UPDATE ON LIZA AND MYSELF AND HUBBY

 FIRST OF ALL-

THANK YOU TO ALL OF YOU THAT PRAYED

FOR SWEET LITTLE LIZA!

SHE CAME THROUGH THE SURGERY

AND IS DOING WELL.

THE SURGERY WAS A BIG UNDERTAKING

AND IT WILL TAKE HER A LONG TIME

TO RECOVER.

SHE IS IN GOOD SPIRITS AND DEALING

WITH THE CHANGES IN HER LIFE.

PLEASE CONTINUE TO KEEP HER

IN YOUR PRAYERS.

SEVERAL OF YOU HAVE REACHED OUT TO ME

TO SEE HOW I AM DOING.

THE TRUTH IS, 

I HAVE HAD A RECURRENCE OF AN OLD

AUTO-IMMUNE ISSUE.

THE FIRST TIME I HAD THIS WAS IN 1993.

I WAS IN BED FOR ALMOST 6 MONTHS

UNABLE TO MOVE WITHOUT A LOT OF PAIN.

OVER THE PAST FEW YEARS I HAVE HAD

A FEW LITTLE 'BLIPS' BUT HAVE ALWAYS

GOT IT UNDER CONTROL BEFORE IT GOT TOO BAD.

NOT SO THIS TIME.

THE FIRST WEEK IN FEBRUARY IT HIT ME HARD-

IT STARTED IN MY RIGHT FOOT AND IT 

SWELLED TO ALMOST DOUBLE ITS NORMAL SIZE.

I COULD NOT BEAR ANY WEIGHT ON IT

WITHOUT EXCRUCIATING PAIN.

I HAVE A WONDERFUL DOCTOR THAT  HAS DONE

HIS BEST TO HELP.

I HAVE BEEN ON ANTI-INFLAMMATORIES

AND STEROIDS SINCE THEN.

I THINK I AM TURNING THE CORNER BUT

STILL HAVING A HARD TIME WALKING

OR BENDING AND SLEEPING IS AN

ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TASK.

I AM NOT TELLING YOU THIS TO ASK FOR

SYMPATHY BUT AS A REASON I HAVE NOT

BEEN AROUND VISITING MUCH.

I WILL TELL YOU THAT I AM A LOT BETTER

CARETAKER

THAN I AM AT BEING THE CARETAKEREE...

YEP-NOT A REAL WORD BUT YOU GET IT.

I HOPE TO BE BACK TO MY USUAL SASSY SELF SOON.

YOU KNOW THEY CAN'T KEEP US OLD BROADS

DOWN FOR LONG.

SO-BEAR WITH ME AS I CONTINUE TO RECOVER.

SEVERAL OF YOU HAVE ALSO ASKED ABOUT

HUBBY'S TRIP TO MAYO.

WE WERE GIVEN SOME ANSWERS THAT HAVE HELPED

AND A SEMI-DIAGNOSIS. 

THE NEUROLOGIST HERE AND AT MAYO SAID IT 

IS ONE OF THE MOST COMPLEX CASES

THEY HAVE EVER SEEN AND HE FALLS INTO

SEVERAL (OR NONE) OF THE USUAL CATEGORIES.

I AM STILL HIS PRIMARY CARETAKER-

WHICH, LET ME TELL YOU, HAS BEEN FUN

WITH MY OWN HEALTH ISSUES.

(I MIGHT HAVE LIED ABOUT THE FUN PART).

HE IS IN BED ABOUT 80% OF THE TIME AND I

DON'T SEE THAT CHANGING MUCH.

SO--AS USUAL--

WE SLOG ALONG DAY BY DAY HERE.

THERE YOU HAVE IT-

THE LIFE AND TIMES OF NANA DIANA AND COMPANY.

IT'S TIMES LIKE THESE THAT I WISH I DRANK....LOL

INSTEAD I HAVE BECOME ADDICTED TO MEDICAL SHOWS

AND HAVE BEEN BINGE WATCHING THEM

SINCE EARLY FEBRUARY.

I THINK WITH WHAT I HAVE LEARNED

I COULD PROBABLY APPLY FOR A MEDICAL LICENSE

AND MOVE DIRECTLY INTO THE SURGICAL FIELD.

LET ME KNOW IF I CAN HELP YOU WITH 

ANY OF YOUR MEDICAL NEEDS.

HAVE A WONDERFUL MARCH AND WISHING YOU AN EARLY

HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY!

ASKING FOR PRAYERS FOR SWEET LITTLE LIZA

 I haven't done a 

PRAYER REQUEST 

in a long, long time.

However, one of the blogs I follow,

Tom The Backroads Traveler

has a little granddaughter named 

Liza.

                                       This was taken just before her surgery.

Liza is just 12 years old and was

diagnosed with oral cancer.

This past week she had major surgery

and faces a long road of ongoing recovery.

Tom, and his family,

 need all the support 

they can get.

You know as a parent, or grandparent,

you just feel totally helpless

when something like this happens.

You wish you could 'fix' life and

make it all go away.

We can't do that---but---

what we can do is

PRAY.

If you have access to a prayer chain

please add sweet little Liza's name.

If you remember, 

my hubby had 

Stage 4 head/neck cancer

 and was

given a 3% chance of survival.

You all put him on prayer chains

around the world and 

3 months later,

with radiation and chemo,

he was cancer free and remains

cancer free going on 9 years.

I believe in the power of prayer

and I know many of you do, too.

So-please pray!

Thank you so much to all of you

that have been so faithful following me-

even though

I have not been nearly as active 

blogging

these past couple of years.

Y'ALL ARE THE BEST.

HOW COLD IS IT TODAY? MINUS 8˚F RIGHT NOW-A HIGH OF MINUS 1˚F- BUT MY HEART IS WARM!

  It is COLD COLD COLD here.

What do you do on a cold day?

Well,

because I am too lazy 

to go out and walk

my usual 3 miles,

I decided to go through

some of my old magazines

and came across this one from

January/February of 2015,

Sadly, they have stopped publication

of this magazine.  

I had all of them from the first

issue forward.  

When I got rid of most of my old magazines,

I just could not bear to part with my

ROMANTIC HOMES MAGAZINES

but, finally, I donated

my whole collection to an old friend.

She told me she now wants to redecorate

her whole house.

Please pray for her husband

he kind of hates me now-lol

She loves romantic and so do I.

Romance is just kind of timeless,

isn't it?

Anyway--

Let's talk about the next holiday

VALENTINE'S DAY.

February is all about Valentine's Day  but-

I don't think you have to wait for 

Valentine's Day to make this for someone special.

 Pink Pearl Lady Cake

HERE is a similar recipe.

The Baking Bible-Rose Beranbaum

Ben Fink-Photographer

I thought the cover was just lovely.

Got your cake mess cleaned up from

baking that heart cake above?

Good!  Now then

 you can see the

PINK HOUSE

owned by 

Malla Ruutiainen

It is softly sweet and livable.

You can find her on Pinterest by clicking on her name.

by-Jo-Anne Coletti

 Here's a little sneak peek at the Florida estate 

of a New York couple.

This home was designed by

Guillaume Gentet

By:Sarah Yoon/Mark Roskams/photographer

It looks like Florida, doesn't it?

You can find more 

PINK FLORIDA HOMES HERE!

Okay-Now-Doesn't the home of

Carolyn Westbrook

just make you dream of warm summer days?

Even though we are freezing our butts off here.

I found her on Facebook.

You can find it by clicking on her name above.

Prepare to  have your mouth hang open for a while.

While your mouth is hanging open....

purse your lips a bit and 

BLOW HARD.

Then you can blow up balloons to put together

this beautiful garland

styled by  

Selina Lake

photography-Shirlie Kemp

So-There you have it.

A few things I love in the old

2015 January/February Issue of

Romantic Homes.

Know what else I love?

You!

Thanks for following along here.

Here's how I am feeling about you this morning....

Lips still puckered up from the balloon blowing

are they?  Good!

Here's to you!

REFLECTING ON THE PAST-LOOKING FORWARD TO THE YEAR -2025

 Yesterday as I was thinking-

about this New Year I found

my mind wandering back to

the place where I was born

and raised,

Bradford County, PA.

I don't have many pictures

of my time there,

but I came across some

photos that stopped me in my 

tracks.

Someone working for Google Earth

took stunning photos from our

farm setting and they are posted

for the world to see.

This is taken right in front of

our house- headed North.

Our farm house would have

set to the left about 150'

from the road.

You can see the shed my 
father and neighbor built
in the 50's on the right-hand
side of the road.
I remember playing with the
cut off pieces of wood and
sifting the sawdust through
my fingers.

I walked that road many a thousand  

and one times.

I remember when my father planted

the elm trees on the left and

they were just saplings.

My brother owned the

 old farm property

until he passed.

From our kitchen window this 

is what we saw....

Our Lady of Perpetual Help

and

the graveyard I wandered in

just across the road to the right.

To the far left and just out of sight

are mountains and there

are seven counties visible on a clear day.

There used to be fences on both sides

of the road and the cows would be

pastured on the left side....

another road I walked thousands of

times as a child...one I only walk

in my memory today.

The old church is beautiful.

It's a replica of a larger European church

copied to the most minute detail inside and out.

I didn't go there because we were not

Catholic-but several members of the

families attended mass there.

I have many relatives buried in the

grave yard to the right.

You can never really go home again,

can you?

Yet, I do....in my dreams...

I remember the smell of ham in the

oven on a Sunday morning and

fresh baked biscuits on the sideboard.

There was always a pie or two

for dessert and 

GINGERBREAD for my father.

I remember laughter and love,

 flowing free and easy 

and covering us like a warm blanket.

But....there were also some sad times,

and trials and tribulations.

My parents have both

"gone home" now, 

as has my only brother/sibling.

leaving only myself 

to relive the farm memories.

Leaving me to create my own memories

for the children that will follow me.

Someday they, too, will

"remember when"

and I hope their memories

are as happy as my own.

Happy New Year 2025

to all of you-.

I hope you, too, can look

back and remember the 

good parts 

and that time has

dimmed whatever heartaches

and disappointments you have

encountered along life's path.

I wish you a year of 

Love and Sweet Memories.

I will be back soon with an

update on hubby's trip to 

Mayo and the results.

A THANKSGIVING POEM FROM ME TO YOU-

 

HAPPY BLESSED THANKSGIVING 

I pubished this a few years ago

but thought I would repeat it today.

Poetry has always come easy to me.

My cousins and I listened to a lot

of poetry growing up.

Both of our fathers read poetry to us

so it is second nature to me.

Are my poems perfect?

Nope- Not even close

 but they are heartfelt.

Here is the one I wrote a few years ago.

Thanksgiving

Oh! The memories of Thanksgivings past,

When I was just a child,

When the days spread out forever,

And I could just run wild.

I remember early morning sun

Upon the kitchen floor,

And father hurrying across the room

Going out the old screen door.

He would go to do the milking 

Then come  in to eat his fill,

Of Thanksgiving dinner lovingly prepared

In that house up on the hill.

My little grandmother always came,

Bringing the mincemeat pie,

I never ate a single bite of it

Cuz I didn’t want to die. (smiling)

My Uncle came along with her,

And another Uncle, too,

A cousin tagged in here and there,

When they had nothing else to do.

Oh! Then the years just marched along

And God took some family home,

The Thanksgiving table got smaller

As other members began to roam.

I never dreamed when I was a child,

That the day would come to be,

That the old homestead would all be gone

And the only family left would be me.

So, gather your family close, my friends,

As you celebrate -I say-

Remember to give Thanksgiving,

For the love & riches you have today.

By: D. Diana Kosmoski ©2017

I hope your day is 

FULL OF BLESSINGS

and for those that do not have family

to spend the holiday with

I wish you 

peacefulness  and  joy.

And, as you celebrate alone,

I'll celebrate with you in spirit......

Much love from me to all of you.

THANKSGIVING TABLE-PICK YOUR FAVORITE RESULTS

 Thank you all so much

for playing along.

Ready for your results?

Here we go!

#1-CANDLES IN A ROW

GlutenFree blogger-she's worried about fire with all those candles.  Terri D- Is bringing a blanket to put out any resulting fire. I hope it's one of those fire resistant blankets that I see in all the ads.  Michele-(didn't pick so I picked for you--lol--that'll teach you), French Hutch-(same fate)

#2-DARK BEAUTY

Mad Snapper-will probably eat the chocolate candles and is a vegan hater-what's not to love about her?  Mevely-Reminds her of her trip to Tuscany-sweet dreams- Cecilia-please don't encourage Tom by laughing at his jokes.  Linda/Life&Linda-May be eating grapes while waiting. Sandie/Chatty, Jan/LowCarb, Unknown, Pam, Kris-can't beleive she chose COLOR on the table-my world is spinning- Kim/Exquistely, Missy, PennyC,  Racheld-here because she is sure that pumpkin souffle being served.

#3-GLITTERY GOLD & BLUE

Debra/SheWhoSeeks-likes the elegance of the table (please make sure you wear a bra this time, Debra), MA, Ron-is bringing his signature martinis-pretty sure we will have a mass movement to this table, Holly & Cindy.

#4-LEAF ME ALONE

Unknown-Thank you-Love you no matter WHO you are) Lynne-still recovering- I will serve you personally, Jan, Debby, DebbieN-It's okay to bring your new German Shepard-he can sit under the table and eat scraps, Jack & Sherry, Julie, Ann-here for mashed potatoes, Bless, Ginny H, Diane/LavenderDreams & Unknown#2-wants some dog lovin'.

#5-BABY BOO PUMPKINS

Cheryl K, Jeanie, Kay G, Pam S-She's here for the view but will probably eat anyway, Nellie, Janie Junebug, Lizabeth, BillieJo, ColoringOutsideTheLines, Tiffany, Judy C, & Diane H.

#6-A GLASS HALF FULL

Judy/GoldCountry, Latane, Jettie-Bringing her dog Bocephus--imagine what he might be like with a name like that---just sayin', Sabra, ShirleyK, Debbie F, Connie & Faye

#7-VEGETARIAN CENTERPIECE

Sandi-Feathers bothering her already-wants to sit with the dogs, Ellen, Lisa K, Sarah & Mary G.

THE DOG TABLE

Set especially for certain people like-TOM-who thinks there is no room for food on any of the tables, Bill- from Ireland- wants to sit with the dogs and, luckily, his wife, Shari, also picked the Dog Table...which I will say- Was NOT a choice but I aim to please!

I tried to make sure I got EVERYONE that picked a table.  If I missed your name, I apologize. Let me know and I will add you in.  I'm just human you know---a human with 2 crazy dogs that keep pawing the keys on my laptop, and a hubby that is waiting for breakfast in bed....yep...that's my life!

THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH

for playing along.  I needed to do this and touch base with all the lovely people I have come to know and love through blogging.

If I teased you please don't take offense. I don't know any better. It's how I operate. 

We are headed to Mayo for hubby's health issues and will be gone for about 2 weeks during December. What perfect planning, huh? Okay-I was being sarcastic.

I will be back to visit before then. I promise.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING WITH MUCH LOVE FROM ME TO YOU!

PICK YOUR FAVORITE THANKSGIVING TABLE & A NEW FAMILY MEMBER

Several of you have reached out to me

via email and in the comments

asking for another

PICK YOUR FAVORITE~

Who knew y'all would enjoy this so much?

That being said-

Here we go:

So--jump right in and pick your favorite.

#1

CANDLES IN A ROW!!

or as I like to call it.;..

SET OFF THE FIRE ALARM WHEN LIT

Candles not your thing?

How about this?

#2

DARK BEAUTY

GRAPES AND EARTHTONES

#3

GLITTERY GOLD AND BLUE

#4

LEAF ME ALONE -I WANT TO EAT

#5

BRIGHT AND LIGHT 

BABY BOO PUMPKINS 

#6

A GLASS HALF FULL (OR EMPTY)

#7

A THOUGHT PROVOKING CENTERPIECE

FOR VEGETARIANS

Seriously?

So-There you have it!

You know the drill.

Pick ONE table! ONE!!!

Got it?!?

Pick your table and see who you are 

sitting with at the end of it all.

I love these-

It is so much fun to see 

WHO SITS WHERE!

And, in other news-

We have a new baby at our house.

Our little green-eyed 

COCO~the Cockapoo

We already love her...

Does Scruffy love her?

Sometimes!

Other times he turns his back

and ignores her!

TWO SWEET BABIES

in our lives at this point

give us a lot of joy~

We are blessed!