New Year's Eve

It's New Year's Eve and I am counting my blessings today. We are blessed with love and semi-good health. We have three beautiful daughters ~ each unique but somewhat alike. We have two sons-in-law that we appreciate. Our grandchildren are smart and kind. Buck has a job. We have food and clothes and a house. We are able to worship without fear. What more could we ask for?

I heard somewhere that resolutions should not be saved for New Year's Day because if you need to change. . . . you probably needed to change last week ~ so why specify?

People need a DATE to start a new venture. New Year's Day is just another day but because it is the first day of a new year we see it as a new beginning with a whole calendar of possibilities. So today or tomorrow when you start that new diet, new class, new job. . . . remember to take it one day at a time. . . . want more cliches?

Here we go. . . .

Every day is a new beginning (DUH!) It's not the size of the dog in the fight that matters but the size of the fight in the dog (Sometimes it is the size) If you aren't the lead dog...the view never changes (True enough) "Whatever"(What does that mean anyway????) Every journey begins with the first step (Really?!?) A man never got shot doing dishes (Now that's a keeper) Don't make me come back there! (A groundless threat on long drives) This too shall pass (What if it doesn't?) Love is a battlefield (I prefer a peace march) If mama ain't happy ain't nobody happy?(Not true ~ many a mama is not happy but is better at hiding it than other members of the fam)

The Long Goodbye

We thought this was goodbye . . .NOT

What do you think, Dad? Can you fix it??

Ready to roll at last!

When I go to visit Jennifer and her family I try to get up early and leave before the girls are up. I know that may seem cowardly but it works for all of us. I wake Jennifer and we hug and hug and hug then I get in the EX and drive away. There are tears but not as many as would be shed if I had to look in the girls' faces. I turn the radio or CD player up and blast my way along the highway until I can breathe again.

Not so with Lisa. . . .When she comes to visit she can never get away "cleanly". There is usually something that needs to be fixed, tied down, or reloaded. She was home Thanksgiving for an overnight. She was here and poof ~ she was gone BUT not without a little "drama". She was taking back a chair and about seven loads of clean laundry. They were predicting rain that day so we wrapped stuff up and put things in garbage bags to keep dry. . . then Buck tied everything down.

Whew! It worked!

Not a lot of commentary ~ didn't want to jinx it! Gotta check out Kim's socks!

The boys wasted no time in ripping this one open.

As Mother was opening she was saying "We told you NO GIFTS"

Teresa had been at work all night but made it to Kim's for lunch and presents.

What's up with that? ! ? !

Christmas pics refusing to load so we will move on. I took down our decorations on Friday. There are a couple of boxes sitting around but I have plans for them. Jennifer and Buck both have birthdays in January and I am saving those boxes for them. I have a "project" for Jennifer's birthday which I will start in January. . . . that's like Thursday, right?


Talked to Lisa yesterday and she sounds TERRIBLE. She has very little voice, which may not be a bad thing. . .can't argue without a voice. Although she has been known to TEXT loudly.


Buck and I are going to church this morning then by the drugstore for refills ~ woohoo. I've been in there so much this year that they know me by name when they see me coming. I guess I should be thankful that we have insurance and are able to get his medicine. We are hoping Dr. Hanna will be ready to try something different when he has his appointment next month. There is a procedure called Atrial Fibrillation Ablation that seems to be rather successful according to my research.

Buck

We shave Buck's head and Kim was thoughtful enough to give him a cap which he modeled.

Do you know how hard it is to snap a photo in a steamy bathroom?

He's in there somewhere. . . .

Buck wasn't willing to let me snap a photo of him using the new showerhead he got from Jennifer but I did manage to get this one of him installing it.

And it's not even Tuesday!

Sometime this afternoon Buck called his aunt in Missouri. Keep in mind that Grace is 96 years old. They talked for probably forty five minutes! She has lots of tales to tell. We learned this past week during the process of Corinne's funeral arrangements and such that during World War II Corinne served in the armed forces (I'm thinking WAVES since Mr. Nibler was fleet Navy and Buck and Chuck were SeaBees) and Grace was a welder building ships! We are planning to go visit her after Buck's doctor visit next month.

Speaking of aunts. . . . say a little prayer for Aunt Pernie when you read this. She lives with Terrell and Veronica and they tell me she isn't doing very well. Aunt Pernie is sister to my papaw, Erskin Brown ~ making her children my cousins AND her husband was Uncle Curt who is brother to my dad, John Panter ~ making his children my cousins. Terrell and June couldn't escape being my cousins! Bless 'em!

Merry Christmas

We had lunch at Kim's house. Mother, Daddy, Teresa, Charley and Shirley were there, also. I didn't concentrate the camera on them ~ sorry. Lunch was yummy. Kim did a good job on some chicken dressing! I don't think I've ever made that. She made the main part of the meal and each of us took a little something to add to it.

Sending Love

Merry Christmas Eve

to everyone who reads my blog.

I'm sending love into cyberspace

knowing you will receive it.

I will probably post

again tomorrow.

A special thank you to TB for

stopping in to visit Mother and Daddy.

They enjoyed it.

I'm going to watch a little TV

with Buck now and get to bed

so Santa can come.

Shouldn't YOU be in bed by now also???

Dog Pile!!

This is Eryka ~ who for some reason Kim wanted to call Felicia? Jakob, Lisa, and Topher

Everybody likes Buck's recliner. After lunch all of the Wilsons piled onto the chair for a family photo. I have to admit it is a NICE chair ~ complete with heat and vibration ~ ahhhhhhhh.

This is Christmas?

A roll of quarters for laundry!
"Cool" hoodies

I did lights and a star only this year

We had Christmas lunch on Saturday ~ the 20th ~ because Lisa came home for the weekend. Buck went to the hospital on Friday with AFIB but thanks to Kim cooking the ham and casserole I had in the fridge, we still had a great lunch. After we ate and cleaned up the kitchen I went back to Birmingham to spend the night. The boys opened gifts from Jennifer and Lisa and Lisa got all her gifts. Sure hope Santa can find her in Mobile to deliver anything he may have for her in his bag.

There are still a few presents under our tree for Kim and Skoot and mine and Buck's from Jennifer and her fam. They will be traveling to Lander, Wyoming today to spend the holiday with Arie's parents. Kim and her fam will be spending Christmas Eve with Skoot's family. We will be having lunch at Kim's house on Christmas Day. I should probably ask her what to bring!?

Today Buck and I went to Birmingham for an EKG check. It's all good for the time being. He doesn't have to work the next two days so I'm hoping we can both sleep a lot and just rest. He wants to go look for a boat motor and maybe check out the Bass Pro Shop in Leeds. Whatever we do will be okay with me.

The guys and the game

Topher
PS2

Jakob

When the boys come to visit we usually end up playing a game on Playstation. We have most of the Harry Potters. They like the games that blow things up. (I like those too when I'm having a bad day and feel the need to HIT something) I like games that have layers ~ you have to finish one part before proceeding to the next. I'm not very good at flying or driving so they laugh at me but I don't mind. I let them help me with those parts. Sometimes we rent games to see if any of us like them before buying.

Lisa in black and white

Lisa in black and white.

Long ago when black and white were the only colors of our photos we would try to remember what color that shirt was we were wearing. Now people snap photos and think it is "artistic" to change them to black and white. Life is not all black and white ~ you have to look at the grays as well.

Decorated boxes and Deconstructed bouquets

Don't you love this time of year when you never know what the mail may bring? We got two boxes today and one yesterday. Imagine my surprise when I opened this one yesterday and found the INSIDE decorated. Jennifer and the girls sent an extra smile with that one.

Stars and stars and stars and stars ~ oh my!

Deconstructed but still beautiful, yes?

For the past few years we have received an arrangement of flowers from one of Buck's business friends. Yesterday the delivery truck pulled in and out came a HUGE floral arrangement fit for a dinner party centerpiece. We don't have a formal dining room and don't have dinner parties so today I took it apart and made two small arrangements. (Frankly it looked like funeral flowers ~ flat like on top of a casket) Here are the afters ~ I didn't think to snap a shot of the before.

They look like sisters

Left to Right

Jennifer Leann Nibler Willenbrecht was born on January 21 and is currently a stay at home mom to Sarah and Claire. She is a dental assistant. Her nickname is Punk ~ not sure why. She has been married to Arie for 13 years and they live in Windsor, Colorado.

Kim Marie Nibler Wilson was born on July 1 and is mom to Jakob and Topher. She teaches 7th and 8th grade math at Lupton Junior High. Her nickname is Worm ~ because she used to wiggle SO much during church. She has been married to Skoot for 13 years and they live in Thach, Alabama.

Lisa Nicole Nibler was born on February 16 and is a student at Bishop State. She is currently working at Old Navy and trying to decide if college is right for her. Her nickname is Boogie ~ Buck wanted to call her Booger but the other girls wouldn't let him (thank goodness). She lives in Mobile, Alabama.

We're okay!

Do these look like eyes that need a nap???

Alabama got some pretty nasty weather last night. We are all okay. Buck stayed awake most of the night monitoring the weather on ALL networks. The TV kept going in and out. I told him he needs to find a place to lean his head back for a few minutes today and get a little nap. His AFIB is affected by how tired he is and they say we may have more bad weather tonight ~ another WIDE AWAKE night for him.

Today's Dilemma

Back Yard
Front Yard

As you can see from the photos we have been hit with leafage. Today is supposed to be a fairly good day as far as temperature so should I mow or not? Tonight we will probably get rain ~ wind ~ more falling leaves. I'm thinking ~ do it today and again later? I know this is a small problem for some of you like the ones with snow (Jennifer) or no trees (Wanda) but for me it is a major concern. Do I rake and burn? Do I mulch? Do I ignore the whole yard and hope for the best? Considering the frame of mind I'm in today ~ Think I will mulch with the mower ~ Total destruction ~ YEAH!

Monday Morning Blues

Sarah seems to be saying,"Oh No!"

I got up this morning ~ full of hope. I went to the scales ~ with trepidation. I stepped on the scales and looked down ~ WHAT!!!! I have gained a pound! How can that be?? Can it be the cookies, the ice cream, the biscuit? I am so disappointed in me! I will not bore you with promises of doing better but if you have a tip for me I will listen (I may not do it but I'll listen)

Every day is a new beginning.

Forgive quickly, Kiss slowly, Love truly, and Laugh uncontrollably.

How old is a cousin?

Aaron Bruce and Shawn Michael Panter (grandsons of Terrell and Veronica Panter)
Elijah Coleman and Anderson Brown (grandsons of Wayne and Peggy Brown)

Growing up I remember playing with some of my cousins at our grandparents houses. Now we are grown up with children and grandchildren of our own. Along the way we lost touch and we never seem to get together anymore unless it is for a funeral!

In the last few months, I have been getting to know Terrell and his family. Recently I met his sons, Shaw and Coleman (both excellent huggers). The little boys in the photo at the beach belong to his older son ~ Stan.

The other photo is of our cousins sons. Their moms are Nicole and Natalie. I told Elijah one day that I am his cousin and he looked at me in disbelief and said "No you're not". I guess cousins are supposed to be small enough to play with at grandparents houses.

December 6th

In case you have been living under a rock ~ Alabama plays for the SEC championship today. They will be playing Florida.

Roll Tide

Can I get an AMEN?

Mother

I am the mother of three beautiful young women. The tattoo represents them. They no longer live in the house with us but they will always live in my heart. They are also inked into my skin for the world to see. The bloom with the missing petals is for the child we lost in a miscarriage. Jennifer, Kim, and Lisa are our greatest accomplishments.

Home again

The party was nice ~ Buck remembered to introduce me. I saw a few people I already knew. There was a nice buffet and an open bar (water and Diet Coke for us). I heard discussions on politics, the food, the crowd, and the Alabama/Auburn game. On the way home we went through the drive through at Krispy Kreme. . . I had a creme filled and Buck had a raspberry. I know that sounds strange since we just left a party but WHO can resist Krispy Kreme????

I got the Christmas tree up today ~ may even get some ornaments on it tomorrow! Gotta go wash off the makeup.
G'night dear reader * muah!

Party at the Wynfrey

Hello out there! Buck and I are going to a "party" tonight at the Wynfrey Hotel. It is really a networking sort of thing where the people in his business get together to pat each other on the back. I go for the food (that I don't have to cook). As always, there was a scramble to find something to wear. I bought new shoes ~ which rubbed a blister on my heel ~ good excuse to buy more new shoes, yes? Buck is planning to wear a sports jacket!!!! But we are not going for the tie ~ too much. He tried on three this morning before work. One fit and one will fit soon. He is doing so well on his diet (makes me CRAZY!)

Hope you all are well. No photos today ~ thought I would give your eyes a break. I have started my Christmas card list mailing. The plan is to have everything that needs to be in the mail ~ in the mail by Friday of this week. It will be up to the receiver as to whether they open them right away. It's Christmas ~ go nuts! Love to you all

Pets

What? You've never seen a jack-a-lope? Buck's Duck

Stripe is adapting to living outdoors

This year for Buck's birthday, Kim brought him a puppy. Stripe stayed inside until he chewed on one of Buck's shoes then it was OUT YA GO! He is a good watchdog (even if he is the smallest dog we have) A few years back, Buck was fortunate enough to go on a duck hunting trip with a group of his friends and he shot the duck. This animal travels well, very little clean up (I dust it from time to time) and it is a good conversation piece. The animal in the other photo can be found in Wyoming. It is a Jack-a-Lope ~ part jack rabbit / part antelope. I believe Wyoming is the only state that has this particular breed. Buck was never able to bag one but when we moved some of his friends got together and presented it to him as a parting gift. Wasn't that special?!?!

Since I take care of the animals; I really like the ones that don't require feeding, washing, or pooper scooping.
I even like cats. . .I just can't eat a whole one by myself :-)

Wife

I have been a wife almost twice as long as I wasn't. My parents did not encourage me to pursue a degree of any kind or try to establish myself in a career. I was born and raised to be a wife and mother. I have had jobs outside the home but for the most part ~ I've been a stay-at-home wife. I know that isn't very politically correct these days but that's the way it is around our house. That's not to say I sit around twiddling my thumbs all day. I mow all of our yard (almost four acres), take care of the dogs, clean the house, cook the food, do the laundry. The other day I was outside splitting logs for the fireplace. I can fix a toilet and a leaky pipe ~ during the summer I take care of the pool and (knock on wood) our checkbook always balances.

Buck started as a mechanic with Thompson Tractor ~ moved on to a small coal company ~ then a bigger one ~ because of his job we moved to Gillette, WY and then to Fort Smith, AR. When it looked like they were going to cut back or close down ~ we moved back to Alabama where we began. He works too hard and sometimes too long but deep down he enjoys it. I'm very proud of him and where he is now ~ Reed Mining General Manager.

We don't travel as much as we used to but I'm hoping that will change in the coming year. I think we could both use a break from the day to day stuff.

To shop or not to shop. . .

Mother ~ about to "get her grub on" :-)

This is the "turkey" I live with. LOL ~ You know I love you!
This is the turkey I roasted ~ BEFORE carving. (it was yummy)

I call this my "cooking" hair ~ up and out of the way so no strays fall in the casserole!

I am going shopping today ~ for groceries. I am not doing "combat" shopping at 5 a.m. If you are among the throngs that chose to go ~ more power to you. I have some of my gift shopping finished and did not see an ad for anything I wanted to fight for. I had a message from Aunt Doris,who is visiting her children in Indiana, and they left to shop at 3:30! Teresa called from Arkansas to say she was up at 4! Who are these people?!?!?!

We had a good Thanksgiving Day. Mother and Daddy came for lunch, Lisa got ALL of her laundry done, Kim and fam came over for dessert, and Buck got some rest. Lisa made it back to Mobile without a hitch. I'm just hoping she got up in time for work! The girl knows how to sleep! Jennifer and her family are in Lander, WY for the holiday. We spoke to the girls and her on the phone.

A special shout out to our son-in-law, Skoot, and my cousin, TB

ROLL TIDE ~ BABY ~ ROLL TIDE!!!!

Happy Thanksgiving!

A short post to wish you a Happy Thanksgiving. Mother and Daddy are coming for lunch with Buck, Lisa,and me. I will post photos later. Lisa will head back to Mobile early afternoon because she has to work the SALE at Old Navy in the morning at 4 a.m. Kim and fam will be here at supper. Another photo op.

Today as I count my blessings,

I will be counting family and friends. . .some twice!

May your day be without drama :-)

Blogday?

The next few days will be busy for all of us but when I started this I wrote on my calendar that Tuesday would be Blogday. . .that would be today! This is how I look while sitting at the computer trying to be creative. I changed the layout ~ put it back, tried to take a photo for the "wife" entry ~ deleted it, made a list of things to do today ~ haven't started. . . does that tell you how my day is going so far? As soon as this photo loads, I'm going to the shower, the laundry room, the kitchen, and YES the grocery store one more time! It's a good thing I have my personalized shopping cart at Wal-Mart, isn't it? Buck is eating at one of the pits today so I don't have to prepare supper. . .can you say cereal for supper????

It's MONDAY!

Do you suffer from the "OH NO it's Monday" syndrome? From the looks of these two photos we all have a bad day from time to time. Teresa looks like she's just lost her best friend. Jennifer and I were giving "goofy" a try. (did we succeed?) I think it's only fair to show some of the notsoflattering photos along with the cute ones, don't you?
Today I will be getting ready for Lisa's visit and Thanksgiving with Mother and Daddy. Kim and her family will be eating lunch with Skoot's family but I'm hoping they will come for supper with us and help Buck and me with the leftovers! Have a good week and I'm sure you'll be hearing from me again soon. ;-)

The Monument

Before Lisa left for Mobile she drank a Coke and left the can on the table beside Buck's chair. He was determined to leave it there until she returned to throw it away. He decided to build a little pyramid. I got tired of looking at it, dusting around it, and having to restack it every time I bumped the table so I snapped this photo to "preserve" the memory and took one of the cans to Mobile when I went to visit her. She set it on her bedside table and it is probably still there today.

Girl Power !?!?

Aimee's daughter, Olivia, seems to be in control of this situation. The boys had been chasing her around and around in Mamaw's house. By the time they got there it was too dark outside to send them out to play. Since we usual end up in the living room so did they.

No one got hurt

It was a battle to keep from laughing. They love to jump on each other.

This looks like brotherly love to me ~ how 'bout you?

The boys like to wrestle and I use to do it with them but they are bigger and stronger (and more aggresive) now and I don't do that anymore. They showed us some moves when they spent the night.

How to eat spaghetti

On a recent visit to Colorado I enjoyed not only the food but also the entertainment. We have all done the "silent slurp" where the noodle slides into your mouth without a sound and of course there is the "noisy as you can be slurp" ~ accompanied by giggles. Each of the granddaughters have their own unique style.

Claire goes for the "full frontal attack"

Sarah demonstrates the "double -side slurp"