Current update from Maunie

Monday, December 15, 2008

What was I thinking?

On the eleventh of December I went into the hospital with the highest of expectations. Last
time I had the surgery for the right legs sciatica and it was not bad at all. Yes the back was sore
but when I put my right leg down...I was fine. This time I sunk right to the floor.


The pain was unimaginable. No drugs worked...morphine...demeral...anything they had I tried.
I was taking stuff every three hours but it only took the very top layer of pain away. I have never, ever experienced anything like this. The pain shoots down my leg and the toes on my left leg tingle...horrible...then the spasms start. I never slept more then an hour at a time and woke up ready to scream every time.

They finally sent me home late Sunday night with percodens and Valium for the spasms. I am
also taking a sleeping pill and sleeping in my own bed, I managed three hours.

I always thought I had a high tolerance to pain...so much for that. The Doctor says we will try
giving it a couple of weeks and then maybe more X rays and another MRI...he said it was too bad I had such an easy time the first time...and this is not uncommon...sure...anyway enough of me
belly aching just don't expect me around too much...you guys have always been so wonderful so a prayer or two can't hurt...love you all...Maun

What do you think?

I am on the horns of another dilemma...should I have back surgery before I leave from Florida?
My back and sciatica are so bad. I have heard about a surgery where you go in and have a quick adjustment and your home the same day. That doesn't sound bad does it?

This time the pain started in July and has been getting worse day by day. The acupuncture helped a lot but became very expensive and with Christmas coming every little bit helps. (although as many others are) I'm cutting back on gifts.

We go see the Doctors PA tomorrow and see what she has to say. Hubby, of course, doesn't see
a problem. He feels whatever is wrong I should wait four months until we return and have
it done then. I don't want to go to Florida feeling this way.

What do you think...the last time I had the surgery it was a long recovery...about three weeks sitting still...and quite painful. I'm not afraid of the pain but am concerned with my mobility.

Any suggestions would be so appreciated.....thanks---Maunie

What Christmas Ornament are you?

You are a tree

You love every part of the holidays, down to the candy canes and stockings. And you're goofy enough to put a Christmas tree ornament on your tree!

What Christmas Ornament Are You?

From Maunie

-- written by Max Ehrmann in the 1920s --
Not "Found in Old St. Paul's Church"! -- see below

Go placidly amid the noise and the haste,
and remember what peace there may be in silence.

As far as possible, without surrender,
be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly;
and listen to others,
even to the dull and the ignorant;
they too have their story.
Avoid loud and aggressive persons;
they are vexatious to the spirit.

If you compare yourself with others,
you may become vain or bitter,
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.
Keep interested in your own career, however humble;
it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.

Exercise caution in your business affairs,
for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals,
and everywhere life is full of heroism.
Be yourself. Especially do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love,
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment,
it is as perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of the years,
gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.

Beyond a wholesome discipline,
be gentle with yourself.
You are a child of the universe
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore be at peace with God,
whatever you conceive Him to be.
And whatever your labors and aspirations,
in the noisy confusion of life,
keep peace in your soul.

With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.

History of Halloween

Halloween is an annual celebration, but just what is it actually a celebration of? And how did this peculiar custom originate? Is it, as some claim, a kind of demon worship? Or is it just a harmless vestige of some ancient pagan ritual?

The word itself, "Halloween," actually has its origins in the Catholic Church. It comes from a contracted corruption of All Hallows Eve. November 1, "All Hollows Day" (or "All Saints Day"), is a Catholic day of observance in honor of saints. But, in the 5th century BC, in Celtic Ireland, summer officially ended on October 31. The holiday was called Samhain (sow-en), the Celtic New year.

One story says that, on that day, the disembodied spirits of all those who had died throughout the preceding year would come back in search of living bodies to possess for the next year. It was believed to be their only hope for the afterlife. The Celts believed all laws of space and time were suspended during this time, allowing the spirit world to intermingle with the living.

Naturally, the still-living did not want to be possessed. So on the night of October 31, villagers would extinguish the fires in their homes, to make them cold and undesirable. They would then dress up in all manner of ghoulish costumes and noisily paraded around the neighborhood, being as destructive as possible in order to frighten away spirits looking for bodies to possess.

Probably a better explanation of why the Celts extinguished their fires was not to discourage spirit possession, but so that all the Celtic tribes could relight their fires from a common source, the Druidic fire that was kept burning in the Middle of Ireland, at Usinach.

Some accounts tell of how the Celts would burn someone at the stake who was thought to have already been possessed, as sort of a lesson to the spirits. Other accounts of Celtic history debunk these stories as myth.

The Romans adopted the Celtic practices as their own. But in the first century AD, Samhain was assimilated into celebrations of some of the other Roman traditions that took place in October, such as their day to honor Pomona, the Roman goddess of fruit and trees. The symbol of Pomona is the apple, which might explain the origin of our modern tradition of bobbing for apples on Halloween.

The thrust of the practices also changed over time to become more ritualized. As belief in spirit possession waned, the practice of dressing up like hobgoblins, ghosts, and witches took on a more ceremonial role.

The custom of Halloween was brought to America in the 1840's by Irish immigrants fleeing their country's potato famine. At that time, the favorite pranks in New England included tipping over outhouses and unhinging fence gates.

The custom of trick-or-treating is thought to have originated not with the Irish Celts, but with a ninth-century European custom called souling. On November 2, All Souls Day, early Christians would walk from village to village begging for "soul cakes," made out of square pieces of bread with currants. The more soul cakes the beggars would receive, the more prayers they would promise to say on behalf of the dead relatives of the donors. At the time, it was believed that the dead remained in limbo for a time after death, and that prayer, even by strangers, could expedite a soul's passage to heaven.

The Jack-o-lantern custom probably comes from Irish folklore. As the tale is told, a man named Jack, who was notorious as a drunkard and trickster, tricked Satan into climbing a tree. Jack then carved an image of a cross in the tree's trunk, trapping the devil up the tree. Jack made a deal with the devil that, if he would never tempt him again, he would promise to let him down the tree.

According to the folk tale, after Jack died, he was denied entrance to Heaven because of his evil ways, but he was also denied access to Hell because he had tricked the devil. Instead, the devil gave him a single ember to light his way through the frigid darkness. The ember was placed inside a hollowed-out turnip to keep it glowing longer.

The Irish used turnips as their "Jack's lanterns" originally. But when the immigrants came to America, they found that pumpkins were far more plentiful than turnips. So the Jack-O-Lantern in America was a hollowed-out pumpkin, lit with an ember.

So, although some cults may have adopted Halloween as their favorite "holiday," the day itself did not grow out of evil practices. It grew out of the rituals of Celts celebrating a new year, and out of Medieval prayer rituals of Europeans. And today, even many churches have Halloween parties or pumpkin carving events for the kids. After all, the day itself is only as evil as one cares to make it.

Can i borrow $25?

A man came home from work late, tired and irritated, to find his 5-year old son waiting for him at the door..

SON: 'Daddy, may I ask you a question?'

DAD: 'Yeah sure, what it is?' replied the man.

SON: 'Daddy, how much do you make an hour?'

DAD: 'That's none of your business. Why do you ask such a thing?' the man said angrily.

SON: 'I just want to know. Please tell me, how much do you make an hour?'

DAD: 'If you must know, I make $50 an hour.'

SON: 'Oh,' the little boy replied, with his head down.

SON: 'Daddy, may I please borrow $25?'

The father was furious, 'If the only reason you asked that is so you can borrow some money to buy a silly toy or some other nonsense, then you march yourself straight to your room and go to bed. Think about why you are being so selfish. I don't work hard everyday for such childish frivolities.'

The little boy quietly went to his room and shut the door.

The man sat down and started to get even angrier about the little boy's questions. How dare he ask such questions only to get some money?

After about an hour or so, the man had calmed down , and started to think:

Maybe there was something he really needed to buy with that $25.00 and he really didn't ask for money very often The man went to the door of the little boy's room and opened the door.

'Are you asleep, son?' He asked.

'No daddy, I'm awake,' replied the boy.

'I've been thinking, maybe I was too hard on you earlier' said the man. 'It's been a long day and I took out my aggravation on you. Here's the $25 you asked for.'

The little boy sat straight up, smiling. 'Oh, thank you daddy!' he yelled. Then, reaching under his pillow he pulled out some crumpled up bills.

The man saw that the boy already had money, started to get angry again.

The little boy slowly counted out his money, and then looked up at his father.

'Why do you want more money if you already have some?' the father grumbled.

'Because I didn't have enough, but now I do,' the little boy replied.

'Daddy, I have $50 now. Can I buy an hour of your time? Please come home early tomorrow. I would like to have dinner with you.'

The father was crushed. He put his arms around his little son, and he begged for his forgiveness.

It's just a short reminder to all of you working so hard in life. We should not let time slip through our fingers without having spent some time with those who really matter to us, those close to our hearts. Do remember to share that $50 worth of your time with someone you love.

If we die tomorrow, the company that we are working for could easily replace us in a matter of hours. But the family & friends we leave behind will feel the loss for the rest of their lives.

D9E31A23-8430-2AAB-0F57-21964B57E8C7

1.02.05

I Believe......

A Birth Certificate shows that we were born

A Death Certificate shows that we died

Pictures show that we lived!

Have a seat . . . Relax . . .

And read this slowly.

I Believe...

That just because two people argue,

It doesn't mean they don't love each other.
And just because they don't argue,
It doesn't mean they do love each other.

I Believe...
That we don't have to change friends if
We understand that friends change.

I Believe....
That no matter how good a friend is,

they're going to hurt you every once in a while

and you must forgive them for that.

I Believe...
That true friendship continues to grow,

even over the longest distance.

Same goes for true love.

I Believe...
That you can do something in an instant
That will give you heartache for life.

I Believe...
That you should always leave loved ones with
Loving words. It may be the last time you see them.

I Believe....
That you can keep going long after you think you can't.

I Believe...
That heroes are the people who do what has to be done when it needs to be done, regardless of the consequences.

I Believe...
That money is a lousy way of keeping score.

I Believe....
That my best friend and I, can do anything, or nothing and have the best time.

I Believe....
That sometimes the people you expect to kick you When you're down, will be the ones to help you get back up.

I Believe...
That sometimes when I'm angry

I have the right to be angry,
But that doesn't give me the right to be cruel.

I Believe....
That maturity has more to do with

what types of experiences you've had
And what you've learned from them

and less to do with

how many birthdays you've celebrated.

I Believe....
That it isn't always enough,

to be forgiven by others.

Sometimes, you have to learn to forgive yourself.

I Believe...
That no matter how bad your heart is broken

the world doesn't stop for your grief.

I Believe....
That our background and circumstances

may have influenced who we are,
But, we are responsible for who we become.

I Believe...
That you shouldn't be so eager to find
Out a secret. It could change your life Forever.

I Believe....
Two people can look at the exact same
Thing and see something totally different.

I Believe...
That your life can be changed in a matter of
Hours by people who don't even know you.

I Believe...
That even when you think you have no more to give,

when
A friend cries out to you -

you will find the strength to help.

I Believe...
That credentials on the wall

do not make you a decent human being.

I Believe...
That the people you care about most in life

are taken from you too soon.

I Believe...
That you should send this to

all of the people that you believe in, I just did.

'The happiest of people don't necessarily

have the best of everything;
They just make the most of everything.

Thank you God for all the wonderful people who help us throughout the journey of life..

May Angels guard you and guide you.

D9E31A23-8430-2AAB-0F57-21964B57E8C7

1.02.05

Peanut Butter Oatmeal Drops

Makes about 36

1/2 cup butter
2 cups light brown sugar, firmly packed
1/2 cup milk (or evaporated milk)
pinch of salt
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups quick-cooking rolled oats

Line two baking sheets with waxed paper. In a large heavy saucepan combine the butter, brown sugar, milk, and salt. Bring mixture to boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until mixture comes to a full rolling boil. Without stirring, let mixture boil for exactly 3 minutes. Immediately remove from heat. Stir in peanut butter and vanilla, stirring until peanut butter has melted. Quickly stir in the oats, mix well. Working fast, drop mixture by tablespoonfuls onto prepared baking sheets. Allow to cool and become firm, about 30 minutes. Makes 3-4 dozen cookies.

A short fun quiz from Maunie!!!!

Questions and Answers:
1. Grab the book nearest to you, turn to page 18, find line 4. Write down what it says: “. Oh! Oh God, I thought

2. Stretch your left arm out as far as you can. What do you touch first? bookcase

3. What is the last thing you watched on TV? news

WITHOUT LOOKING, guess what time it is: 7:1 5.

5. Now look at the clock, what is the actual time? 7:18

6. With the exception of the computer, what can you hear? Slow rock music:) I’m the only one awake! Penny crying for treats...spoiled cat..

7. When was the last time you went out...for what? went up to N.H. and Maine looking at houses.

8. Before you came to this website, what did you look at? read the Boston Herald

9. What are you wearing? old tee shirt of hubby's...panties

10. Did you dream last night? sure...the one about the huge wave coming right at me and I am the only one on shore

11. When did you last laugh? In the car yesterday...hubby was doing his really terrible impersonations.

12. What is on the walls of the room you are in? three stuffed trout...hubbies and the two boys

13. Seen anything weird lately? just me...in the mirror

14. What do you think of this quiz? Fun!

15. What is the last movie you saw? Michael Clayton...very good

16. If you became a multi-millionaire overnight, what would you buy first? Hmm…BAGS!!!! Lot’s of Designer BAGS!!!

17. Tell me something about you that I don’t know: Secret;) I have a problem with credit cards.

18. If you could change one thing about the world, regardless of guilt or politics, what would you do? I can’t change anything just like that but I am more concerned about the starving needy children in the USA I'd make sure they were helped first.

19. Do you like to dance? Yeah love to dance

.20. Imagine your first child is a girl, what do you call her? a boy? Laurea Lou, Cosmo D.

21. Would you ever consider living abroad? Sure but not forever.


Spread the words ladies!

On the horns od another dilemma by Maunie

Okay dear friends I need your input again.

The doctor called and I have a badly ruptured disc and one that's basically on it's way.

Three years ago I had back surgery to remove three discs.


I really don't want to go through that again.

Physical therapy does nothing for me but make me hurt more.

Do any of you have experience with acupuncture?

Read a long article about it last night and if it would avoid surgery I will be all for it..

I don't want to wait too long as I did last time.

So fellow blogger I am in a quandary..

If you have had experience with it let me know. Even if it was a friend of a friend.

I know, I know, with me it's always something...

love and trust you all. What should I do?

Maunie has handed out an award

Maunie has handed out her first award..The award was made by Santa for Maunie to hand out...Check out Maunie`s World to see if you get one..I know some of the Blue Ribbon Bloggers here get one and a few others from the blog world get one..Isn`t the award cute? Thank you Maunie for handing this award out!

Maunie has a new blog!!!!

Maunie has a new blog that Santa made for her cause she had lost all her passwords for everything...So her old blog will be closing up shop shortly..Go check out her new blog: ::::::
Maunies World.....Congrats Maunie on getting a new blog!!! If she loses any of her passwords for this new blog and santa is not around, i will have all the info to help her out just in case and that probably will happen..(just kidding)...

A Perfect Day

Older son and his family had a wonderful party on Saturday. They live on the top of a hill with a long driveway so it was perfect. No other houses are very close so they set up the band, put out tons of food and off we went.

What was extremely interesting was that guys from his other bands, from years ago came by and so people would join and others would leave. Some of the younger kids had an opportunity to join in and they were thrilled. How many fifteen year olds have the chance to play with established guitar players and drummers etc.

The small children had the moon bounce all day and you can just imagine how excited they were to have that. It was cool and breezy and the bugs didn't come out until dark. If we had an opportunity to select a day that was good for everyone this would have been it.

Family and friends, young and old, singing and eating together (okay not oysters or pink Floyd for me thanks) but it was wonderful and the fact that they have it once a year is something else to anticipate. The last four years it has rained so they had to set up the band in their basement and put up huge tents for the food and seats but this was the one. A perfect day.

Simplest little toy for a cat and you

Have you noticed that the simplest little toy in the world can drive your cats nuts and you can laugh your butt off playing with the cats? We recently got our cats a laser light that we can play with the cats..Sometimes the cats that are not to bright to bring with are the ones who like to chase the little red light...It certainly is funny to watch them chase the light and sometimes they crash into stuff and they still keep going to get it..And when you are tired of playing with the cats and the light, you can have a cat crying their head off because they still want to play...
We found the laser light in the cat isle at the 99 cent store..Next time i will buy a few more..Maybe i will put one on my key chain and keep the extras for when we need them..They were cheap enough and the cats enjoy playing with them..Do you like to play with the little red light too????

Maunie & the hospital

Maunie has been in the hospital recently..She might have to get a Pacemaker or take some sort of blood thinner medicine..She is not crazy about the blood thinner, neither am i...Isn`t bloodthinner medicine the same stuff that they kill mice and rats with in mousebait? I would not take that stuff personally..Would you take it?I think i would rather have the Pacemaker if given the chance...Her heart problem may be the problem why she fell down in front of a store the other day, we really don`t know right now...She is a little sore from that incident..She is at home resting right now..She had to get out of the hospital before she tried to strangle any hospital workers or family members...Take care Maunie...

As most of you know, the blogging den is no longer around..But there is now a new blogging den called Blogging Den 2...If you would like to be a co-author on Blogging Den 2, please let me know...There are a few people blogging on it you may know..Come check it out..You can join the community or blog on it..Your choice..Thanks~purplefrog (kim)
Blogging Den 2

How rare is your personality?

Your Personality is Very Rare (INFP)

Your personality type is dreamy, romantic, elegant, and expressive. Only about 5% of all people have your personality, including 6% of all women and 4% of all men You are Introverted, Intuitive, Feeling, and Perceiving.

How Rare Is Your Personality?

I got rain and somebody tried to smuggle a frog into the house

Where we live in Arizona, we hardly ever get rain unless it is monsoon season and then it is little compared to the rest of the state..But we actually got rain last night and a heavy down pour this early afternoon..The kids were having fun playing in the mud puddles and catching frogs of various sizes...Kids being kids having fun..(wet and dirty)The boys were outside playing in their underwear having a great old time pushing each other in an old wagon going thru the muddy water..I caught one of the boys trying to smuggle a frog in the house inside his underwear..(the underwear looked to full for him to fill out)...The yard was pretty much a large lake outside when the rain was done and the kids had so much fun..Now all we have is mud galore..I have a feeling my white car is no longer going to be white..My son Christopher loves throwing mud at everything and anybody...So watch out....

Flowers and Camping

During our last camping trip, we went on a walk on a dirt trail.. We stopped and took a picture of these wild flowers...


My son Christopher picked these lovely bunch of flowers when he went on a different walk with my friends 15 year old son.. He brought me these flowers.. I had to take their picture cause I knew they were going to be dead by the time we got home which was a few days later..


This is my daughter and her friend down at the lake.. They didn't know that I took their picture..


This is my son after his walk.. Passed out in the tent for the night.. He never woke up during the night.. That long walk did him in... peace and quiet...


Of course I had to get my other son peeing in the bushes... Don't you have any pictures that could embaress your child when he/she gets older... I know my parents have some pictures of me when I was younger, but you will never see them and I plan on keeping it that way...

My Cats

Our cat Misfit has been missing for a little over 2 weeks now - maybe he knew I had an appointment for him to lose his manhood... We miss him dearly... About a week before he disappeared, my son Christopher had him painted purple with latex paint.. You should have seen us cutting that purple fur off him.. Thankfully his fur was kinda long... Our cat Tator Tot has her own set of problems.. She will not walk on our bedroom floor at all.. It seems like something is out to get her.. Instead of walking on the floor, she will hop from one piece of furniture to another to get where she needs to get to... She follows me around the house and nobody else.. (she is supposed to be my husbands cat) She sleeps with me all the time and we use the bathroom together too... (the litter box is in the bathroom)...

Do any of you have any cats with mental problems?

We also have some cats that are stupid enough to be carried around the house by the kids.. The cats are old enough to learn how to get out of that situation.. Yet dumb enough to stay.. What is wrong with those cats?