Summer Time

We've stayed busy around here lately as usual. 

On Friday my long time friend and former college roommate Jan came over and helped me to hang all the bigger pictures.



Thrilled to get this picture up!  It's beautiful.  I love looking at it. 



 

 

 

 

My "one in a minion's" room

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I put this on the porch by the front door :)

Our friend needs to start a business doing these signs they are so nice!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My happy girl's room

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Some cuttings my friend gave me

 

 

 

 

One of my childhood friends Marsha who we just reconnected with a few months ago got this beautiful plaque for us!  It went perfectly with this frame and pictures.  We just loved it. 

 

 

 

 

 

Saturday I had a "play date" with my friend who had toiled on putting up our pictures!   We swam floated on rafts in her pool, went out to eat, and went to the mall.  At the mall, we had several very interesting experience.  The first one was at a store that sells all kinds of cool things.  My friend just had to go in it....well I thought I'd try the $4000 massage chair.  It had a feature that supposedly makes a person weightless/zero gravity.   So I sat in it and turned it on.  I hit the zero gravity button and the chair turned me up towards the ceiling while it clamped down on my legs.  I began looking around for my friend who was happily examining other things on the other side of the store.  Honestly I was beginning  to feel nauseated and felt like I had a bit of vertigo starting.  I have TERRIBLE motion sickness.  It's pathetic.   Anyhow I was trying not to cause a scene since I could not get myself out of the seat.  I FINALLY got her attention and she began to help by taking pictures!!!!!  The one store employee finally came over and he was laughing as hard as we were.  When I FINALLY got out of it I thought I'd wet my pants I was laughing so hard.    We left the store in tears!

Then she talked me into a massage.  We went to one of those places in the middle of the mall with chairs to sit in while getting a massage.  So we had two Chinese guys.  Well my guy got a little friendly and included a buttock massage.  For some reason I just started laughing!  Then he was leaning in on me...WAY too close.  At first I thought surely I was wrong....but then I figured out I was probably right!!!   When we finished the massage, I expected to get $$$ back LOL.  I almost asked him if it was good for him!

So you can just imagine how hard we laughed after I told her what had happened.  First I asked her what her massage included....let's just say I got a much more involved one than she did!!!!!


Some pictures of Jon and me after church on our favorite place- the front porch!

 

 

 

Then Sunday after church my childhood friend came over and brought me that beautiful plaque with our names on it. 

I just felt a lot of love from my friends (and from the Chinese guy at the mall) over the weekend!!!!  during the week I had gotten to spend time with another friend.   I treasure time with close friends because it's not always easy for me (or them) to get to spend time together. 


Today I had a lot of errands to run for us personally and for the church.  I was literally all over the county.  Then tonight the kids' band had a fund raiser...

 

 

the little girl's parents own the local Chinese restaurant and she just loved being out with us. 

 

 

 

We finally were a little worried about the clouds and rumbling thunder so we finished up early but it was fun. 

 

Tomorrow is another long day for me, lots of things to do.  I'm trying to get everything done that I can before Steve leaves for college in a little over three weeks.  We have a few little car repairs and some other things I've been putting off that needs to get done. 

 

Hope everyone is having a fun summer....it's sure going QUICK!

What is Friendship?

For a long time I thought I knew what friendship meant.  I'm a very loyal person.  Once I hitch my wagon to your wagon I'm pretty much with you for life.  I don't hitch my wagon to very many folks but once I do, they could pretty much turn into a mass murder and I'd be loyal to them LOL 

I'm one of those people who are friends with most of their ex-boyfriends, and even their wives LOL  I figure I liked them enough at one point, they just weren't the right One for me. 

Of course there are degrees of friendship.  I have a fondness for a few folks I don't really have a lot of interaction with but that's not really "who I do life with"  But I still have a loyalty to that person. 

But I have a problem of letting folks go, even toxic folks because of shared experiences and memories.  It's hard to know the 'Christian thing to do" sometimes. 

I have blocked people out of my life completely, some relatives that I would not want around my children...EVER!  That's not been that hard because I knew a lifetime of history and had my kids' best interests at heart.  Plus there were no deep bonds there for me to begin with.

Sometimes I make excuses for horrible behavior and just say "well that's the way that person is" or blame myself for expecting a certain level of care and commitment from someone. 

I also fully believe that each person is responsible for their own happiness and it's wrong to have expectations of others to always meet your needs.   I don't even expect my husband to meet all my needs emotionally.  My happiness and joy should not be based on another person. 

I can be totally at peace by myself.  I'm not a person who really needs anyone else to "be there for me" Oh it's great when it happens, I just don't expect it

One of my favorite sayings is "I have low expectations, therefore I am seldom disappointed!" 

Back to the "Christian thing to do"  I don't think it is wrong to block certain people from your life, especially if it is to protect your children.  But I also don't think it is wrong to block people to protect yourself from emotional harm.  It doesn't mean you hate the person, or wish them evil. It doesn't mean you hold a grudge or resentment towards a person.   It simply means you can't let yourself continue to be hurt, abused, wounded or disrespected. 

There's a fine line here.  In the beginning of our marriage, my husband was bothered by a decision I'd made to limit some family contacts.   Then as he got older and wiser, he began to understand and totally support my decision.  It did not seem like the "Christian thing to do" to him at first until he understood. 

Recently I've come to the conclusion in my life that I'm going to just put my time into my family first and just a few close friends secondly.  I think I've always had the focus on my family, nothing ever has come before them.  But I'm learning to be a little more honest in relationships.  Do I get out of them what I put into them?  Of course there are times when we do put more into a certain friendship than the other person does, maybe because of situations going on in the other person's life or illness or something that keeps that person from being able to give to the friendship.  I feel like I have some faithful friends who give more in the friendship to me  that I do to them and I want to remedy that!   On the other hand, I can see in other friendships where I give and have given more than I should have.  I've been too open with my heart and too loyal.  I'm also going to remedy that. 

So what is friendship?  I think it's two people who enjoy each other's company and respect each other even if they don't always agree.  And there has to be laughter, lots and lots of laughter!  There can't be any "walking on eggshells" in the friendship.  And there can't be judgment in a friendship anymore than there can be judgment in a marriage.  I think of my closest friends and realize I'm free to share my heart...even when it's a bit soiled and not the nicest heart around.  And I know that they would not use that knowledge against me.  So there has to be Trust in a friendship too. 

I'm extremely thankful that Jon, my husband, has become a friend also.  When we first got married, I don't' really think we were friends.  Oh we were in love but it wasn't the same thing as now.  Now is sooooooo much better.   Our friendship took more time than our love affair did.  But it was worth it. 

I was also thinking that at the same time, I want to be the same kind of friend to others as I want them to be to me.  It goes both ways. 

Anyhow just some thoughts that have been going through my little bitty mind lately.......


Last weekend I won a $50 gift card from Hobby Lobby so I spent it this week...  All of this was on 90% clearance.  the  big flower picture is one I'd looked at for months for Sarah's room.  On clearance it was only $4!!!  I still had a little bit left over so I took in a big picture I haven't hung yet because it needed a wire on the back and I bought to metal crosses for accent pieces also...NOW my gift card is gone but it was wonderful while it lasted!!!

 

 

 

 

 

Today is one month from when our son leaves for college.  I'm so excited about it for him.  Most of the time 99% at least, I'm thrilled for him.  That 1% makes me want to lock him away forever in a basement and tell him he can never leave!  When we went last week to do his schedule and some other things, it was so exciting.  It reminded me of when I went to SEC and how it felt to be going the first semester. 

I was so ready for college, I had a calendar where I marked off each day until August 24th when I left for SEC.  I'm glad he is not as anxious to leave us LOL  But it was a wonderful magical time for me.  I wouldn't have traded that time for the world.  I only hope he will have a college experience like I did.  

If you live in our area....
Next Monday night.....
20% of the proceeds will go to Rhythms of Grace, the percussion group Shad is in. 

Grab your friends and join our crew;
We’ll be happy to see you!
We’ll be jamming’ in the parking lot;
Even though it will be hot.
At HAPPY COW we will abide;...
Get your FRO-YO and chill inside.
You can hear us, we’ll be loud,
We sure hope we can draw a crowd!

Be sure to tell them you're there to support Rhythms of Grace!

 

(that little poem was written by Tammy, the mom of the other percussion players! ) 

 

Happy Cow is a place I have to restrict myself from LOL  I could eat their yogurt every day.  It's so good.  Anyhow come and eat and it's for a good cause also!

 

 

All Kinds of Things

What a busy few days we've had!  I feel like I write that all time but I'd like some relaxing days sometimes!!!

Thursday we took the kittens to get fixed and the older cats for their shots.  I didn't pick them up until Friday morning.  When we went in to get them, there was a very odd lady there who had a baby kitten.  She said she'd found it and it hadn't eaten or wouldn't eat in days.  She keep walking in and out.  She didn't want the kitten.  She had a 2 or 3 year old with her that was actually holding the kitten in a towel.  I was so worried I offered to take the kitten.  The staff was laughing at me because they know me from all of my rescues.  Anyhow we brought them home and luckily one of our nurses took the kitten home with her. 

 

 

 

 

Shad and I really wanted to keep her but since Gladys was leaving for the farm, we are really trying to get our cat population down not up :)

 

Then I went with Steve to register for classes.  He was able to get the classes he wanted and a great schedule.  He also applied for some on campus jobs.  It's so cool to relive my college experience with him.  I absolutely loved my years at Southeastern and love to see how excited he is to start there.  We've always wanted him to have the "fire in his belly" for whatever he chose to do.  We are finally seeing it with the anticipation he has for school.  His major is Communications/Broadcasting.  He jokes that he can always use this in the prison and do all their broadcasting.  We are so excited for him

On the way home we saw this guy by the side of the road.

 

 

So you know I had to get out and look at him. 




I'm pretty sure the gator was dead, it smelled and he didn't respond to noise but  I didn't' get too close!

Saturday was our Variety Show at church to raise money for the Fine Arts trip.  I committed Jon and I to it for one show but it turned into 3 shows so it was a very long day for the kids (and us too)  But we had a really good time.  Jon and I sang an old Johnny & June Cash song, "Jackson".  Well we mostly lip synched to be honest but we had a blast and had the whole place laughing. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jon was wearing black since Johnny Cash was "the man in black"

 

 

 

the whole gang

 

 

Jon's dad and uncles grew up as friends with the Cash family.  They were all sharecroppers' together in southern Arkansas in a little town called Dice or Dyce.  The town was a FDR experiment with communal living.  Basically each family was given some land & a house.  They were allowed to work their land and sell the profits.  Then there also was like a community farm.  Jon's Uncle Harvey, was mentioned as one of JC's best childhood friends in JC's last biography. 

 

We always liked the song "Jackson" because it starts out "We got married in a fever, hotter than a pepper sprout."  It's not a song that usually is sung in church tho LOL! 

 

 

The variety show raised all the money needed for them to go to Fine Arts thanks to the generosity of all that gave.   We had great door prizes thanks to some wonderful local businesses like the Village Inn, Zephyrhills Cinema, Happy Cow, Sunrise Eatery, 5 Guys and a Burger, Hobby Lobby, Zephyrhills Bowling Alley, Sonny's BBQ,  and some more I'm sure I'm forgetting! 

 

 

So after a busy few days, we are happy to be relaxing this rainy afternoon at home watching Netflix :) 

Happy 4th of July pictures!

Hope everyone had a great 4th of July weekend!  Here's some pictures of our day.  We stayed home and just chilled out.  Steve had some friends who stayed over Friday night and Saturday morning I used a whole box of waffle mix to feed everyone.  That was the start of our day.

 Then after those guys went home we just relaxed and enjoyed a thunderstorm on our porch.  We all love storms, probably me most of all. 

It's funny when I was a kid, I'd almost get sick on my stomach when a bad thunderstorm happened.  But not anymore.  I love to watch and listen to a storm.  This time a year, we get about one a day.  July 4th's was a big one...but as you can see we got a rainbow afterwards.....right in our yard!

In 2004 when we had all the hurricanes, the first one was "kind" to us.  We were staying at my brother in laws as we were in the middle of moving.  The storm was amazing.  No thunder or lightening just crazy rain, so we decided to play in the rain...yep...it was like being in a warm shower.  I can't believe we did that but we ran up and down the street.  Steve and his cousins had a blast.  We probably would not do that again but at the time it was a lot of fun.  It was a memory for us.  Of course now I'm a much more "afraid of something happening to my kids mom" than I was back then.  I have a whole blog in my mind about that subject if I can ever sit down and put my thoughts in writing.  LOL  Anyhow here are some pictures! 

 RAINBOW'S END! 

 

 

Sarah is quite the rocker in her little rocking chair.  She is very intent on what she is doing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We've been babysitting Snickers our friends' dog.  She stays right with me....all the time....every step I take....every move I make....

 

 

 

Selah got her Hoyer lift.  We'd hoped to get one that attached to the ceiling but our insurances would not pay for it.  I was afraid this equipment would be too large but it's not really.  It's smaller than her stander.  She actually seemed to enjoy it, it is almost like a baby swing.  It is used to move a person from one position to another without the caregiver having to pick the person up.  I think it will be used a lot as she gets older.  Our nurses are all trained on it and know the advantage for them and for the patient.  It prevents falls and broken bones. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Today I ran into a Dollar General to pick up some snacks and they had a baby pool for $4.  I bought it for the kids, but it looks like the kittens have taken it over! 

 

 

The kittens are scheduled to get spayed Thursday.  Poor babies but we don't want anymore cats!  Gladys aka Mama Cat is going to go live on a farm.  She is not getting spayed quite yet, our friends need some barn cats.  I'll be sad to see her go but she was rescue cat, she just wandered up one day pregnant....she prefers to be outdoors and she can be on this farm and have a place to go when it rains.  She should be very happy. 

 

Our dog disappeared during our move.  She left our old house, must have gotten out under the fence.  We looked around for her but one of the farms around probably took her in.  Most of our neighbors in the area knew Brownie, we all know each other to wave at each other and to know each other's outdoor dogs but few knew we had a new dog.   It's funny how you "know" folks by their animals....LOL that's how you know you live in the country.   There has been someone at the old house almost daily as it is being redone for one of our church members to live in.  I thought the dog might come back and we put out food for her but no one has seen her.  The way our friends "found" her is that she just wandered up to them.  Seems that is her MO. 

 

 

Well we have discovered the joys of Netflix- I'm pretty much addicted!   I've never been much of a tv watcher, I'd rather read a book than anything but I'm enjoying Netflix way too much!  I'm restricting myself to a move a day now so I can get things done :)  Today I watched "From Here to Eternity"  Yesterday I watched one of the "High School Musicals" and "Breakfast at Tiffany's" and "Men in Black II" .  You see why I'm restricting myself!    We've watched some classics like "Footloose", "Urban Cowboy" "Saturday Night Fever"  All had way more cussing than I remembered!  One movie we really enjoyed was a WWII "The Man Who Never Was"  Watch it, it tells a story about a real turning point in the war. 

 

I did get something done today

 

21 meals (22 if you count the ones she ate for supper)  put away in the freezer for Sarah.  Beef stew, Taco chili and chicken noodle soup.  Everything is pureed and ready to go, just needs to be heated up for her.   I love doing her meals so I know she is eating good.  Buying baby food or soups to puree doesn't make me feel like she is getting good nutrition.  It's challenging to have a child who can't/won't chew.  There are many meals that can't be pureed for her like sandwiches, or pizza....  So I worry about her getting enough calories and the right kind of calories.  In the meals I make for her, I add a lot to them and make them thick.  For breakfast, she usually eats oatmeal or grits and always has a bowl of applesauce.  She gets at least one  Pedisure a day with a banana and some other fruit in it-usually  strawberries or blueberries.  . She also likes yogurt, I buy the big containers so she can have plenty, those little cups are not big enough for her.  I love the squeezable fruits, I buy boxes of them for her to have.  She will ONLY drink Capri Sun pouches.  So we get the kind that has a full fruit/veggie serving.  If she runs out of them, I have to feed her her drink spoon by spoon.  I don't understand her at all.  I've tried using the straws from the juice box but she will not drink from them out of a cup.  I literally have to spoon feed her the drinks.  You can be sure we do not run out of juice boxes very often!  I do have to feed her the pedisure with a spoon, she will not take it any other way...so I sit there and do it.  I tried to wait her out one day but she absolutely refused to drink and cried so I was more afraid of her getting dehydrated, even tho all her food is pureed...so I gave it to her after lunch when she wouldn't drink!! 

 

 

Well this week continues to be busy.  Tomorrow Selah has an appointment in Tampa in the afternoon.  We'll probably get rained on.  Seems to happen every time we go in the afternoon. Thursday the cats are all going to the vet- that'll be fun.....    Steve has an appointment on Friday at his college, he's signing up for classes, buying books and we are meeting with financial aid. Saturday we are in a Variety Show at our church 

 

 

 

 

Jon and I are actually singing or lip synching to Johnny Cash's song "Jackson"  We have amazing door prizes so if you are in the area, please come.  It will be fun.  Come see us!  You might win a pie! 

Putting it all together!

Well I'm a liar!  I thought having wonderful FIOS internet connection would mean I was on line more but I've not been.  We are still busy on the little things you do when you move.  It seems we've had lots of little things to do.  Me being the weirdo that I am find it hard to relax with things undone. 

The kids are doing good, Sam is finding his way around and Sarah went down the hallway on her bottom the other day.  She was looking for me.  Selah seems to love her room and her sleep has been great.  She used to wake up every night around 3am but has been sleeping most nights from 9pm-6am which is perfect.  Selah is able to have showers daily!  Before we only gave her a shower weekly as it was hard and dangerous to get her down the narrow hall and into the bathroom..  She would get so stressed out and it was scary getting her in.  She had to be carried sideways which was dangerous for her and for her nurse or Steve.  Now she can be wheeled from her bed, in her bath chair right into the shower.  She loves it.  The nurses love it too.  We also got her a Hoyer lift, something we will need as she grows to move her safely.  Her room is so spacious and airy, she can sit in her chair at the window and seems to enjoy it.   It is so wonderful for her to have all these conveniences and for that I am so very thankful.  . 

The big kids are doing great too!  They love the house and the WIFI, of course.  Even tho they have their own rooms, they tend to play video games or watch tv in Steve's room until it's time for Shad to go to bed.  I love that they like being together even when they don't have to be:)

We're busy.  Our church gave us a housewarming shower last Friday.  Man we were so blessed!!!  A dear friend bought us rockers for our front porch!  Now it looks like home!  Everyone was so generous.  We outfitted Selah's room with a microwave, fridge, coffee pot, a tv ( a nurse brought in) and wifi.  Our nurses are happy.  They worked for 2.5 years in a small room, having to share a bath with the whole family.   Now they are able to have some comforts too. 

I'm so tired every day it is pathetic.  I tend to wake up early as our room has blinds and faces the east.  Once I'm awake I can't go back to sleep because I think of all I have left to do.. Then I stay up late....   All my aches and pains are back with a vengeance.   Somehow in the move, my "bird finger" aka middle finger got hurt and has stayed swollen.  My husband says it's poetic justice because I 've used it too much over the years.

But the house is great.  We are just getting used to it.  It seems more like a resort at this point than our home.  After we'd gotten everything out of our old house, I went back and had a good cry.  Almost a decade of memories were in those small walls.  Some sad times but mostly happy times with my favorite people on earth.  It's been renovated because we have someone moving into it. 

Today we took Sam to Neumour's Children's.  We decided to try an eye specialist there.  Our doctor in NY would like us to have someone near us to follow Sam.  We'd tried an adult ophthalmologist but he seemed too overwhelmed with all the "extras" that is Sam's eyes.  We were pleased with this young doctor that we saw today.  She seemed to be willing to work with Dr A and actually knew of him.  She tried checking Sam's eye pressures but with an implant it is next to impossible.  But if she was right, his pressure is around 23 which is too high.  Dr A tends to check his pressure just by feeling the eye and by comparing the optic nerve to pictures he'd taken before of it.  He'd warned me not to ever get too excited about a reading that someone else does who is not familiar with corneal implants.  So I'm trying not to.....She is going to call Dr A and see what he thinks.  We were planning to go to NY in Sept or October but may have to go sooner if there is really an issue going on.  The pressure measures how the glaucoma is doing.  A reading of 14 is good....19 is worrisome....above 20...is not good.    So we wait and see what is decided.   We did love to watch Sam play with the toys for the first time ever. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here's some pictures of my/our work. 

 

 

From White to.....

 

 

Black

Doesn't it look so much better?

I painted them first time ever for me.  I need to add a second coat but I will wait till next week

 

 

Someone gave me these bar stools, the kittens like them as you can see!

 

 

 

 

 

Walmart special.  Looks pretty good!

I FINALLY got my books out of storage.  I felt like kissing them!!!

 

So with the second hand (actually third hand couch), table and chairs from Salvation Army, second hand bar stools and 4 bookcases from Walmart...I spent about $350 on the whole living room and it looks great. 

 

So along with FIOS we have CABLE TV.  Don't laugh at me!  I've lived with satellite tv for  over 11 years.  Nothing like satellite for going off during bad weather.   AND we have NETFLIX which I still do not quite understand nor do I know how to work it but thanks to Shad he takes care of it for me.   I realize that we are just coming into this century.....and for all you folks who live in a big city DON"T laugh at me!    There was a time that you'd never heard of high speed internet or Netflix either...it may have been ten years ago but still.......LOL

 

 

So things are good, just still busy.  We are hoping for some "down" time this weekend.  Maybe I'll figure out the remotes :)