Very Busy Weekend

Saturday - Slept till around 8:30. Met Tabitha over at Mama's house around 10:00 and we started cleaning in the living room. Mama has smoked in there for years, so everything had nicotine on it. The windows were so yucky. You were spray them and watch yellow stuff roll down. It was gross! Tabitha is one hard worker. She pulled all the furniture out and vacuumed and then wiped the floor and walls down. I took all the pictures and knick-knacks and cleaned them. Mama has 100's of those. I know I didn't get them back in the right spots, but Mama assured me that it was okay (one of the many times she called to see what we were doing and to tell us repeatedly not to throw anything out).One time, she told me to go into her bedroom and look for something. I said "Mama, you've got a guitar in here." She said "Your Granddaddy gave that to Earl. Take it and give it to Trent." When I told Tabitha, she said "No, give it to Chad. He's learned how to play and all he has is Trent's little guitar to practice on. It's an old Stella Harmony acoustic guitar. It needs a strap and a new fret and probably new strings. Tabitha and I worked until 3:00, but got a lot done.

I went to Ace Hardware to try and get several more of the keys made, but they don't have a form for a Master padlock key. Said I would have to go to Panhandle Lock and Key. I went to Taco Bell and got something to eat and went home. Gave Vance a taco and I ate a burrito. He asked me if I wanted to go to the drag races. I was pleasantly surprised. We haven't been anywhere together in months. He said I would have to look the place up on the internet and find out what time the races started. They were having classic car races. I called and found out the gates opened at 4:00 and the qualifying started at 5:00. I changed into jeans, grabbed a jacket and my camera and we got in Mama's car and took off. After we turned onto the Marianna Cutout, we started looking for signs. We were told there would be a lot of signs, so I didn't even look for the County Road sign. I was looking for Breakaway Race Track signs. I drove and drove and finally told Vance that I thought the road we were looking for was way back the way we came. So, I turned around and finally as we topped a hill, I saw several trucks pulling trailers with cars on them. I told Vance I would follow them no matter where they went, so we fell in line and ended up at the race track. We had a blast. Vance, you will love this - the 1955 Chevy's kicked butt! They beat out the Mustangs for you Ford lovers out there. There was one Mustang that had a Chevy engine that was walking away from all the other Mustangs. The announcer said "The only good Ford is one built with Chevy parts." :) They even had a jet car and it broke the speed record. It went 219mph in the 1/8 mile. Wow! It was loud and it was fast. Now you see it; now you don't! The flame from it almost burned down the backboard. They were hosing it down before the car came up, but it still caught on fire. I'll try to upload the pictures tomorrow night after practice. It was around 11:00 when we got home, but I had a lot of fun. Next time, I will take a chair. I stood up the entire five hours.

Sunday - Boy, was I sore when I woke up. I almost rolled over and went back to sleep, but I knew I had to get up and go to church. I talked to Scottie about the guitar and he said he'd put new strings on it and tune it for me. He said he might even have a strap. I didn't know about the fret until tonight, but I'm sure Scottie can fix it. I took pictures for the Children's Church after our service was over. After church, I called Penny and asked her what she and Swayde wanted for lunch. I picked up lunch and went over to Mama's to help Penny clean. She had already done the bathroom and was working on the kitchen and the other half of the dining room that we didn't finish yesterday. We worked till after 4:00. Talk about exhausted! I was so tired. I came home and talked to Vance a few minutes, then laid down on the couch and fell asleep. I told Vance not to let me sleep all night, so he woke me up at 7:15. I had some messages from people, so I called them back.

Monday - work as usual. I just thought I was sore yesterday when I woke up. I could barely move this morning. My arms hurt so bad. They felt like lead weights. But, instead of taking a day of vacation like I really wanted to, I went to work. Made it to the safety meeting. What they talked about was way over my head. I just don't understand electrical terminology. I got the gist of it, but I could have been doing my timesheets instead of sitting there bored. Kim was sick, so I didn't have anybody to talk to. Got as much work done as I possibly could. Went to Arby's and got a chicken salad sandwich and rushed back to work. I worked till 5:00 and then had to stop and get gas before coming home. Called and apologized to Mama for not visiting this weekend. She said Penny had called and told her that I had been at the house both days working and that I was exhausted when I left her. Mama said she understood and that I needed to get some rest.

Came home and watered my plants. It hasn't rained in a few days and they looked really dry. Then, I sat down at the computer and went to the My Heritage website that I am working on. Tonya had updated some info. Thanks, Tonya. I found the copies that Grandmama Lightsey had written down and kept in her family Bible and entered all that information. Several in the family have joined the site. I just hope they start updating the info that pertains to their family. I want this to stretch as far as we can stretch it in every direction. I have more info on my old computer in The Family Tree program, but Vance has that computer.

Now, I'm getting really tired, so I better get ready for bed. Goodnight and God bless................

Whew! It's Friday Again..........

Time just keeps getting faster and faster. Just three months till Christmas. I don't even want to think about it. Vinnie kept me up last night. I think he went outside and got bit by something around his mouth. Ants, maybe. Anyway, he came in as I was trying to sleep on the couch and kept running around with his nails clicking on the floor. He would then rub his face on the floor. I took him in the bathroom and wiped his face with a wet wash cloth, but he kept running around. I know he did it for at least 20 minutes. And, I was so sleepy. I just wanted to put him outside, but then I would have to listen to him scratching on the door. I even held him and prayed for him. Finally, he settled down and went to sleep and so did I.

Today was a usual, busy day. Except our phones were not working this morning and our computer went down. Once they got our phones working, I had messages from yesterday around 3:30, so I guess they were down yesterday afternoon and we just didn't realize it. They got the computers back up, but I still had problems off and on during the day. I sure hope it kept all the data I entered.

I got all my gloves boxed up and ready to ship back on the truck next Tuesday. I am trying so hard to keep up with them.

I went to Wal-Mart at lunch and got cleaning supplies that I can deal with to go tomorrow to start cleaning Mama's house. I can't use bleach, Pine Sol and other strong cleaners. They make me so sick, so I got some that I can use.

Daddy called and asked me to pick up some medicine for him. Vance called and said he was over at Mama's working on my car. He's doing a front brake job. I told him I had to run an errand for Daddy then I would stop by there. I wanted to pick up some clothes and linens to bring home to wash.

I worked till 6:00, then went to CVS and picked up medicine for Daddy. Sat and talked with him a few minutes. His cat, Tiger, came and got up on the bed beside me and let me pet her. She has never done that before. She would just jump up beside me, then take off running. Daddy was sitting in his chair and she just came to me and wanted to be petted. She stayed beside me the whole time I was there. Daddy says he has to wear long pants or she will wrap herself around his leg when he tries to walk out the door. It's like she doesn't want him to leave her alone. She's a funny cat. I need to take a picture of her to share with all of you. She is a Cabby and doesn't have a tail. Her back legs are higher than her front and she runs like a rabbit.

I went to Mama's, but Vance had already left. I got the key and unlocked the screen door and dropped the key. It hit the step and fell through the crack under the porch. I ran my fingers in the crack, then thought there might be spiders or snakes and pulled my hand back. I got a screwdriver, but it wouldn't bend. I need one of those bendable magnets. I called Chip and he has another key. I went in Mama's and stripped her bed and grabbed all the clothes I could find to bring home and wash. I was going to take down the drapes, but then it would leave the windows open for everybody to see in. And Mama doesn't want the drapes put in the dryer. She wants them hung back up to dry. So, I should do them at her house.

I went to Chip and Angie's to pick up the extra key. Chip said he dropped it, too, but it bounced back towards him instead of under the house. McKinley was there. She is so cute. She can already say her ABC's, but she wasn't going to do it for me even though we tried to bribe her. Angie said "I'll give you a dollar." She said no. Katie said "Well, what will it take for you to say your ABC's?" McKinley said, "Give me all of your money." The girl knows what she wants!! And she's not even three yet. I gave her all the change I had in my pocket. I'm a sucker for cute kids. But, she still didn't recited her ABC's, but she did give me a hug and kiss. That's even better.

I came home and sat and talked to Vance for a few minutes, then went to Capt'n D's and got us something to eat. Washed two loads of clothes and watched a little TV and now I'm ready to go to bed. Got a lot of work to do tomorrow.

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

What's Happening to Me?

This emotional roller coaster has got to stop. It's got me to where I don't sleep, I eat too much and I feel like I'm running in place. I woke up sometime during the night to go to the bathroom and I remember setting the timer on the stove, messing up and doing it again. I let the dogs out and back in and went to sleep on the couch. I do not remember Vance kissing me goodbye, but I know he did, cause he has never left without kissing me. The timer did not go off and I woke up at 8:15. Was supposed to be at work at 7:30. I jumped up, ran into the bathroom to get ready and heard the timer go off about 15 minutes later. Boy, I must have been wiped out when I set that timer, cause I sure didn't add right. I still had my contacts in, which meant I was so tired that I forgot to take them out. Which also meant that I couldn't see a thing. I felt the phone buttons and called Kim to let her know that I was going to be late and had to leave a message. Took my contacts out to soak and called and left a message for my boss when I could see again. Just as I was about to leave, I heard Chad's truck drive up. He pulled around back and was loading up some of that mulch from the oak tree stump. I told him I would leave the back door unlocked so he could come in and showed him water bottles in the refrigerator on the back porch and told him to take all he wanted. He said Tabitha was on her way to clean the house. I don't know what I would do without her helping me. Made it to work at 9:15 - caught all 12 lights red. That was one way for God to make me slow down. I probably would have gotten a ticket otherwise or gotten in an accident.

Got to work and my boss was looking for me. No, not to fire me. He had some information that I needed to know about an employee that I do time on. As I was talking to him at the coffee machine, I was making myself a cup of coffee. I take a lot of creamer in my coffee and use Stevia as a sweetener. I always put in the creamer and Stevia before pouring the coffee. I poured coffee into my cup and it didn't change colors. Oh yeah, I had put sugar instead of creamer. I looked at my boss almost tearing up and said "I think I need to go back home." He said "What's wrong?" I told him and he said "Slow down and start over. It will be alright." I wasn't so sure.

When I got back to my desk, all I did all morning was put out fires. Got a call from the timekeeper who's out with our crews in Texas. Restoration is going slow. Most of the poles are behind the houses and they can't get trucks back there, so they all have to be climbed. I know our guys are tired when they get back to go to bed. Up until yesterday, they were in tents. Greg said it was like camping out and wasn't bad at all. The weather has been cool, so it was good sleeping weather. He said it was actually fun sitting around under the stars at night. I'm glad it's not so hot for them. But, the reason for his call was that one of my guys had gone on-line to see his upcoming paycheck and found that he was missing at least 16 hours of overtime. While Greg was on the phone, I checked all 11 of my guys and found four who were missing 17 1/2 hours of overtime on the very first day they left for Texas. For some reason the computer just didn't save it. Greg had already told Bruce that it wasn't my fault; that it was the new timekeeping system. He's had problems like that, too. You enter time, and from what the techs tell me, the system does upgrades and whatever you enter will be erased. They don't let you know when they are doing the upgrades, so you don't know that you just lost time on the people you just entered. If it is straight time, it's easier to find, because you know they are supposed to have 80 hours at the end of the pay period. But, overtime is not something you would find unless the employee comes and tells you. So, I told Greg to tell Bruce and the other beach employees that I was making the correction and the money would be on their next paycheck. It will actually help them out tax-wise.

Around lunch, I went down and got a sandwich out of the refrigerator that was left over from a meeting yesterday. I was so glad it was there so I didn't have to leave and go buy something. I went back to my desk and had another call; this time from Pensacola Fleet Services. The girl needed me to help her find out who drove a couple of trucks last month. It took about 30 minutes, but we found out. I love helping people out. It makes me feel like I know what I'm doing when all around me is falling apart. Personally.

I love this weather! This is my favorite time of the year. No high humidity, a breeze that is actually cool. My hair even looks better this time of year. Funny, isn't it?

The afternoon was very busy with timesheets, then I took off at 4:00 to get my hair colored. That's the one thing I do for myself every five to six weeks. I'm just not ready to go totally gray yet. Tabitha called to see if I could pick up Hope for church. Trent has so much homework that they won't be able to go. So, I did. I told her I would honk and for Hope to run out. We didn't make it in time for me to go on the platform, so I just worshiped on the front row. Kyle had called and left me a message this morning to bring my camera cause they were doing something with the youth and wanted pictures taken. I went out with them and took pictures. The ones inside will be fine, but the ones outside were way too dark, even with my flash.

After church, I grabbed up Hope and rushed her home. Went inside and talked to Trent, Chad and Tabitha. Hope wanted me to tuck her in bed. That was sweet. Haven't done that since I went to Tallahassee and helped with Fox one weekend. We talked a few minutes and then I rushed home so Vance could go to bed.

Now, it's time for me to go to bed. I'm really tired.
Goodnight and God bless..................

Here We Go Again!

Mama has changed her mind again. Now she wants to go home. She called me and told me not to disconnect the power because she wants to go home. It will be probably 2-3 weeks when they will release her for a home trial. That means we have to clean her house this weekend. Penny can't do it on Saturday and I go to church on Sunday, so I'm going over on Saturday to start. I think Angie will be able to help and possibly Tabitha and Kim. I'll let them know tomorrow. I'd really like Angie there, cause she already has some ideas on what to do about the house.

Penny called her and asked her why did she change her mind all of a sudden. She told her that for the past two nights somebody has come in her room and stood over her bed. It's two women that have Alzheimers and they don't know where they are. But it scared her. It would scare me, too. So, now she has her mind set on going home. We're just going to have to work together and make sure we go over every night and check on her. Now that she doesn't have a car, she will qualify for Meals on Wheels. We'll go grocery shopping and get things that she can eat without much preparation.

Now that she's not smoking, she is breathing better. Penny and I both noticed the change. Hopefully, my air purifier has cleaned up the air in the house and it will be okay for us to clean. Penny is going over and talk to her neighbor and tell her she better not buy cigarettes for Mama no matter how hard she begs. None of the family will buy her any. She will do so much better if she doesn't start smoking again. I'm just going to tell her if I ever walk in her house and smell smoke, I won't come back. That usually works with her. I know some people will call me cruel, but I don't want my mama to die. Every cigarette takes another day off her life, plus we are all allergic to smoke and none of us would be able to visit. That's why we stayed away before cause we would go in and come out with a migraine or worse.

With all of us working together, I think we will be able to keep her at home. Home Health Care will come every day to check on her so I think she will be okay. Penny was able to get her phone turned back on and still have the same number. That was God, cause they always give your number away when you have it disconnected.

I went and got lunch and brought it back and ate in my office. I used to have peace and quiet for at least 30 minutes, but not anymore. Somebody is always coming in wanting something out of the warehouse. When it gets a little cooler, I will be going to the marina and eating in my car. Didn't get much work done. Was on a roll with my timesheets and then the system went down. I had planned on working till 5:30, but went home at 5:00 instead. No sense sitting around when the computer is down. I could have filed, but I have so much of that to do that I didn't want to drag it all out for just a few minutes.

We had a little bit of a scare today with Trent. He went for an EKG yesterday and the doctor's office called back this morning and said they found something abnormal on the test and he needed to see a cardiologist right away. They had an appointment at 1:00 to see a pediatric cardiologist. Of course, I sent out prayer requests and when he saw the doctor, he told Tabitha that his heart was healthy and he could find nothing wrong on the EKG. Praise the Lord! If there had been anything wrong, God took care of it and healed it. I picked Hope up from school. She was so tired. She didn't say a word as we were driving back to the office. Normally, she's talking a mile a minute. She finally started talking when we got in my office. Tabitha and Trent came by to pick her up and they were going to the library to hang out until 5:00 when Hope had choir practice. She's in the Sandbox Singers Choir. Trent called me to see if I was going to practice tonight because he wanted to go back to the library between 6:30 and 7:30 for a pajama party. I told him I had to go to practice, but maybe we could go again sometime. He was cool with that. I will have to check out the activities at the library and see about taking them. I haven't even been to the new library yet. Kim and Tabitha said it was very nice. I don't even have a library card. Tabitha said there is a section where they sell books really, really cheap. I'll have to check it out cause Vance and I both read a lot.

Talked to Michelle. She's still not feeling good. I'm really praying that she will get better quick. I just love that girl!

Went to Praise and Worship practice. Had a good practice. I just love our team. We work so good together. Called Chip and told him to turn the a/c back on at mama's house so we could clean without being hot. He said he would take care of it.

Penny and I talked on the phone for over an hour. We really think we can keep Mama at home if we all work together. I sure hope so.

I'm really tired, so I'm going to bed. God bless you all..............

Horatio Lives!

I guess you're wondering about the title. Well, I'm a huge fan of all the CSI series and tonight was the first one of the season for CSI-Miami. At the end of last season, Horatio was gunned down. Blood pooling under him and Ryan received a text message "It is Done". That left everybody thinking that Ryan had something to do with the shooting and you were pretty sure Horatio was dead. Well, tonight we found out it was all a set-up and Horatio was not dead after all. And Ryan was in on the ruse. Whew! I was so glad, cause I really like Horatio Cain.

We just don't know what to do about Mama. They want her to go home and she wants to stay. Medicare takes 45 days to activate. Mama is sure she can't make it on her own at home. She won't come stay with us cause she would still be alone all day. None of us can take her in because we all work and we can't quit our jobs. I'm getting her car. She and I have been talking about it for a couple of months now. I told her I wanted it and would let Chad and Tabitha have my car when they get rid of Tabitha's. That way they won't have a car payment. I wasn't going to give Mama one payment, but would pay her $100 a month to take care of her life insurance policy payment. Now, we don't know what to do. Penny is checking into what all Medicare needs from us.

Pray for Chad and Tabitha. Chad's boss called him last night and said he was having problems with his business and losing contracts, so he was dissolving the company. So, Chad lost his job. My friend, Olga, knows a lot of people here in town and she is going to try to help him find a job. Her own son needs a job. He lives in Crestview. His name is Nigel and he needs prayer, too.

One of the guys at work was standing at the candy machine when he saw a little mouse stick his head out from under it. I was by the coffee machine and we started looking for the mouse. I had a cup of tea in my hand and had backed up to my boss' door to look beside the machine. All of a sudden, I felt something rub against my ankle. My first thought was to throw the tea in somebody's face, cause I knew somebody had touched me and it wasn't the mouse. But, then I thought it might be my boss so I didn't throw the tea. I turned around and it was Ricky with a yardstick in his hand. I chased him into Kim's office and beat him on the arm. We all were cracking up and believe it or not, I didn't spill a drop of my tea. Chris saw the little mouse run out from the candy machine and down the hall and he scooted under the door of the utility room. It's amazing how they can squeeze under doors.

It's midnight and I'm tired, so I'm going to bed.
Goodnight and God bless...........................

Mama and the Nursing Home

Michelle and I were IMing each other early this morning, so neither one of us got much sleep. I even missed my afternoon nap today.

Went to church. Had a testimony time after Praise & Worship, then Mrs. Sandi had us all agree in prayer for Shirley Lowe. Pastor preached about 15 minutes and let us go at 11:40. That's early for us. I went to the nursing home to see Mama. She told me that she had had a meeting with some of the people there and they wanted to try to send her home the end of the month for a trial run to see how she did on her own. She says there is no way she can go home. When I saw her Monday, she was eating good and not having any problems and said she wanted to go home. Then, after meeting with them, I think she got scared of being home alone. She was worried about how she was going to pay her life insurance cause they will take her Social Security check. I told her I would buy her car for $100 a month. She said "What if I'm in here 5 years?" I said "Well, then I've got myself a very expensive car." I told her not to worry about the insurance. Then she started worrying about the taxes. I told her the three of us would just have to come together and pay the taxes.

Penny came in and Mama told her about wanting to stay. Penny will contact the lady in charge of the nursing home tomorrow and see what needs to be done and who to contact. Mama is worried about losing the house. I don't think that can happen since it's in all of our names. They might be able to take her 1/4 of the money after it's sold, but I don't think they can take our part. We'll just have to wait and see.

Chip and Angie came in and she had to repeat it to them. Chip sat down on the foot of the bed and Mama held onto him like she was about to lose him. It made Chip very uncomfortable. Mama has never shown any of us any affection, so that was a strange feeling for him.

We all stayed for about three hours, then walked out together. We talked and Penny said she would call tomorrow and find out what we needed to do. Angie suggested we wait before disconnecting the power and water cause Mama might change her mind. I really think it is fear.

Vance went last night and took my Alpine Air Purifier to clean the air so we could go over and clean. All of us are allergic to cigarette smoke and end up with migraines when we go over there. Penny went by this morning and said it was already smelling better in there.

I never did get a nap. And I missed Bible Study again. I got busy washing clothes and simply forgot until it was too late.

Now, since it's almost midnight, I think I better try and get some sleep. Got to be at work tomorrow. I wish I could take off and go to the mountains for about a week.
Goodnight and God bless..............

Very Emotional Day

We have a member of our church family that is in the hospital - Shirley Lowe. She had heart surgery on Thursday and has gone from bad to worse. She developed pneumonia, her heart is racing causing her blood pressure to go very high and they say she has infection throughout her body. She needs a miracle. Please pray for her. I'm the email contact for our Prayer Group and I've been on the phone off and on all day with updates. I got so mad at the devil that I had to get in my car around 8:00pm and drive so I could yell at him and pray to God for a miracle for Shirley. Vance was asleep in his chair and I didn't want to wake him up by yelling. He would have thought I had lost my mind anyway. I'm believing that she will live and not die and have a wonderful testimony. She is a mighty prayer warrior and she needs all prayer warriors to stand in the gap for her.

Woke up not feeling very good. I've had bad indigestion for three days. I don't know if it's because I'm drinking tea again, or because I ran out of my medicine but I've been suffering really bad. My stomach feels like it's on fire. I've had to sleep on the couch propped up on five pillows. I actually sit sideways and rest my head on the pillows. Not the most comfortable position in the world, but at least I can sleep. Laying down is not an option. I didn't even get dressed until Vance came home from playing golf around 2:00. Plus, I've had a headache from not having caffeine.

I was trying to give up caffeine again, but I failed miserably. While I was out, I went to Zaxby's for a salad and stopped by Sonic for sweet tea and an Oreo blast. Ate a little of it and put the rest in the freezer. It will last me about three days. But, since I had a little tea, my headache has eased off. I've also started gaining weight since I started drinking the tea again because it also makes me crave other sugared foods. This has got to stop!

I found a new website today that I joined - FanArtReview.com You can enter your photographs and have them critiqued and even sell them and enter contests. I haven't uploaded any photos yet, but I'm seriously thinking about it. I'm just looking over everybody else's right now to see how I'd stack up. I also joined MyHeritageFamily.com and entered about 40 names on our family tree. I've got to get my old computer files from Vance so I can look at my family tree info on there. I don't remember a lot of the birthdays or names that go way back.

Was disappointed that Vance, Michelle and Fox couldn't come this weekend, but I sure hope they are feeling better. Hope to see them in two weeks. If that doesn't work out, I'll see them on the 11th when I go over to Tallahassee to help celebrate Fox and Michelle's birthdays. Can't wait to see them.

I've watched some movies today that made me cry. The Stepmother (I think that's the name) with Julia Roberts always makes me cry. It's such a beautiful movie. I like all the movies I've seen with Julia Roberts. Then I watched two Sandra Bullock movies - Hope Floats and Miss Congeniality. She is so funny. I guess Julia Roberts and Sandra Bullock are my favorite female actresses. I love their movies.

I'm now watching HSN on TV. Would love to order Joy Mangano's luggage, but it's $260, which really isn't a bad price. The features are out of this world. Everything this lady has designed is awesome. But, since I don't get to travel much, it would be a waste of money. If I could just buy one piece, I'd buy the wheelie. It's like a rolling briefcase/suitcase in one. Oh well, maybe one day I'll get to travel and then I can buy the luggage. I'm sure she will have made it even better by then.

It's 1:00 am on Sunday morning and I'm still up. Didn't take a nap today, but I'm not sleepy. Vance fell asleep in his chair and went to bed without telling me goodnight. When I realized he was gone to bed, I also realized I forgot to take the note I had left him telling him I had gone to Zaxby's. I guess he thought I was gone, so he went to bed. OOPS! I missed my goodnight kiss because I forgot to tear up the note.

I guess I really need to try to go to bed. I think the indigestion is gone, so I'll try to sleep in bed tonight. Hope that goes well. I'm not fond of sleeping sitting up.

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

Busy, Busy Thursday

Got to work and found out all the Team Leaders were going to be on a conference call all morning. Which meant I wouldn't be getting timesheets until after lunch. Not good for me. I had a few that kept me busy, but I was worried that I would have to work really late just trying to stay caught up. Went to Credit Union and saw Fran and placed an order for Mary Kay for Tabitha. I've ordered a new product that I tried for several days - Arbonne. Of all the cleansers, toners, etc. that I have tried (and usually you have to buy them first to try them), I absolutely love Arbonne. They let you try the whole kit for 3-4 days before you buy. I could see a visible difference in my face while I was using it. I have redness around my nose and chin area. It was just about totally gone while using Arbonne. I was even beginning to like my face without makeup. That's very unusual for me.

Michelle called. She's sick and so is Fox. We decided to postpone their visit for two weeks. I'm sad :( but I want them well so we can have fun with them while they are here. I'm glad I didn't tell Mama that they were coming. She would have been so disappointed.

Went to lunch, came back and had several faxes - my timesheets! Yeah, I was ready to get to work. I stayed until 6:15 tonight and got all done so tomorrow won't be so bad.

Came home and sat down with Vance for awhile and talked to him about his vacation. His company's year ends in October and he has to use up some of his vacation before it ends. He can carry some over, but he's got too much and he'll lose it if he doesn't take it. So, he's been taking off early just about every day. I wish we could just take off and go somewhere, but he's not interested. You can hardly get him to spend time with the kids when they are here. He's just such a loner. Most of the time, we don't even spend time together in the house. He's never been a talker, so if we are together, it's to watch something on TV. I usually just come to the computer and work on my photos, check emails, play puzzles on Facebook, etc. But, does the man love me? Oh yeah. He cares about me enough to wait up for me when I'm coming home late from church or wherever I happen to be. He cooks for me everyday because he likes to cook. He even went and cut my mother's grass the other day so people would think somebody was home while she's in the nursing home. He brings me flowers "just because". He doesn't sleep when I'm away from home. So, yeah, the guy loves me. He's just not much on socializing.

Well, I'm in the middle of watching "Murder She Wrote" and I want to put together another puzzle before I get tired and have to go to bed. Goodnight and God bless......

Facebook is Fun

I really like Facebook a lot better than MySpace. It's so easy to use and you don't feel like you have to decorate your page. I also love the fact that you can add Bible verses to your remarks. I'm real selective about who I allow myself to be friends with. The only guys on there are people I know or that someone else I know really well know them. I've connected with more people from Springfield Methodist that I used to go to church with. That's so cool.

I really haven't slept much this week. Here it is almost midnight and I'm still up. I've only been getting about 4 hours sleep a night. I go through these spells and sometimes they last for several weeks. But, I manage to work and get things done on very little sleep. I guess I'm just weird.

There's a new take-out place open that I've tried out twice this week. It's good home cooking and I really mean good. This week and next, the price of a plate with tea and dessert is $4.00. It's meat and vegetables, bread and dessert with a drink. I've noticed that I don't get hungry in the afternoon after eating it. Today, I went to Sonic and got a foot-long chili dog and was hungry all afternoon. Maybe I should stick with the real food and forget the fast food.

Pastor Sammy was back tonight. He's getting around pretty good on that ankle that he had surgery on. He preached on the fear of God tonight. He asked if anybody had an anger problem. A lot of people raised their hands. I didn't cause I don't usually have a problem with anger. Kim elbowed me and said "You do, too." She reminded me of a person that I've been mad at who hurt someone really close to me. I'd love to knock their head off. I have been very angry at them and would really like to get back at them in some way. Well, when she reminded me of that, I prayed right then for God to forgive me and to take away the anger. I have to forgive the person or God won't forgive me. I can't live with God being angry at me for not forgiving someone who really doesn't deserve forgiveness. But, did I deserve forgiveness? Did you deserve forgiveness. I think not. None of us deserved it, but Jesus died so that we could be forgiven. Thank you, Kim, for caring enough to bring that to my attention. I love you for being honest with me and showing me my faults. You probably know me better than I know myself.

Okay, I guess I better get to bed and try to sleep. It's almost midnight.
Goodnight and God bless..................

Kind of a Yucky Sunday

It's almost midnight on Sunday and I just went to Sonic and got a banana split and sweet tea. Is that horrible or what? I hadn't been out of the house all day because I woke up sick. Slept until after 1:00. I did remember to call Karen and leave a message to let her know that I wouldn't be at church today. I hate that I missed church. Pastor Sammy was supposed to be back after having ankle surgery. I'm sure it was a great service.

When I woke up, I felt better. So, I watched the race with Vance. Penny called to let me know that she had been by to see Mama and that Mama was crying because she couldn't put flowers on Earl's grave. Penny assured her that I did (even though she didn't know for sure). She said "I sure hope you did." I told her that I did and even took pictures to prove it. She said she knew that wouldn't be necessary because Mama knew I wouldn't lie to her. Mama was also upset because Chip and I hadn't come by after church. I told her I'd call and let Mama know that I was sick and didn't go to church. Penny thinks Chip and Angie are camping this weekend. I got off the phone with her and called Mama and explained to her that I was sick and that I did put flowers on Earl's grave. Mama told me to thank Vance for going over and cutting her grass Friday. He said he wanted to keep the place looking like somebody was living there. I thought it was very sweet of him.

Michelle called and we talked for quite awhile. She's been sick, too. I pray that she gets enough rest today and gets to feeling better. I know how it is to be sick with a small child in the house even with help. And Vance is a great daddy who even stays home and works from home to help take care of things. I wish his daddy could have done that when he was little. Fox is so lucky to have Vance and Michelle for parents.

I worked on pictures for awhile until I ran out of 4x6 paper. I was trying to put together an album for our newest retiree. Guess I'll be going to Office Max tomorrow to get more paper. I'm praying they have 'buy one, get one free'. That's usually when I stock up.

Well, it's officially after midnight and I guess I should get to bed. Even though I'm not sleepy.

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

Happy Birthday Earl

Today would have been my brother's 46th birthday had he survived cancer. Instead, he's spending his birthday in heaven with Jesus and my grandparents. But, we here on earth still miss him very much. Mama gave me instructions to go place flowers on his grave. I don't usually go to the cemetery because I remember him more riding in the car with me as I was taking him back and forth to Sacred Heart Hospital in Pensacola for chemo treatments. I know that only his body is in the grave; his spirit is in heaven. That's why I don't like cemeteries. But, I did as my mother wished and picked out some fall flowers to place on his grave. I pulled a few weeds and decided that I need to go back when it gets cooler and clean up the gravesite. The old, faded flowers need to be thrown away.

Tabitha called and invited me to come to the skating rink to spend time with her, Chad, Trent and Hope. So, since I didn't have anything else to do, I went. It was fun remembering when I used to skate. I even used to teach skating to the little ones on Saturday mornings at the old Silver Circle Skating Rink. I spent most Friday and Saturday nights there, plus most Saturday mornings. I spent so much time there that Mr. Sterritt, the owner, came to Gulf Power and asked me to skate in the Christmas Parade in 1970. I told him I couldn't - that I was getting married that night. He said "All the better; you can skate in your wedding dress." I said "No way. I've got a honeymoon that I've been waiting all my life for." Would you believe he came back three times and tried to talk me into skating? Believe me, the wedding and honeymoon won out!

Hope looked so cute out there trying to skate. Trent and his friend Avery would skate and fall and skate and fall. I imagine they both have bruises all over their bodies tonight. Chad was skating like I used to - full speed ahead. I quit years ago when I fell racing. Someone had spilled red hots on the corner and I hit them and fell on my left knee, then on my head. Had water on my knee for over a year, but never would go to the doctor. Back then I was afraid of needles. But, when God healed my ankle, He also healed my knee and I've never had any problems with it since. It used to just give out on me and I'd fall. Not anymore. When God performs a miracle, He goes all the way. Tiffany and Kaitlyn came and skated a little while. We all left around 4:00.

I came home and cleaned off the ottoman in the living room. Tabitha had cleaned out the utility room and placed some stuff on the ottoman for me to go through. After I finished, I fell asleep sitting up on the couch. Guess I was wore out. Probably more emotionally than physically. It upset me more at the cemetery than I thought it would.

So, Happy Birthday, Earl. I'll see you again someday. You can count on that.

And, goodnight all. I've got some photos to upload and eventually go to bed. Goodnight and God Bless................

Today Didn't Start Out Very Well

Sometime early this morning, I woke up feeling like I was going to be sick. I never could throw up, but I sure felt like I would feel better if I did. When Vance kissed me goodbye, I woke up with a terrible migraine. I called work and then went back to bed. Woke up around 1:00. The headache had just about left me.

I checked my phone and had six calls - four from Daddy and two from Kim. I called Kim and she was on her way to visit her mother in Tennessee. Called Daddy and he wanted me to go to the store for him. He seemed upset that I couldn't go; that I was sick. He told me to call him first thing in the morning. He said that he had been having trouble with his sinuses for four days and was out of medicine. Why does he wait so long to call me? Then he gets upset if I can't drop everything and take care of him. Mama is the same way. "Lord, please don't let me get that way when I'm old."

I finally opened a Facebook account and I've already connected with a lot of people from Springfield Methodist. I think I'm going to like it better than MySpace. Thanks, Michelle, for turning me onto it.

I scanned some pictures I found of Tonya from 1991 and made a slideshow. Why is it that the scanned photos seem grainy, but the pictures don't? Maybe it's my scanner??? I've got to start looking for old photos from the Springfield Youth Group. Christi and Kresta are on Facebook and they have a picture of the group. Christi asked if I still had some. I do, but I can't find them. I had a huge album from our Gatlinburg trip, but I don't know what I did with it. I'm going to look for it in the next few days. While looking, that's when I found the album I took of Tonya over the years. Some really cute pictures that I plan to scan for her.

Well, guess I better get to bed. I'm going to be real busy tomorrow. Goodnight and God bless...............And don't forget to pray for all those people in the path of Hurricane Ike. We've had some flooding here from the high surf.

Mid-Week Retirement Party

Got to work and had all kinds of problems. But, I decided not to get upset. I laughed throughout the phone conversations with supervisors and the manager. I even got them to laughing about the whole deal. It seems we are going to have to deduct one hour of overtime for the crews that went to help out with restoration from Hurricane Gustav. Yes, it is a bit of a pain for me, but like I told my manager "It's all a part of the job. I know how to do it and I can take care of this without any problems. Except the guys are going to be upset about losing the money from that hour of double-time overtime. And I'm going to tell them to call you!" He laughed. I don't think he knows how to take me yet. He is learning that I'm very easy to get along with and I'll help in any way that I can.

Tabitha stopped by after dropping Hope off at school. She sat and made out her grocery list and we decided to do a little Christmas shopping this weekend. A lot of stores are having great sales.

After lunch, we had a retirement party for Phillip Murphy. He is retiring after 31 years of service. Yes, Betty and I processed his employment papers. It seems everybody we hired is now retiring. Phillip and I graduated together, so I've known him about 40 years. He's 56 and still surfing. He said he surfed for four hours this morning and would probably go back after the party. The Gulf is stirred up because of Hurricane Ike, so the surfers are out in mass. We had a good party for him.

Talked to Mama. She is getting tired of the nursing home. She doesn't like the physical therapy. She said they expect too much out of her. I told her that's what physical therapists do - they expect more and they usually get you to the point that you didn't think you could ever do. I told her to just grin and bear it and to stop complaining about it. Complaining never does anybody any good - just makes the people around you wish they weren't. I told her if she would just try to do as much as she could that she would be amazed at how much she really can do. I think she is going to do much better when she gets out. Maybe she will stop just laying around all day.

Worked till 5:15, then came home, brushed my teeth, kissed Vance and went to church. Pastor Sammy is still recuperating from ankle surgery, so our other Pastor Sammy preached. It was totally different from any service I've ever been in. He used worship songs to help preach his message. He would talk, play a song and we'd worship, then he'd talk about the song and go on to another one. I got such a blessing out of that. It felt like God was pouring out His love over me like rain. I cried, I worshiped and I just felt so good when the service ended. I really didn't want to leave. I just wanted to soak up that feeling of peace that I was feeling. A feeling of deep love from God. It was good.

Came home and Vance went to bed. He always waits up to make sure I get home okay. Such a sweetheart. I ate my supper and did my arm exercises. Didn't try to do any pushups tonight. My exhausted. Afraid I would fall flat on my face. :o)

Now, it's time for me to go to bed. So, be blessed the rest of the week. Let's remember to pray for the people who are in the path of Hurricane Ike.

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

Got Away From the Office

Mainly just put out fires at work this morning. Had several things that needed to be adjusted on timesheets and people needing copies of timesheets. Didn't really get to enter any time before I had to leave for lunch.

We had a business lunch in Chipley today. It was for the admins, but they included me which I thought was nice. I'm usually not included in too many things - kinda 'out of sight; out of mind'. Sheila came from the beach and picked up Kim and I. There were supposed to be four others coming from town, but only one was able to get away. We met Kayla at the restaurant. She works in Chipley. It was an interesting meeting with Beth bringing several things to our attention. We are going to try to develop some type of exercise program that the office personnel can get involved with. Beth told me about a company photography forum that I didn't know about. You can upload photos like I do at www.photographica.org and people within the Southern Company will comment on them. That's something I'm definitely interested in. Beth is trying to find out from the STARS team why I am the only one in the whole Southern Company entering To and From time. Kim suggested that all of them work with me one day a pay period and enter time so that if anything happened to me they could step in and do my timesheets. As of now, I have no backup. All in all, it was a good meeting. We are going to try to meet at least once a quarter.

Got back to work around 1:30 and entered a few timesheets before it was time to go home. When I got home, Tabitha had been here cleaning up our laundry room. God bless her. There are boxes that I will have to go through, but I won't be able to get to them until Thursday after work. The laundry room looks good. She has picked up where Michelle left off when she came over and we started decluttering the house. I have the best daughters-in-law in the whole world. Between the two of them, maybe they can keep me straight and keep my house from being so cluttered. I can't help it; I come from a long line of accumulators.

We had Praise & Worship practice tonight. Had a great time. Love the new song. Then we had our prayer time. I got home around 9:15. Vance waited up for me, but he was ready for bed when I walked in the door.

I've got a few things to do before bedtime, so I better get off here and get them done or I'll be up all night.

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

Happy Monday

The end result of our work Saturday. We need to have the driveway pressure washed. I think Penny's boyfriend has a pressure washer that we might be able to borrow or pay him to clean it for us.

Finally made it to the safety meeting. Not much going on. They just told us that there will be two nurses hired to be advocates with families who have major illnesses or accidents. That sounds nice. They will talk to the doctors and the families and make sure the families know exactly what is going on, where the best possible treatment facility would be and help get you there. I think it's a good idea.

As usual on Mondays, I spend most of the day running reports and getting them out to the supervisors.

At lunch, I went to Kohl's to see if they might have a shelf that Vance could hang over my TV to put the DVD/VCR player on. No such luck. They did have a great sale going on. I tried on some tops, but they were knit and they just hugged the body. Not good when you're overweight. Looked for some shirts for Vance, but they didn't have any size small. Left there and went to Zaxby's and got a chicken salad sandwich plate. They have a great chicken salad sandwich.

Tabitha called around 2:00 to see if I could go pick up Hope. Just as she was about to leave work, four more tables filled up in her station. I hope they tipped well. Since Hope's school is only 8 blocks from work, I was able to pick her up and get her back to the office in about 20 minutes. Kim came down to the office and Hope entertained us. She was so funny. She drew pictures and told us stories. Tabitha came and got her. Hope called back and said "Thank you, Nonna for picking me up from school. Is the other girl there so I can talk to her?" She was talking about Kim, but she had already gone back to her office. I called Kim and she said "At least she thinks of us as girls instead of old ladies." She thinks of us as playmates. That's a good thing.

Worked till a little after 5:00 to finish up my reports. Stopped by Office Max to pick up some ink for my printer. By buying the ink, I got 8 free AA batteries. I've got some pictures I need to print before Wednesday for Phillip's retirement.

Vance's mom called to let me know that Mac is having surgery tomorrow. I can't remember if it's his hip or back. But I'm believing that it will completely stop his pain. He's already a walking miracle. He was supposed to have this surgery a couple of years ago and they found that he had cancer when they were doing the pre-op tests. God has completely healed him of the cancer and now he's strong enough to have surgery. I won't be able to go to the hospital because I've got a meeting in Chipley tomorrow.


Add Snippets to your site

Finally a scripture that pertains to my lack of sleep. I don't like to sleep; now I have a scripture to back me up. Thank You, Lord!


Guess I better get to bed. Goodnight and God bless...............

Is the Weekend Over?

The weekends sure do pass by fast. Yesterday was a busy day for Tabitha, Chad and me. Tabitha called around 8:30 and said she and Chad would be over in about an hour. I jumped in the shower - why, I don't know. I knew I'd be sweating and getting dirty. Should have waited until we finished. I went in the laundry room and cleared off the bakers rack that I hung clothes on so that we could put it on the front porch.

The whole front of our house was full of plants in pots. I love plants, but just don't know how to plant them. I'm not good at landscaping like my mother. I just don't have any design ideas. I just buy the plants and put them in front of the house. Anyway, Tabitha and Trent came over and we got started. I had already pulled a bunch of the pots away from the house. Came across a spider web with a spider that had red on it. I couldn't see very well to tell if it was a black widow, but I took a picture of it. I don't think it's a black widow, do you? I used the broom to knock it down. We cleaned the porch and Chad came. We all worked to get the rest of the pots away from the house and throw the old wooden plant stand away. Tabitha was raking the leaves from where the plant stand was when she came across a snake. I still haven't figured out what kind it was, but we killed it anyway. "The only good snake is a dead snake" as far as I'm concerned. I looked in my snake book, but couldn't pick this one out. Any ideas? I guess we worked for a couple of hours, but it sure looks better. I forgot to take pictures of the end result. Will have to remember to do that tomorrow.

Mama called while we were working and told me to take Tabitha over to her house and get all the groceries and take them home. She didn't want all that food to go to waste. So, Chad went home and Tabitha, Trent and I went to Mama's. Loaded up several bags. I went by Taco Bell for some lunch. Ate and then went to the Family Dollar store to get some things I needed around the house plus house slippers for Mama.

Vance came home and grilled hamburgers. He like what we did to the yard.

Went to church today. Had a great service. Ms. Sandi preached. Pastor Sammy is recovering from ankle surgery. I pray that he recovers quickly and that there are no problems from this surgery. Tabitha came to church without the kids. Aunt Donna has had Hope all weekend and Trent spent the night with a friend and went to church with him. I sure miss those two.

Went by Winn-Dixie and got some candy for Mama and went to visit her. She's always liked peppermints, but when I pulled them out of the bag, she said she wished I had gotten the soft kind. She used to carry the hard ones around in her purse and in her car all the time, but now she wants the soft ones. And then she told me she couldn't eat the chocolate candy (she always has before) and to take the slippers back cause Penny had brought two pair and they slip on the floor. I just can't do anything right. Seems Penny can't either. She bought Mama two house dresses that zipped. Mama refused them and made her take them back and go someplace else to find the ones that button. She said the drier would melt the zippers. I know that's not true, cause just about everything you buy now has plastic zippers and they don't melt in the driers. But Chip does everything right. He put padlocks on the doors and turned off the water and unplugged the a/c. She went on and on about what he did. I just wanted to leave.

I stayed about an hour and a half, then she told me to go home and take a nap. She really wanted me out so she could watch the race on TV. I was keeping her from watching it.I came home and ate a hamburger and took a long nap. Had meant to go to Bible Study, but slept too late. While I was asleep, Michelle and Fox called. Fox wished me "Happy Grandparents Day, Nonna. I love you." He's so sweet. I could just eat him up! Can't wait to see them in two weeks. They are coming for a visit. I called Michelle back and thanked her for calling and letting me hear Fox. It just made my day.

I ate supper and watched two episodes of "Murder She Wrote". I just love that series and anything Angela Lansbury plays in. I read my emails and got one from somebody who had read Vance's blog about doing the Hundred Push Up Challenge. He said it inspired him and he was signing up, too. I've been using my 3.3 lb weights and doing arm exercises. I did 30 reps of three different arm exercises tonight and then just wondered if I could do a push up. I've never been able to do the kind that men do, but I got down on the floor and did 25 from my knees. I was very surprised. It may be the girly kind, but at least I did them. I may try to work up to 100. Who knows? One day I may be able to do the kind men do. Vance, you have inspired me, too. Keep up the good work.

Guess I better get to bed. Back to work tomorrow. Goodnight and God bless..........

So Glad It's Friday

I sure didn't want to get up this morning. But, I did. Ate a bagel before I went to work. Was starving by 9:00, so I ate crackers. Why is it that eating breakfast makes me hungry all day long? And, why is it that all I want to eat is carbs?

Went in and talked to my boss this morning. He is so nice. We talked about me working late, coming in late some mornings, working through lunch and working overtime. I told him if I was 15 minutes late getting back from lunch, I would show it as vacation. He told me not to do that anymore. He said "Over the years, how many times have you worked over and never charged the company?" I said "Hundreds of times." He said not to sweat the small stuff anymore. Isn't he great? I told him how I would work late to make up the time I had to take off for my parents and he said that was fine. I told him I'd like to see if I could get a computer set up at home so that I could carry some work home from time-to-time. He said he didn't have a problem with that. I really think I could be more productive at home without all the distractions. I already bought a fax machine that I haven't even taken out of the box when they told me I'd be working from home if we ever had a flu pandemic. I'm going to check with the technical support people and see just what I need at home. If I can use my computer, or do I need to get a separate one? I know I'll probably have to upgrade my internet speed. It's something to think about anyway.

Mama called about three times. She said the physical therapist made her hang up towels, take them down and fold them today. She's doing pretty good, but says she is real tired. Penny called from Wal-Mart and told me she could only find two housedresses and they zipped. We both know Mama won't like that. And when Mama called me when I got home (at 7:00), she said she didn't like the zippered kind. I told her that Penny didn't have time to run all over town and look for the ones that snap. Penny had gotten off work at 4:00, went to Wal-Mart, then had to go pick up Swayde and then carry Tiffaney to work. I don't know if she ever made it to the nursing home. And Mama told me they were coming today to wash her clothes. I told her to just put on her pants and shirt until they got them back to her. She's become very demanding in her old age. I told her she needed to be appreciative of whatever Penny bought. She said she couldn't do a zipper. I told her "Mama, push the red button and call somebody to help you get dressed. That's what they are there for." She also said that Chip had gone over and put padlocks on the doors and where to find the key. I'm going to take it and get extras made, so we don't have to leave it hidden where somebody might find it. She wanted me to be sure and go tomorrow and get the groceries and carry them to Chad and Tabitha. She doesn't want them to go bad before she gets home.

Boy, was I busy today! Had several people come in checking on their vacation that they have left. I think I've got about 10 days. Wish I could take them and go someplace far, far away. But, that's just not possible.

Daddy called before lunch to get me to bring him money for the weekend. I decided I better go at lunch, cause I didn't know how late I would be working and I knew I'd be tired when I finally did get off. Grabbed a hamburger and came back to work.

I worked till 3:45 and was finished, or so I thought. When I tried to lock the timesheets, I had 15 employees kick out with some type of problem. I worked until 6:30 trying to find the problems. I found them all. I think I would make a good detective. I had to search the entire two weeks day-by-day to find most of the problems. A lot of the problems had to do with the storm days. I think I got everybody corrected properly. At least, they all locked. I have worked 15 1/2 hours overtime this pay period. That will be a good pay check next week. I could have shown about 5 more, but I chose to use those hours to make up for the time I took off to get Mama out of the hospital and then put her in the nursing home. That way, I didn't have to use vacation.

Well, I think I need to get into bed. Chad and Tabitha might come over in the morning and help me plant some of my flowers. Chad loves working in the yard now that he has one to work in. Plus, he's now working for a landscaper. Maybe he can give me some ideas. I need all the help I can get.

Have a great weekend. Goodnight and God bless................

Thursday - Busy Day

Wow! What a day. I've been behind all week because of the storm timesheets. They used to be sooo easy. I worked solid all morning, then walked down to Kim's office right before lunch. We decided to go to The Cheese Barn for lunch since they were giving a portion of their profits today to the United Way. It's been years since I've been to The Cheese Barn. Used to love to go there. We went and we I got the chicken salad plate and she got the tuna salad plate. It was a scoop of salad over lettuce with two slices of tomato, half of a cucumber/cream cheese sandwich, sweet pickles and a cranberry mold. It was so good and just enough food. We will definitely go back.

I came back to work and several people called requesting prayer, so I put them on our church's prayer email list. Tabitha and Hope stopped by. Hope was so sleepy. She just sat in my lap and hugged me and laid her head on my shoulder. It was so sweet. I never tire of holding my grandchildren. Michelle called to let me know that they were back from their trip. Glad they had fun and got home safely.

I talked to Mama. She's really liking the nursing home. They are treating her like a queen. I came home and told Vance I wanted to check in for about a month to get pampered like that. I could take my camera and take pictures in the atrium and walk around the grounds. Such beautiful flowers everywhere.

Mama wanted me to go to Wal-Mart and buy her several more house dresses. I told her I couldn't go until Saturday. Of course, she wanted them right away. I told her I'd go as soon as I got off work, but that would be late because I had to work late. I finally went home at 7:00. Could have worked another hour, but I was exhausted. Penny called around 6:00 and said she would go get the dresses for Mama. She would be getting off at 4:00 tomorrow and would have the time. I told her how much I appreciated it because I'm sure I'll be working late again tomorrow and Daddy will probably call and need something from the store - or money to go to the VFW - so I'll have to take care of him when I get off no matter what time it is. I need a vacation, but that's just not possible with my job anymore. I don't have anybody to do my work while I'm gone. I told Vance tonight that I probably needed to buy another computer dedicated to work only and hook up to high-speed internet and just start bringing some of my work home. I don't want to spend so much time at the office. Since I stay up late anyway, I could be working from home just as easily and wouldn't have to worry about leaving work after dark. He worries about me being there all by myself. What if I got sick? He couldn't get in the gates to get to me and there would be nobody in the office to let him in.

Have any of you been watching the Republican Convention? I have never watched any of the conventions before, but I got home from church last night and Vance was watching. He wanted to see Sarah Palin and hear her speech. He actually stayed up late to hear her. We were very impressed. She and John McCain definitely have my vote. Tonight, I turned it on in time to see Cindy McCain's speech. She brought me to tears several times. The woman has done so many charitable things around the world. She reminds me of a cross between Mother Theresa and Princess Diana. I was very impressed.

Well, I guess I better get to bed. Tomorrow will be another long day and I guess I need some rest.

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

Wednesday News

Was so busy at work today. I'm up through Labor Day on my timesheets, so I'm still behind. But, I'm making progress.

Kim and I went to Tally-Ho and got a turkey club sandwich and brought it back to work to eat. Haven't had one of those in a long time. It was really good.

Had Mama's cable cut off today so that would save her some money while she's in the nursing home. She called today and she's doing pretty good. Went to therapy and it tired her out. That's expected. I just hope she doesn't lay around in the bed all the time.

Not much else going on, so I'll close for tonight.
Goodnight and God bless............

Mama's In The Nursing Home

This is a picture of Mama and two of her great-granddaughters.

Yesterday was Labor Day and I didn't even notice. Since Vance is such a loner, we don't celebrate holidays anymore, except Thanksgiving and Christmas. If it was left up to him, we wouldn't celebrate them either. But, I'm not giving them up.

Tabitha called and asked if I could keep the kids while she and Chad went to work. She was feeling so much better. She looked better, too. I kept them from 10:30-4:30. We did crafts. They wanted to go someplace, but I was just way too tired to take them. So, they were stuck at home with us. Vance worked on his Belvedere most of the day. Chad came and got the kids. Tabitha was still working. She called and said she was doing fine.

Today was a very busy day. I missed the safety meeting on purpose so I could get started on my timesheets. I'm so far behind. Daddy called and gave me a grocery list. Penny called around 10:30 to tell me she was heading over to Mama's to get her to take her to the nursing home. I asked if she needed me to come and she started crying and said "I can't do this alone." I dropped everything and took off. I knew it would be hard on her. I just feel kinda numb about the whole thing. We got her things together and Penny's boyfriend came by to make sure she was okay. He said he'd help clean up around the house, cut the bushes next to her house and pressure wash the house. I don't know how Mama would feel about cutting her plants down.

Penny and I took Mama to the nursing home and checked her in. The place is very nice. The atrium is beautiful; there are so many beautiful plants everywhere. I could have a ball taking pictures. Mama is in a room with a very nice lady. Mama has the window side and there's a birdfeeder right outside her window. She will be having physical therapy twice a day and they will make sure she has plenty to eat. They brought her lunch while we were there and she ate the fries and a couple of bites of the sandwich and all her pudding. That's more than she's eaten in several days. Everybody there seems so nice.

We left her there around 1:00 and I went by and got something to eat and went back to work. I worked until 5:00 and then went by the drugstore and grocery store for Daddy. Dropped off his groceries and was talking to him when Penny called to let me know she was going back to the nursing home. I had to drop off some papers for her, so I told her I'd meet her there. Mama had eaten most of her supper when I got there. She said the food was very good. Chip and Angie came by and we all stayed around until about 8:00.

Vance had supper cooked when I got home. He wanted me to eat and go straight to bed, but I just couldn't do that. But, I'm ready now. I'm getting sleepy. And I've got a lot to do tomorrow. I'm going to try hard to get up early, so I can go in early. I'll work through lunch and work late.

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

Another Sleepy Day

Got up and went to church this morning. Tabitha came. It was very obvious that she was sick. She has lost weight and was covered up in a blanket. During Praise & Worship, she made her way to the altar and literally laid across it. She was so weak. We were singing and God prompted me to get the anointing oil and go pray for her. I did and Mrs. Sandi and others came and prayed, too. Tabitha just laid down on the floor and rested in God's arms. When she got up, I helped her to the bathroom, then we went back in the church. She sat there a few minutes, then told me she was going home and going to bed. I offered to drive her, but she said she would be fine. I told her I'd take care of Trent and Hope. Trent was so good to her in church. He kept coming up to her and kissing her on the forehead and hugging her. He loves his mama so much. Tabitha asked me to take notes for her, so I did.

After service was over, Mrs. Sandi came to me, Pastor Sammy and Pastor Jim and said we needed to pray for Tabitha. She had talked to her before she left. We prayed and agreed for her healing. I gathered up the kids and we went to Burger King. I called and asked Chad what he wanted. Tabitha was asleep, but Trent wanted me to buy her a Mocha Joe iced coffee. I carried them home. Chad was cutting grass and Tabitha was on the couch. She seemed better. She said she felt a little better since we had prayed for her. She said she couldn't drink the coffee (I didn't think she would, but I didn't want to disappoint Trent since he was thinking about his mama.). And she said she wasn't hungry either.

I came home and ate the remainder of the roast that Vance had cooked the other day and went to bed. I was so tired. I slept for several hours. Had planned on going to a concert at Callaway Baptist Church tonight, but just didn't have the energy. Fixed grilled cheese sandwiches for supper and Vance went to bed.

I'll probably go in to work for a few hours tomorrow to get caught up while nobody is around, then I need to go to Mama's and help her pack some things to carry with her to the nursing home. I'll probably take off with Penny on Tuesday to get her settled, then go back to work.

I was pleased to see the news from the Weather Channel showing that 90-95% of the people have been evacuated from New Orleans. We sure don't want another repeat of Hurricane Katrina. I'm still praying that Gustav will just fizzle out and not tear up anything.

Well, I'm ready to go to bed, so I will bid you all goodnight...........God bless you all!