Happy New Year!

As I sit here looking out my window watching the heavy snow fall from the branches. I see them spring back, one at a time, unburdened by winter's calling card. We have had a year of many changes, some came at a price. We still count our many blessings, springing forward, embracing each change as it comes knocking at our door. This Christmas was a beautiful start to wonderful new year.

My brother Patrick and his girlfriend Sara spent Christmas with us this year. Sara is finishing up her PHD in Utah and flew out for Christmas. It was fun to spend most of the holiday with adults. We ate, played Cranium Wow, the boys fished and we girls talked. Relaxing and very nice.

TK did arrive for Christmas dinner and although he is too young to get the Christmas thing, he loved the new toys. Sara works with 0-3 year old kids like a "Supernanny" and was amazing with TK. He followed her like a puppy. She will work with disabled children and their mental health when her dissertation is done. She brought us Utah treats, including Marie Osmond's new Christmas CD. ;) Did you know Utah is the beehive state?

TK was very well behaved, allowing us adults to play games. We got our first snow the day everyone left so no snow for TK. Saturday TK will turn two, Happy Birthday angel boy! Dave's new grandson, Warrick, tried to make an appearance Wed. but the doctors stopped the labor. He is due Jan. 21st but mom is so ready. Dimitri and Ethan (Dave's grandsons) had a wonderful white Christmas in Washington.

The sugar did not keep him up late due to all the excitement. Dave took this because he thought TK looked like a frog.

This January is my 17th year with ALS and I had never landed in the ER, until last week. I took a tumble on soft carpet and thought it would feel better, like always, in a few days. 5 hours in the ER and yet no brake to be found. Turns out I tore my rotator cuff and needed an Orthopedist and an MRI. The Ortho guy said surgery on very weak muscles is probably not an option but I might regain some of the use of my arm with physical therapy. The MRI will tell us more next Saturday. I can't use my walker right now due to pain with pressure, but in time I will again. My right arm must step it up since it is not in full working order and does not have the help of my left arm now. If I had to find a bright spot to my gimpy left shoulder it would be showering with Dave. ;)

The new year is already a challenge but I'm thinking it will all work out and thank goodness I can still blog! Have a safe and Happy New Year! XXOO

Read Write Poem - "Transitions"

This week we were given the following prompt:

Choose a book that calls to you.
Go to the end of several chapters, and find the final noun or verb.
Make a list of 10 or so words, and then write a 10- to 20-line poem using those words.
Maybe the feeling or tone of your poem will come from your emotional connection to the book you choose. Maybe not.

I chose a fellow bloggers book "Real Magic" written by Brian Fowler. He sent me a signed copy of his first book that arrived right after I moved in. I thoroughly enjoyed it! It came at a time of change for me and its amazing love story inspired this poem.

Transitions

New beginnings come, reluctantly
like fall giving in to winters claim.
Winds sweeping away the dead of
fall, a shifting of life, a new day.

We have started anew, joyously
as our dreams drift like snowflakes
filling the trees with possibilities.
Blanketing us in quiet solitude.

The magic of Spring will come
whispering through the pines.
Rooted deeply in love, growth
emerges stronger in change.

by Tammy

Check out other contributions here: http://readwritepoem.org/
To Buy "Real Magic" go here: http://outskirtspress.com/webpage.php?ISBN=9781432713805
Visit Brian at http://hummingbunny.wordpress.com/
Photo from StockXpert

Sunday Scribbling - "Dance"

Santa Animations provided by MySpaceAnimations.com

I have loved dancing ever since I was a little girl. It started with watching that curly haired angel, Shirley Temple. I still watch her with my personal VCR collection...no snickering! ;) You could set the clock by where you could find me on a Saturday afternoon as a pre-teen. Sitting in front of the boob tube watching the cool moves found on American Bandstand followed by Soul train. My mom jumped on my love of dancing by rushing me down to the local dance studio before I grew out of the phase and into boys.

My teacher was beautiful and graceful even at 7 months pregnant. I fell in love with ballet but mom added tap and acrobatics. Tap made a cool noise but I was not feeling the Shirley Temple vibe and summarily dropped it. Acrobatics was the worst, I hated it, but mom made me see it through for awhile longer. The headaches began right away until my teacher realized I was holding my breath through every trick. Try as I might I kept doing it, so the teacher had to convince my mom that Jazz would be more my style. I hated that I flunked somersaults! I did the recitals and fairs around the county each year and enjoyed it all. The costumes and dances made my heart race, especially ballet, but boys won out in the end. I was really good, but when it was decided I should have private lessons, I knew it would rob me of other things and so I declined. Nope, mom was not too pleased.

I never stopped dancing so after all the lessons I discovered cheerleading. I got the best of both worlds, dance and boys. Ok, so maybe cheerleading is not really dancing but who cares I was having a blast! I went to a private Catholic High School and you know what they say about those private school girls. "They can dance!" " What were you thinking?" Disco was in full bloom back in the late 70's and after I graduated every weekend was about dancing. Picturing my ex in angel flights, silk open shirts and platforms makes me hurl now, then not so much. My hair was three times the size of my face so I can't remember what I wore but I'm thinking leather mini skirt.

My children could dance before they could walk and we danced a lot. They did the lesson thing for awhile but freestyle was their thing. My youngest danced in her room, door closed, incessantly. It pulled her through her awkward times at school but no one knew how good she really was. My grandson TK has watched his mama dance behind closed doors for two years now. He turns two on December 29th and the Christmas before his birth, Dave, Jess and I danced with careless abandon to hurry TK into the world. It was one of those spontaneous moments you never forget.

You probably think I've hung up my dancing shoes for a walker, you would be so wrong. I dance romantically with Dave by the firelight. Trust me you would not want to see my Dave dance by the light of day to his country tunes. It reminds me of that movie "Deliverance." LOL I dance with my TK and he thinks I rock! He has that gramy dance gene and some unique moves. Grampy is trying to get him to do the one foot stomp and we all say in unison "TK noooo." I may have to be careful getting my groove on but seeing the love and laughter in my family's eyes when I dance still makes my heart race.

Lets Begin Slowly with Memes

I've caught up with many of my favorite blogs and discovered I'd been tagged by Tabor at http://tabordays.blogspot.com/ and received an award by Gill at http://gills-jottings.blogspot.com/. Thank you ladies! I'm easing into creative writing and poetry by starting with two festive memes.

Share 7 random and or weird things about yourself.

1. I love photography but I can't raise my arms without shaking. I'm getting a camera soon for people who can't keep still.

2. TK and I chat on the phone every other day and since I'm the only one who calls him TK he knows just who it is. I'm proficient at gibberish. :)

3. Everything I eat that is meant to be hot must be hot, not warm or slightly hot. Did you know Starbucks will make your coffee hotter if you ask?

4. Had a prospective buyer for the old house until they fell on a piece of loose slate on our walkway. We're waiting on a lawyer or offer, you never know. We think she's ok, no return call.

5. Must watch the musical Scrooge every Christmas Eve with Albert Finney while eating candy cane hot fudges.

6. I'm getting very annoyed at the writers strike. How many Lifetime Christmas movies can I possibly watch before I explode.

7. I mix ketchup and mayo together and put it on far too many foods. My brother and I were raised to call it secret sauce...don't tell anyone!

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1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Bags
2. Real or artificial Tree? Real
3. When do you put Christmas tree up? 3 weeks Dave, 2 weeks me. Guess who wins? ;-)
4. When do you take the tree down? First weekend in January.
5.Like egg nog? Ewww!
6. Do you have a nativity scene? Yes
7. Favorite gift received as a child? A gold ring that said "love" from my mom. (1973 love and peace were big, like now) My oldest wears it now.
8. Hardest person to buy for? My oldest, she complains every year with just a look.
9. Easiest person to buy for? Hubby
10.Worst Christmas gift? Ugly sweatsuit and I don't like clothes for Christmas because I hate returns.
11. Mail or email a Christmas Card? Email due to not being able to write.
12. Favorite Christmas movie? Scrooge
13. Favorite food to eat at Christmas? Cookies with icing.
14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Yup, many times but never handmade or meaningful things. Mainly white elephant stuff.
16. Favorite lights? White icicles on house, colored on tree.
17. Favorite Christmas Song? Chestnuts roasting on a....?
18. Travel during Christmas or Stay Home? STAY HOME
19. Can you name Santa's reindeer? Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen & Rudolph...I stole Gill's answer. ;)
20. Angel or Star on Tree top? Angel
21. Least favorite thing about this time of year? Expectations and excess.
22. Which one person do you really want to see blessed this Christmas and why. Pam, to give her extra strength for her battle with ALS.

NOTE TO SARA: Email me at tammyndavid@dishmail.net Look forward to meeting you at Christmas and tell my brother it was $100. LOL

WooHoo! DSL FRIDAY!!!

This has been me for way too long! My dog and cat are none too pleased over my return to the computer but I'm ecstatic! I have missed blogging more than I had anticipated because I've missed my friend's and clubs. I read blogs when my dial-up allows but I refuse to comment to one friend if I can't comment to all my friend's. It's just not me and how my brain works. Friday I will have choices in my day once again. Dave does most everything around here plus always manages to find a new project to do...God love him! I LOVE my new home more each day but my list of things to do is dwindling.

Dave has not started his new job yet due to a hold up on his fingerprint return. He worked for the government in his last job and instead of speeding things up it slowed them way down. He's loving the delay. ;)

We have finished our decorating for the holidays and Dave got his "special tree." Last year I collected stuff on Ebay to give him his childhood tree. I sent him out to get the tree so I would not be tempted to add my two cents and he would get what HE wanted. He came home with a tree that he had to cut 5ft off of to fit in the room...men!

Last year I got tin light reflectors and glass icicles. We added bubble lights that have water in them that bubbles, vintage ornaments, our ornaments and the dreaded TINSEL. It is soooo cool looking in person.

Wider shot.

Dave loves lots of lights! The real deer keep trying to hook up with Bucky, knocking him over, so he's tied down now.

TK came for Thanksgiving and helped grampy with the lights. We had a wonderful time!

White Christmas was on TV to bring on the holiday spirit. TK and Dave cut a rug. ;)

BIG FAT HUGS TO YOU ALL!