Enquiring Minds Want to Know...

I woke up this morning and have never wished harder that I was a work at home or stay at home mom than I ever had. It has rained and rained and rained over night. And it was STILL raining this morning when I woke up. But, my wish did not magically come true and I did come to work. Thankfully, the rain has slacked off for now, although I think we can look forward to scattered showers all day long. And, my mood is mirroring the gray-ness outside...blah.

Oh, well...

Today, I'm linking up with Dollycas' Thoughts for Enquiring Minds Want to Know. Usually we have three questions, but she was tagged in another meme...so, today it's seven questions! :)

1. List four things you carry in your handbag.

I have a small Bible that I carry with me all the time, my glasses, my wallet & chapstick. The essentials! :)

2. List four things on top of your desk.

Well, obviously my computer monitor, pics of Dylan, a music box a friend gave me when I graduated from school (it plays How Great Thou Art) and my coffee...which needs to be refilled!

3. List four of your favorite things in your bedroom.

1 - My bed...I have REAL box springs...it's heavenly.
2 - Can I say the color? It's sage green...it's beautiful.
3 - My toy chest - when I was little my parents had the toy chest made for me...it has my name across the front.
4 - My dresser - it was passed back & forth between me & my sister growing up and is now painted white.

Additional Questions:

List four things you have always wanted to do but haven't.

1 - I know I've said this before, but I really want to learn to play the piano.
2 - Travel outside the US
3 - Run a mile...like the whole mile without having to walk any of it
4 - Go on a cruise

List four things you really enjoy doing at the moment.

1 - Fall TV is back...loving it!
2 - Blogging...and reading blogs
3 - Drinking coffee...always
4 - I'm on break from the Clubhouse at church (our Children's Church) and get to sing with Praise Team...so excited about this!

List four songs you can't get out of your head.

I wish I could...but I don't know song titles...I just know what I hear

List four things we don't know about you.

hmmm...that's equally tough, since I've posted A LOT about myself...but since this is a new meme and potentially new readers, these may be repeats for some of you!

1 - I have a BS in elementary education
2 - I am not a teacher
3 - I work for a construction company
4 - I'm left handed

Hope wherever you are that the weather is sunnier than here and that you have a Happy Thursday. Thank goodness tomorrow is Friday...and I KNOW it's gonna be a Feel Good Friday - the Dixie Classic Fair starts tomorrow! :) I can't wait!!!

Pour Your Heart Out: My scariest parenting moment thus far

Dylan has always been a “rough & tumble” kid. He’s an outdoorsy kid and always spent hours running through our backyard, digging in my parent’s garden, jumping off of things, etc. Our first trip for x-rays was when he was 6. One day, I was getting him out of the car at school and he said “My pinky finger hurts”. I looked at it – it was swollen and all shades of black, blue, green & yellow. I said, “What in the world happened to your finger?” Evidently, the day prior they had been playing in the gym and somehow his hand, specifically his finger, got slammed into the stage at the school. But the next morning at 7:45 on our way into school was the first he’d complained or said anything about it. Thankfully it was just badly bruised and not broken. We’ve had other fingers x-rayed, but he’s always come back fine…just a sprain or bruising…no broken bones. Knock on wood. Lots of wood, please! :)


Anyway, on January 3, 2007, Dylan woke up complaining of his neck hurting. I remember the exact date because it was my sister’s birthday. I brushed it off as him sleeping funny on his neck and we went on with our day. He acted fine, seemed to feel fine. We celebrated my sister’s birthday that evening and I do remember him complaining about his neck hurting. I continued to brush it off as a simple crick in his neck, knowing that it may take a few days to loosen up.

The next morning, Dylan woke up and began to complain that his ear was hurting, along with his neck. At this point, I assumed that he had an ear infection. Other than complaining of the pain, I figured he’d be OK to go to school and I’d take him to the doctor after school. No need in missing a day of school for a simple ear infection, right?

*Please note that since this all happened I have had a double ear infection – the first in my life – and I’m not sure why I thought ear infections were simple or something that a child could deal with while at school. We live & learn, huh?

So, I call his doctor in the morning and schedule an appointment. I planned to pick him up around 2:00 for a 2:30ish appointment. I went through my work day, a little concerned, because my kid was not feeling well, but I knew that he would be fine once he got an antibiotic in him. When I left work to go pick him up, I realized I had a voicemail on my phone, which was from the school stating that Dylan just did not seem to be feeling well and I probably needed to come pick him up. No worries – I was already on my way to get him. When I got to the school, he really didn’t look like he felt well. But, I attributed this to him not sleeping well because of the pain in his neck and the ear infection. Again, I assumed that once he got the antibiotics in him, he would begin to feel much better…even by that evening.

We got to the doctor and are seen. They take his temp and I get the first case of mother guilt from this whole episode – he’s running a fever of 102. Wow…and I sent him to school. Next they begin asking about symptoms. I explain the pain that he’s been complaining of in his neck and ear. The nurse asks if his throat hurts. Dylan replies – yes. What??? He had never complained about a sore throat. Second case of mother guilt – why didn’t *I* ask if his throat hurt? So, they test him for strep and we wait for the doctor.

The doctor comes in, examines him, checks his strep test (which comes back positive) and tells me that she thinks he does indeed have strep throat and an ear infection. But, she seems a little more concerned. She was concerned because the pain in Dylan’s neck is causing him to hold his head stiffly. She mentions that sometimes, very rarely, infection will settle into the tissues in your neck and she almost wonders if this is the case with Dylan. But she sends us home with an amoxicillin prescription and she wants to see us again the following day (which is a Friday). So, we make an appointment for 9am the next morning and go home.

Now, to my un-medical-educated self, less than 12 hours on antibiotic does not seem to be enough time to determine that something more is wrong – even though I have seen my child come from one side of strep throat to the other after only a couple of doses; so, I’m not even sure that anything is going to come from our next morning appointment. I do remember that Dylan felt horrible that night and I’m pretty sure he slept with me, as he often did when he was feeling sick. At 8:30, I literally rolled the child out of bed, helped him dress and we went back to the doctor. When we got there, they took his temp – still around 102 – and we waited for the doctor. She came in, asked him if he felt any better, to which he replied “No.”

At this point, she orders at CT scan of his neck. She tells me to go have it done and come back to the office. So, we head over to the radiology office and wait for the CT scan. I’m getting a little nervous about all this and trying to understand what could possibly be wrong that she wants a CT scan. Dylan goes through the scan fine – I think he felt so horrible that he didn’t even care. And we headed back to the doctor’s office. When we get back, we wait for a bit and finally she comes in. The CT scan showed an area in his neck that was abscessed. Meaning, he didn’t have an ear infection and he most likely didn’t have strep throat. Basically, the infection had settled into the tissue in Dylan’s neck muscle and sealed itself off. The doctor she recommends us seeing is at Baptist (one of the BEST pediatric hospitals in the state of NC – which is thankfully IN Winston-Salem), but we will have to see him through the ED because this doctor is not in clinic today and can only be seen through the ED. (I’ve yet to figure out why every other hospital in America uses the term ER, but Baptist calls it the ED – Emergency Dept. I guess it is a little more accurate than “room”, but still.)

So, we head back to the radiology office to get the CT films and then head over to the hospital. I have to call my mom on the way to let her know…I do remember this phone call very vividly, because I had to tell her all the details BEFORE I mentioned the ED. We got to the ED and all I really remember is that they already were waiting for us…we waited a long time…they began an IV antibiotic and didn’t decide to admit him until well after lunch. Our pediatrician had already mentioned that they may treat it with high dose antibiotics, but there was a possibility that they’d have to do surgery. Dylan felt so bad…I remember him just laying there – he’d sleep some and when he wasn’t sleeping, he was just there. People would come in, he’d cooperate and then just lay back down. I remember med students coming in, wanting to look at Dylan’s throat, but what they didn’t realize is that on the surface everything was fine. There was no knot…no swelling…his tonsils weren’t enlarged – quite honestly, no one could believe that his pediatrician had figured out what was wrong with him.

After a while of waiting, I came to grips with the fact that most likely, my child would have to have surgery to fix this problem. Finally a doctor came in (not THE doctor that the pediatrician wanted him to see, but one that worked with him) and confirmed that the area needed to be surgically drained. So, Dylan was admitted with strict instructions that he should have no food or drink. And around 8pm, they finally came to get him for surgery. We went through all the warnings, consents, etc. And at 9pm, the began his surgery.

Quite honestly, that was one of the hardest things – walking away from the prep room. Knowing that I couldn’t be with him from there. Putting my trust into a strangers hands…one that I hadn’t even laid eyes on.

But, in the midst of all of this, I had the greatest sense of peace and calm. I know it was sent directly down to me from God. And God gave me “signs”, if you will. The first came when we entered the ED. Dylan’s middle name is Alexander, which is the last name of a good friend of mine from college. We had fallen out of touch…I knew she was in the area and I even knew she worked at Baptist. But I never expected to see her when I got to the ED. She wasn’t in the pediatric ED, but she came over to check on us when she got a break. I hadn’t seen her in years. As nervous and anxious as I was, it was so calming to see a familiar face.

The next came when Dylan was actually taken to his room. The nurse came in and I swear she was the spitting image of his step-mom. This is a good thing because, even when I’m aggravated at his dad, I think a lot of his step-mom. She even had the same demeanor.

The third came shortly after this when our Associate Pastor’s wife came to check on us. She worked for the doctor who was actually going to do Dylan’s surgery. I’ve known her for years, but Baptist is a big place with lots of doctors. I had no idea even what department she worked in. But she had come down because she had seen Dylan’s information come through their office…and she reassured me that he was the best.

Roughly 15 minutes after Dylan’s surgery began, I was called in the waiting area and told that everything was good. That they had been able to effectively drain the abscess and that Dylan had done great through everything. Shortly after that, I was able to go back with him while in recovery. We spent three more days in the hospital – they wouldn’t send him home until his fever had come down to low grade or normal…which it finally did on the following Monday.

The best news came when we went back for our follow up and I heard the doctor say “I’ve never seen this happen twice to one person.” He went on to say he didn’t know why, but that he’d never had to treat a repeat event of this phenomenon.

And true to his word, three years later, we’ve never had a repeat occurrence. For which I’m truly thankful.

And while this was one of the scariest events in my life as a mother, it was also one of great peace. I can never explain how I got through that without breaking down – not even once – other than that God had his hand on us the whole time.

I am officially done! :)

Well, I DID get all my baking done.  I can hardly believe it.  And so far, everything has been declared as good by my co-workers! :)  Since Saturday, I have made 3 dozen snickerdoodles, 4 dozen oatmeal raisin cookies, one loaf of banana bread, one dozen blueberry muffins and I just pulled the pound cake out of the oven!  That's five entries...shew! :)

So over the past four days I've used...

10 1/4 cups flour
2 tablespoons baking powder, plus 2 teaspoons
6 1/4 cup sugar, plus 2 tablespoons
1 stick butter
5 sticks margarine
1/4 cup Crisco
11 eggs
1 3/4 cup milk, plus 5 tablespoons
1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 3/4 teaspoon of baking soda
1/8 + 1/2 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
3 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup oil
2 bananas

I don't know about you...but that's a lot of flour, sugar & eggs!!!

If you missed my cookies, you can click here.

These are my blueberry muffins...

Yes...you will notice that one is missing! :)  I had to test them!  I'm not real happy with how they turned out...they aren't pretty and that is part of the judging criteria.  I'm still turning them in.  I only have to send 4 so I'll pick the best 4!

As far as my pound cake...I'm a little bummed at the moment...I was so careful, but the entire inside stuck to the tube.  Egads!  I only have to send 1/2...but the whole thing stuck.  Hmmm...arrrrggghhh!  Of course, I don't have time to try again!

Oh, well...we shall see! :)

And what will I get for my efforts? 

For muffins & banana bread - $10 for 1st place, $8 for 2nd, $6 for 3rd

Pound cake - $14 for 1st place, $12 for 2nd, $10 for 3rd

Cookes - $10 for 1st place, $8 for 2nd, $6 for 3rd

And if you get "Best in Show", you get an additional $10!

Well...I'm off.  I have to get up super early to finish packaging my entries.  We will see on Friday if I won anything! :)

Monday Minute & Friend Makin' Monday

Today is the first Monday Minute brought to you by Cristy over at Is There a Doctor in the House?.  If you'd like to participate, go on over and link up!

(1) What’s the last restaurant you went to and what did you order?

Cookout!  All of you who live outside of NC are missing out on one of the best fast food restaurants.  Period.  No contest.  On Friday night, I went to get food from Cookout and then ate it at my sister's house.  The #1 reason I love this restaurant???  Dylan & I can BOTH eat for right around, if not under, $10.  And we get LOTS of food!  On Friday, Dylan got a chicken quesadilla tray (which comes with 2 quesadillas), with a side of quesadilla (1) and fries, a huge sweet tea and a BLT.  I got a corn dog, coke and a push-up milkshake.  Their milkshakes are to die for.  My fav's are the Reese cup, pineapple and push-up.  They even have a watermelon shake in the summer and eggnog in the winter.  I personally am not a fan of either of these, though.  These restaurants started as drive-thru only, with outdoor seating, but I just happen to live less than 15 minutes from two that have indoor seating. 

Yeah...it's not good for my waistline, but my pocketbook loves it! :)

(2) What's your greatest phobia?

Probably the dark.  I'm better than I used to be, but I'm not a fan....

(3) On a scale of 1 to 10, how hot are you?

really???  I'd only give myself about a 2 or 3.  I think I have a lot of work to do...

(4) You just found out you (or your partner) are having a baby. What's your reaction?

shock...wonderment...awe...and trying to figure out exactly how that happened??? 

If I were married, though, I'd be overjoyed.  Truly...

(5) You just won a free vacation to anywhere in the world. Where would you go?
 
It'd be hard to pick just one place to go, but definitely somewhere in Europe...or something tropical...
 
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And, because I like to only post once per day...here's my Friend Makin' Monday!
 

Friend Makin' Monday is hosted by "Shrinking Kenz" at All the Weigh!  Today we are suppose to write about "My Favorite Weekend Moment".

For me this is kind of hard, because I had a pretty low key weekend.  But probably my favorite moment was on Saturday night.  My sis, mom & I had gone shopping, while Dad watched Dylan & Ayden.  Ayden is on the move, crawling all over the place.  Once he started crawling, he almost immediately began pulling up.  On everything.  And here lately, if it moves, then the item becomes a walker for him...enabling to get wherever he wants as long as the item stabilizing him cooperates (and when it doesn't, well, it's not pretty because Ayden has a little bit of a temper!).  But, here and there, he's begun taking a few tentative steps.  And I got to witness this first hand on Saturday night.  We were all playing in the kitchen when Missy & Mom decided to see if Ayden could walk.  Of course, he doesn't completely realize what he's doing, but whenever he'd make it to Mom or Missy in a couple of hesitant steps, we'd cheer and he'd laugh!  While my sister is certainly not ready for her baby to grow up, I think she's ready for him to be a little more independent because right now all he wants to do is walk while holding on to your hands!  And when YOU don't cooperate, just like the objects he's using as walkers, he doesn't take too kindly to that either! :)

Hope you all have a great Monday...it's a little gloomy here in NC today, but we needed the rain...so I try not to complain!  It was a rainy day yesterday, so I had the whole day to read...and I finished the new Nicholas Sparks novel!  Ohhh....soo good.  Maybe I'll tell you about it tomorrow! :)

This post brought to you by a rainy afternoon!

As usual, the weekend has flown by.  I DID get my hair cut Saturday morning...but I have no evidence, yet.  It didn't quite turn out like I thought...but I don't hate it, so that's good! :)  I'll try to post a pic soon.

Most of my day on Saturday was spent baking cookies...

These are my snickerdoodles getting ready to go in the oven...I forgot to take an "after" pic!

And then I made oatmeal raisin cookies...

I didn't make "progress" pics of these!

I think I've got six of each that are "Fair-worthy".

Tomorrow will be banana bread...and then Tuesday night will be blueberry muffins & poundcake!  All in preparation for the big turn in on Wednesday!

So...other than that and watching Michael J. Fox movies all day Saturday...and then reading Nicholas Sparks all day today...it's been a pretty light weekend!  We finally have rain in NC and cooler weather...YAY! :)

Hope you've had a great weekend and see you tomorrow!

Feel Good Friday!

Well, as promised...here's my Feel Good Friday for today! I can't say that I've been feeling real good today...but I think that's the point of this meme...to make you focus on what DID make you feel good for the week!  At least, that's why I participate!

If you would like to participate, head over to The Girl Next Door Grows Up, look for the Feel Good Friday prompts, write your post and link up!

Today, I'm opting to write about five things that made me feel good this week...that shouldn't be too hard, right??? :)

1.  I posted my 100th blog post this week!  Amazing to me that I've had enough to say to post 100 times!  Maybe not as amazing to you guys...

2.  Tomorrow I am going to begin my Dixie Classic Fair baking!  The fair begins next Friday and I am actually going to enter some items!  This is my first year and I'm a little nervous about trying to get everything done by Wednesday when the entries are due.  This weekend, I'm going to be making snickerdoodles and oatmeal raisin cookies!  The other items (I hope) to enter are blueberry muffins, banana bread and a pound cake.  I just don't know how to get ALL of those items made on Tuesday night so they are still fresh on Thursday when they do the judging...hmmm...

3.  Yesterday was the first day of Fall.  I really do love Fall...especially here in NC.  Leaves turning colors, air turning cooler, crisp mornings...I just love it.  And since I think I heard that yesterday was our 69th day ABOVE 90, I'm ready for some cooler weather...check out this forecast for the next seven days:

I'm not super excited about the rain...although, we desperately need it and we've had enough gorgeous NC days to afford us a few rain days.

4.  Yesterday, after Dylan's soccer game, I overhead one of the other mom's saying "Yeah, Dylan...he's really good."  Can I just tell you that my heart swelled with pride just a bit???

5.  Tomorrow morning, I'm going to get my hair cut!  I love to get my hair cut and it's been weeks since I've had it cut.  I'm seriously contemplating this new cut...what do you think?

I love the choppiness...plus my sister & I are sporting the same cut.  Not that I have a problem with that, but we already get the "you guys look so much alike" a little too often...so, I feel like I need to break away a bit.  I'll let you know how that goes!

I hope everyone has a great weekend wherever you are!  Feel Good...I'm hoping to get some sleep tonight so that I can Feel Good tomorrow! :)

Five Question Friday

First, I want to share a little change...if you have commented on my blog before or vice versa and we've e-mailed...I have a new e-mail address for my blog.  I kind of didn't like having it all mixed in with my other e-mail and I can make my blog a little more "anonymous" since my other e-mail had my first & last name attached to it.  Just letting you know what's up!

Secondly, I'm gonna save my Feel Good Friday until later today...mostly because I'm actually doing this on Thursday night...at 10:45pm...after the most depressing soccer game...and while Dylan is desperately trying to read a book for English...that I tried to get him to read yesterday when he had more time.  hmmmm....

So, anyway...it's hard enough for me to still think right now...and I don't "feel good" right at the moment...so I will do it tomorrow (which is today)...OK, I think I've confused myself! :)

Anyway, it's time for Five Question Friday...brought to you by Mama M at My Little Life.





1. If you could speak with a different accent, what would it be (i.e Australian, Scottish)?

British...sometimes my thoughts are with in a British accent...especially if I've been reading a book by a British author...and you know you can tell because they say things like "post" instead of mail and "boot" instead of trunk (of a car).  I'm 95% sure on "boot"...did I mention it's really late???? ;)

2. Can you fall asleep anywhere? (i.e floor, couch, deck)

Unfortunately, no.  If I'm super sleepy, I might conk out on the couch.  But never on the floor or deck...and sometimes not even in strange beds...as in beds that aren't my own.

Wow...this 5 question Friday is going stellar this late at night...

3. Do you use public restrooms? If so, do you sit on the toilet?

Yes I do use public restrooms...unless I don't trust the establishment.  And I NEVER under ANY circumstances use a port-a-jon.  No way...no how.

I don't generally sit on the toilet in a public restroom...there may be times that I forget where I am, but not usually.

4. If you were stuck in an elevator for 24 hours, what celebrity would you most want to be stuck with?

How about MacGyver???  He was always pretty handy to have around...oh, wait...he's not real!  I'm not really sure who I'd want to be stuck with...because I can pretty much tell you that if I were stuck in an elevator for 24 hours, I'd probably be annoyed with anyone else that was in there.  Celebrity or no celebrity.

5. Where did you & your significant other go on your 1st date?
 
No current significant other at the moment...most of my 1st dates have been pretty routine, though...out to eat.  Nothing special.
 
All right...I'm off to bed now...so good night...or maybe it's good morning to you?  Oh, whatever...I'm out.

Enquiring Minds Want to Know

I am participating in a new meme this Thursday sponsored by a new blog friend, Dollycas.  Dollycas does a lot of book reviews...and since I'm a reader, I think I'm going to enjoy learning about new authors.

Anyway, the meme is "Enquiring Minds Want to Know"...so here are Dollycas's three questions for us today:

1.What do you see when you look out your bedroom window?

Well, one window looks at the back of my property...nothing special there.

However, the other window looks into the backyard of my neighbors' property...which isn't horrible.  But they have a pool like this:

However, they hand dug a hole so that the pool is dropped down 3 to 4 feet in the ground.  So, yes they have an above ground pool IN the ground.  It's nice.  I totally understand the reason they did this...it make it easier to watch the kids if you aren't physically IN the pool...but it's still strange.  And props to them for digging that hole by hand.  Quite honestly, I thought they were just leveling up the ground at first...and then I realized the hole got deeper and deeper...

2.Are you watching Dancing With The Stars?

No - I limit myself to one reality TV show at a time...of course the one I've chosen for now is Jersey Shore.  Yes...I know it's trashy.  Yes...I know it's so far from reality that it really shouldn't be considered "reality" TV...but it's so funny.

3.Are you a football fan or are you forced to watch because your spouse has the remote control?
 
No - I'm not a football fan and I can't stand to watch ANY sport on TV.  Boring.  My son IS a football fan, but he hasn't started forcing me to watch the games yet...which I'm really surprised about.
 
Happy Thursday...can't wait for tomorrow...it's gonna be a Feel Good Friday!!! :)

100th Post!!!

This is my 100th post!  I can't believe it.  It doesn't seem like I've posted 100 blog posts so far...and then again, it feels like I've been blogging forever. 

By the way...I have a confession...this is not truly my 100th post on blogger.  I deleted some posts that I'd written back in 2009.  I really didn't feel like they should count though, because I truly don't feel like I really started blogging until this year. 

So, anywho...I've been racking my brain for a couple of weeks now about what to do.  I feel like I should be throwing a party or something!  Today I was thinking about it and it reminded me of when Dylan used to "celebrate" the 100th day of school in elementary school.  We'd have to collect 100 of some small item that he could take to school.  One year, they cooked 100 hot dogs for lunch.  It was always a big deal.

And then I thought, I could do a list of 100 things...but what?  Things about me?  I don't think I'd get past 20...  What about 100 places I've been?  Don't think I'm quite at 100.  I even thought about 100 books I've read...because I'm pretty sure I've read 100 books...but then I'd have to list out all 7 Harry Potters, all 16 of the Stephanie Plum novels...and that just seemed like not a very good idea either.

So...I'm still puzzled as to how to celebrate my 100th post...and still at a loss.

So, how about 100 words or phrases that describe me & my life?

Hectic, crazy, silly, sunshine, blessed, abundant, mother, daughter, aunt, sister, sister-in-law (or sister-by-law, if you ask my "brother-by-law"), friend, child of God, extraordinary, bright, colorful, cartoon watcher, passionate, friendly, shy, writer, reader, Facebooker, "soccer mom", happy, laughter, fun, comfy, teacher, secret keeper, talkative, coffee lover, baker, TV lover, loyal, loving, loved, sleepy, beach bum, forgiving, singer, generous, country girl, shopper, movie watcher, fortunate, swimmer, worker, dreamer, hopeful, joyful, smiling, goofy, vibrant, patient, impatient, fearful, adventurous, anxious, laid back, love rainbows, sarcastic, witty, pack rat, piler, procrastinator, helpful, unusual, quirky, animal lover, history lover, college graduate, sparkly, sentimental, loud, quiet, lazy, thoughtful, trusting, stubborn, informal, practical, curious, positive, conscientious, emotional, reliable, creative, traditional, planner, sincere, warm, trustworthy, strong, independent, healthy, playful, random, honest, and, as always, a brown eyed girl!

Wow...that was still tough...and I had to get some help! :)

It's been such a fun journey so far out here in the blogworld...it'll be interesting to see what the next 100 posts bring!

Eating crow...

Yesterday, I had to "eat a little crow".  It wasn't good either! :)

Back up over a year ago...my mom "retired".  I put retired in quotation marks because it's hard to think of my mom as retired.  She's not that old - she was 54 when she retired...but retired she is.  She was a church secretary and, I know you probably don't believe it but, her job was pretty stressful.  She announced her retirement in March or April for the end of May.  Somewhere between her announcement and her retirement she was diagnosed as being anemic. She had dealt with exhaustion for a while, attributing a lot of it to the stress and the fact that she doesn't sleep through the night.  But, I think she realized that this exhaustion was more than just that.  I don't think I even realized how serious it was until she said that if her hemaglobin got any lower, she'd need a transfusion.  So...they began a battery of tests to determine WHY she was losing blood...she had an endoscopy and a colinoscopy.  They tested her for all kinds of stuff.  Her doctor didn't want to start her on iron supplements until they could rule out anything else...they never did and they started her on iron supplements.  They eventually did two iron infusions (where they basically pump the iron directly into your blood stream...for faster results) and in the late summer/early fall she began to feel better. 

Her retirement was one of the hardest things that I've seen her go through...and my mom has been through a lot.  Her father passed away when she was 18...her mother followed when my mom was 21/22 (I was 6 mos old)...one of her brothers died suddenly when I was 18 and her other brother died a few years later (very tragically...I can't even write it).  Anyway, she went from working 50 hours a week, at least, to having nothing to do.  There were other factors that made this a difficult time and her not feeling well only made things worse.  She spent some time with Dylan that summer...and some with Alyson.  I knew things would get better in the fall when my sister had Ayden...but we had to make it to that point.  And Mom wanted to make sure she felt better because Missy having Ayden was part of the reason she was retiring...so she could keep Ayden. 

As I hoped & prayed, by the time Missy did have Ayden...and then went back to work, Mom was feeling a lot better.  She constantly worries that the problem will come back and that she'll have to start back at square one.  So...she tries to keep things in check and gets her regular check ups.

Over the years, Mom has given us a lot of "material" to work with.  Sometimes she doesn't realize what she's just said or done...but of course, we do...and then the jokes fly.  My dad's famous quote is that "it's an adventure being married to her"!  And I can only imagine...sometimes he'll say "the other day, your mom was [fill in the blank]" and my mom just starts giggling.  Most of the time she sees the humor in what she's said or done...and the jokes are all in good fun.

So...recently she went for a check up...her white blood cells are up.  Sunday night she's telling me that they are testing her for "human parvo" (my dad says she just needs a good de-worming - HAHA!) and then she said, very unsure of herself, they were testing her for Epstein Barr...you know the virus that causes mono, she says... In my head, this sounded so bizarre...because I was pretty sure that mono WAS the virus...and then I thought that Epstein Barr was the test that they do on newborns as an indicator of how healthy they are.  I said, I'm pretty sure you can't have "Epstein Barr"...and tried very hard to not giggle too loudly (we were in church)!

Well...folks...I was wrong.  And I did admit it and e-mail her an apology.  Epstein Barr is a virus and DOES cause mono.  I also told her that I really hoped that she doesn't have this...because it's a nasty virus and can cause things other than mono...things even more serious.

So, what was I thinking about ???  The Apgar score.  As soon as I typed the words "Epstein Barr" into google, "Apgar" came to mind...and I knew I was wrong.

So...I ate my crow...

She told me she was going to print my e-mail out where I told her she was right and I was wrong and frame it! :)

Monday Minute

Well, it's kind of the end of something today...this is Ian's last Monday Minute.  But I totally understand his reasoning for giving it up.  I can't imagine how much time it would take to organize a meme such as this one has become!  So...I look forward to continuing to read Ian's posts...and I'm going to have to get to know a new blogger who will be taking over the Monday Minute duties! 

Anyway, today's co-host is none other than Laura the Purse Blogger.  She is already one of my bloggy friends...I love reading her posts about her life and such...and she's always super nice when responding to MY posts!  If you aren't her friend, please go over and check her out!  You won't be sorry!

Ok...so on to the questions:

1 - Have you ever lied on one of your Monday Minute answers?

I have not...I don't lie anywhere on my blog.  I feel like blogging is very personal, even though I put it out there for you all to read...but if I'm lying to you...then I'm lying to myself.  Now, I won't deny that I may exaggerate things from time to time...but that's all for dramatic effect.  And if, for some reason, I do post a piece of fiction...I'll let you know in advance!

2 - What is on your bedside table?

Lamp, remotes, alarm clock, usually my glasses...unless I'm wearing them...my phone and always a bottle or glass of water.  It's this freaky thing that I began many years ago...I just don't feel right going to bed without a glass or bottle of water on the nightstand.  I may or may not take a sip out of it from the time I lay down to the time I get up in the morning...I guess I just like knowing its there just in case.

And I do prefer a bottle so I can guarantee that I don't wake up and in the dark accidently drink a bug.

3 -Would you rather lose your sight or hearing?

That's a hard choice to make.  I love music...I love singing and listening to music.  So, it'd be hard to give that up...but it would also be hard to not be able to see the world and the people around me.  I honestly, don't know how to answer this...

4 -Would you rather give up all forms of sexual contact for a year or give up your DVR for three months?

This is a question that I just don't think I'm qualified to answer...so, I'm not.

5 - Name one thing that you are proud that you've accomplished in life.
 
Dylan, most certainly.  He's the best thing that has ever happened in my life.  I truly am proud to know that I have raised him, he's quite stable in spite of the fact that I'm a single mom, we have health insurance and a home that I own...it's quite honestly the greatest accomplishment in my life thus far.
 
I just want to say that Ian will be missed from the Monday Minute and I appreciate meme's like this that give me something to write on a day when I can barely put two sentences together! :)  Look forward to meeting our new host next week!

Five Question Friday...and oh, wait, what's that? A Feel Good Friday too!

First things first...time for Five Question Friday...brought to you by Mama M.  Head on over...answer the questions and link up!





1. What is the first nightmare you remember?

I always loved The Wizard of Oz...the flying monkeys are a bit much...but I loved Dorothy...and the scarecrow...and the tin man...and the cowardly lion...I used to love waiting through the black & white part so she could go to Oz with all the beautiful Technicolor.  And the witch didn't scare me, much.  Except in my dreams.  I remember dreaming, often, about the witch coming to get me and taking me away.  Truly, that's the only nightmare I remember from my childhood.

2. Even if you're not a sports fan, what's your favorite sport to play/watch?

Ironically enough, I posted about this just yesterday!  I'm not really a sports fan, per se.  But I think I can be a fan of anything if it includes being outdoors and getting to have concession stand food!

3. If you could pull off one piece of trendy fashion, what would you want it to be (jeggings, hats, thigh high boots, etc.)?

I would like to just offer one piece of fashion advice here..."just say no" to jeggings.  Maybe I'm missing the appeal, but I can't see that they would be that comfy OR that many people would be able to pull them off.  Aren't they just skinny jeans?

Ok...now that I'm off my soap box about jeggings, I would love to be a hat person.  I would love to feel like it's appropriate to wear hats anywhere and everywhere.  I'm not just talking about ball caps...I would like to wear big, floppy hats and fancy, schmancy hats...Julia Roberts' hats in Pretty Woman.  But where on earth would I ever wear a hat like that???  Certainly not to work...at church I'm in with the kids...I don't go to any events that would allow me to wear hats.  So...not only do I want to wear hats often...I want to go to events that warrant a hat to be worn! :)

4. Did you make good grades in school?

Yes...I probably actually could've done better...but I just didn't care.  And I still made good grades.  Except in 5th grade when I made a D...I think it was the only one I ever made...and in 7th grade because I was just a little punkish.  Thankfully, I grew out of that phase quickly!

5. What magazines do you subscribe to?

Currently, just Family Fun and Martha Stewart...but I never have time to read them...and I have all of my old issues collecting dust (yes, I'm a pack rat)...so I think I'm going to let them run out.  Plus, with the internet, you can get all the good info online.

*************************************

And now...what I've been waiting for...a return to Feel Good Friday, with The Girl Next Door Grows Up!

I know that doing these memes is my own choice.  I know that I don't owe 'The Girl' anything and she's not requiring me to do Feel Good Friday.

But, deep down inside...I just really feel like I need to do Feel Good Friday.  I think it helps me to keep my perspective in the right place.

However, I just haven't been feeling it.  Whether because work has been so crazy...or life has been so crazy...or I just can't seem to get it together, I just have been in such a blah funk, that I couldn't participate. 

And really, how hard does she make it???  Not at all.  One of the prompts is to make a list of 5 things that made you feel good...another is to write about something you did or something someone did for you...but, for the past few weeks, I just couldn't muster up 5 things that made me feel good. 

And that made me sad.

But, I'm back...because in the midst of my crazy life, I got a break last weekend.  And quite honestly, I think it was exactly what I needed.  A weekend with nothing planned other than being at the beach...a couple of days sitting by the beach feeling a good ocean breeze...talking about everything with my bestie, except the things that make us heartbroken...laughing, alot...reading, alot...not sleeping alot, because our beds were so horrible...but even the horrible beds were OK, because we were away and we had fun and we needed a break from life.

And it made coming back bearable.

And I'm glad to be able to say that I. Feel. Good. Again.

And, that's why today is a Feel Good Friday. :)

I can't promise to always feel good...but I will always do my best...and every once in a while, I'll take a break...because we all need that as much as we need to do the things we do.

Thank you to Erika who gives us a chance to reflect on what makes us feel good...and thanks to a God who was gracious enough to work out the details and provide this much needed break.

Have a great weekend! :)

A sports fan, I am not...or am I?

When someone asks me what my favorite sport is, I usually either answer “I don’t have one” or “whatever Dylan is playing”. Because it’s the truth. Growing up, the only sport that my dad watched was baseball. Until the organization of the Carolina Panthers in the mid 90’s, North Carolina did not even have a professional sports team. I went to high school football games, but these were merely social events for me. I have very little knowledge of how football “works” and the last football game I attended with Dylan will most likely BE the last football game I will attend with him due to my constant questioning of what was going on. I also attended football games at Appalachian…but again these were social events. I cheered on my Mountaineers when they scored…but I really just followed the crowd and figured if we ended up with the ball it was a good thing. I think.

Let me interject this little oddity about Dylan…as I’ve implied in many of my posts, Dylan doesn’t spend a great deal of time with his dad. His dad is a super football fan. As in, on any given Saturday or Sunday, he is probably flipping between every possible football game available on TV. He grew up in a football family (his mom & sister both graduated from Florida State) and I honestly had a full blown, 20 minute conversation with my mom while he was sitting between us on the couch watching a game. He never heard a word of what we said, which was about him. I found this hilarious. Dylan is not quite the super fan that his dad is; however, he has an understanding of the game of football, how it works, all the rules…anything you need to know about the game…that I simply cannot attribute to anything except genetics. I certainly did not teach him these fundamentals and there is no other way that I can explain this vast amount of knowledge of the game that he has. It astounds me.

Anyway, as I’ve gotten older, my lack of interest in sports has not increased…even though I live with a teenager that does enjoy sports. I don’t claim any NCAA or ACC team as “mine”. I don’t cheer on a specific NFL team. Seriously, I read a book while everyone else watched the Super Bowl last year.  I don’t have a favorite NASCAR driver. The only fan I’ve ever claimed to be was a Braves fan. This choice was based solely on the fact that my grandfather and dad were/are Braves fans and the fact that we get TBS on cable…and well, you know, they air almost all the games. I guess I should also claim the Panthers, you know, since they are based out of NC. But, I really don’t.

This lack of interest in sports wouldn’t stop me from attending a major league baseball game (I really do want to go to a Braves game) or from attending a high school, college or professional football game. And I certainly don’t let it stop me from cheering on Dylan at his high school soccer games.

Because I’ve found, that when you mix a live sporting event, in an outdoor stadium, throw in a few peanuts, popcorn, candy and a nice soft drink, I become the biggest sports fanatic EVER. Yes, that was me in the stands at the Varsity soccer game, imploring with the ref to “CARD THAT PLAYER”…not once, not twice, but several times. And I was that fanatic that whooped & hollered (because we are in the South, you know) when our team scored once, twice, three times! I was also the one who couldn’t believe the ref carded OUR player in such an obvious error. And I was the one that clapped & cheered generously when the game was over and we won!

Hmm…so, maybe there is a sports fan buried way down deep inside me after all! :)

Fort Caswell...Part 2

OK...for those of you who didn't stalk check out my Facebook pics...here you go!  This post will be picture heavy...but not word heavy...I promise! :)

Beach scenes...

Zac's bday dinner...

Me & D



Zac & Ashley

Sunset in Southport



Me & Ash

Civil War Forts...

WWI & WWII Forts...

At one time, this was actually a restaurant

This once was used as a swimming pool...in the top of the forts...and there's a matching one...so there was a pool for girls & one for boys.  We can't figure out how they kept the water clean and keep from busting the fort underneath!

Buildings...

Lantana - this was our favorite place that we ever stayed.  It was the base hospital...and is rumored to be "haunted".  We never met any ghosts while staying there! :)

This was originally the base stables...but is now used as the PX, where you can buy souveniers and necessities.

Not sure what this is or was...Zac said the jail...but I think he was pulling my leg! :)

When we were campers at Caswell, this was the PX.  There used to be telephone booths outside this building...this is where we'd call our parents.  Oddly enough, there are no longer telephone booths anywhere at Caswell! :)

This is my favorite house at Caswell...the Captain's Quarters.  Love the "turret" and that window!

Girls' barracks

Boys' barracks

We stayed in this building once...I think it was called the "Staff Quarters"

We also stayed in this house one summer...I was able to identify it because this is the only house with windows that open to a porch roof...and I distinctly remember sitting on top of that roof, watching the guys play baseball in the parade grounds! :)

Bald Head Island Lighthouse...this sits on the other side of the Cape Fear, but is no longer a working lighthouse.

Oak Island Lighthouse...which is a working lighthouse. 

Oak Island Lighthouse...at night, obviously! :)

Dylan caught a sting ray in the cast net when they were trying to catch bait! :)

Dylan in a "Live Oak" tree - that's the name of the tree...not saying that it's a "live" tree, although it is! :)

OK - I think that's all...you can see that this is nowhere NEAR the 97 pics that I posted on Facebook...these are the highlights though!  I hope you enjoyed my trip! :)

Fort Caswell

I can only hope that this post will make any sense at all...it's 10:45pm...I am STILL trying to catch up on sleep from my weekend trip...and I'm waiting for the washer to finish so I can put clothes in the dryer so Dylan will have the correct uniform for his game tomorrow!  Whew...what a week...and it's only Tuesday!  Dylan has a game tomorrow night AND Thursday night (thankfully at home!) and then we have movie night for the kids at church on Friday night...and I agreed to go to a Fall Festival workshop Saturday morning.  I think I may have to have a caffeine IV put in so I can make it to Saturday!  My prediction is that I crash...and crash hard Saturday afternoon.

Anyway, I wanted to tell you about my trip over the last weekend before it got to far away.  Last weekend, I had the opportunity to go to Fort Caswell.  Our church's youth group would attend summer camp at Fort Caswell every year.  When people talked about going to Caswell, it was kind of like hearing people talk about going to Disney World.  They talked about the fun time they had, the people they met, the experiences they had and how all of these things would bring them closer to the Lord.  My parents chaperoned many of these trips...but for my sister & I, this meant a week at our grandparents.  For my parents, it was a week that they shared with a group of young people in a place that was simply wonderful to them. 

As I moved toward Youth age in our church, I couldn't wait until it was MY turn to go to Youth camp at Fort Caswell.  And, quite honestly, the place lived up to the hype.  Each summer, I spent a week in youth camp at Fort Caswell.  This is where I came to know Jesus as my Savior.  This place is where I made and strengthened friendships...the kind that last forever.  Every year when we arrived, I would just feel the presence of God wash over me when I'd step off the bus.  For six summers, I had the priviledge of enjoying Fort Caswell and everything that it had to offer.  I truly cherish the memories...they aren't all deep and gooey...some are just plain funny and silly. 

My best friend, Ashley, was on most of those trips with me.  Her husband, Zac, also went to Caswell with his Youth group...but we are pretty sure they weren't there at the same time.  However, he has the same precious memories of this place.  And a few years ago, they began visiting regularly for mini-vacations.  First of all, you can stay there for $30/person/night.  For a weekend trip, that's an incredible deal for the beach!  But they also loved sharing the memories of this place and making their own.  A few years ago, they invited me to go with them, but I really didn't have the money to go...and I had to cancel.  Then a few months ago, they asked if we would be able to swing a trip in honor of Zac's birthday (Sept 10) and I agreed.

You wanna know a secret???  When it came down to it, I really didn't have the money to go this time either. :)  But I prayed and prayed and prayed...and God provided...cool, huh?

Anyway, we planned to leave on Thursday.  I had to work on Thursday...but I swung getting off at 4pm.  I work about 5 minutes from Zac & Ashley's house...so the plan was for Zac to go and pick up Dylan from school...I would leave my already packed car at their house so they could pack their stuff...and as soon as I got off at 4pm, we would be on the road.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!  Yeah...the best laid plans...

First problem...Ashley had one flat tire and another with a whole in it on Wednesday...so, Zac was going to have to take her car to get two new tires on Thursday...before we left.  No problem...his work was slow Wednesday, so hopefully he will be able to take off early and get this done...still pick up Dylan and we'd be on schedule.

Second problem...since we are unsure of Zac's work situation, we have to arrange for Dylan to get home from school...otherwise it would be 4:00 before he got off the bus...and that's the time we are leaving from Zac & Ash's...which is at least 20 minutes from our house.  No problem...my Mom offers to pick Dylan up.

Third problem...evidently pick up from the high school is CRAZINESS and Mom doesn't leave the school until close to 3:15...getting Dylan back to my house to meet Zac at 3:30...which means that Zac gets home at 4pm.

Finally...we got the car packed...and we leave Zac & Ashley's house at 4:55pm...breaking our necks to get to the bank before 5pm so Zac can deposit checks.  By 5:00pm, we are headed toward I-40 on our way...and Zac says to Ashley, "Did you pack my tennis shoes?" To which Ashley replies, "No".  So, back we go to their house...Ashley goes into the house to get his shoes...then she can't find her sunglasses...which she finds a few minutes later...in her purse.  And we are off again at 5:30pm.

After we finally got on the road, it was pretty smooth sailing.  We stopped for dinner...we stopped for bathroom breaks...

Now, when I'm on a trip and we stop at a convenience store for a bathroom break, I need some candy.  My absolute favorite...which NO ONE has...are Chewy Sweetarts.  I love them.  They are my most favorite.  But a good second best is Fun Dip.  I mean, what's better than taking a stick made completely of sugar...licking it...sticking it in pure sugar...and licking the sugar off the sugar stick???? 

So, we stopped at this store on the way...I do my usual survey for Chewy Sweetarts...can't find them...and then I spot Fun Dip.  I'm in heaven.  I bend over and pick up the pack...and think, something's not right.  I begin pressing all over the packets and can't figure out why there doesn't seem to any sugar in the packets...Ashley & Dylan are just looking at me...they are trying to form words...they are pointing at something.  What's that???  A pile of sugar on the floor that is pouring out of the Fun Dip pouch.  And what do I do???  Throw the pack back into the box of Fun Dip like it's a hot potato.  By this point, we are rolling...but what really set Ash off was me bending over, picking up another packet of Fun Dip that's UNDER the open packet...dusting the sugar off that I have JUST spilled on it...and proceeding to the register.

We were still laughing about it on Saturday.

Finally we arrived and crashed...not to see the light of day until Friday morning. 

Now...I'm not going to give you a play by play, minute by minute account...I would be here forever...and I have pictures!!!  Basically our days went like this:  wake up, eat breakfast, go to the beach (the boys fished), shower, and then it would be evening.  We went to Southport Friday night...tried to convince Zac & Dylan to let us stay so we could watch Mary Poppins at the "outdoor theater" that they had going on.  Saturday, we just poked around Caswell and then Sunday it was home again.

A little background on Caswell...I know you think this post is going to last forever...I'm afraid it might! :P

Anyway, Fort Caswell is situated where the Cape Fear River meets the Atlantic Ocean.  The Cape Fear was a main supply river in the 1800's.  Fast forward to the Civil War and you can see where the fear would be.  If the Union Army tried to take the Cape Fear, the Confederates would be completely cut off from supplies.  So, Fort Caswell was built to protect the mouth of the Cape Fear. 

I don't know the exact history...but from what I do understand, the Fort was never used during any actual battles and in 1949 it was sold to the NC Baptist Assembly to be used as a conference center and Youth camp.  Many of the original buildings remain, including the barracks and a lot of the forts themselves.  Including some from the Civil War.  If you want to know more about Fort Caswell, you can click here.  You can click on "About" and there's a section about the history.

It really is a beautiful place...and if my internet connection wasn't so slow and if it wasn't now 11:30pm, I would upload some pics.  But since I've written a novel already and I really need to sleep now...I'll have to do that tomorrow.  If you just can't wait another minute, I've made my Facebook album of this trip open to the public...so, click here and you can access 97 of the 134 pics I took over the weekend.  :)  Enjoy...and for those patient people out there...I'll do Fort Caswell, part 2 tomorrow!

Night!

Friend Making Monday!

Hello, all!  I'm back...I can honestly say that I'm thankful to be back...because the beds in our rooms were just a step up from a piece of plywood!  Ashley called them granite...but I think you get the picture - they were HORRIBLE! 

And since I'm certifiably insane, I scheduled a Premier Jewelry Party at my house tomorrow night...knowing I wouldn't be home all weekend and would only have tonight to get ready!!!  So...guess what I'll be doing all night???  The blessing in all this is that I cleaned my house (with the exception of mopping) last weekend and Dylan has an away game...and it's far away, so I won't be going and I can go pick up my needed items and get things together! 

But, that means I won't be able to fully blog about my trip until tomorrow or Wednesday...in the meantime, I have made my album on Facebook public for just a few days...if you want to see 97 of my 134 pictures that I took over the weekend, feel free to peruse!  I usually keep my pics for my "friends only"...but I will give you this once in a lifetime opportunity! :)  Click HERE or on "album" above to see the pics!

 On to Friend Makin' Monday...

hosted by Kenlie from All the Weigh.  I have to admit that Kenlie's blog is new to me...so I'm looking forward to getting to know her, as she's taken over Friend Makin' Monday!

Five Little Questions

1) What was the most enjoyable part of your weekend?

How about the WHOLE weekend???  It was a beautiful weekend at the beach...and the whole thing was great.  I mean, how could your weekend not be good when this is your view...

And you have the oppotunity to hang with your BFF all weekend??? 

2) List two or three material possessions that you can't live without:

There's not too many things that I just can't live without...but here are a few things that I like to have with me.  I think of things that are a "must have" when I travel...my teddy bear Joshua...because I can't sleep without him...my Bible...I have a small one that I keep in my purse...and my cell phone. 

3) Which day are you looking forward to most in the coming week?

I'm not sure...this week is turning out to be such a busy week...getting ready for my party tonight...then the party itself tomorrow...Dylan has two home games - Wednesday & Thursday...then Friday night, we have "movie night" for our Children's Ministry...and Saturday morning, I have a workshop to go to.  So...I think just making it to Saturday afternoon will be my goal all week long...

4) Share one of your most embarrassing stories

I'm not really sure what this would be...but I'll tell you about the time that I broke Ashley's bed.  Ashley & I have known each other forever...but didn't really "bond" until our Youth group days.  I was probably about 15, which would've made Ashley 14 or so...and I'd gone to her house to spend the night.  Ashley had (and still has) this beautiful bed that her father MADE for her.  It's nothing fancy...just a four poster bed with a headboard that has an ornate "A" carved into it...but I knew he'd made it for her.  I've always loved this bed...I think more for the sentiment than the bed itself.  Anyway, I also loved the fact that it sat up off the floor...like you really need a stool to get into this bed.  But, in our youthfulness, we never used the stool...we'd just take a running jump and jump up onto the bed.  Well, as I usually did, I took a running start across her bedroom to catapult myself on to the bed...and when I hit the bed, the bed went DOWN.  As in, when I came to my senses, I was looking at the bed frame, but I was on the mattress!  And I immediately began crying...I couldn't believe I had broken the bed that my friend's father had MADE for her.  Of course, her parents came running upstairs to find out what in the world had happened.  I hadn't moved from the mattress and I just kept saying, "I broke your bed...the bed your dad made for you."  Of course, they weren't mad at me...in fact they all began laughing because they could just imagine exactly what had happened!  Evidently, he'd never gotten around to truly securing the bed...I mean it was secure enough for us to sleep on and evidently to hoist ourselves up on to the bed on a regular basis...but I guess it could only take so much!  Now...this is a funny memory that we carry around...and was made even funnier when Ash & I were staying with a friend and SHE broke their bed!  :)

5) List three of your "must-read" blogs and tell us why we should read them too!

I can't name just three...because there are so many!!!

I hope you all have a great Monday!  I look forward to catching back up in the "blog" world! :)