MISSING MY MOM

Mama and Me
© By Ruby Butts

WHEN I WAS SO LITTLE AND TOOK A FALL,
I CRIED FOR MAMA AND SHE ANSWERED MY CALL.
SHE TAUGHT ME TO BAKE, COOK AND TO CLEAN,
TO LOVE OTHERS AND NOT TO BE MEAN.

SHE TAUGHT ME TO SEW TO READ AND TO WRITE,
AND TO REMEMBER MY PRAYERS EVERY NIGHT.
TO LAY TEA TOWELS IN THE GRASS TO DRY,
AND SHE WIPED AWAY ANY TEARS FROM MY EYES.

MANY SEEDS WE PLANTED AND WATCHED THEM GROW
SPRING TIME WAS A SPECIAL SEASON TO KNOW.
SUMMER BROUGHT PICNICS UNDER A SHADE TREE,
WITH REFLECTIONS IN A CREEK OF MAMA AND ME.

ALL TOO SOON THE SEASON TURNED TO FALL,
MAMA STILL TEACHING & I EAGER TO LEARN ALL.
WE TALKED OF THE HOLIDAYS SOON TO ARRIVE,
SHE HAD SUCH A LOVING LOOK IN HER EYES.

SHE TAUGHT ME TO SHARE & LOVINGLY RECEIVE,
IN THE CHRISTMAS SPIRIT TO ALWAYS BELIEVE.
SOON IT WAS SWEET ST. VALENTINE'S DAY,
TIME FOR SENDING LOVE NEAR AND FAR AWAY.

IN MARCH WE MADE SHAMROCKS FOR ST. PAT,
AND HAD LOTS MORE FUN DOING THIS AND THAT.
THEN ALL TOO SOON I HAD A CHILD OF MY OWN
TO LOVE AND TO NUTURE 'TIL SHE IS GROWN.

I LOOK INTO HER EYES AND REFLECTIONS I SEE,
OF DAYS GONE BY WITH MAMA AND ME.
LOOKING AT A PICTURE IN A PRETTY FRAME,
TIME JUST PASSED LIKE A FLICKER OF A FLAME.

DANCE!!!!!

"Life isn't how you survive the storm, it's how you dance in the Rain!"
I have this quote taped to my computer where I can see it everyday to remind me that life is all about what you do with your life rather than how you look at it. I like to treat each day like it is the last one I might have and I embrace it with enthusiasm. If I wake up every morning, this alone makes it a great day already. I tell myself that if I smile at every person I meet and wish them a good morning they in turn will do the same with the next person they meet and so on. This is called paying it forward. If you do a good turn for someone you feel so much better about yourself and they feel good about themselves because someone made them feel good. Today I listened to a friend at work who needed someone to talk to. I didn't have any answers for her and couldn't fix her problem, but I just listened to her and that's what she needed. When she was done talking, she had a smile on her face and felt better.
Last night George went to watch Tegan play his last baseball game and then we watched Sydney, Sadie and Sailor while Jennifer and Kip were at work. We are planning a trip to New Orleans in September and a trip somewhere warm in February. We are going to the cottage this weekend to do a little fishing and we are taking Mary along with us since she doesn't like to drive herself anymore. I take a trip twice a year with my sisters and daughters just to have fun and shop. George and I make a 7 1/2 hour trip at least 4 times a year to see my Mom and Dad and my kids who live in Iowa and Nebraska. I love having Thanksgiving and Easter dinner with the whole family. Why you might ask? Because we can. Because we are alive. because this is how we dance in the Rain. Life is way too short so when a storm passes thru, do tap dance, do a two step, do the twist, it really doesn't matter what kind of dance you do as long as you dance like there's no tomorrow!

Boobie Trap

Today I felt like I had laid down on the driveway, someone had attached a pulley to my nipples and stretched my boobs across the driveway and then George drove over them with the car! Yup I had a mammogram today!! For those of you ladies who have already had one, you know of what I speak, For those of you who have never had one, lucky you but your turn is coming for this torture. I believe a man invented this machine designed to flatten, squeeze and pinch a woman's boobs til they hang to her knees all in the name of medicine. They give you a gown that ties in the back then tell you to untie it and slip it off one shoulder to take the mammogram- what do you think happens when you do that???? Duh- it falls off and there you stand half naked in a cold room. You figure it out. Then you ask you to stand here, place your arm here, turn just little bit to the left,no the other left, can you lean back a little bit, OK now don't breathe, oh right, breathe. Then we get the indignity of repeating this all over again for the other boob. I swear if I ever find the man who decided this was the best way to determine if a woman had any cancer in her breasts, I will personally thank him in a way he will never forget.
Men beware, someday a woman will invent a machine that will squeeze some part of your anatomy for health reasons. Then you will know how we feel. For now, I am going home turning on the air compressor and pumping up these puppies until the next time.

BARTENDER POUR ANOTHER!

So last night George and I went out for supper and decided to stop at Rocky's(Stratford's local watering hole) for a couple drinks afterward to wind down our week. Seems lately, Stratford is the "Happenin" place to be for night life. Thursday night, Mary's Time Out had the cops there to forcefully eject a young under age drinker. He had a fake ID to get him in there in the first place then got found out and asked to leave but verbally declined and got a little physical, so they called the local law enforcement for back up. Then that same night on the other end of town at Country Aire, two young ladieswere playing pool, got into a fight along with a male of unknown name. They took it outside along with the pool sticks and the females ended up getting beat with the pool sticks by the guy who then took off. Last night at Rocky's was a little quieter, just a young lady who was a little (no make that a LOT) drunk and loud, but in a funny way. She kept the bar entertained and made us old people laugh with her antics. She was drinking the Mystery Shots and mixing her alcohol which is never a good thing to do. She was telling stories and singing along with the jukebox. She remembered me from 9 years ago when I worked at the chiropractors office before I married George, which I found amazing considering how much she had to drink. She started out at the opposite end of the bar from us when we first got there but by the time we left, she had moved down to our end so she didn't have to yell.
I remember when I used to go out and get drunk, close down the bars at 2:00, go to some one's house for a party after that, then go home change clothes and go to work on maybe 2 hours sleep. Only to do it all over again the next night! Of course we all know that was a long time ago and now if I did that, it would take me a week to recover! George and I tried getting drunk on our last vacation (and we did a good job of it too) just because we were on vacation and had nothing else to do, but the next day we didn't have the energy to do any thing but lay around the beach and the hot sun just made us want to drink more. So not one of our more brilliant ideas.
We did have a good time last night sitting in Rocky's (with all 8 customers) listening to this young lady and being grateful it wasn't me that was going to wake up with the hangover the next day. There was no loud head banging music being played and no big crowds pushing and shoving, just a small town bar where you could have a conversation with the person next to you without having to shout to be heard. Life in small town America is pretty good.

FORE!!!!

Par 4, 18th hole, water hazard, putter. 5 iron. I know these are all golf terms but other than that they mean very little to me and I tend to like it like that. I did take a few lessons and was even on a league for one summer, so I have tried it. I have never understood the thrill people get from hitting (or in my case missing) a tiny white ball several yards only to walk after it just to hit it again. Then if you hit it into the sand you have to rake the sand once you get out. If I want to rake, I'll stay home and work in my own yard, not someone elses! Occasionally you might hit the ball into the tall grass, trees or if you're really unlucky, the water. Then you can spend time looking for it or having to start over with a new ball because you've lost it. The only fun part of golfing was driving the golf cart and having the beverage cart come through with refreshments.
George on the other hand is a die hard golf lover and as I write this, is off playing with Rick and Pete. They have formed an unofficial every other Thursday night golf outing this summer (as long as it doesn't rain) and play a different course each week. It replaces their Thursday night bowling and gives them an excuse to go out to the bar ofterwards. I don't begrudge him this and as long as he doesn't bug me to do it I say "Go for it!" Someday maybe when I retire and don't have anything else to do, I'll have George teach me how to golf. I might have more patience for it then. Right now I just don't see the sense in it.

I Quit!

Have you ever wished you could resign from the Human Race because everyone you came in contact with was being down right STUPID and you didn't want anyone to know you were part of such a group?
Today I wished I could be a dog or cat or even a fish. Anything but a human because the ones I was associating with today were so totally ignorant it was embarrassing! Maybe the Brain Eaters came in overnight and sucked their brains out or maybe they didn't take their smart pills this morning. Whatever it was, it was awful!!! They asked the dumbest questions and I wanted to say "did you hear what you just asked?" or they came to me with things they had done many times before wanting to know how to do them? Hello??? It actually got to a point today where I wanted to put a sign on my door that said permanently out to lunch and hide under my desk with a flashlight and a book for the rest of the day so I didn't have to deal with them. I swear to God the hands on the clock were saying Idiot instead of Tick Tock and were going at a snail's pace to make the agony that much more excruciating and unbearable! I was so glad when it was finally time to leave and go home. I didn't have to deal with anymore Stupid people- unless of course George didn't take his smart pills this morning either then God help him cause he's in for a world of trouble!!! Let's hope tomorrow everyone takes their smart pills and I can be proud to be part of the Human race again. Otherwise put a leash on me, call me Rascal and walk me twice a day,cause I'm gonna be a dog.

"On The Road Again!"

Price of a gallon of gas in Iowa, $3.95. Price of motel room at my daughter's house, $0. Having the entire family together for the weekend, PRICELESS!!!!

We packed 5 adults and 4 children, ranging in age from 2 through 8 in two vehicles on Thursday afternoon and headed for Nebraska for Colin and Autumn's wedding and to spend some time with my family. We were armed with walkie talkies for communication purposes (in case we needed to make a potty stop) sandwiches, juice boxes, sodas, snacks and DVD players with movies. Ready for any emergency or so we thought. First stop Minnesota rest area for a picnic supper right by the Mississippi. The kids thought this was fun especially since a barge happened to go by as we were eating to provide them with more to see. Back in the cars and on to Mason City and the motel where we stayed for the night. The kids had a great time there riding the elevator and jumping on the bed until the manager called and said people were complaining. Geez, some people don't know how to have fun.

Day 2 we are up early( I'm talking the butt crack of dawn) to eat breakfast and get on the road. My daughter Tara says George likes to get up with God because he gets up so early every day and I tend to agree with her. We made it to Omaha around 11:00 and met my daughters Tara and Carrin and their families at Mickey D's across from the Henry Dorley Zoo where the kids ran off some energy in the play zone before hitting the zoo. We spent the next 4 1/2 hours trying to corral 8 children in a rather large zoo that was crowded, humid and smelly in a lot of places. The gorilla house was a lot of fun because the young gorilla interacted with the kids and they really loved that!

Which ones are the real monkeys here? The kids loved the Gorillas and had fun interacting with them.

Here are all the kids hiding inside a huge tree trunk deep inside the jungle in the zoo.

Saturday we all got up, got prettified (for some of us that was harder than for others) and went to get our picture took. It has been a goal of mine since George and I were married to have our blended families together for a family picture. I was amazed by this photographer and the job they did with our large group. The pictures were absolutely phenomenal and the price was pretty good too. Then it was lunch, a nap and time to get ready for the wedding. I was so glad my daughter Tara lives down there because we ahd our own built in GPS system since she knows the area. I made her ride shotgun and direct George on the way. Everyone had a great time at the wedding and the dance. Tegan caught the garter, Marie caught the bouquet and a fun time was had by all.
Sunday morning we packed everything back into the two vehicles, including the 4 children, 5 adults, walkie talkies, food and DVD players to make the long journey back to Wisconsin. Only this time we were doing it all in one shot instead of breaking it up like we did on the way down. We stopped for fuel before we left- both for the vehicles and for the people and then only stopped for potty calls and gas until we got home. My a__ was sore by the time we hit the driveway and I couldn't wait to get out of the car! Unfortunately that just meant i had to unpack and do laundry. Oh well, life goes on. I wouldn't have traded one minute of the time I got to spend with my family this weekend and all the wonderful memories we made and will be able to share for anything. It truly is Priceless.

Born to Shop

The term "Shop til you Drop" was developed for my sisters,myself and our daughters. I think there is a gene we were born with that is activated when we get within a 50 feet of a store that makes us automatically turn into the parking lot and 10 hours later we pull out again. I just returned from the 3rd annual "Summer" Mother/Daughter shopping trip.
This all started when my sisters and I and our daughters started a shopping trip to the Mall of America the first weekend in November 9 years ago to do our Christmas shopping. This is a true Girls Weekend away. We leave on Thursday afternoon and everyone usually gets to my niece's house in Hudson by 5:30 ish and we go to IKEA then hit somewhere for supper. The next 2 days we do the outlet mall at Albertville and MOA(Mall of America). We always find time for a nice dinner out and a few drinks and one year we even did the musical Lion King. Three years ago we decided that we had so much fun doing this in November that it would be even more fun to shop in the summer when it was warmer so we planned a shopping trip for Minnesota and expanded our group to include some friends and their daughters and saw the Broadway musical Wicked which was absolutely wonderful! the second year we went to Chicago and had a wonderful time in all the great shops and restaurants. This year we planned to go to Iowa City where they have a great mall and the Amanna Colonies close by. Unfortunately, Iowa City got flooded out and we had to change our plans at the last minute so we ended up back at the MOA.
Also unfortunately, neither of my daughters were able to come this year so I was daughterless. Kind of lonely wandering around that great big shopping mall all by myself with no one to ask their opinion when I tried something on. So if I bought something totally hideous this year I will blame my daughters for not being there to talk me out of it. Don't get me wrong, I had no trouble spending money without my daughters there. God forbid that should ever happen!!! Put me in a body bag then because I surely must be dead if I ever can not spend money! I love shoes and we found the greatest deal on a pair of Chinese Laundry shoes. It was in this little boutique in downtown Hudson and there was a bin full of size 5.5-6.5 shoes with a buy one for $30 get one free. It just so happened that one of the other women with our group, Janice also wore a small size so her and I were each able to get a pair of shoes and split the cost. Not too often I only have to pay $15 for a pair of shoes!!!! I am wearing them as we speak to break them in so I can wear them to work tomorrow and show them off. I admit it- I am a shoe addict with purses a close second. Someday George may have to put me into rehab if my addiction gets out of control. We had a great time at supper at PF Changs. I had never eaten there so wasn't sure what to expect but the food was good and the mojitos were great so all was right with the world.
I have quenched the spending thirst for a short time so the credit card is safe again and will have time to cool off and heal from the burn marks of sliding it thru the machine so many times.
We will repeat this all over again in Novemeber when we do our annual Christmas shopping(at least that's what we call it) trip. Until then I am exhausted and happy to be home with my hubby.

Proud Grandma

Meet Morgan, my granddaughter from Nebraska. She is 7 years old and the bane of my daughter's existence. You all know that curse mothers put on their children? The one where they go "Someday I hope you have a child just as naughty as you are!" Well this is hers and she is just as naughty as my daughter was, if not worse and I love it! Morgan is in dance class and recently had her recital,hence the picture . You didn't think my daughter dressed her like this everyday did you?? Although Morgan probably would love it. When my daughter's family moved into their new house, Morgan was the first to meet all the neighbors and make friends. She maybe couldn't tell what their name was but they were all her friends and she knew where they lived. She is more concerned about making friends in school then she is about making good grades- let's hope that changes as she gets older or her hopes for college are null and void.

Meet Megan, this is my 11 year old Nebraska granddaughter. she is also a dancer and just participated in her dance recital. She loves Tap, Jazz and Hip Hop and last year got to do a duet with a young man. She is a beautiful young girl who is growing up very fast. She inherited her grandmothers love of shopping and I often look for unusual shoes or purses for her when I go somewhere special to shop. She can usually talk me into buying her something if she is with me when I am shopping. What can I say, I'm a push over when it comes to the grandchildren! Megan is doing very well in school this year and played volleyball for the first time this year. She was a cheerleader last year also. Next thing you know, she'll be driving and dating!! Won't that be fun? Then her mom will know what I went thru with her. Of course she'll tell you she was the perfect daughter and never gave me a moments trouble. Don't believe a word of it!!!



I also have a grandson named Noah who is 9 years old but I don't have a picture of him to put in here because he wasn't in a dance recital recently and all the ones I have are old ones. My dad calls him the Professor because he is so smart. This kid knows things someone that age should not know. He loves reading and watching shows about history and knowledge. He also likes to golf and goes along with Grandpa George and and Uncle Whitney when they golf. I think he could easily graduate at the age of 12 and go on to college if my daughter would let him. All his teachers love him and the ones that don't have him in their classes, want him. He is laid back and so relaxed and things very seldom bother him. He does have the most gorgeous eye lashes tho and is very handsome if I do say so myself. Am I biased? Absolutely!

July 4th

The weekend is over, the car is unpacked, leftovers are put away, dirty clothes have been taken out of the suitcases and put into the washing machine and the sadness starts to creep in.

What an absolutely wonderful weekend it was too! The weather was warm and sunny all weekend, there was plenty of great food and beverage to go around and FAMILY in and out all weekend! That's our brother Mark in the upper right hand picture telling everyone "HI" from St Louis. As you can see they are just about start the chicken cooking along with the guidance of brothers George, Mark, Dick and Pete. In the meantime the rest of the family gathered to chat and watch the kids play in the lake. They thought the water was warm enough to splash around in and have fun in while waiting for supper.

Astrid and I hit the Arts and Craft Fair on Friday morning which is a tradition in Phillips on the July 4th weekend. This year it was a total bust so we hit Harbor View for Bloody Mary's and conversation instead while George and Mark went golfing. After supper we all went over to the Probst's for fireworks. They put on an awesome show too, even including all of us in the finale! The last box of fireworks was not packed properly and when it was lit, it fired low and into the crowd rather than into the sky. Everyone scattered fast believe me!!

Next up, Colin and Autmn's Wedding in Lincoln, NE!!!

Up North

The Fourth of July holiday is almost upon us and I am so looking forward to it! We are going up north to the cottage(or as my children like to call it-The Chrouser Compound)to relax, fish and spend some quality time with family. Our brother and sister in law Mark and Astrid and their boys are here from St Louis for vacation. We haven't seen them in a really long time so it will be really nice to spend time with them and catch up on everything. it's hard to have them so far away after being used to them living right there in Phillips. We could see them whenever we went up to the cottage, Now it's Christmas and once in the summer. Saturday it sounds like a big family get together where other family members will be coming up for the day, with a cookout planned for later in the evening. This is always a production and cooking time is done in drinks rather than time depending on what the meat is. Chicken is usually a 4-5 drink dish where hamburgers are only a 2-3 drink dish. This makes for great fun and usually results in a wonderful cocktail hour! The men in the family stand around the grill making sure the meat is cooking correctly and giving the cook tips while the women usually are in and out of the kitchen making sure the rest of the meal is prepared and ready to go when the meat is done. The kids are running around having a great time and no one has to worry about them because they are within shouting distance and can be seen from where the cooking is taking place. They all wear life jackets if they are around the lake and an adult has an eye on them. Eventually someone says dinner is ready and a mad dash is made to the table where everyone enjoys a wonderful meal and then we all pitch in to clean up! That's what family is all about.

Hopefully George and I can get some fishing in while we are there. I love to fish but when we are around all the brothers, he usually goes out with them and forgets that I like to go too. I need to try and beat my 37 inch Muskie that I caught last year. We did see a 45 incher last weekend, but didn't have a pole in the water at the time. I guess if I don't get out much this weekend I'll be ok since I got to go out with George last weekend when we were up to the cottage all by ourselves. Shouldn't whine. Besides there will be a lot of other things to do. Just getting away for 3 full days is enough by itself.

Hope everyone has a great 4th of July.