A Taste of the Simple Life: Driving and Painted Pink

A Taste of the Simple Life: Driving and Painted Pink: My goodness, how time is flying by! I barely have time to think here lately! I can hardly believe it is October...WOW! In just 3 weeks my da...

Driving and Painted Pink

My goodness, how time is flying by! I barely have time to think here lately! I can hardly believe it is October...WOW! In just 3 weeks my daughter will be getting her permit to drive - yes I can finally say or type those word without crying! All joking aside, this has been a huge ordeal for me to come to grip with, but I am all about it now!! WOOT! HOOT! I actually think it's gonna feel good to be chauffeured around and I might just get used to it and LIKE it!

On a much more serious note, all of girlfriends out there- you ladies know also what October is about...Breast Cancer Awareness. I want to share my personal story I experienced about 2 weeks ago. I am normally not this personal , but in this case I feel the need to be cause it might just save someones life. I knew something did not feel right when I did my monthly exam last month , so the first thing I did was to get my close friends and family members praying and then I made an appointment with my doctor - which was 1 week later. Oh my goodness what a long week! I had my visit and my doctor told that she believed that whatever was there was benign and it was in the muscle. She wanted me to have a mammogram and to make a long story short. Praise the Lord everything turned out good. I shared all this with you  1. cause I LOVE YOU!  2. cause cancer knows no age  3. cause if don't have a mammogram for yourself , do it for someone else!!   

Until I blog again...

ummm...let me see...Geesh these past three weeks have been so crazy that I personally am begining to think I am going crazy. Well, crazy is as crazy does, I suppose. It has just got to be the weather, right? One thing I am trying my best to understand is the fact that you can't change people - that's a given fact. They are going to be the same way they have always been til the cows come home. So why am I banging my hand against a rock? No more - wise up girl! So if they want to have a good ol' case of the crazy's then that's all good with me because I am not resposible for them- thank goodness;-) I have road the crazy train too long and I no longer need any excess baggage. I got off at the "Long Black Train" long ago and need no part of the craziness that is going on....

Two Inches With Bangs Please

Sorry it has been a few weeks since I last blogged. It has been busy around here trying to get home school started for my daughter, which she started Monday. Then my husband is in school...so by the time I find an empty computer around the house I am usually too pooped to blogged or I have mentally blooged all day in my mind and I have nothing to say. Did I just say mentally blogged? Yes, I think we all do it....we just aren't aware of it.

Anyway, my daughter and I went to the salon this afternoon to have our hair cut and high lited. Any woman knows having that done can take awhile so, you might as well relax and forget about your worries for awhile.I was finished and was waiting on my daughter to finish up and at this point, I had ventured out into people watching (loads of entertainment). So I was watching people come and leave from the salon, but there was this one man that struck my attention. He looked to be a hard working man, who perhaps worked outside and had brought his two teenage daughters in for hair cuts.Let me tell you one thing...that man was a good daddy. He knew just what he wanted his girls to have done to their hair - about two inches off the back and bangs. BAM! Simple as that! I sat there amazed and trying hard not to gaze in their direction, but all the time I was thinking, "Gosh, he is such a good daddy!".

Now, I wonder if I could make somethings in my life as simple as that man did in deciding two inches and bangs. Something to think about. Sure would make life a little simplier. So the next time I find myself having to make decisions, I am going with two inches and bangs-just to keep things simple. Remember-"It is written",

Only Child, Touchy Subject, Cause Tomorrow Could Be Too Late

I am an only child. I would consider myself a hybrid-only child why? you ask- I was raised that way. My mama and daddy made sure to teach me right from wrong and to share and to NEVER eat in front of others if I didn't have enough to give to everyone. And I look back on that today and I have instilled much of my raising in my daughter, who is also an only child. There is nothing wrong with only children- it is all about how they are raised. If kids are raised to be bratty, well...there you are, you have a bratty kid and likewise if a kid is raised to be respectful and have morals well there you go.
I am saying all of this to say with the up most respect, most all of us come from blended families- that is a given in today's society. However, my problem I seem to have when partcallity is shown in the family. This is such an touchy subject with me right now. I know there is a problem, but I just pray that God will give me the strength to somehow face this because when it comes down to our children it is an entirely different ball game. Grand kids are grand kids plain and simple they should not be seen different in the eyes of grandparents just like kids are kids and should not be seen differently in the eyes of the parents. This is just my take on the way things should go. No matter how old your kids get they are still your kids and they should feel comfortable around you and the same goes for grand kids even though the age range can sometimes vary to 25 down to the age of 2 you can still find something in common with them and treasure the time that you have with each of them. Cause tomorrow could be too late. Kids change, grandchildren change and develop their own thoughts on what they see and it's hard to change those opinions and to sit there and act like everything is ok when it's not. It's not what you can buy at Christmas or how many times you get together, but it's having a relationship that is priceless. I have said what I have said out of love. May God Bless. Remember..."It is written"

A lot Going On, Aweful Girl's, and Prayer

Not really sure where I want to go with the blog tonight. I have so much on my mind. On Tuesday, I went for a MRI on my brain to see it could help with the diagnoses of MS. Well, I feel fairly confident that's not was is going on with my body. I really think it is this hot, hot Southern weather that has me and my system outta whack. In the mean time I will continue to pray for rain. Homeschooling around here is getting ready to kick off. Am I ready, no...um well maybe...It is always nice to start something new and exciting and I have bigger and better plans this school year. I plan to be more structured in our planning. After all my daughter is technically starting High School, although she already has quite a few HS classes under her already. So yes we are excited and yes I am so glad to be homeschooling her her once again this year. I would have it no other way. Kids today are awful! Yes, I just said it- awful! Girls are the worst. Plain and simple and I honestly don't remember it being it that way while I was in HS. Maybe, I was just one of those awful girls...lol J/k. Oh I could ramble on about teenagers, but I won't cause most of you already know cause ....Guess what? You have one lurking around your own household. So I'll hush about that. I have a very dear friend of mine who is battling cancer and is only a year younger than myself. please pray for her. Until I blog again...remember "It is written"...

Kitty PMS

As most you my readers know our family has 4 cats. There is Rudy and Joey who we have had for 5 years and then there is Emma and Eva who we adopted this past April as kittens. Rudy and Joey were fixed when they were kittens and  I knew in my mind that I needed to get the girl's to the vet for their appointment to be fixed. I just figured well they are just now turning 4 months old, I'll get to it after school gets started back and things get back to normal. IS there such a thing?? Well, much to my surprise....ding, ding, ding! Emma starts hissing at my 2 male cats today like there is no tomorrow. I am like what the world is going on with you little girl... Then it was like, I went back in time 2 weeks ago and started putting her symptoms together and WOW! Not my little Emmer Lou. Bless it! Sweet girl, all those male cats have to do is look her way and she'll lift her little head and hiss like a wild cat. Kitty Midol? Cat Nip? Wait cat nip might be just the thing to bring her outta her mood. OR maybe we will all sleep better tonight letting sweet baby girl hide..Until next time!

Well, I just finished unpacking my last suitcase after returning from vacation. I am going to tell on myself, we have been back for 5 days and I just got around to unpacking that last case! Are you like that? LOL! Anyway, we spent a wonderful week at the beach with my sister-in-law and her family. It was such a great time to be together and just relax. However, I will add this I am one to sleep in, but something was different at the beach just about every morning I was up around 6 or so, which allowed me to finally cross watching the sunrise off my bucket list. I watch it from the very beginning from seeing the moon out to the complete sunrise and the was pretty amazing! Then one evening we took a charter boat ride to see the dolphins. OH MY GOODNESS! We went to this little town in North Carolina called Calabash. Got on the boat - let me add the family went to the top off the boat and I and thinking ...okay. So we meet our Captain- Captain Dallas and of we head go through the inlet. This as so beautiful! There was untouched wetlands and sand dunes.So awesome! Well I was ok and snapping pictures as quick as I could and then WAVES! At this point I gave the camera to my husband and grabbed the rail. Funny thing is I gave my daughter and husband motion sickness medicine before we went out and I ended up grabbing the bar :0) Anyway we are a good ways out in the Atlantic and Captain Dallas stops the boat. And tells everyone to look to the right side of the boat - the side our family was on and you could gradually feel the boat moving to the right, so what did I do? Grabbed that bar tighter! I told my husband to try to get some pictures and he did. Then the captain said look to left to see the dolphins and the boat tilted once again...lol. After all this tilting, I was finally getting use to the boat and finally let go of the rail....BTW I had paint flakes on my hands LOL :) The experience was so worth it. If you ever have the chance to go for a boat ride to see dolphins ...GO FOR IT! I am now ready to go to the Bahamas on a cruise and have a chance to swim with dolphins! 

Humpty Dumpty Had a Great Fall

How many of  you ever remember falling out of bed when you were a kid? My GOSH! What was the first thing we did? Well the first thing I did was scream for mama. Some how she always made things alright and wiped away the tears and I either went back to sleep with her and daddy and if I were brave enough I would go back to sleep in my bed. OK, hold on to your seats everyone...this late thirty something took a great fall out of the bed around 4:00am this morning! Oh my goodness, we have a queen size bed that sits 3 feet off the floor and down I went in my sleep. Well after 16 years of marriage, there is no mama to call for so after I gain my composer, I woke up my husband and he helped he up. Almost an hour later, I am starting to feel the effects of my tumble. Maybe I need side rails put on my side of the bed. I am sure there is some old wives tell about feeling at of the bed. Love and Blessings to all...

The Gift of Two Sisters When You Are 37

Sorry it has been a while since I have last blogged, I like many of you have had a lot going on. And I thought Summer was for relaxing....HA! Anyway, I wanted to share this awesome realization I finally after about 25 years stumbled upon. I have TWO amazing sisters! Count 'em TWO! This is a lengthy story, but I'll give you all the short version. My parents were divorced when I was in the 6th grade and then my dad remarried when I was in the 8th grade. The lady he married had two daughters. Then through the ups and downs of teenage years, then into young adulthood I grew to love his wife if she were like my own mama. She is the sweetest and one of the most Godly women I know. Then I would basically only see my "step" sisters only on Christmas and that was it. However, we have been getting together more often and talking and getting to really know each other, now that we are adults...lol. I think this is awesome that I now feel comfortable enough to consider them a part of me and that we are just one big family and there is no "step" to it any longer. You see I am really an only child and to finally let your own stubbornness down and realize that you have two sisters is a pretty awesome feeling. Blessing and Love to you all.....

Seizure Medicine, 18 wheeler, and at the Cross

Tonight, I am gonna blog on something I have never really touched on. And that is some of my health issues that has lead me to where I am today. I would not go back and change anything that I have went through in the last twelve years because God has used it to mold and make me into the person I am today. I am happy to say at this point in my life, my quality of life is MUCH improved and my mindset has had a lot to do with that. Like many people out there, I suffer from a seizure disorder, but thank God I only have partial seizures. Please don't get me wrong- these are not a walk in the park, but like some of you know there are far worse types of seizures out there. I have been doing really well as far as controlling my seizures, however due to insurance purposes, I had to change my seizure medicine. WHOA! I feel like an 18 wheeler just ran over me! So strange that medicine and make our bodies do a 360 degree turn without warning us. But know you what? I have got this entire ordeal all figured out...It was in God's hands twelve years ago, so it sure hasn't left His hands now. Amen! So, whenever you read this, please keep in mind God has His own timeline and I am sure most of us have had to switch up on medicines in the past and have felt some effects from it, but let me assure you that does not EVEN begin to compare for what He did for you and me at the cross! Amen! Praise the Lord!

WHAT????

Clearly...I am a woman in pain at the moment. MY WORD! Okay here is the deal. I am about sold out on the idea the I have a urinary tract infection. Women, if you have never experienced a urinary infection, I applaud you, but I believe your time will come. I have been dealing with this for 2 days and it seems to get worse at night - odd huh? So, I have been taking Advil and peeing like race horse. Well, my genius husband just come up with the idea for me to take Midol! WHAT the HECK? I have no business taking Midol cause I have no working woman parts. That went away of the Do-Do Bird if you catch my drift. Why he told me to take Midol, I am not so sure, but being the good wife that I am, I did so. Maybe, just maybe, he thinks Midol will improve my mood. Heads UP- Mood is not going to improve til I stop hurting.

Thanks To My Reader's

Just want to say thank you to all my faithful reader's! Knowing that I actually have an audience out there is awesome. When I first started blogging, I was not exactly sure where this would go, but now that I have fans who like my writing...this has suddenly become very exciting to me. So keep tuning in and see what gets blogged about next...Until next time, God bless! :) I can tell you all dig the story of the "Chicken Snake" ...lol

A Taste of the Simple Life: Calling 'em Hogs

A Taste of the Simple Life: Calling 'em Hogs: "My question tonight is...does your mate's snoring (or calling hogs) bother you? I went to bed tonight and I honestly believe without a doubt..."

Calling 'em Hogs

My question tonight is...does your mate's snoring (or calling hogs) bother you? I went to bed tonight and I honestly believe without a doubt my husband was about to take flight in the bedroom. My goodness that man can snore. I poke him - he moves, I put a pillow on top of his head (no I am not trying to smother him)- he snores louder, I tell him to stop snoring - I get a very irritated "You woke me up to tell to quit snoring", and lastly OH I love this, "How can I stop snoring if I am sleeping!" Really? I personally claim that I do not snore, but there is proof that I indeed snore on video. But, my husband's snoring if quite different from how I snore. HUH? You may ask, well I like to think there are different types of snoring though, I have no studies to prove it - just like to think so because it helps me have peace at night when my husband starts "calling 'em hogs" as we say around here. As I lay in bed at night and attempt to go to sleep, I am reminded of how hard my husband works cause of the way he snores. I can always tell if he has had a hard day at work, come home went to school on-line, and somewhere in all of that, had time to do yard work and spend time with us by the way he snores. It is a given rhythm to his snoring. Don't get me wrong - I admire my husband for all he does, but I like it realy quite when I go to sleep. I am not complaining, I appreciate his snoring cause that gives me the knowledge he is doing his job well. So tonight, I'll get good and sleepy by watching some stuff on DVR  and then I'll go back to the bedroom. I know for a fact, I can not sleep on the couch with our 4 cats, BUT that is another blog. God bless each of you, until I blog again and good luck if your spouse snores...lol :)

Bump It Up and Throw 'Em Out

Wheew... it sure is hot today! Actually today is the last day of Spring and to tell the truth one would have thought it was Summer practically all Spring. It has been incredibly hot for Spring in the South, so what will the Summer bring us is the question. As with hot temperature's comes higher power bills....I know for a fact we can all agree on this. Our a/c hardly shuts off around here and my mind goes back to when I was a kid- we did not have a/c. We had the windows raised and if we were lucky we had a box fan to put in the window to attempt to bring in more hot and humid air...lol! I can remember as a child when we moved into the new house my daddy built we suddenly became lucky because we had an attic fan in the new house. For those of you who don't know what an attic fan is, google it. Thank goodness for that attic fan cause it really kept the house cooler in the Summer. But today as I sit in the a/c my thoughts and prayers go out to those who may not have a/c. Unfortunately, this is still going and it can have devastating effects on the elderly, so my food for thought today is to maybe turn your air up a little and sweat a little cause there is many, many people out there today who are really sweating while we are all comfy. So bump up that a/c or perhaps tun it off for a few hours to remind yourself how fortunate you are.

Something else was laying heavy on my mind today as my daughter and I were attacking laundry for the week. Most everyone today has a dryer. Thinking back to growing up or perhaps being at your grandmothers- they did not have a dryer - and what did they do? They had to hang the laundry outside to dry. So I was thinking, you know- I could really put somethings outside to dry. So I did and within a matter of 30 minutes the towels were dry and they did not have to go in the dryer. Yes when we use them to dry off the towels will be rough to the skin, but I will be glad that I dried them outside once I smell the fresh aroma- just like grandma's towels. So if you have time throw those towel and such outside and save some energy. Until I blog again, God bless...

Dear Ex Boyfriend - Thank You! (Really)

I want to dedicate this blog to all the girls and women out there who thought they were in love at some point in their life. I'll begin by first of all thanking my first love for breaking my heart. I will not be naming any names due to personal reasons, but for those who know me well will know exactly who this guy was. It has been almost 22 years now and looking back he did me an awesome favor, though at the time I did not see it. After getting through those terrible months of heart break, I began to see the reasons why that relationship did not work out. Call it crazy if you like, but even today I see more and more reasons that relationship was not in God's plans for me. God had bigger and better plans for me and him. God knew that I would not be able to deal with the things that the guy I was dating at the time had ahead of him and likewise the same for me. At the time God was molding me into the person that he knew my future husband needed. So saying all this, girls and women out there who read my blog, just remember that all things happen for a purpose. And nothing happens my accident. When my heart was broken by my first love- good grief not a soul could tell me anything and I was bound and determined to get that boy back, but I did not succeed because God was not apart of it. But you know what...in God's perfect timing He will bless you with the love of you life and you will know without a doubt that it's a "God Thing" so to speak. Now I am not going to pretend that my marriage is Honey Bunches and Milk cause it's not, but it is something that my husband and I work at daily to make things work and by placing God at the head of our marriage it has been better than it ever been. I'll be perfectly honest with you, the night before my wedding to my husband, I received a phone call and this lady that called me told me not to marry my husband and that I would be making a huge mistake. WELL...I am not holding my breath on her thoughts of a huge mistake.Yes there are ups and downs to every relationship, but if that was not the case what would be the point striving to keep it a live. I hope my blog will help someone who struggling to find out if God is in their relationship because when I went through this had I no one and it was a very lonely time in my life, but praise God He lifted me from my hopelessness and put back on my feet to see what was in store for me. Until I blog again....

My Girl- You Are Amazing

As most thirty-somethings, we either have children about to enter high school, or perhaps in middle school and yes- some of my friends have children who are just toddlers and my hat is definitely off to you all cause I honestly do not think I could go back to the toddler days...I have a daughter who will be entering high school officially this Fall. And the reason I say officially is, she has been lucky enough to get several of her high school courses behind her before starting high school. But to be honest the thought of her actually becoming a Freshman terrifies me...I am not sure if it is the fact that she is growing up and will soon be driving and I will have higher car insurance or the fact that my one and only baby will just be here for about four more years and then she will perhaps leave the nest and enter college. I suppose it is only natural to feel this way, but call it what it may...I really prefer not to even think about this.Well, you ask why am I blogging about it? Cause the other day she was yakking on and on about something I do not even recall because I was so captured up in her looks. You see, for the first time in my life, I seen my daughter in a new way. I seen maturity in her face...STOP THE TRAIN! Oh my word, I needed a whole box of Puff's cause I almost let the flood gates of tears come down. Now I know some of you have already went through this phase in your lives and I am encouraged because you all are still thriving and you survived the fact that you children do grow up and life goes on. But for now I choose to savor every moment of this Summer with her and the next couple of years of school she has left because times like this are precious and far between. May God bless you and until I blog again...

The Hardest Working Man

With Father's Day only a few weeks away, I wanted to go ahead and blog about my daddy. I know most everyone thinks his or her dad is the most wonderful person on Earth, well to be honest I know my daddy is the best. I can remember as I young child being my daddy's side kick; everywhere my daddy would go, I was tight on his heels. Gosh I have so many memories growing up over of the years farming with him. If he went to bale hay, I went. If he went to cut wood, I went. If he was outside doing anything at all, he could count me in. I treasure all of those memories and that is something that can never be taken from me. I can remember on one of our Sunday walks in the woods and it seemed like we had walked forever, and I looked up at him and asked, "Daddy are we in Long Creek yet?". I know he was holding back a chuckle, but he looked at me as serious as he could and replied, "No, not yet.". As I have entered my late 30's, family is quickly becoming a huge part of my life. In my teenage and 20's, I can say that family was not my priority, but now I am seeing the importance of family. To me, my daddy is one of the most hard working men I know. No matter the season he will work from dawn to dusk, just like my grandpa did. I really appreciate my step mama for urging him to stop and rest because he would work day and night if he could. That's just how he is geared. He is hoping to retire soon and I am so proudd of him and he deserves it so much because he has worked hard all his life. I have seen many callouses and hand splinters in his hands. As he looks forward to retirement, I know in my heart that he is not going to slow down- he'll be getting into something new year round. And I think that's awesome!
Another thing that I can say about my daddy is that he is a Godly man. And I praise God for that! My daddy has never stirred me wrong and to be honest he has helped to stir me in ways that at the time I did not want to go, but I listened to him and guess what...Daddy was right after all. If I had the ability to chose my daddy, I would choose him because he is a man of truth, perseverance, and of love.
This is for you daddy! To me you are the best so just know I love you and what I have blogged comes from my heart and I know you are the greatest! 
Those of you who have lost your dad, I know he was the greatest to you. And to those of you who may not have the best relationship with your dad, I urge you to make the best out of the situation because with God's help there is still HOPE in everything. May God bless you all....Til I blog again....

New York Minute and Brokenness

Well I have shared a good bit of information about who I am over the last several months, but I want to blog about something a little different than I normally do. I want to blog about being broken. Those of you that have been broken by God know exactly where I am coming from. This is defiantly a good thing about it is terrible while you are going through it. The only advice I can offer someone who may be in the process of being broken is to keep your chin up and keep pushing forward because in the end of your brokenness, God is gonna show up and bless you like you have never been bless before. So in the midst of being broken, I am putting on my socks and running shoes cause I know without a doubt that God is getting ready to show up and I better be ready to run. I really wish I could go into details, but this weekend has not been a weekend to remember. All I can say to you is Satan made his presence and poof, everything can change in a "New York Minute", I honestly can say I think this is just a molding process that God is allowing me to go through. Sometimes He must break us in order to make us into the servants the He wants us to be for Him. I know I can't be the only person going through this. I will say this in the midst of all of this...I am thankful. I have been broken once before in my life and God will continue to break you til He has your attention and has molded you into the person for Him. So I am going to get ready cause I might be in for a 180 degree turn or could be 360 for all I know....God's in control of turning me. Til next time....Blessings to all!

Our Sweet Baby - Westminster, SC, WYFF 4's u local Photo - u local, Your South Carolina Photos & Videos

Our Sweet Baby - Westminster, SC, WYFF 4's u local Photo - u local, Your South Carolina Photos & Videos

Packing Up

Well, as our first year of homeschooling draws to an end, as it turns out it has become bittersweet to me. Let me explain, those first couple of weeks this past August I was as lost as a person in the forest with no compass, however as time began to pass by we slowly got the hang of how the system worked. You know some people frown on homeschooling and think their child will not develop social skills an will end up backwards in life, well I am here to tell you that on the contrary, kids tend to be more well rounded and smarter than those who are in traditional school. Don't get me wrong here, I am NOT trying to toot my horn here and homeschooling is certainly not for every household, but if it works for your family, by all means go for it.
I started packing up some of the materials to send back yesterday and will be completely finish by the middle of next week. We have learned so much this year and next year, I plan on making so changes to better suit our family, now that I have got my toes wet in the homeschooling experience. So, I can honestly say it has been a good school year and am already looking for to August. Love and Prayers to all...til I blog again

I Know Who Has My Back...

I want to first start out by saying that God has already conquered any problem that one may face whether it be our health, our finances, judgement from others and the list can go on and on. But we can rest assured that God knows the needs of His children and He will meet those needs in His perfect timing. In saying this I will wait on the word of of God to speak and I will be still and know that what ever I face in this lifetime is NOT to big for my God who always has my back no matter what the situations. At this point I am finding myself at a loss for words, but PRAISE God it's gonna be okay because He has His arms wide open waiting to catch me when I fall. Blessing to all...Til next time!

The Four-Leg Table That Fed Seven

After each visit I have with my sweet Grandma's at her house, I somehow feel little bit wiser than when I first came. I consider it not not only a privilege, but a friendship to still be blessed with my Grandma at my age because at my age, some people only knew their Grandparents for a short time or perhaps not even at all. However those of you who may read this blog, I hope that you may remember times spent with your Grandma's or even be fortunate enough to have them around to hear about the times they have experienced in their lifetime and just maybe if we are wise enough we can apply those life long lessons that they learned years ago to our own lives and become a better person for it. On my visit today, I really believe that as my Grandma ages with wisdom, her eyes get bluer. She has an icy blue color of eyes that have seen many things come to pass in this world, but one thing that I can always say about my Grandma is she both beautiful inside and out. I'll be honest with you, it has taken nearly 37 years to see how beautiful she really is and what a hard worker she still is to this day, but I"ll tell you she is smart as a whip and can tell you most anything you may want to know from walking to school barefooted, to helping my Grandpa build their first house, to birthing babies, to working her fingers to the bone in the Oconee Mill, to anything to do with farming, and the list goes on. But today, took a little trip back in history with her to before she was even born perhaps. To visualizing seeing the table the my Great-Grandparents first started house keeping with- now how AWESOME is that? This table even though it may have several and I mean several coats of paint on it appeared to me to be just as strong as it was the day it was built and if I am counting correctly it has to be well over 100 years old. As she was telling the back ground of the table she alluded to the fact that this small table had at once been a table for 7 people. Now days, if we have a family of that size we think we must have at table like the have at Buckingham where you have to holler down the end of the table to just to get some salt and pepper. Well, I am here to tell you that's not true. :) I also got to see the cabinet that my Great-Grandma use to store her dishes in and and perhaps the bread she made from scratch and stored any food grown straight from the garden in another something we are all guilty of. I am not promoting everyone to bake your own bread, but maybe set out a few vegetable plants for this Summer so that we and all save a little money, which I am sure we are all about and go back in time and forget this rat-race we live and experience life again. Until next time love and prayers to all...

3-4 Squirts

I'll be the first to admit the I have an addiction to Diet Coke. This is not necessarily a bad addiction compared to the many other things one can become addicted to, but I am an addict. This week my husband bought groceries and came home with a case of water and this stuff called "Mio Liquid". Well I pondered over the thought of trying it. All you do is add 3-4 squirts to your water and shake the bottle. I will tell you I am not a water drinker, but I tried this product added to my water and was amazed. It is AWESOME! So I have replaced for the most part all my Diet Cokes with "Mio Water". And I found out that even diet drinks are not good for you. I no longer feel bloated and I have less fatigue all in cutting back on diet drinks and adding water in just one week. I encourage you to try this "Mio Liquid" and see the results. My husband found it at Bi-Lo on the Kool-Aid aisle. Until I blog again, prayers and love to you all...BTW this product has no calories or sugars. AND they even have Sweet Tea flavor...YUM!

Golden Girls, Ham, and a Chicken Snake

In the South, on "Rotten Saturday", as I recall from my childhood you aren't suppose to plant gardens or do anything that really matters because it will not prosper. I am not really sure how much water this ol' wife's tell holds, but I try to go by what my Grandparents taught me growing up. So today, my daughter and I visited "The Golden Girls" and make use of our "Rotten Saturday". My daughter helped one of the "Golden Girls" paint her bedroom and I enjoyed visiting with the other two hearing childhood stories of when they were my age and how they may have lived their lives a little differently. I tried to take some mental notes for when my daughter gets to be my age I may share with her. We enjoyed a "true ham" sandwich - coming from a home cooked ham- for lunch. And for those who don't know me well - I DO NOT cook, so I was taking some mental notes on cooking a ham, too. You see for all the many years that I was sick, I could not stand the smell of cooking food (funny, I could still eat though). Thankfully, the Lord blessed me with a great Husband who did all the cooking and now MUCH to my surprise my daughter loves to cook and bake. I think kinda got of course here, but anyway to sum up our visit we met a SNAKE as we were leaving. One of the "Golden Girls" began shouting for the other to come kill it - well what does she do hands me the shovel and she takes the hoe. In my mind, I am thinking OOOKKKAAAYYY...what know?!?!? OH how I wish I had a camera with me cause I'd soon be a rich lady by submitting the video to "America's Funniest Home Videos", but unfortunately I didn't. After gaining my composure, I gave that snake a whack on it's head and then suddenly, I felt myself letting out a lot of frustration on that poor snake. But before, the snake gave into the shovel I got a good view of it's fangs. Apparently, this snake was only a "Chicken Snake", however the only good snake to me is a dead one. Below is an example of a "Chicken Snake".

In His Timing, Not Mine

Well you know we can find almost anything to praise God, but to me over this past week and a half finding something to give God praise over all the pain I was having was a very difficult task, BUT now I can shout it from the mountains tops, "Thank you, God!!". You see this past week and a half has been a horrific battle spiritual, emotionally, as well as physically, but as I have been laid on my back my times to do only one thing and that is to look up, I found the strength and grace from God to give me to make it just one more day. After each day passed, after I thought which I was gonna die (you know pain from shingles will make you think that, if you have ever had them or for that matter any pain that brings you to your knees will make you think it's your time to expire) I just held tight to the promises of God. All in a weeks time, I seen three doctor all of whom told me three different things, but I held tight and just trusting that whatever was causing me this horrific pain was gonna soon resolve itself, not by the word of doctors, but by the word of the Lord. I submerged my self in His word seeking to find sense of it all. Then Friday night, I began to plead with God to free my body of whatever was going on and release it. God saw through my tears and seen the faith that I had in Him to reveal what truly was going on in my body. Please understand that all the systems I had thus far was acute upper stomach pain and and extreme fatigue along with aches and pains, needless to say I knew something was terribly wrong with me, but was not sold out to the idea completely the I had shingles until...tonight!!! Praise God, Praise God I finally have broke out in the shingles typical rash! Now I am not about to sit her and tell you that I am not itching like a dog with fleas, but what I can tell you that I feel so much relief if you can get where I am going here with this in knowing what is wrong with my body. You know when you have one doctor say this and the other say that, it leaves to be very confused and frustrated, but when you get on the "same Party-Line" with God he is gonna reveal what's going on in His timing. So yes, I have been on antivirals to hopefully ease this part of shingles and also on a medication to help with the pain in the nerve endings. Have I already been through the calm before the storm you may ask? Or is this the beginning of hurricane, I can't answer that, but what I do know to be true is that God will bring me out of this victorious and I will claim victory in Him!

This Little Light of Mine - Addison Road

My A-HA Moment For The Week

A couple of weeks ago, my daughter and I started our tomato seeds in Styrofoam cups. Well, I have babied those little seeds by putting them outside during the day and bringing them in at night - just like a mother would do AND guess what today we have sprouts. This has been my A-HA! moment for the week. I am so proud of those little sprouts. Call it funny you may, but gosh I finally feel I have accomplished something. Now I am not naive, I know those tiny plants have a long way to go before they actually go into the ground, but for right now I am one happy lady! Someone said to me today, "Why don't you just buy some tomato plant?" Well they are rather pricey and I'm getting such gratification by know that we will be getting our food from a seed. So this Summer when I bite into a good ol' juicy tomato sandwich, I will reflect back on my hard work and be ever so thankful for what my grandparents and parents have taught me about growing vegetables. Oh don't get me wrong, this is my first year of actually doing "true" gardening for my family and I am having to go back and ask questions from my parents and I still have the pleasure of learning for my grandma, but so far it is so rewarding to the soul to see those first sprouts. I really is a shame that some kids think that vegetables come from the grocery store, but I am not going there...Until I blog again!

AMAZING LOVE

Real tuesday weld - I love the rain

This catchy little tune is from the Chevy Transverse commerical. I LOVE it! Enjoy!

Give Me Jesus

No...I Am Not Ready, But It's Coming

My daughter attends the South Carolina Virtual Charter School. This has been our first year of being a part of the program and I can honestly say that Ashleigh loves this program. Well, just as with any other school there is a period for registration. I knew it was coming up and that I had to complete the paper work and I really wasn't that concerned. BAM! like a ton of bricks-when I seen the words "High School", I thought I was going to fall out of my chair. You see, Ashleigh has been taking 9th and 10th grade classes, even though she is an 8th grader, but there is something about that my child will be going to "High School" this coming school year has me all messed up. Call it silly, you may, but I am not so sure I am ready for this. I know to everything there comes a season of change, but in my mind, Ashleigh is suppose to still be in the 2nd grade. I called up my mama and cried- her explanation was "Buck up, every kid grows up. I went through it with you" yada, yada, yada... Well, with the up most respect to my mama, she was not my best friend growing up and she had many things going on in her life and much of that I was not a part of. I could go on and on about that, but I am not. However, I do know that I am my daughter's best friend and the situations are much different to say the least. The only way I can see fit to handle this is to put my child in some sorta time capsule and just freeze time. No I am kidding, but I do want to cherish each and every minute I have with her and when it comes her time to graduate and go to college, it is my prayer that she will take with her every ounce of advise and wisdom that I have had the pleasure of giving her. Until I blog again...

You Fight And Win

A dear friend of mine posted on FB yesterday, a saying something about going back and rewriting life. Well, after much thought I would not go back because the events and trials that has come my way through life has developed me into the person that I am. If I had be asked several years if I could rewrite my life I would have definitely said, "YES", because I was not happy with  my life, but now it's an entirely different story. There were so many things that I thought was wrong in my life and I was fighting like a crazy woman to fix things in my life. When I was finally worn out after all the struggles of "spinning my wheels", I stopped and looked around and it was at that time that I realized how blessed I really am. We don't get to choose what kind of life we are gonna have, but we do get to choose how we are going to experience it. We can embrace life and live with our situations and except things the way they are or we can continue the relentless fight of trying to change something that's never gonna change. I thank God for all the struggles that I have gone through because without His Divine intervention in my life, I would not be here today. Now I have conquered some many things in my life that once were "Giants" to me and I no longer fear and I believe that was why I was so unhappy. We never know when we will exit this life so I try to live each day to the fullest potential and as for the past-well that's exactly what it is. I have chosen to forgive and live and most of all :)...Until next time

Giving Back

Well, the last going on three weeks has been interesting to say the least. Bradley finally had his gall bladder out today and I hope and pray this will be the solution to all his stomach problems. I can hear him snoring up a breeze in the bedroom now. I am not sure how much sleep I'll get tonight cause I have to wake time every hour or so to make sure he is ok. He does not deal with being put to sleep very well if you catch my drift. However, so far he has been such a good patient and thanking me for everything I have done for him so far.Well, this takes me back to my journey of 11 years now where I was relying on him to care for me so much as well as work full time and raise our daughter. Not many men would have went through what I have put him and my family through, however he has stuck it out in the good and the bad and to me that is true love. So now it is my duty to care for him just as he has cared for me. This coming June, Bradley and I will be married 16 years and I can honestly say that I love him more today than I did the day I married him. We may have not had much as the years have quickly passed by, but I can tell you what we do have is real, genuine love that only can be put together by God. Oh goodness, there has been times I wanted to walk away and yes at times I did, but I always came back because I knew where I belonged. Now, I'm not going to try to paint a lily white picture of our marriage because he has walked away too, but the road always leads us back to where we belong. Well, that's all for now- there may not be much expression of love in the morning when I take his catheter out, but for now I'll listen to him breathe and wake him every hour so and be the wife to him that for so many years I can't be. Until next time...

Plain and Simple

 No matter how you try to change it, phrase it, or just down right spit it out-All families ARE dysfunctional, plain and simple. There are so many people who try to portray the "perfect" family status- who's string do they think they are pulling- I mean come on, really? All I really know how to comment on this blog is be who you really are and be true to your heart cause all this fake stuff that people come up with, well in my opinion- it's gonna come back and bite them in the butt. Plain and simple....

His Divine Healing Touch

Well, I am gonna attempt to type my thoughts, but I am not promising complete clarity and proper grammar. The past couple of weeks have been kinda strange for me health wise. You see, a week from this past Friday I woke up with a hematoma in my right eye from no apparent reason. However, I do recall a day or so prior to getting the hematoma that I was was in an extremely bad mood - Yes I have a Mood Disorder. Within about a week, the hematoma went away, however I woke up this morning with another one this time it was in my left eye. I immediately called my eye doctor and was seen shortly afterwards. Apparently, what is going on is I am having partial seizures in frontal lobes of brain. I have been seizure free since 4/09. I currently take seizure medication and have been doing well until the last couple of weeks. So in short- the altered mood, front lobal discomfort, and the hematomas are all related. I ask for your prayers. I see my doctor on Wednesday morning and have complete faith that this is gonna be gone before then. I don't want this post to seem discouraging, but I was just feeling like I was getting my life back and feeling like my ol' self. So for now no straining, bending over etc. I will trust in the Lord for His Divine healing and rebuke the devil in every way because I am a child of the Lord and I know from past experience the touch of His hand. Until I blog again....Again please excuse the spelling and grammar errors

Will I Be There?

Today, I had a couple of my friends post a video to their FaceBook page about being faced with caring for an ageing parent. Well to tell you the truth, that video hit me like a ton of brinks. It talked about what will you do when I spill my food, say something that you don't hear and various things such as that- you get the picture. After watching the video, I cried like a baby not because I fear what the future will hold for when I need to care for my parents, but for what my parents did for me when I was a child. As you know, when people age they often regress and become child like and I only hope that I can live up to the standards that my parents have set forth as they have cared for their own parents. I immediately called my mama to tell her how much I love her and it was too late to call my daddy to let him know how much I love him, however that is the first thing I plan on doing in the morning. I just want to urge to to share your love with your spouse, children, parents, extended family, and friends with all that you are. Because when it's all said and done that's all that really matters-not how much the price of gas went up today. And to answer my question- I'll be honored to be there.

Where I Come From

I am a Southern Lady thru and thru. Each one of us are not given the choice about how we are born. I was born in the early 70's and we did not have much, but we had looking back now I really appreciate what my family had. For supper, I can remember mama frying a pan of  potato's and baking a pan of cornbread and if I was lucky we had a slice of onion on the side. In today's society, unfortunately we live in the moment- if we are hungry we hop in the car and go thru a drive-thru. Well, I want to go back to my roots where I belong- when life was simpler. This being said, if you look back in time for yourself and remember your grandparents or perhaps if you were blessed enough look at your great grandparents and you will see that they were healthier and yes, I believe they were much happier because they did not sit around and worry about things. They took each day as it came and ate what was grown in the garden, got the eggs from their own chickens, and raised livestock for milk and meats. Yes, my family eats meat. I personally think I could go Vegan, however my husband and daughter would think they were gonna starve without meat. Okay so after saying all of this, my point is and this has troubled me for a while- My family needs to eat much better than we do. We need to be aware of what we are putting into our bodies. I urge you to think about this also or perhaps you may already be concentrating on the foods that enter you family's body. Until I blog again....

Too much time on my hands...

We have been attempting to do some remodeling in our small, but quaint home. As I was taking down wall border that seems like everyone from the 80's and 90's had in their home ( I don't know some may still have borders and wall paper) anyway, I had plenty on time on my hands to do some deep thinking. I have been tossing the thought back and forth for awhile about blogging, but would never fully give into my hearts desire. However, tonight as I spoke with a very dear friend of 25 years, my thoughts were confirmed that this is what I should do. So, this is my shot at blogging. Some may enjoy what I post and others could possibly care less, but I think that the majority of women and yes even men may enjoy and have some thoughts on my blogging.