Hello December!!

Wholly Cow, can computer problems ruin things in a hurry! I think the power supply went out on my PC back in October...tried to no avail to find a replacement for it, but did not find one (I think it is too old)! Thankfully, most of my computer was backed up to DVD's/passports! I finally resorted to an older computer I happened to still have around....man is it ever slow (Windows Vista) and so many of my programs will not work on it...but....I do have a computer to work my scrapbook program with! Trying to locate what I just HAVE to have and transferring, etc has taken forever it seems!  I haven't done a lot of anything else, what with visitors, the holidays, packing boxes, getting the outside of my home winterized, all the outside furbabies taken care of for the cold....etc....etc...etc!  Lots of work for one "old lady" by herself! LOL! (come on, let me hear the pity comments)!!
I've also had to chase down a heating element for my clothes dryer, then wait until my repairman FELT like tackling it...(without a dryer for almost 2 months)....thankfully, it is working like a charm now.  My car also decided to give me a few minor problems (mostly because I don't drive it enough to keep the battery charged, after all it takes me about 6 weeks to use a tank of gas...LOL)
Thanksgiving was pretty lame this year! I went nowhere nor saw anyone until around 5 p.m. when my friends, Janet,Patty and Diana stopped by for about 30 minutes. Not even any phone calls, so I stayed in pajamas and me and the fur babies vegged out on the couch to watch the parade and CHRISTmas movies on the Hallmark Channel!
Unfortunately, I do not have word on this computer and thus, it will not read.doc files, so....I have to reconstruct my renters lease agreement (due Jan 1 for another year), plus getting all my financial stuff completed and properly documented...(taxes, insurance, new lease, repairs, etc)....I've been pretty busy and trying new meds for cholesterol has had me doing lots of phone calls and office visits with my physician and of course, taking it slow when "Arthritis" visits my hands...I have also been collecting things for a couple of months for packages that need to be mailed for CHRISTmas...(gonna be rather slim this year as I did not have that extra side job) But, I am a very blessed human as I am fairly healthy, have a loving family, good friends, not in debt over my head and can pay my own way!
I am trying today to add what few pages I have done since my September post so that they will appear in my blog book, this may take a while to upload them on this slower computer...I have asked Santa to help me find a good deal on a new computer! I do have my very trusty iPad Pro, but....I can't use it for my scrapbooks. To those of you that I have missed visiting your blogs....please forgive me for being so slooooooow, but sometimes things are not in my control!

 

This was for Ms Hayden's birthday the 15th of October.

My sweet friend Jan's birthday the 20th of October.

A memory page for my first cousin, Delores' (Nokie) birthday, October 26th.

To celebrate the twins, Lamar & Lance on Daddy's lap, on the 27th of October.

This was for my BIL Jim's birthday on the 28th of October.

My first cousin, Nancy,  received this memory for her birthday on November 9th.

Mr. Calvin celebrated his 4th birthday with this memory on the 14th of November.

My sister, Penny's birthday was celebrated on the 20th of November.

This was my Happy Thanksgiving page I posted on FB for this year!

R.I.P. page created for my friend Janet that lost her sister just before Thanksgiving!

Another R.I.P. memory for my ex-husband's twin sister's death as well!

Just because page of Jade and her daddy, Jason, to show their resemblance at about the same age!

Another Just because of Amy and her girls cause I loved the snapshot she sent to me!

Celebrated my SIL, Myrl (my brother's widow & daughter), with this for her birthday the 6th of December. And last, but not least, my CHRISTmas card for 2017 of my immediate family tree!

First row at top: Weymond & Penny-Jim & Kathy
Second row: Myrl, Sebrina, Jeffrey and Thomas-Lance, Margaret, Hayden, Calvin, Wayne-Jason, Christina.
Third Row, Me, Lamar, Ruby, Jayson, Jade
Fourth row: Annabeth, Michael, Amy, Eliza-Jeff, Tiffany!
I have a few more, but they are CHRISTmas gifts, so they will have to be posted later, cause I don't want to ruin the surprise...ROFLMBO!
I am wishing all of you a very happy and prosperous 2018 and the Merriest of CHRISTmases spent with loved ones making lots of memories to look back on.  Until next time....
Love to all,
Mat

I can't believe I totally missed blogging in August!

What a quick month August was....actually I was so busy with so many different things, it just flew by! It was a historic month for sure! At least for us Texas dwelling folks anyhow! # Hurricane Harvey!
I know I made some pages for birthdays etc and downloaded some new freebies, but...haven't had a chance to do much else. I had a friend that needed to be taken to doctor 4 days in a row and then she had her surgery 2 weeks ago and has needed some help. Then another friend had a minor day surgery, and another that took a vacation and needed plants watered.  We've had a lot of rain (no, not from Harvey) so the yard and weeds and plants all needed some attention when it finally quit, then Harvey hit south Texas Coast...creating the worst havoc and flooding you have ever seen!
I am about 5-6 hours north of it, but...I do have family and friends that I was extremely worried about. So many have lost EVERYTHING they have, home, furniture, cars, belongings and yes, even some lost their lives! So far all my friends have been accounted for and the family had to be evacuated too! Still not sure if all is a total loss for them or not as they are still in a shelter in Alexandria, LA so that my sister in law can have dialysis. Just a few days before Harvey hit, she fell at Walmart and broke her arm in 2 places so she has really been through the wringer!  Her daughter is a teacher at Beaumont, but class has been cancelled all this and next week (maybe longer) as the flooding caused no water to drink, and no electricity.
My renters had a problem with some water in their unit that took a few days to correct....now I have to find someone to re-tile the floor now that it is totally dry!  I also had a cousin pass away and no one knew it until a posting by the coroner's office in South Carolina for someone to claim his remains. I also had a visitor come from Missouri for a few days!
OK, I'm tired now...no more complaining....I'm just happy to wake up each and every morning to be able to help others and to do my thing. I've also been in an anti-social mood of late as I have had my nose stuck in a book or two...LMBO! Anyhoo....all is well in my world and all the fur babies are too! We just be chillin' and doin' our thing! Hope all have a wonderful Labor Day and you stay dry, but make lots and lots and lots of memories to share! I will try chatting more next time instead of gripping so much!  Here are the pages I've made since my last post and I have sooooooooo many photos I need to scrap so they will make it into my end of year blog book printing!

 Annabeth and Eliza watching TV snuggled in a chair together with their giant Unicorn. I thought the freebie frame from Lugar Encantado was perfect for the photo.

 I don't remember when Cousins Day was, but I made a page for mine anyhow that I have photos of!

 This is Lance and Maggie's 3 gorgeous kids. Hayden, Calvin & Wayne, all growing up way too quickly, I sure miss seeing them!

 I made this for Amy's birthday on the 12th, her favorite color is purple!

 My friend, Mike had a birthday on the 5th, he went fishing so I used this freebie from Neli!

 My sweet Oreo turned 12 on the 12th and Of course she had to have a page, this is from ADB Designs.

 My cousin Pat also celebrated a big birthday so I made a memory for her!

My sweet friend Jannette had a birthday too, just could not forget her!

 My brother would have turned 59 on the 12th, I did this page of him and Penny from 1970!

 My sister Kathy loves Purple so here are her 3 grand babies...Jade, Ruby & Jayson

 Amy's girls had a tea party and she sent photos, so made them a quick memory page!

My friend Teri celebrated a birthday at the end of August, so surprised her with a memory page of her and her beloved Bentley that she really enjoyed!
Alright, that's it, I must get up from this chair...my bum has gone to sleep and another book is calling to me! Have a great one y'all! Later, Mat

Holy Cow, it's July in Texas HOT!

I can't believe it has been over a month since I have blogged...where is time racing off to? I can't seem to stay caught up anymore...any other retirees feel that way? LMBO!!! I try to stay on top of things, but...it is so very easy to get sidetracked nowadays! 
It has really been miserable with the humidity this year (or I just am noticing it more) and I am staying inside a lot, keeping my home as clean as I can and running all the air purifiers to keep the allergies/asthma in check. The AC is also running and all the ceiling fans too (plus I have fans outside for the fur babies in the back). I'm sure the electric bill will reflect it all too, but...!
I just checked my stash of pages that I need to post (for my book printing at the year's end) and a lot has happened since my last post. Sadly, the worst was the loss of my precious Pumpkin. The diabetes finally took it's toll, but she died at home with her sisters and Bubba and ME watching over her. She is waiting for the rest of us to join her when our time comes! We had a few rough days, but we have learned to adjust. Still miss her beautiful purring. Here's her memory page I posted on Facebook.

 I reconnected with friends from a "previous" life (military tour) on Facebook and saw a photo of the 2 of them posted, so...I dug up an "old" (40 yrs) polaroid of them and created a page as a RAK and posted. Here it is for Joe & Phyllis.....

This photo is of my friend Carolyn who celebrated her 70th birthday on June 22nd.  It's from an old Glamour Shot, but it brought back lots of memories and comments when posted to Facebook...LOL!

Of course I had a few pages of Amy's girls that she had sent photos of...they are just growing way too fast and I wish I could be closer to see them in person.

 Annabeth with her headphones...playing games with Daddy.

 Eliza outside and with her cute little hat for shade.

Eliza "styling" in her cap and with her bag...she is going to "town".

Cousins Blair and Hayden, with Annabeth & Eliza and new family addition, Anna!

Playing games with Daddy, they enjoy having him at home and spending time doing what they all love to do...Play games!!

Peeping in to see if Anna and Eliza are getting better acquainted...Anna is Annabeth's dog and Eliza only tolerates her when she wants to feed her food that Eliza doesn't want to eat!

 My friend Anne's birthday memory page!

My nephew, Jason, turned 41 so I used an old photo for his page.

My (ex) Brother-in-law in a page I created to remember him on his birthday!

Kathy's lovely daughter in law had a "makeover" of Mermaid Eyes so I just HAD to make a page.

Kathy with her friend Ruth and Ruth's daughter Andrea at Bingo at the Legion a few years ago.

Kathy with Andrea's daughter, Janet who was "home" celebrating her birthday!

Kathy's grandkids in their respective ball team photo's...Kathy asked for this page.

This is Penny's hubby with Eliza sitting on the step solving life's mysteries!

Here's Papa being greeted and hugged on at church by Annabeth and Calvin.

Penny's sons in a photo from about 1987 and her grandkids at the same place in 2017. I did this for Lance since he is the one in the forefront of the older photo and his wife and son in the bottom photo.

This was a photo I found (while reorganizing) of Kathy and Penny. Kathy was put to bed to carry Jason....Penny was still in high school and we had gone to visit. Memories really came flooding back with this one.

New photos of Lance and Maggie's kids to see how much they have grown. Such beautiful kids.

 Okay, all of Penny's grandkids are beautiful, the girls are really growing too fast.

This photo of Eliza was taken cause she was caught climbing stairs at her Grandpa's shop. It just seemed to go with the quick page. Amy loved it.

And one more of Ms Eliza with her Mickey Mouse doll as she is "taking a nap" watching cartoons. I guess this kind of explains why I don't have much time to do anything else...right? ROFLMBO! I so enjoy doing this, very relaxing even if it is time consuming!
Yesterday the fur babies and I were lounging on the bed and watching the news and I got all 4 of them to "cooperate" while I took their photos, sooooooo...here's all my babies as of yesterday, aren't they all just adorable?

 MzKitty is lying to my left between Misty and Oreo.

Oreo is on my left between MzKitty and Bubba.

 Misty is at my feet on my left side in her bed.

Sideways aka "Bubba" is on my left on the pillows by my head since he is the King in this castle. He is the sweetest fur baby around. He is also the one with poor eyesight, almost no teeth and a problem with his left hind quarter. His sister Misty is very protective and takes care in training him. All my babies are rescues, but I'm not sure who rescued who here! Love, love, love them.
Okay, I think I am caught up again with the pages and I have yet sooooooooo many more photos to work with, but I have been in this chair way too long and must get up and move around a bit. I still need to do a little blog hopping to "catch up" with some of my cyber friends. So...on that note, I think I will say bye for this chat and will catch you again soon. Don't forget to make lots and lots of memories to share! Y'all have a fantastic weekend! Hugs, Mat