Showing posts with label Everyday Life. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Everyday Life. Show all posts
Monday, January 16, 2017
Do What You Know.....
3:29 PM | 
Posted by
Balinda (RebelChick)
The pastor to my church gave a sermon awhile back that I honestly can't remember the topic of but I have carried a phrase he used during the service with me ever since. "Do what you know how to do until you can do different." My whole life is different now and in the struggle to find my new normal I am slowly getting back to doing what I know how to do. Sometimes it's just finding the energy to make the bed and other days it's the sheer determination to "art my hurt away". Its during these art therapy times I think of nothing. I am totally immersed in the process---the colors, the texture of the paper, the way the pencil sounds as it scratches across page in the sketchbook or glides across gesso, the smell of the wax from colored pencils or the distinctive smell of markers, the squishy feel of the paint when you smear it with your fingers---it's almost like I get a "time out" from life where I can exhale quietly with no expectations from anyone or anything. It's when I can remember that my precious husband was my biggest fan. It's where I can hope he's smiling down on me from heaven still cheering me on. It's where I find a small piece of me I recognize from before my life got turned upside down. It's in these tiny islands of peacefulness that has helped me cope with the loneliness. The absence of my best friend has been devastating. It's in the faces of my journal girls and the doodles on a notepad that I lay my heart bare with words and symbolism that reaches to my core. Sometimes, well a lot of times, words don't convey the feelings I have in my soul. I thought I would share a few of my journal girls. No fancy art supplies used but I do use Prismacolor colored pencils because they are super waxey and blend beautifully for skin. The rest of the supplies used are a mechanical pencil, micron pen, Sharpie water based paint pen for the white highlights and in the Bloom girl the vivid color is from Dye-Na-Flow liquid fabric color. She is also the only one on watercolor paper.
So my friends whatever your troubles are maybe you can art yourself a moment of peace, exhale gently, and turn whatever is hurting your heart into something beautiful. ❤️
So my friends whatever your troubles are maybe you can art yourself a moment of peace, exhale gently, and turn whatever is hurting your heart into something beautiful. ❤️
Labels:
Art Journal,
Art Journal Mixed Media,
Everyday Life,
Faces,
Grief,
Journal Girls,
love,
marriage,
widowstrong
|
0
comments
Friday, December 30, 2016
Brave
Sometimes one needs to retreat from the world to find out who they really are. That's definitely what I've been doing. I've been one half of a two part team for so many years that I'm floundering around like a fish out of water. Everything is just as difficult and unfamiliar to me as the fish who needs to be in the water to survive. Me without my husband literally takes my breath away. I am finding grief to be very exhausting and unpredictable. One day I can laugh and other days all I can do is cry. It's a cruel sack of emotions I go through. For the longest time I thought I was going crazy but then I found a group on Facebook with so many beautiful souls who are walking the same walk as I am. I am NOT crazy. I have found out that what I feel is ok and quite normal and it's my grief and MY time table on when I do or don't do things. Other's move on fast to new relationships and just as equally there's just as many who a Chapter 2 with someone is a foreign concept. I'm of the mindset that I was so lucky to have a love story of a lifetime. How could I be greedy and expect anything more. But if God set someone in my path I would do my best to recognize that gift. Until then, I am creating a life for me with no expectations of sharing with anyone else. I need to find me and who I am as a single solitary soul and sometimes I think I know who that girl is and other time's she's as elusive as smoke in the wind.
2016 is almost over. I don't believe in resolutions but I have been giving tremendous thought on how I want to live the next year. So many of my days during this past year I just existed. If I got through the day, it was an accomplishment.....it really was!!!! I've decided it's ok to be selfish. I am a team of 1 now. I need to take care of me so my health is top of the list. I will quit feeling quilty for finding joy and I will consistently make time for art, digital and mixed media, and last but not least I will make time for God and set aside time for my Bible study and prayer time on a consistent basis.
Above it all I will will be BRAVE.
Scared is what you're feeling. Brave is what you're doing.
― Emma Donoghue
Many blessings for the coming year to all of you!
2016 is almost over. I don't believe in resolutions but I have been giving tremendous thought on how I want to live the next year. So many of my days during this past year I just existed. If I got through the day, it was an accomplishment.....it really was!!!! I've decided it's ok to be selfish. I am a team of 1 now. I need to take care of me so my health is top of the list. I will quit feeling quilty for finding joy and I will consistently make time for art, digital and mixed media, and last but not least I will make time for God and set aside time for my Bible study and prayer time on a consistent basis.
Above it all I will will be BRAVE.
Scared is what you're feeling. Brave is what you're doing.
― Emma Donoghue
Many blessings for the coming year to all of you!
Tuesday, September 6, 2016
Living Again
It's been a long time since I have blogged. A lot has happened since the last time I shared. One of the things that kept me away was that I was living life with my husband...we had big plans to sell our home and buy a travel trailer and I go out on the road with him while he worked out of town. We realized that we had lost so much time together already with the work situation and we wanted to find a way to remedy that. You can't get time back.
Then the knock came on the door that changed my life forever. My beloved husband had died. He was only 46 years old and for all we knew healthy. He has just had a physical but a blood pressure issue had went undetected over time and he had a cardiac arrest. He was out of town working. I had spoken and texted him through out the day. Things were great. He was scheduled to come home the next day. In less than a split second my heart was shattered. Just a few days ago marked a year that he has not been the voice I hear every single morning when I wake and the rock I leaned on. I had the luxury to be a stay at home mom and wife. We sacrificed for that to happen but it was worth every coupon I clipped. It's taken me a year to find a new home and a job that could pay the bills that go with it. In fact, I've only been in our new home a month and I still have boxes to unpack.
So here I sit.....being eternally grateful for all my blessings and at the same time cursing because this is not supposed to be my life....but yet it is. Everyday I wonder how I will make it through and at the end of the day I find that somehow I did. I wonder if I will ever feel genuine joy and happiness again. I have moments with my kids......how can I not? but that's not joy felt in my soul.
And if I've heard it once....I heard it a hundred times....."You are so young, you will remarry." I die a little every time I hear it. Me and Ricky were perfect together.....I can't even wrap my mind around anyone else in my life.
So here I sit....working on living again.....and maybe one day I can smile without tears in the corners of my eyes.
Here's to Living Well and Blessings to All☻
Then the knock came on the door that changed my life forever. My beloved husband had died. He was only 46 years old and for all we knew healthy. He has just had a physical but a blood pressure issue had went undetected over time and he had a cardiac arrest. He was out of town working. I had spoken and texted him through out the day. Things were great. He was scheduled to come home the next day. In less than a split second my heart was shattered. Just a few days ago marked a year that he has not been the voice I hear every single morning when I wake and the rock I leaned on. I had the luxury to be a stay at home mom and wife. We sacrificed for that to happen but it was worth every coupon I clipped. It's taken me a year to find a new home and a job that could pay the bills that go with it. In fact, I've only been in our new home a month and I still have boxes to unpack.
So here I sit.....being eternally grateful for all my blessings and at the same time cursing because this is not supposed to be my life....but yet it is. Everyday I wonder how I will make it through and at the end of the day I find that somehow I did. I wonder if I will ever feel genuine joy and happiness again. I have moments with my kids......how can I not? but that's not joy felt in my soul.
And if I've heard it once....I heard it a hundred times....."You are so young, you will remarry." I die a little every time I hear it. Me and Ricky were perfect together.....I can't even wrap my mind around anyone else in my life.
So here I sit....working on living again.....and maybe one day I can smile without tears in the corners of my eyes.
Here's to Living Well and Blessings to All☻
Friday, January 2, 2015
Dear Beautiful Me
Dear Beautiful Me,
I am glad to finally put an end to 2014. It has left me broken and searching for inner strength and meaning to life. I found this post on The Brave Girls website that really resonated with me. I needed to be reminded that even though my wings were broken that I CAN FLY AGAIN!
It will just take time and that it is very much okay for it to take that time. That's one of the things Melody took time to say in her post. My soul needed to hear those words. It's easy to be influenced by others to think that feelings can stop/start according to a timeline, more specifically their timeline. I don't normally make resolutions for the new year but this year I do have several but the ones that really spoke to my heart and deep within my soul were in this graphic that was shared on Facebook. I saved it for inspiration long before I ever knew I would be needing these words of encouragement. God knew though.
This year is a journey. I hope you take it with me. It is my sincerest desire to inspire you and encourage you on your journey also. If you have a blog/facebook, link me up and I will add it to my reading list so that I can come by and leave a little love your way. ♥
Saturday, November 22, 2014
Love is a Battlefield with Edgar Allan Poe
I never expected that after my last posting that I would take so long to post again but that's what happens when the husband "shares" his cold. The horrid awful thing about it though was that I nursed my daughter through hers and I did not get sick. I have taught her well the "rules of quarantine" for our home. I have the unfortunate luck that when I get sick....I get REALLY sick!!! Seriously....death bed sick!! My husband failed to really realize that. I loved on him by cooking homemade tomato soup, ooey gooey grilled cheese sandwiches, bag fulls of medications all the while trying to keep a safe buffer zone. He did not follow the rules of "no touch". Not only did he not follow that rule, he expressed his gratitude for all the comfort I lovingly provided by sharing big hugs and kisses on the cheek....several times.....and yes.....me screaming like he had the ebola virus to get away and love me from afar.
Sooooo.....I got caught with a cold BIG time and then with the weather changing add some sinus headaches to the mix and I have been pretty non-functional for 3 weeks. I am very much grateful that I have been feeling good enough to get up piddle about some again.
In between feeling alive and dead I was able to get the creative juices flowing and created this page using CryztalRain's Edgar Allan Poe kit from Micheif Circus. I totally did not see this one evolving until I was halfway through because I so wanted to do more of a haunting spooky type page but as all you art journalers know......we create the way our heart leads us. I still love it even though it's not what I set out to create.
The quote reads Love is a Battlefield • Heartache to Heartache We Stand • Love is a Battlefield inspired by Pat Benatar and the font used is Telescoping by Tangie Baxter.
I will leave you with this beautiful ballad and who knows...it might inspire you also. ♥
Sooooo.....I got caught with a cold BIG time and then with the weather changing add some sinus headaches to the mix and I have been pretty non-functional for 3 weeks. I am very much grateful that I have been feeling good enough to get up piddle about some again.
In between feeling alive and dead I was able to get the creative juices flowing and created this page using CryztalRain's Edgar Allan Poe kit from Micheif Circus. I totally did not see this one evolving until I was halfway through because I so wanted to do more of a haunting spooky type page but as all you art journalers know......we create the way our heart leads us. I still love it even though it's not what I set out to create. The quote reads Love is a Battlefield • Heartache to Heartache We Stand • Love is a Battlefield inspired by Pat Benatar and the font used is Telescoping by Tangie Baxter.
I will leave you with this beautiful ballad and who knows...it might inspire you also. ♥
Friday, October 31, 2014
A Broken Soul
It however, does not stop me from fighting the feeling of being inadequate.
I go to bed every night with the resolve to wake up and face the day fiercely....the first few weeks the resolve was to wake up and just make it through the day.
Over these past few years I had quit and/or severely cut back on doing the things I enjoyed such as art journaling, photography, scrapbooking or just going out and doing girly things. All this in a effort of what I thought would let him know that I wanted to give him attention and listened to how he felt. In the end, I lost. I gave up my identity. The sad part is that I did not even know it. I prided myself on being a strong independent woman who could tackle the world but that was just the pretty picture I got good at letting the world see. Love should not take away from who you are. Love should add. Two shall become one....but the one should also still be a functioning and thriving individual. I was not that anymore. My life revolved around his wants, needs etc....he didn't demand it. He didn't have to. He wasn't home like we wanted so I felt like I NEEDED to be at his beck and call when he was. No I was not perfect. Not the perfect housewife in the perfect mood or any of that jazz like you would see on the Leave it to Beaver show.
*Just a couple of extra notes. The husband is no longer working a job that takes him away from home and he has been alcohol free since July 5th. I am very proud of him for that.
*RedHead Girl Photography is little ole me.
Tuesday, April 8, 2014
Exploring Photo Apps
This marks the last week of our massive spring cleaning. The annual youth group rummage sale is set for this coming weekend and what is not boxed and sent by tomorrow will be donated to Goodwill or "if" I can find room to store it till next year I will. After a couple of loads of the car stuffed from the backseat to the trunk, I don't think I will have many things left to worry over.
The very best places to get free and easy to manage boxes are Radio Shack's (they get deliveries on Wednesdays) and banana boxes from the grocery store. The banana boxes are my favorite because they have handles.
When not doing that, I have been driven batty with trying to get my Olympus DSLR working properly but I have come to the conclusion that it has come time to start saving up for a new camera. I will admit that I whined and felt sorry for myself for a bit but then decided to take it as a challenge. The best camera is the one that you have with you sooooooo since I have my iPhone with me almost all the time I decided to see how far I can stretch the creativeness of the photography apps and practice my general photo taking skills.
Here is a before photo of my DD. No editing. Taken with my iPhone 5.
And here is the After. I loved her profile in this and I wanted to do something really artsy but worthy of framing.
I am very pleased with how it turned out. The only thing that bugs me is the gap on the shadow on the horizontal arrow. What looked good on the small screen on my iPhone doesn't when I see it on a bigger screen. (oh how I would ♥ and iPad) I can't tell you what settings or what order I used these apps...sorry....next time I share before/after photos I will be more prepared to share those steps.
Here's the apps I used:
FaceTune
Rookie
Afterlight
Rhonna Designs
Here is another Before, no editing and taken with the iPhone 5. The afternoon sun was absolutely gorgeous shining on this Red Flowering Quince. It's one of the first things to bloom in the spring.
This is the After. Again, I was just playing around just to see how far I could push the apps and keep my photo looking like a cool artsy piece that I would actually be proud to frame.
Apps used:
Rookie
Afterlight
Stackables
All export at full resolution and all of them have in app purchases for extra filters. In my personal opinion you get a lot of bang for the buck and the extras run from 99 cents to $2.99, definitely nothing too outrageously expensive.
I would absolutely love to hear and see anything you have edited with apps. Link me up so I can leave you some love!!!!♥
The very best places to get free and easy to manage boxes are Radio Shack's (they get deliveries on Wednesdays) and banana boxes from the grocery store. The banana boxes are my favorite because they have handles.
When not doing that, I have been driven batty with trying to get my Olympus DSLR working properly but I have come to the conclusion that it has come time to start saving up for a new camera. I will admit that I whined and felt sorry for myself for a bit but then decided to take it as a challenge. The best camera is the one that you have with you sooooooo since I have my iPhone with me almost all the time I decided to see how far I can stretch the creativeness of the photography apps and practice my general photo taking skills.
Here is a before photo of my DD. No editing. Taken with my iPhone 5.
And here is the After. I loved her profile in this and I wanted to do something really artsy but worthy of framing.
I am very pleased with how it turned out. The only thing that bugs me is the gap on the shadow on the horizontal arrow. What looked good on the small screen on my iPhone doesn't when I see it on a bigger screen. (oh how I would ♥ and iPad) I can't tell you what settings or what order I used these apps...sorry....next time I share before/after photos I will be more prepared to share those steps.
Here's the apps I used:
FaceTune
Rookie
Afterlight
Rhonna Designs
Here is another Before, no editing and taken with the iPhone 5. The afternoon sun was absolutely gorgeous shining on this Red Flowering Quince. It's one of the first things to bloom in the spring.
This is the After. Again, I was just playing around just to see how far I could push the apps and keep my photo looking like a cool artsy piece that I would actually be proud to frame.
Apps used:
Rookie
Afterlight
Stackables
All export at full resolution and all of them have in app purchases for extra filters. In my personal opinion you get a lot of bang for the buck and the extras run from 99 cents to $2.99, definitely nothing too outrageously expensive.
I would absolutely love to hear and see anything you have edited with apps. Link me up so I can leave you some love!!!!♥
Thursday, March 6, 2014
The Harsh Truth of Being a Hot Mess and Fixing It
I have spent the month of February trying to find the balance again in my life. I spent a good two weeks of it feeling like I was swept away in an ocean current trying to swim my way back to shore. I was shocked at how freaked out I was after I took a very harsh look at what I had let my priorities become over the last 14 months. What I saw I did NOT like one single bit. As I was cleaning my family room I noticed the parallel themes of the magazines I had picked up at the first of the month. Was my subconscious trying to tell me something?!?!?!? These two covers said it all....my life needed balancing AND organizing. I had become a hot mess and my home right along with me....if you came to visit, things looked great, I just would not advise looking in closets or time traveling 30 minutes before you arrived. I had become the Queen of "Ten Minute Tidy".
Armed with the harsh facts of what was not working, I went to work to set it right again. I am not saying that a clean house cures all, but for me, it makes me feel like I have control again. I control the things. They don't control me. The messiness in my home would no longer be dictating my stress level, invading on my happiness, pushing me to procrastinate to do the joyful things that happen in day to day living. Everything would have a place again and when that is the case I am very content. Pristine and perfect was not my goal, tidy and lived in was.
I tackled closets, cabinets, utility room and computer/craft room and I have many boxes of well loved, gently used items to be donated to the youth group at church for their rummage sale in April. I am "almost" where I want to be before I give the final *sigh* of relief. Last Saturday I tackled my bill pay area. As awful as this looked with tons of unopened mail, the shelves underneath it were twice as bad. I take the majority of the blame but the man also helped make this mess. I knew the regular bills but after going through it all I found things not paid or some other time sensitive mail that I had NO idea we had gotten. I always wonder why in the world when you want your man to play the silent bystander he is all mouth and when you need him to step up and do something so simple as open an envelope or just speak up and bring your attention to it....not a word? Surely I am not the only woman in the world with a husband/significant other such as this? New mail rules have been set. If you bring it in....you are responsible for opening it....and filing in the proper place and since I know this will only be short lived...kinda like talking to a kid....I am now on notice to stay on top of it all. Something I can do now that I am not working...let me rephrase...not working outside of the home.
Before
After
I picked up the little bins at our local Dollar Tree. I was very pleasantly surprised that they had a sturdy insert for the bottom and the sides were not flimsy. It sure beat the $6.00 a piece price that Walmart had them for.
After an EPIC fail on the husband's part for Valentines Day, he sent me flowers for my birthday. That was on the 17th and as of today (3/6) I still have a carnation, the yellow flowers and all the greenery and fillers still looking pretty on my dining room table. I love a mixed arrangement like this much better than stinky old roses....blech!!!!!
And on that note....I will leave you with photos of the beautiful blossoms I was treated with.♥
Armed with the harsh facts of what was not working, I went to work to set it right again. I am not saying that a clean house cures all, but for me, it makes me feel like I have control again. I control the things. They don't control me. The messiness in my home would no longer be dictating my stress level, invading on my happiness, pushing me to procrastinate to do the joyful things that happen in day to day living. Everything would have a place again and when that is the case I am very content. Pristine and perfect was not my goal, tidy and lived in was.
I tackled closets, cabinets, utility room and computer/craft room and I have many boxes of well loved, gently used items to be donated to the youth group at church for their rummage sale in April. I am "almost" where I want to be before I give the final *sigh* of relief. Last Saturday I tackled my bill pay area. As awful as this looked with tons of unopened mail, the shelves underneath it were twice as bad. I take the majority of the blame but the man also helped make this mess. I knew the regular bills but after going through it all I found things not paid or some other time sensitive mail that I had NO idea we had gotten. I always wonder why in the world when you want your man to play the silent bystander he is all mouth and when you need him to step up and do something so simple as open an envelope or just speak up and bring your attention to it....not a word? Surely I am not the only woman in the world with a husband/significant other such as this? New mail rules have been set. If you bring it in....you are responsible for opening it....and filing in the proper place and since I know this will only be short lived...kinda like talking to a kid....I am now on notice to stay on top of it all. Something I can do now that I am not working...let me rephrase...not working outside of the home.
Before
After
I picked up the little bins at our local Dollar Tree. I was very pleasantly surprised that they had a sturdy insert for the bottom and the sides were not flimsy. It sure beat the $6.00 a piece price that Walmart had them for.
After an EPIC fail on the husband's part for Valentines Day, he sent me flowers for my birthday. That was on the 17th and as of today (3/6) I still have a carnation, the yellow flowers and all the greenery and fillers still looking pretty on my dining room table. I love a mixed arrangement like this much better than stinky old roses....blech!!!!!
And on that note....I will leave you with photos of the beautiful blossoms I was treated with.♥
Wednesday, February 5, 2014
Faith in a Fresh Start
January 27th.
It's been nine days since that Monday.
Nine days since I could not take it anymore and quit my job.
I feel so foolish in my judgement of thinking someone was my friend. As soon as the new girl W. was hired, I was booted to the curb. All my efforts of being a good coworker and friend went up in smoke. All the days of trying to educate, the extra time that I spent outside of work creating notes for some of the techy stuff and the days I worried over her (F.) and fixed a hot lunch and offered a shoulder to "lean on" were very easy to replace by a fresh face. I wish I could say I did not care but I do. My feelings are very much hurt and like I mentioned earlier, I feel completely stupid in thinking I had a coworker that had become a true friend.
Back track to the Thursday before (Jan. 23) and it's where the beginning of the end truly started...only I did not realize that then. Long story short, F. and I had a difference of opinion of where W. should be trained that day. I felt she was not ready. F felt she was. Because I disagreed, I immediately got branded the B***h of the day. I did offer a sarcastic apology addressing the fact that F. apparently was the only one "allowed" to have a bad day and to do as she wished. The atmosphere was as chilly as the weather the rest of the day. I eventually asked to leave early as we had no customers to warrant 3 employees.
It did not help that later that day I found out that F. had told someone I had already quit. I did go to work (a couple of weeks ago) and did give my notice but I had also asked her to keep that tidbit of info to herself. She promised. What happened in the meantime was that an agreement was made to cut my hours and get a raise.
So here we are again....Monday morning. I was all pleasant and thought things had blown over. People have bad days. Friends take the good with the bad especially when the bad is not very often. Apparently F. was holding a grudge. Short temper, short words and informing me "we" needed to discuss the last time we worked together. I really did try my best but there is only so much a person can take. Grow up! The last straw for me was when I asked about her telling my friend that I had quit...she denied it...to the point that she called that person a liar. Frustration, hurt feelings and just flat out being pissed off hit me all at the same time.
In that instant, I knew my place was home with my daughter being a Mama, catching her up on her home school studies, and being home to keep my house up and be the loving and not exhausted wife that my husband deserves. These are priceless and non material things that a job making minimum wage can never ever compare to. (I took a job making way less that what I am qualified to so to avoid the drama and just work a few hours. I can easily go to work tomorrow with my dialysis experience and phlebotomy license.)
So here I sit....blogging....venting....purging....and getting my life back into a sensible and balanced order. God and family first. Faith that as long as I keep God first, then everything else will fall into place.
Proverbs 3:6 - In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
It's been nine days since that Monday.
Nine days since I could not take it anymore and quit my job.
I feel so foolish in my judgement of thinking someone was my friend. As soon as the new girl W. was hired, I was booted to the curb. All my efforts of being a good coworker and friend went up in smoke. All the days of trying to educate, the extra time that I spent outside of work creating notes for some of the techy stuff and the days I worried over her (F.) and fixed a hot lunch and offered a shoulder to "lean on" were very easy to replace by a fresh face. I wish I could say I did not care but I do. My feelings are very much hurt and like I mentioned earlier, I feel completely stupid in thinking I had a coworker that had become a true friend.
Back track to the Thursday before (Jan. 23) and it's where the beginning of the end truly started...only I did not realize that then. Long story short, F. and I had a difference of opinion of where W. should be trained that day. I felt she was not ready. F felt she was. Because I disagreed, I immediately got branded the B***h of the day. I did offer a sarcastic apology addressing the fact that F. apparently was the only one "allowed" to have a bad day and to do as she wished. The atmosphere was as chilly as the weather the rest of the day. I eventually asked to leave early as we had no customers to warrant 3 employees.
It did not help that later that day I found out that F. had told someone I had already quit. I did go to work (a couple of weeks ago) and did give my notice but I had also asked her to keep that tidbit of info to herself. She promised. What happened in the meantime was that an agreement was made to cut my hours and get a raise.
So here we are again....Monday morning. I was all pleasant and thought things had blown over. People have bad days. Friends take the good with the bad especially when the bad is not very often. Apparently F. was holding a grudge. Short temper, short words and informing me "we" needed to discuss the last time we worked together. I really did try my best but there is only so much a person can take. Grow up! The last straw for me was when I asked about her telling my friend that I had quit...she denied it...to the point that she called that person a liar. Frustration, hurt feelings and just flat out being pissed off hit me all at the same time.
In that instant, I knew my place was home with my daughter being a Mama, catching her up on her home school studies, and being home to keep my house up and be the loving and not exhausted wife that my husband deserves. These are priceless and non material things that a job making minimum wage can never ever compare to. (I took a job making way less that what I am qualified to so to avoid the drama and just work a few hours. I can easily go to work tomorrow with my dialysis experience and phlebotomy license.)
So here I sit....blogging....venting....purging....and getting my life back into a sensible and balanced order. God and family first. Faith that as long as I keep God first, then everything else will fall into place.
Proverbs 3:6 - In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
Friday, January 24, 2014
Wonder Woman I Am Not!
So far, Operation "Check the Mail Daily" has been pretty successful. There's only been a few days that I have not checked it but it was because of rain or laziness, not because of the "dread." I have my "tax" box all ready for all the documents needed that have yet to come in the mail for the loveliness of tax season. This season is going to be complicated with the Obamacare going into effect - but that's a whole other story........
Another hurdle I have been working on has been work. I don't have a hard job. It's mostly just customer service which I can do in spades. It's the time invested. I went back to work November 1st, 2012 on a part-time basis. Part time as in 2 days a week. Six weeks into the job my bosses wife passed away and less than 2 weeks after that one of the other employee's had a head on collision on the way to work. He survived but was set to be out of work for months (and never returned). There were only 4 employees to start with and that included me. I then started working 3 days a week...Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. In between all of this, I was "trying" to homeschool. Another girl was hired in January...she immediately started having health problems, was very unreliable, quit in April (I think). That put us back to 3. Another girl who had been there 3 years quit in July. Down to 2 of us. Me and the bosses daughter. The girl that quit because of health problems came back...issues resolved and another girl was hired but only worked from July to September. Throw in me not working at all in August because of my Dad's health scare, and the fact that the bosses daughter left to go on maternity leave as soon as I came back. Work was a hot mess! The holidays were horrendous to work because the boss man did not hire any holiday help...so no days off.....not happy. The home school scenario...well....not much of it was happening....the house for the most part stayed cleaned but what did it matter...I was too exhausted to enjoy it or my family.
Two weeks ago, I had just had it. My daughter needed me, my husband deserved me not being so exhausted when he was home and I deserved to not feel so completely drained all the time, so I returned to work and gave the boss my notice. It was emotional, but it was also a decision I had prayed over...A LOT! We have since come to a compromise. I will work 2 days a week and I got a raise. Also another employee was hired to work full time and she started this past Monday. She seems nice. I hope she stays.
After the emotional breakdown with work, I now start my day off with my favorite cup. It's my favorite because of the little saying on the inside of the rim and it doesn't hurt that it the perfect size for hot chocolate. YUM!!!! Add to that my daily devotional each morning and the fact that I know in February I will have more time to devote to my family, my nerves have calmed down tremendously.
Why do we as women think we can be Wonder Woman? Why does it take getting to the edge of an emotional breakdown before we tell the world to "back off"!?!?!?!?!
Another hurdle I have been working on has been work. I don't have a hard job. It's mostly just customer service which I can do in spades. It's the time invested. I went back to work November 1st, 2012 on a part-time basis. Part time as in 2 days a week. Six weeks into the job my bosses wife passed away and less than 2 weeks after that one of the other employee's had a head on collision on the way to work. He survived but was set to be out of work for months (and never returned). There were only 4 employees to start with and that included me. I then started working 3 days a week...Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. In between all of this, I was "trying" to homeschool. Another girl was hired in January...she immediately started having health problems, was very unreliable, quit in April (I think). That put us back to 3. Another girl who had been there 3 years quit in July. Down to 2 of us. Me and the bosses daughter. The girl that quit because of health problems came back...issues resolved and another girl was hired but only worked from July to September. Throw in me not working at all in August because of my Dad's health scare, and the fact that the bosses daughter left to go on maternity leave as soon as I came back. Work was a hot mess! The holidays were horrendous to work because the boss man did not hire any holiday help...so no days off.....not happy. The home school scenario...well....not much of it was happening....the house for the most part stayed cleaned but what did it matter...I was too exhausted to enjoy it or my family.
Two weeks ago, I had just had it. My daughter needed me, my husband deserved me not being so exhausted when he was home and I deserved to not feel so completely drained all the time, so I returned to work and gave the boss my notice. It was emotional, but it was also a decision I had prayed over...A LOT! We have since come to a compromise. I will work 2 days a week and I got a raise. Also another employee was hired to work full time and she started this past Monday. She seems nice. I hope she stays.
After the emotional breakdown with work, I now start my day off with my favorite cup. It's my favorite because of the little saying on the inside of the rim and it doesn't hurt that it the perfect size for hot chocolate. YUM!!!! Add to that my daily devotional each morning and the fact that I know in February I will have more time to devote to my family, my nerves have calmed down tremendously.
Why do we as women think we can be Wonder Woman? Why does it take getting to the edge of an emotional breakdown before we tell the world to "back off"!?!?!?!?!
Thursday, January 9, 2014
Hello 2014
Happy New Year!
As I watched the last sunset of 2013, I was reminded of God's blessings and the grace he has shown me and mine over the past year. It was not without hardship by no means, but faith is what has brought us through and will continue to carry us through the coming year (and many more).
After standing in awe of the beauty of a simple sunset and watching as the darkness fell as the day slipped away, I was reminded by my daughter that we had plans to go see the midnight showing of The Hobbit. After working all day I definitely had to take a nap before going. I so wanted to back out of it but I made my daughter a promise that I had to keep. It would have been so very nice to have had the hubby go with us (he would have been doing the driving) but he was out of town for work so we just exchanged midnight text messages. Just another day as the wife of a lineman.
The movie was LONG but quite wonderful in our opinions. It does leave you with a cliff hanger and wishing the movie could continue on. That is the whole point I suppose, suck you in so that you will come to the third installment of the series of movies. Consider me "sucked in". LOL!
Of course after a 2 and half hour movie, what girl does not have to go to the rest room? Apparently we were the LAST ones still in the movies...my lonely little car was the only one still in the parking lot. It was freaky and a bit scary walking out. We did.....really fast and huddled up together and got into the car in Flash Gordon speed.
Breakfast was at the IHOP one block over and after the hour drive back home it was almost 4 a.m. It was all worth it to see my daughter smile and know that her Mama keeps her promises. My son was invited to go with us but he had his own plans and from the photos posted on FB, I see that he had a great time bringing in the new year.
And on that note, I will quit bending your ear and with the most sincerest wishes that you have a year filled with blessings.♥
And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. (ESV) Philippians 4:19
As I watched the last sunset of 2013, I was reminded of God's blessings and the grace he has shown me and mine over the past year. It was not without hardship by no means, but faith is what has brought us through and will continue to carry us through the coming year (and many more).
After standing in awe of the beauty of a simple sunset and watching as the darkness fell as the day slipped away, I was reminded by my daughter that we had plans to go see the midnight showing of The Hobbit. After working all day I definitely had to take a nap before going. I so wanted to back out of it but I made my daughter a promise that I had to keep. It would have been so very nice to have had the hubby go with us (he would have been doing the driving) but he was out of town for work so we just exchanged midnight text messages. Just another day as the wife of a lineman.
The movie was LONG but quite wonderful in our opinions. It does leave you with a cliff hanger and wishing the movie could continue on. That is the whole point I suppose, suck you in so that you will come to the third installment of the series of movies. Consider me "sucked in". LOL!
Of course after a 2 and half hour movie, what girl does not have to go to the rest room? Apparently we were the LAST ones still in the movies...my lonely little car was the only one still in the parking lot. It was freaky and a bit scary walking out. We did.....really fast and huddled up together and got into the car in Flash Gordon speed.
Breakfast was at the IHOP one block over and after the hour drive back home it was almost 4 a.m. It was all worth it to see my daughter smile and know that her Mama keeps her promises. My son was invited to go with us but he had his own plans and from the photos posted on FB, I see that he had a great time bringing in the new year.
And on that note, I will quit bending your ear and with the most sincerest wishes that you have a year filled with blessings.♥
And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. (ESV) Philippians 4:19
Sunday, December 29, 2013
Irrational Fears
Irrational fears.
Almost everybody has one sometimes two.
Mine is checking the mail. A better explanation of it may be of what is in the mail.
I know it sounds crazy and maybe it is. I will go two or three days and will not peek inside it.
Most of the time it's just the usual sale papers and random junk. Other days I get a fantastic prize in the form of a Fingerhut magazine begging me to take advantage of the $400 worth of credit extended to me. I am also given the opportunity to give my money away to various establishments in the form of a bill.
I also get regular goodies from Tangie Baxter, Amazon, and Pangea Reptile.
You would think that with wonderful stuff like that coming to my mail I would "get over it". Believe me I do try. Logically, I know exactly where the irrationality of it all stems from.
I spent ten years struggling as a single mom. No government assistance. Watching my ex gloat because he could still vacation, go to movies etc where as I could not do any of those things. Every time I opened the mailbox it was another bill that I struggled to pay and in some cases could not. I maxed out my credit cards paying attorney fees for divorce/custody issues. When those could not be paid on time anymore, the collection notices started rolling in. The dread and then the despair associated with what was waiting in the mailbox became more than I could bear some days so I just started to only check it every other day. Bad habits formed and over the years I catch myself not checking the mail but once or twice a week. I guess it's my version of "bury my head in the sand". Like I said earlier, logically, I know it's silly and irrational but emotionally I still choke up and hold my breath as if what is in it will hurt me. Financially, we do as well as the rest of folks. Pay the regular bills. NO credit cards any more. Haven't had any of those in years.
I don't really make resolutions for the New Year's but it is my sincere goal to check it daily and quit letting the sight of the mailbox trigger all those old emotions.
Almost everybody has one sometimes two.
Mine is checking the mail. A better explanation of it may be of what is in the mail.
I know it sounds crazy and maybe it is. I will go two or three days and will not peek inside it.
Most of the time it's just the usual sale papers and random junk. Other days I get a fantastic prize in the form of a Fingerhut magazine begging me to take advantage of the $400 worth of credit extended to me. I am also given the opportunity to give my money away to various establishments in the form of a bill.
I also get regular goodies from Tangie Baxter, Amazon, and Pangea Reptile.
You would think that with wonderful stuff like that coming to my mail I would "get over it". Believe me I do try. Logically, I know exactly where the irrationality of it all stems from.
I spent ten years struggling as a single mom. No government assistance. Watching my ex gloat because he could still vacation, go to movies etc where as I could not do any of those things. Every time I opened the mailbox it was another bill that I struggled to pay and in some cases could not. I maxed out my credit cards paying attorney fees for divorce/custody issues. When those could not be paid on time anymore, the collection notices started rolling in. The dread and then the despair associated with what was waiting in the mailbox became more than I could bear some days so I just started to only check it every other day. Bad habits formed and over the years I catch myself not checking the mail but once or twice a week. I guess it's my version of "bury my head in the sand". Like I said earlier, logically, I know it's silly and irrational but emotionally I still choke up and hold my breath as if what is in it will hurt me. Financially, we do as well as the rest of folks. Pay the regular bills. NO credit cards any more. Haven't had any of those in years.
I don't really make resolutions for the New Year's but it is my sincere goal to check it daily and quit letting the sight of the mailbox trigger all those old emotions.
Monday, December 9, 2013
The Christmas Tree
The tree.
The tree that becomes the center piece of so many family traditions during the holiday season. The tree that stresses out women all over the country to get up and decorated in time to actually enjoy it before the process of taking it down. The Christmas Tree.
The goal every year in my home is to get it up on Thanksgiving. My reasons for that is (1) my kiddos are 17 and 24 (2) I have to share them with my ex. (3) My 24 yo has his own life and is always so busy and most importantly (4) It makes me ever so happy to look at my tree later and remember what a wonderful day we had decorating it. No amount of money can buy that wonderous warm fuzzy feeling a Mama gets in her heart when it comes to moments like that with her babies (no matter how old they are!)
This year the family tree trimming has been an EPIC fail. Thus far, I have done nothing but work. I came very close to just buying a tiny table top tree so that after all the Christmas celebrations all that would be needed was to pop it on a shelf in the closet. I finally had a full day off Saturday and got the house back in order and caught up on the mundane chores that had piled up like washing linens and mopping floors. My DD was a huge help with the dusting, folding of laundry and vacuuming. A feeling of accomplishment filled my soul and at that point the tree came out of the closet. This meant that the living room needed to be rearranged to fit it and the treadmill kicked out and into the art room.
After almost giving myself a hernia dragging it out and cutting through the layers of duct tape holding it closed....I got to my prize. As I looked into that box, I was suddenly rethinking this idea but I had already came this far, so no turning back now. Grinch BEWARE!!!! The tree was going up!!!
Thank goodness I had my helper with me because I probably would have broken something on me or part of the tree putting the heavy middle piece in the post properly. Funny how 12 months makes you VERY forgetful of how much a pain in the "you know what" something can be to piece back together.
But alas, my helper got distracted by Country Dance 2 on the Wii.
And of course when not trying to jump in the box, Ghost thought he had a new hide out built special for him. The other 2 cats were waiting in the wings to see if there would be room for them.
Because women work smarter than men *wink* I had my DD help me label the correct order of the plugs on our prelit tree when we put it away last year. The first 2 years the husband was home to put it up AND watching him cuss and fuss for an hour really sucked the joy out of the day. *Disclaimer for the hubby's sake* The tree came with ZERO indication of the order of the plugs of which I thought was pretty darn stupid.
Victory is ours and despite all the internal whining, the tree was up and all the lights working in 15 minutes. *Girls rule! Boys drool!*
Today marks 16 days until Christmas and this is still how the tree looks. Limbs need to be fluffed and decorations still need to added but that will have to wait until Wednesday when it's not raining and I can get them out of our storage shed.
Despite all the whining, I do so love my tree and the way my family gathers around it during the Christmas season to just revel in the beauty of the twinkling lights and enjoy just taking time to be in each other's company with no distractions. For just a few moments it's like time stands still, so still it lets your heart and soul beat in tandem so that these perfect moments are so clearly defined and held forever precious. ♥
The tree that becomes the center piece of so many family traditions during the holiday season. The tree that stresses out women all over the country to get up and decorated in time to actually enjoy it before the process of taking it down. The Christmas Tree.
The goal every year in my home is to get it up on Thanksgiving. My reasons for that is (1) my kiddos are 17 and 24 (2) I have to share them with my ex. (3) My 24 yo has his own life and is always so busy and most importantly (4) It makes me ever so happy to look at my tree later and remember what a wonderful day we had decorating it. No amount of money can buy that wonderous warm fuzzy feeling a Mama gets in her heart when it comes to moments like that with her babies (no matter how old they are!)
This year the family tree trimming has been an EPIC fail. Thus far, I have done nothing but work. I came very close to just buying a tiny table top tree so that after all the Christmas celebrations all that would be needed was to pop it on a shelf in the closet. I finally had a full day off Saturday and got the house back in order and caught up on the mundane chores that had piled up like washing linens and mopping floors. My DD was a huge help with the dusting, folding of laundry and vacuuming. A feeling of accomplishment filled my soul and at that point the tree came out of the closet. This meant that the living room needed to be rearranged to fit it and the treadmill kicked out and into the art room.
After almost giving myself a hernia dragging it out and cutting through the layers of duct tape holding it closed....I got to my prize. As I looked into that box, I was suddenly rethinking this idea but I had already came this far, so no turning back now. Grinch BEWARE!!!! The tree was going up!!!
Thank goodness I had my helper with me because I probably would have broken something on me or part of the tree putting the heavy middle piece in the post properly. Funny how 12 months makes you VERY forgetful of how much a pain in the "you know what" something can be to piece back together.
But alas, my helper got distracted by Country Dance 2 on the Wii.
And of course when not trying to jump in the box, Ghost thought he had a new hide out built special for him. The other 2 cats were waiting in the wings to see if there would be room for them.
Because women work smarter than men *wink* I had my DD help me label the correct order of the plugs on our prelit tree when we put it away last year. The first 2 years the husband was home to put it up AND watching him cuss and fuss for an hour really sucked the joy out of the day. *Disclaimer for the hubby's sake* The tree came with ZERO indication of the order of the plugs of which I thought was pretty darn stupid.
Victory is ours and despite all the internal whining, the tree was up and all the lights working in 15 minutes. *Girls rule! Boys drool!*
Today marks 16 days until Christmas and this is still how the tree looks. Limbs need to be fluffed and decorations still need to added but that will have to wait until Wednesday when it's not raining and I can get them out of our storage shed.
Despite all the whining, I do so love my tree and the way my family gathers around it during the Christmas season to just revel in the beauty of the twinkling lights and enjoy just taking time to be in each other's company with no distractions. For just a few moments it's like time stands still, so still it lets your heart and soul beat in tandem so that these perfect moments are so clearly defined and held forever precious. ♥
Monday, December 2, 2013
Gratitude
99 days.
99 days of prayers and waiting for my Daddy to get better and come home.
His lungs shut down on him and in the first weeks I was not even sure he would pull through. Those were the weeks I did not leave the ICU waiting room or my Mama. The weeks I dragged my daughter around and we slept in the chairs "just in case". A decision was made to replace his intubation tube from the ventilator with a trach. Next came a move to a medical rehab and weaning from the ventilator. Other hurdles such as learning how to swallow so he could eat and small things as making a fist or moving his feet became monumental victories. One more move to an intense physical rehab was in store. It was the worst experience my Daddy has ever had. He was there to relearn everything from brushing his teeth to walking. They did their job in the therapy part. Nursing wise - much was to be desired. Regardless of that my Daddy is home. He can walk with a walker :-) and tend to his basic needs.
This Thanksgiving I am humbled with much Gratitude for all the Blessings my family have been given by my Daddy being home.
Monday, September 9, 2013
.....and life goes on.....
Ahhhh....getting back into the swing of things...school, blogging, work.... the day to day routine of life. One morning I wake up with the whole year ahead of me and it seems like no time flat here I am in September. Where does the time go? So many things planned to do and and only a handful accomplished. Should I celebrate the things done or the things undone? Definitely a conundrum and point of view problem. I most definitely flip-flop between both views. Am I the only one? Surely not!
My Daddy has been in the hospital since August 9th. ICU and on a ventilator. He was diagnosed with emphysema 13 years ago and has managed it very well. The doctor he was using is a quack in my opinion but that is just me. He needed to have been referred to a specialist a long time ago but this doctor just does not do that and my Daddy is not one that actively searches to go in the first place. My Mama barely got him to the ER here in our small town in time to do anything good for him. I demanded a transfer to a larger hospital the next day when the respiratory therapist exhausted all other efforts to help him with his breathing and mentioned that the next step to help him was a ventilator.
It's breaking my heart to see my Daddy in this condition. He was transferred to a Long Term Acute Care facility on the 30th after having a trach put in on the 29th. It's on the 8th floor of the hospital but it is a separate facility and had to be discharged from the hospital and admitted to it. This was done in the hope that he can get weaned from the ventilator and get physical therapy at the same time so as to not lose his mobility. So far he is still on the vent and we are praying that this is the week he can come off of it. So if you pray, please say a prayer for him and us that we stay blessed with doctors who make the correct decisions for his treatment, nurses who have the love and strength to put up with his stubborness to push him to do what he needs to do and for us (his family) stay healthy, always have the perfect words for the tough moments and to have a thick skin when he gets frustrated with us for not letting him backslide during his recovery.
My Daddy has been in the hospital since August 9th. ICU and on a ventilator. He was diagnosed with emphysema 13 years ago and has managed it very well. The doctor he was using is a quack in my opinion but that is just me. He needed to have been referred to a specialist a long time ago but this doctor just does not do that and my Daddy is not one that actively searches to go in the first place. My Mama barely got him to the ER here in our small town in time to do anything good for him. I demanded a transfer to a larger hospital the next day when the respiratory therapist exhausted all other efforts to help him with his breathing and mentioned that the next step to help him was a ventilator.
It's breaking my heart to see my Daddy in this condition. He was transferred to a Long Term Acute Care facility on the 30th after having a trach put in on the 29th. It's on the 8th floor of the hospital but it is a separate facility and had to be discharged from the hospital and admitted to it. This was done in the hope that he can get weaned from the ventilator and get physical therapy at the same time so as to not lose his mobility. So far he is still on the vent and we are praying that this is the week he can come off of it. So if you pray, please say a prayer for him and us that we stay blessed with doctors who make the correct decisions for his treatment, nurses who have the love and strength to put up with his stubborness to push him to do what he needs to do and for us (his family) stay healthy, always have the perfect words for the tough moments and to have a thick skin when he gets frustrated with us for not letting him backslide during his recovery.
Monday, November 5, 2012
October Part 1 in Pictures
Ok...You can't say I didn't warn ya that October would be a super busy month. Birthday's, driver's education and let's not forget Halloween all crowd into a wonderful thing I call LIFE♥! Because I have so much wonderful goodness to share ~ (sharing here on my blog helps me remember) ~ all of my October goodies will not be in this post. -->insert very sad face<--- nbsp="nbsp" span="span">
So since a photo is worth a thousand words.........here's some photos!
Here's my DD, Shaina, with her bestie, Angel, on the first day of driver's education. Scary for the Mama's and just in case you can't tell from those beautiful smiles, super duper exciting for them.
And of course, these little ladies passed the course with flying colors! The same day they finished they both were at the DMV taking the exam for their permits. Complete success! Sniff, Sniff! My baby is growing up. Only a parent knows the feeling of being ever so proud and a bit sad all at the same time. Sigh......
The back story on this photo is that it's my Daddy's birthday present. Shhh...no, I will not tell you what it is yet...teeheee! My Daddy is not a big one for foo-fooey stuff esp. gift wrap, so I always go OUT OF MY WAY to make all his gifts from me just that. He does a great job taking it in stride and I think he secretly loves it but can't admit it.
Ta-Da!!! See that smile....SCORE!!!!! Brownie points for me! I remembered that my Mama mentioned he wanted a HUGE wind chime. It's not the huge one he wanted but it was the biggest one I could find that day. It sounds amazing and so peaceful when the wind blows it. Seriously though, there's something special that's all warm and fuzzy that wraps around you when you can bring joy and happiness to a parent. Or as we say in the south...your Mama and Daddy♥
And this is George ~ George Bones to be exact. He was not to be left out at Daddy's birthday. See....we save mayonnaise jars for George. He loves to lick all the extra we can't get out of them. And if you have not guessed yet, the ones I bring him always have a bit extra. If you look closely at the paw on the jar, it's a huge paw, not a small jar. George happens to be a bull mastiff. Size wise, he's about the size of a miniature horse. He is spoiled rotten, so rotten in fact, that during the summer my Daddy fills up a big bowl of ice cubes from the ice maker and George will chew on them like we would eat a bag of potato chips.
So that's part 1 of October. Coming up....oh well....you will see...
So since a photo is worth a thousand words.........here's some photos!
Here's my DD, Shaina, with her bestie, Angel, on the first day of driver's education. Scary for the Mama's and just in case you can't tell from those beautiful smiles, super duper exciting for them.
And of course, these little ladies passed the course with flying colors! The same day they finished they both were at the DMV taking the exam for their permits. Complete success! Sniff, Sniff! My baby is growing up. Only a parent knows the feeling of being ever so proud and a bit sad all at the same time. Sigh......
The back story on this photo is that it's my Daddy's birthday present. Shhh...no, I will not tell you what it is yet...teeheee! My Daddy is not a big one for foo-fooey stuff esp. gift wrap, so I always go OUT OF MY WAY to make all his gifts from me just that. He does a great job taking it in stride and I think he secretly loves it but can't admit it.
Ta-Da!!! See that smile....SCORE!!!!! Brownie points for me! I remembered that my Mama mentioned he wanted a HUGE wind chime. It's not the huge one he wanted but it was the biggest one I could find that day. It sounds amazing and so peaceful when the wind blows it. Seriously though, there's something special that's all warm and fuzzy that wraps around you when you can bring joy and happiness to a parent. Or as we say in the south...your Mama and Daddy♥
And this is George ~ George Bones to be exact. He was not to be left out at Daddy's birthday. See....we save mayonnaise jars for George. He loves to lick all the extra we can't get out of them. And if you have not guessed yet, the ones I bring him always have a bit extra. If you look closely at the paw on the jar, it's a huge paw, not a small jar. George happens to be a bull mastiff. Size wise, he's about the size of a miniature horse. He is spoiled rotten, so rotten in fact, that during the summer my Daddy fills up a big bowl of ice cubes from the ice maker and George will chew on them like we would eat a bag of potato chips.
So that's part 1 of October. Coming up....oh well....you will see...
Sunday, October 7, 2012
Leaping Lizards She's Gonna Drive!
I don't know about you but I just can't believe it's October already. The official start of the holidays for us. Between birthdays and holidays busy does not even describe the chaos that usually encircles our lives this time of year.
But before all that starts my baby girl starts driver's education on Monday with her bestie. I have not let her take it before now because I just didn't think she was ready. In my opinion, just because you hit a certain age does not automatically make you mature enough to drive. She has been a good sport about it all though and if she had taken it sooner she would not be taking it with her friend. I remember getting to take driver's ed as an elective in high school for a $50.00 fee. Nowadays it costs an arm and a leg here in Louisiana.
A $350.00 arm and leg to be exact. My niece lives in a suburb of Ft. Worth and over there it's only going to cost her around $60.00 and she can take her "class work" online. Here Shaina must put in 30 hours of classroom time and 8 hours of behind the wheel time. I really hope that the perils of driving and texting are addressed. This hits close to hope as a good friend of ours just laid her 24 yo son to rest this past Saturday for this very reason.
We also added a new gecko to our family. We have not had much luck with the past two reptiles. The water lizard perished because of shock. We had a flat tire on the way home from getting him and the stress of being in his carton too long before he was in his permanent home with us was just too much.
We then traded him for a bearded dragon. We actually got past the "warranty' period with him and we thought he was doing great. The only problem was that his tank and lights kept Shaina's room incredibly hot so we moved him to the living room. BIG MISTAKE!!! We could not keep him warm enough and he got very lethargic....soooo we moved him back to her room. He perked up immediately and we thought things were fine. Eight days later~DEAD!
My girl was devasted. I was pretty sad too. We invested a lot of time into this little guy and he was great fun to watch.
About 3 weeks ago we went to the pet store to purchase just regular little lizards like we see run around our yard. Instead of those we ended up getting a Crested Gecko.
I introduce to you "Pumpkin".
Last Wednesday I skipped Bible study at church so that me and Shaina could have supper with my son. He has one more year left in college and stays so busy. A sure fire way to see a son is to promise food of any sort so I treated us all to a sit down meal at Cheddar's. It's definitely a favorite place to eat. Good food and affordable! We always go by the pet store when we go to Shreveport so that's what me and Shaina did after we ate. Well...we came home with another gecko. Love these little guys. I am pretty positive this one is a boy. Finger's crossed that Pumpkin is a girl. This fella started out as mine but as of Saturday Shaina has decided to "trade" with me.
I introduce to you "Chevy".
I think the most fun of having 2 geckos is that my DD feels like she has a "hobby" with me. She just got plumb tickled when I bought Chevy. Who would have thought a Mama could bond with her teenage daughter over a reptile? It really goes to show ya that it's just taking the time to be interested in what your kiddo likes to keep that bond and line of communication open.
Well this has been a pretty lengthy post so I will close for now. See ya's on the flipside!!!!
Monday, September 24, 2012
Miracle Drug
We flew through last week like a tornado. I was acutely aware that it was the last week of summer and more than excited to welcome autumn. It however has yet to bring relief in the form of cooler weather. >very sad face<
Last Thursday was salon day again-->all fancy sounding<--the normal lingo around our house is haircut day...cuz by golly it's time to get that hair cut out of the eyes. I am mostly happy with my cut. Mostly means my stylist got the front right and not too short around my face but an epic fail with how she cut the back. Huge note to self....bring more photos. She has been cutting and styling my hair for a year and half now and each time I have to remind her to not cut too short. She however did an AMAZING job on my DD's hair. She wanted her's to have an edgy rocker chick look and that's exactly what she got. All in all I can't complain.
After lunch we tackled the dr. appt. I had made for DD. School work has always been a struggle. The environment at public school ended up being a negative and toxic force in her life. I can say though that for the most part her teachers worked hand in hand with me to help with DD's studies. I have been home schooling for a year and a half. I thought that more one on one time would help her. I had pursued all avenues and the only one left that I did not want to face was testing her for ADD. She is not hyper so not ADHD. Forms had to be filled out. People tracked down to help fill them out. Forms delivered. Wait. Wait. Wait. A call for an appt. to see the dr. finally comes.
End result. Yes for ADD. Fast forward. Only 3 days on her meds and she has worked independently which she just does not do well and she has worked ahead of her schedule. She expressed to me that it just makes sense to her now. I can not even express in words how excited I am that my sweet teenager is now able to be successful in her studies.
I was able to squeeze in a page created from a prompt on the Art Journal Caravan at SBG. I am a little ..ok A LOT...behind but that's ok. The image will be linked for full credits. Just Click on it.
Last Thursday was salon day again-->all fancy sounding<--the normal lingo around our house is haircut day...cuz by golly it's time to get that hair cut out of the eyes. I am mostly happy with my cut. Mostly means my stylist got the front right and not too short around my face but an epic fail with how she cut the back. Huge note to self....bring more photos. She has been cutting and styling my hair for a year and half now and each time I have to remind her to not cut too short. She however did an AMAZING job on my DD's hair. She wanted her's to have an edgy rocker chick look and that's exactly what she got. All in all I can't complain.
After lunch we tackled the dr. appt. I had made for DD. School work has always been a struggle. The environment at public school ended up being a negative and toxic force in her life. I can say though that for the most part her teachers worked hand in hand with me to help with DD's studies. I have been home schooling for a year and a half. I thought that more one on one time would help her. I had pursued all avenues and the only one left that I did not want to face was testing her for ADD. She is not hyper so not ADHD. Forms had to be filled out. People tracked down to help fill them out. Forms delivered. Wait. Wait. Wait. A call for an appt. to see the dr. finally comes.
End result. Yes for ADD. Fast forward. Only 3 days on her meds and she has worked independently which she just does not do well and she has worked ahead of her schedule. She expressed to me that it just makes sense to her now. I can not even express in words how excited I am that my sweet teenager is now able to be successful in her studies.
I was able to squeeze in a page created from a prompt on the Art Journal Caravan at SBG. I am a little ..ok A LOT...behind but that's ok. The image will be linked for full credits. Just Click on it.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
.
.
Follow on Instagram
Favorite Places
Current Projects/Classes
About Me
- Balinda (RebelChick)
- Just an everyday girl trying to find my way in the world to live life fiercely and passionately. I was a signature tagger for several years but art journaling has replaced that passion and it feeds my soul creativiely and spiritually. I also homeschool my DD, scrapbook, play around in photography, spoil my cats and drive my hubby insane on a daily basis. My faith in the Lord helps me juggle all these blessings. I keep this blog because it makes me happy. Sometimes I blog a lot and other times it collects a little dust. Thanks for visiting and being my friend.♥