher but he doesn't preach often. All of our grand children but one have made professions of faith.


What If is a big question.

I am praying hard for the Lord to send someone to witness to the littlest one. I could use some help praying.

Saturday, January 01, 2011

New Year 2011

Hurray!!! I received a post other than from my son. I sometimes think no one is out there.

I had a very pleasant new years eve. I was at son's house playing a game. One I remember playing with him many years ago. The game's date was 1984 son said I was living on Hermosa, when we played the game. Oh yes, the name of the game was Bible Trivia. I do remember he beat the sox off of us and I was disappointed how little I knew.

Three and a half hours of snacks and soda's. Four of us and I won. Can I crow a little bit. Son and I were neck and neck but I edged him out. Some of the questions were so simple. The rest of them were very difficult.

Son just said I had many more years of study than the rest of them. Son had 4 years at Wayland and one at Southwest. His years of study, were lots of years ago. I have to excuse him on that account but the winning was sweet.

Hope everyone has a great New Year. 1 01 2011 or 1/1/2011 or 1/1/11 has to be a good new year.