Gayle's Words and Ramblings

Loss for Words?

2011-06-11T09:15:00.000-07:00

Well, here it is early Saturday Morning, June 11, 2011. I guess it is like any other Saturday morning, for me, anyway. I wake up early (habit from my work week, I guess). Oh, to get to sleep in. In all reality, I could sleep in -- nothing to stop me. Just me and my beautiful partner, my cat, Princess. She seems to think, I believe, that no matter what day it is, by 5:00 a.m., I should be up and doing or going or something. And, if my alarm does not sound off as it normally does around 3:00 a.m., she lets me know that it's time to get up, without the alarm -- she IS my alarm! She is my one bright spot each day and you know what? She loves me -- unconditionally. What a great feeling that is. We humans have a hard time loving unconditionally -- just not in our nature, is it? (Well, we adult humans have a hard time -- children are another story when it comes to loving unconditionally -- they seem to have it in the beginning, but sometime in the growing up years, something happens and we no longer love unconditionally. Hmmm....wonder why) Anyway, I love my Princess -- shedding of hair and all.

Isn't she pretty? She definitely came into my life at a time when I was in desperate need of a companion and she seems to fill many empty spaces and fulfill some needs in a sometimes (many times, really) empty and lonely heart.

So, as today unfolds, I have lots of thoughts going on in this crazy brain of mine. There is a lot to accomplish over the next couple of weeks, so after writing this post, it will be a busy day. In 2 weeks, approximately, I will be having surgery to have my gall bladder removed (maybe I will actually feel GOOD for the first time in a very long time). But, in order to have the surgery done, I need to get my little home in order and ready for my daughter (who lives in Utah -- thank you, Heather!) to come stay with me for a bit while I recuperate. Hopefully, it will be a short recovery time, but, if not, it will be wonderful to have her here with me to help (this aging process really sucks). How my heart sings, knowing she will be here! It's been so long since I have had one or more of my 5 girls here to see and visit me. Here is a great picture of 4 of the 5 girls at their last family reunion with their dad's side of the family (the Martin side). I truly am blessed!

Top in the tree is Heather, next down is Pam, to the left, standing, is Melissa and on the right is Valerie. Jerren, the oldest of the 5 girls, is not in the picture. She was not able to attend this family reunion. So, here is a picture of Jerren at her college graduation a year or so ago.

I am so very proud of all of my girls and their accomplishments and as time goes on, I will highlight each one and their families and the very wonderful people they are and have grown up to be -- responsible, valuable adult members of society. Oh, how they make a Mama proud!

And, then, of course, the 12 Grandchildren! Here is a picture that was taken at the same family reunion, so the kids are definitely another couple of years older, now, but still a wonderful picture to have! Aren't they great?!?

So, I guess I wasn't at such a loss for words, anyway, was I? Sometimes, when I write, I can't seem to stop. I have been told that before, so this blogging world is perfect for someone like me who loves to write and spill the words out on paper (well, paper, so to speak).

As time goes on and I move forward with this blog, I will be adding pictures of what I like to do -- such as my crocheting. Here is a sampling of some of the items I have made. I know that no one really sees this blog right now, but maybe someday they will. My legacy to my children and grandchildren will be my crocheting, I believe, so need to keep doing it for as long as my sometimes arthritic fingers and hands will let me.

Child's Scarf and Hat Set in Crochet! This one would fit a child of 2 or 3 years old.

Infant Child Crocheted Hat with flower and ribbon

Infant Child's Pink Crochet Hat with darker pink flower and ribbon button embellishment

Infant Child's crocheted hat in variegated pink and Brown with flower of same yarn.

Have a wonderful Saturday!

Hugs and Smiles and Love,

Gayle

Memorial Day Thoughts

2011-05-29T22:32:00.000-07:00

Sunday, May 29, 2011 -- Here is it the night before Memorial Day and as I sit and watch a Memorial Day concert being aired on PBS, my heart is touched with sadness, with love, with joy. I have watched and listened to stories of the servicemen who have lost not only their lives, but the their limbs, their minds, their emotions and feelings in the wars we have that are going on in our world right now in 2011 combined with all of the previous wars. As they commemorate the different wars and tragedies of the past, it makes our hearts turn to the servicemen who have given so much for our freedoms that we all seem to take so much for granted. I, personally, want to thank all of those who have served and to those of my family who have served and are still serving in the different Armed Services, whether it be Army, Air Force, Marines, Navy, Coast Guard. As we remember September 11, 2001, and the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, we need to remember why we have soldiers fighting for our freedom in other countries. There are bad people all around (be it terrorists, murderers, rapists, etc.), and we need our service men and women and our police, firefighters and so many others to protect our country and us. I want to personally Thank ALL of them for their sacrifices for us. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!

BB King is performing right now even as I write. He is 85 years old and is still performing (not without difficulty), but still performing and making people laugh and remembering the time of the World War II. What a joy it is to get to watch him. He was big when i was growing up in the 50's and 60's. What a pleasure to get to watch and listen to him again. Brings back old times and thoughts.

So, with that said, I will stop writing and let you all take your time to remember those who have fought for us, for those who have died for us, for those who protect us and watch out for our safety -- not only our safety, but our children and our grandchildren safety.

Love and Hugs,

Gayle

Random Thoughts

2011-05-26T18:55:00.000-07:00

May 26, 2011 -- So, today is another day just like any other day, I guess. I get up and go to work and then work from 6:00 a.m, until 3:00 p.m., which means I get up around 3:30 in the morning to get ready. I know, that is awful early to be getting up and starting a day. But, the reason for that is that I just don't move very fast, anymore . Whatever happened to a quick shower, wash hair, blow dry and curl hair, makeup, lunch for the day in a matter of minutes? I just don't know, but what used to take approximately a half hour to 45 minutes to do, now takes me an hour to hour and a half to do. This old age stuff really is no fun at all.

So, now it is almost 6:30 p.m., and I am ready to go to bed already. YIKES! What's up with that? There just has to be more to life than this kind of schedule. I will work on that and get back to you. If I find a cure (is that what I am looking for?) or maybe a remedy to this dilemma, I will surely let you all know (since I have so many followers who are in the need to know -- Ha, ha!) In fact, on that same note, I get on my blog today and I have, let's say 2 or 3 or maybe it's 4 followers and I look when I get here today, and not one or 2, but all of them are all gone. Guess that tells ya how boring I am and I have scared those people off -- even my daughter. Now, that's the one that concerns me. I am sure it is something wrong with the blogosphere I am in, but not sure how to fix it. So, Melissa, if you read this and since you're the only one of my daughters who reads this, maybe try to put yourself on again as one of my followers and see what happens. It would be much appreciated. If it doesn't work, then I have some things I need to figure out.

I am working on a goal with this blog, though. I know it doesn't look like that, but the main one is to have some kind of journal that my daughters and yes, even my grandchildren (all 12 of them) can read and maybe know a little bit about this Grandma and all of her quirks and even the things that maybe are somewhat personal and the thoughts that I think when I am alone in my world of thoughts. That happens alot in these days, now. And, believe me, there is plenty to be thinking about -- and to worry about -- and to just wonder about. So, as time goes on, I will put more of that in this blog, along with pictures of things that I love.

I love scenery, flowers, children who smile and laugh, adults who smile and laugh, anything that strikes my attention as being beautiful, which can be just about anything -- really! So, I plan on adding pictures and more pictures of all of those things. Also, I love to crochet (as you as read before), so I will be posting pictures of my crochet items that I make and as is usual for me, give away. I think it will be my legacy for my grandchildren and they will probably just get tired of Grandma's crocheted stuff. But, trust me, kids, someday you will be glad to have something of your silly Grandma's and I love to just give you stuff that I make, hoping you will remember me when you look at it. And, just because I LOVE YOU!

So, yes, I have lots of plans with this blog and as time goes on, I will add more and more pictures and words. Thanks for reading (if you see this). This Blog is actually more for me than anyone else and it definitely helps with the sadness I feel on so many occasions -- It actually is helping me feel happy.

So, remember, always to love and laugh and smile and do good for and to others. If someone does something nice for you, pay it forward and do it for someone else. It is what makes the world shine and gives us the opportunity and blessings of doing good for and to others.

Hugs and Love,

Gigi (Grandma Gayle)

Music that touches me

2011-05-23T19:11:00.003-07:00

	Anne Murray - -Anne Murray You Are My Sunshine .mp3

	Found at bee mp3 search engine

Sad Chapter in my Family

2011-05-22T19:17:00.000-07:00

Sunday, May 21, 2011 -- It's like any other Sunday, really, especially in Arizona. The sun is shining (so what else is new?). It's hot but not as hot as it normally would be this time of year. I spent most of the day doing laundry, washing my car (hopefully, won't get rain -- highly unlikely) and continuing the constant project of organizing my house and most especially, my craft room -- WHEW! Never ending, I believe. But, I am making a dent and it does feel good.

So, at some point during the day today, my phone rings. It's my daughter, Melissa, calling. I had just taken a little rest and was kind of dozing in my chair. I wasn't sure I could wake up enough to talk, but I did take the call. As is normal with Melissa (and my other girls), the kids were making noise in the background and her daughter, my granddaughter, Mollie, wanted to talk to Grandma (said she was bored -- LOL! -- How does a 6 year old child get bored?). Anyway, she was, so she begged her Mama to let her talk to Grandma -- My pleasure, of course! And, Mollie always has something to talk about -- I love to talk to her and I love her so much! We had a nice little visit.

Then, Melissa got back on the phone. She then proceeded to inform me that my cousin, Linda Lambard Shandy, who lives in Billings, Montana, had passed away. What a shock! She is 6 years younger than I am and so full of life. However, she has been struggling with breast cancer for the last several years and her body just could not take it anymore. I loved Linda with all of my heart. Her heart and soul was so full of love, generosity, happiness and her many shared talents. It is so hard to believe she is gone. My heart aches for her family, her husband and son and her sisters and brother. She was preceded in death by her sweet Mama and Daddy. Our lives will forever be changed because of her death and not having her sweet smile and love surrounding us. Thank you, Linda, for making my life better for having known you and being your relative. You will always be loved by many, but, most especially by me. I will never forget the time I received one of my crafts catalogs (Herrschner's) in the mail and the minute I opened up the front cover and saw Linda's face, I just knew I had to call her. She was in Billings and I was living, I believe, here in Arizona at the time. I told her that I jut had to talk to a celebrity -- and, that she was! She had won a monetary prize for an afghan she had crocheted and had made the pattern up on her own -- I think it was a Noah's Ark afghan. She laughed at me and we had a very nice visit. She was so very talented. She taught me how to make my very first bead bracelet and I wore that silly bracelet until it broke. She could do absolutely anything! She took such good care of her Mama when she was still alive (along with her husband, Tony). They loved her so; and, in turn, they would take care of my Mama, too. Both of our mothers lived in the same house -- her mom in the bottom half of the house and my Mom in the top. She and her husband, Tony, always made sure the walks were cleared especially after a snowstorm and made sure the trash got hauled out. I could go on and on about all of the absolutely good and wonderful things that Linda did for others. She will be so missed.

So, I will end this blog note on that note, leaving my heartfelt thoughts love and sorrow for Linda's husband and family. This note is dedicated to you, Linda. I love you!

May 2011--A new Beginning of Blogging (AGAIN)

2011-05-15T09:06:00.000-07:00

Good Morning from warm (no, HOT) Mesa, Arizona! So, it has been eons since I have written in my blog -- literally EONS! What's up with that? Not sure -- just lazy, I guess. Anyway, once again, I am going to try and write a little bit about me and about what is going on in my life (which, for the most part, just isn't all that much). And, this will be a running journal somewhat for me and for my children and grandchildren to read, if they so desire. That's the operative word -- Desire. Ha, ha! We shall see.

Today is Sunday, May 15, 2011. It's a warm beautiful day in Arizona, although, I do believe I would much rather be somewhere like Montana, Utah, Washington, Missouri, North Carolina -- being close to family. I miss my family so much and there just aren't all that many here in Arizona for me to be close to. Valerie is in Tucson, but, still, that is over 100 miles to visit her, so we don't get to see each other often and her children, Zoe and Christian, change as much as all of the other grandkids do who live even further away and I don't get to see it. So, tell me, what is the solution to this problem that I have? I know! RETIREMENT! Wait! No, I can't do that yet! Dang! Well, I will work on that and hopefully, will come up with an answer in the next year or two -- see, I have been working on that for a long time, now.

I still work in the foreclosure arena of filing mortgage insurance claims to the MI company. It's a great job and I am so thankful for it and that I can get up and go to work each day, even with all of the corporate stuff that goes along with it. Just something that has to be done. I don't know what I would do without my job and most especially, the medical benefits that come along with it. I am so very blessed to work for such a good company.

My health is still of some concern, but I am seeing doctors to figure out what in the heck is going on. It just seems I don't feel good most of the time. I had an ultrasound done of my abdomen last week and go to see the doctor this week to figure out if there is something going on in there. I think they are grasping at straws to figure out what in the heck is wrong with this old lady. Oh, yeah -- that's it! I'm OLD! Maybe I don't need to see a doctor after all -- there's the diagnosis right there. I do know, though, that with a chronic illness such as I have with Fibromyalgia, there are many things that can be manifested and can make me feel like crap. The goal is to just feel good enough to keep going to work and to enjoy my children and grandchildren. It will get figured out, in the end, and I will be much better.

I still love to crochet and do it at each chance I get. Thank you, Grandma Hellyer, for teaching me how to crochet so many years ago. Every single time I pick up a crochet hook, I think of you and thank the Lord that he gave me you as a Grandma. You were the best and I miss you so much! You were so quiet and kept to yourself, but you were always making something with your hands, whether that be a quilt for a grandchild, or crocheted or knitted booties for one of the new babies at church (every new baby that came into this world at church received a pair of booties from you -- what a legacy to leave!). And, you would always be baking something and giving your food away to a needy person or to one of us kids. I remember you when you baked bread. You would knead the dough and let it rise (sometimes, you would take a pinch off and let us eat the dough -- yummmm!), and then bake it and someone always got your baked items. I loved, loved, loved, your filled raisin cookies -- wish I had the recipe now, because I know you made them in a special way. And, you knew how much I loved applesauce, so on my birthday every year, you would give me sometimes a quart, sometimes a gallon, of applesauce that was just mine to eat. I felt so special! And, your garden! You loved your garden and the flowers (tulips, poppies, especially), still grow in the yard where Mom now lives and the pop up every Springs, still, so your life lives on through the flowers you planted so many years ago. And, you had the best rhubarb right at the front of the walkway that we got to pick and eat right there -- so sour, yet so yummy! I can't eat it now -- too sour for me. Isn't that funny? Oh, there is so much I remember about you, Grandma! I could just go on and on. I guess this blog should be dedicated to you! Like I said, I miss you and I love you. Can't wait to meet you again someday in the life after. I know it will be complete bliss!

Today is my day to get my laundry done. I don't have a washer and dryer in my home, so go to the laundromat. Thank goodness, there is a small laundromat right her in the mobile home park I live in and I don't have to go far to do it -- it's just hard to lift the baskets and carry them back and forth. That's why I put it off for 2 or 3 weeks. Thank goodness, I have enough clothes to carry me through. I also am continuing to organized my craft room and area and will be working on that today, too. It's a continual adventure and something that never seems to get completely done. I love my crafts, whether I get much done on them or not. The desire is always there. Hey, maybe someday my grandchildren will come and rescue me and take over for me where I left off. I have enough crafts here to start a small home business. That's not good, is it? Oh, well, I still love my craft life. It's who I am.

So, with this all said, I will stop now. I think I have said enough for a while. For those who see this, I hope you enjoy what you read and if you don't, let me know that, too. I would like this to be a story of me and a journal of who I am and what I do, how I think, and what makes me tick -- it's a lot!

Love to all!

Catch Up time

2009-10-31T14:58:00.000-07:00

Well, here it is another year, plus, later and I am just now writing again. So much has transpired over the last year, that I really don't know where to start. So, I will start with saying hello and I continue from there.

Hello!

Life is good and the world is beautiful. I just recently had foot surgery (had it last year, too), but this one was much more intense. I foot really does look like an erector set with pins, screws, plates and fusions all over my foot. It definitely is painful, but hopefully, will be the fix I needed. Besides, my podiatric surgeon looks just like Dr. McDreamy (I call him Dr. McHandsome -- His name is Dr. Hansen). I even tell him that. He just laughs at me. Believe me, I could be his mother, but hey, that doesn't mean I can't see beauty when it is presented to me. And, to top it all off, he is an absolutely GREAT doctor. I do hope, though, to get to go back to work soon. This surgery has been much easier to recover from than the other one and it was so much more intense. Go figure.

I have taken up crocheting again. I love crochet! My grandma taught me when I was a mere 5 years old and have held onto it all of these years. Thank you so much Grandma! It is the best legacy you could have left me. Since money is tight and I have been off from work for so long, now, the plan is to make everything for Christmas. Wish me luck! I am determined to do it this year for a change. I guess I really have no choice.

I have had another grandchild added to the 11 I already had. He was born almost a year ago in England. What a joy he is, too. I was able to fly to England and be there after he was born. What a treat that was for me. So, now, there are 12 little ones running around. I will add pictures of my grandchildren as time goes on and I continue to write in my Blog.

There is so much to learn in this blogging world. I would like to change the looks of my blog but, for the life of me, I can't seem to figure out how that is done. Maybe someone out there to might read my blog could give me some guidance on this. I am pretty computer literate, but this one is getting the better of me. Could it be the age? YIKES! I surely hope not.

So, I won't bore anyone anymore. I just wanted to start this and there is no time like the present to do so. Thanks for reading and the saga will continue. Enjoy your day!

How Time Flies

2008-06-09T20:37:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it has been so long since I had all of these big plans to write in my blog on a daily basis. Of course, a lot of things have happened since that day way back when (now, when was it?). The one thing that did happen that was not real good was I got a call from my brother telling me that my mother in Montana was in the hospital and had had congestive heart failure -- this was Mother's Day 2008 -- then, to top things off, they did a colonoscopy and found she had colon cancer; so, I get in my car and make the 1200 mile trip from Arizona to Montana to be with Mom and my family. We about lost mom at one point, but they were able to get her back to where she was supposed to be. And, she is now home; the doctor got all of the cancer after cutting out about 6 inches of her colon; she is progressing and getting better daily, but not without its problems and she is functioning in her home again. So, I will be moving to Montana within the next 3 months to go live with her and take care of her. She needs 24/7 care and I really want to be with her. It is a huge leap of faith for me, but one that needs to be done and I am more than happy to go.

I am also recovering from some major foot surgery that was done about 3 months ago. I went in to get a bunion removed and came out having to have my whole foot basically rebuilt. YOUCH!! It has been a long process and I am still not completely healed and have to wear my boot or brace most of the time. But, my doctor is so danged cute that I like to go in to get a cortisone shot just to see him -- not really, but my friend and I have nick-named him Dr. McHandsome (his name is Dr. Hansen) and her little girl who is 3 years old also calls him Dr. McHandsome. He looks very much like Dr. McDreamy on Grey's Anatomy.

So, with all of that going on, there hasn't been much time to do anything else. I am plugging away and have just recently gone back to work.

Now, I need and want to get my pictures put on here since photography is a real passion of mine and I love to share the beauty that I find in our country with others so they can see that we truly do live in God's country and he has blessed us with beautiful gifts all around to enjoy and get pleasure from.

It is now getting late, so I am going to retire to the bed real soon. My room is really warm, so have to get the fans going to cool down. It was 102 deg. in Phoenix today -- YIKES!! I do NOT like Summers here -- they about kill me!

Until next time, smiles and hugs to all!

2008-05-08T16:04:00.000-07:00

Today is my first time for blogging and because of the new site I am now on, I feel that I should introduce myself and become a part of the Farm Girl life, so thanks to everyone on MaryJanesFarm for the inspiration to get me moving and doing something I have been wanting to do for a very long time, now.

My name is Gayle, but have, for some odd reason, been given the name of GiGi and very affectionately, too, by the children who live in the home I live in. You see, I live with a friend of mine (my very best friend) and she has 3 small children and instead of confusing them about who their grandmas are, they decided to name me GiGi for Grandma Gayle. I like it, actually. And, since I already have 11 grandchildren of my own (with one more on the way), it just worked out to be best to call me GiGi. The interesting part is that the name has caught on in all circles of my life and now most of my friends here in Arizona and the people I work with, call me GiGi. But, I am NOT Grandma to all of them -- friends, for sure.

I am a mom to 5 lovely daughters and as said, 11 grandchildren with one more on the way. My daughters all live in different parts of the states and one is overseas, so this ole Mom gets quite homesick for them A LOT! One lives in Tacoma, Washington; one lives in Tremonton, Utah; one lives in Raleigh, SC; one lives in Tucson (yippee -- she is only 110 miles from me here in the Phoenix area); and the youngest lives in England where her husband is stationed at Lakenheath AFB, so needless to say, I have a lot of traveling to do. Oh, Darn! Just kidding -- I can't wait until I can travel more.

I was born and raised in Billings, Montana, but I have lived all over the United States. However, I love the western part of the United States the most and if I had my druthers right now, I would be living in Montana, Utah or Washington and the goal is to get back to one of those places and get to live closer to at least one more of my daughters. I just can't spread myself thin enough to be with all 5 of them at once.

So, with that said, I will end this for today, but will pick up more and write more as time permits and as I learn this "art" of blogging. Thanks for reading and I hope to get to know more people as time goes on.

Smiles and Hugs to all of you out there in blogland!

GiGi