5 Q's Friday

As always with Friday comes

5 Q's with Mama M @ My Little Life.

1. If you could, would you go back to high school?

Nay, been there done that. As I had a wonderful time during high school, I have no desire to do it again. Now I enjoy reminiscing about those years at the reunions. I am looking forward to our 35 this fall. I haven't been to one since the 20th and can't wait to see everyone.

2. If a genie appeared and granted you two wishes, what would they be? (And, no saying "more wishes".)

#1 Like most I would wish for that financial stability and comfort. No real set amount, just for the genie to give me what God feels I need to achieve this. God knows how I would respect what ever amount he feels I need and will do with all that is needed by it.

#2 Again what most would want, health and happiness in a Godly world. That there would be no more sin, no more pain, no more struggles, so that we all live a life as God plans for us.

3. What kids show do you secretly like?

Each Monday during my 'Grand' Day, I like it when the kids watch BrainSurge. They also watch iCarly which is cute and one of my all time favorites with them when they were younger was The Wiggles and Hi5. I loved how they would get up and dance to the music.

4. What is your beverage of choice?

Something not very good, Diet Coke. Since I do not drink coffee and only ice tea occasionally, it is my first choice of beverage.

5. What is something that you would change about yourself (or are working to change in yourself)?

Well, that is a tricky question...I believe as we grow, we constantly change. We learn from our mistakes, we grow from our mistakes, and just when we think we've gotten the body or mind we were working towards, it ups and changes on us again. So like the song says...I am a work in progress. What I didn't like about myself or something I did, to even my weight, a week, a month or a year ago, I am continually working on it now and will into the future. Sum it up as Our Journey Through LIFE! 

So there are my answers

and don't forget to head over to Mama M's

to see all the other great answers.

 

Stories in Hand - Then and Now!

So many things are different now then they were then.

Let's start with entertainment...

What is it like now...

Today entertainment comes in many ways via the computer, Internet, DVR's, Portable CD player's, Ipod's, Ipad's, Iphones, even reading by way of the Kindle and other's. Even the gaming systems have changed. Basically our world revolves around the new technology that keeps growing every year to even every month.

What was it like then...

Beta and VHS was our only way of seeing movies back then, besides the theater and drive-in. Yes we had a drive-in until it was torn down for more houses. Honestly, we didn't go right out and buy one when they first came out. They cost way to much to much $$$$ for us, which is no different then today's new technology gadgets. Seems when something new comes out, the price is way up there, then after a year or so, they come down quickly in price but is replaced with some new version taking the price back up to that higher price. It's all in the marketing.

However my hubbies parents bought one and we could go over and watch movies on theirs when able. We waited probably 2 if not 3 years before we bought our very first VHS, for like $199 or something really close to that. By then they were much smaller then the first ones. There was no other way to record shows off the TV without one back then. It gave us so much pleasure and we built a great video collection of movies when HBO or Showtime (the only 2 premiere channels back then) held the free viewing for a day or week. For mere pennies, well, actually dollars, we could get 2 to 3 movies on one tape and would record while gone for the day or during the night while we slept. It wasn't like now with a DVR where you can record one channel and watch another. Now the new way of watching movies have gone into cars and as you drive down the highway you can see movies playing, entertaining the kids.

With the VHS came video stores. Everyone belonged to some type of video store where you could rent movies. It began with the little mom and pop type shops, ours was called JP Video, before Blockbuster came to town. Now everything is on CD's and come by the way of Nexflix, Hollywood Video, Blockbuster by mail, to the $1 rentals in front of Walmart or Circle K's. There are probably more that I haven't mentioned but you get the point. Believe it or not, I still have a VHS (it's not hooked up though) and I still have a lot of the movies we bought, were gifts or recorded and made. Now, like most people, we are obtaining a collection of CD's. However, with the development of Pay Per view, we can now rent a movie right from our home. Very rarely do we go the movie theater anymore (except for a few date nights that is). We just wait for them to come to our home via DirectV or Blockbuster.

Speaking of homemade movies. For our parents it was 8mm movie camera's that were used to take movies. After the spool was full it had to be developed and then shown on a 8mm projector. Back then there was not any built in lighting so the camera had to have a light following it around or if on a stand. You always knew when you were being filmed by the bright light. My brother has taken some of those old 8mm movies and has transferred them to CD's. Each Christmas he has sent me a collection. I just love watching the old days in a new way. 

For us came the camcorder, well again not us, but the parents had one. It was huge, weighed a lot, and to get good movies one really needed a tripod, which they had. Without a tripod the weight would make you want to change how you handled it causing jerking and bumping in filming. However it would allow us to see our movie's right after filming, eliminating the processing part. Now camcorders are as small as a camera and even our digital cameras can record, not to mention our cell phones. How things have changed.

I remember our kids very first computer. Keep in mind we didn't buy anything when it first came out, so by the time computers had grown, our first one was a Apple IIC which was probably 3-4 years old by the time it made it's way into our home. There was no Internet with it and all it was used for was creating documents and homework reports for the kids. Basically it replaced the pen creating neater assignments.

By 1994 we bought our kids their very first, brand new, out of a box IBM Aptiva computer with Internet. Back then, dial up was charged by the minute. This would create high phone bills causing restrictions until the new unlimited packages were offered. I am thankful we never received such bill, (remember, we were very strict parents with enforced rules) but some neighbors and friends did.

Just like the cameras, and the computers, the gaming systems have grown right along with them. Our kids first gaming system was an Atari. Remember Pong, Asteroid's or Pitfall? Then came the plain old Nintendo with Tetris and Mario Brothers. Our boys would rather play video games then watch TV. Later came the Playstation 2, Xbox and of course the WII. In our home we stopped at the Playstation2 but our kids have either the WII or Xbox in their homes. Back then the kids had gameboy's with their rubber bumpers in case they dropped them. Now there's the DS and PSP or whatever they are called. Excuse my granny memory but when it comes to these things I let the kids direct me to which one and do not feel the need to retain it's terminology or technology in my overloaded brain.

As the times just keep a changing, part of me really likes the simpler way things were back then. I often wonder if our parents felt that way. However, I do enjoy the ability of the Internet, the searching, shopping, the communication it provides. I wonder what it will be like for our 'Grands' and how will they be comparing their - That was then-this is now!

Thankful Thursday

I haven't done a Thankful Thursday in a while but today I have so much to be thankful for.

From my Monday 'Grand' Day...

Where this little girl just had to try part of her costume on. I am thankful she is now excited to be Thumper in the Fairest Land of All.

For technology I don't understand...

That our problems with the TV are being solved over and over again. I hope this time it works, so for now I am Thankful it is, and even more Thankful for the service guy who keeps working with us to figure it out.

For my Bible Study Gals...

They are all One in a Million and I am Thankful to be a part of this group. I am so enjoying these sessions. It's Our Journey Through LIFE through the promised land.

To spending the evening with some 'Grands'....

Blowing bubbles, playing with the dogs and helping with homework. I am very Thankful to spend this time with them before they go to their dads for a visit. In fact, I am Thankful for all the time I get to spend with them and will always cherish these days.

Looking forward to some time with this 'Grand' and her brother and sister....

I am always Thankful for the picture's we receive and even more Thankful when we get to spend time with them. For now I will accept the time we get and will continue to pray that God will do his work and allow us more time together.

Thank you God, for all the blessings.

I am so Thankful to have you in our lives.

Stories in Hand for the 'Grands'

When my daughter was pregnant with our first grandchild she gave me a book, kind of a Grandma Baby Book of sorts. She also gave one to each of her grandmother's. However, the grandmother's were battling cancer at that time. My MIL was unable to fill her's out but we did do a few pages during some of her good hospice days. My mother filled out quite a few pages and even included some pictures. Unfortunately, I was not as diligent with mine. Probably had a lot to do with the fact we had lost my MIL 45 days before he was born, and my mother 3 days after he was born.


For some time, those books were on my nightstand. A few times, I wdid grab mine and add to it. Then the remodel started. Things were packed away, including those books. I have looked in our memory trunks, no luck. I have looked on the shelf where my kids baby books are, no luck. They might be in the memory closet, and I hope they are, but right now there is so much disorganization in front of and actually in it, I can't get to the drawers I am hoping they are in.

So I decided to begin my own Memories of Grandma right here on my blog.


Better late then never right!

I think it was last year, but I could be wrong, that my daughter and I enrolled in a project called Stories in Hand. She printed out and made this lovely binder for me.

This was a 2 week course where we were given the tools on how to collect and gather all our stories that we want to remember, all the things about the how, where, when and why's of life. Until now I had not jotted down a single thing. Bad me! But now...it is time to get it together.

Each week I want to put some of these stories on my blog so that I can print them out as a book down the road. Though there are some of these stories already here, in time, there will be even more. Just another way of capturing Our Journey Through LIFE!

You Capture - Spring

This is just about one of my favorite things to capture - Spring!

To see all the flowers in full bloom...

To fruit tree's blooming

Passion Fruit Flowers look like this...

...And turn into this

This is it's second year and we have a lot of flowers and fruit already.

Our Lemon tree had many flower's as well...

Now we have a lot of these...

And my tree's are showing their color....

And this tree...

 Leaves it's flower in the yard like a purple blanket...

The 'Grands' also bloom in their own way...

As I went to town today,

feeling bad I didn't take my camera,

there was spring blooming everywhere.

Oh, how I wished I had my camera!

Still, I had a lot of fun with this assignment,

capturing spring in my yard

.

Can't wait to see all the other Spring photo's.

You can join in or just check them out here.

Old Trains for Far Side of Fifty

This post is for my friend at The Far Side of Fifty.

Her hubby Far Guy loves model trains. I told her about the one I had and wanted to post pictures of it to see if her hubby knew what I had.

It was once my brothers and when our twins were like 4 or 5, my dad passed it on to them. At the time my brother was not around much and I think he thought he would want them to have it. Unfortunately when things went bad in our family, my brother asked for it and I refused to give it back. It was not out of vengence that I kept it but out of preservation. You see, my older brother always got his way and got most all our grandparents and parents belongings. They few items I have had been asked for back. Not sure why but I held onto what I could to have some old things as well. Over the years, I have acquired many of the same items he had from antique stores. Some have even spread words that they were moms or grandma's when in fact they were not. Just the only way I could have some of what they had though it really wasn't theirs.

Sorry to go off the topic here. Back to the train...

I would love to see about getting it running and would be great to display it within a small scene like those in model railroad displays. When our son was in the Shriner Hospital in SF, they had one for the kids to visit. Not only that we also had a hut at the fair that housed a large display. The kids were always fasinated with them. If your in the area of Sacramento there is a great museum there. When our kids were little they earned the junior engineer badge and hat.

Ontop of that, my grandfather and his son, my moms father and brother, both worked for the railroad. Seems trains are in our blood which is why they seem to catch our fancy.

A few years ago we were able to take our 'Grand' bug on and old train here in Yuma.

We also have taken them to the Railway Museum in Dixon, Ca.

When in Hawaii we took a train around the Dole Plantation

We also took them on the Polar Express.

As well as Train Town in Sonoma.

So here's to you  Far Side (I don't know your real name). Hope Far Guy likes our train and adventures.

Getting To Know You

What better way to get to know someone then with Keely's...

Getting to Know You!

To play..copy the questions..answer them..post them on your blog..then come back here and link on up!

The questions...

1. If you could star in any movie genre..what would it be..romance..horror..comedy..suspense or action?

2. Do you recycle?

3. Have you ever been to a strip club?

4. Do you have a nickname?

5. What's a name you can't stand to be called?

6. What are your Summer staples?

7. What was the last thing you bought for yourself?

8. Are you happy with your boob size?

My answers...

1. If you could star in any movie genre..what would it be..romance..horror..comedy..suspense or action?



It would be a toss up between romance and comedy. How about a romantic comedy!



2. Do you recycle?


Good question and though I did when we lived in the Napa Valley where they encouraged it and provided the necessary can, we also would take can and copper to the recycler with the kids. This extra money would then be used for vacations or special outings around our area.

When we moved here 16 years ago we learned they did not recycle here, nor have they begun a program to. How sad! We still recycle copper and have tried recycling aluminium cans a number of time but it seems to attract bugs, yuck! However we have looked into one of these new recycling container's...

...and hope to pick one up. Unfortunately it is not something in any of our stores so we will have to find one while traveling in the car or order one in which adds to to cost but feel it will pay for itself in a matter of months.

3. Have you ever been to a strip club?


Nope, notta, never!



4. Do you have a nickname?


Growing up I was teazed with Lizard because I was called Lizzy, then there was Liz and now some actual use my real name, Elizabeth. Family still call me Liz and my brother's kids refer to me as Aunt Lizard sometimes. My hubby goes between babe, hon and sometimes mom.


5. What's a name you can't stand to be called?


Hmmm...I would have to go with the "B" word.


6. What are your Summer staples?


Towels, towels, and more towels, along with sunscreen and pool toys. We also keep ribs, hamburgers and hotdogs on hand for inpromptu gatherings. So glad to finally have a pantry and freezer so to keep stock on hand.


7. What was the last thing you bought for yourself?


That would be my paino.

I have wanted one for a long time and was finally at the right place at the right time. I am no way near being a pianist but hope to learn how to play some simple songs and maybe even some Christmas Carols.

8. Are you happy with your boob size?


Not at all and if I could I would cut them! Something I should have done in my 30-40's because now, with my health problems, they won't even take me on...to much of a risk. Now I am stuck with them, boo hooo!

There you have it, now it's your turn.

Have fun,

enjoy the sun (if it's out where you live)

and let the week begin!