One has to go forever. Hmmm. I am not giving up waffles or pancakes because they are my easy supper fixes. Eggs are at least 2 or 3 times a week. Bacon and sausage can be used so many ways. Regular, on biscuits on pizza. Just can't lose those. I do love my orange juice. Ice cold with pulp. I can handle apple juice. It's not a favorite, but if I'm served it I can drink it. Not really a coffee drinker, but if I am freezing and no hot chocolate, I could drink coffee with milk. That just leaves grits. I cannot see a need ever in my life where I would need or want grits.....unless I am out of wallpaper paste.
Grief. Experts can give you advice. People who have been through it can give you advice. But the reality is that each individual has to come to terms with it and deal with in the way that helps them the most.
This is expecially true when you lose a spouse. Seven years ago, I lost my husband to a liver disease. He was only 63. We had been married 34 years. I was so lost. I had no idea which way to turn. We had two children and five grandchildren. I felt like I had to be the strong one. The one to show them how to pick up and move on.
Things were not easy. I lost my job a couple months after he died. I wasn't old enough to draw his social security for another year. The struggle was real. I had friends who got me food from the church because I was to proud to ask for help. I figured that if I took help, I was depriving somebody that needed it more than I did. I had a friend who would show up with baskets of food or bags of goodies like detergent, toilet paper, etc. I thought it was Christmas. I never told my kids how tight times were because I didn't want to make them think I needed help.
I was Mom. The one that was always there for them. I wanted them to think I could make it on my own. But that year was by far the worst, hardest time I had ever had in my life. But I overcame all that. I not only changed jobs, I changed careers. It gave me something to put my focus on to take me out of my grief except in those dark moments after midnight.
Fast forward to now. I stayed strong, I did what I could and adjusted where I had to. I made new friends and got a new job making enough to pay my bills and enjoy life. I love the life I have made for myself. Was it the life I expected at 65 years old? No, I had dreams of us both retiring and traveling and spending all our days together. But that never happened.
I made new friends and tried new things and, eventually, things came together and I am happy again. People ask me how I got over my grief. I am here to tell you that you never do. You don't get over it, you don't get past it. You don't just put it on a shelf and walk away from it. What you do is learn how to deal with it. Seven years later and at times it still hurts so bad. Seven years later and I can be happy and laughing. Then "our" song will come on the radio or a memory will pop up out of the blue. The pain still comes. The difference is that now it is manageable. Yes, my eyes may get a little teary and my heart literally hurts in my chest. But I cherish the memories, smile and move on.
This is so true. Cracks me up, but I live in the south so I can vouch for these.
THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW IF YOU MOVE TO THE SOUTH
1. A possum is a flat animal that sleeps in the middle of the road.
2. There are 5,000 types of snakes and 4,998 of them live in the South.
3. There are 10,000 types of spiders. All 10,000 of them live in the South, plus a couple no one's seen before.
4. If it grows, it'll stick ya. If it crawls, it'll bite cha.
5. Onced and Twiced are words.
6. It is not a shopping cart, it is a buggy!
7. Jawl-P? means: Did you all go to the bathroom?
8. People actually grow, eat, and like okra.
9. Fixinto is one word. It means I'm going to do something.
10. There is no such thing as lunch. There is only dinner and then there's supper.
11. Iced tea is appropriate for all meals and you start drinking it when you're two. We do like a little tea with our sugar. It is referred to as the Wine of the South.
12. Backwards and forwards means I know everything about you.
13. The word jeet is actually a question meaning, 'Did you eat?'
14. You don't have to wear a watch, because it doesn't matter what time it is, you work until you're done or it's too dark to see.
15. You don't PUSH buttons, you MASH em.
16. Y'all is singular. All Y'all is plural.
17. All the festivals across the state are named after a fruit, vegetable, grain, insect, or animal.
18. You carry jumper cables in your car for your OWN car.
19. You only own five spices: salt, pepper, mustard, Tabasco, and ketchup.
20. The local papers cover national and international news on one page, but require 6 pages for local high school sports, motorsports, and gossip.
21. Everyone you meet is a Honey, Sugar, Miss (first name), or Mr (first name)
22. You think that the first day of deer season is a national holiday.
23. You know what a hissy fit is..
24. Fried catfish is the other white meat.
25. We don't need no dang Driver's Ed. If our mama says we can drive, we can drive!!!
26. You understand these jokes and forward them to your Southern friends and those who just wish they were from the SOUTH.
AND one more:
27. Why did the chicken cross the road? To show that stupid possum that it CAN be done!
As I was sitting at the house last night, for some reason I started thinking about how things have changed in the past 25 years. It some ways it doesn't seem that long ago and in some ways, it seems forever.
Did you know that 25 years ago, in 1997....
El Ninoforms in the oceans between Australia causing unstable weather conditions including Hurricanes and drought in the Southern Hemisphere and colder temperatures in the North.
Princess Diana was killed in a car crash while trying to avoid paparazzi.
Dolly the Sheep was the first successful cloned sheep.
Lion King the Musical premiered on Broadway
Woolsworth closed its last stores after 100 years in buisness.
NASA Path Finder landed on Mars
Tiger Woods, at 21 years old, became the youngest ever golfer to win the Masters.
The first Harry Potter book was published.
Mother Teresa passed away at 87 years old.
A civil jury found Simpson liable for wrongful death in the double murder. Simpson was ordered to pay $33.5 million in damages to the Brown and Goldman families.
In some ways it seems these things happened forever ago and in some of the instances, it seems like it was just yesterday. Time flies.
Between @Home, Home Goods, and Hobby Lobby, I have found quiet a few things I love for fall. Check them out and let me know what you think. I haven't bought any of these items yet. They are just things that have cut my eye that I'm trying to decide if I want to go back and get. I absolutely loved this cup. I can just picture it full of hot chocolate covered with marshmallows on an early cool fall morning.
I love pumpkins. I have them all over my house I'll fall. But I usually only have orange ones. For some reason I am falling in love with these. I went and looked at them twice when I've been at Hobby Lobby. I would say I'm going to end up getting one or two of these I just can't decide which ones.
These are blown glass and they are absolutely gorgeous. The picture does not do them justice.
This is actually a picture from last year. I think that I found this all in the @Home store. I just never did make it back over there to get it but I'm still in love with all of it.
I am definitely buying this as soon as I can find it. I saw it on the website at Dollar Tree. The one I went to the other day doesn't have Halloween stuff in yet which I do know it is a little early for that. But when they get it in if you don't buy something when you see it it's usually gone fast. So I will be checking back until I get this because it's on my must-have list for Halloween.
Thirty-One had a clearance sale going on the past couple of week. I don't sell it any more because I have much other stuff happening I just don't have time. But I did purchase a couple of sale items that I am very happy with. I love this little coolclip pouch. I am a sucker for anything with daisies. And the front is clear plastic and has a zipper on it.
The inside is thermal so it makes it a great little make up case if you are going to have makeup in your car during the heat of summer.
The back has a little pocket that most phones fit in.
The next item was a set of items. It had 2 nail files.
This sparkly little key chain change purse.
And the main bag, another thermal lined bag for a travel make-up case.
I was really happy with my purchase. All of it together with shipping and tax was around $25.00.
It was a great weekend. I did a little shopping on Friday afternoon. I am starting to accumulate some things for fall decor and crafts. I did a quick run to Hobby Lobby for somethings for a craft project. I didn't find anything I was looking for, but I did absolutely love this sign. FYI one of my all time favorite songs is Let's Give 'em Something to Talk About by Bonnie Raitt. So I just HAD to have this sign.
I love having different spoon rests on the stove top for holidays. Sometimes, I use little candy plates for the spoon rest. I couldn't find a fall one, but I did find a Thanksgiving one. Both items from Hobby Lobby were 40% off so they were only $7 with tax.
Saturday when I got off work, my daughter called to see if I wanted to run with her to pickup my granddaughter's new glasses. We stopped at Dollar Tree. Since I am on my quest for fall or Halloween bargains for decorating or crafting, I decided to get a few things. The orange pumpkins are made with sweater knit fabric and the brown were burlap. I have about 5 different ideas of what I can do with these....time will tell. Stay tuned.
I love the little pumpking pedestal. It will be holding a candle of some sort. Just have to find the candle I want.
This is one of those impulse buys. I do not know why I loved this so much but I did. I have never decorated with pomegranates in my life. But I figure with all the fall flower arrangements I put out around my house, I will find one that they will go in. They only had one so I'll have to look for a couple more at another Dollar Tree.
Dollar Tree is has also started to carry fabric. They are 18" x 21". I'm going to make a couple of no sew runners out of them for fall for my end tables.
I loved this jar because it has a copper lid and will look great in my Steampunk room. I am going to make my yearly traditional candy corn/honey roasted peanut snack and put it in this jar. Details to follow when I do that in September.
I saw a cute craft project that used those fancy bows. Since my daughter has taught herself to do the pretty bows, I bought this ribbon for a craft project but they didn't have the other stuff at that Dollar Tree. So details to follow on this project when I get all the stuff to make it.
Sunday was a beautiful day. I don't work on Sundays. We went to church and I sang in choir. Preacher Sam brought a beautiful, uplifting message. We had 2 new families join the church. It was communion Sunday so that was done as well. Later that afternoon I went to visit with a friend in a neighboring city for a few hours. We had a wonderful visit. When I left, I stopped by a different Walmart to pick up some cleaning supplies I was out of. A storm was brewing. As you can tell by these pictures it wasn't going to be a nice storm.
It held off until I got on the interstate to head home, but then the sky got even blacker and opened up and it poured. Wind and rain causing the interstate to get crazy so I got off and came a country road home. Rain was so hard I could barely see. When I finally broke out of the rain, I had to pull over in a parking lot so I could get out and take a picture of the rainbow. It was a lot brighter than this picture and it was the full arc when I first saw it. But by the time I found a safe pull off, it had dimmed. But it was still beautiful.
Well, that wrapped up my weekend. I hope yours was full of happiness and rainbows as well.
I want to wish a happy birthday to my youngest granddaughter, Shelby, today. She has come a long way from that little girl who loved her binky and wore them like accessories. She had so many with sayings, but since she was a little chatterbox, this was our favorite. To this day, we still say there are times we wish we had the mute button.
She's all grown up now and today she turns 14. She will be a freshman in high school. Not sure where those years have gone but she has become a beautiful young lady who has developed a strong personality. She knows what she wants and goes after it. She loves being creative. She is so loyal to her friends and family and she's always got their back. It's been wonderful watching her personality grow over the years. She definitely marches to the beat of her own drummer.
Happy birthday, Shelby Rayne. I hope you have an amazing day.
Today my daughter found a fall leaf in her green grass at the end of July. She is a fall fanatic so she wants to know if you can count this as it being officially fall.
Then I saw on Facebook where Hocus Pocus 2 is going to make its premier on September 30th.
But what sold me on the idea that we are getting close to fall was the fact that candy corn is in a large display in Walmart. That settles it, fall is upon us.
Apr 14, 2016 — - A runner sliding into second has to make "a bona fide attempt" not just to slide into the base, but also to "remain on the base."
Life is like sliding into second. You have to make decisions and live with the results. But whatever you choose, sometimes you always feel like you are sliding your way through. Hitting the good points and hating the rough patches.
My past seven years have been that way. I lost my husband in November 2015. Nothing was ever the same. There were times, I would have those deep middle of the night melt downs. I sometimes shed quiet tears and sometimes my body was racked with pain and I thought I would never be the same again.
Without my family, I couldn't have made it. The grandkids kept me sane and happy. My kids were always checking on me without making it look like they were checking on. I changed jobs, made new friends, took new adventures.
Somebody said something to me recently about me being happy all the time and did I not miss him. Well, yes of course I miss him. We were married for 34 years. But I had two choices. Sink into depression and mourn for him the rest of my life or pick up the pieces and create a new path for myself.
I chose to take a new path. It's not been easy, but it's been worth it. I will forever miss him and will always have my memories tucked away. But now I have a new life. It's not better. It's not worse. It's just different. I don't have to answer to anyone. I make my own decisions. I do my own thing. I still go full speed ahead. I don't always stop at first for fear of moving ahead. I slide on into second and see where I can go from there.
When I got my license to drive, Mommy and I would take off on Sunday after church and lunch and head out to some country road for a drive. We would just pick a road and see where it went. We had some great times and made great memories. When me and Allen got married, we did it sometimes too. And when the kids grew up and got married, we did it even more often. Between the beautiful scenery in West Virginia and in Sevier County and the Smoky Mountains in Tennessee, we've seen some beautiful sites. So today, let's take a drive down some country roads. I've been on some of these and some I just discovered online and would like to travel to some day. But for today, let's head out to the country.
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