Well, the doctors still haven't gotten Bobbie's heart rate regulated. She went home from the hospital on Friday and ended up back in the ER that night. They put her on a diuretic and sent her home. Then she was taken by ambulance back to the hospital on Saturday. They can't seem to get the A-fib to settle down, which is causing congestive heart failure. Once they get it regulated, she will go into a skilled nursing facility for a week or so to get her strength built back up. I think this had made Daddy and Bobbie realize that they are going to have to make some lifestyle changes. She can't take the chance of having an emergency with her heart in Spur, so they'll have to settle down in the Saginaw house. Once things settle down a bit, we'll take Daddy out to the farm to get their stuff that they need to take back to Saginaw. Hopefully they will still be able to use the farmhouse as a little vacation home.
We made our 2017 vacation plans last week! Going to such a popular vacation spot as the Grand Canyon, reservations are required VERY early. We had planned to spend a night or two in the hotel that is right on the north rim of the canyon, but it was already booked up. Our plans are to leave in mid-September, starting off with a visit with Joe and Leanne and then with Sam Hays. We plan to visit White Sands, the Petrified Forest, the Grand Canyon, Zion National Park, Bryce Canyon, Arches National Park, Canyonlands National Park, and end up at Rocky Mountain National Park. We ought to see some glorious sites! It is supposed to be when the aspens are turning, too...as well as when the elk start bugling. Looking forward to another grand adventure!
Sheila came over Friday night and stayed all weekend. We did our annual seafood boil Saturday night. I had planned to make some crab appetizers but completely forgot! I did fix coleslaw, beans and rice, and homemade bread to go along with the shrimp, crab, potatoes and corn. I don't think we'd have had room for the appetizers, after all!
Sheila still hadn't seen Rogue One, so we decided to take in the noon matinee on Monday. Since we didn't get to eat lunch beforehand, we (uncharacteristically) decided to buy drinks and snacks at the movie. About an hour into the movie, I had to take a bathroom break, but the restroom was closed down. I just figured it was being cleaned or something, so decided to try again later. Sheila went about 30 minutes later, and it was still closed. She was going to try to find another restroom in the shopping center, but found out that the water was shut off all over town. Finally about 15 minutes before the movie ended, we decided we couldn't wait any longer and went home. After checking around we discovered that the city had a water main line leak and the whole town and some surrounding communities were all without water. Sheila decided she would head on back home, and we started making arrangements to get some water. We drove to Weatherford for supper and went to Walmart, while there, to get some bottled water. They had already sold out of gallon jugs, so we bought some (overpriced) Ozarka 3 quart bottles. Dennis loaded up our giant cooler and filled it with water at his hunting spot, so we could haul water for flushing toilets. After 36 hours, the city finally finished the repairs and we had water restored. We still have to boil it for consumption for another 30 hours or so, but we have enough bottled water for drinking. I ran the dishes through the dishwasher on the sanitizer cycle and boil rinse water for any dishes I hand wash...just to be on the safe side. It sure makes you appreciate something so simple as clean, running water when you have to go without for just a short time!
We had to delay any real work around here until we had working showers again. But this afternoon, Dennis has started back on remodeling. He is tearing out the sheetrock in the dining room. We are hoping to get the walls and ceiling done before Rick has to go back to work next week. Not sure we'll make it with this 2 day delay!
I have a little baking to do for a New Year's Eve Eve party that Pam and Pete H. are throwing Friday night. Since I didn't do our traditional key lime pie to go with our seafood boil, I decided to make it for the party. I'll also do the crab appetizers that I forgot. I found a black-eyed pea dip that looks yummy that I plan to try out, too. Looking forward to a lot of good eating and fun times with everyone!
I hope you all have a very happy New Year and much happiness in the coming year!
Wednesday, December 28, 2016
Thursday, December 22, 2016
Have yourself a merry little Christmas!
Time sure has a way of getting away from you sometimes! As most of you know by now, Bobbie ended up having to go to the ER by ambulance last weekend. She was having chest pains, which ended up being brought on by A-fib. They kept her in the hospital a couple of days and started her on medication for it. They though they had it under control and sent her home Sunday afternoon. Monday, her BP and heart rate were TOO low, so Daddy had to take her back to the hospital. They decided she needed a pacemaker and did a temporary one to see how it would do. She had a bad reaction to the meds that they were giving her and was out of her head for over 24 hours. They finally got her settled down and were able to implant the permanent pacemaker yesterday afternoon. She was doing better when we left the hospital last night. She is hoping to go home sometime today. Both of her daughters have been with her all week, which has really helped Daddy! They spend the night with her, so he can go home and rest. I know they are both exhausted though!
The girls had their annual Christmas weekend. Since we weren't going to be able to go to HC to see them on Sunday, Sheila invited us for supper Friday night. Cara, Heather, and Allison all arrived from Arkansas around 6:30 or so. Jessica and Stacey made it a little earlier. We all enjoyed enchiladas and all the fixins as we got caught up with one another. I sure love those girls!
Saturday turned bitterly cold, so we just did stuff around the house, except for going to watch the newest Star Wars movie. (Yes, I loved it!)
When we got to the church house Sunday morning, we found the water frozen. So we just had to do without restrooms that morning. Dennis went early that afternoon and took a hairdryer to thaw it out that afternoon. I didn't feel like going that early (I'm still trying to adjust to my new BP meds), so I just stayed and went to Eastside that afternoon. I always enjoy visiting with my family there!
We did something quite out of the ordinary on Tuesday. On our morning walk, Dennis told me he had been looking for a good, cheap car to buy. Ricky's pickup has "bit the dust", and he needs some good reliable transportation. So we decided that we would find something to buy, so we could sell him our Camry. Dennis found a 2004 Avalon that only had 116,000 miles on it...which is about 50,000 miles LESS than our Camry. It looked in great shape, so we drove to Rockwall that afternoon to look at it. It had obviously spent most of the time in the garage. The interior is pristine! The exterior has some dings, but it is in very good shape overall. The price was excellent, so we bought it and brought it home. I love it! It is a little roomier than the Camry...especially the back seat (where Josiah's carseat will be), and it is MUCH smoother riding and comfortable. I told Dennis it is our "old folk's car". He said it was more of a "transitional" car. Whatever! I think we will really enjoy it...and get spoiled! (It even has dual climate control! YAY!!!)
Looking forward to the weekend with Sheila. We will do our annual Shrimp and Crab Boil on Saturday. I found a yummy looking appetizer recipe for crab and cream cheese rolls that I plan to make to go with it. My mouth is watering already! We aren't exchanging gifts this year. Stephen and Mandy had the idea of just giving what we would have spent on gifts to Sheila to help with her adoption expenses. So we all decided to do that instead. (Of course, we still bought for the grandsons!) It will be a big help to Sheila, and it sure simplified things for the rest of us!
Safe travels to all who will be on the roads this weekend, and may everyone have a very merry Christmas weekend with loved ones!
The girls had their annual Christmas weekend. Since we weren't going to be able to go to HC to see them on Sunday, Sheila invited us for supper Friday night. Cara, Heather, and Allison all arrived from Arkansas around 6:30 or so. Jessica and Stacey made it a little earlier. We all enjoyed enchiladas and all the fixins as we got caught up with one another. I sure love those girls!
Saturday turned bitterly cold, so we just did stuff around the house, except for going to watch the newest Star Wars movie. (Yes, I loved it!)
When we got to the church house Sunday morning, we found the water frozen. So we just had to do without restrooms that morning. Dennis went early that afternoon and took a hairdryer to thaw it out that afternoon. I didn't feel like going that early (I'm still trying to adjust to my new BP meds), so I just stayed and went to Eastside that afternoon. I always enjoy visiting with my family there!
We did something quite out of the ordinary on Tuesday. On our morning walk, Dennis told me he had been looking for a good, cheap car to buy. Ricky's pickup has "bit the dust", and he needs some good reliable transportation. So we decided that we would find something to buy, so we could sell him our Camry. Dennis found a 2004 Avalon that only had 116,000 miles on it...which is about 50,000 miles LESS than our Camry. It looked in great shape, so we drove to Rockwall that afternoon to look at it. It had obviously spent most of the time in the garage. The interior is pristine! The exterior has some dings, but it is in very good shape overall. The price was excellent, so we bought it and brought it home. I love it! It is a little roomier than the Camry...especially the back seat (where Josiah's carseat will be), and it is MUCH smoother riding and comfortable. I told Dennis it is our "old folk's car". He said it was more of a "transitional" car. Whatever! I think we will really enjoy it...and get spoiled! (It even has dual climate control! YAY!!!)
Looking forward to the weekend with Sheila. We will do our annual Shrimp and Crab Boil on Saturday. I found a yummy looking appetizer recipe for crab and cream cheese rolls that I plan to make to go with it. My mouth is watering already! We aren't exchanging gifts this year. Stephen and Mandy had the idea of just giving what we would have spent on gifts to Sheila to help with her adoption expenses. So we all decided to do that instead. (Of course, we still bought for the grandsons!) It will be a big help to Sheila, and it sure simplified things for the rest of us!
Safe travels to all who will be on the roads this weekend, and may everyone have a very merry Christmas weekend with loved ones!
Thursday, December 15, 2016
"Baby, It's Cold Outside!"
I thought it was cold last week! It is supposed to be in the actual teens this weekend, instead of just chill factors in the teens! I am so very thankful for central heat!
Well, the stress echo test showed that my heart was fine. However, my blood pressure didn't do so well during the test. The doctor decided to put me on a diuretic along with my regular BP medicine to see if it would help. I go back in a couple of weeks to see what he thinks. Since starting it my BP runs good most of the time. I even check it as soon as I come in from walking, and it is normal. (I don't have a monitor to wear to see what it gets to during exercise.) So, I'm hoping the water pill is doing its job.
My UTI symptoms cleared up after taking the antibiotic for 24 hours. Today is my last day on them. Yay!
Dennis is still having trouble with his back. He went back to the chiropractor yesterday for another treatment. It helps, but it doesn't alleviate his pain. He does ok on muscle relaxers and ibuprofen. If he doesn't take them, however, he gets worse. He went through this back in April, too. It took three weeks for it to get better. The chiropractor was able to tell him what is causing the problem, so hopefully he can try to avoid doing what aggravates it.
Sheila spent Friday night, so we did our annual watching of "It's a Wonderful Life". I REALLY love that show! Then on Saturday, we went shopping for a small freezer for her apartment. That will really help out when she brings Josiah home. She can cook on the weekends and freeze meals, so it will be quicker and easier getting supper ready on workdays. She found a cute little chest freezer that fit just right!
Christmas gifts for our CASA kiddos have been coming in heavily over the past week. On Monday, Waste Management in Weatherford, donated 90 bicycles! I was able to get there in time to get a couple for one of my families. Those kids will be excited! I've gotten gifts for all but two of my kiddos, so far. I delivered to one family yesterday and am making another delivery this afternoon. I am so thankful for all of the generous people in the area who make this possible!
Dennis and I went driving around town Tuesday night to look at Christmas lights. Those new laser light thingies are pretty popular this year. They are neat looking, and I know they are much less work, but I still like real lights the best! We found quite a few nicely decorated neighborhoods. The real treat was when we got up on the NE hill. Cliff Drive was almost completely "done up", with one house that was amazing!
This weekend is going to be pretty quiet around here. This is Sheila and "the girls" weekend for getting together to celebrate. Last year we went to Henrietta Creek on Sunday, so we could visit with them. Dennis has to speak here at Highway Sunday morning, so we won't be able to do that this time. We have a deer to butcher tomorrow, but there is nothing else on our schedule after that. I may be able to talk Dennis into going to watch the new Star Wars movie with me. 😁 (That is a creepy looking smiley face!)
All next week should be pretty slow around here, too. Hopefully, Dennis' back will be better so he can get back to working on dining room drawers. So far, he has finished two of the six.
I'm hoping that while Ricky is off for the holidays that they can get the dining room walls and ceiling done. We will do our annual shrimp/crab boil on the 24th. Guess I'll forgo the key lime pie this year. Boo! But I am making progress on my diet. The weight is coming off slowly, but steadily. I really don't like dieting though (not even when it is called "making lifestyle changes").
I hope you all have a wonderful week and enjoy time with family and friends during this holiday season!
Well, the stress echo test showed that my heart was fine. However, my blood pressure didn't do so well during the test. The doctor decided to put me on a diuretic along with my regular BP medicine to see if it would help. I go back in a couple of weeks to see what he thinks. Since starting it my BP runs good most of the time. I even check it as soon as I come in from walking, and it is normal. (I don't have a monitor to wear to see what it gets to during exercise.) So, I'm hoping the water pill is doing its job.
My UTI symptoms cleared up after taking the antibiotic for 24 hours. Today is my last day on them. Yay!
Dennis is still having trouble with his back. He went back to the chiropractor yesterday for another treatment. It helps, but it doesn't alleviate his pain. He does ok on muscle relaxers and ibuprofen. If he doesn't take them, however, he gets worse. He went through this back in April, too. It took three weeks for it to get better. The chiropractor was able to tell him what is causing the problem, so hopefully he can try to avoid doing what aggravates it.
Sheila spent Friday night, so we did our annual watching of "It's a Wonderful Life". I REALLY love that show! Then on Saturday, we went shopping for a small freezer for her apartment. That will really help out when she brings Josiah home. She can cook on the weekends and freeze meals, so it will be quicker and easier getting supper ready on workdays. She found a cute little chest freezer that fit just right!
Christmas gifts for our CASA kiddos have been coming in heavily over the past week. On Monday, Waste Management in Weatherford, donated 90 bicycles! I was able to get there in time to get a couple for one of my families. Those kids will be excited! I've gotten gifts for all but two of my kiddos, so far. I delivered to one family yesterday and am making another delivery this afternoon. I am so thankful for all of the generous people in the area who make this possible!
Dennis and I went driving around town Tuesday night to look at Christmas lights. Those new laser light thingies are pretty popular this year. They are neat looking, and I know they are much less work, but I still like real lights the best! We found quite a few nicely decorated neighborhoods. The real treat was when we got up on the NE hill. Cliff Drive was almost completely "done up", with one house that was amazing!
This weekend is going to be pretty quiet around here. This is Sheila and "the girls" weekend for getting together to celebrate. Last year we went to Henrietta Creek on Sunday, so we could visit with them. Dennis has to speak here at Highway Sunday morning, so we won't be able to do that this time. We have a deer to butcher tomorrow, but there is nothing else on our schedule after that. I may be able to talk Dennis into going to watch the new Star Wars movie with me. 😁 (That is a creepy looking smiley face!)
All next week should be pretty slow around here, too. Hopefully, Dennis' back will be better so he can get back to working on dining room drawers. So far, he has finished two of the six.
I hope you all have a wonderful week and enjoy time with family and friends during this holiday season!
Friday, December 9, 2016
Hello, Winter...and miseries.
Brrrr!!! We might not have had much of a fall, but winter has come in with a blast...of arctic temperatures! The wind chill was in the teens yesterday. Both yesterday and today had lows in the 20's. The cold temperature makes for a perfect day for cooking jerky though. Helping warm the house by running the oven all day and smelling the wonderful aroma of jerky makes up for it being too cold to do anything else.
We have been pretty pitiful around here the last few days. I kind of relapsed with my cold on Monday and Tuesday...felt like I might be getting a sinus infection. Both guys were gone, so I didn't do much of anything. I made a pot of chicken fajita soup for lunch on Monday and ate on it for 2-3 days. Dennis killed a buck and doe on Tuesday, so he headed home Wednesday morning. He was complaining with his back when he got home. Ricky got in from a 10 day work run, and he was feeling crummy with sinus stuff. I started noticing symptoms from another UTI the same day. All three of us have felt pretty bad since, so we are trying to take things easy. Dennis went to the chiropractor yesterday morning when he got up, which has helped. He's still pretty sore though. I went to see my doctor this morning with my UTI and got some meds, so I should start feeling better soon. Ricky has just been resting up and staying in out of the cold, so he is feeling some better.
I've had THREE doctor's appointments in the past three days. Now I know what it feels like to be old! I went for my 6 month checkup with my foot doctor on Wednesday. My doctor is very pleased with my foot progress! I don't go back for another 6 months.
I went for my stress echo test yesterday afternoon. I really felt lousy (from my UTI) but I didn't want to postpone it. It showed that my heart is fine; but my blood pressure, not so good. The doctor added a water pill to take with my new BP medication dosage to see if it does the trick. I go back in 3 weeks for a follow up. (My blood pressure was GREAT at my doctor's appointment this morning!)
I'm hoping that all three of us get to feeling good again by next week! I've got a full week of CASA appointments. The angel tree gifts are coming in, so it is time to start delivering them to the kiddos (as well as having court and my regular bi-weekly visit to observe). I'm hoping Dennis' back will allow him to start working on drawers again. He has one completed in the dining room...5 more to go! Plus we'll have 2 more deer to process toward the end of the week. So let the healing begin!
We have been pretty pitiful around here the last few days. I kind of relapsed with my cold on Monday and Tuesday...felt like I might be getting a sinus infection. Both guys were gone, so I didn't do much of anything. I made a pot of chicken fajita soup for lunch on Monday and ate on it for 2-3 days. Dennis killed a buck and doe on Tuesday, so he headed home Wednesday morning. He was complaining with his back when he got home. Ricky got in from a 10 day work run, and he was feeling crummy with sinus stuff. I started noticing symptoms from another UTI the same day. All three of us have felt pretty bad since, so we are trying to take things easy. Dennis went to the chiropractor yesterday morning when he got up, which has helped. He's still pretty sore though. I went to see my doctor this morning with my UTI and got some meds, so I should start feeling better soon. Ricky has just been resting up and staying in out of the cold, so he is feeling some better.
 |
| Buck #2 for the season |
I've had THREE doctor's appointments in the past three days. Now I know what it feels like to be old! I went for my 6 month checkup with my foot doctor on Wednesday. My doctor is very pleased with my foot progress! I don't go back for another 6 months.
I went for my stress echo test yesterday afternoon. I really felt lousy (from my UTI) but I didn't want to postpone it. It showed that my heart is fine; but my blood pressure, not so good. The doctor added a water pill to take with my new BP medication dosage to see if it does the trick. I go back in 3 weeks for a follow up. (My blood pressure was GREAT at my doctor's appointment this morning!)
I'm hoping that all three of us get to feeling good again by next week! I've got a full week of CASA appointments. The angel tree gifts are coming in, so it is time to start delivering them to the kiddos (as well as having court and my regular bi-weekly visit to observe). I'm hoping Dennis' back will allow him to start working on drawers again. He has one completed in the dining room...5 more to go! Plus we'll have 2 more deer to process toward the end of the week. So let the healing begin!
Sunday, December 4, 2016
A busy and joyful week!
What a great week! Monday, I tried to get caught up after Thanksgiving. Debbie P. had brought over some wonderful home grown citrus fruit over the holiday weekend. She told me that you can go ahead and squeeze the lemons and limes and freeze for future use. So I did that on Monday. I've got enough lemon juice and zest in the freezer to make a pie, as well as key lime juice and zest for a pie. YUM! Plus we have fresh tangerines and grapefruit for snacking on. THANK YOU, DEBBIE AND JAMES!!!
Tuesday, I managed to get my walking in...first time in a week! I had a little laundry to do and had to do my normal run to buy groceries. Then it was time to go see my cardiologist. On the way, I stopped by the CASA office to take all of our leftover sweets from Thanksgiving. I love being able to share and especially to GET IT OUT OF MY HOUSE!!! It was a good thing that I did it, too. When I FINALLY got in to see the doctor (after sitting in the waiting room for almost 2 hours), he told me to lose weight (I knew THAT was coming!) by eliminating flour and sugar from my diet. I told him he was no fun! But my blood pressure is very sensitive to my weight. If I can lose 20-30 pounds, I may be able to get off (or at least get back on a very low dose) of my medication. He did take me off the beta-blocker that the ER doctor had put me on. I didn't like the way it made me feel so tired all of the time. I was on a super low dose of my normal medicine, so he increased it by a good bit and told me to take it twice a day, instead of just once. I'm also scheduled for a stress echo test this week to make sure there aren't any issues with my heart. He didn't really think that there will be...thinks it is all just blood pressure related.
I spent all day Wednesday and Thursday in a training for CASA. It is for a new joint initiative between CPS and CASA to work together to try to better locate family support and/or placement for kids to keep them OUT of the foster care system. I'm really excited about it. It is supposed to be implemented on a limited number of cases beginning the first of the year. I have one case in particular that I really believe could benefit from the program.
I had my twice/month visit to observe Friday that took most of the morning. Then I came home and started preparing for the weekend. Sheila and I had a girls' weekend planned with Diane B. The Henrietta Creek church also volunteers at a shelter on the first Saturday of every month, so I decided to go with them to help. I made up a big pan of Oreo Rice Krispie Treats to take for dessert. That was hard not to sample. (I must confess that I did cut off a tiny slice of one, though. 😳)
Saturday morning was our local Santa's Workshop for CASA. I had two of my families coming, so I volunteered the whole morning. It is SO much fun! They serve breakfast, have a craft table, have elves making balloon toys, have pictures with Santa and storytime with Mrs. Santa, face painting, stuffed bears for all the kiddos, as well as jackets and handmade quilts. I really enjoyed seeing my little CASA kiddos having so much fun!
I went straight from there to Sheila's. We loaded up her stuff and went to Diane's house. We spent the rest of the day (except for the time we were at the shelter) eating popcorn and hot tamales (yes, I cheated BIG time!) and watching old Christmas movies. We were all struggling to keep our eyes open around midnight, so we turned in for the night.
Today, I enjoyed meeting and worshipping with the Henrietta Creek congregation. It is my "home away from home". After the morning assembly, a big bunch of us went to eat together; and Teddy and Phillip kept us all quite entertained! Sheila held little Bellamy during the afternoon assembly, so I got to have some quality time with that little sweetie! She is such a doll! After the second assembly, all of the ladies went back to Diane's house to make cards, using her Stampin' Up stuff. She had worked very hard ahead of time to have everything cut out and ready for us. I've never done any of that before, and I really didn't expect to like doing it. But I had a blast! Of course, being with all of those special ladies and visiting made it extra fun. I want to send a big "THANK YOU" to Diane for all of her hard work and her gracious hospitality! I'm looking forward to doing a repeat next year!
I'm back home tonight and looking forward to sleeping in my bed (although my bed last night was super comfortable!) and not having anything on my calendar for in the morning! Dennis is going hunting tomorrow for a few days, so I'll have a quiet house for a few days. I think I'll take it easy!
Hope you all have a great week!
Tuesday, I managed to get my walking in...first time in a week! I had a little laundry to do and had to do my normal run to buy groceries. Then it was time to go see my cardiologist. On the way, I stopped by the CASA office to take all of our leftover sweets from Thanksgiving. I love being able to share and especially to GET IT OUT OF MY HOUSE!!! It was a good thing that I did it, too. When I FINALLY got in to see the doctor (after sitting in the waiting room for almost 2 hours), he told me to lose weight (I knew THAT was coming!) by eliminating flour and sugar from my diet. I told him he was no fun! But my blood pressure is very sensitive to my weight. If I can lose 20-30 pounds, I may be able to get off (or at least get back on a very low dose) of my medication. He did take me off the beta-blocker that the ER doctor had put me on. I didn't like the way it made me feel so tired all of the time. I was on a super low dose of my normal medicine, so he increased it by a good bit and told me to take it twice a day, instead of just once. I'm also scheduled for a stress echo test this week to make sure there aren't any issues with my heart. He didn't really think that there will be...thinks it is all just blood pressure related.
I spent all day Wednesday and Thursday in a training for CASA. It is for a new joint initiative between CPS and CASA to work together to try to better locate family support and/or placement for kids to keep them OUT of the foster care system. I'm really excited about it. It is supposed to be implemented on a limited number of cases beginning the first of the year. I have one case in particular that I really believe could benefit from the program.
I had my twice/month visit to observe Friday that took most of the morning. Then I came home and started preparing for the weekend. Sheila and I had a girls' weekend planned with Diane B. The Henrietta Creek church also volunteers at a shelter on the first Saturday of every month, so I decided to go with them to help. I made up a big pan of Oreo Rice Krispie Treats to take for dessert. That was hard not to sample. (I must confess that I did cut off a tiny slice of one, though. 😳)
Saturday morning was our local Santa's Workshop for CASA. I had two of my families coming, so I volunteered the whole morning. It is SO much fun! They serve breakfast, have a craft table, have elves making balloon toys, have pictures with Santa and storytime with Mrs. Santa, face painting, stuffed bears for all the kiddos, as well as jackets and handmade quilts. I really enjoyed seeing my little CASA kiddos having so much fun!
I went straight from there to Sheila's. We loaded up her stuff and went to Diane's house. We spent the rest of the day (except for the time we were at the shelter) eating popcorn and hot tamales (yes, I cheated BIG time!) and watching old Christmas movies. We were all struggling to keep our eyes open around midnight, so we turned in for the night.
Today, I enjoyed meeting and worshipping with the Henrietta Creek congregation. It is my "home away from home". After the morning assembly, a big bunch of us went to eat together; and Teddy and Phillip kept us all quite entertained! Sheila held little Bellamy during the afternoon assembly, so I got to have some quality time with that little sweetie! She is such a doll! After the second assembly, all of the ladies went back to Diane's house to make cards, using her Stampin' Up stuff. She had worked very hard ahead of time to have everything cut out and ready for us. I've never done any of that before, and I really didn't expect to like doing it. But I had a blast! Of course, being with all of those special ladies and visiting made it extra fun. I want to send a big "THANK YOU" to Diane for all of her hard work and her gracious hospitality! I'm looking forward to doing a repeat next year!
I'm back home tonight and looking forward to sleeping in my bed (although my bed last night was super comfortable!) and not having anything on my calendar for in the morning! Dennis is going hunting tomorrow for a few days, so I'll have a quiet house for a few days. I think I'll take it easy!
Hope you all have a great week!
Sunday, November 27, 2016
Another Thanksgiving week come and gone
Time to slow down and catch our breath! The past week has been a whirlwind...but the best possible kind. Now we just have to get caught up on laundry, clean out the refrigerator, put up the high chair and card table, and REST.
After getting all of my cooking and cleaning done on Wednesday, we decided to just go to Subway and get a sandwich for supper. When we got in the pickup to leave the restaurant, it wouldn't start. It sounded like it wasn't getting any gas at all, so Dennis figured it was probably either the fuel pump or timing belt. We called Ricky, and he and Amanda came and rescued us. Being the night before Thanksgiving, we figured the truck would be stuck in the parking lot all weekend. (Dennis was able to get a tow truck to move it to an auto shop Friday morning, even though the shop won't be open until tomorrow morning.)
The kids made it in Wednesday night around 8:30. Jesse was wired up! That is a long drive for a couple of 2-year-olds to make...especially when they are arriving after their normal bedtime. They were allowed to stay up for a little while and run off some steam before being put down for the night. They did not like having to go to bed, but they wore out pretty quick. The adults stayed up visiting longer than we should have. We started around 10:00 saying we needed to turn in, but I think it was close to midnight before we ever made it to bed.
Thursday was filled with cooking, eating, playing with the boys and visiting. After Daddy and Bobbie left to head west (first to go visit Ted in the hospital and then on to Spur), the boys went down for a nap and the rest of us (except for Dennis) played a hilarious game of Things. Jesse got up while we were just getting going good and "played cards" in the big middle of us. He thought he was as big as everyone else! Ricky and his girlfriend, Amanda, left after that for another Thanksgiving dinner with her family, while we just pulled out the leftovers and heated up what each of us wanted. We visited and played some more, but we all turned in earlier to get rested up before our next busy day.
Friday, we fortified ourselves with a big pancake breakfast and then headed to the Ft. Worth Zoo. We got there about 15 minutes after they opened at 10:00. The parking lot was already pretty full, and there were people with strollers everywhere! It was a great day to take little ones to see the critters. We had Stephen and Mandy's double stroller, but the boys didn't stay in it long. They were ready to get out and explore! They did great about holding someone's hand and staying close. Of course they loved climbing on all of the fences, but there was always an adult or two on hand to hold on to them and keep them corralled. They really enjoyed looking at all of the animals...especially the big cats and penguins and fish. They also enjoyed the play barn in the Texas section, where they could run and climb to their hearts' content. We ended up staying until about 1:00. We were all pretty hungry by then, so we went to a nearby Vietnamese restaurant for lunch to celebrate Josiah. It was everyone's first time to try Vietnamese cuisine (except for Sheila and I). I think they all enjoyed it! Sheila, Stephen and I all got Pho...the traditional soup that is a staple at all Vietnamese restaurants. It is SO flavorful! There were also plenty of egg and spring rolls and fried rice of all kinds consumed!
Ricky and Amanda headed home after lunch, while the rest of us went by Sheila's apartment for a short visit. The boys loved checking out Josiah's bedroom and toys! Jesse can't wait for Sheila to "get on an airplane and go get his cousin and bring him back to play with him." He talks about Josiah on a pretty regular basis. Those three boys are going to have so much fun growing up together!
After our traditional turkey quesadillas for supper that night, the boys got put down for the night and we ran the guys out of the living room for our Gilmore Girl reunion marathon! We hadn't planned to watch all four episodes at one time, but we kind of got caught up in it. The guys turned in early, but it was 1:30 before we finished and went to bed. That made for a short night, because Shepherd is such an early riser! We pretty much did "every man for himself" for breakfast Saturday morning, with leftover banana bread that Mandy brought, leftover bacon and pancakes, and cereal and bananas. We didn't really do anything after that other than play with the boys until it was time for lunch. After soup and grilled cheese sandwiches and cleaning up the kitchen, everyone started packing up and getting ready to leave. Sheila had to "dog sit" for her old boss at 2:00, and Stephen and Mandy needed to get the boys home at a decent time to get them to bed that night. So we all said our good-byes, and then Dennis and I crashed! Even after 9 hours of sleep last night, I still feel like I'm just running on fumes today...and I ache all over. I'm not used to picking up and carrying around 35 pounds of unfettered energy!
Tomorrow will be a day of playing catch up around the house. I have my appointment with the cardiologist on Tuesday, 2 days of all day classes Wednesday and Thursday, a 2-hour visit on Friday, volunteering Saturday morning at the CASA Santa's workshop, and then girls' weekend with Sheila at Diane B's place. Another busy week!
After getting all of my cooking and cleaning done on Wednesday, we decided to just go to Subway and get a sandwich for supper. When we got in the pickup to leave the restaurant, it wouldn't start. It sounded like it wasn't getting any gas at all, so Dennis figured it was probably either the fuel pump or timing belt. We called Ricky, and he and Amanda came and rescued us. Being the night before Thanksgiving, we figured the truck would be stuck in the parking lot all weekend. (Dennis was able to get a tow truck to move it to an auto shop Friday morning, even though the shop won't be open until tomorrow morning.)
The kids made it in Wednesday night around 8:30. Jesse was wired up! That is a long drive for a couple of 2-year-olds to make...especially when they are arriving after their normal bedtime. They were allowed to stay up for a little while and run off some steam before being put down for the night. They did not like having to go to bed, but they wore out pretty quick. The adults stayed up visiting longer than we should have. We started around 10:00 saying we needed to turn in, but I think it was close to midnight before we ever made it to bed.
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| Dennis sharing his jerky with Shepherd |
Thursday was filled with cooking, eating, playing with the boys and visiting. After Daddy and Bobbie left to head west (first to go visit Ted in the hospital and then on to Spur), the boys went down for a nap and the rest of us (except for Dennis) played a hilarious game of Things. Jesse got up while we were just getting going good and "played cards" in the big middle of us. He thought he was as big as everyone else! Ricky and his girlfriend, Amanda, left after that for another Thanksgiving dinner with her family, while we just pulled out the leftovers and heated up what each of us wanted. We visited and played some more, but we all turned in earlier to get rested up before our next busy day.
Friday, we fortified ourselves with a big pancake breakfast and then headed to the Ft. Worth Zoo. We got there about 15 minutes after they opened at 10:00. The parking lot was already pretty full, and there were people with strollers everywhere! It was a great day to take little ones to see the critters. We had Stephen and Mandy's double stroller, but the boys didn't stay in it long. They were ready to get out and explore! They did great about holding someone's hand and staying close. Of course they loved climbing on all of the fences, but there was always an adult or two on hand to hold on to them and keep them corralled. They really enjoyed looking at all of the animals...especially the big cats and penguins and fish. They also enjoyed the play barn in the Texas section, where they could run and climb to their hearts' content. We ended up staying until about 1:00. We were all pretty hungry by then, so we went to a nearby Vietnamese restaurant for lunch to celebrate Josiah. It was everyone's first time to try Vietnamese cuisine (except for Sheila and I). I think they all enjoyed it! Sheila, Stephen and I all got Pho...the traditional soup that is a staple at all Vietnamese restaurants. It is SO flavorful! There were also plenty of egg and spring rolls and fried rice of all kinds consumed!
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| Shepherd loved holding hands with the kangaroo! |
Ricky and Amanda headed home after lunch, while the rest of us went by Sheila's apartment for a short visit. The boys loved checking out Josiah's bedroom and toys! Jesse can't wait for Sheila to "get on an airplane and go get his cousin and bring him back to play with him." He talks about Josiah on a pretty regular basis. Those three boys are going to have so much fun growing up together!
After our traditional turkey quesadillas for supper that night, the boys got put down for the night and we ran the guys out of the living room for our Gilmore Girl reunion marathon! We hadn't planned to watch all four episodes at one time, but we kind of got caught up in it. The guys turned in early, but it was 1:30 before we finished and went to bed. That made for a short night, because Shepherd is such an early riser! We pretty much did "every man for himself" for breakfast Saturday morning, with leftover banana bread that Mandy brought, leftover bacon and pancakes, and cereal and bananas. We didn't really do anything after that other than play with the boys until it was time for lunch. After soup and grilled cheese sandwiches and cleaning up the kitchen, everyone started packing up and getting ready to leave. Sheila had to "dog sit" for her old boss at 2:00, and Stephen and Mandy needed to get the boys home at a decent time to get them to bed that night. So we all said our good-byes, and then Dennis and I crashed! Even after 9 hours of sleep last night, I still feel like I'm just running on fumes today...and I ache all over. I'm not used to picking up and carrying around 35 pounds of unfettered energy!
Tomorrow will be a day of playing catch up around the house. I have my appointment with the cardiologist on Tuesday, 2 days of all day classes Wednesday and Thursday, a 2-hour visit on Friday, volunteering Saturday morning at the CASA Santa's workshop, and then girls' weekend with Sheila at Diane B's place. Another busy week!
Sunday, November 20, 2016
It's the most wonderful time of the year!
As most of you probably know, THIS IS MY FAVORITE WEEK OF THE YEAR!!! I love everything about Thanksgiving! I love preparing for it; I love the food; I love the time with family; I love the traditions; and I love the whole premise of giving thanks! I mean really...what's NOT to love?!!
I saw a neat idea on Pinterest that I decided to incorporate into my Thanksgiving traditions. I bought a pumpkin back in October and started writing things on it that I am thankful for. Not only does it focus on looking for the everyday blessings in life, but it is also an attractive decoration! I decided to go with a white pumpkin, because I think they are really pretty...and I love the black and white contrast. I still have a few more days to finish filling it in. I don't just put the "deep" things of life on it, I put down anything that strikes me during the day that I'm thankful for!
I started some of my treat making last week. I got my pecan pies baked and in the freezer. I made a batch of Key Lime Truffles. And I cooked up a double batch of jerky yesterday. Tomorrow I plan to make a different flavor of truffle and some no-bake cookie balls. I have some sugar cookies in the freezer that I plan to decorate Tuesday. I'll save a few for the boys to do when they are here. I also plan to bake a sweet potato pie on Wednesday, as well as make my deviled eggs and start prepping for the dressing. Since we are smoking our own turkey this year, I'll brine it tomorrow, so it will be ready for Dennis to smoke Wednesday. I'm really excited to see how it turns out! So far, we've smoked pork (which makes the absolute BEST pinto beans!) and jerky and have been very pleased with how they turned out.
Stephen's family plan to come in on Wednesday evening. Sheila, Daddy and Bobbie will come over Thursday morning. I'm really looking forward to 3 whole days with the grandsons! We are going to have a blast!!! We have a trip planned to the zoo on Friday, plus eating at a Vietnamese restaurant in honor of Josiah. Sheila has a sign made like our t-shirts that we plan to take a picture of all of us with. It will go in his special memory book that she is making for him. So even though he won't be able to be with us this Thanksgiving, he will be in all of our hearts! And, Lord willing, he should be here NEXT Thanksgiving! This will be Shepherd's first Thanksgiving with us. I've really been looking forward to spending it with him! It will be Daddy and Bobbie's first time to get to meet him. They are really looking forward to spending time with both of the boys. I've always loved Thanksgiving, but grandkids make it every MORE special!!!
Dennis was able to finish 5 drawers last week in the kitchen and should be able to do another 2 or 3 before Thursday. It is so great seeing the kitchen coming together! I'm very thankful for how efficient it is now and how good everything is looking. Dennis is doing an amazing job!
I hope that all of you have a wonderful week and a very blessed Thanksgiving!
(Psalms 100:4) Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name. (NKJV)
(1 Thessalonians 5:16-18) Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. (NKJV)
I saw a neat idea on Pinterest that I decided to incorporate into my Thanksgiving traditions. I bought a pumpkin back in October and started writing things on it that I am thankful for. Not only does it focus on looking for the everyday blessings in life, but it is also an attractive decoration! I decided to go with a white pumpkin, because I think they are really pretty...and I love the black and white contrast. I still have a few more days to finish filling it in. I don't just put the "deep" things of life on it, I put down anything that strikes me during the day that I'm thankful for!
I started some of my treat making last week. I got my pecan pies baked and in the freezer. I made a batch of Key Lime Truffles. And I cooked up a double batch of jerky yesterday. Tomorrow I plan to make a different flavor of truffle and some no-bake cookie balls. I have some sugar cookies in the freezer that I plan to decorate Tuesday. I'll save a few for the boys to do when they are here. I also plan to bake a sweet potato pie on Wednesday, as well as make my deviled eggs and start prepping for the dressing. Since we are smoking our own turkey this year, I'll brine it tomorrow, so it will be ready for Dennis to smoke Wednesday. I'm really excited to see how it turns out! So far, we've smoked pork (which makes the absolute BEST pinto beans!) and jerky and have been very pleased with how they turned out.
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| I've got most of the jerky hidden away, so there will be plenty when everyone gets here. Otherwise, it would all be eaten! We LOVE our jerky! |
Stephen's family plan to come in on Wednesday evening. Sheila, Daddy and Bobbie will come over Thursday morning. I'm really looking forward to 3 whole days with the grandsons! We are going to have a blast!!! We have a trip planned to the zoo on Friday, plus eating at a Vietnamese restaurant in honor of Josiah. Sheila has a sign made like our t-shirts that we plan to take a picture of all of us with. It will go in his special memory book that she is making for him. So even though he won't be able to be with us this Thanksgiving, he will be in all of our hearts! And, Lord willing, he should be here NEXT Thanksgiving! This will be Shepherd's first Thanksgiving with us. I've really been looking forward to spending it with him! It will be Daddy and Bobbie's first time to get to meet him. They are really looking forward to spending time with both of the boys. I've always loved Thanksgiving, but grandkids make it every MORE special!!!
Dennis was able to finish 5 drawers last week in the kitchen and should be able to do another 2 or 3 before Thursday. It is so great seeing the kitchen coming together! I'm very thankful for how efficient it is now and how good everything is looking. Dennis is doing an amazing job!
I hope that all of you have a wonderful week and a very blessed Thanksgiving!
(Psalms 100:4) Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name. (NKJV)
(1 Thessalonians 5:16-18) Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. (NKJV)
Sunday, November 13, 2016
A productive week!
Well, this past week DID go much better! Dennis went out and killed a nice buck on Monday. So good to have fresh meat aging! He went out again Saturday morning and killed a nice doe. So we are in good shape for now. Since we have plenty of meat for the freezer for now, he can get back to working on the kitchen. Yay!
On Tuesday, we drove down to San Saba for our yearly pecan trip. It was a great drive down. We saw a lot of deer, one very nice blackbuck and an oryx. We bought 30 pounds of pecans at the warehouse store, plus a couple of jars of jam. We then drove to our hotel in Copperas Cove and got settled in. We knew of a good Italian restaurant (that we'd visited before), so we went there for supper and then took in a movie. We hadn't planned to watch election results, but we turned them on when we got back to our room and kind of got drawn in to it. I finally went to sleep and left it with Dennis!
Wednesday, we took it easy...sleeping late and then enjoying a leisurely breakfast in our hotel. After loading up, we headed back towards home...taking a scenic shortcut. We saw more deer, including a BIG buck! As we drove into Hico, we saw this old Victorian home with a giant banner along the fence, advertising 20 years of business for the Wiseman House Chocolates. Well, we couldn't just pass that by! They hand make all kinds of chocolates and offer free samples throughout the store. Of course we had to purchase some, too! We ended up making it back home in time for lunch and spent the evening picking out the pecans. We had bought cracked nuts, so we were able to get them all shelled out by bedtime. We now have 6 gallons of wonderful pecans in the freezer...just in time for Thanksgiving treats!
I had an appointment first thing Thursday morning with my doctor. My blood pressure is doing well. I will continue on my current meds until I see the cardiologist at the end of the month.
I left the doctor's office and drove to FW for Bobbie's hand surgery. She had 2 tendons (leading to her right index finger and thumb) that had snapped in two from some screws that were holding a plate on her wrist from when she had broken it. They removed the screws and plate and attached the tendon from her index finger to the middle finger, so they will work together. Then they attached the tendon from the thumb to one that leads to her bicep to stabilize it. She won't have normal function in her hand, but it ought to be better than it has been. She will be in a brace for 3 weeks and not able to use her right hand during that time. She went through surgery well and is not having much, if any, pain from it.
I baked sugar cookies on Friday and froze them. I plan to decorate them for Thanksgiving...saving a few for the boys to decorate while they are here. I am super excited about this Thanksgiving! Having both boys here all weekend is going to be a blast! We are hoping to go to the zoo one day with them. I've looked forward to a day at the zoo with grandkids for a LONG time!
Sheila came over and spent Friday night and all day Saturday. I enjoyed having her around all weekend. She also came back over and spent all day today.
We had a great Lord's Day today! Dennis gave a good lesson this morning and things got pretty emotional. Brother Wayne made a few comments and had everyone in tears! Mayrene has been in the hospital for the past two weeks, and it is very hard on them both. It is also rough on Linda and Karen who are trying to take care of both of them! They could all really use your prayers!
We are just a week and a half away from Thanksgiving! There will be a lot going on between now and then...2 deer to butcher, plus we plan to go help Kyle butcher Parker's first deer (that he killed this morning...way to go, Parker!) I've got court on Tuesday, an appointment that night and a visit Friday morning. Then it will be time to start baking goodies! I've already bought my turkey, and Dennis is planning to smoke it the day before, so I can just warm it up Thursday morning. We are excited to do our own smoked turkey for the first time! We also need to make up some more jerky to have on hand while all of the kids are here. I love Thanksgiving!!!
On Tuesday, we drove down to San Saba for our yearly pecan trip. It was a great drive down. We saw a lot of deer, one very nice blackbuck and an oryx. We bought 30 pounds of pecans at the warehouse store, plus a couple of jars of jam. We then drove to our hotel in Copperas Cove and got settled in. We knew of a good Italian restaurant (that we'd visited before), so we went there for supper and then took in a movie. We hadn't planned to watch election results, but we turned them on when we got back to our room and kind of got drawn in to it. I finally went to sleep and left it with Dennis!
Wednesday, we took it easy...sleeping late and then enjoying a leisurely breakfast in our hotel. After loading up, we headed back towards home...taking a scenic shortcut. We saw more deer, including a BIG buck! As we drove into Hico, we saw this old Victorian home with a giant banner along the fence, advertising 20 years of business for the Wiseman House Chocolates. Well, we couldn't just pass that by! They hand make all kinds of chocolates and offer free samples throughout the store. Of course we had to purchase some, too! We ended up making it back home in time for lunch and spent the evening picking out the pecans. We had bought cracked nuts, so we were able to get them all shelled out by bedtime. We now have 6 gallons of wonderful pecans in the freezer...just in time for Thanksgiving treats!
I had an appointment first thing Thursday morning with my doctor. My blood pressure is doing well. I will continue on my current meds until I see the cardiologist at the end of the month.
I left the doctor's office and drove to FW for Bobbie's hand surgery. She had 2 tendons (leading to her right index finger and thumb) that had snapped in two from some screws that were holding a plate on her wrist from when she had broken it. They removed the screws and plate and attached the tendon from her index finger to the middle finger, so they will work together. Then they attached the tendon from the thumb to one that leads to her bicep to stabilize it. She won't have normal function in her hand, but it ought to be better than it has been. She will be in a brace for 3 weeks and not able to use her right hand during that time. She went through surgery well and is not having much, if any, pain from it.
I baked sugar cookies on Friday and froze them. I plan to decorate them for Thanksgiving...saving a few for the boys to decorate while they are here. I am super excited about this Thanksgiving! Having both boys here all weekend is going to be a blast! We are hoping to go to the zoo one day with them. I've looked forward to a day at the zoo with grandkids for a LONG time!
Sheila came over and spent Friday night and all day Saturday. I enjoyed having her around all weekend. She also came back over and spent all day today.
We had a great Lord's Day today! Dennis gave a good lesson this morning and things got pretty emotional. Brother Wayne made a few comments and had everyone in tears! Mayrene has been in the hospital for the past two weeks, and it is very hard on them both. It is also rough on Linda and Karen who are trying to take care of both of them! They could all really use your prayers!
We are just a week and a half away from Thanksgiving! There will be a lot going on between now and then...2 deer to butcher, plus we plan to go help Kyle butcher Parker's first deer (that he killed this morning...way to go, Parker!) I've got court on Tuesday, an appointment that night and a visit Friday morning. Then it will be time to start baking goodies! I've already bought my turkey, and Dennis is planning to smoke it the day before, so I can just warm it up Thursday morning. We are excited to do our own smoked turkey for the first time! We also need to make up some more jerky to have on hand while all of the kids are here. I love Thanksgiving!!!
Sunday, November 6, 2016
A very stressful week
Some days, it seems like you’d have been better off staying
in bed. That pretty much sums up last
week! Not really, but it sure felt like
it at times. I did get over my sickness
by about Monday or Tuesday. Dennis left
out Tuesday morning to head to the deer woods of East Texas. I had CASA visits lined up all week. Ricky was sick one day with the stomach bug,
but he was able to work the other 4 days.
I was expecting the week to go pretty well.
Things kind of fell apart on Wednesday. I had a very stressful situation arise on one
of my CASA cases. It pretty much
consumed me all day. I could feel my
blood pressure rising, so I started taking it several times throughout the
day. It was higher than it had ever been…much
higher than I was comfortable with! I
took an extra BP pill, but it barely made any difference. Ricky came home from work and cooked supper
for us, so that I could rest quietly to try to keep it down.
I started out Thursday taking 2 pills to avoid it spiking so
high again. I had responsibilities that
I had to take care of, and I was still dealing with the same issue that
stressed me out so bad the previous day.
It still ran high all day, especially when I was dealing with the
problem at hand. So I decided I’d better
make an appointment to see my doctor Friday afternoon. I was busy with a visit all morning, so I
made my appointment for right after lunch.
My BP was still pretty high at the doctor’s office, so they
decided to do an EKG. There were some “little
abnormalities” on it, so they told me to go directly to the ER. They asked if I wanted the EMTs to drive me,
but I told them I was fine to drive myself.
The hospital was just a few miles down the highway. The doctor’s office called ahead to tell them
I was coming, so all I had to do was walk in and tell them who I was, and they
whisked me off to a triage room. The
nurse who did my intake was upset that I had driven myself to the ER. I told her I had been driving all day and was
fine. She asked if anyone was with
me. “No.” Did anyone know where I was? “No.”
She told me to call my husband. “He’s
in the deer woods in East Texas, without cellphone reception.” “Then call your kids!” So I texted Sheila to explain what was going
on. About that time, Ricky texted to see
what I had found out at the doctor, so I told him what was going on, too. He immediately left work and drove to the
ER. Sheila also left work early and
headed over. The nurses and doctors in
the ER were moving like crazy getting me admitted, bloodwork drawn, UA done,
EKG done, IV hooked up and chest xray done.
They were taking things very seriously, which kind of freaked me out...and
REALLY made my BP shoot up! They
administered a different medication into my IV to bring my BP down quickly, and
then started getting all of the test results back. My bloodwork was fine, as was my chest
xray. The EKG showed the same
abnormality as the one in the doctor’s office, but the ER doctor said it wasn’t
indicative of a serious problem. (My
doctor had already started the process to refer me to a cardiologist for a
complete workup.) The medication brought
my BP down to a normal level, so I was released to go home. The only test result that came back positive
for anything was the UA…I had a slight UTI.
The ER doctor started me on another BP medication, which I will continue
until I see the cardiologist. I was sure
happy to get home!!!
While I was lying in the ER, Stephen facetimed me with the boys. It was great to talk to them! Jesse just couldn’t understand what was going on though. He kept asking me, “What are you DOING, Granny?” LOL! Stephen tried to explain that I was “sick” and at the doctor’s. I don’t think he ever figured it out though! Talking to him and Shepherd was “good medicine” for this old granny!
Sheila had already planned to come over and spend the night,
so she headed home with me and we had a good visit and watched a fun
movie. She left the next morning to
spend the day with Jessica. I pretty
much took the day off and just rested up.
My BP has continued to remain at a reasonable level.
After it was all over, I finally was able to talk to Dennis
and fill him in on everything. He had
been having a pretty crummy week, too!
It was very hot and wet in the woods, and he didn’t kill a deer. He had planned to gun hunt on Saturday
morning, which was opening day of gun season, but he discovered a flat tire on
his truck Friday night, so he had to go into Lufkin to get a new tire the next
morning. After getting that done, he had
to break (a very wet) camp and head home.
Since it has been rainy here, too, the tent is set up for an indefinite
period of time in the front yard until it finally dries up enough to fold up
and put away.
Dennis was cleaning his glasses last night, when his frames
broke right in half! So he’ll have to go
to the eye doctor’s office first thing in the morning to get some replacement
frames. Thankfully, he still had an old
pair of glasses that he can use.
I have a meeting tomorrow night, then I’m free until
Saturday morning, when Sheila and I have a visit to do; so Dennis and I decided
to make our annual trip to San Saba this week to buy pecans. Lord willing, we will head down Tuesday,
stock up on nuts, spend the night, and then come home Wednesday. It will serve as our “anniversary trip”
again. We always enjoy the drive down,
and we LOVE exploring all of the yummy varieties of pecans and spreads in the
San Saba Pecan Company store. We try to
buy enough to last us all year.
Well, that’s been our week!
I hope all of you have had a better week than we did! I’m determined that THIS week will be good! Take care!
(Just to make things clear, my heart is fine! Either do to my weakened state from being
sick and dehydrated, or due to the stress of the week, or just because my old
medication has quit being effective for me, or a combination of the three was
what caused my blood pressure to go crazy.
We still don’t know what the “abnormality” on the EKGs is, but I will be
seeing a cardiologist in the very near future to get that checked out.)
Monday, October 31, 2016
A Lost Week
The past week has been a total bust! We had planned to take off Monday and rest up from our meeting (and cleaning and trip to Arkansas). Both of us woke up feeling poorly with colds. We did what little had to be done around the house but little else. Ricky came home from work Monday sick and went to the doctor on Tuesday with strep throat. He missed two days of work. I started feeling sick during the night on Wednesday and woke up throwing up my toenails Thursday morning. I was sick as a dog all day, not able to keep anything down long. I finally quit throwing up that evening, but I still felt pretty rough all weekend...developing a pretty bad case of vertigo (which also causes nausea). I wasn't up to riding for 15 minutes on curvy roads yesterday, so I went to services at Eastside yesterday morning. Dennis went on to Highway. He said a LOT of people had been sick all week with colds. I hope we didn't send all of this home with everyone last weekend!
Ricky started feeling sick at his stomach yesterday and threw up a time or two. He is still puny today and had to take off work again. I'm TRYING to feel better. The vertigo is somewhat improved, but my stomach is still pretty unsettled. My cold symptoms never really got that bad...mostly stuffiness and thick drainage...and FATIGUE. If I can just get my stomach back to normal and my head to quit spinning, I'll be fine! Dennis' cold is finally easing up. He hopes to head down to East Texas to the deer woods in the morning. I'm hoping we all are back to normal in the next couple of days!
I had sliced and marinated jerky the night before I got my stomach bug. Since I couldn't stand food smells, Dennis dried it outside in his smoker. It turned out really good! It has a slightly different texture and took longer, but I really like the added smoky flavor.
Since I spent so much time in my recliner, I managed to crochet a new dish drainer. I decided to try making one with my leftover cotton yarn. All of the ones I've made before were using acrylic. I'm interested in seeing how cottons work out...should be much more absorbent. If I like it, I plan to make another one that is color coordinated with my new kitchen.
Well, that is about ALL that has gone on around here! I have CASA visits lined up for almost every day for the remainder of this week. I'm hoping my vertigo eases up enough that I feel like driving to them. Dennis and I did get out and walk this morning...first time since we returned from our trip to Arkansas. I had to take it slower than normal, because I'm still pretty weak. Other than that it went just fine. Maybe we are all finally on the mend!
Ricky started feeling sick at his stomach yesterday and threw up a time or two. He is still puny today and had to take off work again. I'm TRYING to feel better. The vertigo is somewhat improved, but my stomach is still pretty unsettled. My cold symptoms never really got that bad...mostly stuffiness and thick drainage...and FATIGUE. If I can just get my stomach back to normal and my head to quit spinning, I'll be fine! Dennis' cold is finally easing up. He hopes to head down to East Texas to the deer woods in the morning. I'm hoping we all are back to normal in the next couple of days!
I had sliced and marinated jerky the night before I got my stomach bug. Since I couldn't stand food smells, Dennis dried it outside in his smoker. It turned out really good! It has a slightly different texture and took longer, but I really like the added smoky flavor.
Since I spent so much time in my recliner, I managed to crochet a new dish drainer. I decided to try making one with my leftover cotton yarn. All of the ones I've made before were using acrylic. I'm interested in seeing how cottons work out...should be much more absorbent. If I like it, I plan to make another one that is color coordinated with my new kitchen.
Well, that is about ALL that has gone on around here! I have CASA visits lined up for almost every day for the remainder of this week. I'm hoping my vertigo eases up enough that I feel like driving to them. Dennis and I did get out and walk this morning...first time since we returned from our trip to Arkansas. I had to take it slower than normal, because I'm still pretty weak. Other than that it went just fine. Maybe we are all finally on the mend!
Monday, October 24, 2016
Our Annual October Meeting
Whew! I hardly know where to start! The past couple of weeks have been very intense: first, the trip to the Ole Time Camp Meeting at Buffalo Point; then working feverishly cleaning and getting ready for our meeting; finally, our meeting. I don't know when I've been more exhausted, but it is a good exhaustion! (But today is definitely going to be a low-keyed day of REST!)
Thanks to Owen Campbell, Keith Avaritt, Roy McCartney and Craig Hays for their edifying and inspiring messages! Thanks to all of our wonderful visitors for making the meeting such a success! And thanks to all of our fellow Highway brothers and sisters for all of their hard work! What makes these meetings so great is the fellowship and support that we get from one another. I love the special time that we have to visit with the people who stay in our home. This weekend, we kept Keith and Lesa...with an added bonus of Layla and Macy! We don't have granddaughters (yet), so we really enjoyed having a couple of young girls around. Both were super sweet and polite little ladies! Layla was such a good helper. And Macy kept us entertained all weekend. Thanks to Jeremy and Kylie for letting them come, and to Keith and Lesa for bringing them!
All of the lessons we heard on "Loving the Brotherhood" were upbeat and positive! Owen discussed apostasy, but did it in such a way that you still felt encouraged. Keith gave a very passionate lesson on our Christian relationships. Roy taught us about strengthening those things that remain, and Craig topped it all off with exhorting us to recruit and replenish the body.
We spent all day Saturday enjoying the fellowship. We started off with a hamburger cookout at the Millsap Community Center. Unfortunately, several people were very delayed in arriving due to the closure of I20 between Willow Park and Weatherford! We still managed to enjoy some yummy burgers and a lot of visiting. After our 3:00 assembly, we went back to the community center for Subway sandwiches...and a ton of desserts. We stayed around visiting and enjoying watching the kiddos playing together until after dark. Afterwards we came home, got food ready for the next day, visited a little and hit the sack by 10:00. Keith made the comment that he used to think sleep and rest were an option...now he saw them as a necessity! I totally agree!
We enjoyed a generous potluck dinner yesterday between services. Our ladies put their best foot forward, with help from some of our visitors, by laying out a large variety of scrumptious dishes. I think we could have just opened the doors to the whole Millsap Community and not have run out of food. People started leaving after lunch, so our crowd was quite a bit smaller at our afternoon assembly. Then after the service, we had to say our reluctant "good-byes" and return to the community center to finish cleaning up. It is always sad to see everyone go, but hopefully we won't lose the spark that we gained from our time together. As always, one of my favorite parts of the weekend was watching all of the young people gain and strengthen their ties with one another.
This old body of mine is reluctant to do much of anything today, but my mind is still busy with what it soaked up over the past three days. I hope that everyone else who attended enjoyed the meeting as much as I did! (Sorry for not having any pictures. I remembered to take my camera yesterday, but I never took it out of my purse!)
Thanks to Owen Campbell, Keith Avaritt, Roy McCartney and Craig Hays for their edifying and inspiring messages! Thanks to all of our wonderful visitors for making the meeting such a success! And thanks to all of our fellow Highway brothers and sisters for all of their hard work! What makes these meetings so great is the fellowship and support that we get from one another. I love the special time that we have to visit with the people who stay in our home. This weekend, we kept Keith and Lesa...with an added bonus of Layla and Macy! We don't have granddaughters (yet), so we really enjoyed having a couple of young girls around. Both were super sweet and polite little ladies! Layla was such a good helper. And Macy kept us entertained all weekend. Thanks to Jeremy and Kylie for letting them come, and to Keith and Lesa for bringing them!
All of the lessons we heard on "Loving the Brotherhood" were upbeat and positive! Owen discussed apostasy, but did it in such a way that you still felt encouraged. Keith gave a very passionate lesson on our Christian relationships. Roy taught us about strengthening those things that remain, and Craig topped it all off with exhorting us to recruit and replenish the body.
We spent all day Saturday enjoying the fellowship. We started off with a hamburger cookout at the Millsap Community Center. Unfortunately, several people were very delayed in arriving due to the closure of I20 between Willow Park and Weatherford! We still managed to enjoy some yummy burgers and a lot of visiting. After our 3:00 assembly, we went back to the community center for Subway sandwiches...and a ton of desserts. We stayed around visiting and enjoying watching the kiddos playing together until after dark. Afterwards we came home, got food ready for the next day, visited a little and hit the sack by 10:00. Keith made the comment that he used to think sleep and rest were an option...now he saw them as a necessity! I totally agree!
We enjoyed a generous potluck dinner yesterday between services. Our ladies put their best foot forward, with help from some of our visitors, by laying out a large variety of scrumptious dishes. I think we could have just opened the doors to the whole Millsap Community and not have run out of food. People started leaving after lunch, so our crowd was quite a bit smaller at our afternoon assembly. Then after the service, we had to say our reluctant "good-byes" and return to the community center to finish cleaning up. It is always sad to see everyone go, but hopefully we won't lose the spark that we gained from our time together. As always, one of my favorite parts of the weekend was watching all of the young people gain and strengthen their ties with one another.
This old body of mine is reluctant to do much of anything today, but my mind is still busy with what it soaked up over the past three days. I hope that everyone else who attended enjoyed the meeting as much as I did! (Sorry for not having any pictures. I remembered to take my camera yesterday, but I never took it out of my purse!)
Monday, October 17, 2016
The Ole Time Camp Meeting
Although we've been hearing great reports for years about this gathering, this was our first year to be able to attend. We left home on Wednesday and drove about half way, stopping in Texarkana for the night. That allowed us to have a leisurely drive on Thursday and still arrive by about 3:30. We got settled into our cabin and then drove down to the tent campsites. There was only a handful of people who had arrived by then. We visited with Charles and Belinda while their kiddos got their tent set up. Kenneth was also there, as were Debbie and James. The setting was absolutely gorgeous! Unfortunately, they had had a 2" rain the night before, so the normally beautifully clear Buffalo River looked more like the Red River! It did "settle down" as the weekend progressed, so the canoers were able to enjoy their float trip on Saturday.
We had some pretty terrific neighbors while there. The Siemens bunch were in the cabin right next to us, so we were able to get a little extra visiting in with them that first evening. Friday morning, Dennis and I went on a hike with the group. The weather was great...cool and overcast! We hiked down to the river, where most of the young'uns tried their hand at skipping rocks (which there were plenty to choose from!). Dennis realized he had lost his phone as we were leaving the river, so he headed back down the trail that we had just come on, while the rest of us began the uphill trek back to the pavilion. Thankfully, April had found his phone on the trail and returned it when we got back! Then I had to hunt down Dennis so he wouldn't keep looking for it. Thanks for the help, Charles!
We had our first assembly on Friday afternoon in the pavilion. There was a nice crowd assembled to hear Brandon H. talk about the spiritual tools we need in our battle against Satan. Afterwards, the Buck men grilled hamburgers for everyone. Folks sat or stood around visiting, kids ran and played, while others gathered in groups around their campfires. We turned in early that night, so we'd be ready to go again on Saturday. I woke up with stomach issues on Saturday, so Dennis went exploring on his own. After I got to feeling better, we headed back to the pavilion to visit some more. A large group had gone canoeing, while another group had taken a hike down a "moderately vigorous" trail. James P. sure took exception to that description when they returned! Folks were pretty tired and sweaty!
We assembled in the amphitheater that afternoon and Joe H. gave us a good study on strategies in our battle against Satan. It was a beautiful place to worship! After that assembly, we headed back to the pavilion for a yummy hot dog cookout. We were heading out early the next morning, so we had to say our good-byes. It was a great meeting, and we hated to leave. It was so pleasant to visit with old friends, make new friends, and most of all to watch all of the young folks enjoying each other so much!
We left out yesterday morning about 7:30 and drove to Maumelle to assemble with the church there. We enjoyed visiting with the folks there and were very pleased to see all of the young children they have in their congregation! After the assembly, we drove a little ways down the highway to eat at TaMolly's in Bryant and "bumped into" Jeff and Linda as they were leaving. It is always fun to unexpectedly meet up with someone like that!
The road home was long and hard, but we made it home a little before 9. I sure felt for others who still had hours left to drive...especially Joe and Leanne's family! I'm thankful that everyone seems to have arrived home safely. It was tragic that Logan suffered injury in his trip to the meeting! Praying that his surgery goes well today and that he will quickly and completely recover! I know he has a LOT of people praying for him!
We are heading over to FW this afternoon to buy meat for our hamburger cookout on Saturday. While we're in the neighborhood, we will have to run by Hobby Lobby for their big yarn sale today. I gave out all of my dishrags that I had made up, so I need a new stash of yarn to make more! Today is mainly doing laundry and playing "catch up" from the trip. Dennis is also starting to store away his tools and materials, so I can get things tidied up and cleaned before company arrives on Friday. We are looking forward to our weekend meeting and hope to have a full house!
We had some pretty terrific neighbors while there. The Siemens bunch were in the cabin right next to us, so we were able to get a little extra visiting in with them that first evening. Friday morning, Dennis and I went on a hike with the group. The weather was great...cool and overcast! We hiked down to the river, where most of the young'uns tried their hand at skipping rocks (which there were plenty to choose from!). Dennis realized he had lost his phone as we were leaving the river, so he headed back down the trail that we had just come on, while the rest of us began the uphill trek back to the pavilion. Thankfully, April had found his phone on the trail and returned it when we got back! Then I had to hunt down Dennis so he wouldn't keep looking for it. Thanks for the help, Charles!
We had our first assembly on Friday afternoon in the pavilion. There was a nice crowd assembled to hear Brandon H. talk about the spiritual tools we need in our battle against Satan. Afterwards, the Buck men grilled hamburgers for everyone. Folks sat or stood around visiting, kids ran and played, while others gathered in groups around their campfires. We turned in early that night, so we'd be ready to go again on Saturday. I woke up with stomach issues on Saturday, so Dennis went exploring on his own. After I got to feeling better, we headed back to the pavilion to visit some more. A large group had gone canoeing, while another group had taken a hike down a "moderately vigorous" trail. James P. sure took exception to that description when they returned! Folks were pretty tired and sweaty!
We assembled in the amphitheater that afternoon and Joe H. gave us a good study on strategies in our battle against Satan. It was a beautiful place to worship! After that assembly, we headed back to the pavilion for a yummy hot dog cookout. We were heading out early the next morning, so we had to say our good-byes. It was a great meeting, and we hated to leave. It was so pleasant to visit with old friends, make new friends, and most of all to watch all of the young folks enjoying each other so much!
We left out yesterday morning about 7:30 and drove to Maumelle to assemble with the church there. We enjoyed visiting with the folks there and were very pleased to see all of the young children they have in their congregation! After the assembly, we drove a little ways down the highway to eat at TaMolly's in Bryant and "bumped into" Jeff and Linda as they were leaving. It is always fun to unexpectedly meet up with someone like that!
The road home was long and hard, but we made it home a little before 9. I sure felt for others who still had hours left to drive...especially Joe and Leanne's family! I'm thankful that everyone seems to have arrived home safely. It was tragic that Logan suffered injury in his trip to the meeting! Praying that his surgery goes well today and that he will quickly and completely recover! I know he has a LOT of people praying for him!
We are heading over to FW this afternoon to buy meat for our hamburger cookout on Saturday. While we're in the neighborhood, we will have to run by Hobby Lobby for their big yarn sale today. I gave out all of my dishrags that I had made up, so I need a new stash of yarn to make more! Today is mainly doing laundry and playing "catch up" from the trip. Dennis is also starting to store away his tools and materials, so I can get things tidied up and cleaned before company arrives on Friday. We are looking forward to our weekend meeting and hope to have a full house!
Tuesday, October 11, 2016
Rushing through October
Last week was pretty busy with CASA stuff. The rest of the month is going to be hectic, so I tried to get in as much as I could early on. As far as renovations, we did get the backsplash finished in the kitchen...YAY! I love it! It is so nice to see some "finishing work" be completed.
Sheila was over most of the weekend. Things are moving along well with the adoption. She got her "ok" from the US Dept. of Immigration and Nationalization, and her dossier is on its way to Vietnam (although it will have to make several stops in the US first). We are HOPING that she will get her official match letter in December or January. We are also waiting on a new update and picture. She hasn't gotten one since about June. Her agency has sent a request for one to the orphanage, so we are hoping for something soon. A lot of people missed her first t-shirt fundraiser and commented that they wanted a shirt, so she has reopened it for another 2 weeks. So if you are interested in ordering a shirt, you can use this link to place your order: https://www.bonfirefunds.com/waiting-for-josiah. I love my shirt! It is SO soft! I've ordered a long sleeved one for this fall/winter.
We had a great day Sunday! James did an excellent job on his lesson on how society tries to "personalize God" to their liking. After the morning assembly, Roy and Dora invited us all over to their restaurant/junktique store for a catfish dinner. YUM! It was really nice to look at all of Dora's "junk" and enjoy the fellowship with one another. It was also a great opportunity to get all of the details worked out for our upcoming meeting (in just 10 days!) and meals. The details are listed on our Facebook event page: October Meeting.
Dennis has started working on the drawer facings this week. He won't have time to get much done, because we are leaving tomorrow for Arkansas. We plan to drive about half-way tomorrow and then finish the journey to Buffalo Point on Thursday. Those 8-9 hour drives are getting harder and harder on these old bones! Looking forward to seeing everyone up there and enjoying the scenery and fellowship!
As soon as we get home from this meeting, we'll have to hit the ground running to get ready for our meeting the following weekend. I've got my baking done and in the freezer, so mostly I'll just have to clean house. Since we are constantly under construction, the house isn't very "company ready". Tools and building materials will need to be taken out to the shop, and EVERYTHING will need a good cleaning.
I hope things are going well in your lives, and I look forward to seeing some of you either this weekend or next (or both!). Happy Fall, Y'all! (Yeah, I know it has been fall for a few weeks, it is just finally starting to FEEL like it!)
Sheila was over most of the weekend. Things are moving along well with the adoption. She got her "ok" from the US Dept. of Immigration and Nationalization, and her dossier is on its way to Vietnam (although it will have to make several stops in the US first). We are HOPING that she will get her official match letter in December or January. We are also waiting on a new update and picture. She hasn't gotten one since about June. Her agency has sent a request for one to the orphanage, so we are hoping for something soon. A lot of people missed her first t-shirt fundraiser and commented that they wanted a shirt, so she has reopened it for another 2 weeks. So if you are interested in ordering a shirt, you can use this link to place your order: https://www.bonfirefunds.com/waiting-for-josiah. I love my shirt! It is SO soft! I've ordered a long sleeved one for this fall/winter.
We had a great day Sunday! James did an excellent job on his lesson on how society tries to "personalize God" to their liking. After the morning assembly, Roy and Dora invited us all over to their restaurant/junktique store for a catfish dinner. YUM! It was really nice to look at all of Dora's "junk" and enjoy the fellowship with one another. It was also a great opportunity to get all of the details worked out for our upcoming meeting (in just 10 days!) and meals. The details are listed on our Facebook event page: October Meeting.
Dennis has started working on the drawer facings this week. He won't have time to get much done, because we are leaving tomorrow for Arkansas. We plan to drive about half-way tomorrow and then finish the journey to Buffalo Point on Thursday. Those 8-9 hour drives are getting harder and harder on these old bones! Looking forward to seeing everyone up there and enjoying the scenery and fellowship!
As soon as we get home from this meeting, we'll have to hit the ground running to get ready for our meeting the following weekend. I've got my baking done and in the freezer, so mostly I'll just have to clean house. Since we are constantly under construction, the house isn't very "company ready". Tools and building materials will need to be taken out to the shop, and EVERYTHING will need a good cleaning.
I hope things are going well in your lives, and I look forward to seeing some of you either this weekend or next (or both!). Happy Fall, Y'all! (Yeah, I know it has been fall for a few weeks, it is just finally starting to FEEL like it!)
Monday, October 3, 2016
Busy and joyous weekend!
We started out Friday morning attending an adoption consummation for one of my CASA kiddos. I always love these! Normally, court isn't a happy place...not many smiles. However, at adoptions, EVERYONE is smiling! All of the ladies from the county office hover in the doorway to watch, the atmosphere is relaxed and lighthearted, and even Judge Moore can't stop smiling. Of course there are always some happy tears, too! All my cases are special, but there are a few that touch my heart a bit more than the others. This was one of those. This baby started out his life addicted to meth, spending his first month in the NICU at Cook Children's Hospital. To see him now, a healthy, happy toddler in his forever family, is such a blessing! (Dennis also got some great butterfly pictures while we were at the courthouse.)
After visiting for awhile with the happy family (and taking a lot of pictures), we came back home and packed up for the weekend. We were celebrating Shepherd's 2nd birthday on Saturday. We met up with the kids for supper and then went and checked into our room. We normally stay in a little motel that we really like (we like having our privacy and room to relax in the evenings!), but Stephen wanted us to try out a B&B that he knew the owners of. It was a beautiful Victorian home! We were the only guests that evening, so it was also very quiet, which we really like. The lady who checked us in was very gracious and friendly. After getting settled, we went over to Stephen and Mandy's to spend some time with the boys. I love that special time together. Jesse always wants me to read to him, which I absolutely love doing! Shepherd is starting to enjoy being read to now, too. Then it was bath time, and Jesse wanted me to stay in there while his Dad bathed them. I love being involved in their everyday lives! After his bath, I dressed him for bed, while Stephen did Shepherd. (Shepherd has warmed up to us, but he is still a little reticent...he much prefers Momma or Daddy!)
After the boys went to bed, we visited awhile with Stephen and Mandy until Sheila arrived. Then we headed back to our room to rest up for the next day.
After an amazing breakfast at The Old Magnolia House B&B (how do you like that little endorsement I threw in?), we went back to Stephen's to help get things ready for the party. Well, we mostly just played with the boys while Stephen and Mandy did all of the work. The other guests started arriving just before 11:00. We ate lunch, had cake and ice cream, and then watched Shepherd open his presents...with a lot of help from his parents. After opening 1 or 2 packages, he was pretty much through with that! I think it was a little overwhelming for him! He got a LOT of nice things, including a whole collection of Nemos. LOL! (Mandy had mentioned in her gift ideas that he liked Nemo themed things.) We had a great time, but it was soon time to leave. We were going from there to Shreveport for their meeting. They were having a 3:00 assembly on Saturday, and we were hard pressed to make it in time. (We ended up getting there about 20 minutes after the service began.)
We really enjoyed visiting with the congregation at Shreveport, as well as the other visitors and Keith and Lesa. They served a potluck supper at Dot's house Saturday evening, so we had plenty of time to catch up with everyone. Then they had another potluck on Sunday between services. Those ladies (and guys) are sure good cooks! It had been many years since Dennis and I had been there together, and we really enjoyed everyone! (The girls and I have been through a couple of times over the years on our girls' trips.)
We made it home last night about 8:00. Although I thoroughly enjoyed the weekend, it was SO good to get home and sleep in my bed! Dennis is starting back on our kitchen renovations, now that the birthday project is completed, so we should start making some progress this week. Hopefully, I'll have some picture updates to share next week!
After visiting for awhile with the happy family (and taking a lot of pictures), we came back home and packed up for the weekend. We were celebrating Shepherd's 2nd birthday on Saturday. We met up with the kids for supper and then went and checked into our room. We normally stay in a little motel that we really like (we like having our privacy and room to relax in the evenings!), but Stephen wanted us to try out a B&B that he knew the owners of. It was a beautiful Victorian home! We were the only guests that evening, so it was also very quiet, which we really like. The lady who checked us in was very gracious and friendly. After getting settled, we went over to Stephen and Mandy's to spend some time with the boys. I love that special time together. Jesse always wants me to read to him, which I absolutely love doing! Shepherd is starting to enjoy being read to now, too. Then it was bath time, and Jesse wanted me to stay in there while his Dad bathed them. I love being involved in their everyday lives! After his bath, I dressed him for bed, while Stephen did Shepherd. (Shepherd has warmed up to us, but he is still a little reticent...he much prefers Momma or Daddy!)
After the boys went to bed, we visited awhile with Stephen and Mandy until Sheila arrived. Then we headed back to our room to rest up for the next day.
After an amazing breakfast at The Old Magnolia House B&B (how do you like that little endorsement I threw in?), we went back to Stephen's to help get things ready for the party. Well, we mostly just played with the boys while Stephen and Mandy did all of the work. The other guests started arriving just before 11:00. We ate lunch, had cake and ice cream, and then watched Shepherd open his presents...with a lot of help from his parents. After opening 1 or 2 packages, he was pretty much through with that! I think it was a little overwhelming for him! He got a LOT of nice things, including a whole collection of Nemos. LOL! (Mandy had mentioned in her gift ideas that he liked Nemo themed things.) We had a great time, but it was soon time to leave. We were going from there to Shreveport for their meeting. They were having a 3:00 assembly on Saturday, and we were hard pressed to make it in time. (We ended up getting there about 20 minutes after the service began.)
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| Playing before the party |
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| Shepherd and his new toy box |
We really enjoyed visiting with the congregation at Shreveport, as well as the other visitors and Keith and Lesa. They served a potluck supper at Dot's house Saturday evening, so we had plenty of time to catch up with everyone. Then they had another potluck on Sunday between services. Those ladies (and guys) are sure good cooks! It had been many years since Dennis and I had been there together, and we really enjoyed everyone! (The girls and I have been through a couple of times over the years on our girls' trips.)
We made it home last night about 8:00. Although I thoroughly enjoyed the weekend, it was SO good to get home and sleep in my bed! Dennis is starting back on our kitchen renovations, now that the birthday project is completed, so we should start making some progress this week. Hopefully, I'll have some picture updates to share next week!
Wednesday, September 28, 2016
Small town living
I love living in Mineral Wells...even though it has a terrible reputation for being a loser town, with a bad drug problem and depressed economy. I admit, when I meet someone who moved here (without ties to the community), I'm always surprised and ask them WHY? What brought them HERE? Because it is a town that has seen better days, has a bad drug problem and a depressed economy. So why do I love it?
I've always known Mineral Wells. My mom grew up here. I spent almost all of my childhood holidays here. As soon as I turned 18 and was ready to be independent, I moved here. I could be "on my own", but still have the safety net of my grandparents and several aunts and uncles and cousins. At that time, it was VERY cheap to live here. The Baker Hotel had died and the air force base had been shut down, so there was nothing to bring people here. Housing was dirt cheap. Even though the employment opportunities weren't great, I was able to find a job in a relatively short time. I lived with Granny and Granddaddy until I had saved up enough to get my own apartment; and then I lived here until just before Dennis and I married...about a year. However, when my family tried to talk us into settling down here, I told them, "No way will we ever live in Mineral Wells!" Dennis was a forester and there were no forests in this part of Texas!
Skip ahead 28 years. Dennis had been starved out of the forestry profession and was working for the post office. Our kids were about grown. We were tired of living in East Texas. Mom's health was failing rapidly, and I really needed to be closer to help out. So guess what...we moved to Mineral Wells. (Never say never!) It was no longer cheap to live here (because of the Barnett Shale boom), but it was cheaper than any other place this side of Ft. Worth. Weatherford was growing TOO fast and becoming just a suburb of FW. We wanted to find a place in the country, but real estate prices were prohibitive. So we opted for this small town. We can be anywhere in town in 10 minutes or less...our most visited locations in 5 minutes. We don't have traffic jams or long lines at Walmart. It is quiet. People are friendly and polite. And in spite of its problems, there is a lot of HEART in this town. People in this community are quick to give of their time and resources to help one another.
What brought this up today? I was out on my morning walk. The weather was perfect...in the 50's with a beautiful blue sky accented with some puffy white clouds. We have a great neighborhood for walking! The streets aren't very busy and there are a lot of shade trees lining the roads. Two separate gentlemen, who were out in their front yards enjoying the gorgeous morning, spoke to me as I walked past. I'm not talking about just a "hello", but actually addressed me. ("Hi! How are you? Beautiful day we're having! I'm ____, what's your name?") Where does that happen other than small towns? And these weren't isolated incidents. People here are "comfortable". It is easy to engage in casual conversation with folks that you run into going about your day. We had some great conversations with folks when we had our yard sale! People were excited to hear about Sheila's adoption plans and wished her well. There is a strong sense of "community".
Yes, we have our problems. Yes, there are things that I'd love to see improved. But at the end of the day, I've very thankful to be living in this small town. And I hope to live out the rest of my life here.
I've always known Mineral Wells. My mom grew up here. I spent almost all of my childhood holidays here. As soon as I turned 18 and was ready to be independent, I moved here. I could be "on my own", but still have the safety net of my grandparents and several aunts and uncles and cousins. At that time, it was VERY cheap to live here. The Baker Hotel had died and the air force base had been shut down, so there was nothing to bring people here. Housing was dirt cheap. Even though the employment opportunities weren't great, I was able to find a job in a relatively short time. I lived with Granny and Granddaddy until I had saved up enough to get my own apartment; and then I lived here until just before Dennis and I married...about a year. However, when my family tried to talk us into settling down here, I told them, "No way will we ever live in Mineral Wells!" Dennis was a forester and there were no forests in this part of Texas!
Skip ahead 28 years. Dennis had been starved out of the forestry profession and was working for the post office. Our kids were about grown. We were tired of living in East Texas. Mom's health was failing rapidly, and I really needed to be closer to help out. So guess what...we moved to Mineral Wells. (Never say never!) It was no longer cheap to live here (because of the Barnett Shale boom), but it was cheaper than any other place this side of Ft. Worth. Weatherford was growing TOO fast and becoming just a suburb of FW. We wanted to find a place in the country, but real estate prices were prohibitive. So we opted for this small town. We can be anywhere in town in 10 minutes or less...our most visited locations in 5 minutes. We don't have traffic jams or long lines at Walmart. It is quiet. People are friendly and polite. And in spite of its problems, there is a lot of HEART in this town. People in this community are quick to give of their time and resources to help one another.
What brought this up today? I was out on my morning walk. The weather was perfect...in the 50's with a beautiful blue sky accented with some puffy white clouds. We have a great neighborhood for walking! The streets aren't very busy and there are a lot of shade trees lining the roads. Two separate gentlemen, who were out in their front yards enjoying the gorgeous morning, spoke to me as I walked past. I'm not talking about just a "hello", but actually addressed me. ("Hi! How are you? Beautiful day we're having! I'm ____, what's your name?") Where does that happen other than small towns? And these weren't isolated incidents. People here are "comfortable". It is easy to engage in casual conversation with folks that you run into going about your day. We had some great conversations with folks when we had our yard sale! People were excited to hear about Sheila's adoption plans and wished her well. There is a strong sense of "community".
Yes, we have our problems. Yes, there are things that I'd love to see improved. But at the end of the day, I've very thankful to be living in this small town. And I hope to live out the rest of my life here.
Monday, September 19, 2016
A very productive and inspirational weekend
What a weekend! Sheila and Jessica came over Friday night to help get everything sorted and priced for the yard sale. It was great having both of my girls here again...it has been too long! After Jessica left and Sheila went to bed, I stayed up working on my computer. I had just received my new computer that day and was trying to get everything downloaded and transferred from my old one. (My old computer had been acting "glitchy". I was thinking I'd had it a couple of years, but when I remembered that I had bought it right after becoming a CASA, I realized that I had had it 4 years. The salesman, when I had bought it, told me to expect it to last a year or two..it was one of the early 2-in-one's on the market.) Finally around midnight, I decided I had better go to bed! Of course, when I did, my mind wouldn't turn off. I tossed and turned all night...getting just short snatches of sleep...until my alarm went off at 6. (Why is it when you need the rest the most, your body won't cooperate?!)
We ate a quick breakfast and then started carrying everything outside. The weather cooperated, other than being VERY muggy that morning. There was moisture on everything...things were trying to slide off the tables! There were the inevitable early birds who showed up with their flashlights wanting to get ahead of the crowds. By start time (8:00), we were already VERY BUSY! It didn't slow down much until around noon. We had everything priced to sale, so we got rid of most of the stuff. By 3:00, business had dried up, so we closed down. We boxed up clothing and kid stuff to carry to the shelter. Then we boxed up household items to take to a local "junktique" dealer here in town. The rest of the stuff...a couple of tables, a lamp and a picture...were left on the curb and were eventually picked up. SO nice to get rid of everything and get our garage back! We ended up with a profit of $299.98. (If I'd known that ahead of time, I'd have put in an extra 2 cents!) Not bad for Mineral Wells.
After the girls left, I cleaned up and CRASHED! I had gotten really hot when we were packing everything up and putting up tables, and I was exhausted from lack of sleep. So other than cooking a pan of cornbread (I had put on some beans to cook the night before.), and then cleaning up the kitchen, I spent the rest of the evening sitting and resting! It was a good opportunity to finish getting my new computer all set up, though. I'm really happy with how it is working, although Windows 10 is taking some getting used to!
Yesterday was a wonderful Lord's Day! Ron gave a great lesson (and a very emotional one) on using time. He really gave us a lot to think about. The guys had their afternoon business meeting/lunch, so I came home and pondered what he'd talked about and worked on making some changes in my "time management". Then James did a great job on his chapter study of 1 Tim. 4...focusing primarily on the last 4 verses, which really tied in well with the morning's lesson. Such a good day of spiritual feasting!
Dennis is making good progress on Shepherd's gift. It is a pretty complicated project, but I'm very happy with how it is turning out. I can't wait until "the reveal"!
This week is going to be pretty full with CASA stuff. I had a visit to observe today, court tomorrow, a "mixer" on Wednesday and another visit to observe on Friday. I think I will probably start my baking for our October meeting, too. Last year (since we were on vacation for the 3 weeks prior to the meeting), I did all of my baking early and froze it. That worked out SO well!!! So I'm going to do the same this time (especially since we'll be in Arkansas the weekend before our meeting for 4 days). I'm not sure when we'll get back to finishing our tilework in the kitchen. I'm hoping Dennis will finish this other project this week, so we can start back next week. We now have the rest of the tile. It won't take long to put up what it left, then start on the grouting and trim.
Well, laundry is calling my name, so I'd better get going. I hope you all have a great week and use your time wisely!
We ate a quick breakfast and then started carrying everything outside. The weather cooperated, other than being VERY muggy that morning. There was moisture on everything...things were trying to slide off the tables! There were the inevitable early birds who showed up with their flashlights wanting to get ahead of the crowds. By start time (8:00), we were already VERY BUSY! It didn't slow down much until around noon. We had everything priced to sale, so we got rid of most of the stuff. By 3:00, business had dried up, so we closed down. We boxed up clothing and kid stuff to carry to the shelter. Then we boxed up household items to take to a local "junktique" dealer here in town. The rest of the stuff...a couple of tables, a lamp and a picture...were left on the curb and were eventually picked up. SO nice to get rid of everything and get our garage back! We ended up with a profit of $299.98. (If I'd known that ahead of time, I'd have put in an extra 2 cents!) Not bad for Mineral Wells.
After the girls left, I cleaned up and CRASHED! I had gotten really hot when we were packing everything up and putting up tables, and I was exhausted from lack of sleep. So other than cooking a pan of cornbread (I had put on some beans to cook the night before.), and then cleaning up the kitchen, I spent the rest of the evening sitting and resting! It was a good opportunity to finish getting my new computer all set up, though. I'm really happy with how it is working, although Windows 10 is taking some getting used to!
Yesterday was a wonderful Lord's Day! Ron gave a great lesson (and a very emotional one) on using time. He really gave us a lot to think about. The guys had their afternoon business meeting/lunch, so I came home and pondered what he'd talked about and worked on making some changes in my "time management". Then James did a great job on his chapter study of 1 Tim. 4...focusing primarily on the last 4 verses, which really tied in well with the morning's lesson. Such a good day of spiritual feasting!
Dennis is making good progress on Shepherd's gift. It is a pretty complicated project, but I'm very happy with how it is turning out. I can't wait until "the reveal"!
This week is going to be pretty full with CASA stuff. I had a visit to observe today, court tomorrow, a "mixer" on Wednesday and another visit to observe on Friday. I think I will probably start my baking for our October meeting, too. Last year (since we were on vacation for the 3 weeks prior to the meeting), I did all of my baking early and froze it. That worked out SO well!!! So I'm going to do the same this time (especially since we'll be in Arkansas the weekend before our meeting for 4 days). I'm not sure when we'll get back to finishing our tilework in the kitchen. I'm hoping Dennis will finish this other project this week, so we can start back next week. We now have the rest of the tile. It won't take long to put up what it left, then start on the grouting and trim.
Well, laundry is calling my name, so I'd better get going. I hope you all have a great week and use your time wisely!
Wednesday, September 14, 2016
New project, new case and yard sale prep
Things have been going slow, as far as working on the kitchen. Dennis is busy with a new project right now. Shepherd's 2nd birthday is coming up...his first since he's been home...and Dennis is building a special gift for him. I'll let you see a picture after he's finished and we've given it to Shepherd. I'm loving how it is turning out!
I had a CASA case close on the 1st of the month and received a new case the same day. So last week was spent trying to "get up to snuff" on that case. I visited my new young'un, read the case file and observed a visit...plus spent a LOT of time on the phone talking to people involved in the case. The early part of a case is the busiest, by far. There is normally less than 2 months between the Adversary Hearing (which took place 3 days before I was appointed to the case) and the Status Hearing (which is when the first court report is due). Since our court reports have to be turned in 10 days before the hearing, that doesn't leave a lot of time to get to know all of the facts of the case, meet everyone and be able to explain the particulars of the case and participants for the judge.
I've also been getting ready for our yard sale to raise money for Sheila's adoption. We have had a TON of stuff donated! I've been trying to sort through and organize and price things. It is looking like it may rain Saturday (80% chance), so I may have to postpone the sale until the next Saturday. The only problem with that is I had already put an ad in the paper for this weekend! I guess we'll just do what we have to do. The t-shirt sale fundraiser has been very successful! I'm excited to get my shirt and start to see all of the pictures posted from others who have purchased one. The money raised will be a big help to Sheila with all of the expenses she is facing!
We did start on the backsplash in the kitchen last week. We got all of the tile put up that we have...but we ran out and had to order more. I actually enjoyed doing the tilework. I'm not very helpful when it comes to carpentry work. But I could do this! It kind of reminded me of icing and decorating baked goods. Ha! We are waiting to do the grouting until we have all the tile up. We went last night and bought the trim (or some of it...they didn't have enough for the whole job). I think it is really going to look nice once we get it all up!
I had a CASA case close on the 1st of the month and received a new case the same day. So last week was spent trying to "get up to snuff" on that case. I visited my new young'un, read the case file and observed a visit...plus spent a LOT of time on the phone talking to people involved in the case. The early part of a case is the busiest, by far. There is normally less than 2 months between the Adversary Hearing (which took place 3 days before I was appointed to the case) and the Status Hearing (which is when the first court report is due). Since our court reports have to be turned in 10 days before the hearing, that doesn't leave a lot of time to get to know all of the facts of the case, meet everyone and be able to explain the particulars of the case and participants for the judge.
I've also been getting ready for our yard sale to raise money for Sheila's adoption. We have had a TON of stuff donated! I've been trying to sort through and organize and price things. It is looking like it may rain Saturday (80% chance), so I may have to postpone the sale until the next Saturday. The only problem with that is I had already put an ad in the paper for this weekend! I guess we'll just do what we have to do. The t-shirt sale fundraiser has been very successful! I'm excited to get my shirt and start to see all of the pictures posted from others who have purchased one. The money raised will be a big help to Sheila with all of the expenses she is facing!
We did start on the backsplash in the kitchen last week. We got all of the tile put up that we have...but we ran out and had to order more. I actually enjoyed doing the tilework. I'm not very helpful when it comes to carpentry work. But I could do this! It kind of reminded me of icing and decorating baked goods. Ha! We are waiting to do the grouting until we have all the tile up. We went last night and bought the trim (or some of it...they didn't have enough for the whole job). I think it is really going to look nice once we get it all up!
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| This is where we ran out of tile. This "window" also has to be faced before we can finish the tile around it. |
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| This is what it will look like with the trim (with gray grout, also).
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