My sister in law and her boyfriend had an allergic reaction a few days ago. This was after they both ate baked apples - I don’t know why they call it baked apples when it’s a berry, but whatever. My sister in law’s boyfriend is actually still dealing with the reaction, perhaps because his case was so severe. It wasn’t just a case of hives all over, which were very itchy, it was also because of the swelling it caused around his lips/mouth. He’s seen the doctor twice in the last week, and though he’s taking a prescription for it, he’s still having some issues with this allergic reaction.

I know I’m not having an allergic reaction to anything, at least I hope I’m not, but I’ve been itching like crazy today. I think it’s just a side effect of watching them scratch. Ha, ha - not that watching that is funny, just that watching it would make me itch.

I’ve been feeling a lot better today so I took some time to get caught up on some work, and put some *almost* finishing touches to Kristin’s new blog designs. I can’t wait to present what I have to her. I really hope she likes it! And speaking of designs; I’ve gotten several emails in the last couple of weeks from bloggers requesting my work. I will be getting back to them before the end of the day tomorrow, so hopefully this will keep me steady for a bit. I’m also toying with the idea of offering some premium themes. Yes, those will have price tags but they’ll be 1 of a kind and those purchasing will be the only persons using them. I’ve been working on a few of these for awhile now but never really finished any of them. I still plan to keep doing free themes too, but I don’t think it’d hurt to do a few premium themes along and along either. If it weren’t for getting so many requests since the beginning of this year, I don’t know that I’d even consider it, but it’s just an idea.

Anyway. I’m going to finish watching Most Haunted. Why? I don’t know, I always have nightmares after I watch it, even though the show isn’t “scary.” Yeah, that makes no sense at all to me. Ha, ha.

I tell ya, if I stare at this computer any longer I’m going to need Lasik surgery for sure.

EDIT; I got a reply, and an apology. She has explained she hadn’t actually been paid for any designs to date, and was only starting to charge for work - none of which she says involved anything in part or in full, of mine. I’ve accepted her apology. Unless something arises in the future, that previous entry will remain private.

People, do yourself a favor. If you download any of the themes I’ve made available.. don’t turn around and alter the colors and sell them. No, no.

I have no problem with ANYONE wanting to alter the free themes I’ve made available. I’ve never, ever had a problem with that. I rarely ever even cause a stink if my credit gets removed, so long as the person using it isn’t claiming my work.

It’s seriously WRONG to take credit for someone else’s work. SERIOUSLY wrong. But not only to take credit for it.. but to then turn around and charge someone for a template you had little to do with.

What am I saying?

I found a blog tonight, using my “Love Bugs” theme. The only changes were the colors and a portion of the header. According to the “designers” (and I’ll use that lightly at this point) design site, she charges folks for templates (blogger and wordpress).

I will get to the bottom of this.. and if I’m not happy with the reply to the email I sent, I will push forward.

I don’t care if you change the colors.. I don’t care if you change the header.. I don’t care if you rearrange the theme entirely to make it more unique, and more “you.” I don’t mind those things at all, like I said..

It’s one thing to remove a credit, it’s a totally different thing to actually get paid for something I made.

I’ve been having trouble getting to sleep tonight. I just keep thinking about Cody (cousin) being in the ICU, fighting for his life. At times I feel sick in the pit of my stomach. Since I can’t seem to shake the thoughts in my head - all the what ifs - I figured I’d try to do something productive.

Jo’s asleep right now, but in the morning I’m going to talk to him about having some flowers sent to Cody. We can’t be there with Cody and the rest of my family right now, but we wanted to make sure they all know he’s in our thoughts and prayers. Flowers may not seem like much in this situation but I think it’s the perfect thing for someone who’s sick, in the hospital or any variety of other occasions. Flowers have always represented “life” to me, so I think we’ll work on this first thing in the morning.

I wasn’t sure where I’d begin my search until I ventured over to E-florist, Inc, an online florist. My search has actually come to an end. There’s such a huge selection of flowers and other gifts for really affordable prices, that I won’t need to look anywhere else. There are times that I get frustrated shopping online because the store’s websites aren’t setup to be “user friendly” - if you will. They either have a website that uses far too many large images that it takes a good while to load or searching for specific things is difficult because of the way the site is designed (not enough options). E-florist, Inc is totally opposite of all of that. For me, I usually shop by price because regardless of how much money I have in my account, I’m always on a budget. E-florist, Inc made this easy with the “Shop by price” in the left sidebar. For those of you who aren’t on a budget and just want to browse, you may choose to “Shop by occasion” or “Shop by product.” You can even search the site by entering keywords into the search box. Either way you can easily browse through flowers, or even gift baskets for all sorts of things like; a new baby, birthday, anniversary, just because, sympathy or like me - “get well” type of things. Once you’re finished browsing, you can select “Cart contents” from the top tool tab to view the items you’ve added to your cart and get your total before checking out.

Whatever the occasion, E-florist, Inc is there and can offer same day delivery. To learn more, visit their online florist shop.

Me, I’m going to go finish browsing for a little something for my cousin Cody.

I never was a daddy’s girl, I was always a mama’s girl. Anyone that knows me outside of the internet will tell you that. Other than my husband, she’s the one person I always want to be around because she is so wonderful, brightens up the gloomiest of days and just makes me a better person. She is pure gold. Since moving to Canada last year, I’ve found myself almost incomplete at times.. like I’ve just lost my way. Since my grandmother passed away earlier this month, I have this overwhelming desire to move back home (with my husband in tow of course). He’s dropped “Georgia” on one occasion since we moved to Newfoundland but I’m not sure that he was serious about it when he brought it up. I have my doubts.

My cousin Angie emailed me earlier this morning after reading what I was doing on facebook (that status thinger). She wanted to make sure I was OK and wanted to know what was up with it. I went on to explain our living situation, all the drama that just festers in this house (from one person of course) and so on. She says that she can tell my mom isn’t doing the best, which under the circumstances is understandable. That certainly didn’t help with my desire to be home and with my family. She said that my mom told her I felt guilty about being unable to be there right away and she wanted to make sure I understood that I shouldn’t feel that way. How can I not though? I don’t blame myself or anyone else but the way it happened with them in Georgia and me here.. you simply cannot fight off that guilty feeling easily. I’m sure this normal for anyone who’s been in a similar situation, I know that but it’s just constantly weighing on my mind.

I want to move closer to home, I really do but I know it’s probably not what Jo wants. It’s hard. If we don’t move closer to home, Ontario is definitely closer than Newfoundland but for someone who has always been extremely close to her family.. it’s still too far away. Is it wrong for me to want that? To want to live near my family? I wouldn’t do it if I felt Jo would be unhappy with the idea. I know how unhappiness goes as far as being somewhere you don’t want to be… that was Calgary for me. I certainly wouldn’t want him to feel like I did about Calgary.

I guess it’s too early to be worrying about any of this though. The “move” is still months away. The roads aren’t safe for traveling right now.

Spring is too far away.

I’ve been trying to think of a way to start this entry off but I’m really having trouble.

My grandmother has been really sick since around the beginning of summer. She’s in her late 80’s, so I guess most would be expecting an end for someone of that age at any time. There have been times when I found myself even saying things like “Well she is getting older..” but I guess deep down we’re really not as prepared for the death of a loved one as we think we are.

If you read the entry titled “In my thoughts”, you’ll know that my grandmother’s kidneys are shutting down. My mom phoned me tonight and said she’s gotten much worse in the last 24 hours. They took her off of all of her medications and she is now only being given OxyContin. This move is merely to keep my grandmother as comfortable and in as little pain as possible. The home healthcare nurse told my mother this evening that my grandmother’s liver is now also starting to shut down. They’ve given her a few days but even that isn’t promised. My youngest sister Nikki was told that if she wanted to see my grandmother before she passed, that she and the boys needed to see her tonight because it’s coming fast.

I guess I took for granted that my grandmother would be there when we came back for a visit. I guess I wanted to believe that she wasn’t as bad off as they kept telling me she was. I honestly didn’t believe I would be saying goodbye to another grandmother, my last, over three thousand miles away. I’m trying so hard to put on a smile, knowing my grandmother has lived a wonderful life. She has but that doesn’t take away the sadness I feel in my heart and the regrets I feel will follow me for leaving her behind as I did my grandmother B. It wasn’t out of selfishness and I know they both knew that when I left both times.

As I type this entry, my grandmother is resting (hopefully comfortably) in her bed.. and is dying. I wish I could be with my mother now more than ever because though she shines as a strong woman on the outside, I know she is falling apart inside.

I’m sitting here thinking of all of the wonderful memories I have of my grandmother and all of the things about her that I will miss. There was nothing like summer at my grandmother’s place, even if she did put us to work with things like: shucking corn, splitting peas, raking leaves and doing various chores on her farm and around her house. I will miss her silly stories that she used to tell us when we were kids, especially about “Bloody Willy” who supposedly haunted the well on her farm. As I’m sure you could guess, that was to keep all of us kids from messing around the well. I’m also going to miss her delicious chicken and dumplings and ho cakes (you’ll have to research that one yourself), that she made like no one else can or ever could. I’m going to miss her scent, her curly white hair, her joyful laugh and the way she showed unconditional love (some of you may understand what I mean by that, while others may not). We had some wonderful times with my grandmother, so there are a lot of very fond memories that will help her live on through us all.

I’m hoping by some miracle of a chance that she makes it through the night and even though she may not know it’s me when I phone in the morning.. I hope she hears me when I tell her how much I love her.

I decided to contact my dad’s girlfriend Kim to see how she felt about me talking to my dad about my “findings” regarding my niece. She said I should definitely tell my dad, that I had NO idea about how deceitful my niece had been. Kim said that my niece is very manipulative and lies all the time. I decided to call my dad and talk to him about it. After we talked about what I’d read on her Myspace profile, he said they’d found out a lot more the day before. It’s much worse than we all suspected but he’s going to figure out a way to “deal” with it. This is going to result in my niece’s father taking full custody of the kids. It’s just too much for my dad to deal with at his age and with his health problems. Kim said my dad’s blood pressure was through the roof since the kids moved in and about 99% of it was my niece. My oldest nephew is actually really wonderful and has even said he’d rather stay with my dad. I’m not sure how that’s going to turn out. My oldest nephew works and contributes to the household, unlike my niece. And again, at 15, she doesn’t need to be doing certain things.. but on the other hand, there are things she could be doing: helping with keeping the house clean. Right now my niece has her cell phone number plastered on her Myspace. It’s in the public quote box (beside the profile picture) and also in her status. Now if that’s not asking for trouble….

Anyway. Thank you for your opinions. I agree with all of you and I’m thankful I went to my dad. If it bites me in the butt, so be it. I’d rather keep my niece safe rather than let her prance around doing who knows what, with who knows whom..

Today, I want to send my grandmother a beautiful bouquet of her favorite flowers (sunflowers) from http://www.1800flowers.com. Flowers are her thing!

I woke up yesterday morning and decided to phone my mother. Normally this isn’t out of the ordinary, however, we usually talk every other day and that’s usually in the late evenings after she’s gotten in from work. I decided to call her for a little chat while she was at work because I knew she’d gotten so much finished up and caught up this past weekend. I knew she’d have a little time to chat, especially because I called while the other ladies were at lunch. I asked her for her opinion of something and before she could even respond, her cell phone began to ring. It was the home healthcare nurse and her room mate and the only thing they could manage to say to my mom was “Get home, now..”, which of course frightened the both of us because we knew it had to be something going wrong with my grandmother. We were right, my grandmother’s kidneys are starting to shut down and although she’s currently stable, they aren’t expecting her to improve much, if any, at all. It’s a time like this when you really feel three thousand miles away. As much as I would love to be with my grandmother right now, the conditions for traveling aren’t that great this time of year and I’m not sure if we could afford it for a few more weeks. When I spoke to my mother late last night for an “update”, I asked her if there was anything I could do. The only thing she responded with is “You know how much she loves her flowers..” and that is so true. Flowers and gardening were my grandmother’s passions outside of “family”. She enjoyed their fragrance and especially their colors. It’s been a few years since she’s be able to do any gardening of her own but she’s never lost her love of flowers, even as Alzheimer’s has taken a toll. A bouquet of flowers may not seem like much but for my grandmother, I think they’ll brighten her day and with any luck trigger some fond memories of back when..

http://www.1800flowers.com has a large selection of the freshest bouquets, gourmet foods, stuffed animals, gift baskets and plants for a variety of occasions like: birthday’s, birth of a baby, wedding, get well soons and just because, to name a few. If you’re in a rush to find that special gift to let your loved ones know they’re on your mind, they’ve made their website time-friendly. Rather than using their search feature, you can choose from a number of categories based on things like: holidays, flower types, gift baskets and so much more. Maybe you have a loved one who’s been stationed through the military, in another country other than the US or family scattered around the globe. No worries because that’s not a problem for 1800flowers.com, they’re also capable of international deliveries all over the world through their international affiliations. Now that’s convenience!

I’ve found the perfect bouquet for my grandmother. I know that she will love the sunflower arrangement I’ve picked out because I’ve had personal experience with 1800flowers.com on two other occasions (once for my mother on Mother’s day and once for Jo’s grandmother, before she passed, when she was diagnosed with cancer for a second time). The flowers were beautiful both times, and I am confident they’ll be just as beautiful this time too.

This is a paid review.

OK, I have a situation and honestly, I’m not sure about how I should handle it. When I was talking with my dad on New Year’s eve, he was telling me about the trouble he’s having with my niece (she lives with him). He said that since her mom, my sister, doesn’t have a phone, he has no way of knowing if my niece is actually staying with her mom sometimes on the weekends. That night (New Year’s eve) he said she was supposed to be going to her mom’s. Well, her myspace profile stated this: “So excited, going wid my baby”. Wid = with by the way.. apparently you have to dumb things down on myspace, eh. Anyway. My dad has been really concerned because for 3 days around Christmas she was supposed to be with her mom but because her mom isn’t talking to my dad, he has know way of knowing if she actually did. Now keep in mind she is only 15 and in my opinion, no 15 year old should be sleeping over with a boyfriend. Call me old fashioned, I don’t care. A lot of things can happen in those situations - drinking.. sexual experimenting which could bring upon pregnancy and so on. I just don’t think it’s a good idea.

Now that I’m seeing she has been deceitful with my dad (as he already suspected), I’m wondering if I should even say anything to my dad. I love my niece to bits and as much as I don’t want to be the bad guy, sometimes when you love someone, I think you have to. What would you do? :/

My mom phoned this past Saturday while they were having their little Christmas shindig. I was so happy to hear her voice, especially since things have gotten so crazy with the holiday happenings for us both. We got to catch up for a bit before she handed the phone off to various relatives but it was only the last 3 that had me nearly to tears (happy, yet sad). The first of those 3 was Tyler. He sounds so grown up now and a piece of me is really sad that he (well, all of them) are growing up and I’m not getting the chance to see it anymore. Photos do not count. The second of those 3 was Landon. He was so excited to talk to me and just went on and on about the DVD he was watching, Goosebumps (I think?). His speech has gotten so much more clear. You can understand nearly every single word. He’s the one who’s partially deaf in both ears. After a few minutes with Landon, the phone was tossed over to the little one, WentWent (Trent). Trent kept saying something about not being able to see me and for the life of me, I couldn’t understand what he meant. After moving on to another topic for a bit, I was finally able to talk back to my mom for a bit. The ones that didn’t take the phone were all in the background sending hellos and I love you’s. It made me very homesick, not that I needed any help with that.

Later on that night Nikki called back. She wanted to tell me that Trent was saying he couldn’t see me in the phone (refer to paragraph above) and also that she’d forgot to tell me about some of the things the kids had been saying / doing. As you probably recall from other entries, my nephews like most kids, saying the silliest things sometimes. Anyway, she was telling me about Landon and Trent getting into an argument the other day and she said they went back and forth a few times before Landon finally told Trent “It’s none of your bibiness” (business). His speech is definitely better but he sometimes struggles with longer words, which was the case this time. Well Nikki said that Trent looked at Landon after he said that and said “Excusseeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee me” (exaggerated for you lol). She said she had a horrible time not laughing at them. These are some of the things I hate missing. I love those boys to bits, as if they were my own and I really miss not getting to see them at the drop of a hat.

I have been extremely homesick for the last couple of weeks and at times even depressed. I love living here, don’t get me wrong but there’s honestly only so much drama a person can tolerate. I have tolerated enough, my belly is full. One of the people living in this house with us is driving me bananas. Her extreme highs and extreme lows, along with her horribly rotten attitude is getting the best of the rest of us. I mean, throwing a fit over a freaking belly button ring (her mother refuses to allow her to get one). Yeah, that’s just one of the many things she’s pitched a fit over today. It’s an everyday thing, sometimes multiple times a day. I’m reaching a breaking point, as is Jo (he’s already wishing to move back to Georgia lol).

Anyway. That’s enough of my babbling for today - please excuse my typos, I’m too exhausted to proof read right now. Be sure you check out the entry about my latest contest. You know you’d like an easy $20!

Do you have any favorite relatives? My uncle Wayne (dad’s brother) is my favorite uncle. We’ve always been fairly close even though he lives in Texas. In my baby book, my mom filled in little comments people said about me and two of his were “She looks like a little rat” (may explain why I love cheese so much now) and “Well, I see she doesn’t have red hair” (I had blonde hair when I was younger, Wayne has red). Usually my uncle and his wife Denise come to Georgia for Thanksgiving. This year they went to Michigan (where Denise’s family is from) where they were supposed to stay in a lovely little Michigan bed and breakfast. Considering the drama that can happen on Thanksgiving (at least in our family), that was probably the better choice!

I think they’re actually planning to visit sometime during the Christmas holidays or possibly early in the year next year. Either way it’s disappointing for me because I won’t be there to see them. I’m hoping he’ll plan another visit for late Spring, which is when Jo and I are planning to go visit my family back home.