Christmas Eve

It's Christmas eve and my sewing is not done. I have decided that I will get it done when I can, give people cards in the meantime, and support the USPS by mailing their gifts after the holiday rush.. I am not super woman, and why did I decide to try new patterns on a limited time schedule? I don't know. 

I have decided that the gifts are not what Christmas is all about, so I won't stress over them. It is a time to celebrate the birth of our Lord. It is a time to enjoy family and friends. I want to relax and contemplate Christ's birth. I want to think about the year, there is a lot to process from the past one, and a lot to hope for in the next. I spent all day yesterday with some dear girl friends. It was the highlight of my holiday so far. It reminded me that I would rather have the gift of time with friends and family than a material gift. We could have eaten hot dogs and played cards all day and I wouldn't have cared, as long as I was with my beloved friends. Today the family time starts. I am praying the same for family time.

My Christmas wish for you? That you will enjoy the magic of the holiday through the birth of our Savior, the warm love of family and friends, and the peace that comes from God above. Merry Christmas! 

Let us sew. let us sew, let us sew! And sleep.

Sleep is a good thing. I think Dave and I have slept about 24 hours in the last 3 days. I guess that we were deprived. Yay for Christmas break!!!

We got our tree up, thanks to Robyn for dropping one off. It is perfect! I will take some pics after the decorations get on. Lleulu has already watered the tree skirt by sticking the whole thing in the base and bit off a branch. Silly kitty!

Today I need to sew sew sew! I am behind and have to get some gifts done. I love sewing, but a friend pointed out it is committing the time that is hard, not the act of sewing. So, today I will commit. I have kitty cat dresses to sew and 3 purses. I will post pics when they are done. Into the depths of the sewing room I go! Hopefully I will emerge before Christmas!

It's the Final Countdown... well almost

It is the Christmas break countdown anyway. Four and a half days until Christmas break. Woohoo!!! Wow, the time has flown by and I don't have Christmas presents made. Jams and jellies might have to do.

I did go to the the doctor and I have a virus. Yuck. I left the house once in three days this weekend. I stayed home from work on Friday. All I did was watch movies and do laundry. I am still a bit stuffy and sore, just my ribcage though. Very annoying.

Randomness for today, do any of you have wish lists on Amazon.com? I am a bit obsessed with mine. Now I know that I won't ever get everything on this list, but it is a good idea of some things that I want, mostly "guilty pleasures"; movies, books, tv shows, a kitchen tool or two. I wonder what you have on your lists. How can I find your list? Mine is listed by my email address. Ask if you want to know mine. 

Oh, and Mom is doing great. She is going to have to learn to pace herself and not overdo it, but she has come leaps and bounds the past few days. Of course I stayed away so I wouldn't get her sick. 

Back to the land of math I go. I hope to hear about your wish lists!

rainy days

I've taken mom to the doctor the past 2 afternoons. Everyone agrees that she is doing great. She got her staples out and has been told no work for a while, not even housework, dishes or laundry. Is that doctor's orders to get a maid? 

I am worn out. The past month has caught up with me. I got sick last night. Sneezing, coughing, blew my nose a hundred times. I also feel like I got sucker punched in the gut. Ugh. I guess I finally got worn down. I am going to call the doctor and see if there is anything I can take so that the snot will stop while I sleep. I hardly slept last night, but had to work today. There is testing going on and secret santa. How could I miss that? Not to mention that I just took 2 half days to take my mom to the doctor.

Keep praying. Mom still has a long road ahead. She has a hard time "doing nothing". We are going to have to find ways to entertain her. 

And I need rest too. Too much to do. Hopefully this will pass quickly. I want to spend this rainy day in bed. Maybe tonight.

more simple things-thanks

I am reminded today how thankful I am. I am thankful that my mom is alive. It is becoming more apparent how blessed we are to have her with us. One of her docs informed her that he hadn't had that surgery in 28 years! Mom gets her staples out tomorrow. I am so happy for her. 

I am thankful for old friends. Dave and I both have ran into old friends this month that we hadn't seen or heard from in ages. It has been a blessing and encouragement to know that people from our pasts are doing well. 

I am thankful that we can pay our bills. Sure, we have debt, but our bills are paid on time and I don't worry about having food to eat. Thank you Jesus!

I am thankful that we are able to sponsor a child in Africa. We received a letter from him today and it blessed my socks off! I can't wait to write him back and encourage him in his studies and his walk with God. 

I am thankful for the Holy Bible. Scriptures bring me joy, peace, and understanding.

I am thankful for old hyms. One came on the radio and I teared up right away. It was my Papa's favorite, and Dave's grandfather's. "And He walks with me and He talks with me and tells me I am his own..."

I am thankful for you! Thanks for reading my blog and being a part of my life.

Simple Things

Who's the cutest kitty in the whole wide world? Lleulu. She has been bad lately, but here she is all cute and cuddly.

Sea Anemones at the Georgia Aquarium. I thought that they were breathtaking.

And a little bit.

It is the small things in life that bring us cheer. The surprises in life that bring us smiles. For me, it doesn't take much. I went to the mailbox today and found this little gem. It was laying on top of a letter. So cute! I love it. It is a Charlie Brown Christmas tree, boards, blanket skirt, leaning over and all. I love Charlie Brown Christmas! Love love love. Who left this? I am not sure, but I do know that it was someone who knows me, was inspired by God, or both. You made my day whoever you are. Thank you for the bit of Christmas cheer and for knowing "...what Christmas is all about". Lights please.

Mom's Home!

Mom made it home Wednesday! She called me from the car saying, "I'm Free! I'm Free!" She is so glad to be home. She slept wonderfully. She still doesn't have a good sense of taste back. She has 35 staples. Getting up and down is difficult. She is tired, but happy. She and Dad are settling back in. Hopefully things will start to taste good again and taking the stairs will get easier. 

I cooked the last two nights. It feels good. I love to cook. We'll still take a meal here and there as mom's kitchen is still in a state of incompletion. But overall we are in good shape. Thank you all so much for your prayers and support. We still need them.

Yesterday was Dave's birthday. Happy Birthday Baby! I love you!!

Heading home?

Yesterday we were told that Mom might get to go home on Friday. Well, looks like it might be today! It might be a bit of a whirlwind, but the doctors are conferring and she might be home today. That means we have some stuff to do. A bit more cleaning, a bit of shopping, a bit of organizing. All in all not too bad. I am just thrown for a loop. It will be nice to go to Mom and Dad's instead of the hospital. That is for sure. I will keep you posted and let you know if she does make it home today. 

Until then, keep praying!

Sweet Kitty

As bad as Lleulu has been lately she just came and laid on my lap with her head on my chest. She loves me.

Day 11 part 2

I went by the hospital this afternoon. Mom is doing really well. No more catheter and she is toileting on her own. It is a big deal when you have been in bed for so long. Apparently she zooms down the hallway too. I caught her after a walk and she was tired. She is now eating soup, pudding and jell-o. Quite exciting! She is off of morphine too. It is funny that the "lighter" drugs make her more loopy.

The doctor said that she might go home as early as tomorrow. Crazy! In my opinion she needs another day and a few small things need to be addressed. We were told that her fever could be from her spleen responding to the surgery. It is having to find new pathways to receive blood and in turn part of it might be dying. that is to be expected. Who knew that the spleen can affect your temperature? Today she didn't have one though. Yay! She also has a touch of pneumonia, but it is being treated. Hopefully she will rest well and recover well at home. I will let you know when she is heading home!

Keep praying!

Day 11

Major improvements yesterday!!! I spent the day at home catching up on things, but got regular updates from the family. Mom got her tube out. Yay! She is still on small amounts of liquids, but she got ginger ale! Very exciting. Things are starting to move. If all goes well, she will get to go home Wednesday. She is still battling a fever every afternoon. The doctors are trying to figure that one out. Is is just her body's healing process, or an infection? Time will tell. 

She is walking a few times a day and sitting in a chair as well. It has been a long while, but finally we have tangible changes! Thanks for praying. Keep praying. There is still a long way to go. I am going to the hospital after work. Hopefully she will be eating broth and italian ice! 

I will keep you posted.

Day 9 part 2

I made it to the hospital. mom has slept some today. Probably the first real sleep that she has had. She can saw some logs! She is pretty pitiful. It is harder now that she is more aware. She sis get some chloroseptic and some sucrets. That seems to help her throat out a lot. She has had a few doctors come by today and every one agrees that she is doing great. She doesn't think so. I remind her that we are lucky and blessed that she is here. That might not have been the case if she hadn't been in the hospital. 

We are all getting tired. How do people without family do this? We have all taken turns being up here and there still aren't enough people! I guess big families are a blessing. Mom does seem to rest better knowing that someone is here with her. I can't blame her. I would be the same way. Hopefully we only have to make trips to the hospital for a few more days. I bought a weekly pass. That was a good idea and a fist for me! One of her doctors today sounded hopeful that Mom might get to go home Wednesday.  Then a whole new era begins. Maybe she will be amazingly better. I hope so.

So, the saga continues. Thanks again for your prayers and encouragement. I am realizing how much I need my friends. And food=) I love you gals.

Day 9

Mom has been in the hospital for nine days now. As she is less drugged and more aware it is bothering her more. I mean, when you are practically begging for a sip of water, life kinda sucks. She still had the tube and might for a couple for days. 

I stayed home yesterday. I slept in, did some laundry ran an errand or two and rested. I wanted to be at the hospital, but I knew that people were up there taking good care of her. Dave helped dad wok on their kitchen. They had new counter tops put in. Dave was helping put in the new appliances. It looks great so far. I will make my way up to the hospital today once I get going. We slept in to the sound of rain this morning. It was quite fantastic, minus the crazy dreams.

I did get out a few Christmas decorations. I love our Christmas stuff. There are such great memories in all of it. Mom should be doing great by Christmas. We'll have to do the big meal all over again so that she can be there and eat it. I hope that your Thanksgivings were full of family friends and wonderful memories. I would love to hear what you did. Let me know!

Short Stay

How long is a short stay? Mom is back on the short stay floor. Hooray! The nurses are glad to have her back down here. She is all settled in. She sat up for the first time in a chair and did great! Hopefully she will rest now. She should be worn out. Everyone says that she will get better quickly, you know moving around and all of that. I sure hope so.

Some one from the family should be coming up here soon. Then Dave and I will get to go eat Thanksgiving dinner. Yay! I am getting hungry. Maybe tonight we will go to the old tradition of watching the lighting of the tree on tv. Maybe I will get out some Christmas decorations soon. That always brings cheer.

Tomorrow Mom's new countertops go in. I hope that the kitchen will be finished, new appliances and all by the time she gets home. That would be awesome, and nice to come home to. Dave gets to help with all of that. Thanks baby! Maybe I will do some online shopping. Maybe there will be some good deals. 

We will need food this weekend. Anyone interested? I can't believe that I go back to work on Monday. I haven't figured it out yet. We will see how mom is doing. 

I probably won't post for a bit. At least until tomorrow. Things are stable for now. Praise God!

Turkey Morphine?

Mom has been joking today as she hits her morphine pump button that she is eating her turkey. She's still got it. Poor mom. That is about all she'll get today. She says that it is amazing how good ice can taste, or a sip of water. She still has her tube in and will until her stomach and small intestine wake up. The doctor said that it could take a while and to expect to be in the hospital for one more week. Mom is dozing in between morphine hits and ice chips. 

Good news though. She is no longer sick enough to be in the CCU. Yay! And sad. Her nurses want her up here. They like her. Mom tends to have that affect on people. Sometime today she will move down to the short stay floor. And in a hour or so, they want mom to try sitting in a chair. Big move!

I have been watching the parade. It is muted. I wonder if the big balloons look funny when you are high on morphine? Three doctors have been in so far. All say she looks good. The vascular surgeon is going to make me an appointment to check my splenic artery since we are talking about babies in a couple of years or so. That is nice of him. I like him and the other doctors in that practice.

Mom says, "Oh, yeah!" every time I put a cold washcloth on her head. She also just asked about the chicken. I guess that she is dreaming about Thanksgiving. The morphine must be working. 

Thanks for all of the prayers. I know that God has been with us and Mom. I slept hard last night for the first time in a long time. I will post again in a while. Happy Thanksgiving Ya'll!

THANKS Giving

And boy are we thankful! Mom is doing great. All of her doctors agree that the surgery went splendidly. We also found out that only 1% of people in the world have a splenic artery aneurysm. Mom really is even more special than we thought=) Mom is pretty sedated. She wakes to push the button for her morphine pump. She can have a sip of water every hour and has a tube in her nose. That must feel horrible! Hopefully she will start passing gas. That is the sign for the tube to come out. she still has her personality though and that is a great sign. She is sleepily cracking jokes and throwing her washcloth off of her head.

A bunch of us came to our house to eat lunch around 2. I stayed home and took a nap afterward. I slept hard! My cousin is sitting with mom now, Dad will take the late night shift and I will take the morning shift. We are all resting easier now. 

Thank you for praying. Continue to pray for her healing. They say today and tomorrow are the worst days. Hopefully tomorrow night she will be moved downstairs to the short stay floor. We love the nurses there too. Relief. We are all relieved. 

Tomorrow I hope to watch the Macy's Thanksgiving day parade with Mom. It's kind of tradition. I hope she feels up to it. I'll keep you posted.

Tied off

Ok, mom has had her splenic artery tied off. She is being closed up. All went well. The vascular surgeon was great. Her other surgeon should be out in a bit. (Sigh of relief) 

One interesting thing, mom's kids, i.e. me, are at greater risk of having this condition. Woohoo! So I should be checked out at a certain age and have a greater risk during pregnancy. One more thing to add to my family history. Oh how rich it is!

Keep praying. They had to give her some blood and collected her blood to give back to her. I am sure that she will be weak. Some of our favorite nurses are working today though. Hopefully She'll get one of them. I am sure that once she stabilizes we will all rest easier. I got a little nap in this morning.

I will update again in a while. Thank you Starbucks for your pumpkin spice latte. It kept me awake, but barely.

The Big Day

Surgery is tomorrow (Wednesday)! We are ready. Mom should go in at 8:30 in the morning. We will get there at 6 am to see her before she goes back. It will be a long day with surgery being 2-4 hours. I will be camped out. Dave, my dad and my Aunt Anita will be camped out too. Anyone want to bring us Starbucks? I expect her to be out and back in her room by 1-2pm. I hope anyway.

Today was a good day. Mom laughed a lot, worried about her hair, and talked a lot. We still love her doctors and nurses. Thanks Kennestone CCU staff! You've been awesome.

I spent the afternoon at home and took a nap. Finally! I have been sleeping horribly and waking early. Go figure. Tonight Dave and I went back up and visited with her for a while. Now I am working on my therapy-cooking dressing for Thanksgiving. Getting it ready cook anyway. I will pass on the gooey slop to my aunt for her to cook on Turkey Day. I will be off to bed in a bit and up before the sun.

Thank you Mandy and Jessica for the awesome food! Everything is so good and it has been so great to just pop something on the stove or in the microwave. We won't get fat or sick from fast food. Woohoo! You are lifesavers! Sometimes literally=)

Some have asked what we need.

 Prayer is #1. Lots of people have been praying. Please keep praying. This is a major surgery. I trust God and the doctors. We all need rest, good health and and peace.

#2 is food. We have food through Thanksgiving. The next few weeks will be long, especially when we have to be at work and we all fit going to the hospital into our normal routine. So, the need for food will be ongoing. Especially dinner and stuff for lunches during the work week. I normally pack Dave's and my lunch every day.  Dad has been eating supper over here since we have food. Once mom is at home, we'll move the party to their house. On a side note, I have a bunch of pumpkin frozen if anyone wants to make something with it. I won't have time. Let me know. 

#3 Starbucks cards. Serious here. There is one right by the hospital. We all need our caffeine these days. 

#4 possibly help around the house in a week or so. 

#5 my friends!!!! Support and encouragement from friends are the best. I love you guys.

I will post tomorrow from the waiting room. I know you will be waiting on the edge of your seats. off to the dressing and then the bed. Good night!

I am praying that things go smoothly and mom heals quickly. By the way, her name is Brenda. Don't think that I mentioned that.

A Real Update

Ok. Now we have a real update. Mom had a splenic artery aneurysm. They are uncommon, but not rare. We have to wait until they can get 2 units of blood on hand, then the doctor will do surgery. Most likely it we will have to wait until Wednesday. The crazy part, this has nothing to do with her gallbladder! Two totally separate issues. 

We have a long road ahead-surgery in the next day or two followed by a week in the hospital, most if not all in the CCU. Mom will have to stay home for 1-2 weeks after the surgery. Her recovery will be rough. They have to open her up wide. The splenic artery sits in the back below many other organs. They have to go digging. 

I know where I will be for the next while. We are all relieved. And tired. I am going to need a vacation around Christmas! But, my mommy is ok! We know what is going on now. Thank you for your prayers. They mean so much. Please pray for peace, a speedy recovery, a smooth surgery, and rest for us all. Mom is so much better already. She just called me from the hospital, checking on me! She is on her way back to herself. 

I will keep you updated as we move forward. Pray for the blood to arrive safely and soon!

Mommy Update #6

Ok, looks like I am here all day. Mom still has internal bleeding. They have schedule another scan for 1 pm. I am staying in the waiting room trying to give her some rest. My aunt is bringing me lunch. She already brought me Starbucks. Thanks Nita! I will keep you posted.

I have been busying myself looking up stuff on line. Do you know how many different kinds of crocs there are online? I found a few that I would like to try on and a couple that might work for Dave to wear to work. 

Also, Lleulu went to the vet today for shots. Poor thing. Dave is going to pick her up. He is working on the house today. I guess that I will go look up more stuff or try to read a book or magazine. 

Hospital hand soap and hand sanitizer is making my hands dry, cracked and starting to bleed. Sigh.

Mommy Update #5?

Mom looks good this morning. She looks so tired. She fed herself some italian ice and drank some coffee. It about wore her out. Her blood count has dropped a bit again but she is not critical. I haven't gotten an exact number yet as the nurse has been pretty busy. The doctors have not shown up yet. We'll see what they say.

Bonus, she is so much more aware than she has been. That is great. 

Thanks for praying guys and for keeping up with us. We had dinner last night at a friends church. They fed us and prayed for us. Not many places you can get that these days. God is good and in control.

I think that we are taking more turns today. I might try to run to the grocery store before the Thanksgiving rush and start on some sewing. I'll be here for a while this morning and then come back this evening. Who knows. Really, I could be here all day.

Until later.......

Mom Update #4

Still in the CCU. Still waiting to find out what is going on. This is getting old. Her blood pressure has not improved, and her blood count has only fallen by two tenths. She has been in more pain. We are waiting for visiting hours to begin again. The shift has changed. Hopefully we will know more tonight. Tired we are. I bet Mom is more tired.

Keep praying.

Thanks for reading. Blogging helps me process and stay awake=)

Mommy Update #3

So I have been at the hospital for a while. Mom looks ok. She is very tired and very weak. She needs help eating because it takes energy to feed yourself. Not that she has eaten much, only one half of a tiny italian ice and 2 crackers. Her blood count dropped a bit. Her breathing is super shallow. Her blood pressure dropped after she got all of her meds. The nurse wasn't concerned at the time. She still seems a long way from going home. This might be a long Thanksgiving break, and quite a bit different than I was expecting. At least I have the week off. She'll be in CCU at least one more day, but that doesn't mean going home. She is not close to that. 

Thank you all for praying. It is hard to see all of the families suffering around us and so close to the holidays. Keep all of those suffering in your prayers too!

We have friends bringing food tomorrow and a church potluck we might go to tonight. It is hard to think of food when I love to cook and I would love to be nowhere more than in the kitchen cooking! 

I'll keep you posted.

Mommy Update #2

Ok, I just heard from my sister that her blood count is still holding. This is very good. Doc said no surgery at this point. Things are looking up. Now her count needs to rise.  She is about to start real food again. We'll see how that goes. I am heading up there soon. I got distracted by laundry. She will be there at least one more day. I won't let them discharge her until her counts are normal and she seems herself. We are good at kicking and screaming until they listen to us=) Keep praying.

Mommy Update #1

Ok, so when I went to the ICU last night my mom looked better. Probably the fact that they got a ton of pee out of her and she was passing gas made a big difference. Funny what we take for granted about our bodies. She also felt like the doctors were really listening to her and doing a good job. They also got her another unit of blood. A CT scan found that she has some internal bleeding, but they do not no where from, only that it is on her left side which is not where her gallbladder surgery was. Her blood count has held over night which is great. It still is not normal, though. The doctors will decide today if they open her up for a look inside. They are hoping that it would heal itself and she would have some time to reabsorb the blood so they could find the tear or whatever it is. She probably tore something Tuesday night during a violent episode of vomiting, after which she ended up in the ER. People, our bodies can do crazy things!

Thank you for your prayers. Hopefully things are turning toward healing. Keep praying. It is hard to see a woman who almost never sits down or stops laying quietly in bed. We are trying to take turns at the hospital. I will be heading up there soon. I hope to keep the blog up to date.

Keep Praying Pray-ers

So, my mom hasn't made it out of the hospital since she had her outpatient surgery. She is currently being moved to ICU. Her blood count has dropped even after 2 units of blood. They don't know why. Her lungs are also sounding not so good. Please pray that they find out what is causing all of this and that it is something that can be fixed. It is hard to see your mom suffering. 

Thanks so much for your prayers. We need them.

Pray-ers, Pray

I have been meaning to write lately. Lots has been going on. Dave's cousin has work being installed on the space station, I went to the aquarium with my cousins and grandma, I have been feeling really tired, my mom has been sick and is having surgery tomorrow. 

And now I find out that a friend of ours has been diagnosed with Lymphoma today. Please pray for Candace and Stuart as they face this time. Pray that the doctors will have wisdom.We were hanging out last night celebrating a friend's birthday. My how things change in a day. May God be their strength. 

Please pray for my mom as she has her gallbladder removed, that it will answer many recent health questions.

And I pray for you, that you lean on the Father's arms. 

I've been Tagged

I hate being tagged. But I love Jo so much that I give in. She tagged me.

So here goes.

1. I love food. I mean love food. If I were Pee Wee Herman, I might marry my food. Dave says that I am obsessed and maybe I am. I makes lists, a few of them, every week about food. I make them for shopping, cooking, leftovers. I love to eat. I love to cook. I enjoy shopping for food too, especially fresh local stuff. Yum Yum. I am thinking about food right now.

2. I love lists. I make them mostly for food. I also make them for things that I want to do, things that I want, things that I need to do, places to go on trips, gifts for christmas, etc. and keep them with my calendar.

3. I love to read blogs. It is a daily obsession. I often read blogs about people that I don't know, mostly to do with crafting and sewing. Is blogging the new snail mail, except it's not a federal offense to read someone else's?

4. I love tea. I could drink pot after pot of hot tea every day. I usually have 2 cups. One in the morning and one in the evening. But on the weekend I can down a pot of tea in one sitting. I have been sipping on some snowflake tea this morning thanks to Jennifer. I have a shelf full of tea in my pantry. And I still buy more. I am trying not to though.

5. I have been in 2 bands. One was for real. One was pretend. I prefer to remember the pretend band- Circle Pit Pope. Jo, Hills, Anne Marie and Kamma were all part of it. I think at one point we almost booked a show although we never picked up any instruments. I miss those days.

6. Being totally honest, I love to pick my nose. I do. I wash my hands, have no fear. But it is a relief to free my nose of buggers. I also believe that most people pick their noses and refuse to admit it. A Sunday school teacher once told me not to date a guy if he tells you that he doesn't pick his nose, after you have asked him if he does. He said that he would be lying. I took it to heart. Dave picks his nose too.

7. I can not do a cartwheel to save my life. I never got that far in gymnastics and can only jump sadly to the side with my hands on the ground. Sigh.

So I guess that I have to tag some people if I want to follow the rules.

Jennifer

Jen

Meghan

Heather 

Laura

Lynn

Vicki

cxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxccxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx   Sorry. That was Lleulu getting in on the blogging action.

Fall is in the air....

I love it! This weather makes me want to get out in the yard and work my tail off. I think that is exactly what I am going to do today, too. My violas really need to get in the ground and I need them there! My house is looking naked. I mean, it could be that we have no siding on the front of the house at the moment, but a little bit of color in the ground can work wonders.

This has been a long week. Lleulu got spayed on Monday. I was a nervous wreck! Thanks for hanging out with me while I waited Meghan. It made the day go by wonderfully. A day spent with an old friend is always a pleasant one. I picked Lleulu up in the evening and headed home. She did wonderfully, except for growling at me when we actually got home. Poor kitty. She is back to her normal self now, running and playing, and don't forget growing! Sheesh! The vet thinks that she is around 6 months old. She has caught up to that size too. Such a pretty kitty.

The rest of the week flew by with voting lines, ignorant students, reading eclipse, digging up monkey grass, going to bed early and the last FCA tailgate party of the year. The party was a huge success. We combined efforts with 3 churches, one other FCA and regional FCA. It was great to see so many students out on a rainy Friday night. There was always 25 people there. It had to swell to 50 once or twice. The FCA pimped out Jeep was there, music, TONS of food, and lots of parents. It was such a blessing to have parents encourage us in what we do with the kids. It was also very cool to see youth pastors working together, planing stuff for the future. They shared food, supplies, and made some great connections. This is what I was hoping for for FCA this year-- for community to happen. Woohoo! Thank you God. It makes the hard days at school worth it. 

I am off to try to get some violas in the ground after I dig up more monkey grass and work on the bed. I'll try to take some picks soon. Happy Weekend!

Spooktacular!

Lleulu donning her witch's hat. So Cute!

Birthday cupcake fun!

Eeeeekkkk!!!

My pumpkin carving in tribute to Lleulu.

Last but not least, I baked some Black Cat Paws and Witches Fingers.

I had to find a way to make something with my favorite chocolate snickerdoodles. So, I stuck almond slivers in them for the cat claws. Then I wanted to try the witches fingers. They are chai shortbread cookies with almond fingernails. Dave says they look gross. Fantastic!!!

Hope you have a great day!

Kitty's got a new name

Finally some pictures for you! Here is kitty. We have changed her name to Lleulu. It is pronounced "Loo-loo". I wanted to keep Saber to remember her old owners, but I couldn't say it a billion times a day. So sticking with the "light saber" thing, Lleulu means light. I am happy with it. And apparently so is she. She is sitting in my lap while I am typing. Too cute. I am glad that she is still small! She had her second bath today and she did great! 

Our neighbor's did move and did not take Lleulu. They said that she never did use the litter box so they put her outside.I  think it was having 4 kids in the house that kept her from the litter box. She is doing just fine here.  They are glad that she has a home. Lleulu's mom died and all of her siblings. She had to have a lot of spunk to survive and she shows  it!  I'll have to try to catch her on film, I mean digital media, flying through the air.

I found an organization called Casper's Fund. They are helping to pay for Lleulu to get spayed in return for volunteer hours. Woohoo!!! After much research, I found Lifeline and that is where we are taking her to get spayed and they will give her all of her shots. The cost there, even without Caper's Fund, is much less than a regular vet. And they are so nice! FYI they also have a program to spay and neuter wild cats. I am really excited about that too!

 The full Lleulu effect when she still lived out doors. Yes, I have given in and she is an indoor kitty. 

Here are the ginormous pumpkins we tried to pick from on our way home from Helen. Can you see why I wanted to bring one home and why I had a hard time NOT shoving one in the car? I am happy with my little pie pumpkins. The pie has yet to be made.

This is a shot at Anna Ruby Falls. It was about 1 1/2 miles from our cabin in Unicoi. It was a nice little water fall. This picture makes me relax and need to pee all at the same time.

How was my birthday you ask? It was great! I have checked many things off of my list. The weekend before my birthday I went to a wedding party for some friends and that fulfilled my craving for wine and cheese. I also gave in and bought some cheese. It is my birthday month, what can I say. On my birthday one of the classes at school threw me a mini-surprise party. You haven't heard of this either? They had me called to their room, turned off the lights and yelled surprise when I walked in. They gave me an amazing birthday banner, candy bars and a balloon. Thanks Ms. Dunham's class! A little while later while I was sitting at my desk I heard a knock on the door. I looked up and saw Mandy-one of my best friends! She surprised me with flowers from her and Jessica-another best friend. Yes, I am blessed with many best friends.  I visited with Mandy for a few minutes and returned cheerily to my desk. Not 10 minutes later I was called up to the front office. That's weird. When I arrived i saw a bouquet of chocolate covered strawberries and a balloon from my Hubby. Is he great or what? Chocolate covered strawberries are waaayyyy better than roses! They don't last as long, but they sure do make you smile. I shared a few, then loaded all of my booty into the car. That night we went to Buckhead Burrito. It has nothing to do with Buckhead and they have the best fish tacos and burritos. Simple. Good. The End. 

Birthday celebrations are still happening. Dinner with girlfriends this weekend and flower planting to come.

And since I can't get enough, more of Lleulu! She is still sleeping on my lap. Cute kitty. 

My Husband

Can I tell you how awesome my husband is? Yesterday I could not find Saber. I got pretty worried. I had no idea that I had become so attached so quickly. Turns out she was at her rightful owner's house. Oh yeah, she is their kitty. She chooses to stay around us.

When she returned, Dave decided that she needed a bath. The poor baby smelled bad and was covered in fleas. Dave filled up the tub and brought her in. He was so patient with her. She ended up getting washed twice, once with shampoo and once with flea soap. She freaked out the second time and peed on him them pooped in the tub. All the while Dave was calm and talked to her quietly. Then he sat on the porch with her wrapped in a towel and combed out all of her fleas. She purred and purred. 

We let her come inside to dry off and explore the house after she was all combed out. She was so pretty with her coat whiter than snow. She is definitely still a kitten. She ran around checking everything out and kept trying to get into our dinner plates. She rolled around on our rugs and chewed on them. Silly frisky kitty. It was lonely without her when I thought she was gone.

Dave is going to be a good daddy one day. I saw it clear as day. He was so patient and kind. Saber purred while he bathed her, combed her, and spoke to her. So cute. I love my husband.

Three Years

I almost forgot, I mean didn't forget, but forgot to post that today is mine and Dave's third anniversary. Happy Anniversary Baby!!!

Obsessed

I think that I am obsessed with my birthday. I made a wish list on amazon.com. Just in case you are wondering what I have my eye on, you can find it by entering my email address. It is mostly books, bike stuff, and a couple of movies.

I also have a new obsession. A kitten has adopted us. I admit, we fed her. But how can you turn away a hungry kitty? So now I am trying to figure out how to get her shots and everything for cheap or free. Any one have ideas? She is the neighbor's cat but she hasn't left our house in days. I don't think that they could feed her. They might be moving soon too. I understand that if she is abandoned I might can get more help. Please pray for her. The neighbor kids named her Saber. I think she might be Light Saber to us. She is awfully cute. I will keep you posted and try to post pictures soon.

One down....

Dave and I celebrated our third anniversary early by going to the mountains and staying at Unicoi State Park in a cottage. It was a really nice quiet weekend. As we drove through Helen on Saturday we were amazed by all of the people out for Oktoberfest Helen, Ga style, which seems to be "be as drunk and redneck as you can." We were glad to be in the park where it was nice and quiet. We cooked and watched movies on Dave's laptop. It was nice to be away from a phone, t.v. and internet for a couple of days. We also rode our bikes, hiked to Anna Ruby Falls and explored Unicoi, trying to find where Dave busted his knee many years ago. And we did. 

On our way home we stopped at a pumpkin patch. They were sold by the farmer himself and most were huge!!! We came home with 6 pumpkins. 4 pie pumpkins, and two plain ol' pretty orange ones. I really wanted a huge one. His prices were great, $12-45 for the huge ones! But we opted for more quantity over size. The pie pumpkins were just $2 a piece. You can't find that in Marietta! So, one thing checked off my list. Got the pumpkins. Who wants to share the next adventure?

 

I will try to post pictures of our pumpkin family soon! We have all shapes sizes and colors.

October.....finally!

It is finally fall and truly feeling like it. I love the cool air at night and the warm afternoons. I love leaving the doors open and letting the breeze flow through. I baked bread for the first time on my own last night. It seems like perfect timing for the cooler weather. 

October is a favorite month of mine for another reason too. It is my birthday month! I have decided to have some small gatherings so that I can actually visit with friends and enjoy their company. Want to join me? Here are some things that I would like to do.

1-Go play Monster Golf

2-Have tea and little treats on a leisurely afternoon

3-Wine and cheese night?

4-have a picnic

5- have a Lisa Samson book Birthday(I love her books!)

6-find a place to pick your own pumpkins, for real

7-set up some places for birds and hummingbirds so that I can watch them from my windows

8-plant some violas

Ok, I am serious. If you want to share with me in any of these things, and have a date and time available, let me know. I have been missing my girl time and this is a great way to get some in. At least I think so! 

Movie Review

I loved Fireproof! Get over Kirk Cameron having been on Growing Pains. He is truly believable in this movie. It was very well done, simply shot, and the story will hit home to anyone. If you believe in marriage and the sanctity of it, go see this movie with your spouse. God is all over it and in it. I can pretty much guarantee that God will move on your heart if you let Him. I wish I had a bunch of money to buy tickets and give them away. In a day and age when marriage is seen as something easily left behind and hollywood ideals dominate hearts and minds, this movie takes a different stand.

I hope that you make the time to see it. I believe that you will be blessed. Warning-you might need a box of tissues. 

Fireproof

I am excited about this movie! I mean, Kirk Cameron might be cheesy sometimes, but the message shines through. I hear that this movie tackles some tough issues and really puts the focus on God and a God centered marriage. Let's support this in the media.

Dave and I are going to see it Saturday morning at AMC Barrett Commons 24. It is cheap date time as tickets are $6 before noon. Wanna come join us? We would love to see you there! 

One Month From Today...

It will be my birthday. I am really excited about it this year. I wanted to have a big party at first. We didn't do much, well anything with friends for my 30th. But after thinking about it, I want to have a few small birthday gatherings so that I can spend quality time with my friends. Cheesy, maybe. And hopefully cheese will be involved at least once! So I am starting to plan. Time flies by you know. Dave and I have almost been married for 3 years. That anniversary is coming up too. 

For now, I am going to sip my tea and relax for a moment. 

recovered

I think that I have finally recovered from three weeks of a miserable cold and and a bout with pink eye. And what did I do? I cooked all day! One of our good friends had a baby last Thursday and I thought that I would make them a meal plus some extra for us. I suppose I only cooked for about 5 hours, but I am wiped out. I think it was worth it though.

Part of my problem is that I have a ritual. On Sundays I try to pack most of our lunches for the week. It takes a huge load off of me and allows me to relax after work. The only drawback is that I push myself to do this even if I am tired. And that was today. Oh well. We have lunches packed. And I have dinner for 2 or 3 nights in the fridge. 

Does any one else cook like this, in cooking sprees from scratch? Just wondering.

Get ready week-Here we come!

Friendly Flower Faces

I took these photos at my sister-in law's house when we went up to NC for Olivia's birthday. She grew these flowers from seed in her yard. They make me smile.

Secret Sewing Project Revealed!

This is Bebe. She is the doll that I made for our niece for her first birthday. I think that she turned out quite nicely, although a little smaller than I had hoped. She is just a bit shorter than a Barbie. I used a pattern for the body. I made the pattern for the dress and had to tweak it along the way.

I followed directions for the face and hair. I am so thrilled with how her hair turned out. I hadn't been sure how to make the hair, but found some directions on a web site. It was really easy and went pretty fast once I got the hang of the stitch.

I hope that she brings joy to Olivia for many years! Maybe I will make her some friends in the future!

Labor Day

Oh a holiday. How did I spend mine? In a car on the way home from a family reunion in Jackson, TN. We had a great time. I only wish that I hadn't come down with a nasty cold right before the weekend. I coughed, hacked and sniffled all weekend. I saw family that I hadn't seen in 18 years and family that I had never met. Dave picked up a brick from my grandmother's old house, a treasure for sure. I rode through cow fields with my Dad's cousin and ate apple pie with my great aunt in her 185 year old house. Dave stumbled across and bought a sweet old amp that needs a lot of love for very little moola, perhaps a little gift from the Big Guy. West Tennessee is beautiful. I just wish that it wasn't so darn hot! We'll go back before another 18 years go by I am sure of it. Pictures are in abundance, I just have to get them off of the camera and on here. 

For now, I am off to bed. Gotta give this ailing body some rest before I have to go back and see those ragamuffins that gave me this cold in the first place. Gotta love school. 

How did you spend the holiday?

Wipe Out

Well, that is how I feel any way-wiped out. Work has been wearing on me and on top of that one of my teeth is killing me! I am supposed to give it time to calm down after getting some work done. I am wondering if it will. I haven't had this kind of pain, um, ever? So I am being zapped by tooth pain and high schoolers. 

I have plenty to post about, just no energy. I will get back to it soon enough. You'll just be good and ready for all that I have to dish up, right?

Ok. I am going to pop some advil and watch some old X-Files. 

I love Quotes

I thought that if I don't have time to blog or upload pictures, I might as well post a quote. I came upon this one today.

"Do not look forward to what may happen tomorrow; the same everlasting Father who cares for you today will take care of you tomorrow and every day. Either He will shield you from suffering, or He will give you unfailing strength to bear it. Be at peace, then, put aside all anxious thoughts and imaginations, and say continually;"The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart has trusted in  Him and I am helped. He is not only with me... but in me... and I in Him."

--St. Francis de Sales

Sigh

I am sitting down after a regular day of work and I am wondering,"When did I get so tired?". I mean it was a normal day, but my energy is zapped. Those kids really get to you I guess. It is also the first that I have really slowed down this weekend. I have so much that I want to do! Sew, cook, bake, work in the garden, read a book or two. I know that I can't do it all at once. So, one thing at a time. Tonight I will sew. Perhaps tomorrow I will cook and read. I have plans to go to the movies on Wednesday. Woohoo!!

Ok. Before I fall asleep I must go sew! I will post pics of it when I am done. It is a surprise though for our niece's birthday. She is turning one this weekend!

Back to School

Today was the day that students arrived. I was kind of excited, but I guess I didn't concentrate very well because I forgot to give 15 freshmen their transcripts. Oops. It was a bit overwhelming to have 20+ students in a room built to hold 12. Ugh. The rest of the day was fairly non-eventful. Everything went smoothly except for the tons of schedule changes in the near future. That means that I still don't quite know my schedule. I have been and am still pretending that I am with my teacher from last year. A bit crazy, but until I am told otherwise, that will be my classroom home. 

I did make it into the garden last night. I have to say that I still hate mosquitos, and they are terrible this year. They ate me up! I must have a minimum of 10 bites on my legs and then one crazy mosquito got the tip of my nose! It was worth it for the veggies, though. I picked cucumbers, tomatoes, tons of peppers, the last of the beans and squash and of course okra. Some of the plants have done their duty and will be pulled up and plowed under soon. That is sad, but we got a lot out of them. My favorite is that the okra is coming on!! I L-O-V-E okra. I could eat it everyday, anyway-except for pickled sweet. Yuck. I guess we'll be planting collards and turnips soon. But before that we should be picking our first watermelons and cantaloupes. I am so excited. Waiting is about to kill me. 

I keep forgetting my camera. Forgive me. I will have some kind of photo up soon. I am off to fix dinner and maybe work on a sewing project that has been running through my mind for days!!

Can I go back on Vacation?

Ever since we got back things have been super busy! I traveled to Chattanooga for a night to be with a friend. It was fun and hard. It is in God's hands. 

Work started. Is it thanksgiving yet? Just kidding. The students aren't back yet. They arrive Thursday. I am excited. I still am not sure what teachers I will be working with this year. That is a bit frustrating. But in the meantime it is good to feel wanted. I have been asked many times if I know where I am being placed yet or what hall because they want me in their classroom or on their hall. 

I am wiped out. Today was a long day of meetings, bulletin boards and a dentist chair. I will try to write soon, once I get back into the swing of things.

Vacations All I Ever Wanted

Vacation Got To Get Away......

Finally we have been away on vacation for a few days before the school year starts. It has been great relaxing and sleeping in. We spent the first day at Grandma's house in Macon, just catching up, looking at photos and hanging out. We spent the night there and headed leisurely down to Savannah to stay at our friend's house. We have had a wonderful time, doing almost absolutely nothing. We have to head back home tomorrow. We'll stop by Grandma's again and then get back into the swing of things. 

Mom says that the garden is growing fast! She and Dad picked a mess of okra and some corn this weekend. The tomatoes are turning and we have peppers and squash to spare. I can't wait to pick some okra. 

 

For now I am going to spend the last day of vacation relaxing. Maybe I'll go hit the pool, or read a book in bed. What have you done for vacation this summer?

Garden Photos!!

I know that you are jumping for joy because you have been waiting for photos from the garden. Well here they are! 

Here is one of our eggplant plants. Aren't they pretty?

Some green tomatoes. They are growing every day. It won't be long before we have ripe ones. I can't wait! I think that I might eat a tomato sandwich every day!

Some jalapenos. I made cornbread with jalapenos last night. It was so yummy!!

Ta-da! Watermelons!!! We have nine of these little babies growing right now. That isn't counting the little bitty guys. We planted yellow watermelon. It is the preferred variety by my dad. He refuses to eat red. Did you know that there is yellow watermelon? I am always surprised when people comment that they have never seen it before. I hope that these are good and worth the wait!

We planted a summer squash medley. Here are 3 kinds, held in my gardening apron. The striped one is an Italian largo, a yellow straight neck squash(we also have yellow zucchini), and a light green zucchini called magda. There is also a little cucumber in there.

Here she is! It is hard to get a good shot. But here you can see the upper and lower garden. Things have grown since this photo was taken! Things have really taken off. All that rain we got a week or so ago really made the plants happy.

Here is the patty pan squash, just starting to grow. Now these guys are giving us 3-4 babies every day. They grow so fast. A little guy like this will double overnight. They are really yummy and a little sweeter than plain yellow squash.

One of my favorites and a garden staple- the banana pepper. I like these a lot. You can eat them with almost anything. They are very mild and I think they taste green. Yummy!

Here is a little cantaloupe blossom. We finally have little cantaloupes! The mosquitoes were too bad yesterday for me to get a pic. I hope that they grow well. The vines are really pretty anyway.

And here is a little fig tree. Do you see the figs? I have a big one in my back yard, but the birds usually devour them before I can, or the mosquitoes keep me at bay. They are really yummy though and easy to grow. I love to eat them fresh from the tree.

Whew!!! I think that we are all caught up now. I never did take a picture of the beans. I will have to remember to do that. The okra is about to blossom and the corn is coming on. The tomatoes will turn soon and we will have some good eatin'. 

 I hope that all of your gardening is going well. Until the next post, keep praying for rain and visit a local farmer. There are lots of them out there selling their goods. I like to stop by and pick up some things that aren't ripe in our garden yet or that we aren't growing. It makes me feel connected to the community and lets them know that they are appreciated. Growing food is hard work!

Happy Belated Fourth of July!

We celebrated the Fourth at Mandy and Chris's house. We had a delicious dinner!

Followed by a yummy festive flag cake. Go Mandy! The boys had beer floats- Dave's creation last Fourth. I'll stick with the cake.

The boys decided that since people were shooting off fireworks, they could shoot Chris's gun. Here is Dave giving it a go.

The night ended, not with the fireworks we had anticipated, but instead the neighbors brought all of their fireworks to the empty lot behind Mandy and Chris's. We had our own personal fireworks show with front row seats. We had a great time. Thanks Mandy and Chris for having us over!

And here is my apple pie. I made it a week or so ago, but wanted to post a picture of it. It kind of goes. I mean what says American like apple pie? 

My 2 year project

Okay. Jen told me a long time ago to post these pics. This is a quilt that I have slowly been working on. We laid out the squares and I can't decide how to arrange them anyone have ideas, a favorite or a preference? Do share!!

Arrangement #1

Arrangement #2

Arrangement #3

Arrangement #4

And here they come!

So I finally got some photos up!

Here is our niece making the cutest face ever! She had just learned how to climb the stairs.

The new kitchen and dining room floor. What a relief! Isn't it pretty too?

The most delicious blueberries that we picked at a friend of my mother's.

We also picked blackberries.

And we picked plums.

All of the fruit was made into jelly. It took awhile, but I think that all of it is made now. And just a note, the fruit you see here is just a fraction of what we picked! We went a bit nuts, but we shouldn't have to buy jelly this year! Next to come pictures from the Fourth, then the garden!

Busy Bee

Man, seems like everyone is so busy at the end of the summer! I am no exception. Between my summer job, the garden, the fruit to process, a new kitchen floor and training for my regular job things have been nuts. I still haven't looked at my pictures from the past month. Be looking for some major picture posting soon. I know there are some great ones.  

Anyway, I just wanted to drop a line and say "Hey, I am still here. Just worn out and busy." i hope that everyone is enjoying their summer! Mine ends in 2 weeks, so I am off to enjoy it!

No Other Gods

This is the Bible study that I am doing this summer with a few girlfriends. Can I just say that it is really good?! I asked my friends yesterday to get on to me about taking the time to do the study. I had been pretty lazy about carving time out of my day for this. We have a spoken rule that you don't have to do your homework, but it is so much better if you do! I got home last night and did a whole week's worth of lessons. The more time I seem to spend on it, the more I want to do. I have read more scripture than I have in a year at least. I have been encouraged and challenged. I want to read more of the Bible, seek out more truth, spend more time with God. I am realizing how depraved I had been. How refreshing God's word is! 

Are you ready to confront our modern-day idols? Check this out. You will be blessed. 

Happy Fourth!

I have so many pictures to post and my camera cord that connects to the computer was left at my in-laws. Sigh. Oh well. Maybe this weekend we will pick it up and I can get you all caught up on our gardening, berry picking, and family times. 

Tonight we are off to a friends house to relax, eat and watch some fireworks. Yipee!! I slept 9 hours last night and finally feel human again. I think that I will go look for a new tea cup today. That sounds like just the ticket. I'll be posting soon!

Ready For the Weekend

I broke my favorite tea cup yesterday. It was a really pretty one and I loved drinking out of it. Now it will get glued back together and look pretty without tea in it. I dropped a coffee cup and a jar of pickles, neither of which broke. I have not had a stove in my kitchen for two weeks and am very thankful for George Foreman and his grill. My refrigerator and dining room table have found a home in the living room for that long as well. Tonight things are supposed to get back to normal because, drum roll please.... my kitchen floor should be finished! Tears of joy, sighs of relief. I will take some pictures when it is all done. I have to make some new curtains too. That will be the finishing touch.

 Thank you God for the weekend, even though I have a lot to do, most of it in the garden. Plus my mom and I are going blueberry picking. I will take pictures there too!

Garden Time

Finally some more photos from the garden! The first is a pretty good shot covering most of the garden. This was about two weeks ago. Everything has grown so much since then!!

Here is a little tomato plant.

Here are some grapes growing.

And the first bite of a June apple. Yum Yum. Can you tell it is my hand with paint on my fingers and the dirt under my nails?

More to come soon. We have picked our first zucchinis and peppers. The beans should be ready to start picking this week. The cucumbers are starting to make babies and the eggplant is almost large enough to pick our first one. 

Mom's friend has also invited us to her house next weekend to pick blackberries and whatever blueberries might be ready. We are so excited! We counted our canning jars, lids and rims. We have enough for a few batches of jelly. I still have to get down to Grandma's to get the bounty of quart jars that she has offered me before the beans come in strong and the tomatoes start ripening. Grandma also gave me a great idea for some of our extra zucchini. She used to make zucchini bread and freeze it. What a great idea!

I will make sure to have my camera handy next time I am in the garden. There is so much growing so fast that I can hardly keep up! 

Turning Tassels

Tomorrow morning I walk for my degree, an Associates in Applied Science specializing in Environmental Horticulture. I am starting to get excited. I haven't really been excited about the formality, but it kind of hit me tonight. I got highest honors and a golden cord to wear around my neck. In the morning I get to turn my tassel on my cap and make it official. Maybe I'll even hang it from my rearview mirror. Why not live a little?

I am thinking that I might want to celebrate tomorrow night or Friday night. The family will probably go out to eat after the ceremony in downtown Acworth. But tomorrow night, I am just not sure what I want to do. Maybe I will come home and read a book in my jammies. Maybe I will come home and look upon my newly installed kitchen floor. Maybe we will go out on the town with friends. The possibilities are endless!

So, tomorrow I say goodbye to a chapter of my life. As Dave says I will be Associated. Woohoo!!

Moving right along

I really need to get some pictures up from the garden, but I have been too lazy. Maybe this weekend I will. It is amazing how fast things have grown. Truly the tomato plants grew a foot, the zucchini and squash have babies, the peppers are blooming, and the apples ripened all in a week and a half!! It will be picking time soon. I can't wait!! I did pick one hot hungarian pepper on Sunday. 

I realized that I never elaborated on the manure tea. This is the main fertilizer that we are using on the garden. To make manure tea, we use black cow compost(which is mostly manure, but without the weed seeds) and mix a half a bag with about 5 gallons of water. you can use fresh manure if you have cows, chickens or horses nearby. You might get some weeds. We make a big huge can of it and keep it down at the garden. You let the "tea" steep for a few days, then you water your plants with the water, not the thick mud. After you use some you can add more water and steep again. The plants love it!! The best part is that it won't burn your plants like some fertilizers or manure do. All natural gardening my friends!! Try some in your garden and let me know how it works for you.

Come one, Come all

Alrighty folks, the garden is at a slow point for a week or two and Dave and I have decided to dig in and take care of  our overly neglected backyard this Saturday. The thing is, we need help! Many hands make light work right? Anyone with willing hands is welcome. If you like to cut things, bundling things, dig things up or just hang out and make the work fun, come!! We are starting early, say 7am. I know, I know. It's Saturday. But we will wrap up with lunch grilled out, eat some watermelon and enjoy each other's company. How about it? Leave me a comment and a way to get in touch with you. 

The New Earth

I don't know if you all have been paying attention to the book that Oprah has been promoting. How can you not notice it? It has become a number one best seller. The pastor at a church that I used to attend is doing a series comparing the book with the Bible. The first sermon was fantastic. If you are curious you can find out more here and find links to the sermons(this was the first of three over the next three weeks). I think as people in relationship with Christ we have to be informed. Take some time to listen. I think that you will find that you are reminded of some Truth. Let me know what you think.

Summer Job

I started my summer job on Wednesday. I have been wiped out. Painting is tough, yo! I caulked all day yesterday and last night my hands were swollen and red. Yikes.  

I did make myself ride the bicycle Wed. and Th. for a while. I got hit on by two 6-7 year olds. Pretty funny. It went something like this (said with a slight southern lisp)"Hey gu-u-u-r-r-r-l-l-l, he thinks you're ho-o-ot. Hey, he thinks you're sassy too!" Hahahhaa. The next time around the block they told me I was fast and asked me to race. I told them that I thought that would be unfair, but they insisted. I let them win. 

My hands are tired. My back is weary. I have paint on my knee. How'd that get there?

Just a Bittoto

I got home from church this morning and felt inspired to write. I love seeing my friends. I love reading my friends blogs. I feel like this odd online blogging community is like a support group of sorts. I love seeing how one of my friends finds another one of my friends blogs and God uses that to connect us all, how we encourage each other and bless one another. I love you gals!!!

On the note of friends, I thought that I would share how the name Luscious Biscuits came to be. I have a couple of groups of old dear friends. One of these is made up of my cousin Julie, a friend from the age of 1- Jessica, and Mandy -who entered the arena via Jessica in high school and quickly became part of our urban family. In high school we used to go eat Mexican every Friday night and hang out, drive around, spend the night, be silly. As we grew older our times together became fewer, but birthdays are always celebrated in big ways. These celebrations can include trips to the Fox, Museums, trips to parks, all a surprise for the birthday girl. On one of these trips to the Fox we were entertaining ourselves in the car by doing Mad Libs. Remember Mad Libs? You know you fill in the blanks of a story by giving an adjective, noun, pronoun, etc. I still love them. It works your brain and you get some zany stories. Out of one of our Mad Libs came the phrase luscious biscuits. We all cracked up and thought it was great. The comment was made that if any of us ever started a business, it should be named Luscious Biscuits. That is just what I did when I started my sewing business. All of that has come and gone, but I still love the name and own lusciousbicuits.com. I only thought it appropriate for my blog. It speaks of all things wonderful and homemade. Things a bit luxurious, but with all of the comforts of home. 

There you go. One of the things on my list down.

I think I will spend the afternoon cooking lunch and cleaning the pantry. We have ants and they are driving me crazy!! If my lunch turns out well, maybe I will have a food post up soon too.

On the garden front, Mom and Dad report that the plants are taking off!! We gave them a good drink of manure tea last week and they seem to have taken it to heart. Everything can enjoy a good cup of tea right? More on manure tea later! I am off to the kitchen!! Where is my apron?