PICK YOUR FAVORITE VALENTINE'S DAY RESULTS!

First of all-

Thank you all so much for playing along.

Let's get to it!

#1- WINE & ROSES

Sandi-wants some alone time at the table to drink juice out of her wine glass-hmmm..Maybe she could come really early--or really late. Jane-loves the setting but will need a hoist to get up from her seat...any volunteers?, Nancy-doesn't want a boost up-wants me to raise the table!, Linda/LifeJournal-deserting MA to sit here, Lorrie-had to play paper/scissors/rock to make her choice, Missy the wino-here for the wine-can't wait to see her paintings after the wine intake, Laurie-bringing her homemade wine-FatCat.HappyDog (yep-that's the name of her wine You will notice she is sitting right next to the designated wino), Karen, Connie, & Pam S.

#2-HEART OF ROSES

A smaller sweet group of ladies-

Amy/ToodyGoo-wants to bring her Cockapoo, Sadie, as a little girlfriend for Scruffy-sadly, Scruffy wouldn't know what to do with a girlfriend if he had one---thank the vet for that!  Marilyn/MountainTop-Really like Table#4 but thought it looked like it was set for a Queen and wasn't sure if she knew which utensils to use at any given time.  So-here she is-safe at #2!  Also here- LisaK, Ellen and Kelly.

#3-TULIPS TO LOVE

Penny, MadSnapper-wants to steal the quilt and asked for hand sanitizer-guess I won't tell her she will be using a port-a-potty for the sanitizing! Ginny, PattyMcDonald-Wants a cushion for the bench...I will get right on whipping one up, Melanie, TerriD-says she is TAKING the quilt with her-I am tacking it to the table so she will need pliers and I will catch her before she frees it, Lynne, Vee, Carla, and my dear Gert.

#4-PINK AND WHITE ALL OVER

Ron-the Cocktail King-thinks it is the classic table, bj missed the fact that Ron was here,  Rose, Doris, DonnaC, Lynda

#5-TULIPS AND POLKA DOTS

Debra/SheWhoSeeks, Denise, Theresa, Julie, Judy/NorthOra, Kim/NutBrown, Kris, Jack & Sherry-our travelers enjoying the Sweet Warm South, Jan/LowCarb, Sandie/Chatty, Jeanie, Pat, bj, & Connie-thinks all Valentine's Day tables should be for two-but guess she will put up with the rest of you.

#6- VALENTINE'S DAY? CHECK!

Diane, Dawn, MA, bobbie-pink makes her barf so please DO NOT WEAR PINK at this table or risk getting puked on, Jettie-who MIGHT behave herself for once, Jan, Jane, Nonie, BillieJo-NOT romantic-but don't tell her hubby-guess she has been fooling him for years. AND Buttercup

AND KATHY-Sorry I forgot you- you can sit at the head of the table.

AND MEVELY!  Wow- Not a good day here.  lol

AND HAPPY ONE! Missed her, too.

Not a great day at table#6!

#7-PINK & GOLD

Linda/Life&Linda-set a very similar table last year, Pam K, Sue/PearTreeFarm-bringing a sweetie-hope her hubby knows, Leena, Bless, Michele, Ann-afraid she will slop on the table. It's okay Ann-I have a LOT of grandchildren so I am used to messes!

SO-there you have it-

Another Pick Your Favorite results.

I apologize for anyone I missed.

I go back and forth from FB responses to comments on the blog, to emails so I sometimes miss someone.

If I missed you-PLEASE LET ME KNOW!

I wanted to get this done before 

VALENTINE'S DAY 

but I will still be away for a while.

We are in a new place of life after losing my brother-in-law, Steve.  So, bear with me for a bit.

Love you all and 

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!

See you soon!

RIP STEVE KOSMOSKI- YOUR EARTHLY TRIAL IS OVER

 This afternoon

my dear brother-in-law,

Steve Kosmoski

passed peacefully 

from this world to the next.

He is beyond all pain and sorrow

and, if you are a believer like me,

I believe he has entered a grand new world

called Heaven.

Steve is the oldest son in the middle,

John is the middle son, on the left,

Paul is the 'baby' on the right.

They are all 18 months apart.

That picture was taken just after John

was declared cancer free after his

third bout with cancer.

They also have an older sister

that lives in New York.

John and Steve were going out to see her

last Fall but never got to make the trip.

Please keep his wife, Carol,

in your prayers as she walks

the new path she finds herself on.

Widowhood is not easy.

She is going to miss her constant companion

and the love of her life.

Thank you all for all of your prayers

and well wishes and healing thoughts.

They are much appreciated and 

I love you for taking the time to 

visit here and leave your comments.

I will be taking a few days away

from blogging but will be back soon.

Love to all of you~

REMEMBERING MY BROTHER, CHARLIE-----MISS YOU EVERY DAY

 NINE YEARS AGO TODAY

my brother, Charlie,

walked into the hospital ER

because he wasn't feeling well.

On February 5th,  2013,

 4:04 pm he left the hospital.

He didn't leave the way we hoped,

nor the way we expected.

He went to a different home

than the one he left that last Tuesday.

He developed a very rare cancer

that affects less than 1% of

cancer patients.  It is fast moving

and there is less than a 1% chance

of survival.

I  struggled trying to figure

out why this has happened.

Then a peaceful thought came to me.

Our little granddaughter,

Anna Bella, 

needed an Uncle

to keep her company.

A great-uncle.

Great in more ways than one.

Wasn't he a cute little boy?

We knew that last morning that his

time to be with us was to be

short-lived.

They put him on a morphine drip

and he gently drifted away

without pain.

What you don't know about

my brother is that he was a 

joker-He loved to make

people laugh.

He was the "smiliest" person

I ever knew and he

dearly loved a good joke.

You know, even in moments of 

blinding pain there are

sparks of laughter,

After we said our good-byes and 

gave him permission to go "home",

we were all sobbing.

I told him: "You are so, so loved here

and Mom & Dad

and our grandparents and 

uncles and cousins and family

are all waiting for you-waiting to

welcome you to Heaven".

My sister-in-law added...

"And Snow White".

What? I asked.

Maybe you read a different

Bible than I do cuz I don't

think Snow White is in Heaven.

Everyone in the room erupted

in laughter.

In the burst of laughter

my brother, Charlie,

took his last breath of

life on this Earth.

We knew then that he 

was free to go because

in spite of our sadness

there was one last smile for him.

I'm betting that right now,

up in Heaven,

he is setting our little Anna Bella

up to some mischief

just like  I my father used to 

set him up.

He passed so-so peacefully,

with nary a complaint.

You did good, Charlie,

very, very good.

Now I feel like I have a 

GUARDIAN ANGEL

that watches over me.

As a family, we have moved on,

walking different paths than the ones 

we were on and that is okay.

Happy memories keep us company

on those days when we mourn

our earthly loss.

Take a moment today to 

tell someone you love them.

If there are rifts in your family,

mend them while you have time

for tomorrow is never guaranteed

and there are no "do-overs"

when death comes to visit.

Have a wonderful, blessed day.

I hope YOU have a 

GUARDIAN ANGEL

in your life!

As I write this, my hubby's brother,

STEVE

is drifting towards heaven.

Please pray for a peaceful passing 

for him and comfort for his wife, Carol,

and siblings.

ps.  Snow White?  She was Charlie's cat.

FUNNY ON FRIDAY-NAUGHTY? NOT ME! FUNNY? YOU DECIDE!

The picture below is me myself!

A happy-go-lucky little Miss.

My Father thought everything I did was funny.

My Mother thought nothing I did was funny.

It made for some uneasy family meals.

ANYWAY..

Below you will see me standing 

next to my Aunt Erma.

One of my Father's sisters.

She is holding one of her pride & joy grandchildren.

She is happy.

That's her happy face.

Notice how she is ignoring me?

See how happy I am?

As a reference guide

Compare it to the picture above.

See what I mean?

I was NOT Aunt Erma's favorite niece.

As a matter of fact, I think I was on the bottom of her list.

Why? Why you ask?

Well, it started with a can of paint

(kinda like this one)

I think I was about 6 (or maybe 7)

I believe my age was

SHE.IS.OLD.ENOUGH.TO.KNOW.BETTER!

(Accompanied by a red face 

to match her red hair).

Anyway, the best I remember it..

I took her white house paint..

ummm..hmmm...

and I just stirred a wee bit of BLACK paint

into all the cans.

There were lots of cans.

There were enough cans to paint her whole house

and she had a BIG house.

My father asked me if I did it.

I said..YEP!

He asked WHY?

I said..Because I did.

My Auntie said that was

NOT! A! GOOD !ANSWER!!!

My Father suggested she paint the house grey.

She did NOT think that was funny.

She did NOT think I was cute.

My Father bought her new paint.

She got to keep the old paint too!

Now I ask you...

Was that fair? 

No need to vote on that question!