YOWZA!

I don't know what's going on, but for some reason, blessings are raining down on me the last couple of weeks. like today--I stopped st Staples to buy a box of real expensive paper. I use in to print out the genealogy books I create for people. They had one box--it was open and roughed up, no plastic wrap on the paper, but the pages weren't bent. I took it up to the counter and the clerk thought that I was bringing it back for a return because it looked so rough. smile emoticon I asked if they had more in the storeroom, nope. I laughed, "I hope there are 150 sheets in there like it says." "Do you want to count them?" I said, "No. I'll just trust there are." He said, "Let me give you $10.00 off." Okey Dokey!

Then, I went to Cartridge World to get some black inkjet refills, but I didn't have any empty cartridges to turn. The clerk knows that I keep them in business, so she said, "I won't charge you for the empty cartridge fee because I know, you've come in before needing one refill and given us three empty cartirdges." WOW! $3.00 off, not much, but.......................

Then I stopped at the garage where I always take my car, because I have finally saved up enough ($700) to get the last major repair done on it--rear suspension. I asked my guy if they do the kit to take off the etching on the headlight covers. He said "No, we never have, but that guy right over there is trying to sell us kits to do that." I said, ":Well, I know it is pretty expensive." The sales guy says,to me, "How old is your car?" I said, "It has less than 50,000 on it, but....it's 18 years old." He goes outside, looks at my car, comes back in and says to my service guy, "You know--that would be the perfect car to use as a demo for the kit." So--I am getting an $89.95 fix for my headlights for---free!

I called to have a local painter come in and give me an estimate on painting my living room/kitchen/hallway walls and ceiling. I could do the walls, but the popcorn ceiling--well let's just say, I don't wanna. My ceilings haven't been done in 18 years and anyone who has visited me, knows--they are a fright! I had a figure in mind for labor and he came in right at it. Plus, I had a gallon and a half left of the wall paint I used last time, which he is going to match and buy another gallon and use mine too! Plus? He said he'd do my bathroom ceiling as a bonus, because it would take him less than an hour. !!

Plus--and here is the icing on the cake. A woman from OLSHA called me last week and said that for low income families, like myself, they are coordinating with DTE to help lower electricity bills and if my refrigerator is older than 2005, they will put in a new refrigerator and recycle mine. SAY WHAT!!?

I refused and told her that my refrigerator was fine and to give mine to a needy family with kids. She replied, "We have lots of new refrigerators and plenty to give to all our Livingston County low income families."

I again said, "No thanks. I'm fine." and she said, "I'm going to send you the form to fill out anyway. You look it over and please take advantage of this. Okay?"

It will be the same size as mine, but more energy efficient. Mine is 18 years old and does make a strange sound, soooo---maybe I should take them up on this? I don't quite know yet if I'm going to. It doesn't feel right--like I'm an old, poor woman on food stamps, or something (which I am, but--that's beside the point)!

Anyway--so many blessings after 4 1/2 tough, long years. I don't want to get too excited, but maybe, just maybe...2016 IS going to be a better year?

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and then.............grandson Stephen graduated from Michigan State.

Helene, Susanna, Karen, Stephen, Mark, Marcus, Madeleine

and then...............

Grand daughter Helene got engaged..

and then.................Mother's Day.  Out for brunch with Pam, Karen and Madeleine.

 Such lovely daughters

Pammie is chocking me, Karen is pretending she doesn't see and Maddie is yelling, "Elder abuse!  Elder abuse!"

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and then:

Had a bit of excitement around here. My girls pulled out my refrigerator to clean behind and under it. There was no way I was going to let someone come in here to bring in a new refrigerator and see all the dust behind mine. They got it all cleaned up and the fridge pushed back into place. Two hours later, I went into the kitchen to make supper and walked onto a flooded floor! YIKES!

I pulled and yanked and got that big, heavy thing out of its place, then panicked and called my neighbor. She came over with her daughter and grand girls and we figured out where the water shut off valve was--two of them no less. One grand girl crawled back under the sink to shut one off, I WD40'd the rusty one behind the fridge and finally got that turned off.

The fridge still stands in the middle of the kitchen while the floor dries out. I think when they cleaned behind the fridge, my girls took TOO much of the dirt & dust off the tube so the water could leak out. HAH

Yes, OLSHA and DTE, I WILL take one of your new refrigerators after all!

and then...............

I took my car in for her last major repair--rear suspension.  NOW--everything on the under neath part of my car is new and she still doesn't have 50,000 miles on her engine, but 18 years old. :-)

and today.

So--the refrigerator repair guy is coming out to disconnect the ice maker tubing, so it will quit leaking. No charge to me because I have the DTE Service Plan! YAY!

WOW! Called Comcast to downgrade from my newest line-up, that I upgraded to in January, as I didn't watch many of the channels and it was costing $10.00 more a month than what I paid before. The CS lady gave me a $20.00 a month discount and kept me at the same Preferred package. So I still have all the ESPN channels. WOW!

(and, I even got a Mother's Day card from Jennifer!)