I'm up early for me. Got up at five thirty this morning. I usually do not see the light of day until after nine! I think I'm unable to sleep because I've been worried about our cat Rat. "Ratty girl" is 17 yrs old and is going downhill fast. She's so thin and fragile. Reminds me of a little old lady. She's unsteady on her feet and has fallen off the bathroom vanity (where she eats) a few times this week. I hate that I get so attached to my pets because I know that chances are that they will die before me! They really are a part of the family and I love them all! ALL 7 of them! I've been called "crazy cat lady" more then a few times! This makes me think of nicknames...we all have them, for ourselves and for our kids and grandkids. When I was a little girl, I wanted to be called "Bubbles"...where on earth I came up with that one is beyond me?! (a sign of things to come...today I like "sparkles")!  When I recently told my youngest brother Jim about this, he went into a fit of laughter, saying it sounded like a strippers name!! My grandpa used to call me "blondie". I loved that he had this nickname for me. Now a days, my brother Rick calls me "belle" (and I in turn call him "Beau", a funny story from a cruise we were on, at least WE think it's funny), and my sister Christie calls me "little Bug". Nicknames make us feel special. My dad had a nickname for all of us kids, I was "Shed" (sometimes Sheddy Head), my sister was "Lee", and my baby brothers were "Rinky dink" and "Boo". ( I called my mom and dad "mamasan" and "poppy"). My kids didn't have quite as creative nicknames, Daves was the most unique, we called him "88" when he was a baby, the number of some football player on a team that my dad rooted for. Dad came up with this one! Allyson was shortened to "Ally", Kathryn has always been known as "Kate", and Christie was dubbed "Sissy" by her sister Kate. When Ally had Patrick, she let us know that she did not want his name shortened. She wanted him to go by his full name, Patrick, not Pat. She has since came up with her own nicknames for Patrick! "P.W." is one of them, with the "W" being pronounced like George W's name.."dubbya"! Harrison is shortened to "H", I sometimes call him "Harry", that was his great grandpas middle name. James Harry Maple. Kate's daughter Eve was dubbed "Diva" by me...she really is a little Diva...she's a chip off her old grannys block! God help this child! lol! I call Cole "Coleslaw"..don't ask me why?!! and Chloe is called "Chloe belle" by granny!  Speaking of names, I'm anxiously awaiting to hear what our two newest grandbabies names will be? Kate and her hubby Chris keep their babies names a secret until after they're born...this drives me nuts, because I am such a nosy person! Ally says she and Mark still have not decided yet? I'm not so sure about this....she knows the minute she tells me I will post it on facebook for all the world to see, and she may want to reveal it before I shout it out on fb! I've gotten into more trouble on facebook with my mega mouth! It's not that I'm trying to stir things up, I just get so excited and want to share good news!
We're going to a chili cookoff this evening. You can tell we live in a small town! It's going to be cold out...fall is definately in the air. Time to bring out my winter clothes. I do not have a lot of winter clothes, I prefer summer clothes. Not to mention that with my 16 lb weight gain, I no longer fit into most of the winter clothes that I do have. I am determined to take some of this weight off, I just need to find the incentive and willpower to do it! My diets last a few days at the most, then I go on a binge and eat like there's no tomorrow! Oh well, I'm just thankful that I am able to eat again! After a year of having trouble swallowing, I appreciate and thank God for each and every bite of food and sip of water that I can take! I still cannot eat most meats, spicy foods, or soup. I can't drink unless I use a straw, which means I no longer enjoy a cup of hot coffee in the morning. But I've come a looong ways since last Oct when I was unable to eat or drink anything on some days. I can't wait to try out all the chili samples this evening.... I'll post picturess after we get home. Should be a lot of fun!

Here's my dose of cute for today.....my daughter Ally with P.W. and "H"!!