What's New?

Greetings readers (or reader), It's been a while since I wrote on my blog.  There's been a lot going on in my life.

The new year is here and I haven't kept one resolution - yet.  I still plan to exercise every day, eat better, lift weights, read my bible every day, etc.  Actually, I forget to do these things.  I get so involved in everyday events that my resolutions completely slip my mind.

I used to be very disciplined - when I was younger.  I can remember getting up at 5:00 AM every morning to do Joanie Greggins who had an exercise show on TV.   She's probably dead now; she was pretty old when she was doing her show and it's been at least  25 years since I did the exercises.  Consequently, everything on my body is either sagging, bagging or dragging.  And, you know the sad thing is, I don't really care.  I never thought I would reach this point - not care about how my body looks.  I used to be a fanatic about my looks.  Oh well, I guess that's what age does to ones mind and determination, etc.

Since I last wrote, my grandson has moved in with me.  He'll be eighteen Sunday.  He needed a change, so he decided he wanted to live with Nana and Poppa.  He's a dear boy.  He has Asperger's' Syndrome, which is a type of Autism.  He's had it since he was eighteen months, when he was diagnosed.  He was fine up until that time when he started making lots of hand motions and wanted to play with cooking utensils instead of toys.   I have to get up at 6 AM to get ready and to get my grandson's lunch fixed, take him to my granddaughter's house by 7:15AM and she takes him to school, as she's headed that way for work.  I, in turn, take my great-grandson to school five minutes from her house, as he has to be at school later than my grandson.  Can you figure that out?  I also have to pick my grandson up every day at school, which is thirty minutes from my house.  It sounds crazy, but I actually am enjoying getting up and out that early.  I hope my attitude doesn't change.

I am a reader so, of course, I had to read everything I could find on the subject.  We chose to implement several unorthodox treatments for my grandson, one being Auditory Integration Training.  This involved going to another town, two hours away, every day for two weeks.  While there, my grandson had to put headphones on his ears and listen to music - different kinds of music.  These sessions were supposed to help my grandson sort out different sounds, so he could learn to communicate.  He really didn't like this, at first, but eventually he adjusted.  We had an hour session in the morning, had to wait four hours and have another session the same day.  It was very trying to have to find something to fill up those four hours.  I even resorted to renting a motel room so we could eat lunch and rest a bit.  Eventually, we went to my mother's house, an hour away, after the afternoon sessions, and spent the night there.  This was a lot easier than having to drive two hours home every afternoon.

Anyway, the sessions were completed and after the first session, my grandson said a whole sentence.  It was incredible.  We were driving home and he said, "I see a deer".  We started screaming and crying; it was wonderful.   I do believe that this "unorthodox" treatment for Aspergers started my grandson off in the right direction.  Today, he is a caring, loving, Christian, sweet young man;  we all adore him.

I'm still beading.  I've made a lot of " bling-bling" rings.  They're really big rings that truly make a statement.  I love making these.  I start out with the base beads I like and just wing it from there.  I don't have a plan, I just let the  design ideas come as they will.  I love to design;  this is my passion.  I've said many times to my husband..."I wish I had a passion like your fishing passion."  He does love to fish.

Well, now I have a passion.  The problem is, I don't want to sell any of my rings.  Everyone says, make two of each ring and sell one of them.  If I make two, that means I'll be making two of the same thing when I could be designing something entirely different. Does that make sense?

I just got through eating my "no-no" breakfast - a bacon, egg and cheese biscuit with a diet coke.  I only eat one of these about once a month, if that often, as they're chock full of calories and all kinds of bad stuff, mainly fat.  But, they're soooo good, and I was soooo hungry.

I'm sitting here typing this blog trying to decide if I'm going out of town today, or not.  They're having a big bead, trunk show an hour from here and I'd like to go, just to get out of the house.  We've been pretty housebound in the mid-atlantic lately because of all of the snow, sleet and wind we've had.  I can't remember a winter that has been so crazy.  We usually have pretty mild weather here in NC, but this year has taken the cake.  It's not supposed to get above 45 degrees today.  Yesterday afternoon, it was 60 degrees and 32 degrees last night.  Is that crazy, or what?

Well, I guess it's time to close down this blog; I've got a lot of things to do today.  I hope all of you have a blessed day.  Ciao, Nana