So Much Better

It's been awhile since I've blogged. Was still getting over the crud. That stuff lingered longer than I thought it would. I've still got a little cough, but not like I had before.

One of the sweetest ladies in our church passed away Friday morning - Mrs. Ethel Hood. She was so precious; always saying something good about everybody. Every single time I saw her in church, she always said "How's our boy?" She was talking about Vance. She really loved him. I went to the viewing this afternoon. The family is doing good. Her funeral is tomorrow afternoon.

I went back Thursday and had my hair straightened again. My stylist left out a step the first time. She put the conditioner on wet hair; it was supposed to be dry. I just thought my hair didn't take cause it didn't get completely straight when she used chemical straighteners. My hair was just too curly. I couldn't blame her cause I was her first customer since she went to the class. Anyway, we did it again and I went back today and she washed it. It looks great! I am so pleased. She gave me the shampoo, conditioner and serum that I'm supposed to use. That comes with the cost of the procedure. My hair feels so soft; not coarse like it always did curly. I can run my fingers through my hair - never could before because it would get tangled up in the curls. I'll have about 3-4 months to decide if I want to do it again or get my hair cut in shorter layers and let it go curly again.

The procedure is different from chemical straighteners. The stylist puts the product on, dries the hair and then uses a 400 degree flat iron to straighten the hair. You have to leave it on for 72 hours, then wash it with a special shampoo and style it. When it was washed, it was straight. She just had to touch it up with the flat iron. I'm very satisfied.

I kept Swayde last night while Penny went to an "eating meeting" with her co-workers. He was so good. You hardly even knew he was in the house. Like Trent and Hope, he wanted to play with my stamps. He stamped a black star on his hand and then touched his shirt. Made a nice imprint on his shirt. Hope it washes out. Penny said it was okay. It was one of his play shirts. The restaurant Penny went to was way out at the new Pier Park on the beach. She said there are a lot of stores out there. I thought it was just Target, Dillards, Old Navy and Penney's. She said it goes from Back Beach Road to Front Beach Road. I may have to ride out there next Saturday and see for myself. It is supposed to rival the Commons in Destin. If that's the case, it will be expensive stores. I won't be shopping there.

Went to church this morning. Mrs. Dorothy Edwards came. She hasn't been in about two years. She and Rev. Oliver Edwards had been ministering in other churches until his death last year. She's been ministering, but says she is coming home. I'm so glad. I really missed her. She's got a beautiful singing voice. I've got her CD and I just love it.

Several people commented on how good my hair looked. They said I have finally found the perfect hairdo. It took almost 56 years, but I finally found it. Now, just got to work on the body............First, I've got to find out what's wrong with my left elbow. It hurts so bad sometimes that I can't bend it. Makes it hard to talk on the phone or do my hair. This hairdo came about at the right time. Vance wants me to make an appointment with a doctor to find out what's wrong. Okay, so do I call my regular doctor, my neurologist or bone doctor? I don't know, cause I don't know what's causing the pain. I just know it hurts.

I think it's time for me to go to bed. I can't seem to stay up as long as I used to. Maybe that's a good thing. Goodnight and God bless.................

I'm on the Mend

I feel a little better tonight. Olga called and prayed for me. I didn't make it to church yesterday. I ended up on the couch all day again. I'm really getting tired of spending my weekends and nights on the couch. You can only watch so much CSI re-runs. I've seen them all several times over.

I worked yesterday, but was so tired all day. I took the last of my medicine, so I'm hoping I'll start getting my strength back. As usual, I came home and hit the couch. Then, Vance reminded me that we needed to go to my mother's and pick up her car. She wants us to drive it for a couple of weeks to make sure there is nothing wrong with it. We got there and she has a new puppy - Reba. She's 7 weeks old. Cute little thing. A mixture of chiuwawa (can't spell it), pomeranine, Jack Russell and something else. She looks like a chiuwawa. Vance thought she was cute. Mama said if she couldn't keep this one, she was giving it to us. I don't know what Shadow and Vinnie will think of that. I stayed at her house for about an hour. I was about to fall asleep at her bar, so I had to come home before I wasn't able to drive myself home. No problem with the car. Came home and hit the couch. Ate a little more tonight than I have been eating. I've lost 14 lbs. so far. Just hope I can keep it off and lose more.

I worked today and had to take Daddy to the doctor this morning. I was so tired, I almost fell asleep in the doctor's office. And, I'm sleeping way more at night than I usually do. Sleep is all I do. I was gone for three hours. Got back to work and managed to finish all my work. I'm just slower than usual, cause my brain seems to be moving in slow motion - in a fog or something. I'm still pretty congested, so I took a DayQuil. I'm hoping I don't have to refill the antibiotic. I'm going to give myself a few days to see how it goes. If I'm not better by this weekend, I'll refill the prescription. My doctor gave me a refill cause she said I had a pretty bad case of sinusitis and may need a double dose. I'm praying that I don't have to have it. I don't like taking antibiotics.

Came home so tired. Thought I was going to fall down before I got in the house. Vance made me go sit on the couch. I'm getting tired of that couch. It is no longer my friend. My house is looking bad. I haven't been able to give it a good cleaning in over a month. And I can't do it this weekend either. I'm getting my hair redone on Thursday and I won't be able to pull it back or sweat for four days again. This weekend will be spent sitting on the couch watching TV or reading a book I guess. Especially if it's raining and I can't get out to go anywhere. So, next weekend, I'm praying that I'll be feeling good and I can get my house cleaned.

I'm getting sleepy, so I guess I better get off this computer and go to bed. Goodnight and God bless..........

Hope for the Heart

I can't seem to shake this sickness. I'm taking antibiotics and steroids and I feel awful. I'm so tired all the time. I managed to work this week, but it was a struggle to concentrate. My brain feels like it's in a fog.

Last night and today, Tabitha and I went to L.H. Methodist for the Hope for the Heart Conference. It was really good. Jennifer Rothschild was the speaker and she was awesome. She's been totally blind since 15. She's amazing. Her faith is so precious. I really enjoyed her talks. Bought one of her books and a CD of three of her talks. One of them is "I'm in the Men's Bathroom and I Can't Get Out". Can't wait to listen to that one.

When I got home last night, I immediately fell asleep on the couch. Same thing happened today. I got home at 2:45. Vance was gone to the store or someplace. I layed down on the couch and woke up around 8:00 with a splitting headache. I just can't seem to get enough sleep. I hear sleep is when the healing process takes over in your body, so I guess I need to be sleeping.

I'm having all kinds of problems with my computer. This morning, I tried to get to my google email account and Sitesure.com had taken over my computer. I could not get to my email at all. I sent an email through Bellsouth to Vance to see if he could help. I guess he did something, cause I was able to get on, but my computer is still acting weird.

I sure hope I feel like going to church tomorrow. I feel like I've missed way too much. It's not like me to miss church.

I think I will go to bed now. My head is pounding with every keystroke, so I need to get off this computer. Goodnight and God bless..................

Been Out Sick

It's been a while since my last blog. I ended that one on a tragic note. But what the devil meant for bad, God turned around for good. It has brought families back together and made us all realize how important family and friends are. If I haven't told you lately - I love you from the bottom of my heart.

I took Daddy to the viewing on Wednesday night. I saw my brother embrace our dad for the first time in over a year. God is good. I have never seen so many people at a viewing before. I'm sure the fact that there were two people had something to do with it. It was closed caskets, but they had a slide show going. Oh, the love those two had for each other was so evident in their pictures. If they were staring into each other eyes, they were holding hands. And there were pictures of Ricky (the son who killed them) and you could see how much they loved him and his brother, Randy. They lived full lives, with their horses, their business (paint contractors), their family, their travels. I regret that I didn't belong to their lives more than just at funerals and hospital visits. My children and grandchildren could have had fuller lives if they had know Randy and Debbie. They could all have learned how to ride horses. But, we all just get so busy with our own little group of family and friends that we miss out on so much. It was a blessing that they went together to be with the Lord, because one could not have carried on without the other.

The funeral was a tribute to two Christians who cared about people and worked hard in the churches they were members of. Debbie would sing for anybody's funeral. All the preacher had to do was call the night before, say "Debbie, do you know this song?" She'd say "No, but I will by tomorrow." If it meant staying up all night, she would learn the song and sing it like a pro. She loved God and would sing for Him every chance she got. They worked in the church doing whatever needed to be done. They painted the preacher's houses, the churches and did any thing they could for God's people. It was a blessing to hear three preachers talk about them as friends, while another preacher sat on the first row as a pallbearer crying through the whole service.

They were buried in Vernon at an old country church cemetery (Ebenezer Baptist Church). Over 200 people were at the graveside service. The funeral lasted from 10:00to 2:00 and did not seem too long at all.

I saw my two aunts embrace and cry on each others shoulders and ask forgiveness and speak love for one another. They have not spoken in over six months. That was so precious. Those of us standing around that knew the situation broke down and cried. God is so good.

Penny, Chip, Angie and I stopped for lunch at a BBQ place and met up with Angie's cousin, his wife and daughter. Penny and I ordered catfish nuggets and had to send them back - not done. Yuck! I do not eat raw fish. We changed our order to BBQ sandwiches. Lesson learned - Never order fish at a BBQ joint! I stayed over and Chip and Angie's visiting until 5:30. Got home and started running fever around 6:30 and coughing every other breath.

I ran fever all night and took Nyquil and cough medicine. Vance went to the store and got Dayquil for me to take to work with me. Had to go to work the next day, cause it was timesheet day and I don't have a backup. I worked until I got them all entered; left at 12:30. Came home and hit the couch - fever and coughing. Took the Dayquil and cough medicine (Tussionex), but it wouldn't stop the cough.

Vance went and played golf the next day. When he got home, I sent him to the store for Old Crow Whiskey. He came back with Jim Beam; couldn't find Old Crow. I mixed 1 ounce whiskey with 1 ounce honey and took a tablespoon. Layed down and slept for about two hours. That was the longest I had been able to sleep without coughing. It's an old remedy that my cousin's pedetrician gave my aunt over 40 years ago. They called it "Deacon Brown's Cough Elixir". It still works.

My co-worker, Randy, called me Sunday morning and requested prayer for his brother-in-law's family. Their 2 1/2 yr. old son was riding a little electric car around in the yard with a whole bunch of people around and he got away because nobody was watching him every minute and went to the neighbor's house, fell in a ditch and drowned. The little car fell over on him and he couldn't get out. They noticed he was gone and called 911 when they couldn't find him. They thought he had been abducted. The Sheriff and deputies came and started a search and a deputy and neighbor found him, tried CPR to no avail. What a tragedy. You think just because there are a lot of people around, that your child will be safe. But, you really do have to keep your eyes on them the entire time. The mother had just turned around to talk to somebody, turned back and Zeke was gone. Not even five minutes had passed. So, please, if you have a small child, watch them every single minute. You don't want this to happen to you or someone you love.

I did not get off the couch until today. Went to work and then to the doctor. She said I had a very bad case of sinusitis and gave me a shot of Rocephin and a shot of Decadron. Said I should start feeling better in about 2 hours. Well, it took much longer than two hours. I was still weak as water until around 9:30 tonight. But, it did stop the cough. I worked and made more mistakes than I think I've made in my entire career. My brain was just in a fog and I couldn't seem to do anything right. I had to run all my reports twice because I did them wrong. It would take about 15 minutes to figure out a timesheet, which should have taken only seconds to figure out what they were trying to say. I told my boss I couldn't be responsible for anything I did today. The reports were done before I went to the doctor and without being on any medication. One good thing - I lost 8 lbs. Hope I can keep it off. My doctor gave me prescriptions for Azithromycin 500mg, Methylprednisolone 4mg and Tussionex to start taking tomorrow.

The steroid shot finally kicked in around 9:30. I decided to make cupcakes, cause I will have to eat breakfast to take the medicine. It's a Weight Watchers recipe (1point each) - Pillsbury Angel Food Cake Mix and a 20oz can of crushed pineapple mixed together and baked at 350 degress for 15 minutes. They are pretty good, but it makes a whole bunch! I'll have to carry some to Kim and share.

Guess I better try to get some sleep. Goodnight and God bless...........

My Heart is Breaking

This has been a rough 24 hours. Yesterday started out so good. We had a great service at church - Mrs. Sandi preached. Then, I went to lunch with Debb, Kim and 4 of Kim's grandchildren. We had a good time at PoFolks. I took Debb home so Kim could take one of her grandchildren home out of town.

After I left Debb at her apartment, I went to the hair salon to wait for Marsha. Her whole family showed up, except her husband. Brandi came to see how my hair turned out. Jon and his wife, Casey came. Casey got her hair colored. They have a little girl and so does Brandi. They came, too. They are so precious. My hair turned out pretty good. It feels so soft.

I came home and Vance was working on the ceiling in the kitchen and watching the Super Bowl. We don't watch football games, but he was watching for the commercials. I took a nap, cause I didn't sleep much last night curled up on the large ottoman. I just cannot sleep in a recliner and Trent was on the couch, so I turned the ottoman the long way and put my feet on the couch and my body on the ottoman. I tossed and turned most of the night.

Vance and I watched the end of the ballgame and he turned off the TV and went to bed. I came in to answer some emails and turned my TV to watch "Murder She Wrote" so I didn't see the news.

Around 11:00, the phone rang. Who could be calling at such a late hour? I answered the phone and my aunt was crying and said "Ricky shot and killed Randy and Debbie." Randy is my cousin. His son shot and killed him and his wife and intended to kill his brother, too, but Randy, Jr. was not there. Ricky is bipolar and was not taking his medication. He went to a friend's house and got drunk, got four bullets from him and went home and killed his parents in cold blood, then dialed 911 and told the police he had killed them and was waiting for them to come pick him up. My aunt and the rest of the family found out when the news came on. They had not been contacted by the police. While I was on the phone with my aunt, the police and pastor came to their house. She asked if I would come over and I woke up my husband and told him where I was going.

It was the most awful thing to have to go through - to try and have to be brave and strong for them when I was breaking apart on the inside. I held my cousins and prayed. I held my aunt and prayed for her. That's all I knew to do. I drove my aunt to the Sheriff's Dept. so that we could find out what really happened. There must have been close to 100 people there - both sides of the family. Basically, they told us the same thing that was on the news. Ricky was being questioned and he said he killed them and intended to kill his brother, too. We didn't get in touch with Randy until around 1:00. When he came in, that's when I broke. Randy lost his whole family. They were all so close. They all lived together and worked together. Randy and Debbie and Randy, Jr. all worked together in a family-owned painting business. He is so lost. Please pray for him.

We stayed at the Sheriff's Dept. until 1:30. I took my aunt home and headed to my house. I really don't know how I got home. I cried all the way home. Randy and Debbie were good Christian people who loved their sons. Maybe too much. Ricky had gotten in trouble before and got put on probation and ordered to live with his parents. Randy had told his mother (my aunt) that he wasn't sure if that was the right thing to do. He had told my brother that he was afraid that Ricky was one day going to kill them all in their sleep, cause he was so unstable.

It has been hard to concentrate on work today, but I've got to get my timesheets entered. I know I will be off on Thursday for the funeral.

Penny and I went over to my aunt's after work today. I told my aunt that I believed what the devil meant for bad, that the Lord was going to turn it around for good. I have been praying that this would bring my aunts and uncle back together. My aunt told me her sister called this morning crying and they made up and while Penny and I were there, my uncle came in and they made up. Thank You, Lord! Now, we've got to pray that my daddy and them will make up. I want the whole family back in fellowship again. Randy was praying for that, too. He said everybody just needed to forgive and get on with their lives. Maybe his death will have that effect on them. That they will realize just how precious life is and they don't need to waste it being mad at one another.

Penny brought me home and I waited for the news to come on to hear the latest. It just came on and I heard part of the 911 call that Ricky made to the Sheriff's Dept. and he talked like it was no big deal that he had just killed his parents. It's awful.

Guess I better try to get some sleep, since I haven't had much in the past couple of nights. Please keep our family in your prayers. Goodnight and God bless..........

48 Hours

I was playing around on my computer with pictures and found two pictures that I had to put together side by side and frame. It's Chad and his son, Trent. They look so much alike. Kinda like Vance and Fox. I've just got to find the two pictures that show just how much they look alike.

Didn't even try to go to bed last night, but slept on the couch. Slept really good. Since my back is against the back of the couch, it keeps me from tossing and turning so I didn't mess my hair up. Just had a few spots that needed touching up when I woke up. I'm looking forward to getting it washed tomorrow, so I don't have to be so particular about what I do.

Vance went to play golf and I went back to sleep for about 30 minutes. Woke up and fixed me some breakfast - toast and grits. Did a little cleaning around the house. Started cleaning out my closet. Found about a dozen sweaters in a plastic container in my closet that I had forgotten was there. "Out of sight - out of mind." I hit the jackpot! Now, I'm set for the winter. If we have a winter. I think it's supposed to warm back up into the 70's on Monday. That's Florida for ya. Started getting hot and was almost sweating, so I had to quit. I'm not supposed to sweat for 72 hours - until I get my hair washed tomorrow. That meant I couldn't finish my closet or move furniture around like I wanted to. I just found little jobs to do that wouldn't cause me to get hot. (Good thing I'm over the hot flashes!)


Tabitha called to see if Trent could spend the night. Her cousin is going out of town to live and the family wanted to all get together and go out to eat with him. Vance came home and sent me to Home Depot to get more Liquid Nails. I went to Target first to buy a towel holder for the kitchen. The old one just doesn't match. The one I wanted was broke, so I had to go for the second choice. But, it looks okay. (I wanted the red one.) Tabitha brought Trent over. It's the first time she's seen the kitchen. She's not too crazy about the La Fonda Fireberry. She said it looks orange. She suggested I ask somebody if we could use the Really Red and paint it over the LFF without having to have tinted primer. I think I will go by Home Depot and talk to somebody in the paint department and see if it's possible. Cause I really do want the Really Red. She thinks Michelle had a good idea about painting above the cabinets the same color. I hung up my rooster picture over the sink and it's in a black frame with light yellow mat. The light yellow looks good, so I think I'll go with light yellow for the rest of the room.

Showed her the bedroom and she loves it, except for the flowered curtains. Took the flowered curtains down on the single window and put up just one panel of the striped on that window and three panels on the double window. Looks better. Wish I had one more striped panel. But, the window treatments will probably change when we get a bed in there. I'll want to match the bedding.

Trent had a Wal-Mart gift card, so he wanted to go shopping. I didn't have anything else to do, so we went shopping. Had to stop get gas first. The car was almost on empty. Glad to see gas prices going down, though I heard they were going back up. Who can keep up?

Fran gave me a good Weight Watchers recipe for a dessert. Take a box of Pillsbury Angel Food Cake Mix and add a 20 oz. can of crushed pineapple and bake in muffin tins. Don't add anything else to the mix; just those two ingredients. Sounds yummy. I bought the stuff and will try it out tomorrow night so I can take some for breakfast on Monday. If they are good, I'll start baking them and that way I'll have something to eat in the mornings on my way to work.

Got back home and Vance had torn out some more of the kitchen ceiling. Trent and I had to stop at Ace Hardware and get him some nails. Vance told Tabitha it would take him about a year to finish all his projects. Wonder what else he has in mind?

Trent has been so good. You hardly even know he's here. He's been playing with his new toys and we've been watching the Disney Channel. Just got through watching "Hannah Montana." Trent is asleep in the chair, so I guess I better get him to the couch. Don't know where I'm going to sleep, since I snore while sleeping on my back in bed. I guess I'll have to sleep in Vance's recliner. Hope I can sleep. I'll let you know tomorrow.

Goodnight and God bless.............

24 Hours

Tried to sleep in the bed last night on my back propped up on two pillows to keep my hair from getting crimped. I just have a hard time sleeping on my back. Woke myself up snoring. Now, that's bad. Got up around 2:00 and moved to the couch, sleeping on three pillows. Managed to sleep the rest of the night and not mess my hair up too much. Touched it up with the flat iron before going to work.

Got a lot of favorable comments. Kim loved it. So did Fran, Dee and Tina. Didn't see any other women, but most of the guys liked it. Kim looked so cute today. She had on a new top with black gauchos and just looked adorable.

Our office was crowded this morning. So much noise!! I couldn't even listen to my phone messages, they were so loud. Having way too much fun.

Daddy called and gave me his grocery list. Had to go at lunch, cause I had to go to Mama's after work. He gave me a list of 22 items, some in groups of 2, 3 or 4 each. I wrote them down and promptly left them on my desk when I left for lunch. Did not realize I didn't have the list until I got to the grocery store. There were things on there that he doesn't normally get, so I just stopped and prayed for God to reveal the list to me so that I wouldn't forget a single item. I headed through the store and sometimes had to backtrack when the item would pop into my mind. When I took the groceries to Daddy, I told him I thought I had gotten everything, but if I missed anything, to call me and I'd go back tomorrow. When I got back to work, I looked at the list and I had gotten every single item. I was so excited. I had even bought him a carton of OJ because he loves it and I knew he didn't have any. God is so faithful if we just ask Him to help us. I have had a bad habit of speaking over myself that I have a terrible memory. Well, I will no longer speak that over myself. I have a great memory, in Jesus' name! Kim said I was brillant. I receive that and declare it over myself. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

Worked until 5:00 because I was making up the extra time I had to take at lunch. I checked Daddy's account and Social Security had finally deposited his check instead of sending it to him. It has taken 11 months to get it direct-deposited. I went on line 11 months ago, we got a letter saying it would be done the next month and it never happened. Daddy called SS several times and finally last month talked to a man who said they were having trouble all year, but he guaranteed it would be deposited Feb. 1st. He was a man of his word. I wish I knew who he was. I'd write a letter to the director and pat him on the back. Nobody else would help Daddy. They would put him on hold and never come back to the phone.

Went to Mama's to take her money from the Credit Union. She showed me the cell phone Chip had gotten her. I could not believe it. It was a TracFone just like the one I had bought for her last year that she wouldn't use. But, if Chip gets it for her, it's the greatest thing since sliced bread. Penny and I just can't seem to make her happy no matter what we do. Oh yeah, she didn't like my hair either. She never does. She wants me to stay curly (which makes me look older) and also wants me to stop coloring my hair. Would you believe - my hair is almost totally gray and her's is only gray around her temples and a streak on the left side. Her granddaddy was 99 when he died and she said his hair was almost all black and her daddy was 80 and I remember him only having a small spot in the back of his head that was gray. I must take after Daddy's side of the family. Marsha has even commented when she's coloring my hair that I would be all gray if I stopped coloring. I'm not ready to be all gray yet.

Left her house at 7:00. Vance called to see if I planned to spend the night. Told him I was on my way home. Came home and then went to Captain D's to get food. Tonight was the worst food I've ever had from them. I ordered fish and shrimp for Vance. They were out of shrimp. I ordered stuffed talipia for me and they were out of that, too. Got a baked potato and it was raw in the middle. I just didn't enjoy my supper at all. Only ate half of it. Shadow and Vinnie got the rest. They don't usually get table scraps, so they were excited.

Told Vance I was going to sleep on the couch all night tonight since I woke myself up snoring and my back hurt so bad last night. He kissed me goodnight and went to bed about 2 hours ago.

It's supposed to be cold tonight, then back in the 70's by Sunday. This weather is weird.

Time for me to go to bed. I'm suddenly getting very sleepy. Goodnight and God bless.........

New do

Typical day at work today. Timesheets as usual. It started raining right before lunch and I was getting a little worried because I had a hair appointment after work to get my hair straightened. It's a new type of straightener - not a chemical, but basically a conditioner that your stylist irons into your hair. It's gentle and won't cause any hair damage, unlike the other straighteners I've used on my hair. It smells good and your hair is softer, silkier and shinier and straighter. Can't beat that. But, you can't get your hair wet for 72 hours. Rain is not a good thing.

Met my friend Karen for lunch at Olive Garden. She became a grandmother for the 5th time yesterday and she's nine years younger than me. She has three girls and two boys (grandkids). She and I share the same birthday - March 18 - only nine years apart. She has tried to trip me up for about 20 years by saying I'm 10 years older than her. She hasn't pulled it over on me yet. I'm quick to say "9 years." We have a lot of fun with that. Enjoyed the soup, salad and breadsticks, especially since I didn't eat supper last night and no breakfast this morning. But, I couldn't eat all of my lunch either and we didn't have but one helping.

After work, I went to see Marsha to get my hair done. She took her daughter, Brandi, to Atlanta a couple of weeks ago to learn a new straightening technique with a brand-new product. Nobody else in Panama City uses this product. She learned the technique on Brandi and told me how pretty it was and she'd give me a huge discount if I wanted to try it. I saved some money and she called me Monday to tell me she could do it today. It's called Keratin Complex (www.keratincomplex.com). It is not a chemical, but a conditioner that the stylist flat irons into your hair. You can't wash or get your hair wet for 72 hours. I got there at 4:00, she applied the product and we waited 20 minutes before she started the flat iron processing. Brandi came and helped her. Brandi said she got up this morning and didn't even brush or comb her hair and it looked great. She loves the way her hair looks and feels. She said it is so easy to take care of. I'm looking forward to that. We finished up a little before 8:00. It's a long process if you have as much hair as I do. But, it looks and feels great. It's so shiny and soft. It should last for three months or longer.

I had planned on working in the house this weekend, but I'll probably have to put that off cause I can't pull my hair back or even tuck it behind my ears. It gets aggravating bending over and having my hair fall into my eyes so I can't see what I'm doing. I'll have to find something else to do - maybe clean out my closet? Sounds like a winner.

I called Vance around 7:00 to let him know I was still at the beauty shop. He said "That's fine. I'm tearing apart the kitchen ceiling." He's going to put new ceiling tiles in the kitchen and craft room. He finished the bathroom ceiling last night. He's on a roll and I don't want to stop him. This de-cluttering helped get him motivated, too. Thanks Michelle for that little (well, maybe big) push.

Guess I better try to get some sleep. I'm kinda afraid to sleep on my hair. I don't want to get any creases in it. Marsha and Brandi said I could use my flat iron to straighten them out tomorrow morning. I sure hope I don't mess it up.

Goodnight and God bless.............