Rita, I have loved all of the blood stuff. I've tried to give twice before, once they got into my veins and it just wouldn't come out and the other time they couldn't get in a vein. But I guess I should keep trying since it seems I am a universal donor too.

Love the pictures of Marleigh! She is sooo cute.

It's so nice here today. It's already about 40 degrees and really sunny. Unfortunately I will be stuck in the library all day studying. =(

Have a good Saturday everyone!

Bobbie~ Daddy was O-NEG and I am A-POS..what are you? I remember Mommy talking about times when they (medical providers at the time) would call Daddy in the middle of the night to come and give blood b/c he was a Universal donor. I've seen alot of blood but none that looked like that Emily. Are you finding that interesting?

Yes, Marleigh, you are one beautiful baby girl, course I know your Nana isn't partial or anything. Olivia and I had a girls day out yesterday and I took her to (what else), get her nails done. She picked the color, (hot pink) and she got her toes and nails done. They painted a design on her toenails and fingernails and the girl had to do her toes 3X because she kept messing them up! Olivia had to tip her pretty good. I think Olivia has the potential to become a little Thrift store shopper! I was looking on a rack and Olivia was just going down the rack ahead of me, looking at every piece and they were size 14 - 18, women's. I thought that was so funny. We shopped til we dropped, she was asleep and snoring before we made it home.

Julie, Milk it for all it's worth! LOL

Good Evening All,
I don't know about the blood Emily. I don't even know what I am. (interesting picture tho) Are you and your father the same blood type always? No exceptions?
Vonda, your flowers are very pretty, very valentinish! Your vase is going to look pretty with your brown-eyed susans too. You will have those in your backyard right?
I don't think it got up to seventy today. It was windy city at the park! We took our peanuts and sat in the little train and ate them anyway.
Julie, sorry about your foot! If you have to give all your high heels away, don't forget me! Size 6 and a half :)
Addy, how is your face healing?
Marleigh, you are beautiful in your photo shots dear!

This is a picture of the blood smear (with a Wright stain--it's what makes it look purple) that we made in my anatomy lab today. It's my friend Channing's blood. The bigger purple blob in the middle is a white blood cell...all the others are the RBCs. We also did blood typing...if it worked right, I found out that I am O-. I learned today that B (or AB) blood is not very common unless you are of Asian or Native American descent. I know some of Grandma and Grandpa's family was part indian, right? Do any of ya'll have B in your blood?

My flower arangement

Bobbie gave me the flower vase , and I made the flower arangement , I think they are pretty ,and remind me of spring.

Julie had surgery on her left foot today to remove a bunyon. She is in a lot of pain and will be wearing a special boot for a while. I'll be attending to her through the weekend and maybe Monday too. She gets the bandage redressed next Thursday. Pray for her.
Thanks Love you all

Here's Marleigh playing with her little tent. She likes to walk around it more than play in it. I tried to post a video of her walking but it was taking 3 hours and still hadn't uploaded all the way :( Not sure what's up with that.

We went to the park this morning :) It was Marleigh's first time since she's been crawling and walking. I think she enjoyed it. She wanted to pick up the leaves and sticks everywhere lol.

In Need Of Prayer

A young boy called the pastor of a local "corner" church to ask the pastor to come by to pray for his mother who had been very ill with the flu.  The pastor knew the family and was aware they had been attending another church down the road.  So the pastor asked, "Shouldn't you be asking Brother Simon down the road to come by to pray with your mom?"  The young boy replied, "Yeah, but we didn't want to take the chance that he might catch whatever this is that Mom has!
Rita

West Virginia - This Is My Home

West Virginia, I was born a West Virginian song by eddy bailes

Woo hoo you all better watch out for the thrift stores, that is a new one on me.

Blue Roo Consignment Shop

Ladies, Can you believe it? 

A Crab Orchard woman pleaded guilty Monday to embezzling money and forging checks while she was employed with the Blue Roo Consignment Shop. 
Rebecca Barnett and three other employees are alleged to have taken about $25,000 in store funds over a one-year period. The three allegedly created false consignments and generated checks in the names of family members and friends. 
Hutchison granted the motion for probation for a period of five years and suspended her underlying sentence of one to 10 years. During her time on probation, she is also ordered to pay restitution in the amount taken from the store.

Rita

Bobbie, I envy you! Cleaning out flower beds! How awesome is that. We are supposed to have 50 degrees today. I am sure I will sink into depression the next time it snows, which I think is going to be next week. I mentioned to Dan over the weekend that I couldn't wait until we can set up the playset outside that the employees gave us Christmas for Clara and Brooks.

We are having the most wonderful weather down here in Virginia! My kids played out on the swingset yesterday and we then cleaned out the flower beds. It was so nice to see them playing together and laughing! Marleigh we missed you! Hope you are having a good time at mommy's today! Love you! Little green sprouts are coming out already. I'm like you Ruth, I can't wait for spring either.

You guys pray for Vena and the family.  Vena is a lot like Mommy was after Daddy died.  She is wandering around wondering where Homer is and then she remembers.  She will eventually go home with her granddaughter Allison but for now she will remain at her home.

Optomist's Hunting Dog

Friends, one an optimist and the other a pessimist could never quite agree on any topic of discussion. One day the optimist decided he had found a good way to pull his friend out of his continually pessimistic way of thinking - the optimist owned a huntin' dog that could walk on water. His plan? Take the pessimist and the dog out duck hunting in a boat. They got out into the middle of the lake, and the optimist shot down a duck. The dog immediately walked out across the water, retrieved the duck, and walked back to the boat. The optimist looked at his pessimistic friend and said, "What do you think about that?"  The pessimist replied, "That dog can't swim, can he?
 
Rita

Obituary

Homer Greene Cadle

SMOOT — Homer Greene Cadle, 90, died Tuesday, Feb. 15, 2011.

Services will be 11 a.m. Friday, Feb. 18, 2011, in the Meadow Grove Baptist Church, Dawson.

Friends may call 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 17, at Smathers Funeral Chapel.

Arrangements by Smathers Funeral Chapel, Rainelle

Rita

Dear God,
I hope you are enjoying our valentines in Heaven as much as we are enjoying the one you sent us:)

Happy Valentines Day!!!! :) I liked the little history lessons about Valentinus. We were just discussing at work this morning about this. One of the guys kept saying "Valentimes" and I kept telling him that was wrong lol.

Hope all the valentines are having a good day! If not, the day is not over yet! My walmart flowers are beautiful in my princess house vase. All four of my valentines were down for their nap at the same time today for 1 and 1/2 hours and man was it nice! The wind is whipping around here and they are sleeping like little logs. They have played hard today.
Rita, loved that reminder of what just what love is.

May God's Peace and Love be with each one of you, on this Valentine Day.

Poor Sam

This is Valentine's Day. And Sam forgot it.

Sam's wife had a card addressed to him, hidden in her top dresser drawer. Her gift to him was under her dresses in the closet. She waited for him to make the first move, to end this little dodge of his. There he was, sitting down to watch television at 7:30 at night as if he might be camped out there till bedtime... as if he'd actually forgotten what day this is!
Finally, at 10 P.M., when Sam had stumbled upstairs to brush his teeth, he found his wife sitting bolt upright in bed. Somehow the temperature felt noticeably cooler in that room than in the other parts of the house.

"What's the matter? What'd I do?" He did a super-quick scan of his usual offenses. Everything checked out.

"Tomorrow morning," she said through clenched teeth, "I expect to find a gift in the driveway that goes from zero to two hundred in less than six seconds. And it had better be there!"

With that, she snatched her pillow and blanket and trudged off, presumably to the downstairs sofa, leaving Sam standing there looking very unmanly, totally exposed as a Valentine forgetter. But his pride wasn't about to be threatened so easily.

The next morning his wife found a gift box in the driveway. She tore it open and looked inside.

It was a bathroom scale.

Sam has been missing since Friday

In Honor Of "The Love" Day

Paul gives us some good advice on how to love one another in Romans 12:9-18.
Love must be sincere.
Cling to what is good.
Be devoted to one another.
Honor one another above yourself.
Never be lacking in zeal.
Be joyful in hope.
Be patient in affliction.
Be faithful in prayer.
Share with God's people who are in need.
Practice hospitality.
Bless those who persecute you.
Rejoice with those who rejoice.
Mourn with those who mourn.
Live in harmony with one another.
Do not be proud.
Do not be conceited.
Do not repay anyone evil for evil.
Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody.
If it is possible, a far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.

The legend of St. Valentine

The story of Valentine's Day begins in the third century with an oppressive Roman emperor and a humble Christian martyr. The emperor was Claudius II Gothicus. The Christian was Valentinus.

Claudius had ordered all Romans to worship state religion's idols, and he had made it a crime punishable by death to associate with Christians. But Valentinus was dedicated to the ideals of Christ, and not even the threat of death could keep him from practicing his beliefs.

During the last weeks of Valentinus's life a remarkable thing happened. One day a jailer for the Emperor of Rome knocked at Valentinus's door clutching his blind daughter in his arms. He had learned of Valentinus's medical and spiritual healing abilities, and appealed to Valentinus to treat his daughter's blindness. She had been blind since birth. Valentinus knew that her condition would be difficult to treat but he gave the man his word he would do his best. The little girl was examined, given an ointment for her eyes and a series of re-visits were scheduled.

Seeing that he was a man of learning, the jailer asked whether his daughter, Julia, might also be brought to Valentinus for lessons. Julia was a pretty young girl with a quick mind. Valentinus read stories of Rome's history to her. He described the world of nature to her. He taught her arithmetic and told her about GOD. She saw the world through his eyes, trusted in his wisdom, and found comfort in his quiet strength.

"Valentinus, does GOD really hear our prayers?" Julia said one day. "Yes, my child, He hears each one, "he replied.

"Do you know what I pray for every morning and every night? I pray that I might see. I want so much to see everything you've told me about!"

"GOD does what is best for us if we will believe in HIM," Valentinus said.

"Oh, Valentinus, I do believe," Julia said intensely. "I do." She knelt and grasped his hand. They sat quietly together, each praying.

Several weeks passed and the girl's sight was not restored. Yet the man and his daughter never wavered in their faith and returned each week.

Then one day, Valentinus received a visit from Roman soldiers who arrested him, destroyed his medicines and admonished him for his religious beliefs. When the little girl's father learned of his arrest and imprisonment, he wanted to intervene but there was nothing he could do.

On the eve of his death, Valentinus wrote a last note to Julia - knowing his execution was imminent. Valentinus asked the jailer for a paper, pen and ink. He quickly jotted a farewell note and handed it to the jailer to give to his blind daughter. He urged her to stay close to GOD, and he signed it "From Your Valentine." His sentence was carried out the next day, February 14, 270 A.D., near a gate that was later named Porta Valentini in his memory.

When the jailer went home, he was greeted by his little girl. The little girl opened the note and discovered a yellow crocus inside. The message said, "From your Valentine." As the little girl looked down upon the crocus that spilled into her palm she saw brilliant colors for the first time in her life! The girl's eyesight was restored! A miracle!

He was buried at what is now the Church of Praxedes in Rome. It is said that Julia herself planted a pink-blossomed almond tree near his grave. Today, the almond tree remains a symbol of abiding love and friendship. In 496 Pope Gelasius I named February 14 as Saint Valentine's Day. On each Valentine's Day, messages of affection, love and devotion are still exchanged around the world.

http://www.naturalstonesign.com/rocks.htm

This is the website for the stone bench.  It is in Pickaway, we pick it up.

Mornin' All
Michelle, it is so nice that you're keeping in touch via the blog. It's almost like we're just getting to know you. I wish more of the grandkids would get on. Communication is what's going to keep us all close. When that stops, we will drift apart, just like in any relationship. Tell your girls that, I, for one, envy them so much. They are getting to do things and go places most of us will only read about. How exciting.
I read something today that made me think of Mommy. "Prayers outlive the lives of those who uttered them."
It is sunny and cold here but it is a beautiful day. I was watching the birds this morning and it seems that there is always a pair of doves...just one pair. I noticed this in the fall before Daddy died when me and Mommy were watching the birds. This morning they flew in together and sat on the wire...Just sat there, and I thought of Mommy and Daddy being together.

That is a cute picture of Clara. It makes you think how many of us played in Grandma's aprons....
About the bench: how long do they gaurantee the picture on the rock? Is it weather-proofed so it doesn't fade from sun/rain, etc? Or would it have to be re-done every few years? And then does that require shipping it back to them? Just wondered.
The girls go to DoDea schools on the bases, Trish. The same as ambassadors' children, or those who work in NATO positions over here. They are really good. And yes, Tarin will graduate in K-town (Kaiserslautern), which is good. She has only been diagnosed with ADHD for about a year. She is on a low dose of medication once a day. She made A's and B's this last semester, and aced her semester exams. She didn't even have to take some because she aced the class all year. She took her PSAT's and scored higher than about 70% of the sophomores. They are handling her IEP very well, so we want to keep her in the same school system instead of coming back to the states because every state has their own IEP evaluation system, their own plan for people with learning disabilities, etc. It is very frustrating to re-start the process, which was one of our main reasons for Joe getting this job. It took so long to get this diagnosis; it is fairly new to acknowledge ADHD in females. The other main reason was that it is non-deployable and he is awesome at dealing with all the regulations. He is up for Major in about a year to a year and a half, after the deployment. And yes, we will take pictures of everywhere we go! We are planning to go to Italy this summer when he returns. They give those returning from deployment 30 days to take any leave they have saved up. When we are in K-town, we are going to go to England. I want a picture by the "Treadway Street" sign!!! When we purchased our family sword and coat of arms from an English company, they knew the family name and the man at the bazaar had been on Treadway Street. It has one of his favorite little restaurants.
More later! I hope all of you are well. Have a great Sunday. Michelle and gang