Me Time

For the first time in a very, very long time, I've had a vacation on my own. And it's been wonderful. My SIL, Pam, called me a couple of weeks ago and told me that she and Andy's mom, Bet, were going to Arkansas....and would I like to tag along? Of course!



So I've been at Mom and William's since last Wednesday night and am leaving this morning to head back to Indiana. Five whole days of having my parents to myself! What more could a person ask for?



Here's a rundown of our time together.....



Thursday....to Toad Suck and Conway for some shopping. I picked up a really cool stuffed Snoopy and 2 Snoopy coffee mugs (one for me, one for Smells) in Toad Suck. Then we ate lunch at Logan's....pretty good, I must say...followed a stop at Target, where I purchased a sweater jacket and a pair of superbly cute shoes....I later realized that Ashley has the same ones! lol



Friday....Mom and I did some shopping in Russellville. I absolutely love their JC Penney...much bigger than ours in Indiana and tons of clothes. I got 4 skirts, a purse and 2 pairs of sunglasses...one black, one brown. In Cato's I got a really cute pink shirt and a denim skirt. Then we went to Belk's where I got another sweater/jacket. Friday evening we went to Western Sizzlin' for Mom's former boss' retirement party.



Saturday.....we went to Hot Springs. I hadn't been there in years. We strolled around a bit, took a tour of one of the bath houses, drove around for a while and then came home, realizing that we hadn't bought a thing! We did stop at a little shop along the road and I bought Colin some "treasures" for his treasure box....a shark's tooth, a dinosaur made out of soapstone and some marbles. When we got back to Russellville, we ate at Stoby's...one of my all-time favorite places to eat.



Sunday....I spent Sunday lying around the house, watching home improvement shows while Mom and William went to church. Mom and I did run to town so that she could get some bread. Saw an old friend, Helen, at Wal-Mart! I had lost contact with her so it was wonderful to see her again.



Monday....Mom and I went into town so that I could pick up some things to take home to the grandbabies. I got the boys Arkansas t-shirts and got Bradie an Arkansas cheerleader doll. We went to Bath & Body Works and I picked up a few things for myself. Then we went back to Stoby's for lunch, came home and just spent the evening together.



Oh, and we were able to Skype with Bailey a few times during my visit, which was super nice for Mom and William.



Anyway...all good things must come to an end and I am leaving in a couple of hours to head back to Indiana.....to a husband and 2 dogs who, I am sure, have seriously missed me! I would include the cat and kittens in that, but I doubt if they missed me much. lol

Moms in Touch

Over the years, I've been very active in my church. I've taught Sunday School, Kids POWer Hour, directed multiple children's plays (Christmas, Easter), directed Vacation Bible School....as you can see, I've been very involved in children's ministry.

I've recently felt a shift in my "ministry". A couple of years ago I was asked to oversee our Moms in Touch program, in which the ladies of our church focus prayer on our school. Over the last few months, I can say that I have truly developed a burden for this ministry. We are certainly living in a different day and age.....my experience of working in our public schools allows me to see things from an interesting point of view. It's not the same as when I was in school over....ahem.....25+ years ago.

Perhaps the problems of today are similar to those of yesteryear, but I think they are also more magnified. We are seeing more and more children who are being raised by grandparents. As parents are forced to work longer hours, we see more children left to their own devices.

I feel there is truly a calling for Moms to be "in touch" with God....much prayer is needed for our schools....not only for the children, but also for the teachers, administrators, and staff. From the bus routes to the classrooms to the board meetings.....we need God to protect and direct.

I can tell you from my point of view as the secretary of a high school office....we often deal with children who it would be easier for us if they didn't attend our school. And yes, I have sometimes been guilty of wishing they would just transfer "somewhere else". They are difficult, they are angry, sometimes they are scarey......yet they are only a product of their environment. They are living what they have learned....who really knows what these children go home to every night?

My prayer is "Lord, let me see them through Your eyes". I want to see them as God sees them, for He doesn't seem them as problem children...He sees them as His creation....He loves them unconditionally. I want to have more compassion....I want to reach these children and have a positive impact on their lives. If they only see one smile a day....let it be from me. If they only receive one word of encourage a day...let it be from me.

Oh Where, Oh Where, has my little Kat gone?

I can't get into KitKat's blog anymore because it says "invited readers" only. Blech. Kitty Katty....where are you? I can get into your food blog, but not yours or the doggies.

Ethan David

I thought I would do a little blog about our youngest grandson, Ethan.

Ethan is just the happiest baby. He is 7 months old now and always just happy to be invited to the party. All you have to do it look at him and you get a quick grin in return.

He is about to master crawling. I love to watch him get up on those little hands and knees......and then fall over! But he will soon be crawling for real and then watch out.....poor Sidda! He is already obsessed with her...and she seems to be quite taken with him, too. She likes to be right next to him when he's at the house and doesn't seem to mind at all when he yanks on her ears. She just turns and gives him a lick in the face.

By the way.....Ethan looks like mine and Bailey's baby pictures. Yay!

Coot

When we were going through the "house switch" process, Kim, the lady we bought our house from, told me that her grandfather had a old beagle who would come down every day and eat whatever food scraps Kim would put out. I told her that was fine, since I'm definitely a dog lover.

Sure enough, shortly after moving in, this old beagle showed up. Covered in ticks....absolutely no energy at all. I would scratch him on the top of the head.....the only tickless area on his body....and give him a snack. I asked Kim what the dog's name was and she didn't know.....so we began calling him "Coot" because he just looked like an ol' coot! LOL

I decided I couldn't deal with the ticks, so I got a dose of FrontLine from my vet and put it on Coot. In a couple of the days all of the ticks were gone and he, literally, is a new dog. Full of energy, very loving and plays with Daisy and Sidda (before he would lay around and just watch them).

We then found out that Kim's grandfather had a stroke. After leaving the hospital, he has been placed in a nursing home. One evening Kim's mother stopped by our house. She asked if the beagle had been coming over and she told us to let her know if he were bothering us. She said they were going to try to find Coot a new home. Andy jumped at the chance and said "We'll take him!"

So we now have another new dog.....and he is completely adorable!

Heeeeeeere's Daisy!

Here she is....our newest family member. She is simply the sweetest dog....well, she and Sidda run a close race! :-) She stays right by the house, never leaves the yard. She and Sidda have become friends after a rough start. Sidda wasn't too sure about having another dog around

Daisy goes back to the vet this Saturday for her last puppy shot and for a rabies vaccination. We are also going to set a date to have her spayed....as cute as she, I still don't want a bunch of miniatures running around! LOL

Flowers galore.....

I've been busy planting lots of flowers in my new humongous yard! So far I have....

a bed of red, white and purple wave petunias

a bed of marigolds, lavendar, Mexican heather and daisies, but our new dog, Daisy, has pretty much destroyed those marigolds

a bed of white and pink impatiens....which I noticed this morning Daisy has made a bed in

a bed of marigolds around a purple clematis

4 large pots of red and white geraniums

and from seeds which aren't blooming yet: sunflowers, wild flowers, more lavendar, daisies, morning glories, zinnias, alyssum, etc....I'm sure I'm forgetting something

We also sit and watch a deer most evenings come out from the woods to get a drink from the pond. We have lots of finches and birds at our feeders, although only a few hummingbirds. I've seen two coyotes and "heard" what I'm told was probably a wild boar.

I am absolutely loving living in the country. We should have done this years ago!

We are finally moved!

It's been a while since my last blog post, so here's the update on me.

We finally got moved.....I can't remember the exact date, but it's been a few weeks. Settling in has been a process. I'm having to develop a whole new routine, which is crucial for me. I feel out of sorts when I don't have one.

The house is totally unpacked and I think everything is pretty much in it's place. I have redone the kitchen and dining room. They are sort of together, separated by cabinets. I've painted the dining room and one wall of the kitchen a "golden marsh"....the other two kitchen walls are painted "late tomato". They are really pretty together and much better than the burgundy and odd shade of green that the previous owner had. We also changed the light fixture there. It was a wagon wheel that the previous owner did herself. I bought a really pretty black iron ivy-type fixture which Andy promptly put up for me.

I've taken down the "fishing" border in our bathroom and replaced it with a really pretty "lily" border. The spare bedroom, which is also my office, will remain lavendar with it's bright, flowery border. I kind of like it....it's a whimsical girly room.

We've also been doing a lot of yard work. I've planted geraniums, marigolds, petunias, lavendary, Mexican heather, etc. etc., etc. We are having a patio poured today. We originally were going to build a deck, but the patio seemed cheaper and easier. I can't wait until it's finished.

And we've adopted a new dog. Her name is Daisy and the vet tells me she has no idea what she is! LOL Definitely a "Heinz 57". She's a great dog...stays right by the house. She and Sidda play together pretty well. And yes, Sidda is loving country living. No more leash when she goes outside. Although if I don't keep my my eye on her, she ends up at the pond and comes back a muddy mess!

I'll try to post pictures soon.

Good gravy...what's the hold up?

Okay....appraisals are done....loans are approved....we are waiting for a closing date. Good grief...how much longer can it take? I am anxious to move!

We have begun packing. Well, let me rephrase that. Andy has begun packing. The basement, the garage and the back porch are done. Bailey's bedroom is also pretty much packed up.

Me? I'm the procrastinator in the bunch. Once I have the definite date for the move, then I'll begin. Luckily I'm not a pack-rat so it really won't take me that long to get packed.

Oh yes, I also already have a new puppy ready to join our family. Well, I don't actually have her yet, but one of our teachers has a stray dog who had pups at her house. She brought in pictures today and, of course, I fell in love with one of the little dolls. I've already named her Daisy...and we have no idea what breed she is. Probably a little bit of everything.

Migraines

For the last four mornings I have gotten up with a migraine. I take Imitrex and it goes away, but I really wish this was something I just didn't have to deal with. I've developed a pattern. My migraines almost always hit during "that time" and come usually 3 days in a row, this month it has been 4. I'm getting ready to go to bed and can feel another one coming on. I've taken some Advil Migraine to try and save my Imitrex for the really bad ones since I have to pay $30 for 9 pills. Thank goodness for insurance....9 pills are about $200 without insurance.

That's all I wanted to say. I just needed to whine. Andy's working late and Bailey's in bed....and I really don't think Sidda could care less if I have a headache or not, just as long as she can curl up next to me in bed.

The Waiting Game

I'm an impatient person. I want to know if we are going to be moving NOW. I'm not as impatient as Kim, though, the lady who we are hoping to trade houses with. Kim is completely packed and their family is living out of boxes. Her, her husband and their 3 children....living out of boxes. And every time I talk to her, she asks "Are you packed yet?". While I have complete faith that this is going to work out, I'm also a realist and know that anything can happen. I'm not going to pack up, have everything fall apart, and then have to unpack.

I am also on the prowl for a big dog already. One of the local shelters has a golden retriever that I want, but they won't hold him for me. I told Kim about him and she said "Go ahead and get him and bring him out here.....I'll take care of him for you until we all move." Again.....she's very optimistic.

And then there's the girls. Bailey and Ashley. Both were unhappy when we told them about this. Bailey has come around, but Ashley is just sad. Sad that we are leaving the house that they grew up in. And it is sad.....but this old house is simply too big for us. Especially once Bailey leaves, which she eventually will. And we keep thinking of all the great things we can do with a house in the country......fish in the pond....have weenie roasts on the weekend....take the boys out in the woods. I am so excited.....I just can't wait!

Update on Us

It's been a while so here goes......

It looks like we may be moving. We have wanted a home in the country for a long time, but have been hesitant about putting ours up for sale. What if ours sold and we couldn't find a place we wanted? Plus, we're mortgage free.....and we don't want to go into debt.

Enter winter weather.......After a recent bout of ice/sleet, a young man's truck slides off the road. Andy is the responding officer. As they sit in Andy's car, waiting for the wrecker to come, they strike up a conversation. We have a house in town and are looking for a house in the country, they have a house in the country and are looking for a house in town.

The paperwork is being processed as I type this for us to do an even "swap". If you read this, please say a prayer for everything to work out.

In other news.....I convinced Andy to let me buy a new car, a 2007 Ford Fusion which I absolutely love. That sounds bad, doesn't it? That he "let" me buy a car? Okay, "let" isn't the word I should use. It was a mutually agreed upon decision which transpired after much whining, harassing and otherwise I'm-not-going-to-shut-up-until-I-am-driving-a-Fusion banter.

This morning we woke up to 7 1/2 inches of snow and by noon it was 11 inches. Yay! I love snow but I'd really rather have it in December. Not March. Not when spring break is only 2 weeks away.

Ah yes, spring break. We are heading to Arkansas to visit my parents for a week......and we are taking Colin with us. He's four now and I know we'll have so much fun with him in tow. Of course, that's easy for me to say. When Andy's around, I don't exist in Colin's world.....it's all ab0ut "Papaw". So it will probably be Andy who will be doing most of the youngster-minding.

2008 is almost here!

Ethan David & I

So I suppose it's time to make resolutions once again. And probably the same ones. I rejoined SparkPeople.com a few days ago and have done relatively well the last two days. It's an online diet/health program. It lets me track my foods and calories, as well as exercise....well, it will let me track my exercise if any when I decide to start doing any!


Reflecting on 2007, I must say that once again God has richly blessed me and my family. We have a healthy new grandson; we have good health; we have a good home......and we have each other. Andy and I celebrated 25 years of marriage in 2007.....I look forward to the next 25.

That which was lost is found.....

Bailey came downstairs at 5:30 this morning, eyes swollen from crying and announces she has something she has to tell me. She has lost my engagement ring. The one Andy gave me 26 years ago this month when he asked me to marry him. She had found it in my jewelry box months ago and asked if she could wear it and I told her yes.

We retraced her steps (she had already torn her room and bathroom apart) and she remembered having it at Starbucks last Friday. She was in the bathroom and took it off to wash her hands (who takes off their rings to wash their hands?!). She thinks she left it on the sink.

So I call Starbucks at 6:00 am. Chris tells me they did find a ring, but she can't get into the safe to see if it's the same one. She tells me to call back at 10:00. I call back at 10:00 and talk to Chris again. They get into the safe, I describe the ring, and yes! It's MY ring!

I picked it up after work today and literally broke down in tears when they handed it to me. They have no idea who the honest soul was that turned it in, but I am forever grateful to that person.

Tiring Weekend....

Weekends are supposed to be for relaxing, right? Well, then I think I should get a do-over.

I got a phone call at 4:00 am on Saturday...Guy was taking Ashley to the ER so could I come over and stay with Ethan? Of course! Colin was his "other" grandpa's in Vincennes. She ended up needing emergency surgery (I won't go into details here) and they didn't get home until later that evening. I spent the night so that I could take care of the boys...Colin had made it home by then....and so that they could both get a good night's sleep.

I came home around noon on Sunday, with Colin in tow. He wanted to see his Papaw. He spent the night last night. Andy is going to take him to pre-school today and then he is going to go spend the day with Ashley to help with the baby.

I did finish reading "To Kill a Mockingbird" on Saturday. It was good. I wouldn't say it's the best book I've ever read, but it was good. I'm glad I read it. Now I'm going to have to watch the movie, according to Andy anyway. LOL

Thanksgiving is over......my feasting is showing up on the scales this morning. Yay.

The Day After Thanksgiving....

It's Friday, but we just had our traditional Thanksgiving dinner with Andy's family tonight......loud, rambunctious and lots of fun. A house full of kids, including 5 new baby boys born into the family this year.....we all have a lot to be thankful for.

We're still reeling from the death of Andy's brother. The official results still aren't in. We are anxious to see what the toxicology reports state. We just found out he was taking Chantix and, in extremely rare cases, can cause extreme depression, suicidal tendencies and unnatural aggression. The officers at the scene are saying it's likely that alcohol was a factor.....I am praying it wasn't.

Bailey made it home from National Youth Convention today just in time for the family dinner. She had a great time but I missed her so much while she was gone.

Colin is spending the night with his other grandparents, so he wasn't at dinner. But Ashley, Guy and Ethan were.....Ethan is the spitting image of Ashley when she was a baby. He is so adorable.....and tiny!

God has truly blessed Andy and I.

Tragedy

Andy's brother was killed last night in a car accident. We found out this afternoon that he hit another vehicle in the side, killing a mother and 4 of her children. The father and another child are in the hospital.

All reports so far indicate he was drunk. Witness say he must have had a "death wish" because he was driving down the wrong side of the road at speeds in excess of 80 mph and had run several other vehicles off the road.

Andy had lost contact with him after their father died (they are actually half brothers, same dad, different moms). Once the estate was closed and his brother received his part of the inheritance, we rarely saw him.

But we did love him. And I've learned through this that we need to stay in touch with our families and tell them we love them every chance we have.

When children disobey their parents, smoke cigarettes, and make war on each other, the seasons change....

A quote from To Kill a Mockingbird. Good gravy....if that were true, we'd have a new season every week! LOL I'm enjoying the book.....Scout is quite a character. I love the way it's written. I'm up to the part where Jem has to read to Ms. Dubose every day.

Bailey and I stopped by to see the boys yesterday. Colin just wants to pat Ethan on the head all the time (something for which his mother is constantly tell him to stop). But Ethan doesn't seem to mind....he just sleeps through it.

Mother/Daughter Day Out

Bailey and I went shopping yesterday and had such a great time. She is leaving for National Youth Convention in Nashville, TN, in the morning and wanted to try to find some new things to take with her.

I ended up buying myself a new sweater, a Snoopy fleece jacket (at KMart, no less!), a pair of snow boots, and a new black skirt. I spent way too much on myself, especially with Christmas coming up, but I just couldn't help myself. It was all stuff I needed.....well, except maybe the Snoopy jacket. LOL

I also started up with the sniffles yesterday. Yay me. :-(

To Kill a Mockingbird

One of Andy's favorite movies is "To Kill a Mockingbird". He was shocked years ago when he found out that I had never seen the move.....or read the book.

So today I have begun reading it. Of course, Andy said, "Why don't you just watch the movie? It won't take as long."

But I have a thing about books made into movies. The books are always better. I realized this the first time I read "Gone With the Wind". I had seen the movie several times and was shocked at how different (and better) the book was. If you just watch the movie, you are missing out.

I've made it through the first 3 chapters so far.