I'm back!

I've missed blogging lately, tried to keep reading others, but didn't have time to blog. I've been helping Mama & Daddy in their garden & yard some the last couple of weeks. Picking butter beans, making tomato juice (I let Mama can it), weeding flower beds at my house and theirs. Mama & I have been shopping a little bit too. Hit a few antique shops & found a few treasures. Today I found a hobnail milk glass cookie jar. I was thrilled, because I saw one in May for much more.
If you get a chance you need to visit the new Riverside Mill in Weldon, NC. There are some beautiful paintings, whimsical metal sculptures, wood items, pottery and more in the gallery area. Then there are quite a few booths of antiques & collectibles-prices vary from very reasonable to a bit high-something for most budgets though. There are also shops in the basement. (We didn't get down there-Mama was getting too tired).
Mama is still having trouble breathing and getting so weak. Still has some doctor appt. coming up. Continue remembering her and Geraldine (Alan's mom) in your prayers. She also has more appt. scheduled. They have some days that they can get around fairly well, then days that they can hardly make it. Both are really frustrated as well as worried.
Oh, almost forgot! I finally made my 10% weight loss goal this week, actually passed it! I've lost a total of 27.4 lbs now! The last few weeks I've been up & down by 1-1 1/2 lbs. couldn't seem to quite get to the goal. I was so happy Wed. night when I finally got there. I've been able to get into some clothes that I haven't worn in several years! Had to buy a few new tops too-one & two sizes smaller!!! Much more to go, but I know it can be done! I have 2 Dr. appts. this week, for checkups and I can't wait to see what they have to say!
Hope everyone has a blessed Sunday!

Meanderings

We had a wonderful relaxing week at Holden Beach, NC last week! Plus we got to spend some time with my Dad's side of the family. Alan & I spent a few hours at the beach each day, rode bikes, walked, visited uncles, aunts & cousins, & ate too much! One night my aunt cooked a delicious country supper (fried pork chops, rice & gravy, homemade biscuits, beans, cabbage, fresh tomatoes, cucumbers, & cantalope). My aunt is a wonderful cook and the food was sooo good, but sharing it with family around the table was the best part. Always a highlight to a trip down there is if we get to spend some time with one of my cousins & his family. He's like a brother to me. We had lunch with them one day which was really a treat. I hate I didn't get to see much of my other cousins, but they weren't on vacation and the work must go on. It was a simple week, extremely enjoyable. Even with all the splurging on food - I still managed to lose 1.6 lbs for a total of 25 lbs lost!!! I was thrilled! I had hoped for 2.6 to reach my 10% goal, but hopefully that will come this week!

This week we had a scare with Alan's mom and she had to have a heart cath on Thursday, but her problem isn't with her heart. We are thankful for that, but she will have more tests to hopefully find out what is causing her trouble. My mom is still undergoing tests and seeing specialists to determine what is causing her weakness & shortness of breath. She & Geraldine have similar symptoms, but some differences. Thanks for the prayers for both ladies and please continue remembering them.

If you're a regular reader, you know that Alan & I don't live what most people would call an "exciting" life, we don't travel to exotic places or do whatever those exciting people do, but it's the life we've chosen & we treasure it. Our world pretty much revolves around our families, a few close friends, church, work, home and a few civic activities. We love living in our small rural hometown: it's who we are-where we come from... (are you humming a country song yet?) I'm country. I truly believe I would suffocate and die in a big city! I have to have room, know the people around me, feel and smell the dirt and grass.It may sound trite, but it makes me smile & brightens my day when friends wave as we pass each other on the road or stop to chat as we walk by each other's houses. Sure, it's frustrating sometimes when it seems everyone knows your business, but the upside is that when you need support, friends are there to show concern & help. I'm content with our life, frankly extremely thankful for our life. Does that mean I'm too simplistic, idealistic, & shallow? Am I inferior because I don't read deep philosphical books that I can't even pronounce the title or author? Should I even care? Several conversations during the last few months have me wondering. Am I so different from others? Sometimes I think I must have been kidnapped by aliens from the 1800's or early twentieth century and brought back in 1963.
Sorry for totally rambling, maybe you can make some sense of it all.

Happy Father's Day!

Wishing my Daddy (Ernie) and Alan's Dad (J.P.) a Happy Father's Day! The moms will probably get me for not writing about them on Mother's Day! Another time Moms!)
We had a wonderful lunch with our dads and the rest of our family here at our house.
Down-home Southern country cooking-it doesn't get much better. Baked ham, fresh homegrown (Daddy) snaps (green beans for readers outside of northeastern NC), squash, hashbrown casserole, rice cooked in ham broth, potato salad and pineapple cake. I'll definitely need to get some exercise going this week!! But really most things were cooked following Weight Watchers & diabetic guidelines, including the cake. (We won't talk about portion control though). LOL.

Alan, Shari & I are very fortunate when it comes to our dads! They are the best two dads in the world!! Both are honorable men, strong in their Christian faith and love for their families. Daddy and J.P. both are firm disciplinarians when they need to be, but also the ones we seek for for strength & comfort when we need it. They both enjoy gardening and piddling around outside. Both men are well-known for their teasing and aggravating! You're okay if they are teasing & picking on you, but if they aren't-you'd better tread lightly. One of the special bonds between J.P. and I is our love of flowers and animals. We always have to walk around each other's yards to see what's blooming, and trading plants & bulbs. I must say I've gotten the better end of that deal-he has more to share than I do. I've enjoyed his chickens, peacocks, collies and other animals through the years (not so much the parrots & Quaker Parakeets & tarantula!). I love him dearly and am so glad he is my father-in-law, and so glad he raised such a wonderful son.

I'm totally a Daddy's Girl and my daddy has always been my Hero, with a capital H! As a child, I wanted to be just like him! (Not so easy for a girl). I would get mad when people told me I looked "just like your Mama", which happens at least weekly now. When I was around 3 or 4, I cut my hair one night. I started above my ear! My comment was "I want to be like my daddy!" I had a very short pixie for awhile. I always wanted to go wherever he went (and didn't like it one bit if I couldn't go.) To this day, he better not leave without telling me "Bye" and hugging me, or I'll be in tears. I think some of this comes from him being a NC State Trooper, and we realized the importance of saying goodbye and getting a hug before he left for work each day, because you just never knew if it would be the last one. Of course none of us do, but it was a high risk profession. While I want my mama and Alan there when I'm upset or something is wrong, I need my "Diddy" too. They each have an important, yet different role to play. Somehow it just seems that it will be all right eventually if he is there. Daddy is the tower of strength and wisdom in our family. He has impeccable judgement and the gift of discernment, so I, as well as other family members & friends often seek his guidance. Now if you know me, you know I love Alan with all my heart; he's my best friend & the other half of me, and he ranks right up there with Daddy, but he'll be the first to tell you that 99% of the time I'll go with what Daddy says. Can't help it, just the way I am.
I love you "Diddy" and you're still my HERO!

Summertime and the livin's easy (almost)

Well, school is out and I should be out too, but I have a little more cleaning up and wrapping up loose ends to take care of tomorrow and then I'll be done for the summer!!! Of course I have about 2 summers' worth of stuff I want to do during these few weeks! Tons of stuff to do around the house & yard, going to the beach, doing some fun stuff with Corey & Shari, spending time with our family & friends, helping Mama & Daddy in their garden, swinging on my porch, walking, going on some day trips with Alan, sleeping late a few days, reading, scrapbooking, crafting....wonder if I'll get 1/4 of it done? I'll take it a day at a time and try to enjoy each to it's fullest.
Hope everyone has a great week.

The Light at the end of the Tunnel!

Well, I can see the light now-2 more days of school! Lots of deadlines and stuff this last week, but it won't last too long. I know I'll be missing the kids in a few weeks, but right now I can't wait for a few weeks to just be ME.

This week was MUCH better than last week. It seemed long, but no slinky visitors at least. I was very excited Wed. night at Weight Watchers. I had lost again and hit the 20 lb lost mark!!!! I still have a long ways to go-but that there's less of me going!!!! Thanks to those who got me motivated to join WW, now you gotta get back in the game with me. I miss you!

Nothing much going on. Gotta get busy cleaning up! Have a good weekend everyone.

What a Week! Don't let the pics scare you!

Give me simple and boring any day. This week was too much!

First of all, Alan left last Thursday (May 22) to go to West Virginia for 9 days on a NC Baptist Men Disaster Relief project, to help clean up from a Mother's Day weekend flood. This really means alot to him and he's really missed helping for the last year & half with the collapsed disks & surgery. I admire him for going, but I hate when he's gone. I didn't sleep very well even though Mama was here a few nights, I never do when Alan's gone.

The good part of the week was at WW Wednesday night-I had lost 4.2 lbs!!! I was so excited. I had a small gain the week before and was kinda down about it, unmotivated, etc.

Thursday we had a bomb threat at school!! My first one ever. To make it worse, it poured rain while we were all outside! It was scary! I hated that some fool upset the kids so much. I pray they catch them and prosecute to the fullest. Friday, everyone was kinda apprehensive, but we got through the day with no more threats.

I was excited to get home Friday, because Alan was almost home!!! I pulled into the driveway and before I got out of the car, he pulled in!! Halleluia!! I told him I was sticking like glue this weekend! About an hour after he got home we went out on the porch. He was starting the grill and I was just gonna sit out there with him. As he walked by the table to the grill, I saw a snake laying on the table!!! At least about a foot of him was-the rest was coiled inside a little decorative house Alan built several yrs. ago that lights up! I yelled to Alan to get away, and I ran to the shed to get the shovel while Alan watched the varmit. He crawled back into the house and Alan finally had to pry the bottom off to get him out and kill him.

About mid-morning today, Major (our collie) started barking. Not his "I'm gonna eat you alive" bark, just short yelps. I went out to see what was wrong. There was a baby robin in his pen. It had fallen from the pine tree above. Major wasn't bothering it, just looking curiously at it (thank goodness!) I picked it up and its parents were calling to it from the trees around the pen. The little bird chirped and chirped. I put it outside the pen near where the parents kept perching. They didn't see him as he blended in with the dirt and he was not chirping much any more, actually dozing off. I was afraid a snake would get him, or Major when he was let out. So I rigged up a pot nest with some coconut hanging basket liner and hung in one of the trees. I checked on him several times. He seemed to be getting weaker and couldn't make a sound anymore. I was crying when Alan came out to see where I was. I just knew it was gonna die. The parent birds still kept going over to the pen, not to the tree. So I moved the pot nest to the fence. When we got back from Franklin about 4:30 he was sitting up alert and the parents were on the top of the fence. Hopefully he will be okay after all.

Mama in the tree right above her baby.

I hope the coming week is much calmer!

Sharing flowers

I've really missed blogging the last few weeks. Just too busy and exhausted to think what to write. I finally passed my 5% goal in WW!! Two weeks ago I lost 3 lbs and reached a total of 15 lbs lost!!! I was totally thrilled!! This past Wed. I was exactly the same (at least no gain)! I'm trying harder this week.

I thought I would share some photos of my flowers.

I love these old-fashioned flowers. I don't know the name of them-they're a type of lamb's ear, but not the broad leaf variety. As a child I called my grandmother's "velvet flowers" and it stuck

in our family. These are decendents from her plants. I love flowers that come back and don't need any help from me-just to love them!

Oh how sweet the smell! Magnolia grandiflora!! Southern sweetness at its best! Another of my most favorite flowers. I got married in May because these would be blooming! Our 24th anniversary is this Monday, May 18th. Like the magnolia, my Alan is sweetness at its best!

Love you sweetie!