Hello y'all.  It's time to return to blogging.  I've sure missed visiting you and having you stopping by to say hello.  Thought it was an appropriate time to start a new blog that says where I am in live.  That's what Movin' On will be about.  My next few posts will be catching up with my last 8 months.  

Since May my son and his family has been living with me.  They sold their house more quickly than they anticipated and needed a place to stay until they build their house.  As more and more happened this summer they are still here.  My son received a job offer in Pittsburgh a week ago and is now weighing the pros and cons about uprooting his family.  They are in Pittsburgh this weekend looking at the area and some houses in the out skirts of the city. Their hopes were to raise their children in a rural area.

Having them here has been a blessing.  It has helped me dealing with the death of my husband and learning to do things by myself.  I have gotten so close to the kids and don't know what I'll do when they leave.  Who knows....I may move to Pittsburgh to be close to them.  

So Sad

This is how I've been feeling the past few days. So far the tears haven't poured, but my heart is breaking! My son recently learned he will be transferred to Oklahoma City by June. He moved back here from Alabama almost 3 years ago. This was the first time one of my kids lived near by in 15 years. Since my son moved back he met a wonderful girl, got married and now has a precious daughter, Josey who is 2 weeks old. I have gotten so attached to this sweet baby and now she will be moving away. The company my son works for has also offered him a good package if he would choose not to move; however the package to move is far better. The next couple weeks he will be exploring other options, but the package he has been offered to stay with the company would be hard to turn down.

I spent this afternoon with my son and his family. I want to spend as much time as I can before he moves away. My greatest fear is once he moves he will not be coming back to West Virginia because there are few opportunities in his field here.

Last week in bible study we learned a new word Peripety which means "The sudden turn of events that reverses the expected or intended outcome of events." Peripety is the hinge when destiny changes. I've been thinking of this word all week and how it has touched my son, his family and me.

Until next time.

Back From Charlotte

Last Wednesday I left for Charlotte to help my daughter get their house packed for the big move. Their house sold a couple days before they came in here to visit last weekend. They have to be totally out of the house this coming Thursday. Bret had told Nicole he would have the movers do the packing, but when it came time for the estimates he told the movers they could do some of the packing. That's why I went down to help.

While there I packed the downstairs with the exception of the kitchen, pictures hanging on the walls and the garage. Upstairs I packed the kids three bedrooms and Nicole's things from the master bedroom. The movers will be there this Wednesday to finish the packing. Also on Wednesday is the first soccer practice for Carson and Campbell and Nicole's Dad will arriving. Thursday the movers will be loading the truck. Friday morning Nicole and Bret will close on their current house and the on the new one. That afternoon Nicole has to attend open house at Carson and Campbell's school and believe it or not, Carson and Campbell have their second soccer practice. I'm exhausted just thinking about the rest of this week for her.

For today I thought I would share Nicole's new house. I should also tell you the new house is within 5 miles of their current house. This one has 5 bedrooms, 4 1/2 baths and a huge bonus room with full bath and walk-in closet on the 3rd floor that will be Bret's office.


Here's part of the kitchen and breakfast area. This is the only picture I took of Caramia while I was there. I was busy packing and didn't have my camera out of the bag except the day we went to the new house.


This is another picture of the kitchen looking into the butler's pantry and dining room. I love, love, love this kitchen. It is so user friendly and beautiful!!

This is the great room. The door on the right leads into the master suite. This will be nice when the kids are older. The kids 4 bedrooms and playroom are on the 2nd floor. The boys will share a bathroom and the girls have a jack and jill bathroom. Right now Nicole is a little nervous having the kids on a floor by themselves. (Guess who will be sleeping in Caramia's room for awhile?) wink, wink!! And, oops, I cut off part of Bret.

After touring the house I asked if we could go to Target. I wanted to get the kids something to help them cope with the move. While they were here last week the boys were playing with some of my son's old Lego blocks and loved them. I thought I would get them a set of their own. Carson found a set he liked, Campbell wasn't able to find one, but found a spaceship from Star Wars. Caison chose a Barbie dressed in purple....her favorite color. After Target we stopped at a new hamburger restaurant and had dinner. I can't remember the name of the restaurant, but it was listed as the top hamburger places in Charlotte in 2004. Since it was so nice we sat outside. It was a great treat!

During my visit I was introduced to a new wine that Bret's mom found. It's called Carolina Scuppernong Blush. "Touted as a healthy wine, Scuppernong Blush is affectionately referred to as Kool Aid with a kick" and has always been one of Duplin Winery's most popular wines. (I stole this verbiage from their webpage).

I loved this wine so Bret bought me 2 bottles to bring home. Yummy!!!

Thank you Margaret for finding this wine!!!
I learned when I got home that Flip Flop drove right by my Hurricane exit last Wednesday. She said she waved, but I didn't see her. lol I may have been ahead of her or right behind her as she was headed to Virginia and I was on my way to Charlotte. I told her the next time she was going to be traveling by my house she had to stop and see me.

I'm off to visit you and see how your week has been.

The Price Is Right

For anyone who stops by here this morning, tune into the Price is Right this morning. My great niece Kati is on the show today. She made it to contestant's row, but didn't make it on stage. Katie was my first great niece. She's about 25 now. I have 8 more great nieces and nephews and 1 great great niece. I feel older than dirt. LOL

I'm watching the show right now and Katie is using her given name, Katherine Hager.

Heads or Tails

This week's Heads or Tails theme is Love. You can see more Heads or Tails participants over at Barb's at Skittles Place.

Do you believe in Love at first sight? Reading blogs over this past year I have read where many bloggers have said they fell in love with their spouse the very moment they met. When you stop and think about this, how could anyone fall madly in love with another person the very second they meet them. You don't know this person! For all you know this person could be some type of criminal.

I have fallen in love at first sight 6 times. The first time was when I first saw my son 37 years ago, then my daughter 35 years ago. More recently was with my three grandchildren.

This past Saturday I experienced this same phenomena again. The very second I laid eyes on Caramia I was madly in love. She is grandbaby #4.

ALL IS GOOD!!

How can I really thank everyone who left messages and prayers for my family? I will show you what the miracle of prayer can do.

Here is Carson after he came home from the hospital. The doctors said this next month is critical, but he should be ok. He will not be completely out of danger for a year. He is feeling good and is very cautious with everything he does. He realizes
if he hits his head again, he could be back in the hospital. He will be going back to school tomorrow. Later today, baby sister will be coming home.

Carson, Campbell and Caison having lunch on Friday.

Nicole, 24 hours before delivery.

Just because Nicole will be delivering in the next 24 hours doesn't mean she doesn't have chores to do. She is helping me clean up from making pepperoni roles.

Meet Caramia!!!!
8 lbs. 6 oz.
DOB: 2/9/2008
4:55 p.m.
Doesn't Nicole look great!!! Caramia is just 3 hours old.
Nicole had a very easy delivery. She was in labor for only 15 minutes and as soon as Caramia was born her sickness went away. Nicole's first words to Caramia were "I forgive you"! All her pregnancies have made her extremely ill.

Proud MawMaw and Caramia

I just couldn't put her down!

Again, thank you for all your prayers!!!!!

Carson Needs Your Prayers

My dear blogging friends. I received some horrible news this evening from my daughter who is pregnant. Carson, her first born, fell off a slide today and is now in intensive care. The CAT scan showed a dark spot on his brain which the doctor said may be internal bleeding. They are awaiting an MRI. He has a concussion and is very lethargic.

We all know the miracle of prayers. Please keep Carson dear to your heart and pray for him and my daughter Nicole. I’m leaving at first light.

28th Anniversary of Mom's Death

February 5, 1980

This morning I started writing a post about Mom's death and it really got out of control. I was writing it in Word so I could use its spell check. I started looking over the post and it was almost two pages long. That was more than anyone could read. So here is a very short version.l

Twenty-eight years ago today the Lord decided it was time to take my Mom to live with him. I was extremely mad at him. I cursed him!! I couldn't understand why he had to take my Mom so soon. Mom was 68 when she died.

In July 1979 Mom learned she had a cancerous tumor in her kidney and was assured her kidney could be removed without allowing the cancer to spread. Unfortunately it did spread to her bones. The next six months was hard on everyone watching Mom slip further and further away.

Every year on this day, that tremendous loss comes flooding back to me. I miss her as much today as I did that day she left me.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

I'm leaving for Charlotte first thing in the morning. Time permitting I will try to check in with everyone. If not, I'll be back on Sunday or Monday.

A Little This and That

Most folks are watching the Superbowl. The only sports I watch is Mountaineer football. Hubby doesn't even watch pro ball, but he said he wanted to see a little of the game because of our local Randy Moss who plays for the Patriots. I grew up in Belle, WV and Randy about 3 miles down the road in Rand, WV. We both graduated from the same high school. Randy has certainly made a name for himself, much which is not very gratifying.

While most of American is focused on the superbowl, I'm watching the "Murder She Wrote" marathon. I love watching these old shows.

On another subject, yesterday was Groundhog's Day, and according to our local groundhog, Freddie, we are in for 6 more weeks of winter.


I am Charlotte bound on Wednesday to meet my new granddaughter who is scheduled to be born on Saturday, Feb. 9. I was planning on making the trip after Caramia arrives, but my daughter asked me to come down early and stay with the kids while she is delivering the baby. Her in-laws will be flying in Saturday evening to help out when Nicole comes home from the hospital, so I'll be heading back on Sunday after I stop at the hospital to meet my granddaughter. In my day, we did not schedule a day and time for delivery unless we were having a c-section. My daughter will be induced Saturday morning.

What Is This Darn Rash?

My dermatologist called this morning. Did you read that correctly? Yes, my dermatologist called, not her office assistant or the Physician Assistant, she actually made the call. I can't ever remembering a doctor actually making a call to me.

Well, there's good news and not so good news. I have a type of psoriasis that is most likely caused from a reaction to my heart medications. I asked why I was having a reaction now, since I've been on the meds for three years. She said that is not uncommon. She wants me to continue the drugs she gave me and she will do another evaluation when I go back next Tuesday to have the stitches removed. The spots are looking better, but new ones keep coming. She also told me this can be a recurring problem I may have to deal with. She also told me she may consult with my family practitioner about changing some of my heart medications.

The really good news is I am not contagious and the medications I'm using for this will not be harmful to a new born!!! She told me she would write a note to my daughter's OB stating I am safe.




Nicole sent me pictures yesterday of a baby shower her girlfriends gave her. I think Nicole looks beautiful here. She said she felt like a big pink marshmallow! Nicole is in the middle.



Saved

New Grandbaby

My daughter had an OB appointment on Monday and tentatively scheduled the delivery of her little girl. Right now plans are for her to enter the hospital on February 9th. Her in-laws are planning on flying in from Illinois that day to stay with the kids and help out for a few days when she and the baby comes home. This has been a long hard journey for her and we will all be so happy and relieved when this little girl comes into this world.

I'm not going to be able to go see my daughter or the baby until I get this skin condition under control. All the medications I have been on would not be safe being around a new born. I'm hoping to get the results of the biopsy either today or tomorrow and I will post as soon as I know what this weird condition is called. I can't see any improvement from the two new drugs I've been using since Monday night and new spots continue to appear. This is the weirdest thing I have ever seen!!!!

Happy Birthday Campbell

Today is Campbell's 5th birthday. Happy Birthday from Mawmaw!! Campbell is my daughter's second child. He had a birthday party at his school, and one at Micky D's. Nicole hasn't sent me those pictures. What do you buy for a child a few days after Christmas? Nicole asked him what else he wanted and he said, "A dune buggy that will take me to West Virginia and the North Pole." I was able to find a Buzz Lightyear dune buggy, so that is what I bought him, along with a Buzz Lightyear shirt. I bought it at Disney and had it gift wrapped and direct shipped to Campbell. Being able to purchase items with the bill to ship to feature is a life saver for me.

Nicole told me yesterday she was having hard contractions to the point they were timing them. All of her pregnancies have been extremely hard to the point of being bed ridden with IV's in the 1st trimester. This has been the hardest pregnancy for her. She has been sick throughout the entire pregnancy. The new baby (which is another girl) is due the middle of February and we are praying this little one will stay put until then. This is a picture taken at Carson's school during the holidays.

Caison, Nicole, Carson and Campbell

Caison turned 3 in December, Carson will be 7 in March and Campbell is 5 today. Before Christmas Caison was telling everyone she wanted girly stuff for Christmas. Having two older brothers, about all she has been exposed to is Thomas the Train, matchbox cars and other boy toys. Her girly side is really coming out.

Campbell, hope your birthday is full of happy surprises!!

Just Married

November 20, 2007

This past Tuesday my son got married. Don't they make a beautiful couple? Since they were away getting married, and my daughter was not able to come in I prepared a mini Thanksgiving for me and hubby.

I was planning on going to Amber's parents house today for a Thanksgiving dinner, but hubby decided to meet his son and friends from Florida at his brothers' camp in Pocahontas County. Since he was going to do this I needed to finish Christmas shopping for his grandchildren so his son could take them back to Florida. I braved Toys R Us today. What a madhouse!!! I was able to finish buying for them getting the packages gift wrapped and packed for hubby to leave tomorrow.

I am so looking forward to having a few days to myself!!! I'm the type of person that needs some alone time. When I was working I cherished the 45 minute drive to and from work.

This past week I also began my exercise program and met with the dietitian on Friday. I was afraid she was going to set up an outrageous diet for me. All she did was explain the whys for selecting certain foods, asked that I keep a diary and do the best I can. I think I can live with that.

I hope all of you had a nice Thanksgiving!

Gaining a Daughter and Granddaugther

A daughter is your daughter
For all of your life, but
A son in your son
Until he takes a wife.

Is that the way the little rhyme goes? Well, you get the picture!! Tomorrow my son is getting married. Like his sister, he has chosen to elope. Brian is 37 and this is his first marriage. This will be Amber's second marriage. Amber has a little girl who is madly in love with Brian. Once Brian proposed, she asked if she could now call him Daddy. The verdict is still out on what she will call me. She calls her other grandmother Mawmaw, which my natural grandchildren call me. It may be confusing if she calls both of us Mawmaw. This is just a small detail that will be worked out.

Like any mother, I've been looking forward to the day when Brian would marry. Now that the time is here, I'm experiencing the emotions in the little poem above. The day I went with Amber for the fitting of her gown, I told her Brian has been my son for 37 years, and now that they were getting married, I was willing to share him, but he will always be my son. I really like Amber and think she will make a wonderful wife for my son.

Since they are off getting married this week, they will not be here for Thanksgiving dinner and my daughter and her family are not coming in until Christmas. Her parents are going to have Thanksgiving dinner on Saturday when they get back. They invited me to come as well, but since Brian asked me to make my turkey dressing that he loves, so I'm going to cook a small meal. They will come here Saturday evening for dessert and stuffing.

Happiness

Pictures of my grandchildren always brings a smile to my face. I received Halloween pictures today from my daughter. Here they are ready to head out to trick or treat. I hate not being able to celebrate these moments with them Living 6 hours away, I only get to see them about 4 or 5 times a year.

This is a picture of my son, his bride to be and her little girl. I had forgotten about having pictures from their trip to the beach this summer. Don't they make a beautiful family? They are getting married on November 20th. They live close by, so I can see them often.

As you can tell, I'm very proud of my family.

Woman to Woman

The topic for today's forum is

Dealing With Grief

"Grief is a difficult process and almost everyone has experienced it in some form, be it losing a spouse, a parent, a relative, a pet, a child or through miscarriage. Please share with our readers what you have found to be effective in helping you come to terms with the death of a loved one. How has it changed your life? How have you been able to move forward?"

I have had my share of dealing with the loss of a loved one. Actually, my entire family is gone. I’m the only one left. In this picture is my Daddy, Mom, Brother, Sister and me, the little one in Mom’s arms.

Mom died in February 1980 and it hurts almost as much now as then. The doctor found a cancerous tumor in her kidney in July 1979. Her kidneys was removed that month. She had radiation for a few months, then died at the age of 68.

My sister was the next to leave us. She was just 57. She was born with …….. and spent her entire lifetime dealing with breathing problems. She had to go on oxygen 24 hours a day in the late 80’s. Smothering would be an extremely difficult way to die. She was in full control of her mind and body, and knew that each breath may be her last. She died in October 1992. My brother and I gave Daddy as much comfort as we could, but its just not natural to lose a child.

Daddy was always a very strong and active person. I can’t remember him every having anything wrong except a mild cold. It wasn’t until the year 2000 that Daddy experienced any real medical problems. He stumped his toe and didn’t seek immediate medical attention. It turned into cancer and he died in October 4, 2001. The last six weeks of his life were horrible on him and the family. My birthday is October 2^nd, my nieces’ is October 3^rd. We felt Daddy knew the date and waited until after our birthdays to leave us. Daddy was 88.

That left me and my brother. My brother enjoyed traveling. He was a Baptist minister and participated in many missionary trips abroad. The year before he died he was in Russia on one of these trips and developed a kidney stone. He was hospitalized a few days until the stone passed. Shortly after returning home from this trip, he was delivering a sermon at his church and had to stop and start over several time. After the sermon one of the people from the church called his daughter to let her know what happened. That afternoon he was taken to hospital and found he had over 10 brain tumors and one in his lung. They have him 3 months to live. I truly believe that the power of pray helped him live another year. I believe his work on earth was not complete. I had not gone to church in years. When we moved to Hurricane I didn’t know anyone and to start going to a new church was difficult for me to do. When Lloyd was so sick, I knew I had to start going again. Maybe this is what God was waiting for. Lloyd was 74.

I dealt with grief in the same way with the passing of all my family. The day of Mom’s funeral when we were at the chapel at the cemetery, it was time for the family to leave. I just sat there. I believe it was Daddy that said, Linda come on. I just sat there. My brother came over and sat down beside me and I told him I could not leave Mom here. He quietly said, “She’s not here, she’s in heaven with our Lord. This is only her earthly body, but now she is well and sitting with Jesus”. Those words helped me leave with my heart full of love and hope. And, those same words helped me with the passing of the rest of my family.

At my brother’s funeral I overheard his daughter say, “That’s not my Daddy lying there, he is with our Lord”. It has been my faith that has brought me through the difficult times of of losing my family. I know with all my heart, that one day we will all be together again without pain and suffering.

Great News & bad news

So I can end this post on a happy note I'm going to share my bad news first. This past Friday I had an appointment with a surgeon. I have a place on my leg that won't heal and my primary care doctor told me I needed to see a surgeon to have it removed. The surgeon I chose is the son of the doctor I had when I was growing up. He too was a surgeon. This younger surgeon and I had a nice talk about his parents and his childhood. Then we got down to business. He told me I have solar keratoses. The place on my leg is too large for him to remove without leaving a hole in my leg, even with a skin graft. He noticed other stops on my arms that he said was the same thing. I thought these were just a result of aging. He has started me on a topical chemo treatment for two months, then he wants to see me again. For all you nurses, the drug is Efudex. The good news is it is not the type of cancer that will kill me. What is weird about this, I've never been a sun worshiper, have always used sun screen, mainly because I burn very easy.

On to the Great News. My son is getting married on November 20th!!! This graphic isn't entirely true. They have booked the wedding but he has not yet popped the question. They ordered the rings a couple weeks go and it will be in this week. After the ring arrives he will formerly ask for her hand. He already asked her daughter, Kati if he can marry her Mom. Kati is 5 and adores my son. Her response was, "well yes". This will be my son's first marriage at the age of 37 and Amber's second. She is 30. I looked for a picture of all of them together and could only find one from this past Christmas, but it wasn't very good. Trust me, there will be pictures in the future. Like my daughter, my son does not want a formal wedding. They are going to a mountain retreat in Tennessee and will be married there.

I am so excited!!! Amber is so sweet and will make a wonderful wife for Brian. There have been times when I thought he would never marry. He has been concentrating on school until a couple years ago. He received his BS in geology at the University of Kentucky, his Masters at University of South Carolina and his doctorate at the University of Alabama. He is now employed with a major gas company as a geologist. I don't know all of Amber's degrees, but she is the vice principle of a private Christian school.

A few months ago Kati asked her grandmother if Amber would marry Brian would her new grandmother love her. When Amber told me this I about cried. Isn't it interesting what goes through a little one's head. Kati is absolutely adorable, and of course, I love her. The big question is, what will she call me. My daughter's children call me Mawmaw, which I love. Kati calls her grandmother Mawmaw, so it may be confusing to have two Mawmaw's. This is a small detail we work out. It's whatever Kati would prefer.

One more thing about this lovely story is how they broke the news to me. I had called Brian on Saturday just to check in. He said he was on his way home from buying another dirt bike. He asked what I was doing, and wanted to know if I could come over later in the day. After he unloaded his bike he called me back and asked that I come for dinner. I told him I had a pot of soup on the stove, and he said that would keep. When I arrived we were all sitting in the kitchen and Kati was humming the "Here Comes the Bride" song. I asked, why are you humming that song? Then it dawned on me. I jumped up and hugged Amber then my son and then Kati. Can you believe that? Brain told me he was originally not going to tell me, until afterwards. He was just going to say they were going to her parents camp for the week. That's when I slapped him. They showed me the retreat they will be staying on the computer and Amber showed me some gowns she likes. With the wedding being less than a month away, she will have to buy something off the rack. She is planning on wearing blue. She said her Mom wore a pale blue gown.

This post is getting way too long. There will be more to come later.

Brian's Vacation

Last week my son Brian, his girlfriend Amber and her daughter Katie spent the week vacationing at the Outter Banks in North Carolina. This was Brian's first time to the Outter Banks and he said it was beautiful, not crowded like Myrtle Beach, and looks forward to going again. Brian is 37 and has never been married. I for one am hoping Amber will be the one!! They have been together for a little more than a year. He met her shortly after moving back to West Virgina.

Brian has a cat named Dot. He asked if I would go over to his house and "hang out" with her while he was gone. I went over and spent time with Dot every other day. We would sit in the great room and play for an hour or so until she got bored with me.

Brian found Dot abandoned by her mother in a shed at his house in Alabama. He took her in, cleaned her up and began feeding her every couple hours with a bottle for a few weeks. He had to take her to work in order to feed her during the day. Dot was so small when he found her that she didn't have her eyes open yet. He would also have to push on her tummy to make her poop. I didn't realize that was what the Mommy cat does for her babies.

After all this attention you would think this cat would be affectionate. She is one of the most temperamental cats I have ever seen. When Brian gets home from work he is allowed to pick her up for a couple minutes, then she hisses and wants down. She will come up to you and rub up against your legs, but forget about petting her. On my visits we would just play and before I left I would ask her if she wanted a treat and she would run and jump up on the kitchen counter meowing, yes yes!! She takes the treat very gently out of your hand, but don't try to pet her.

Dot was entertained while I wasn't there by the birds at the bird feeder and the chipmunks that run around on the back patio.

Brian doesn't have any children, but I guess I'm a Maw maw to Dot.

I haven't heard from my doctor regarding my test. I'll post as soon as I hear.