Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Mt Washmore...AKA Day 78 of 365

Why is it so dang difficult to get in touch with a repairman??? I really need to get my washing machine fixed ASAP. With trying to get everything ready to move, I need to stay on top of Mt Washmore. Please Mr. Repairman, answer your phone or at least hook up an answering machine so I can leave you a message.

Monday, January 30, 2012

First day...AKA Day 77 of 365

Jim started his new job in Lake Whitney today. I am so excited for him to be back in a clinic setting instead of at the prison. I know he will miss many of the people he worked with there, but his talented was really being wasted there. I know that his abilities will bring such blessings to the people of Lake Whitney. I feel like our purpose here was fulfilled, and now God has led us to the next chapter in our lives. Thankful for our time here, and there are definitely aspects that I will miss. I have no doubt that we will love being in Lake Whitney, as well. Keep us in your prayers for a quick setting up of our house in a few weeks, so we can turn it into our home again. Much love to everyone for your words of encouragement and support.

Sunday, January 29, 2012

Meatloaf...AKA Day 76 of 365

Everyone knows that the best part of having meatloaf for a meal doesn't occur during the meal at all. It happens much later when said meatloaf is calling your name from the fridge saying "SANDWICH NOW". So, being the ever obedient person I am, I had to oblige. But, unlike any other meatloaf sandwich I have had before, I put a Green's twist on it. We had stopped at Green's Sausage House for breakfast and to pick up some supplies yesterday morning after hitting our Bountiful Baskets location for some nummy fresh goodness. While there I picked up assorted things, but my best find was this OUT OF THIS WORLD GOOD sun dried tomato and herb bread. Oh yeah, that meatloaf went between two pieces of hand sliced heaven with some deli sliced cheddar cheese. I may have to tap out my keyboard for the crumbs. Oh yeah, it's that good!

Saturday, January 28, 2012

Sleepy...AKA Day 75 of 365

Not sure why it didn't post, but I did this from my phone last night so I am going to back date it. Short, sweet and to the point: Sleepy. That is all.

Friday, January 27, 2012

Dancing bananas...AKA Day 74 of 365

Emily has a friend sleeping over tonight. I was just watching them play Dance 3 on the Wii and they were having so much fun. I may have to give it a shot when no one else is around LOL Or just the three of us so I can look completely ridiculous and not have to worry about it. Looks like a lot of fun. They have a country version as well, WOO HOO! Would be a good way to work off our supper! Tomorrow is a bountiful baskets morning. We only ordered one basket this week as we aren't sure if Jim is going to be sleeping over in Lake Whitney this next week or not and we didn't want to have too much and have it ruin before we could finish it. Looking forward to seeing what we do get. It's like being a kid on Christmas morning. It takes some of the guess work out of choosing good for us stuff. We get things we haven' thought about buying in awhile and many of our favorites as well. Mental note to self though: Do NOT put the bananas in the green bags this week as that is not a good situation!

Thursday, January 26, 2012

My own personal closet monster...AKA Day 73 of 365

Was pleased to see my friend Deb celebrating the one year anniversary of the publication of her first novel! I would highly suggest you pick up her book, not just because I adore her and wish the best for her and her little family and want her to continue to succeed, but because I believe she has put out a truly awesomtational piece of work. You can purchase it here AmazonI look forward to her blogs and you can to if you go visit her at The Monster In Your Closet and read her stuff, not just because I said so, but because you will be a better person for it. You may also visit her on facebook TMiYC I managed to pack all of my cookbooks today as well as most of the hanging/standing pictures. For those of you that know me personally, you are aware that packing up my cookbooks can be a job all by itself. The reality is that I have a ton of them, but most of the time when I need a recipe now, unless it is a family recipe and in my file box, I just pop over to Allrecipes and find what I'm looking for. Maybe after we get settled at the new place I will work on decluttering my cookbook stack. I also cooked supper and prepped items to cook tomorrows supper as well as get some "chores" done around the house. It always amazes me how a great start to my morning makes the rest of the day run smoothly :)

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Zachman!!!...AKA Day 72 of 365

Seventeen years ago today, my life was greatly enriched when a 8 lb 14.8 oz bouncing bundle of joy popped out of me like toast. I can hardly believe that my youngest son, Zachary, has grown so tall, to the point that I have to look up to him! You are an amazing young man, Zach. I still thank God for you everyday and ask that He protect and lead you in all the decisions you are making. I miss you like crazy and can't wait to see you again! And on a completely unrelated note: When I woke this morning, I discovered that sometime during the night, my cyst had finally ruptured. Thank you, God! I also woke to a seriously strong storm that had just knocked the power out. We were under tornado watch, severe thunderstorm warning and flash flood watch. I am thankful for the rain, and even the storms, so long as we can all stay home during them as they still give me the heebie jeebies when we have to be out in them. Got a few errands run today and did a wee bit of packing. I am thankful for everyday that I can see at least some progress towards our goal of completing the move and me still having hair :)

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Never wrestle with a pig...AKA Day 71 of 365

“If you attach to the negative behavior of others it brings you down to their level.”―Guru Singh Dear God, Please help me to remember that I have the utmost of faith in You, in my children and in the man that You have chosen for me. That no matter how much outsiders may try to change any or all of those, they are things that are not bendable. You have put challenges in front of us before and we have persevered, together. Remind me that a calm head and a kind heart is the way to approach those surrounding me who wish me both good and ill will. Your child, Me

Monday, January 23, 2012

Flat surfaces...AKA Day 70 of 365

Today I made a really cool discovery. I discovered that in fact, my desk really does exist underneath the pile of paperwork, makeup, vitamins, hair pretties and perfume! Go me! My daddy always says that in our family, if a flat surface exists, we find a way to fill it up!

Sunday, January 22, 2012

cysts suck...AKA Day 69 of 365

Still have my cyst and nearly everything is uncomfortable at a minimum. Dear God, please please please let it rupture tonight. I have too many things to get done to have to deal with this right now. We made the drive to Valera today to pick up our Emmy girl. Glad to have her home again. Hoping to carve out some time to write tomorrow. Have a LOT of things spinning round in my head and need to get them down.

Saturday, January 21, 2012

Decluttering and blessing...AKA DAY 68 of 365

Well we have managed to clear out and gift to a family that needs it, 8 boxes of assorted things. They are having to start all over so I feel blessed to have been able to help them and not have the extra clutter of excess. The house we are going to be moving in to doesn't have the cabinet space that we have here and upon looking through all of my kitchen things I was able to pare down and still have plenty. I am also working on day 3 of one of those blasted cysts. It just will not bust. Of course this is an inconvenient time to be moving in less than full motion, but I guess any packing/purging is at least a forward motion.

Friday, January 20, 2012

Drive...Day 67 of 365

We arrived home safely. I slept almost the whole way home. I slept horribly last night so I'm not surprised. Hoping for a great night's sleep starting in a few short minutes :)

Thursday, January 19, 2012

AAACCCCHHHHOOOO...Day 66 of 365

So today brought some serious garage clearing. Filled one of those big rolling trash bins with "stuff". Found Emmy's first baby pictures, the ones way back before you could really even tell she was a baby (I think that was her arm in the picture but who knows!) Also found homemade birthday cards from my little guys when they really were little guys and not men. Found pictures of people that I haven't a clue who they are. Gave away 4 boxes of freecycle stuff. Listed another big box and a couple of pieces of furniture. Those are waiting to be picked up. Spent some serious good time with my honey. Ran a few errands and just really enjoyed our day together. He managed to pack up the game cabinet so all the board games are packed! The Wii is not. Let's not be ridiculous, Tetris IS a stress reliever. Made a roast and veggies for supper. Tomorrow will be coke butt chicken, cole slaw and steamed broccoli and carrots. Also will be making some banana bread, I believe. Tomorrow should also bring sorting out my dishes cabinets and boxing up the extras to give to one of my freecycle people that is starting all over again. Then packing the ones I am keeping except for the bare necessities to get us by for the next month. I hate packing and moving so much, but I am just trying to get a little done everyday. Jim is off tomorrow as well, so I am looking forward to our time together.

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Packing...AKA Day 65 of 365

Managed to pack a few boxes today. I also cleaned the kitchen and dishes, straightened the living room and cooked a yummy supper. Tomorrow my goal is to pack at least 3 boxes and then go through all the paperwork that is stacked two feet high on my desk. That could very well be an all afternoon job. Jim is off from work tomorrow for "Confederate Heroes Day" The state of Texas gives such odd holidays off, but it's a day off with pay! It's a good thing as he can be here to get me motivated to get things done.

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Reminders...AKA Day 64 of 365

I hate when the old memories from the past creep in on you. We are preparing for the move to Lake Whitney, and the thought of being apart from my honey for any length of time keeps weighing on my heart. I know it will need to happen and is for a very limited time, but it reminds me of all the time I spent alone in our cramped apartment when he was working in Rosebud and I was stuck in Crane. The only two things that make it bearable is the knowledge that it will only be for a couple of weeks and he will be home on weekends, and the fact that I have my beautiful daughter with me this time around. I will just make a point to stay busy during the day so I can enjoy her company in the evenings :)

Monday, January 16, 2012

Signs, Signs, Everywhere are signs....AKA Day 63 of 365

I am a big believer in "signs" and I have passed that on to my beautiful daughter, Emily. I believe that when things are meant to be a certain way, there will be little signs from heaven that you are headed down the right path. Since we got word that Jim was being hired in Lake Whitney, there have been a few things that just made me go WOW! First off, I called the middle school to see if someone there knew of any houses for rent in the area. The secretary was super sweet and told me she would make some calls and call me back. Ten minutes later she called to tell me that there was a house across the street from the principal that was for rent. I called the lady and made arrangements to see the house today. In the meanwhile, I looked up the secretary on Facebook, which lead me to the principal. At the top of the page I noticed we had a mutual friend listed-one of the women Jim used to work with at the prison! Odd coincidence, sure! So today we go to Lake Whitney to sign the contract, look around the town and look at the house. We walked in the clinic and this was one of the first things we saw:
Anyone notice the crane in the picture above? Then we went to the nurses station where I looked down at the phone and pointed out to my angel girl that the name on the phone was "Emily"! Sign #2! We sat down in the waiting area and Emily and I discussed what our next sign should be. We said it should be either bees (my fave), butterflies (her fave) or hummingbirds (my grandma's fave). As we were driving up to the house, this is what we saw on the front:
Notice those two huge butterflies on the front of the house? My grandma also had a butterfly similar to that on the front of her house. Then as we walked around the house and looked at all the trees, and I mean there were a TON of them, I looked up and saw this:
This one isn't as easy to see, but there are two lady bugs on one of the trees. For some reason, everytime I see lady bugs, I think of Jim's daughters. So although this time will be stressful, I am more convinced now than ever that we are making the right decision and are being guided there for a purpose.

Sunday, January 15, 2012

Mt Washmore!...AKA Day 62 of 365

Had a pretty productive day today. Seemed like I was folding and hanging laundry forever, though. Tomorrow we go to Lake Whitney to visit with the doc and to try and find a house. We are all so excited to start out on this new adventure!

Saturday, January 14, 2012

Lots of goodies...AKA Day 61 of 365

Woke up dark and early this morning to head to Temple with Emmy Lou and Ms Susie, our next door neighbor. We were on a mission to tackle Bountiful Baskets again. We came away with quite a haul. Between the huge amount of produce that we acquired and the food in the freezer, we should not have to buy much more than bread and milk until we the big move day. Oh and cold liquid caffeine. Let's not forget that, otherwise the previously mentioned move will NOT occur. Must have fizzy caffeine...often! I have decided though, that once we are moved and unpacked, I am going to try very hard to cut back and then cut out caffeine. After doing some reading about it this week, turns out caffeine is not so great for my chiari. So if I can at least reduce the amount of caffeine I consume, I am sure it will benefit me. I can't believe it is barely after 8. I am just so stinking tired. Tomorrow I am going to tackle my bedroom and see if I can get it into "pre packing" shape. I am determined that we are going to try and freecycle at least 1/4 of our belongings instead of trying to take it all with us. Am feeling the need to purge more of the old and embrace the excitement that comes with living in a new place :)

Friday, January 13, 2012

Cat's out of the bag...AKA Day 60 of 365

So we were finally able to let the cat out of the bag. Yes we are going to be moving away from Marlin. Not too far though, only about 60 miles. We will be relocating to Lake Whitney, Texas. We are still looking for housing, but are planning to see one on Monday that is very close to the lake! The opportunity came about and we think this will be a good move for our family. We would love to be closer back to West Texas, but this seems like it will be a good fit for us. We are all excited about the change and hope that those of you that have been praying for us, will continue to do so as we make the transition. Look forward to starting a new chapter in our lives :)

Thursday, January 12, 2012

Falling into place...AKA Day 59 of 365

I have said forever, though I know I am nowhere near the first to do so, that when things are meant to be, they will fall into place. Well things, they are a fallin'!

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

10 words after settling into the after supper butt holding receptacle???? This is becoming the rule not the exception :(

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Ch ch ch changes...AKA Day 57 of 365

Lately we have been dealing with some changes and trying to figure out what to do with them. I think today may have brought a solution, but nothing is set in stone yet. I would ask that our friends and family keep us in your prayers as we are seeking the ultimate guidance from above. I am afraid that at this time I can't be more specific, but God knows our situation so just ask the He lay his hands on the situation and show us the way. Thank you and know that we love and appreciate all of you and each other :)

Monday, January 9, 2012

Spent a wonderful day with my angel girl. So very glad she is home. Got some much appreciated rain and snuggled down for a movie day.

Sunday, January 8, 2012

Can't keep my eyes open. Goodnight all

Saturday, January 7, 2012

Bye Bye Christmas...AKA Day 54 of 365

Had a good day with my baby and we got a lot accomplished. Spent some good snuggle time before we ever got out of bed. I made a peach coffee cake out of some peaches that I canned with my own two hands last summer. Laundry is done and folded. Christmas is taken down and put away. Kitchen is clean. Living room is clean. I made a comfort food supper with smother pork chops, mashed potatoes, onion gravy and creamed corn. Got everything packed up for tomorrow. Even played Tetris with my honey for like an hour. He was getting pretty good! Tomorrow we make our drive to go pick up the angel girl. I am so glad as I have missed her so very much!

Friday, January 6, 2012

Date? Night...AKA Day 53 of 365

Today I got myself all scrubbed up, painted up, coiffed up, gussied up and fluffed up then went and picked my honey up at work. Afterwards, we came home, picked something up that we needed to return then drove to Waco. Took care of our return, then we decided to grab dinner. I must say that when he announced where he wanted to go, I was a little put off, but of course didn't tell him. Hello! I got myself all prettified to spend time with you and you are going to take me to a burger joint? I have to admit though, I kinda love Five Guys Burgers & Fries.
The reality is that it doesn't matter where we are, so long as we are spending some quality time together. (Honey, if you are reading this, it means don't get distracted by little kids crawling all over things or weird guys moving stuff. If I take the time to "fix myself up" for you, pay attention to ME and I will pay attention to YOU!) So we each got our burgers and shared a regular order of fries. If you have ever been to Five Guys, you know that a regular order is plenty for two and a large will easily feed FOUR! Side note here: We got the regular fries, but the cajun style are a million times better. Just do it, you know you want to. Burgers consumed, we stopped to feed our car. Smokey Joe needed some go go juice. Then we headed back home. We got in our night night attire and alternated between watching Miami Ink and the Cotton Bowl lol. It just ended by the way. The Razorbacks won so I am sure Shayne is freakin' ecstatic right now. I chatted with my angel girl tonight and texted with Kyle. Zach must be in his own little world as once again he is ignoring my texts. Now that the game is done, and I am about to publish my post. I will say goodnight and go snuggle with my baby in our comfy bed. Hoping my back is a bit better in the morning.

Thursday, January 5, 2012

Coincidence...AKA Day 52 of 365

Okay so yesterday I posted about the possibility of needing to go see a chiropractor. It was like someone was listening. In Jim's livingsocial email this morning, we got this offer: If your body aches have you as immobile as I-35 traffic in a construction zone, it's time to put the brakes on your agony. What you knead is today's deal from Hillcrest Chiropractic Clinic, which will get you back in line and moving along. For $47 (regularly $415), receive a consultation, exam, X-Rays, findings report, and a 30-minute relaxation massage. Or, pay $20 (regularly $40) for the massage only. Board certified by the National Board of Chiropractic Examiners and a member of the International Chiropractors Association, Dr. Shamonica Trunell-Morgan and her team will help you heal by relieving tension, soreness, and stiffness. Plus, the Hillcrest Drive location will take you away from the commuter mayhem of the interstate, while this up-to-89%-off deal steers you away from financial stresses. Now I'm thinking that the x-rays alone would be more than $47, plus throw in a 30 minute massage. Hmmm I think I may have to jump on this one (not literally, my back does still hurt like heck lol)

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

Still Sore...AKA Day 51 of 365

After working so much around the house yesterday, my back was really giving me heck. Took things a little easier today. Thinking I may need to go to the doctor, maybe a chiropractor and see if they can fix me up soon.

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

To Do...Day 50 of 365

Got a lot done today but didn't finish my to do list. Guess I can work on it tomorrow. Night all.

Monday, January 2, 2012

Sunday, January 1, 2012

Happy New Year...AKA Day 48 of 365

I ate my black eyed peas today, Daddy. Hoping for more luck in the new year.