Fox's Birthday Party

Yesterday, I got up early and drove to Tallahassee for Fox's first birthday party. Vance wouldn't go, but he let me drive his truck. My husband is not a social person. I got real upset when he said he wouldn't go to the party. But, he's been having some trouble lately since he's quit smoking. He's not in the best of moods. I can understand that. I get cranky when I can't eat like I want to. Take away my sweet tea and I'm not a happy camper. Got to get rid of it though, cause my blood sugar is going way up.

Back to the party. There were a lot of people there to help Fox celebrate. I can truthfully say that Vance would have been miserable. I had to apologize to him when I got home.

Got some great shots of Fox eating his first cake. He did what he was supposed to do - make a mess and get it all over him. That makes the best pictures. :) He started out wondering what was going on, but after his Daddy helped him get a taste for cake, he dove right in. Isn't he a doll?

We had a great time watching him made a mess. I stayed around and played with him awhile, then headed back home. Had to stop at Target and pick up a few things - like a Starbucks coffee - before I got on the road.

As I was traveling on I-10, the traffic started slowing down and then came to a complete stop. I figured there was an accident when I saw a towtruck driving down the emergency lane. We waited and waited and I noticed the traffic backed up behind me as far as I could see. Same in front. I guess we were creeping along and stopping for about 35 minutes. And yes, it was an accident. A bad one from the looks of one of the cars. I just hope nobody was in the passenger seat cause they would have been hurt bad. I got to thinking about the timing of the accident and wondered if I hadn't stopped at Target would I have been close to it or even involved? Makes you wonder, doesn't it?

I got home a little later than I had planned. I had not wanted to be driving in the dark. Not that I'm afraid to drive in the dark, but there are always deer on the sides of the road (I saw three and probably missed seeing others). Sometimes, they run out in front of cars and get hit. I would rather be driving in daylight. They aren't usually out on the sides of the road until after dark.

Went to bed early last night. I was really tired.

This morning, I got up and got ready for church. We were missing several people off our Praise & Worship team (singers and musicians). Most were sick. There's something going around again. We had a good time, anyway. Pastor preached from Matthew 6:19-34 - not to worry about things. Worry cancels out faith and we sure don't want to cancel out our faith, do we?

Came home, ate and took a nap. I really needed that nap. Vance woke me up and told me he was going to Gary and Fran's to help Gary with his floor. I couldn't go back to sleep, so I got up and uploaded the pictures from Fox's birthday to my computer and sent out invites to view them. Several people commented back about how cute he is and to wish him a Happy Birthday.

Now, I think I will go to bed. I've got to work tomorrow. Vance is off - it's a holiday. Who knows, maybe I will call in and take the day off, too. We'll see how I feel when I get up in the morning.

Goodnight and God Bless................

Back to Work

I felt a little better when I got up this morning. At least, I could get up and get ready and go to work. We had our normal safety meeting, so I had to get there early. Found out I have to be there early on Friday, too - some secret meeting we're having. The meeting's not a secret, but the subject is. Whatever!!!

Was very busy all day. That's what happens when you lay out for a day and have all your work backing up on you when you get back. Gene called from Chipley and he's leaving this afternoon to go to the races in Talladega, so that means I have to do his timesheets for the next couple of days. It's not too bad. I think he has less than 15 people. And from what I've heard, by the end of the year, I'll be doing them anyway. That's called job security.

Mama called and wanted me to go to the Credit Union and get her some money. I carried it to her at lunch because I had to go get groceries for Daddy and pick up his SS check after work. I stopped by my new favorite eating place and got smoked chicken, green beans, new potatoes and a roll. The chicken just melted in your mouth. It was so good.

After work, I went grocery shopping and then delivered the groceries to Daddy, picked up his check, rushed home, kissed Vance, brushed my teeth, kissed him again and headed out the door. Tabitha called as I was on my way out. They are all sick and she asked if I could come by and pick up something to give to Mrs. Sarah. I got there and Hope didn't want me to leave. I picked her up and she just laid her head on my shoulder and didn't want to let go. It was so pitiful. She is running a fever. Tabitha and Trent are having reactions to a new medicine and they didn't feel good at all. You could tell Trent didn't feel good. He was laying his head on the table trying to eat, then got up and went to the couch without finishing his food. I just wanted to hold them all. I said a prayer over them and headed on to church.

Church was good, but I missed Tabitha and the kids. Came home and ate and now it's time to go to bed. I've got a full day ahead of me tomorrow, too. (No wonder my body wants to shut down and demand sleep. It's getting tired.)

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

I Slept the Day Away

When I woke up this morning, I couldn't wake up. I was so drowsy - no I didn't take anything last night to help me sleep. I don't take drugs even when I go days without more than a couple of hours of sleep a night. I made the mistake of taking one Tylenol PM at 8:00 one night. I was wide awake until 3:00, then fell asleep and couldn't wake up until 1:00 the next afternoon. So, no, I don't take drugs to help me sleep. I've just been tired lately - Kim thinks the chronic fatigue is back. Could be. That means I've got to start watching what I eat. The fact that I've been eating a lot of sugar lately could have triggered it again. Starting today, I'm giving up sweet tea again and all things sweet. I drank water all day today. Well, not all day, cause I slept most of the day. I did remember to call my boss and leave a message that I was taking a day of vacation. That's about all I remember. Caught snatches of HGTV between naps, but I couldn't tell you what they were about. Didn't watch them long enough to see the end result of any of the make-overs.

I got a bath around 3:00. That made me feel a whole lot better. I got dressed for the first time today and got ready to go to Praise & Worship practice. Vance came home and Karen called and said we weren't going to have practice cause most of the musicians couldn't make it. I called all the singers and told them it was cancelled. Vance cooked supper while I scanned some pictures into my computer.

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

Sleepy Sunday

Pictures of Fran and Gary's yard. Isn't it beautiful?

Yesterday, I went and sat with Fran so Gary could go to a FSU football game. I got there at 6:30 and Becky was blow-drying Fran's hair. Fran had taken a bath and was able to remove the collar for a little while. She said she is feeling so much better. She's not having to take pain pills, just a little Baby Motrin about once a day. We had a good visit. She wouldn't let me do much of anything. She said I was supposed to get some rest, too. I went outside for a few minutes trying to catch some butterflies on the flowers, but they had decided to leave the premises when I carried my camera out. I did take some great pictures of their backyard. Gary and Fran have a beautiful side and backyard full of flowers and water features. It is so peaceful out there. I would love to have a yard like theirs.

The preacher's wife, Sandy, brought food at lunch. She is real nice. I had seen her at Hope for the Heart the last two years, but never met her. She visited for awhile then she had to go open the church for a wedding. Her food was really good - lemon chicken over noodles, steamed veggies, rolls and fruit. Fran only ate the fruit. She wasn't very hungry.

Most of the day, I answered phone calls. One time I answered "Ruff residence." Thank goodness, it was Gail, our friend from Vidalia. Fran was asleep, so we talked for a good little while.

Becky came back around 2:00 and we all talked and shared what we had done. She was teaching a music leaders class in Pensacola for Emmaus walks. We ate a piece of cake and then I left to come home.

Vance was home and he'd grilled hamburgers. I ate one and watched a little TV and read a book for the rest of the night.

Today, I woke up exhausted. It was the same way I felt last Sunday - like I just couldn't get going. I forced myself to get up and get ready for church, but I was so tired. Went to church and we had a good time. I just love our Praise and Worship group. We get along so well together and flow with the music. It is just so awesome. Pastor Sammy preached and he was having such a good time. God is doing something new in him. He is so excited about the Word and the things God is doing in his life and the church.

I came home, ate and took a four hour nap. Told you I was exhausted! Now, it's time for me to get to bed. Goodnight and God bless..............

Here We Go Round and Round

It's been a long week. Very busy at work as usual. Fran had surgery on her neck Wednesday and she's doing great. I went to see her after work and she was doing really good. She went home from the hospital this morning. I went by to see her at lunch, but when I got there, I could see through the door that she was asleep. I saw Gary walk out back but when I called to him, he didn't hear me. I didn't want to bang on the door and wake Fran up, so I just left and went to get something to eat. Tried a new place - R & L Catering. It has a drive-thru that's open Mon-Fri. They have set meals for certain days. Today was ham, au graten potatoes, lima beans and a roll. It was pretty good.

Church was good last night. Pastor Sammy preached on "Cheated, Mistreated but not Defeated." As Christians, most all of us have been cheated and mistreated sometime in our lives. That's just the norm. But, as Christians, we are never defeated because we have Jesus on our side and He always brings us through the hard times. He was telling us that he had met a musician who used to play the drums for the Beach Boys. He and his wife are Christians and I think he has a band. Anyway, when the weather gets a little cooler, we are going to have an outdoor concert with him and our Praise Team and maybe some other groups. That will be so much fun. We'll rock the neighborhood!

I called and talked to Becky and she said Fran was eating and feeling so much better today. The surgery was a success and I believe she is going to heal quickly. I believe she will be back at work sooner than she originally thought. I'm going to sit with her Saturday. Maybe we will get to scrapbook after all. She just might be wanting to do something.

Tonight, I took Hope and Trent skating. It was the school skating party and Trent asked me last night if I could take him. Chad had been sick all day yesterday and he doesn't like going to those things anyway (he's too much like his Dad). Tabitha had to work tonight, so I said I'd take him. I think we've only missed one skating party since he started school. Hope wanted to go, so I said I'd take her too. She has only been on skates once and that was in July at her birthday party. When I put her skates on, she touched the wheels and said "Nonna, I want some other skates. These are too slow. I want to go fast." I told her she had to stick with the ones she had and that if she got too fast, she would fall down. Trent was so good with her. He took her out and skated wtih her. Brandon, their neighbor, also skated with her. If I didn't have all this extra weight on me, I would have put on skates. I haven't skated in about 20 years, but that's something you don't forget how to do. When I was a teenager, I used to skate every Friday night, Saturday morning (I taught the little kids how to skate), Saturday night and some Sunday afternoons. Lots of times, I got in free, cause I was helping the little ones. I loved to skate. I could skate backwards and even dance on skates - waltz-type dances with a partner. About 20 years ago, I fell and hit hard on my left knee. I had water on the knee for over a year (wouldn't go to the doctor to get it drained) and my knee would just collapse on me. But, God healed it when he healed my ankle and I haven't had any problems with it since. But, like I said, I'm way too heavy to be on skates now. If I fell, I'd never be able to get up. That would be so embarrassing. I need to get this weight off so I can at least try it again.

Time to go to bed. Goodnight and God bless..............

Is It Really Monday?

Friday at lunch, several of us went to Red Lobster to eat. Our boss, Kenny, was there. He has a job in our main office and he is feeling much better about things after going over and talking to his new boss. I'm so glad for him. He looked and acted like a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders. Thank You, Lord, for answering prayers. I told him that he had to remember that God was watching out for him and that this job would probably be so much better than what he was doing now.

We were supposed to go to the beach for the Ladies Chill Out on Friday. Well, about an hour before I was supposed to get off work, my boss came in and told us that we had to come in to work at 6:00 Saturday morning. There was no way we could go to the beach, stay up till 2:00, get up at 4:00 without waking everybody and get in to work at 6:00. Kim and I had to call and cancel. Bummer! It was all because of that little rainstorm that they were afraid was going to turn into a tropical depression or worse. Why they wanted us to come in Saturday morning when the thing came ashore in Destin Friday afternoon, I will never know.

We showed up Saturday morning at 6:00 and they let everybody go home at 7:00. Kim and I were the only ones actually doing any work and we didn't leave until 7:45. We went to Golden Corral and ate breakfast and then went to a couple of garage sales and an antique store. It was fun, but not nearly as fun as we heard the Chill Out was.

Sunday morning, I woke up feeling out of sorts. Not really sick, but so tired I couldn't get up and get a shower. I called Karen and told her I wasn't going to be at church, then rolled over and went to sleep. Tabitha called and woke me up around 9:45 to see what was wrong with me. We talked a few minutes, and I went back to sleep. I would wake up for about an hour and then sleep about 30 minutes. I did that all day long. I guess getting up around 4:30 Saturday threw my internal clock off something fierce. I was able to go to bed around 10:30 last night and sleep most of the night. Got up around 1:30 and moved to the couch and slept the rest of the night. I don't know what was wrong.

I woke up this morning feeling fine. Took my shower and went to work. Was fine all day. Tabitha called to check on me. I told her I was fine. Went to the Natural Food Store at lunch to get something to help me lose weight. I've used this before and it helps. It is also full of all kinds of vitamins and minerals. You make a shake twice a day and drink it instead of eating a big meal. I'll do it in the morning and come home at lunch and have another one. We'll see how it goes. I've got to do something.

Well, gotta get ready for bed. I'm getting sleepy.
Goodnight and God bless....................

Beach - Here I Come!

Today was a very busy day. I tell you, it doesn't pay to take a day off. Everything just piles up and is waiting for you when you get back. But, I got most of it done.

Kim was off yesterday, so her work was backed up. At lunch, we just had to get away. We went to Zaxby's and got a salad. You know, I've only been through the drive-thru a couple of times. I didn't realize how good their salads are. I think that was one of the best salads I've ever had. I will definitely be going back there. It's not too far from my house, so I can see Saturday lunches as being Zaxby's salads.

Tomorrow, we are going to the beach for our ladies retreat (chill-out actually). One big slumber party. I think about 20 people have signed up. I wish Tabitha could go. I sure hope that storm stays away. I'm looking forward to laying out in the sun and walking on the beach. Today, was a beautiful day - not too hot. I pray that is how it is while we are at the beach. I haven't even packed yet. I guess I will be getting there a little later than usual tomorrow night. I'll have to come home and pack first. Maybe I can get through with my timesheets early and take off early. I'm really looking forward to this.

Next Saturday, I'll be staying with Fran. She has surgery Wednesday. Gary called tonight and asked if I could sit with her and maybe we can scrapbook on Saturday. He's going to a football game out of town. I told him I'd be more than happy to. I had planned on going over there Saturday morning anyway just to keep her company. I pray for a successful surgery and that she will recover quicker than normal. Keep her in your prayers.

Well, it's almost midnight. Since I won't be getting much sleep tomorrow night, I guess I'd better go to bed. Goodnight and God bless.............

I woke up yesterday and decided to take the day off. I had a bit of a head and neck ache and just didn't feel like going to work. I didn't have any plans, but I just didn't want to work. Ever have days like that?

Around 7:15, Tabitha called. She said Hope had fallen off the couch and busted her lip. It was real swollen and she wondered if I would send her to school if she were mine. Chad was going to stay home with her if I thought she should stay home. Tabitha didn't know that I was off. I told her that I would be happy to take care of Hope. We met at the Winn-Dixie and I took Hope with me while Tabitha headed to school. Yes, her little lip is swollen and she acted like it hurt. The first thing Hope asked was "Can we make pictures for Mama?" I told her we could make a bunch of pictures, but first I was hungry and we were going to go through the drive-thru at McDonalds and get some breakfast. She wanted pancakes. We took it home and she ate about half and we put the rest in the refrigerator to save for later. After we ate, I took pictures of her and then we sat at the dining room table and played with stamps and stickers. We made several pictures. We both got ink all over our hands, but we had fun. Since I have so much scrapbooking stuff, I have this cool paper crimper. When I crimped the pictures, Hope thought that was the coolest thing, so we had to do more so she could crimp them. Tabitha called around 10:45 and said she was on her way to pick up Hope, so we gathered the stuff together and cleaned up our mess. I think Hope enjoyed herself. The rest of the day, I worked around the house until I had to go pick up Daddy to take him to the doctor. It was his lung doctor and he's doing good, so we don't have to go back until January. After the doctor's office, I took him home then went to the grocery store to buy his groceries. I rushed home to spend a few minutes with Vance before Praise & Worship practice.

We had a good practice. Tony wrote a new song and we learned it. It's really good. Then we learned an old song "Spirit of the Sovereign God". I've always like that song.

Today, it was back to work as usual. I got to work in time for the safety meeting and found out that Kim had taken off today. I told Kenny that she and I were going to have to coordinate our days off. She didn't get to do anything fun today. She was running errands that can't be done after office hours.

Mama called and wanted me to get some money out of the credit union and bring it to her when I got off work. I did. Could only stay about 25 minutes with her because I had to go by the store and buy hot dogs for church tonight. Ran into Hazel's husband in the store. They have a new grandbaby. I was running late when I got out of the store, but I called Karen and told her I'd be a little late - I had to come home and see Vance for a few minutes. He's usually in bed when I get home on Wednesday nights. I didn't want the night to go by without seeing my husband. I ran in, kissed him, brushed my teeth, kissed him again and ran out the door.

Called Angie on the way to church. I haven't talked to her in ages. She's been having some health issues. I think we're all falling apart as we get older. I know today I ached all over. I don't know if I slept wrong last night or what, but I was sore all over my body. I don't feel like I'm coming down with anything, so I think I just slept wrong. I've got to start exercising and get limber again. Kim called Monday to check on the gym. It will cost $25 start-up fee and $31 a month. Our company will reimburse us $20 a month if we go 8 times. I think we are going to sign up. I know I could probably go Thursday and Friday afternoon and maybe Saturday morning and Sunday afternoon (instead of taking my nap). I'm sure I could fit 8 times in a month. Maybe we can go sign up tomorrow or Friday. I may just stop on my way home tomorrow. They are open 6:00 to 6:00 Mon-Sat and 1:00 to 6:00 on Sun.

Church was awesome tonight. We sang the two songs we learned last night, plus several others. Mrs. Ruth preached tonight and it was very good. Afterwards, we had the hot dogs. Tabitha and I got ours to go. Hope is doing fine. Her lip looks much better tonight. She looked so cute with her hair up in pigtails and she had on a black t-shirt with jeans. She looks good in black. And the girl is beginning to get this cute little-girl attitude about her. She puts those hands on her hips as she walks and just looks so cute. She talks like a grown-up and loves to give out hugs to everybody at church. Well, most everybody. Sometimes, she won't hug certain people, then the next time she sees them, she gives them a big hug. She has moods I guess.

When I got home, Vance was waiting up for me. Bless his sweet heart. Now, I think I will head off to bed. It's getting late and I have to go to work tomorrow. It's timesheet week, so I can't take over anymore this week.

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

Weekends Pass by way too Fast

This weekend has just flown by. I cleaned house yesterday - pulling furniture away from the walls so I could sweep and mop. That about wore me out. I need to get more exercise. Kim is going to call the gym tomorrow and check on prices for us. We just got an incentive from work that will pay part of a gym membership if we go at least 8 times per month. It's paid on a quarterly timeframe. I think they pay $20 per month, but you have to go 8 times during each month. I figure I could maybe go Monday, Thursday, Friday or Saturday morning depending on what days I have to go to the store for Daddy or take him to a doctor visit. I know he has a doctor's appointment Tuesday, but will I have time to go to the grocery store before I have to be at Praise and Worship practice? If so, then I could possibly start exercising on Thursday. I have got to do something! I hate the way I look and feel. I don't want my health to continue to go downhill. I want to grow old without being a burden on anybody. I want to be able to dance at my grandchildren's weddings - that means I'll have to take lessons cause I can't dance now! :)

I finally saw my boss the other day. I didn't know what to say other than "I'm sorry." We did find out he has a job in our main office and they are going to pay to move him. That's a good thing. But, he's very upset about losing this job. He is such a smart young man. I can only believe that God closed this door to open another one that will be less stressful and will be a way to move up in the company. He still needs prayer to get over the disappointment.

We had a good church service today. Praise and Worship went extra long. The people were so involved in worship that they wouldn't let us stop singing. People were being ministered to at the altars and it was just an awesome move of God. Pastor said he wasn't going to preach because God had already done what needed to be done. So, we had about 30 minutes of testimonies. God is really doing some great things in our people. People are getting healed, set free from drugs, their finances are improving.....the list just goes on and on. What an awesome God we serve. And to be a part of a church that allows the Spirit of God to move and set the captives free. How can you put God in a box? We can't and we won't.

Well, I don't really have much more to say. Except, God bless you all.

What an Emotional Day

What an emotional day it has been. Of course, everybody knows it's the anniversary of that horrible day when the Twin Towers and the Pentagon were hit. I thought about that on my way to work and cried for all those that were lost and those that were left behind.

Then, I get to work and cry for my boss who didn't come in today. I knew he wouldn't. I worry about him. What will I say to him when I do see him? I really don't know what to say. How do you tell somebody you are sorry that they lost their job? It was hard to concentrate on my job today. I kept wondering if he was okay. He had told me a couple of weeks ago that his wife was really worried about what was going to happen to them. She doesn't work as far as I know, so I'm sure she is upset. And they have two little kids.

We had a meeting today to show us changes to one of our computer programs. This whole week is laced with some type of meeting. I would really just like to take off for a week and go some where and vegetate - not have to think about anything.

I find myself turning to food for comfort and I'm gaining back the weight I just lost. I'm like an alcoholic who takes that first drink and then can't stop. I just want to eat all the time. Fran called to ask me about the new product that L.A. Weight Loss is using in their program. Maybe I should call them and start going back. I know I can lose weight with them. If I could just get in the habit of cooking again, I would be able to lose the weight. That's the thing about weight loss - you have to eat to lose. And you have to cook and plan your meals. That's just too much trouble for me. I don't want to have to think and plan and cook. Too bad I'm not rich like Oprah and could hire my own chef to make sure I eat the right foods. That would be the ideal answer to my problem. Dream on! That would be the perfect world and we just don't live in a perfect world, do we?

I think I need to go to bed before I go in the kitchen and take the rest of the Oreo Sonic Blast out of the freezer and eat it. I bought one yesterday and only ate half of it. If I sit here much longer, I will talk myself into eating it. And I certainly don't need it. I'm so miserable now that I don't know what to do with myself. I've eaten way too much food today. Hopefully, tomorrow will be better and I won't feel the need to medicate myself with food. Please keep Kenny (my boss) and his family in your prayers.

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

Pray for my boss

Before I tell what I've been up to, please say a prayer for my boss, Kenny. We are undergoing a major shake-up at work. Some people are losing their jobs and he's one of them. Just found out today that the job he was in is no longer his. We don't know if they plan on putting him somewhere else or letting him go. It just breaks my heart that he and his family are having to go through this. He is about 35 years old and has a wife and two children. He is a very brilliant man and I know he will be able to find another job, but he shouldn't have to. So, keep him in your prayers.

I kept Hope Saturday so Tabitha could study. She has a very heavy class load this semester. She also needs a lot of prayer. Hope had been sick all last week and had gotten real attached to her Mama and wouldn't let her out of her sight. So, Tabitha called to see if I would like to take her for the day. Trent had friends in the neighborhood to play with and was fine staying at home. I went and picked Hope up and we came home and she let me take pictures of her so she could make a scrapbook page to give to her mom. Hope is very active and usually will not sit still long enough for me to take many pictures of her. If you notice the pictures of her and Trent together, he usually has his arm around her neck - that's to hold her in place. Anyway, I took some pictures and then we went to Michael's to get a scrapbook page frame. As we were walking out, she saw some kids walk by with ice cream cones. She said she wanted one and the ice cream shop was right next door, so we went in to get ice cream. She picked the Circus flavor (it's blue with gummy bears frozen in it). She insisted on a cone, but kept dropping it all over herself, so the girl gave me a bowl to put it in. We ate our ice cream, then came back home and made the scrapbook page. I took a few more pictures and let her choose the pictures and the stickers to put on the page. We made one for her room and one of Trent for his room, then she made one for her mom. We had a lot of fun. She insisted on staying until PawPaw got home from playing golf. She loves her PawPaw. I didn't mind how long she stayed cause she was really good and we had fun. It was after 5:00 when I took her home.

Vance went to the store and bought a roast and all the things to go with it. It is so amazing how in tune we are with one another. Without saying a word to him, I had been thinking all day that I would love to cook a pot roast. He didn't tell me that's what he was going to buy. I waited until late and put it in the crock pot and cooked it on low all night so we could have it for Sunday dinner. It was so good.

Tabitha called me as I was getting ready for church yesterday morning to ask me to come over and pray for her on my way to church. She woke up with a bad crick in her neck. I stopped by and prayed for her. We had a good church service. Mrs. Sandi preached. She's always got a good message. I called Tabitha as soon as I got out of church and she said she was doing better. Praise the Lord!

We had our Ladies Ministry meeting tonight. Kim was supposed to give her testimony, but we kinda got sidetracked. There were only seven of us there and I believe she should speak before a bigger group. We're gonna announce it next month and I'm sure there will be more people there. We had a great time of sharing what was on our hearts. We're going to have a Ladies Chill Out in a couple of weeks at the beach. We'll be spending the night on a Friday night and have all day the next day to lay around on the beach. It's like a big slumber party. We always have a great time.

Well, guess I better get to bed. It's after 11:00 and I need my beauty sleep.
Goodnight and God bless..................

Learning New Things

I sure didn't want to get out of bed this morning. I had a bad headache, so I just wanted to turn over and go back to sleep. But, when you work, you get up and get ready. Even though I was 15 minutes late, I managed to get there. And, you know what? My headache went away after I drank a cup of coffee. I guess I needed some caffeine. I may have been 15 minutes late today, but I worked over about an hour and a half yesterday, so I guess that evens it out.

Kim was looking for a work order when I stopped in her office. She had looked everywhere, so I offerred to help. I started asking questions about where she had seen it last and then I just felt like I should stop looking and pray. I prayed that the Lord would reveal what was hidden from us. I asked her another question and then went into our bosses office and looked at the stack of work orders on his table. It was about the 3rd one down from the top. When in doubt, pray!! Just ask God to reveal it to you. I have to do that a lot when I lose my keys or something else. And I lose stuff all the time. Just ask Vance. I walk around the house with this puzzled look on my face and he says "What have you lost now?" Yep, my husband knows me real well.

Kim and I decided to go to the Firehouse Subs for lunch. I haven't been there in a couple of years. Their subs are so much better than Subway. We had a Hook and Ladder and it was so good. They even have good tea.

Kim and Angela (a girl we work with) are going to Biloxi the same weekend we are. I hope she gets tickets to the Willie Nelson concert. I told Vance when I got home and he said we may just stay another night and hang out with them. That's pretty cool. He can go play golf on Saturday and us girls can go sightseeing or shopping. Sounds like fun.

When I got home, I started working on the dresser in my computer room. I had this idea to cover it with old family pictures. I scanned in some of my Grandmother Brown's old pictures all on one page and then turned it to a sepia color. I printed it out 8 1/2 x 11 onto just regular paper. I decided to start with one of the drawers first just to see how it looked. I sprayed the drawer with spray adhesive and then put the photos on it. I used Gesso to seal it. It crinkled up a little, but doesn't look bad. I think it's going to turn out pretty good. I'm going to use some of the real old (early 1900) pictures and then some of the more up-to-date ones. I'll turn them all sepia, so they will match. I'll just stain the legs since they are too bumpy to put paper around. I was blessed to get some pictures from both sides of my family when my grandmothers died, so I have some real old pictures. I'll mix and match all over the dresser and I think it will be an heirloom that I can pass on to some other member of the family. Hopefully, it will stay around for many years to come. It is already about 70 years old. This is the first picture I did. The 2nd picture from the left on the top is my dad. It's his school picture in 1941-1942. That would make him 11 years old. The three single pictures on the bottom are my great-grandfather, great-grandmother and grandmother.

Chad called to tell us that the Dale Earnhardt special was coming on CMT. I turned to it and we watched it. It was really good. Vance went to bed right before they showed the accident at Daytona that took Dale's life. I think he knew it was coming and didn't want me to see him cry. Me? I cried like a baby. I used to tell Vance that I couldn't stand Dale Earnhardt; that I thought he was a horrible driver. I would always pick another driver to root for during the races. It was all just hype. I really liked Dale Earnhardt, but I loved to get under Vance's skin even more. Whenever Dale won the Daytona 500, I cried. It was such an emotional scene at the end when all the crew members from all the teams came out to congratulate him. I think Vance kinda figured out then that I really liked Dale, but he didn't say anything. Anyway, the special was very good and I called Chad to thank him for calling us.

Well, I guess I better get to bed. Tomorrow will be another busy day.

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

Half-way to the Weekend

It seems like Tuesday, but I know it's Wednesday because I had to be at work early for the safety meeting. Some good info on driving and backing and parking. Speaking of parking, I had to move my car this morning so the tree trimmers could trim the magnolia tree that we park under. There goes our shade!

Another busy day with timesheets. I have got to find a chiropractor or massage therapist to work on my right arm and shoulder. That muscle in my shoulder tightens up and hurts like crazy when I'm doing timesheets. I have to stop and wait for the tension to ease up some before I can continue. I've got to call my doctor and see if I can't get a prescription to go for therapy. It's causing problems in my neck and bringing back the headaches. Not a good thing, cause I don't like taking pain medication, so I usually just hurt.

Had a great time at church tonight. Pastor was in rare form. Sometimes, he just cracks us up. But he was serious, too. He preached on faith - you know, that faith that can move mountains... forgiveness - you gotta forgive others before God can forgive you. It's in the Bible....I know personally, that when you forgive someone, it frees your spirit. They may not even know that they did something wrong, but when you forgive them, you are no longer in bondage. That's such a great feeling. I've had plenty of people in my past that I had to forgive. Those who molested me as a child. That was the hardest thing I ever did was to forgive them. But, when I did and really meant it (not just giving lip service to look good), I set my soul free. Now, forgiveness comes easy to me. I'm not going to give somebody else the power to control my life just because they hurt me in some way. I'm going to forgive them and get on with my life. I've found when you are determined to be a forgiving person, that you find you don't have to forgive many people because you are not as easily offended. I don't let things bother me as much as I used to. God is so good about forgiving us when we ask. Even Jesus said "Forgive them for they know not what they do." That's the way a lot of people are - they don't know that they are hurting our feelings so they don't ask forgiveness. It's up to us to forgive them even when they don't know what they did to us. It's the best way to live..............

My sweet Tabitha and precious Hope came by the office today. Hope had been to the doctor. She has been sick - ear infection, allergies and bronchial problems. She has a weak immune system and gets sick when she is around a lot of other kids. She started Headstart and has gotten sick because of it. She has to stay out all this week and take antibiotics and breathing treatments. And, yes, Publix does give antibiotics away free of charge. So, if you find you can't afford your antibiotics, go to Publix. They will take care of you. I say "Thank you, Publix!" Please say a prayer for Hope. That she will be healed and that her immune system will get stronger so that she will be able to fight off any sickness that tries to attach itself to her. Chad can't afford to miss work to take care of her and Tabitha is missing school. I can't take off because it's timesheet week. Pray for the entire family.

Tabitha gave me the sweetest letter tonight at church. I've always asked "What is my ministry?" I don't do anything special. I can't teach, preach, etc. Well, Tabitha answered that question for me. She said my ministry is the love and support that I show people. You know, Kim has been trying to tell me the same thing. It just didn't seem important enough until Tabitha put it down on paper. So, to my precious daughter of my heart, thank you for making me feel loved and important to those around me. I tend to beat myself up too much and think I'm not doing anything to make a difference in people's lives. Well, I guess maybe I am when she puts it the way she did.

Now, I am so sleepy I can't think straight. If you can make anything out of what I have written....
I'm going to say goodnight and may God richly bless each and every one of you as He has surely blessed me with such a wonderful family. I love you all.............

4-Day Week

I just love 4-day work weeks, don't you? Vance and I didn't do anything yesterday - just washed some clothes and read books. We just had a relaxing day. Had a heck of a thunderstorm come up. The lightning hit really close. I thought it hit Chris' house across the street, but when I talked to him at work today, he said no. But, he was on his tractor doing some cleaning up around his property and all of a sudden the hairs on his arms stuck up and "BAM". He said it scared him so bad he floored that tractor and skidded sideways going into the garage. I can just see that, can't you? I laughed, but was really glad he didn't get hurt. We don't know exactly where the lightning hit, but it was definitely close.

Today was a pretty good day at work. Busy, but that's okay. I'd rather be busy than have nothing to do. When the computers go down, we are at a complete standstill, so I hate when that happens. Then, you are searching for something to do. They didn't go down, but I had some problems getting some of my timesheets to go in without getting an Application Error. Finally just put in one line at a time, saved it and did another line. That's the only way I could get them to work.

Daddy called before lunch and asked me to go by the store to get him some ice cream before I went to his apartment to pick up his SS check (which was supposed to be direct deposited over 4 months ago). I decided to go to Wal-Mart and see if they still had bathing suits on sale. Yep, they did, so I bought one. I may just go to the lake again before summer is over. They have remodeled the store, so I couldn't find anything. That cost me some time. Finally got the things I needed and went to Daddy's. The only place close by to get lunch was Burger King. I really am not very fond of their salads, so I got a BK Fish instead. I could only eat about 3/4 of it and half the fries. Shouldn't even have gotten those.

Had a hair appointment at 3:30 to get my hair colored. I now have a standing appointment every six weeks with Marsha. I used to color my own hair, but now that I've let it grow long, it just wears me out to color it. I decided to pamper myself and let her do it. Yeah, it costs a lot, but I feel like I'm worth it. I don't do very much for myself so this is a small price to pay. Besides, I get to see and talk to Marsha. We've known each other almost 40 years. And my hair always looks good when she gets through with it.

Got home and Vance asked me to check on a concert in Biloxi. I had looked the other night and saw that Willie Nelson was going to be there Nov. 2nd. Vance wants to go, so I booked tickets and a room. Sent Kim an email cause she won a one or two night stay at the Beau Rivage (where Willie is going to be). She called me and said she was going to go and she was booking the tickets for the concert while we were talking. You are not going to believe this - she got the seat right next to us. It had been over an hour and a half when I booked our tickets and she got the seat next to us. How cool is that!? She and I can go sightseeing while Vance plays cards at the casino and then we can all go to the concert together. That is so cool. We will be staying in different hotels, but that's okay. Security is pretty tight at the Beau Rivage where she will be staying. Vance and I stayed there when we saw Creedance Clearwater Revival a few years ago.

Well, guess I better get some things done before it's time for me to go to bed. Goodnight and God bless...............

Weekend Half Gone

Church was good today. Pastor Sammy is teaching on the fire of God. How we need to be on fire and not just smoking. Our other Sammy got up and gave a great testimony. He said his wife's cousin's daughter had a two month old little girl. They took her to the doctor last week and found out her entire body was being devoured by cancer. It seems she was born with it. He said he and his entire family began to intercede for this baby. They took her back to the doctor this week to do tests to find out what type of pain medication to give her to ease her pain as she was dying. They found out that she no longer has any cancer in her body anywhere. God healed her!!! You can't tell me that my God is dead. He is still in the healing business. Praise His Holy Name!!

Took a nap this afternoon. Just couldn't keep my eyes open any longer. After I woke up, Vance went to the store and I got the two cubes out of the trunk of my car (that I bought at Target about a month ago - on sale half price) and put them together. I am determined to get my computer/scrapbook room organized. I'm slowly getting there. I hope to do some more work in the room tomorrow. I've always heard it's bad luck to work on Labor Day, but that won't stop me. Unless Penny calls and wants me to go to the lake....., then I might consider putting it off until another day.

Well, it's almost midnight and I guess I better get to bed. I think Vance is asleep in his chair.
Goodnight and God bless..........Have a blessed and safe Labor Day!

I'm Back!!!

Sorry I haven't posted in awhile. I haven't been sick or anything, just haven't been in the mood to sit down and write.

My surgery went great and I am healing up nicely. Just had a day and a half that I didn't feel very good. My allergies were acting up and I was sneezing a lot and couldn't blow my nose because of the surgery, so I was real nauseated. Missed a day of work because of it. But, I'm fine now.

My sister, Penny, called me this morning and wanted to know if I wanted to go to the lake with her, Tiffaney and Swayde. I'm so used to saying "no" that I almost told her I couldn't go. But, you know what? I'm tired of sitting around all the time doing nothing and letting everybody else have fun. So, I told her I needed to jump in the shower so I could shave my legs and I'd put on a pair of shorts and a t-shirt and I'd call her back when I was ready to go. )I don't own a bathing suit anymore.) Didn't take but a few minutes. I made sure she had sunscreen, cause I haven't been in the sun in ages and didn't have any. She did, so we were ready to go. She stopped and picked me up and we went to Sonic for something to eat and drink. It was around lunch and we hadn't eaten. Then, we headed to the lake. It's Chip and Angie's lot that we went to. Thank goodness, the next door neighbor has steps leading down to the lake. It's a steep hill that we would have to climb. They also have chairs that they allow us to use. We had a good time before we started seeing dark clouds and hearing thunder. We were there 2 hours before we had to leave because the thunder was getting louder. I didn't get sunburned. Whatever that spray sunscreen she had, it works pretty good. We got into a real heavy rainstorm on our way home. I think we left just in time. Now, that I've been, I'll have to go back whenever Penny calls again. I really enjoyed myself.

Vance was already home when we got there. I jumped into the shower, then took about a 20 minute nap and he asked if I wanted to go out to eat. We haven't done that in months! We went to Appleby's and I had the Weight Watchers Steak and Portbellos and it was really good. He talked about wanting to go to Biloxi sometime between now and the end of the year.

I got my printer back and got it home and plugged it in and it wouldn't turn on. I couldn't believe it. It was plugged into the same power strip that my computer is plugged into. I was talking to Vance on the phone - had to check up on him to see how he was feeling. He had a vertigo attack on Tuesday. Since I had them so often, I had to make sure he was doing okay. I have really been praying that God would heal him of this infirmity and that it won't be passed on to Fox. God healed me and I know He can do the same for Vance. Anyway, while I was talking to Vance, he told me to take the printer and plug it in a different outlet. I did and he was right. It worked. Now, I have the cord laying across the length of my computer room. I have to be careful and not step on it. I think there is a plug on the wall next to my desk that I can probably use. But, it will mean rearranging things.

So, I'm going to get to work and start moving things around. Michelle sent me a link to a website for clutterers and I promised her that I was going to be doing some of that this weekend. Had planned on starting today, but the lake was much more fun. I'll start right now and continue the rest of the weekend.

Love you all - God bless you this weekend as you enjoy your time off.

It's Been a Good Weekend

Yesterday was another good day. I felt real good. I don't know what kinda drugs they gave me during surgery, but I seemed to have an abundance of energy. I went to Sam's to buy some hanging file folders. I had bought a Filer Cube from Target to set up in my computer room. I'm buying pieces as they go on sale. You can put together a whole desk with shelves, cabinets and files if you want to. When I went to put the cube together, I found out there was a piece missing - the back. I called the customer service number and left a message for them to call me back.

After Vance got home from playing golf, I went to Wal-Mart to get one of those gates to go in a doorway to keep kids or pets from getting into a room. I wanted to keep the dogs out of the dining room. When I got back, I moved the bookcase that was in my computer room out into the hall. It looks pretty good there. I am trying so hard to get my computer room cleaned up. I would like it to be the next room that Vance puts flooring in - maybe this winter. I want to get organized so I can get some projects done. I want to scrapbook, but don't have a place to lay out all my stuff. I'm planning on putting the Duncan Fife dining room table that I bought several months ago back in the dining room. Right now, it's in my computer room. I will be able to use it to scrapbook on.

This morning, I woke up and my nose was hurting. I guess it's true what they say about the third day after surgery being the worst. I went to church and sang with the Praise Team, but my nose was hurting. I ended up taking a pain pill when I got home. I hate taking pills, but I didn't want it to get out of control. I ate some lunch and then took a two-hour nap. I felt better when I woke up; still a little uncomfortable, but not enough to keep me from working in the computer room. Got some stuff thrown away and other stuff a little more organized.

School starts back tomorrow. I talked to Trent today and he's excited. He's ready to go back to school. Tabitha starts back to college and Hope starts to Head Start. It will be a busy day for them tomorrow. Keep them all in your prayers.

Guess I will go lay down on the couch. I'm still sleeping there so I can prop myself up without having to worry about rolling over and hitting my nose. Or, Vance rolling over and bumping me. Tomorrow will be a catch-up day for me. This is going to be a very busy week since I missed two days last week.

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

Day After Surgery

I was able to get a good night's sleep last night. No problems from the surgery. I woke up early and Vance went to work. I'm not having any pain and my nose didn't bleed during the night. I feel great!

I got up and did a few things around the house. I hung up some pictures in the hall using those Hercules Hooks. I'm telling you, they are wonderful for sheetrock walls. Then I decided to go to the Credit Union to get our money for the weekend. Fran is going to reschedule her surgery for the week after next. That will work out better for me, too. It will be a payday week, so I won't have to be rushed to do the timesheets. And if she is having problems on Friday, I can go sit with her in the hospital. But, I don't expect her to have any problems.

I went over to Kim's office and she talked me into going to lunch with her, Kenny B. and Tom. We went to a Chinese Restaurant. It was good. I haven't had Chinese in a couple of years. After leaving the office, I went to Jo-Ann Fabrics to buy some photo mats, but found out they don't carry them except in the Jo-Ann Super Stores. Wish we had one here. I bought some clear plastic containers for $.99 each. I had bought some shelving from Target and put it together today. The containers were a perfect fit. I have found one reason I have so much junk in my house is that I put it away in containers that I can't see into and I just forget I have it and go out and buy more. So, I'm going to start buying clear containers to store my stuff in. And, of course, label everything. When I got home, I realized I needed a couple more of those containers, so I went back to Jo-Ann's and bought four more.

I cleaned a little in my computer room and set the new shelves up on my desk. My room is beginning to come together.

When I got home from Jo-Ann's, I started sneezing. I guess it was from being around all those potpourri and candles. But, it didn't hurt my nose. I can't blow my nose for several days, so I just have to sniff. That's no fun. I did find out that I have stitches in my nose. It looks like he cut through the nostril from the left side to get to the right side. Probably to be able to fit the instrument in at a straighter angle. Still, I believe I'm doing wonderful considering I just had surgery. There's no swelling and no bruising on my face. Nobody can even tell I've had anything done to my nose. That's a good thing.

Today was more like vacation than recuperation. Was able to get things done that I hadn't thought I could do. Figured I would be laid up on the couch all weekend. Penny asked me to go to Shipwreck and I considered it today, but it's just too hot. They say even the water is hot - it's like a sauna or hot tub. No, I'll pass on that. Plus, I burn way too easy. Tomorrow, I'm going to put together my filing cube and go get some hanging file folders. I'm bound and determined to get organized to make my girls proud (Tabitha and Michelle).

Well, I've got a little time tonight that I can throw in a load of clothes to wash, so I guess I'll get busy.

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

Surgery Went Fine

Well, today was the day for my surgery. Got up around 5:00, took my shower and got ready to go. Couldn't eat, so I just watched the Weather Channel to see what the storms were doing. Looks like Texas was getting a lot of rain.

Vance got up and we went to the Surgery Center. I had no sooner sat down, than they were calling me back. I kissed Vance and followed Nurse Day to the back. She gave me my "designer" gown and told me to "tie it in the back." I tried, but it was missing a tie. So much for designer gowns! We made the best of it and had a good laugh. She was great. She asked if I was okay and I told her I was fine; no anxiety at all. I try to look at surgery as an adventure. That way, I don't get scared. Plus, I pray a lot and ask God to take away any fear that might try to creep in. He takes good care of me. I know He's holding me in the palm of His hand and I'll be okay.

Nurse Day got a call from the front and said my pastor was here. She finished putting in the IV and the anestisist, (I know I've spelled it wrong) John, talked to me and told me what he was going to do. The one thing he said that concerned me was that he was going to insert a stainless stell tube down my throat into my windpipe. That didn't bother me. It was when he said it could crack, break or knock out some of my teeth that I got a little concerned. Then, Nurse Day went and got the pastor. Well, it wasn't Pastor Sammy. It was Pastor Bill. He does the hospital visits for Pastor Sammy. I didn't think Pastor Sammy would be there. He was supposed to have therapy this morning. Pastor Bill asked if I was anxious about the surgery and I told him no, but if he wanted to pray for me anyway that was fine with me. He talked to me for awhile, then he prayed right before they took me back. I described Vance to him so he could speak to him on his way out.

They took me back to the operating room and the nurse and John were talking about food. Wendy said she absolutely loved goat cheese and told me I had to try it. John told us about a "guys night out" and one of the male nurses cooked for them all. He said he had never really liked Banana Pudding, but the way this guy cooked it was the best he's ever eaten. He even recited the recipe for us as he was giving me my drugs. Before I could blink, I was out and waking up in the recovery room. I was a little groggy, but fine otherwise. The first thing I did was run my tongue over all my teeth to make sure they were still there. They were fine, Thank You Lord!

Another nurse came and talked to me. She said everything went well. I was in and out of the operating room in less than 30 minutes, but had to stay in recovery for an hour. We chatted and I saw John walk by. I stopped him and asked him if he could email me the Banana Pudding recipe. He said he would be happy to and took down my email address. (When I checked my email tonight, there it was.)

As I was getting dressed, I bent over and my nose started bleeding. Not much, but I did put on that cute little mustache bandage so that I wouldn't bleed all over myself. The nurse went and got Vance and told him to go get the car and she wheeled me out. As I was about to go out the door, I looked up and there was Pastor Sammy. He opened the door for us and helped me into the car. I said "I thought you had therapy this morning." He said he had cancelled it. That was so sweet of him. Vance said Mrs. Sandi had come and sat with him during the surgery, then Pastor Sammy showed up. They are so good to me.

We started home and I tried to call Mama. She wasn't home. Vance said Kim had called but he couldn't hear her too good. She said she would call me back this afternoon. She had to go to Crestview for a meeting today or she would have been with Vance in the waiting room. Called Fran to let her know I was okay. She was amazed that I sounded so good. I told her I was fine and was going home to just relax. She had a doctor's appointment this afternoon to see when her surgery is scheduled. She called me on her way home from the doctor's and told me it was next Wednesday. I'll see if I can get off and be there for her.

Penny called right after I got home. She was real surprised to hear how good I sounded. I told her I was fine and as long as I remembered not to bend over, there was no bleeding. I forgot four more times and it bled for just a second.

Olga called and then she came over to visit with me for awhile. She said there wasn't even any swelling. She thanked the Lord for answering our prayers. She brought me a little care package - 6 little dessert cookbooks and a book on Bible Trivia. That will be fun to try to answer the questions. Some of them are really hard. They aren't from the Bible; they are about different religions. I looked through the cookbooks and decided I was going to have to start making desserts from time-to-time. I may just have to make it and take it to work to share with the guys.

Dot called. She was on her way back from Matt and Christi's. Sarah called to make sure I was alright. She was so excited to hear me talking and laughing. She had prayed for me last night at church that it wouldn't be any worse than just having a tooth pulled. And it wasn't. I give the Lord praise! I finally got up with Mama. She had been out gallivanting around. I'm glad she can still get out and go.

The dogs were real attentive. They didn't want to leave my side. They are so good when it comes to me being sick.

I was only supposed to drink liquids today, so I asked Vance if he'd go get me a sweet tea from Sonic. Figured I could have that and water all day. Around 3:00 I started getting hungry and got Vance to bring me some Saltines. Ate several of them and they didn't make me nauseated, so I decided I could eat when Tina brought food. She brought baked zitti, soup, salad and breadsticks from Olive Garden. I ate some soup, zitti and a breadstick. Feel great. Vance ate one of the salads. He had eaten a little late for lunch. He was busy outside blowing off the leaves from the front steps and cleaning and organizing our kitchen drawers and cabinets. They needed it. Have I said what a good husband he is? He's the best.

Well, I think I will go back and lay down on the couch and read a little before I go to sleep. It's been a good day. God has blessed me with an easy surgery and an easy recovery. I give Him all the praise! Thank You, Lord!

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

Friday For Me!!!!

I woke up in time this morning to stop by McDonald's and get breakfast. Of course, I picked something that probably wasn't good for me (is any fast food?). I got a bacon, egg and cheese something. Not a biscuit, but the thing that kinda tastes like a pancake? The name escapes me. It was good anyway. I knew I had the safety meeting and I was hungry. You know - so hungry your stomach is growling. I didn't want to have it making noises while I was in a safety meeting, now did I? So, I fed it and my stomach was very happy.

Worked very hard today since I won't be there the rest of the week. Yep, today is Friday for me! I'm having surgery at 8:45 in the morning, so I will just lay around and catch up on my reading - and watch HGTV if my husband's not in the house. Maybe I can talk him into going back to work on Friday. I should be fine by myself. I'm not expecting to have any problems and not much pain, so I can just relax for a few days. I got plenty of books and magazines to read and my couch is very comfortable, so I'll be fine. As long as my dogs don't bug me every few minutes to go outside.

Went to Wal-Mart to get a couple of shirts and a pair of shorts. Just don't have many shorts to wear and I wanted something comfortable to wear around the house while I'm recuperating. They have changed everything around in our Super Wal-Mart. I couldn't find anything! I thought I could run in and grab a couple of t-shirts and a pair of shorts and some books and run right out. I had to walk all over the store to find what I wanted. But, find, I did. And a lot better prices than Target. More selection, too. Can't wait for Kohl's to open. Should be a couple more months (and it's right on my way home!).

Had to go buy groceries for my dad since I can't do it tomorrow. I usually buy his groceries on Thursday after work. He was out of everything, so I knew I couldn't wait until next week. I rushed to the store, bought everything and hurried to his house to unload and put up. His legs are really bothering him. He hasn't left the house in over a week. He said he was going to get up tomorrow and try to get outside a little if it's not too hot. The heat has been unbearable this week.

After leaving his house, I called Vance to tell him that I wouldn't be coming home. I had to go pick up Trent and Hope for church. Tabitha had to work tonight. Picked them up and we went to church. Praise and Worship have asked if they can bring food to us tomorrow night. That's so sweet of them. I'm really not supposed to have anything but liquid for 24 hours after surgery, but I may eat anyway. Just depends on how I feel.

We had an awesome Praise and Worship service. The people didn't want us to stop, so we had to grab some more songs to sing. We watched the rest of the video "Thou Shalt Laugh". It was pretty good, but not as good as the first half.

I took the kids home and talked to Chad for about 20 minutes, then came home. Vance was waiting up for me just so he could kiss me goodnight. He's a great husband. I ate cereal for supper since I'm not supposed to have anything heavy.

Now, it's time for me to go to bed and get some sleep. Gotta be at the surgery center at 7:45, so that means I have to get up early; but not too early.

Will let you all know how it goes. Goodnight and God bless..........................

Meeting with the President

We had a meeting with the president of our company today to let us know about the positions that will be changing and how many jobs would be deleted. Thankfully, mine is not one of them. The covered group is so short-handed now that we can't afford to lose anybody else. It was good to know that my job is one that is needed. I will strive to do the very best I can, especially with the new timekeeping system we're about to go to. I'm getting much better at it. Still slower than the old system, but I guess I can get used to it.

Had a doctor's appointment around 1:00, so I didn't take a lunch. It was my pre-op appointment to get ready for surgery on Thursday. Found out my surgery will be first thing in the morning - be there at 7:45 and surgery at 8:45. Also found out I can't take anything for pain between now and then. And my shoulder is giving me a fit. Just have to use the Tiger Balm on it and pray that the pain will go away. I was almost in tears this afternoon. And it only hurts when I'm entering time. It didn't hurt at all this past weekend. I know it's a job-related problem, but you won't see me filing workmen's comp. I don't want to be labeled a slacker. No, I'll just make an appointment with a chiropractor sometime after my surgery and get started on treatment.

Tabitha called and said the Headstart Program approved Hope. She will start Monday morning. We give God all the praise for finding her this position. I believe He will watch over her and she will be able to learn like she wants to learn. She loves books. I'm praying that the daycare will be a very good one with great teachers.

Stopped by Target on my way home. Was looking for a couple of tops to wear with jeans, but Target is so expensive. I'm not paying $16.99 for a t-shirt. Even the ones on sale were around $12 and $14. I'll go to Wal-Mart tomorrow and see what I can find. As I was heading home, Penny called and asked if I could take Tiffaney to work. Swayde is sick and she didn't want to take him out. I made a U-turn and headed in her direction. I'm so glad she moved closer to me. Picked up Tiff and carried her to Chili's. Told her to call if she needed a ride home, but she said she could get a ride home.

Tonight was our Ladies' Ministry meeting at church. We watched the movie "One Night With the King." It's the story of Esther. It was a beautiful movie, but the book "Hadassah" by Tommy Tenney is 100 times better. If you haven't read it, believe me you won't be able to put it down once you start. The way he describes things, you can just picture it in your mind. I've always loved the story of Esther and Tommy Tenney really makes it come to life. Read the book first, then rent the movie. You will love it! I'm going to read the book again first chance I get.

Well, it's almost 11:00, so I guess I better get off here and go to bed. Something is wrong with Vinnie's right eye. It looks really weird. I don't know what he's done to it. If it doesn't get to looking better, we'll have to take him to the vet.

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

No Nap Today!

Yesterday, I had big plans to clean my house since I will be recuperating from surgery next weekend. It didn't happen. I ended up washing three loads of clothes and folding them. My shoulder was still hurting and I was wore out from all that mental pressure of trying to do eSTARS all week. I dozed off and on all day between loads of clothes. Who says working with your brain isn't tiring? Sometimes, it's worse than physical work. Actually, physical work usually energizes me. I even went to bed early last night.

It was hard to get up this morning. I overslept and almost didn't go to church. Vance assurred me that I would have time to get ready and I did. Pastor preached on depression today. It's not a sin to be depressed. Everybody gets depressed sometime in their lives. I've been there several times in my life, but God always brought me out of it.

Was really bad at lunch today. I was craving fried chicken, so I went to KFC and got some. I only ate half of it. It really wasn't as good as I had dreamed it would be. Next time, if I'm going to be bad, I'll go with a hamburger. What's funny is that Vance grilled chicken for supper. The grilled chicken was much better than the fried.

I worked in the dining/craft room trying to clean it up. It looks pretty good. Hopefully, that will be the next room Vance puts flooring in. We will need help moving the big pieces of furniture out. That's where all my photos are located.

I'm having printer withdrawal real bad. I've got so many ideas running around in my head that I want to try out, but I need a printer to get them done. Gloria offered to give me hers, but it's not a good photo quality printer. She was so sweet to offer it though. This is another good lesson in patience. I'll just have to write down my ideas and put them to work as soon as I get mine back.

I started writing in my Gratitude Journal again today. I had forgotten about it until I found it in a box in the dining/craft room. It's mostly a craft room since we don't have a dining room table in there. Maybe when we get the floor down, I'll turn it back into a dining room. I have so much to be grateful for. If we all sit down and start writing, we will find that our lives really are full and that we have a lot to be thankful for. If you've never done it, sit down and write down some of the things that you are grateful for: family, friends, good health, good job (whether it be a career outside the home or a mother/homemaker in the home), etc. I'm sure you can come up with a lot of things that you are grateful for.

Usually on Sunday afternoon, I always take a nap. I didn't even get sleepy today. I guess I'm getting enough sleep during the week that I don't need the Sunday nap. I'm wondering if it's because I quit drinking tea. Maybe the caffeine really was keeping me awake. Now, I start getting sleepy around 10:00. That's a whole lot earlier than the 12:00-2:00 time I used to go to bed.

Speaking of bed, it's getting close to 10:00. Guess I should be winding down and start getting ready for bed. Goodnight and God bless...................

I Did It! eSTARS, that is.

Woke up to a bad thunderstorm. Vinnie followed me around the house like a shadow. Shadow, on the other hand, just layed in one spot. The thunder doesn't bother her, but it scares Vinnie.

Went to work and got busy inputting my timesheets. I've worked in eSTARS the entire pay period and I managed to get it all done and locked and approved before 4:00. I even had to input 5 timesheets from the Chipley office. I feel pretty good about doing a whole two weeks' worth of time on eSTARS. Did come across a couple more problems. That's why I'm so intent on doing time in eSTARS instead of regular STARS. I need to find all the problems before they take STARS away from us. And if the other crew timekeepers aren't even trying out the new system, nobody else is finding the trouble spots. I don't want to be surprised when they turn off STARS and some problem creeps up that can't be fixed. I want it all taken care of now.

Kim and I went to Hungry Howie's and got a steak sandwich. It was pretty good. It's been years since I've had anything from there. Vance and I used to eat there about once every two weeks when we were eating lunch together.

After lunch, I was so sleepy. I know it's because of the bread and I didn't have caffeine to go with my lunch. Still not drinking tea except maybe once a week.

My shoulder is giving me a fit. It hurts so bad. I know it's because I stay so tense trying to get my work done. Maybe now that I've managed to do as much as I've done, I can stop being so tense about the new system. I know now that I can do it.

Came home and Gloria called to see if I could help her open up a Picasa account. I walked her through the steps. Then the computer kicked her out. She's been having trouble with her DSL connection.

Since, I can't print or scan anything, I loaded some of my brother's pictures into an album on Picasa. He passed away 9 years ago of cancer. I still miss him and think about him every day. I wonder about his son, Anthony. We haven't seen him in several years. I think Jennifer is living in Mobile now. I'd sure like to see them.

Well, I'm getting tired, so I guess I'll go to bed. Goodnight and God bless..............

One Week and Counting........

Next week at this time, I'll be at home recovering from surgery to get that bone spur removed from my sinus cavity. Still don't know the time of the surgery. I'll find that out when I go for my pre-op appointment on Monday. Keep me in your prayers.

Well, I've been doing eSTARS exclusively for nine days. I've managed to keep up and I'm getting faster at inputting. Yesterday, I found another little problem. I just wish that some other crew timekeepers would get busy and try out this new system. They might could find problems that I haven't encountered yet. It's kinda hard being the only person trying to figure out what's wrong with the system. Boy, are they gonna be surprised when they start working in it.

I took my printer back to Best Buy today at lunch to see if they could figure out what's wrong with it. Nope, they gotta send it off. I'm going through printer withdrawal right now. I sure hope it doesn't take long to get it back. It was two months when they sent my Epson off. I hope HP is faster at diagnosing and repairing. There is so much that I'd like to be doing right now. I have this idea for making cards, but I've got to print out photographs in order to make them. I've even thought of using my credit card to go buy one of those $99 printers that you can carry around with you, but so far, I've been able to control myself. Vance asked if I could rent a printer. Don't know of anybody who rents them out. Hey, that might be a business to get into....

Since I didn't blog last night (just too tired when I got home from church - more on that later), I'll tell you where Kim and I ate lunch. There's a new restaurant called "The Casserole Lady" downtown. We decided to try it. It's really a cool place. They make all the casserole's themselves in individual aluminum dishes - like what you get from frozen lasagna. They heat them up and you've got your own personal casserole. We had enchiliadas. It was pretty good. Also had a tossed salad and bread. Not bad for $5.95. They also make sandwiches. I'm sure we'll go back there again sometime.

As for church last night, Pastor showed a Christian comedy DVD called "Thou Shalt Laugh". Patricia Heaton (of "Everybody Loves Raymond") was the hostess. We only got to see three of the comedians, but they were hilarious. I haven't laughed that much in years. I've got to get a copy of it and show it to Vance. Tabitha wants to get one for Chad. There were a couple of people who literally fell off their chairs onto the floor laughing. Good, clean fun. I think Pastor knew we all needed a laugh. We all take life much to seriously and never find the time to just bust out into a good ole belly laugh. Well, we did last night. Kim and I emailed Pastor today and thanked him and asked if we could see the rest of it next Wednesday night. That would be just what the doctor ordered right before I go into surgery the next day. Laughter doeth good like a medicine.

After work today, I went and picked up Trent and carried him to buy school supplies. He wanted to go to Target, so that's where we went. I think we got some pretty good deals. He should be set for school when it starts week after next. He said he was ready to start now.

Got home and talked to Vance. He told me one of the guys he worked with noticed that he hadn't been smoking (four weeks today). He wanted to know how he did it. Vance told him the name of the drug the doctor gave him - Chantix. The guy went on the internet and ordered some. Vance paid around $60 (insurance won't cover it) and the guy will have to pay over $100. I guess that's because he doesn't have a prescription. It has really worked. I'm so proud of Vance.

I'm doing pretty good with watching what I eat. I've lost 14 1/2 lbs. so far. Vance is eating healthier, too. He doesn't need to lose weight, but he does need to get his cholesteral down.

Now that I'm not drinking tea up until bedtime, I've begun to get sleepy earlier. So, maybe it was the caffeine that was keeping me up all night. Who knows? Saying that, I think I'll start getting ready for bed.

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

Busy, Rainy Day

I went to sleep early last night and just about couldn't get up this morning. Had a very weird dream. That is strange in itself, because I never, ever dream. What's even weirder is that I remembered every thing about the dream even down to the color of the sand that was under the bleachers I was on.

Just barely made it to work on time. I jumped in the shower to see if I could wake myself up, but it really didn't help much. Got to work and Paul asked me if I was sick. No, just very sleepy. I got my timesheets and started working on them. I've decided to work in eSTARS this whole pay period to see if I get way behind, or can I keep up. I must say, it is very hard on my right shoulder. The muscle tenses up so bad that I am in horrible pain. My hand and arm goes numb and pain goes up into my head and I get a terrible headache. Took Motrin before lunch and Aleve after lunch and that still didn't help much. I was almost to the point of going home, but I refuse to let it get the best of me. It's probably time to go see the chiropractor, but that will have to wait until after my surgery and dentist appointment (which I haven't even made yet).

Ran out and got a salad to eat and came back to my desk to eat it. Only ate about half. Just not hungry.

About fell asleep at my dest around 2:00, so I got up and made a pot of coffee and got a cup. I went to the health food store yesterday to get some Stevia, so I don't have to use the artificial sweeteners. I don't think any of them are good for you. Stevia is all natural - 0 calories and great for diabetics. They now make different flavors, so you can flavor your water or coffee. I bought a grape flavor and I've been using it in my water and it's really good. There was Chocolate Raspberry, Vanilla, Milk Chocolate, Lemon, Orange... I bet the chocolates would be good in coffee; vanilla, too. I'll have to try them later. The coffee helped wake me up.

By the time I got off work, my shoulder was really hurting. I came home and put some Tiger Balm on it. That helped better than the Motrin or Aleve.

Vance went to the doctor today. He goes Monday for an ultrasound on his legs to see how blocked the veins are. The doctor gave him another prescription. He's hoping this will keep him from having to have surgery.

I went to Praise and Worship practice. We had a good practice.

Came home and Vance went to bed. I ate and watched Mystery Woman on the Hallmark Channel. I really like that show.

Came in to my computer and was going to print out some pictures, but my printer is dead. It won't come on. I got up under the desk and checked to make sure everything is hooked up and it was. I unplugged and replugged, but still nothing happens. I just can't live without my printer. If I can't figure it out tomorrow, I guess I will take it back to Best Buy and see if they can figure it out. I just got it in March. There was no indication that anything was going wrong with it. I printed on it a couple of nights ago.

Since I can't use my printer, I guess I'll go to bed. Goodnight and God bless.................

Rainy Day Monday

We had a lot of rain today. Of course, we need the rain, but I really didn't expect it today. Had to go out and roll up my windows.

Worked in eSTARS all day. I'm getting faster, so it's not nearly as stressful as it once was. It's still slower and I don't think they can change that. We'll just have to learn to adapt.

Went by Daddy's at lunch and picked up his check to deposit. Went to McDonald's to get a salad to carry back to work. I got the Asian salad. It was awful! I could only eat about four bites. I tried to force myself to eat more, but it was horrible. I know I won't be getting that one ever again.

Vance took his truck in and they couldn't find anything wrong with it. I hope it was just a loose battery cable and he won't have anymore problems. He worked on the floor in the kitchen and got it finished. He had just enough of the original flooring to finish it. Looks good.

After work, I bought groceries for Daddy. He said he hung up his pool cues yesterday. I said "You've said that before." He said "This time I mean it. I even got rid of my cue sticks. My shoulder just hurts too bad for me to play anymore." I know it gave him a lot of pleasure to play pool. I guess that will keep him at home more since he won't have anything to do. Which will be good, cause he won't be drinking.

Gloria called and asked if I could help her with some pictures on the computer. She needed some sent to somebody and didn't know how to do it. She came over and I uploaded them to my computer and put them in Picasa and emailed the person the wanted them to go to to view the album. There were about 25 pictures to be sent. That was the only way I knew how to do it.

I'm really tired, so I'm going to bed early tonight. Goodnight and God bless...............

Great Weekend

I've had a wonderful weekend visiting with Vance and Fox while Michelle went away with a group of girls to a "girls only" getaway. She had a great time and so did we.

I said in my last blog that I wouldn't be leaving until 7:00 or 8:00 Saturday morning. Well, I woke up at 4:00 and couldn't go back to sleep; so I got up and took a shower, packed and was on my way at 6:15 - just like my husband said. I stopped in Blountstown and got a cup of coffee - no food, just coffee. That was bad enough - I had broken my "no caffeine" rule.

Arrived at Vance's and had to wait an hour before I could play with Fox. He had just been put down for his morning nap. Vance dozed on the couch and I read a book "The Penny" by Joyce Meyer and Deborah Bedford. If you haven't read it, it's a really good book. I could relate to Jenny.

My husband, Vance, called around 2:00 and said he was on his way. About 30 minutes later, he called back and said he wasn't coming. His truck was showing that there was something wrong with his battery. He was turning around and going home, if he could make it. He called me back later and said he couldn't find anything wrong with the battery when he hooked it up to the charger and his gas gauge was acting up, too. Looks like they didn't connect his electrical system right when they put his truck back together. He wasn't going to be able to join us. He was sorry that he couldn't see Vance and Fox. I was just glad he was okay and hadn't gotten on the interstate and something happen to the truck. He will take it back on Monday and see what they can do about it.

Fox woke up and we fed him and played with him and had a great time. Of course, I took bunches of pictures. You can see them at www.picasaweb.google.com/rutherford.patricia He is a smart little boy. Michelle taught him the sign for dog. He sticks out his tongue and pants like a dog. It is so cute. He's saying Mama now and I tried my best to get him to say Nonna, but he'd only say Mama or Daddy. Vance and I took him to his first car show at Sonic. Of course, Vance had to drive Maggie, his '55 Chevy BelAire. There were some nice cars there. We fed Fox and ate something ourselves and walked around and looked at the cars. It was really hot, so we didn't stay too long. Fox had a great time, especially watching the people.

After we got Fox to bed, Vance and I sat up and talked awhile and he worked on Penny's computer. There were a lot of viruses on it. I slept on the couch and Vance went to bed. Fox didn't wake up at all.

Got up this morning and Michelle had a schedule for me to follow with Fox, so I followed it to the tee. Took him for a walk and walked the whole way around the circle. I think Vance said it was about a mile. The last couple of blocks were the hardest. I didn't think I was going to make it up that hill. I don't get any exercise, so it was pretty hard there at the end. It was a beautiful place to walk and Fox loved it. He didn't say a word, just looked at everything and then he'd look up at me and smile. He was getting tired at the end, too. By the time we got back, it was time for his nap. Believe me, I wanted one, too. But I was afraid I wouldn't wake up. I sat for awhile and drank some water to let my leg cramps subside. They didn't last long. Read a little in my book, then washed the dishes and straighted up the toys. I waited until he had been asleep about 30 minutes, then I jumped in the shower. I had him awake and was changing him when Vance came home. He finished dressing him and we headed off to church. Ran into Christopher's parents in the foyer. They were in town to help Christopher with his kids while Sandra went with the girls to the lake. Had a good service and then we went back home.

I started gathering my stuff and loaded up the car to come home. Kissed them goodbye and headed for McDonalds to get some tea to keep me awake. I always take a nap on Sunday afternoon and I knew I would be getting very sleepy while driving if I didn't get some caffeine in me. So much for my "no caffeine" rule this weekend. As I was about to get on the interstate, I thought I had left something on the couch, so I called Vance. No, there was nothing on the couch, but I had forgotten Penny's computer. I turned around and went back to get it. Fox was asleep by then. We had to wait while Vance fixed one more thing, then I got on the road again. I got home around 3:30. My dogs really missed me. Shadow was jumping around and whining when I went in the bathroom. Vinnie started barking. They wanted my attention. Vance said Vinnie had gone to the front door at noon and stayed there all afternoon. He knows what time I come home from church on Sunday's. After greeting them, I fed them and layed down on the couch and took a quick nap.

Penny came and got her computer. I uploaded the pictures to my Picasa album and finished reading "The Penny." Very good book.

Now, it's time for me to go to bed. I'm tired, but I'm happy. I had a great weekend!

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

Tallahassee, Here I Come!

Spent all day yesterday in Pensacola in meetings on eSTARS. Looks like a lot of the problems I found won't be fixed. Some will, but not all. Because the program is web-based, you have to tell it what to do? I didn't understand that, but I just know that it will continue to be a slower program than what we have. I've been getting a little faster with it, so maybe I can cope. I also found out that nobody else had even gone into the program to see how it worked. I'm so glad I sent all those emails to Katrina. It is helping the team find and fix problems that didn't know about.

I was so sick yesterday. I had a terrible headache, runny nose, watery eyes, sneezing and ran fever last night. Took Claritin-D and Motrin and it seemed to take care of the problem. I was miserable during the classes. Kim and I drove over together. I was so thankful that she wanted to drive. We had a great time of fellowship. Saw three rainbows on the way home. Got into some bad rain storms, but we made it home safely. That's all that matters.

When I got home, I just layed around on the couch. Didn't eat supper. Just went to bed. Managed to sleep all night and woke up feeling fine. Nose is still a little stuffy, but not bad at all. I think there was something around that I'm allergic to. I feel great tonight.

Today, I got to work and found out the results of the study that was being done on all our jobs. There will be a lot of people who will be changing jobs, if they even have a job. Some will be getting pay-out packages and will no longer work with us. As far as I know right now, I still have a job. I don't know about my boss though. His position was one that is being revamped. He could be working in another location for all we know. Nerves were kinda frayed around the office. I talked to Kim and told her that when this happened once before, all the people who left found better jobs, making more money and were very happy and not as stressed. When God closes one door, He always has another one open for us to walk through. It's up to us to walk through with a good attitude and faith that it will be better than where we came from.

I worked in eSTARS all day and managed to increase my speed. I got three days' worth of timesheets entered. I've just made up my mind that I'm going to be the best at what I do. I will adapt and make the most of it.

Kim and I went to Sunshine Cafe today in Millville and got a vegetable plate. It was very good. I've managed to lose 13 lbs. so far. When I got back to work, I found out the cornbread had more calories than the whole rest of my meal. I won't be eating cornbread anytime soon. Kim and I decided we were going to start having a time of devotion in the morning, at lunch and our afternoon break. We need to be praying for our company and the people who may be changing or losing their jobs. I called her back after lunch with a Bible verse the Lord led me to. It was Ps. 29:11 "The Lord will give strength to His people; the Lord will bless His people with peace." I read it to her and she asked me to pray. I prayed for those in the company to be strengthened and the peace that passes all understanding to be upon them.

After work, I came home and cleaned out Mama's car. I carried it back to her. She has plans to go shopping tomorrow. She said just to the grocery store, but we'll see. She will probably end up at Wal-Mart if the weather is nice. I hope she starts getting out some. I thanked her for letting us use her car. I don't know what we would have done. No, I take that back. Vance offered to let me borrow his old, green truck - the Hulk, I think he calls it. I wouldn't have minded. I love old trucks and cars.

I should have been packing, but I haven't packed a thing. I'm heading to Tallahassee tomorrow to help take care of Fox while Michelle is gone. We'll have a great time. My husband said I should leave around 6:00. I don't see that happening - 7:00 or 8:00 maybe. Depends on how long it takes to get ready. It's almost midnight now and I'm not in bed yet. I have a hard time sleeping before I go out of town. I don't know why. I've always been this way. I usually stay up most of the night. I don't plan on doing that tonight. I'm about ready to head to bed.

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

Rainy Tuesday

Sure didn't want to get up this morning. Felt so groggy. But, got to work and drank 1/2 a cup of coffee and the grogginess went away. Is groggy a word? Well, it is now if it wasn't before!

The morning was beautiful, but right after lunch we had a gullywasher. I was standing in Kim's office and all of a sudden it got dark outside. Then the rains came. Didn't last long - just long enough for me to get soaked running to Mama's car to put up the window. I had no idea it was going to rain. It was so beautiful at lunch. I went to Chick-Fil-A to get a chargrilled chicken garden salad and got back to work to find they left out the chicken. Oh well, that saved me some calories and fat grams. I think I've lost a couple of pounds since last Tuesday. Don't have any scales at home and I had on jeans at work and still showed losing one pound. I think without the jeans, it will be more like two.

Vance called as I was about to get off work and said his truck was ready to be picked up. Karen had emailed me to tell me practice was called off tonight, so I went straight home and we went and picked up his truck. It looks like a brand-new truck. I dropped him off and went to Target to buy me a scale. Got one that even shows your body fat. (Like I need to know just how fat I am!) But, I forgot to buy a battery, so I will have to wait until tomorrow to use it. It was raining and I didn't want to get back out to go get one.

I thought I had lost my memory stick for my digital camera. I looked everywhere for about an hour and finally found it on the Bible. I thought I had already looked there. Maybe my guardian angel put it there for me to find. Who knows.

I think I have forklift training tomorrow. Say a prayer for me that I pass. I know I can drive the thing. I've done it before. It's the lifting over my head that scares me.

I guess I'll be giving Mama back her car Friday. I want to fill it up with gas and take it to be washed. I won't have time before Friday. She'll probably just leave it sitting under the carport and not drive it. What a shame. That's a good car. I kinda hate to part with it. I like everything about it except the leather seats. They are just too hot in the summer. I have to sit on a towel. That kinda defeats the purpose of having leather seats in my opinion. Give me cloth seats any day.

It's time for me to go to bed. Got to be up early tomorrow for the safety meeting and forklift training.

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