tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25650649274485206922024-03-13T17:29:46.531-04:00Nana LifeI started blogging years ago as a weight loss tool. I lost and gained a lot of weight over the years but more importantly I gained a lot of friends who still read my blog! Thru my 12 years of blogging, life has changed quite a bit for me! I'm now disabled, living with my parents and one of my adult sons and I'm now Nana to Cosette and Oliver, born 3 months apart. Life looks different for me now so I wanted my blog to look different. Welcome to the Nana Life. Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16177522637630437113noreply@blogger.comBlogger2349125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2565064927448520692.post-85960122688581726742019-02-26T12:41:00.001-05:002019-02-26T12:41:53.616-05:00My Dysautonomia DiagnosisOh, hey. Long time, no chat, huh? I have been writing this long post in my head for literally months. Months. It's the story of the last six months or so and the reason that blogging has been difficult for me. I should mention that when I decided that TODAY was the day I was going to type it all in since the house is quiet and I feel chatty... it took me forever to get the laptop booted up and get to the right page. My cat kept trying to bat at my hands every time I would start to touch the computer (Marvin says she's an a**hole... I say, she's just a cat and that's what cats do) until I pulled out the trusty squirt bottle which she is TERRIFIED of. She's still hiding and it's been ten minutes. The laptop worked fine yesterday when Cosy watched YouTube videos on it while she was in the bathtub. Obviously I keep the laptop on a stool, a foot or two away from her and she knows not to touch it but... this thing is probably three years old now and that seems to be the lifespan of electronics these days.<br />
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Anyways... I want to be all low key and say, "so I've had some health problems" in a way that is not my usual dramatic self. As is almost always true with me, the closer something hits to my heart, the less likely I am to talk about it to ANYBODY. My family tends to be all stoic and stealth and doesn't talk about health stuff until it absolutely has to be addressed. I'm not wired that way. I NEED to talk about stuff and sort out my feelings and fears and let people know when I need help and... what the future could potentially hold. It's just not easy. That's all I'm saying. But y'all have been around for 14 years as blog readers and as real people in my real life, some of you, for many, many more than that. When people ask me in person I tend to give a very brief summary because... yuick, I don't want to be the lady you don't approach in public because you don't want to hear about all her drama. And I don't want to be the blogger who only whines and moans about stuff but doesn't share the good stuff.<br />
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SO... here's my plan... I'm going to tell you about all the not fun stuff first... and then me and Marvin are heading to New Orleans for Mardi Gras and I'm gonna tell you about the good stuff from that trip. Marvin and I still have our lunch dates and do some great eating. I usually post about that on Instagram and then link it to Facebook (which is why it has all the hashtags, trying to increase my Instagram followers because Nana needs some $$). This trip is truly a bucket list trip for us and I'm very, very excited - tempered with a LOT of anxiety.<br />
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I'm having to look back at my last post to see where I left off... my blood pressure was going really high, we weren't able to get it under control and I had just had pneumonia. I've had pneumonia again since then, incidentally. But at some point and I don't remember exactly when, my blood pressure started having wild fluctuations. By wild I mean, it could be 160/100 one minute and five minutes later be half of that. Those blood pressure crashes, the dramatically low blood pressure - after years and years of high blood pressure - has led to a diagnosis that explains a lot of what has been happening to me over the past ten years - probably longer.<br />
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I want to tell you the details of how much I have been through in sorting out a diagnosis. I have a good cardiologist (who is left handed, a bonus in my book as a left handed person)... and she has worked diligently to sort things out, even though I've had moments where I've said, "no. I can't/won't do that test right now"... because it all became quite overwhelming. And expensive. I can tell you that I did the dreaded sleep study which I REALLY did not want to do and would not have done had it not been for Marvin's encouragement because I hated it. They glue dozens of wires to your scalp. I have a lot of hair. It was ... honestly, it was much better than the last time I had it done and ultimately, the result was that I have a little mild sleep apnea but it's not severe enough to warrant the c-pap and it's definitely not the cause of my high blood pressure. That was a key discovery.<br />
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I can also tell you that my heart is structurally good. Amazing... I figured as an obese person that I would be a french fry away from cardiac disaster but there are no problems with my heart other than the fact that it beats too fast (tachycardia). This was another big clue. I also had this cardiac calcium test done that insurance doesn't pay for (yet) but that will eventually, probably, go the way of the mammogram in helping to detect potential heart problems. The medical system that I use does this cardiac calcium thing for a flat fee of $99, including the cost of the doctor who reads it. Makes you really wonder, doesn't it? When the hospital is billing my Medicare, it costs $500 for a urine test but they could do a CT scan of my heart and read the results for less than $100. At any rate... the cardiac calcium score rates your risk for a cardiac event in the near future and I was fine... no concerns at all.<br />
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They checked my adrenal glands because they play a big role in the regulation of your blood pressure. There was some test where they scanned the blood vessels in my kidneys, which was rather uncomfortable and came back fine. They scanned the veins in my legs since there's a family history of varicose veins and I was a good candidate (weight wise) for blood clots. No problems.<br />
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I had to do this 24 hour urine collection which was a glorious pain in the rear for several reasons:<br />
1. I pee a lot in 24 hours.<br />
2. The pee has to be kept cold.<br />
3. The pee has to be poured into a collection jug and you have to be careful with the transfer.<br />
4. I used the lab at the hospital and to do that you have to register every time you go... when you pick up the jug and when you drop off the jug you go through admissions and get your hospital bracelet... to get a jug and to bring it back. It's insane.<br />
5. They gave me the wrong jug the first time and I had to repeat the test.<br />
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If I ever had any doubts that Marvin was a good egg, he proved himself in helping with that pee test. He made sure I did it (the second time when I was absolutely not wanting to do it again) and he fixed up an ice bucket in his bathroom for me so I could collect it there (I pass the hospital on my way to and from his house). It was one of those humbling things that makes dating at 50 so very different from dating at 30. That, and taking my partials out at night. Nothing screams sexy like having half of your teeth in a container on his bathroom sink. I'm just sayin'.<br />
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The point is... there have been a lot of tests. I think it's something like $16,000 or more that has been billed to Medicare. There are a lot more tests they can do to get some specifics of things but we ultimately know what we really need to know. I have a disorder... disease called dysautonomia. I don't want to copy and paste from google here because it's too tedious and I would never finish this post if I did but basically what it means is that your body doesn't do the automatic functions that it is supposed to do... things like regulating blood pressure, which is the biggest issue with me. Your heart rate can get really high for no reason. Your body doesn't tolerate heat and cold like it should (I just though it was me getting older and fatter and living in the South that made Summer a living hell for me). A lot of things that have sort of gone under the heading of "unspecified autoimmune disorder" for the past... eight years, I guess?... actually fall under the symptom umbrella of dysautonomia. Chronic fatigue is a big part of it. Chronic pain... although my pain is also due to some other fun things like fibromyalgia and degenerative discs and osteoarthritis... but the ability to tolerate that pain, the exacerbation of it... dysautonomia. The reason for climate change... dysautonomia.<br />
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I was just checking to see if you were paying attention. That last sentence is not true. Probably.<br />
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There are so many layers of this thing that I don't entirely understand it all yet. I'm still wrapping my head around this. After the New Orleans trip I will probably look into some homeopathic, dietary and behavioral ways to improve my symptoms. It's complicated in that it can be curable, depending on the origin and if it is a symptom of a greater disease... for instance, people who are alcoholics can have dysautonomia as a symptom but if they get sober, it can be allieviated. My cardiologist is slowly changing and rearranging the dosage of my medications to try to reduce the extreme highs and lows in my blood pressure. It's a process. There are more tests they can do to check many other things affected by this but my doctors have already been treating these symptoms in me for years... things like my proclivity to develop pneumonia from the slightest little cold. I know how it feels when it starts to change, my primary care doctor is amazing and knows me (and treats my dad and brother too and was so, soooo kind to my mom when he cared for her) and takes me seriously when I come to him with a problem. #smalltownlife<br />
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Not all the bad things that can be associated with this disease are present in everyone who has it but some of them - like brain fog, memory problems, difficulty swallowing, urinary issues - yep. I've got a lot of those. Lots of things. I've been doing research in little bits and just trying to wrap my head around things and I'll get deeper into that as time goes on. My biggest problem is the wild fluctuation in blood pressure. It's scary. It leaves me exhausted. It makes me afraid to do anything and go anywhere. It happened yesterday while Cosy was in the tub which is our hang out and chat time here lately - and I had to text Austin to come up and finish her bath because when my blood pressure starts dropping I have to get horizontal.<br />
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It's going to make Mardi Gras very interesting. Actually, calling it Mardi Gras is incorrect. It's carnival season and the last day, Fat Tuesday, is Mardi Gras. We'll be there from Friday through Wednesday so we'll see the last four days, basically. We splurged on grandstand seats for the biggest parades on Mardi Gras day in order to have more control over my surroundings, although there are so many variables that are out of our control. We have a parade schedule and will do the ones we can. Marvin has tickets for concerts on two of the nights but I'm only joining him on one of those. There will probably be other things he does that I don't do, and I'm at peace with that. He is really good at encouraging me to do things when I'm afraid but he's also really good at recognizing when I'm at my limit. He's been very good to me throughout all of this and I know it has been a huuuuuuge pain in the rear for him but he never complains.<br />
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Dysautonomia, specifically the blood pressure fluctuations, leaves me exhausted at a level I cannot even begin to explain. It makes it hard for me to think clearly and articulate what I'm thinking. It messes with my vision and just makes it hard for me to focus, in general. That's mainly why I have been posting here and there on Facebook and Instagram but not blogging. I like blogging because it feels more permanent and it's a way for people to see things for months and years after I've written them while other methods of social media are less - researchable. Probably not a word but you get the point. But I wanted to explain this ... what's going on with me... in as much detail as I could so that you would know, if you're curious and so that other people who go to google and type in "fluctuations in blood pressure" like I have so often in the past six months, will maybe find some answers.<br />
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I plan to come back and talk about my trip to New Orleans so... stay tuned!<br />
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thanks for reading this... it is mostly unedited so forgive anything that is spelled incorrectly or doesn't make sense... love and hugs, y'all!Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16177522637630437113noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2565064927448520692.post-70434005657964711712018-08-22T18:50:00.000-04:002018-08-22T18:50:34.956-04:00What I Ate Wednesday - Hattie B's Hot Chicken<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Hey, y'all! I'm back again this week for what is unintentionally becoming a weekly blog. I have been really sick. Just too sick to think about words and complete sentences and articulate thought... but I'm hopefully getting better. I came down with a cold about two weeks ago and by Monday, it had developed into pneumonia. I knew at this time last week that I was feeling far sicker than a cold should make me feel. Marvin did such a great job taking care of me last week when our weekly date was pretty much just me sleeping while he brought me stuff to make me feel better. All I have wanted to do for the past two weeks was sleep, honestly. I would wake up enough to talk to him on the phone a couple of times a day but mostly I was just going from sleep to sleep. I had a doctor's appointment already scheduled for this past Monday and my dr knew right away... pneumonia. So... I'm on an antibiotic (a whole new world of unpleasantness) and am scheduled for a follow up in two weeks to make sure it has all cleared out because ... with me, it rarely does with just one course of antibiotics.<br />
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That's part one. Cold - turned to pneumonia - hopefully getting cleared up with antibiotics. Part two is my blood pressure. Tuesday my blood pressure was 153/120 AFTER starting a new (fifth) medication to try to bring it down. I have been dealing with high blood pressure since I was 35 and for the most part, medication and behavior modification have controlled it. Lately, nothing works. One possible reason is sleep apnea. I was diagnosed with this back in 2011 but there was so much going on with my health then that I just couldn't afford the time off work, cost involved, etc to get that issue sorted and honest to dog... I just don't want to deal with the c-pap machine and all of that nonsense. However, uncontrolled sleep apnea creates so much stress on your blood vessels because of the interruption in breathing... your body goes into fight or flight and your heart pumps harder and harder to keep you alive. Doing that every single night will ruin the elasticity of your blood vessels and cause a lot of other issues... so, as much as I hate the process of controlling sleep apnea, it's a part of the puzzle in getting my bp under control. The other step is seeing a cardiologist because... once your blood pressure is as high as mine has been for as long as it has been without finding a solution with medication... you have to start looking at the mechanics.<br />
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The past seven years have caused me to develop a love/hate relationship with the medical profession. I hate that I need them. I hate the cost. I hate the inconvenience of going to appointments, especially when I'm seeing new specialists and I have to start at square one with them. My medical history is crazy. When I start listing diagnosis' I sound like an absolute hypochondriac. OH how much do I wish I was just a hypochondriac. I would love to never have to deal with prescriptions and doctors and copays and ... all the things. There have been times that I have just abandoned the process because I hate dealing with it all... just as with the rheumatologist. I was supposed to follow up in February 2017 in the ongoing quest to isolate the specific auto-immune disorder going on in my body. The bottom line for me is that nothing they suspected was anything they could treat with one magic pill. It's still a symptom by symptom resolution which is what we're already doing... so... anyways... not happy to see a cardiologist. Grateful to have the health insurance to be able to do so. Hopeful that he will have a solution for this blood pressure issue. It just becomes very scary when you know you're taking all the meds and trying to eat healthy and still, not able to lower it.<br />
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SOOOO... today's blog is about our trip to Hattie B's Hot Chicken for lunch today. I know it seems completely contradictory to what I've talked about so far but ... I try to take a 80/20 approach to healthy eating. I do the best I can within my resources (as far as feeling too poorly to cook for the past two weeks, not feeling like shopping for myself, etc) and then on date night (and day and night and day) I loosen the boundaries a bit. Honestly, I had one piece of fried chicken, some potato salad, black eyed pea salad and lemonade. It wasn't horrible. What was horrible is that I completely forgot to take pictures. Cody met us for lunch as he was working right down the street and his birthday is the 30th... not sure when we might be able to celebrate so we did today. I've snagged some photos from the web and you should also check out <a href="http://hattieb.com/" target="_blank"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Hattie B's website</span></b></a>.<br />
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We had passed by Hattie B's a few weeks back when we went to The Vortex for lunch. Hattie's had a line going down the street so we thought... hmmm... we should go there... and we also though, hmmm... we should get there early. Win on both counts today - we got there about 11:15 and had zero wait time. You order at the counter and they give you a number and bring your food to your table. The menu is pretty straightforward and simple so ordering was easy... the table service is attentive and helpful. We were able to order dessert without getting back in the (then very long) line. The food is fresh and hot (except my potato salad and black eyed pea salad which are meant to be cold). I got the very bland - no spice - chicken because I'm a wimp and because my belly is kind of unwell from the antibiotics. Marvin and Cody both got medium spice and agree that it was about as spicy as they would want to go. I got light meat because that's my preference and it was not the least bit dry. Marvin and Cody got dark meat because they worried that the white meat would be dry. It wasn't. There is limited parking, Cody had to pay to park so... that's a drawback but it's in the city so, it's just part of the process. We snagged what Cosy refers to as "Nana parking" because I have the handicapped tag. Definitely though, if you're in Atlanta / Five Points area, I would recommend Hattie B's. There are also locations in Nashville and Birmingham.<br />
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What else can I tell you about the past week? We had lunch with Cosy last Thursday and then had a good time playing with her afterwards. I didn't see her over the weekend because I was feeling so rough and then finally got her again yesterday (Tuesday) and had THE BEST TIME despite my blood pressure being high. Austin was around and did most of the actual caring for Cosy, I just got to enjoy her. She dried my hair for me and helped me put on makeup... she's just the best medicine!<br />
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Tomorrow Austin and Cosy are coming to pick me up from Marvin's. I don't have to drive, which helps when I'm not feeling myself. Until then, I'm just tucked in, enjoying being spoiled a little and appreciating the peace and quiet. I'm basically just trying to feel better. I think the blog creativity will improve as I start to feel better... in the meantime, I'll try to keep you posted. Thanks for stopping by! Love and hugs, y'all!<br />
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<br />Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16177522637630437113noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2565064927448520692.post-81500483203089745782018-08-15T18:24:00.000-04:002018-08-15T18:24:15.408-04:00What I Ate Wednesday - In BedOk, so it's been a week since I last blogged. It's been a rough week. Marvin and I both got sick with this cold/flu misery that sidelined him not one bit but has had me barely able to sit up. Then, in the midst of my misery I had Cosy over (because I missed her sweet face) and wrenched my back while playing on the floor with her and could not unbend. I was hunched over for a few days. But mainly, the biggest issue is the cold. Honestly, it's the sickest I've been in forever. I'm a human snot factory. It's coming out my nose, I'm coughing it up. I'm dosing with various cold meds every four hours just trying to survive. It's sucking the life out of me.<br />
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So... when we last left this story... Marvin and I had a lovely visit to Oakland Cemetery that I still need to tell you about but... not today. The next day, Thursday, we had a Cosy day -- where Marvin and I take Cosy on our lunch date with us because she absolutely loves Marvin and he is particularly fond of her as well. We got to her house about midday on Thursday right after two of Tasha's dogs had attacked another one of their dogs so it was one thousand degrees of chaos. I left the car door open (as I do) and one of the bloody dogs jumped into the car and made a mess. We ended up going to Austin's work for lunch, the Old Sautee Market. They have a little bucket of soap suds and big bubble wands set up and I knew that would be a good diversion for Cosy. It was. I have tons of precious pictures but honestly, I just don't feel well enough to go through the process of posting today. They have been on my facebook but I try to share here as well for you non-Facebook folks and I just can't.<br />
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Also, there are some freaking adorable pictures from later that day when she got a package in the mail from Austin's dad and stepmom - I am posting one photo of that although I took dozens because she was so proud of her little outfit they sent her. She's a mini-Minnie. You will notice beads all over the floor. Beads are a controlled substance in our house but she found a vase that my mom had filled with beads and then put fake flowers in... she said, "oh... treasures!" I spent that afternoon teaching her how to thread beads on a string to make a necklace. It was awful sweet. The beads got everywhere, though and that's how I ended up throwing my back out... trying to pick up beads. Once I threw my back out, I couldn't bend to pick up any more beads and they are all over my floor now. It makes me really twitchy. I'm not a neat freak but... help me Jesus... what a mess.<br />
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Anyways... so, as I was saying, I've been sick. Austin has been bringing me food. Pop took pity on me and brought me up some cough medicine. I missed date night Tuesday night (we're back to Tuesday nights... long story) because I honestly just didn't think I could stay awake long enough to go out for dinner. Sleep has been my refuge. But I came down to Marvin's this morning so we could have a little time together. It's THAT WEEK for us... the one year anniversary of when he lost his son and I lost my mom. I was prepared for lots of emotion this week but I wasn't prepared to be sick. Instead of having a lunch date somewhere fabulous, he picked up take out Chinese while I slept and brought it to me. He also brought me more cough medicine and cough drops. Honestly, he's just so good at taking care of me. I ate a little but just have zero appetite and then I slept some more and we watched a movie and he went to work and that's everything you missed.<br />
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Ha. I'm kidding. Obviously, more happened. Austin and I had a nasty fight, as we tend to do every now and then. I talked to Ryan. I talked to Cody. I facetimed with Oliver. I got messages from you guys asking if I was ok. I talked to Marvin on the phone but not as much as usual because I just haven't been able to stand talking. Have I mentioned that I have been sick? I've watched a gazillion episodes of Bones. I've played a ridiculous amount of freecell on my phone. But I stayed in bed 99% of the time. I only left the house once, on Monday, to pick Cosy up. She had a little bit of an attitude at first but I've programmed her a channel on Spotify that I play through the bluetooth in the car and that cheered her grumpy little butt right up. It's all the kid songs like Mary Had A Little Lamb and Old McDonald, and so forth. Then we went and picked up her favorite - pink donut with sprinkles - and had a really nice day together.<br />
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Monday morning Cosy was quietly playing on my floor in my bedroom and completely out of nowhere said, "I miss Marvin" in the saddest little voice you could imagine. Of course, I told Marvin and so he's heading back up my way tomorrow so we can take her out for lunch with us again. Feeling a little emotional here but... it bears sharing... if you want to know the true heart of a man, see who he is to the tiniest of humans. Kids have a highly acute bullsh*t meter. They know if you're good people or not. Oliver loves everybody so he doesn't count for this equation... but Cosy, she's a hard nut to crack. She's particularly introverted and very shy. Her Uncle Cody sees her at least once a month and she will barely make eye contact with him but she loves Marvin. She would barely talk to my dad until Mawmaw passed away and there was something... something that made her want to love on Pop. Maybe there's that little bit she sees in Marvin too but the girl really loves him and I love that she loves him and I never for a minute take for granted that he's willing to give up his day off to drive all the way up to my place to see a little three year old girl. I could tell you lots of stuff about what he has meant to me in the past year - the laughs and tears and unmentionable moments that we've shared and thousands and thousands of phone calls. But the fact that Cosy loves him, should tell you everything you need to know.<br />
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And now I'm going to put my laptop away, hopefully not for another whole week but... if it is, just wait for me, I'll be back. I have a doctor's appointment on Monday to evaluate the whole blood pressure situation (it's been mostly ok lately but I had a high reading the other day) and if I'm still snotty, I'm sure he'll give me antibiotics. My lungs aren't healthy so stuff really digs in and takes hold of me which I'm sure, is part of the reason a simple cold leaves me flattened. I'll let you know what's up. In the meantime, I'm just gonna appreciate the folks in my 3-D world and do my best to get well. Love and hugs!<br />
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<br />Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16177522637630437113noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2565064927448520692.post-45974958701208809372018-08-08T18:11:00.000-04:002018-08-08T18:11:11.810-04:00What I Ate Wednesday - Six Feet Under<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Today's blog is part one of a two part special (it's honestly not THAT special) on mine and Marvin's big adventure today. Part one is a restaurant review of a place called Six Feet Under that - no lie - is right beside one of Atlanta's biggest and most historical cemeteries, Oakland Cemetery. Part two will be more about Oakland. I want to do it in two parts because 1. I am sleepy/not feeling great and I know if I try to blog too much right now it will be lousy content and 2. I want to give you a little extra background on Oakland Cemetery and I don't have time/energy/brain space for it tonight.<br />
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Sidebar - I don't discuss this part of my multiple diagnosis' much but one illness I deal with is fibromyalgia which gives you horrible brain fog at times. I also have an unspecified autoimmune disorder that does a number on me when I'm out in the heat and will make me feel run down / really tired at times. I'm also still struggling to adjust to the new muscle relaxer which makes a huge difference for me pain wise but makes me terribly loopy when it peaks in my system. I'm feeling all three hitting me at the moment and it's draining me to where I'm worried today's blog will be more of a blahg. That's just sort of where I am today... very happy/peaceful/content but in such a fog of exhaustion that it's hard to function.<br />
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BUT LUNCH... was AMAZING! We went to a place in Atlanta called, <b><span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://www.sixfeetunder.net/menus/food" target="_blank">Six Feet Under </a></span></b>(check the link if you'd like to see their entire menu, etc) which is - like I said previously - RIGHT beside the most historic cemetery in Atlanta. I am Old Atlanta. By that I mean... my family has been here - in Atlanta and surrounding areas - for several generations. Our roots are deep in this city. I have such an immense love for the history of this city, even the ugly bits, because it gives us our character. Atlanta is a city that does a horrible job of preserving it's landmarks. So many of our cities treasures have been bulldozed in the name of progress but Oakland Cemetery stands proud, dotted with the names of city founders and famous folks. So eating lunch right across from this iconic part of Old Atlanta was truly, an amazing surprise for me.<br />
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Six Feet Under is sort of a fish/pub type place. They had a pretty extensive menu that was sort of a Southern food / fish / pub fusion with the undertones of the graveyard theme but not so much that it was Halloweenish. Marvin had a taco combo platter that came with a their catfish taco, fried calamari taco and blackened shrimp taco with hush puppies as his side. I tasted his blackened shrimp taco and it was good but... the blackening spices were a little spicy for me. I had a fish and chips basket that came with the US version of chips... you know, round thin slices of fried potatoes... and mine also came with hush puppies. My chips were... crispy and fried exactly as I would have liked but the oil seemed a bit old. It was a little off. The fish, however, was perfect, browned and crispy and not the least bit greasy (which can be hard to do with fish, I think). I loved the hushpuppies but they did have bits of jalapeno and my tongue is still sore from that encounter. We drank iced tea with our meal... we're fancy that way... and we skipped dessert because we were both stuffed.<br />
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Service wise - it was fast, attentive enough and we avoided the usual jinx of if I'm blogging about it, our glasses never get refilled. We got refills. Everyone was friendly without hovering. My big beef with this place is that they've gone straw free which makes me 1. Roll my eyes really hard and 2. Want to buy myself metal straws to tote around. I'm not anti-environment at all but I read some stat that said our straw usage makes up like such a ridiculously small percentage of the entire trash in the world - something really small and seemingly inconsequential - that we're wasting more resources by the effort to be straw free than using straws would make. Marvin says I wouldn't care if I wasn't such a big straw user - and he's true. I prefer to drink through a straw, even at home. It didn't make a huge difference to me, honestly, but it was the first time I had encountered this so... buying metal straws now.<br />
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Price wise - it was Marvin's turn to pay so I didn't actually see the bill but I think it's reasonable for lunch, especially inside the Perimeter (inside I-285 - the highway that circles Atlanta). My fish basket was around $14. It was two large pieces of fish, a lot of chips and two hushpuppies.<br />
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Free parking is available with a short walk. We walked around the cemetery for just a tiny bit after lunch which made the walk back to the car seem really, really long.<br />
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I would ... maybe take little kids here. We were there for a weekday lunch so we mostly saw blue collar type workers... a lot of Atlanta Police officers (including one who accidentally whacked Marvin on the head- it was a lady - she got very embarrassed but I told her I do that to him all the time... which he was claiming as police brutality... tee hee).<br />
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In other news... I won on HQ - the trivia game that Marvin and I play on our phones. It was my third win and this time I earned $6.05! I would NEVER have won if Marvin hadn't been playing with me because there were 4, maybe 5 answers out of the 12 questions that he had to answer for me. He got out earlier in the game on a question about the Real Housewives franchise. I didn't know the answer but I guessed correctly. And I just lucked out and knew the ones he didn't know!<br />
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Cosy's mama posted some really cute pictures of our sweet girl out at Dairy Queen today. I love that she will let her mama put her hair in "dog ears" because she sure as heck won't let me do it!<br />
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And... that's about it for today. I'm going to have a bit of dinner then soak in the tub before Marvin gets home from work. I'll do the blog post about Oakland Cemetery some time in the next few days. Tomorrow we're having a Cosy day!<br />
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<br />Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16177522637630437113noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2565064927448520692.post-38346054713333680002018-08-06T18:44:00.001-04:002018-08-06T18:44:41.705-04:00Things I Did TodayBecause making lists makes sense to me right now. These are in no particular or chronological order. My brain no longer works that way.<br />
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1. Wore an orange maxi skirt with a purple t-shirt that says, "my greatest blessings call me Nana"<br />
2. Convinced my 3 year old granddaughter that my bun (in my hair) wasn't so ugly that it must be immediately taken down. She also likes to take out braids or anything I do to my hair that involves elastic bands. She has issues.<br />
3. Allowed my 3 year old granddaughter to clean my dentures AND put my dentures in my mouth for me. We live large here, people.<br />
4. Sat on the floor and played with playdoh.<br />
5. Washed a load of laundry.<br />
6. Took all the clean laundry out of the porta-crib in the guest room (currently my nest) where it has accumulated and folded it and put it in dresser drawers. Except for hanging things which I then draped back over the side of the porta-crib.<br />
7. Listened to several podcasts. Listening to podcasts makes me feel trendy.<br />
8. Picked my granddaughter up from her mom's house at 8am. I will now begin referring to my granddaughter by her name because describing her as my granddaughter has become tedious to type and I imagine it has become tedious to read.<br />
9. Watched half a season of Bones. It's very good. Don't give me spoilers as I'm only on season 5.<br />
10. Video chatted with my boyfriend who agreed with Cosy's decision to take down the horrific bun. For the record, I did not take it out.<br />
11. Dried and folded another load of clothes except for the one pair or panties that somehow managed to stay wadded up and wet in the load of clothes in the dryer. It is now hanging on my closet door.<br />
12. Ate salted caramel flavored yogurt for breakfast.<br />
13. Drank a medium iced coffee from Dunkin Donuts.<br />
14. Drank about half of a powerade. I'm still working on it.<br />
15. Ate popcorn for lunch.<br />
16. Realized that I need to scrounge up something relatively healthy for dinner.<br />
17. Took my a$$-kicking muscle relaxers and managed to not fall asleep.<br />
18. This happened yesterday but I consider it relevant - talked to my boyfriend 13 times on the phone. This is not an exaggeration. I do, sometimes, tend to "round up" numbers for dramatic effect but this is a literal count of the times we talked on the phone yesterday. This was a total of 129 minutes.<br />
19. Back to today. I picked up all the change off of my floor and determined it to be enough for a pack of cigarettes, even though I don't smoke.<br />
20. Sent my son to Walmart to buy playdoh. Playdoh is essential.<br />
21. Gathered up four little grocery sack sized bags of trash and consolidated them into one large trash bag.<br />
22. Carried down the dishes that have been sitting beside my bathroom sink for at least two weeks.<br />
23. Taught Cosy how to load the dishwasher. Lord, please let her stay at the age where she loves to wash dishes FOREVER!<br />
24. Argued with Cosy that it really is ok for her to wear a shirt that says, "My daddy is my super hero". She thinks it's for her dad to wear. It is a size 3T and lavender.<br />
25. Settled on another tshirt for her to wear. Meh. Obviously today we weren't making our mark on fashion in our town.<br />
26. Did not leave the house except to pick up Cosy.<br />
27. Played about fifty-eleven rounds of free cell on my phone.<br />
28. Watched a ridiculous number of Insta-stories.<br />
29. Debated whether or not my day was interesting enough to warrant a blog. The jury is still out.<br />
30. Forgot to wear deodorant.<br />
31. Helped Cosy work on her new bullet journal. She learned that if you use waaaaay too much chalk marker and close pages together, the ink will transfer to the other page. We did this a lot.<br />
32. Cleaned up playdoh<br />
33. Found a place to store my winter scarf that has been traveling from one piece of furniture to another in this room since February.<br />
34. Decided that it is ok to store my chunky sweatshirts in the unused bathroom cabinets. I mean... why not?<br />
35. Cleaned up Cosy's beads. Cleaned them up again after she and her dad had a bead fight. I know you're going to say that I should have made them clean them up but honestly, I decided I would rather pick them up myself quickly than go through the effort of getting them to do it.<br />
36. Realized why my back always hurts.<br />
37. Programmed a "Cosy Channel" on my Spotify on my phone and played it through the bluetooth in my car. I felt like a real technological genius for doing this and she was so happy to have her own music that it was totally worth the effort. I even made sure to listen to commercials this morning before I picked her up to try to keep her from having to listen to commercial interruptions. Her music is currently things like "the itsy bitsy spider" and "Mary Has A Little Lamb". She loves these songs and I get tired of singing them in the car without accompaniment.<br />
38. Also yesterday but I FaceTimed Oliver while he skateboarded with his dad.<br />
39. Showed Cosy how to FaceTime her dad. She loves video chat... which is why Marvin videochatted with me this morning, so Cosy could see him but... she was at Dunkin Donuts with her dad buying her favorite - pink donut with sprinkles. And Nana's coffee.<br />
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AND... this concludes today's list of things I've done. Not because I haven't done anything else but because that's all I can remember. Hope your Monday has been memorable! Love and hugs!Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16177522637630437113noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2565064927448520692.post-1877990696839945332018-08-04T15:19:00.000-04:002018-08-04T15:19:10.637-04:00Waffle House and Other Things<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I'm so drained, y'all. I don't even know where to start. I thought that my big emotional mom moment for the week would be something dramatic happening when Austin went to the Warped Tour music festival on Tuesday. I just knew something awful was going to happen on his first drive on the interstate and first journey that far on his own. Truthfully, the worst damage was to my bank balance, since he ended up going without enough money and I had to transfer some money into his bank account to get him through the day. Times like that I want to just let consequences happen as they will so that he will learn and becomes a self-sufficient adult but there is just too much of my mama in my for that. Mawmaw would have sent him money.<br />
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But he had a great time and I know what awesome memories those kind of events make for us in our lives. I missed out on a lot by marrying and having kids young and then by being a single mom working all the time and by not having two nickels to rub together half the time. By the time I had the resources (time, money, freedom) to do things, my back was too messed up for me to do things. That's what makes my adventures with Marvin so precious to me... he makes it happen, gets me down front at concerts and drives me to New Orleans and... orders the good stuff off the menu at awesome restaurants. I want everyone I love to have those kind of special times. Cody is with Marquee today seeing some guys from YouTube that she enjoys. It's good stuff and we all deserve to make those kind of memories (just sometimes we need to budget more carefully for them, that's all I'm saying.)<br />
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Our Thursday culinary adventure was rolling out of bed at noon and going to Waffle House with no makeup, looking like a hot mess in the pouring rain and it was PERFECT! The meal, I mean, and the experience. Not how I looked. It was exactly what I wanted at the moment and just as special of a memory for me as anything else we do. He put some of our favorite songs on the juke box and kissed me on the lips right there in the middle of Waffle House. Then he played "Mandy" by Barry Manilow five times in a row... for the listening pleasure of those who came after us. Tee hee.<br />
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You know, it's been a year for us. It's been a year since Marvin sent me the text to let me know that his son had died the day before... and I told him that my mom was not expected to live but a few more hours. She died the next day. We kept texting and texting and talking and seeing each other and then Tuesday became date night and... well, I think I've shared the story already, for the most part and I've been oversharing it here on the blog since May. His sweet boy passed on the 16th of August and my precious mama passed on the 18th and it's been nearly a year. Sometimes I still don't know how we made it. It seems like the worst possible time to start a new relationship but honestly, it was just two very sad people talking to each other and laughing together and a lot of times crying together and just doing things that helped us keep living.<br />
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There's been a lot of anger between Austin and Tasha this week. Those two... I just don't know. It breaks my heart for Cosy because now she is beginning to understand that mama and daddy are angry at each other. They bickered back and forth all day on Thursday and I just couldn't wait until Friday morning to pick up my sweet girl and spend a few hours with her, giving her my undivided love and attention and making sure she knew how precious she is to me. I could explain the problem but the he said / she said, he did/ she did would make your head spin. Ultimately it's just another verse of the same song we've been singing for the past two years. They both need to treat each other with more kindness and respect and I'm not saying anything here that I haven't said to them both a thousand times already. We're so foolish when we think that if we can't get along well enough to stay in a relationship with someone that will we somehow magically get along well enough to co-parent after the relationship ends. It takes a lot of work. But that's what has to happen. Cosy didn't pick them as parents. She didn't ask to be born into a volatile relationship. She deserves mom and dad living together and loving each other and the white picket fence and all the happiness and peace of a perfect childhood but she will never have that. So instead we just have to all do our best to communicate kindly and appropriately with each other, to respect each other, to let her know that we're all a team, even if we're in different households. We need to make sure that we don't let our feelings for each other interfere with the time we spend with Cosy. We need to let the people who love her be a part of her life in whatever way is healthy for her. We need to support each other as role models and caregivers in her life and only say positive and appropriate things about each other in front of her. It's so confusing for her when she hears ugly things about the other parent or other caregivers. I try to make a point of listing for her all the people who love her and celebrate each and every person in her little village. She really is worth whatever pride and hurt feelings we have to put aside to give her an opportunity at a happy, healthy childhood.<br />
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Ok, end of sermon.<br />
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I had a bit of a meltdown yesterday where I really needed a creative outlet... so I tried to restart my bullet journal and I couldn't find any of the things I bought to use with it. I have so many markers and stencils and rolls of washi tape to fancy it up and ... most of them were gone. It's all part and parcel of the fact that I'm living in the guest room and not in the basement because of the water damage. Things are all turned upside down down there and when I went searching on my own I got really upset and discouraged. But more than that... it's just another reminder that my mom isn't here any more. She'd have never let things be like they are. So many of the pens and markers I used were hers and I can't find a lot of them and it just makes me miss her even more. And of course, because I am my mother's daughter, I tried to tidy things up downstairs and hurt my back even more... it's just so frustrating to not be able to do what needs to be done. I physically can't do it myself and I never seem to find the right words to motivate others to do what needs doing without having a total emotional breakdown. So I screamed and hollered like a lunatic and then came back up here to the guest room and sobbed and boohoo'ed on the phone with Marvin for hours.<br />
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Anyways... I'm feeling like having a nap so I'll wrap this is. Hope your weekend is going well and I will blog again... soon. Maybe not tomorrow but soon. My blood pressure was perfectly normal today but I forgot to take a picture.... and there are spiders on the front porch. And now you know everything. Love and hugs!<br />
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<br />Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16177522637630437113noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2565064927448520692.post-63579595504190622692018-08-01T19:20:00.001-04:002018-08-01T19:20:57.514-04:00What I Ate Wednesday - Rico's World KitchenA little bit of housekeeping before I tell you about the amazing lunch we had today...<br />
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1. Austin survived Warped Tour '18. He made it there and back alive. I did have to wire him money for parking. So... there's that... but he didn't wreck or get lost or get run over on the interstate so... I'm relieved that is over.<br />
2. My doctor's office got the stronger muscle relaxers approved by my insurance (Medicare, in case you're wondering). They are 2mg stronger per pill but SO MUCH STRONGER. I'm really having an adjustment period with this medicine. It does what I need it to do, it's longer lasting because it's a capsule instead of a tablet but it packs a punch. My head is spinning and I took it... four hours ago...<br />
3. Marvin's blood pressure is great! If they could just get mine sorted out...<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">chicharrones - you must try them!</td></tr>
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Now on to what I ate today! As I've previously mentioned, Marvin has taken a Tuesday night trivia show (Mellow Mushroom in Sandy Springs, go see him! He's so much fun!) which means we've changed "date night" (which truly consists of about a 48 hour time period) from Tuesday night to Wednesday lunch. In making that change we decided we wanted to have some culinary adventures in this thriving metropolis that he calls home (I'm too far North to truly be considered an Atlantan myself). Last week we went to The Vortex in the quirky Little Five Points neighborhood in Atlanta and I had a plain burger. I'm fun like that. This week he tasked me with planning our adventure and we went to... a place we go to a lot, <b><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://ricosworldkitchen.com/" target="_blank">Rico's World Kitchen</a>. </span></b><br />
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Here's the process. Bear with me.<br />
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<ul>
<li>I wanted to do something REALLY different, like a cuisine I've never had before like... Korean or.. Bangladeshi. (for real, there's a Bangladeshi restaurant not too far). I've done a ridiculous amount of research on restaurants in reasonable driving distance with a reasonably priced menu where we could experiment a bit. </li>
<li>New adventures are fun and exciting and good blog fodder but the bottom line is that we're just two fat kids who like to eat. </li>
<li>We really, REALLY love Rico's World Kitchen in Buford, Georgia. It is always, consistently, no matter what we order, a great meal. </li>
<li>Rico's offers some very creative lunch specials which you can find on their Facebook page every day. </li>
<li>It's standard practice for us to check Rico's specials before committing to any other restaurant. They're our first choice, every time. </li>
<li>Today Rico's had a Surf and Turf Benedict with English Muffins topped with Caper Horseradish Mayo, Sliced Beef Tenderloin, Smoked Salmon, Poached Eggs and Hollandaise Sauce for $12 on their lunch specials. We had to try it. </li>
<li>Because Rico's other two specials today were... ok, decent, better than what you'd probably get anywhere else for the price but not something we HAD to have - we decided to split the special and add three appetizers. We're crazy like that. Correction - Marvin's crazy like that. Heather would have ordered the burger, which was one of the specials today. In my defense, though, it was their house ground brisket, chuck and pork belly burger - not just a burger- but we had burgers last week. </li>
</ul>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Surf and Turf Benedict</td></tr>
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And ultimately, today's lunch would rate among the best we've had together. Here's why (another list)<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Claire, the waitress has a cute butt. Just kidding. I mean, she does have a cute butt but the main thing is that she's one that remembers your drink orders and keeps your glass refilled and waves at you when you walk in. It's the attitude and friendliness of the place. We didn't get Claire today and, true to form, whenever I'm reviewing a place for my blog, the drink refills are slower than we'd like. It's the blog curse. However, by and large, the staff is friendly and attentive and welcoming. We've never had to wait long to be seated but that is probably more about our sense of timing. It's not a huge place but the food comes quickly when you order. You can linger (as we sometimes do) or get in and out quickly, if you need to.</li>
<li>It was pouring rain but I have a handicapped tag and that was the ONLY parking place left open on the lot. There is nearby (free) parking a short walk away - the same block, essentially - but it was raining so getting the parking spot was a good omen. </li>
<li>I've been meaning to try their chicharrones (pork rinds) for awhile and today I finally did. I'm obsessed. We got a generous cone of them for $4.50. They were served with a clear dipping sauce that looked like water but guess what? It was vinegar and it was amazing. I will never eat pork rinds without vinegar again. It made them crackle and crunch like pop rocks or rice crispies! They're seasoned with the blackening seasoning which was not too spicy for me and I'm a wimp so, you can handle it, I'm sure.</li>
<li>The chicharrones were so good that, as I previously mentioned, Marvin suggested a three appetizer + one entree meal and it was perfect for us! Our other two apps were fried green tomatoes - among the best I've had anywhere and I'm sort of an expert on these things - and lumpia - Filipino egg rolls. I don't remember the price of the lumpia but I know the fried green tomatoes are $4.50. You can't even get them that cheap at Captain D's. </li>
<li>The food is always consistently amazing at Rico's but one of Marvin's favorite things about them is that they carry Cheerwine. It's a North Carolina thing. It's a soda that tastes like somewhere between cherry coke and dr. pepper. I like Cheerwine just fine but carbonation gives me gas so I usually stick with my sweet tea - and their's is solid. </li>
<li>Rico's can be pricey for dinner but their lunch specials, especially when shared, are reasonable. I think our total bill today, even with the three appetizers and two drinks was around $30 (it wasn't my turn to pay so I'm not certain). It's a really good, filling meal with quality ingredients that feels like a real treat for a decent price. </li>
<li>We ate until we were both full and then rolled out of there fat and happy. </li>
</ul>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">lumpia</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">fried green tomatoes</td></tr>
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The only thing I could say negative about Rico's is that the noise level is higher than I like. It's an open space, a converted service station and there isn't much to muffle the sound - no carpeting, booths, etc. Today we were seated in sort of a middle table and it was louder than I like but... still a great choice for lunch!<br />
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I made the link really big earlier in this post so you can see it and click it and see what I'm talking about. Rico's is definitely worth the drive if you're in the Atlanta area and if you can get away during lunch, it's a great, affordable, culinary adventure!<br />
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We eat out at least once, usually twice a week so we are still planning to try Korean soon. Any suggestions on what to order that is good but not too spicy? Any restaurant recommendations - either actual restaurant or just cuisine in general? Let me know and I'll blog about it when we go!<br />
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It's storming badly so I need to get disconnected from this electrical device in my lap. Thanks for stopping by! Love and hugs, y'all!<br />
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<br />Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16177522637630437113noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2565064927448520692.post-76301488453484414652018-07-30T15:53:00.001-04:002018-07-30T15:53:02.570-04:00Two Bad Things, One Great ThingHappy Monday, Friends! I know you all look forward to an exciting list of Reasons To Love Monday from me every week but this week I'm just not feeling it. That doesn't mean there won't be exciting things happening this week... no, not at all. It just means there's more floating around in my head than a simple list of pleasures for the week.<br />
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First... and I know you're sick to death of hearing it... but I'm just in too much freaking pain to focus on frivolity. It stinks. It's not getting better. Changing my muscle relaxer prescription amped up my pain number (although I consider the whole concept of assigning a random numerical value to pain absolutely ridiculous... how bad does it hurt? Bad enough that I want to rip down your stupid little chart with faces varying from smiling to crying and throw it in the trash... Bad enough that I want to break into a pharmacy and steal every single pain medication they have... you want a number? The number is 2 million, seven hundred and eighty three thousand, nine hundred and seventeen. It's bullsh*t. That's my pain number.) ... and then you add that to the blood pressure that seems to defy gravity and anything else meant to bring it down... and I just don't feel like looking on the bright side at the moment. That doesn't mean that I'm suicidal... or homicidal... or truly considering armed robbery. I'm just saying that it's impossible for me to articulate how frustrating it is to go through a few consecutive weeks of unrelenting pain and feeling yucky. Usually it eases up from time to time. Lately, it's not easing up. I'm tired of hearing myself say that I'm tired. I know that everyone who comes in contact with me knows I'm in pain. I'm becoming redundant. I'm tired of hurting, I'm tired of being hot, I'm tired of a blood pressure that will not go down even when I make a concerted effort to eat responsibly and rest. Right now, it sucks to be in this body. And as much as I'm looking forward to my spa night this week... and whatever culinary adventure Marvin and I have coming up this week... it doesn't make feeling this crappy feel any less crappy. In fact, I feel horrible for not being able to be more excited about the things coming up this week because I do have a lot of good in my life.<br />
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Next... and I realize that I'm unintentionally making a list... Austin is sowing some wild oats this week and heading into civilization for a music thing... concert/festival of some sort and I'm not happy with it. I know that he's 24 and an adult and responsible for himself but he's biting off more than he can chew in driving places he's never been and I've worried myself so sick about all the things that can possibly go wrong. He won't listen to me. He thinks I'm underestimating his driving abilities but truly, I'm just far more aware of the hazards of driving in Atlanta than he is. Honestly, I want him to be independent. I'm tired of raising him. I'm happy that he's happy and in a solid, mature, loving relationship. I don't begrudge him going off to enjoy the music that he enjoys. I just know what he doesn't know and as far as I'm concerned, him driving down to the Lakewood Ampitheater tomorrow equals me not ever seeing him again. I'm that concerned about it. The thing is... my friend Susie failed her drivers license exam on her sixteenth birthday and the very next day when she retook it and passed, we all piled into her car and drove around I-285 to Six Flags and if my parents were concerned about our safety, I certainly don't remember it being an issue. I KNOW we DID IT and survived. Austin is a country kid and has learned to drive on two lane country roads. Things like merging and bumper to bumper traffic and being passed by a tractor trailer doing 80 miles an hour two inches away from you are absolutely foreign to him. He says he's going back roads. I picture him running out of gas or getting lost. I picture him doing something stupid and mouthing off to the wrong person and winding up on the news. I imagine him as a statistic. I imagine Cosy without a dad. I imagine me driving all over Atlanta trying to find him when we lose contact with him because his phone goes dead and he forgets his charger and gets lost and can't use his GPS and... see where I'm going with this? Maybe I'm overreacting, maybe I need to do a better job of letting go. Ryan was driving a truck pulling a trailer in rush hour traffic in Dallas when he was 17 and it didn't phase me. Austin just doesn't have the same skill set. And the more I try to talk him out of it, the more determined he is to go. Not helping the blood pressure.<br />
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Other than those two items... I'm excited about the week ahead. Last week my time with Marvin was cut short and I'm bound and determined to be his Siamese twin this week. (I can picture his face as he reads this... cringing at the thought of me being all up in his business! He's all for quality time together but also, a fan of person space.) He just put in for vacation time for next year for Mardi Gras and I'm so freaking exciting that I could dance a jig... if I could dance a jig. We've been dreaming about Mardi Gras since the day we left New Orleans in January and for him to have actually taken those days off makes it REAL! We're planning ahead, picking out which parades we want to attend, doing our research... saving money (or trying to). We had about two and a half months worth of planning that went into our last trip to New Orleans but this gives us about seven months to really sort out all the details. I'm ... <b>insert all the words that mean excited</b> ... to plan our costumes, places we want to eat, things we want to do, parades to attend... gotta make sure our room at Purple Michael's is reserved... Laissez le bon temps rouler! I knew nothing about New Orleans before the first trip but now... I'm obsessed with the culture and the food and the history and all that is involved in New Orleans during Mardi Gras. Purple Michael being there is just the baby in the king cake, so to speak... you know, like the cherry on the sundae? I'm just delighted to have this to look forward to. I feel like planning for our first trip to New Orleans really got Marvin and I through the worst of our grief over losing my mom and his son. We're approaching the one year anniversary of those events and I am happy to have this distraction... but even more... just happy that he and I have this bond together, that we have a joint love for this city. It's just good stuff.<br />
<br />
I'm hoping to have some time with my favorite little girl tomorrow. I'm not going to push myself. If the bp is high, I'm just going to rest. I've been resting all day today. I don't go to Marvin's until Wednesday morning so tomorrow could be another solid day of chill for me. It really depends on how I feel tomorrow, how well I sleep tonight, etc. She really brings me so much joy but... she's three. It's a toss up on whether I'm going to get a sweet, cuddly, adorable little princess or Emo Cosy who cries over whether or not I made her chocolate milk in the right cup and stirred it with the right spoon and carried it properly and ... you know, three.<br />
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And I guess that tells you how my Monday is going. Two frustrating things, one really good thing. Lots of reasons to keep moving forward, even when it hurts. I hope your week is off to a great start and I hope your good news outweighs your bad and that there are lots of wonderful things to help you face whatever is getting you down today. Love and hugs, y'all!Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16177522637630437113noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2565064927448520692.post-8060204434725786092018-07-29T17:08:00.001-04:002018-07-29T17:08:15.425-04:00All The Things You Missed / Photo Dump<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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When we last left this story, I was tucked away at Marvin's enjoying our time together and planning another luxurious day with him including spa night and then... Tasha had to have an emergency appendectomy. Here's how my Nana brain works: Mama is in the hospital, Grandma and Papa are with Mama that leaves Daddy and ... Daddy's team to take care of baby girl. While I know that Austin is a good dad, I know his patience has a limit and I knew that when they dropped Cosy off, she was a little out of sorts about what was going on with mommy. So I cut my time with Marvin short and went back to help with Cosy. It ended up being a good thing because she got really emotional at bedtime and needed lots of Nana cuddles to settle down.<br />
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Have you slept with a three year old? I can't understand how someone so small can take up so much space! She did finally go to sleep and I finally got some sleep but it wasn't my normal rest and it certainly wasn't a night at Marvin's. Then Friday morning I had a doctor's appointment in Gainesville and of course, everyone else has to work so it was just me and my chickadee (gosh, she really hates it when I call her that... I can call her anything else - Princess, Monkey, etc... but if I call her "chickadee" she says, "I'm called Cosy"). My back is still not good and I'm trying so hard not to pick her up but sometimes when she's doing things in her own time, it's easier to just pick her up and move her rather than trying to convince her to move herself. I had several errands to run Friday and eventually mom was released from the hospital (she's fine) and Grandma came to pick up Cosy. I was absolutely wiped out and just rested the rest of Friday.<br />
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Then Saturday Oliver and Cody were coming up so I wanted to have Cosy come over. It's a lot of work, especially when I'm tired, to wrangle two three year olds. I mean, Cody is always there but I'm not a sit in a rocking chair and observe kind of Nana. I'm down on the floor with them, up and down the stairs with them, jumping on the bed... ok, I don't really jump on the bed. It is really important to me that Oliver and Cosy have a close bond. They may very well both end up as only children so it's important to me that they have each other. They definitely are thick as thieves when they're together... it requires a little refereeing with them from time to time but they definitely love each other.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">at the dr with Nana</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">feeling artistic</td></tr>
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Backing up a bit in time... on Thursday night Oliver Facetimed while Cosy was with me and she just took over my phone and carried on her own little conversation with him, showing him the dog and the cat and toys and chatting away to him... giggling at how silly he is... it was the most complete conversation the two of them have ever had and it just melted my Nana heart into a little puddle. This is what I'm after with them! So although I was way too tired Saturday, I wanted Cosy and Oliver to be able to spend time together so I rallied. Tasha's parents had a church thing to do that was easier to do without Cosy anyways so it just made sense for her to hang out with me. BUT MAN... when everyone went home, I crashed so hard! Austin's girlfriend Jessi hung out with me for a little while and then I said, "I'm really going to need a nap... " and she went and took one too, I think.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2018 is the summer of swimming in buckets</td></tr>
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<br />
So basically what I'm saying is that I've just been either ON DUTY or RECOVERING continuously since my last blog post. I'm also on a new kind of muscle relaxer and it's making me feel really doped up. The other one made me sleepy but I was used to it and at the very least, it worked great. They just needed to increase the dosage of the one I was on and it requires a lot of documentation because it's strong stuff - usually given with things like muscular dystrophy and other muscle wasting kind of disorders. That's how bad my muscle spasms are... anyways... we needed more documentation for the insurance to cover it so they have me on a different kind in the meantime and... I just don't know that it's going to work. I feel drugged up and it doesn't work as well.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Saturday Morning BP</td></tr>
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And my blood pressure is still high. Today it's 165/105 and I feel horrible from it. I have an appointment for a follow up in three weeks. I can call in the meantime and they'll probably do what they did when I called a few weeks ago - adjust medication - but I really just need a good sit down with the doctor and a discussion on the next level of intervention because what we're doing isn't working. The thing is... as long as it's hot outside, I don't care to do anything that involves leaving my air-conditioned space.<br />
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Marvin and I did have a nice lunch date on Thursday before I came back home. We went out for Italian at this place called Biba's near his house. I had the chicken parmesan... he had some kind of chicken pasta special and we had fried calamari. Other than that I'm eating healthy (ha!). It was enough food that it fed me for lunch that day, Austin and Jessi for dinner that night and me for dinner the next night. I'm picking our big adventure lunch date for next week and I have NO IDEA what I want to do. So Atlanta area folks, give me some suggestions for a fun lunch date restaurant that you might like to have me review for you next week.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">fried calamari</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">chicken parmesan</td></tr>
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In other news... Pop is doing the show Sweet Charity in Habersham County and I think he's having fun. He's had a bad cough/cold over the past week that has really sidelined him. I've been trying to get him to go get an antibiotic and he's been... totally ignoring me. Even Cosy, when she heard him coughing early on Friday morning said, "Awww... Pop will be ok...". Bless her sweet little heart... when the nurse at my doctor's office told her Friday morning, "I hope your mommy feels better soon... " Cosy just looked at her and shook her head and said, "Poor Mommy...." she's such a little mother.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hugging/Wrestling... who knows?</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">He has a mouthful of popcorn</td></tr>
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And... I think that's it. I'm going to include some photos and leave it here for now. I'm not trying to be a bad blogger... I'm just too tired for intelligent thought. Hope you've had a great weekend! Love and hugs!Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16177522637630437113noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2565064927448520692.post-62549887882895751442018-07-25T18:55:00.001-04:002018-07-25T18:55:14.049-04:00What I Ate Wednesday - The Vortex<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Man... I can't even begin to tell you what a disappointment I have been to myself today. I went to the coolest burger restaurant in Atlanta and ordered a plain burger. Then I wrote this awesome blog post telling you all about it and it didn't save so I lost it. I am just not as funny on the second take. It's improv or nothing here. So... *deep sigh* let me tell you all about where we went for our lunch date today and I'll pretend like it's the first time I've told you ... and you pretend like this is an interesting blog post, ok?<br />
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TODAY we went to the coolest little bar (restaurant but... really it's a bar, you can't get in if you're under 21), The Vortex, in the coolest part of Atlanta, Little Five Points. You can learn more about Little Five Points by checking out their website at <a href="http://www.littlefivepoints.net/">www.littlefivepoints.net</a> and you can drool over the Vortex menu here - <a href="https://thevortexatl.com/menus/food-menu/" target="_blank">https://thevortexatl.com/menus/food-menu/ </a><br />
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Here's the thing... my memory is not good lately. I don't know if it's age, or high blood pressure, or grief (because hey... still going through that, ya know) or the multitude of medications I'm on... whatever... the truth is that I can't remember anything from one day to another. And although Marvin and I had planned this little adventure today, I had zero recollection of it. I knew we talked about going somewhere but I didn't have a clue where it was. So... instead of sliding into our seats all studied up on the menu, I was completely blank. No idea. Then Marvin throws a curve ball at me, "you have to order a burger because that's what they do here..." and I was all deer in the headlights, the menu you might as well have been in Korean. He suggested an appetizer and I looked at it and... all the words with all the ingredients and...OMG! So I missed out on the mac and cheesy changa because this menu description...<br />
<br />
<b>We fill a flour tortilla with macaroni ‘n’ cheese and
barbecued pulled pork, and wrap it up like a burrito.
Then we deep-fry it, slice it into four pieces, top it with
a drizzle of our famous cheesy-cheese goo, and serve it
with a side of spicy honey BBQ sauce. It’s like a whole
damn barbecue is happening inside your mouth. </b><br />
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freaked me out. Then every burger I thought about getting involved mushrooms, which I love but Marvin is allergic to so I thought... geez... if I eat mushrooms he won't be able to kiss me until I go home and brush my teeth but... as he pointed out later, it's not like we randomly make out in the middle of a restaurant in the middle of the day. We're not huge pda people. I mean, yeah, he'll randomly stop short (Seinfeld reference) but... I could have had the burgers with the mushrooms and been ok without making out until we got back to his house. Instead, I looked at that fabulous menu and said, "I'll have the plain burger, please". *eyeroll*<br />
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Now to be fair, it was a great burger and I doctored it up just like I like it with the onion (obviously, no kissing after that, right?) and A-1 and mayo and mustard. The fries were ok. I wish we had ordered different side dishes just for a little mix and match. They had fried plantains and I'm a fan, that would have given me a little something extra to talk about with you today but, plain Jane, it was.<br />
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Marvin did a lot better. He ordered the Pickle Rick burger which came with fried pickle spears, pimento cheese, bacon... he had a lot going on. My picture isn't great because I turned off the flash... Heather and Technology - a great team today, I'm tellin' ya! So really, this What I Ate Wednesday inaugural post is more about what I would order the NEXT TIME we go to The Vortex instead of what I ate today. Next time, I'm thinking about the nachos. They have a lot of options. If I went for another burger, I'm thinking the Alpine Steakhouse burger.<br />
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I did really enjoy my burger, despite being disappointed in my inability to make decisions. I loved going down to the city. Little Five Points is just past the area of Atlanta where my parents grew up - Briarcliff Rd for my mom, Druid Hills for my dad, if you're wondering. My dad will correct me on this I'm pretty sure. But we definitely were right there near where their life together started and I caught myself thinking, "I need to call my mom and ask her exactly where Merry Lane is..." because<br />
after a year, I still sometimes forget I can't just call her. That took a turn.<br />
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At any rate... good news! Cosy was wearing my Cosette ring in the car when we left Oliver's house on Saturday. She loves it and knows it says her name but she also knows she can't have it until she's big enough to not lose it. And of course, she fell asleep with it on and it fell off and we picked the car apart on Saturday in the god-awful heat trying to find that ring and could not find it. I told Marvin not to take anything out of the back seat before I could go through it again myself and then today, right there on the hump behind the console, under a water bottle that was... don't ask me how... laying right there without moving even after all the driving he's done since Saturday... under that water bottle was my little Cosette ring and now my finger doesn't feel naked.<br />
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This time around isn't as good as the first time I wrote this post but... as I tell my grandkids, you get what you get and you don't throw a fit. I'm sure we'll eat again tomorrow and I'll try again. Love and hugs and thanks for stopping by!<br />
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<br />Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16177522637630437113noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2565064927448520692.post-78112372078507174972018-07-24T13:44:00.003-04:002018-07-24T13:45:29.800-04:00Adventures with Cosy and Oliver <br />
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Back update: no improvement. I see the doctor on Friday. I am having a hard time sleeping even while taking ambien. The pain breaks through. I haven't checked my bp today.<br />
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Next order of business: the beginning of "date night" (and day and night and day) has been moved from Tuesday evening to Wednesday lunch date (and night and day and night). Don't want y'all to be disappointed when I don't check in from some place fabulous tonight... just know that I'll check in from some place fabulous tomorrow and then tomorrow night I'll have a fabulous What I Ate Wednesday post telling you ALL about it! (Well, all about the food anyways... *wink*)<br />
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I picked Cosy up this morning about 8:30 (in the car, I don't mean that I physically lifted her) and brought her to my house. She stayed and played a bit. She and her dad made a donut run... and then they took Jessi to work... and in between we played with beads and bubbles and used the bug zapper. She is addicted to these moronic toy opening videos on YouTube and I had reached saturation point today so I changed it to the Wizard of Oz in hopes of creating a new, much better obsession. Cosy loves to sing. She will sing "the itsy bitsy spider" with me as many times as I will. I'm out of breath and sweating and having a full on cardio workout from helping that spider crawl up the water spout a gazillion times and she's clapping her hands and saying, "AGAIN! AGAIN!!!". SOOOO... I thought, as long as I'm singing along and being animated, she might just be ready for the Wizard and YES, it worked! She did ask a few times to change it to her thing but I said, "let's just see if that Wicked Witch comes back...." and I did the evil laugh with her and... I'm not saying she's asking to be Dorothy for Halloween but she's definitely following the yellow brick road.<br />
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I have so much work to do with this one to fully indoctrinate her into loving musical theater. There are so many alternatives out there. She is a country girl, after all... but her name is Cosette and it would be a shame for that name to never been listed in a Playbill somewhere... is there any better name for a musical theater geek?<br />
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I digress. Austin carried down the laundry for me and Cosy helped me load the washer. This is one of her favorite things... watching my clothes take a bubble bath... see how even laundry becomes fun when you're looking through the eyes of a child?<br />
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I took a lot of pictures of Oliver when we FaceTimed last night. They were outside on his new trampoline so the light was good. He was tired and not Tigger bouncing all over the place like he normally does when we FaceTime, ironically, since he was literally ON A trampoline.... so I was able to get some photos that weren't just blurs. I just can't get over how beautiful he is... that gorgeous curly hair, his big brown eyes... he's so articulate and witty and smart. I had heard that kids who are bi-lingual sometimes have delayed speech but that's not at all the case with Oliver. I also wondered if he would realize that some words are English and some are Spanish because to him, they're all words, right? But we've noticed that he uses the same phrases with the the people he heard them from... and he ends up speaking Spanish with Marquee's family and pretty much just English with me, except for the Spanish phrases I use with him. It's fascinating to watch a little one grow up with two languages from birth.<br />
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What else can I tell you about Oliver? He's pretty much potty trained (still working on the poo... he tends to do that when he has his pullup on at night). He loves sports, just like his dad. He loves music and animated stuff and... really, all kinds of things on tv. He loves his cousin Cosy and has endless patience with her when she won't hug him or share toys with him. He will sometimes be an instigator, especially if he thinks he'll get a laugh like when he is persistent with trying to hug her and she is shrieking and pushing him away. We shouldn't laugh but it's just so stinking funny! I won't make Cosy hug back though because I think it's important to let her know she has ownership of her body and doesn't have to share affection with anyone unless she wants to. (these are things I didn't think about as a parent but I think about now that I'm a Nana and have a lot more time and experience). (also, these are things I think about when raising a girl that never occurred to me when raising boys, which is sad, because boys get abused just as much, if not more than girls).<br />
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Oliver is outgoing and friendly and loving and smart... he will have the occasional meltdown as all three year olds do. He is constantly in motion, he mind works overtime. When we FaceTime he always has to know where Cosy is... where is Uncle "Hoggie"?... where is Pop?... where is the cat?... what are you doing? And when we start to say goodbye he will kiss the phone and tell me he loves me. He can show you how many fingers old he is and he can also make the sign for "I love you" in sign language. He is honestly, the most perfect little boy that I could ever imagine and I consider myself an expert on little boys. It's hard not living closer to him because I don't get the one on one time with him that I have with Cosy but we talk on Facetime a couple of times a week and I feel very bonded and connected to him. He has so many people in his life that truly cherish him and I know that he's growing up feeling loved and supported and will be able to do great things because he is loved.<br />
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And now... please, God, I'm going to try to catch up on a little sleep because my body needs rest, deep sleep rest, in the worst way. Hope you have a great day and I'll be back again tomorrow night with a restaurant review for What I Ate Wednesday!<br />
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<br />Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16177522637630437113noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2565064927448520692.post-12084300568700015172018-07-23T13:37:00.000-04:002018-07-23T13:37:36.918-04:00Reasons To Love Monday - Oliver's Birthday Party<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I couldn't get them both still long enough for a picture... close enough</td></tr>
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Happy start of a new week, friends! On Saturday morning I stopped by the Dunkin Donuts to buy a pink donut with sprinkles for my sweet Cosy and an iced coffee with hazelnut flavoring for me... picked up baby girl and headed South to Marvin's. Then we switched Cosy's car seat to his car and loaded up all the things and drove down to Oliver's house in Riverdale for his third birthday party.<br />
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Last year due to my mom's illness, I wasn't able to go "down south" for Oliver's party. We held a small one here for him but it's not the same. If I had to drive me and Cosy down... we probably wouldn't have made it this year either. My back is just not good right now. But Marvin was a champ and took the day off so that he could go... and of course, he drove. It was Cosy's longest trip away from home... just 100 miles... she really is a little country girl.<br />
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It was hot and humid. We had heavy rain in the morning so the moisture was thick in the air. If you've never been to the Southern United States, you can't really appreciate how thick and heavy the air feels in the Summer. It's pure misery. As usual, I wanted to be where the babies were so I spent a lot of time outside with them. Cody set up the little bounce house that I bought for Oliver's first birthday and the kids jumped until their little heads were soaked with sweat. They played on the swingset, they filled up watering cans with water and poured the water out on ... everything. Although Cosy STILL won't let Oliver hug her, she had a really good time.<br />
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I think one of the best things for her on the trip was when Marvin took us to a parking lot near the airport where we could see the planes landing. Cosy was absolutely spellbound by the sight of those huge planes coming down so close. It's just the absolute best to be able to see things through the eyes of a child, isn't it? It doesn't take much to entertain them... bubbles, sidewalk chalk, a watering can with water... I love every minute with them.<br />
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Marvin was really good to help me remember not to pick the babies up. He even helped me with a poop situation (Cosy, not mine) by picking her up and laying her on the bed so that I wouldn't have to... and so that the poop wouldn't get everywhere by her climbing up on her own. (Side note - Cosy, if you're a teenager reading this, please don't be mad that I talked about your little poop accident - everyone goes through it when they're just learning to go potty and you did a great job staying dry all day and using a strange potty!) I didn't lift babies but I did stand a lot and ride in the car a lot and carry other - less heavy - things. Honestly, it's so frustrating because it's nearly impossible to not aggravate my back at the moment. Any little movement and I'm just done. Yesterday I did a small little Walmart run and just carrying that little bit up the stairs, etc, had me wrecked. So yesterday and today I'm resting and binge watching the tv series Bones. It's so good! Tomorrow I'll have Cosy for a little while but I'll also be doing a lot of resting. I'm not going to Marvin's until Wednesday morning because he starts his new Tuesday night trivia show this week.<br />
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I shared a ton of pictures from Saturday on Facebook but I have probably another couple dozen that I haven't shared. I took a TON of pictures! I wanted to share a few here for those who don't do Facebook or Instagram and also, I wanted to have a few posted here for posterity.<br />
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My Reasons To Love Monday this week:<br />
Having two amazing, healthy, beautiful, loving three year old grandchildren who make everything better...<br />
Having a great partner who makes every special occasion so much better<br />
Knowing that we're past the halfway mark on Summer<br />
Being able to take days like yesterday and today to rest. Even though my back hurts, it would be absolutely unbearable if I had to try to work while I'm in so much pain. There's just no way.<br />
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I hope your weekend was magical... and that your week is starting off well. Love and hugs, y'all!<br />
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<br />Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16177522637630437113noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2565064927448520692.post-35681171805213772612018-07-20T14:49:00.000-04:002018-07-20T14:49:31.147-04:00Food Friday - The Red Snapper<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">bread - Red Snapper</td></tr>
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I don't know about y'all but Food Friday is one of my favorite features of my blog... but next week it's going away. From Friday. It's going to change from Friday to Wednesday, I mean. Marvin has taken on a new trivia show on Tuesday nights so our Tuesday night date night (and day and night and day) is changing to Wednesday Lunch date day (and night and day and night). We are planning lots of meals around Atlanta and I'm going to be blogging about them on Wednesday night so you get a same day review! And because we're two fat kids who love to eat, there will also be other posts of the places we eat for Thursday lunch... if we go out or cook something at home or whatever. Hopefully... writing the restaurant reviews while I'm still with Marvin, I can get his input on the place so you can get more than just my perspective. I'm really excited that our big date of the week is changing from Tuesday night to Wednesday lunch because I'm always just completely worn out by Tuesday night.<br />
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Changing the restaurant review to Wednesday means I'm going to have to come up with a new alliteration for the blog title. That was really my only hesitation with changing it... maybe, What I Ate Wednesday? I don't know. Make suggestions. I'm not as creative as I used to be. I'm over fifty now, you know.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">seafood gumbo - Red Snapper</td></tr>
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Side note/plug: If you want to check out Marvin's new trivia show, he is going to be at the Mellow Mushroom in Sandy Springs (I think, if that's not right, I'll let you know before Tuesday) every Tuesday night at 7:30. Marvin will now be doing 4 shows a week. He's at El Real on Wednesday night and two different Johnny's Pizza locations on Thursday and Saturday. I think. If you're interested in going, let me know and I'll get the exact location and times for you. OR, if you want me to tag along, let me know. I mostly don't go because of my back. It's a long night. But also because he's working so I'd be playing alone and it's just not as much fun by yourself. There are a ton of Team Trivia shows all over the country. Go to teamtrivia.com to find a location near you. If you go to one of Marvin's shows, be sure to tell him you read the blog! He also reads here... mostly to see what I say about him (just kidding) (not kidding). Purple Michael does the same thing so if I want to make sure he is reading my blog I need to put Purple Michael in the blog title. I should do that every day for a week... tee hee. Just kidding. Not really.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">crab en coquille - Red Snapper</td></tr>
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Alright... my Food Friday post this week is kind of special because this was a restaurant that Marvin drives by every week on his way to his Saturday trivia show that he's always wanted to try. He read an article about how certain neighborhoods in Atlanta are changing and how so many special places get phased out by construction. Ever since Sherman came through here, Atlanta has been a city that isn't afraid to change. In some ways that's good but in other ways... we just don't preserve our heritage like we should. Marvin thought it was time for him to finally check out this place he's been past so many times and why not on date night?<br />
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The Red Snapper is on Cheshire Bridge Rd in Atlanta. Their website - <b><span style="color: blue;"><a href="https://www.redsnapperatlanta.com/" target="_blank">you can click here to go to it</a></span></b> - says that they opened in 1986. It's weird thinking of something established in 1986 as old because that's the year I graduated high school... and had my first kid... and started my first real job... and got married for the first time... not exactly in that same order. It's tucked away in a little strip mall shopping center in a building that has definitely been here for longer than 32 years. Obviously, snapper is their focus but they have a lot of other stuff on the menu.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">salmon & scallops - Red Snapper</td></tr>
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We were greeted and seated immediately. The atmosphere is definitely dated ... almost to the point of being funky / kitschy / trendy again. We couldn't decide if it fit more in the sixties or seventies - but it was clean and quiet. That's important to me. I hate when the music or conversation in the room is so loud that you can't have a conversation with your dinner partner. Especially on date night, which for us is the first time we've seen each other in several days. I would say that Marvin and I were probably the only people eating there without a senior discount. There were a lot of older folks there and some families that seemed to be having a special meal out. It's in an older neighborhood so I could definitely see it being a place to go to for special occasions.<br />
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They bring out some warm bread and butter with your drinks... always a nice touch. We decided to share an appetizer and an entree... this works well for us and allows us to go to places that might be a little too pricey for our budget. Our appetizer was the crab en coquille... basically little eggrolls made out of phyllo dough, filled with spinach and crabmeat and served with a sauce that we couldn't quite identify. It was sort of a tartar sauce maybe... there was a hint of horseradish and maybe some dijon mustard but it also leaned a little towards ranch. I don't know. It was good. We chose the salmon and scallops for our entree. It came with some veggies and potatoes. The seafood was perfectly seasoned, cooked to perfection and a really nice portion. Even with splitting, it was enough food for us. I was stuffed and Marvin had to coax me into taking an extra bite or two.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shrimp Fried Rice - Golden Phoenix</td></tr>
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The service was perfectly timed, very attentive and friendly. We've had a streak of bad service lately when we go to restaurants that I am planning to review for the blog but I'm happy to say, that streak ended this week.<br />
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On Wednesday we went to our favorite little Chinese place by the Publix near Marvin's house. We get the same waitress every time - her name is Margaret. She's really good to us. The food is always good, always a large portion, even for lunch... and I always end up taking home leftovers. Their lunch menu is a good bargain... the bill, including tip, comes in under $20 and I had enough left for dinner Wednesday night.<br />
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Thursday we stayed in all day and Marvin heated up a little Bob Evans meal that I had brought for me... and some taquitos (I think) for him. My back has been so bad this week that I didn't want to move... plus, it's just too freaking hot out.<br />
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Since it's Food Friday (the last one!) I thought I'd share one of my favorite food bloggers with you today. Teri Turner does the <b><span style="color: blue;"><a href="https://nocrumbsleft.net/" target="_blank">No Crumbs Left blog </a></span></b>which is packed with all kinds of recipes and cooking tips. She's big on Whole 30 so if you're on that eating plan or just want to eat a little healthier, she's a great resource but she also does "regular food". I love her Instagram stories - she's on there as nocrumbsleft if you want to check her out. But even if you care not one bit for food blogs or recipe info or that sort of thing, she's just good people. She is genuine and inspirational and I have never left a message or comment without getting a response from her - despite the fact that she has over 200,000 Instagram followers! She's based out of Chicago but travels and posts stuff from other wonderful places and always brings her followers along for the adventure. This is one lady that really brings a lot of positivity to the interwebs and I wanted to share her with you.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">shrimp and black bean sauce</td></tr>
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Tomorrow is Oliver's third birthday party and so Cosy and I will be heading down to Marvin's first thing in the morning. He has been kind enough to take the day off to drive us down and share Oliver's birthday with us. I will probably not blog about it until Sunday or maybe even Monday, depending on what kind of shape I'm in. The back is a real problem right now. I'm trying really hard not to pick up kids or carry anything at all and I'm resting and stretching and doing all the things but... right now I'm in bad shape. So... I fully anticipate needing a rest day on Sunday but I am SO looking forward to tomorrow! I'm sure I'll post photos on Instagram and Facebook and then I'll share more here when I can. Hope you have a great weekend! Love and hugs!Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16177522637630437113noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2565064927448520692.post-62985266092135237052018-07-19T09:15:00.000-04:002018-07-19T09:15:02.273-04:00Throwback Thursday - July 19 or July 20<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Welcome to another Throwback Thursday on my blog. It's the day when I look back over this day in my blog history and some clips from this date in years past. Last week there weren't many entries from that day so I skipped it. I'm hoping this week will hold a little more meat, metaphorically speaking. Remember you can click on the underlined link for each day to see the original post.<br />
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Not EXACTLY on this day <b><span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://tighteningthecorsetagain.blogspot.com/2015/07/reasons-to-love-my-iphone-6-and-other.html" target="_blank">but on July 20, 2015</a></span></b>, I posted about how much I was loving my iPhone 6. For those of you who sort of glazed over when I listed the apps I use on my current phone, the iPhone 7, this review of my favorite things on my iPhone 6 might be helpful for you! Most of what I know about how to use my phone I learned either off a YouTube video, from my sons or from Marvin. But Marvin doesn't use an iPhone so he's basically just shared some cool apps with me. I'm so attached to my phone that I fell asleep holding it last week. Marvin took this picture... and oddly enough, I took a picture of my own around the same time. Basically... you can have my phone when you pry it out of my cold, dead fingers. I'm even attempting to swipe something...<br />
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Well, apparently I wasn't feeling bloggy on this date in 2014 either but I have a pretty fun question and answer blog on the 20th. <b><span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://tighteningthecorsetagain.blogspot.com/2014/07/answer-me-this.html" target="_blank">You can check it out here</a></span></b>.... and answer any of the questions you'd like to answer yourself down in the comments below or on my Facebook blog post link. The questions were: 1. What's your favorite thing to watch on YouTube 2. Who taught you how to drive 3. What's your favorite thing to cook 4. Are you a hugger or non-hugger 5. Where do you pray best and 6. When's the last time you talked to your grandparents? I think I'm still about the same on all of these. My favorite thing to cook may have slightly changed to this roasted salmon/green beans/tomatoes ... just because it's easier/faster to cook. Just put it all on a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, season how you like and bake it at 425 for about 20-30 minutes. I like for the green beans to sort of crisp.<br />
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Would you believe that there also was no post for this date in 2013? Once again I'm going with<b><span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://tighteningthecorsetagain.blogspot.com/2013/07/movin-on-down.html" target="_blank"> a post from the next day, July 20th</a></span></b>, which turned out to be an eventful day with a lot of photos. On that day we were moving some things into the mountain house and I took a lot of pictures of how things looked at that time. It makes me homesick for .... well, for the way my basement looked before the water damage and for my mom's presence in the house. It's just not the same without her. I miss our adventures that we had during the first year living up here while Pop was still in Riverdale and mom and I would have to sort things out on our own. We did a pretty good job and managed not to kill ourselves or each other. I didn't know then that we only had a few more Summers together. We were merging stuff from my house with stuff from Grandma's house after we moved her to Assisted Living and of course, things were trickling in from mom and dad's house in Riverdale. It was such a hodgepodge of stuff.<br />
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Also no blog post on this day in 2012 so for that year I'm pulling from July 18 to throw back to... at that time I had settled in with my parents in Riverdale (temporarily before we bought the house back up here in Cleveland) and was sort of getting into a routine. I talk about what Austin is doing/not-doing at that point... whew!... I am so glad that season of life with him is over. We still have challenges, almost every day but he's grown to be so much more dependable, stable, cooperative, grateful... many things... that he wasn't at that time. <a href="http://tighteningthecorsetagain.blogspot.com/2012/07/whats-up-wednesday.html" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: blue;">You can click this link right here </span></b></a>to see the entire blog post.<br />
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Let's see what was happening in 2011... <b><span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://tighteningthecorsetagain.blogspot.com/2011/07/gloom-despair-and-agony-on-me.html" target="_blank">ONCE AGAIN there was no post for July 19th but again</a></span></b>... on the 20th... I was talking about my move to the apartment after our duplex got struck by lightning. For three years in a row - 2011, 2012 and 2013 I was dealing with moving on July 20th. So no matter what else is happening on this day this year I am just happy to be settled. I miss my basement for sure, but I'm really, truly, very happy in my Ivory Tower in the guest room on the top floor. It's been a positive change for me and gives me a little more privacy which is an absolute necessity for an introvert.<br />
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HEYYYYY! Finally <b><span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://tighteningthecorsetagain.blogspot.com/2010/07/monday-morning-depression-session.html" target="_blank">a blog post from July 19th.</a></span></b>. this one was in 2010. It was sort of a whiny, "depression session" post talking about how lonely I felt in church as a single woman. It was only about six months later when my back problem reared it's ugly head and I stopped being able to sit for long enough to get through church, especially while I was still working full time. It took every second of my time off to get the inflammation down enough for me to function and... I still hurt constantly.<br />
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One last post for this Throwback Thursday and once again, <b><span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://tighteningthecorsetagain.blogspot.com/2009/07/monday.html" target="_blank">it's not from this date but from the 20th</a></span></b>. It had been a really sweet day because Sarabeth had gone forward and joined the church. It was a huge thing because SB was such a shy little girl! She's grown into quite the confident young woman since then and is active in lots of things that bring her joy, such as playing the drums for her high school band. She is still a quiet girl but she is a quiet leader and I know a lot of folks admire her grace and spirituality.<br />
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So that's my throwback to the days around this day in my blog history. Why is this day special for you? Share in the comments below! Thanks for stopping by!<br />
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<br />Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16177522637630437113noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2565064927448520692.post-13022408738156781242018-07-18T18:19:00.000-04:002018-07-18T18:19:12.108-04:00Tuesdays With Cosy<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The new normal pain level is continuing... yesterday (Tuesday) was such a long day and although I've done a whole lot of nothing today, I'm absolutely wiped out. I feel flat... like it's hard to communicate or be sociable or even just function and I feel so bad for Marvin who is stuck with my blah self for company. I'm trying, y'all. It's just at a point where pain is robbing every ounce of energy from me. I want to cry. I want to sleep. I want to ... anything but this. I'm just so tired of feeling this intense pain. It's not just my spine, is the muscles in my back, the nerves shooting down to my toes. It's the aches and pains from moving in a different way to accommodate the sore parts. Anything that involves physical exertion leaves me completely out of breath and makes my heart race. I woke up this morning feeling like I couldn't take a good breath... my heart was racing, I was near panic and I just tried to lay as still as possible and focus on one breath at a time. Once I got up and started moving around it was better but... I'm nowhere near my normal self.<br />
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Yesterday I had Austin go pick Cosy up from her mom's. That's normally my favorite thing. I take her to Dunkin' Donuts and we pick up a coffee for me and a pink donut with sprinkles for her. I love those first minutes of the day with her and I feel like she's more cooperative with me if I start the day fresh with her. Instead I had Austin get her and do the donut run. She was definitely happy to see me once they got back to the house. She climbed right up in bed with me and I got lots of great cuddles. We played with slime for a little while but she was afraid to touch it because she doesn't like to get her hands dirty. Then she hung out in the bathroom with me while I tidied up and got my shower. This picture is where she wanted to stay with Nana in the bathroom and play in the sink and her dad wanted her to get dressed... "save me Nana!". I know it's naughty and I try to never lead the grandbabies astray. I tell them all the time that their mommies and daddies are the boss and nana is NOT in charge but... I have to confess, her hanging on to me for dear life was pretty cute.<br />
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Austin took her outside to play in the pool and I had a few minutes to try to finish getting dressed for the day. I could hear her happy squeals all the way back in the house! They came back upstairs and got out of her wet swimsuit. She was playing and walked past the bedroom door and smacked her foot on it really hard. She immediately started screaming, that kind of scream where they hold their breath. Although my back is wrecked, I picked her up and started blowing in her face to get her to breathe. It's reflex. Then I laid her on the bed to check out her foot. It was already turning blue. I told Austin, "I think we're heading to the ER...this foot is definitely broken" so he ran over and flipped on the overhead light and said, "that's sidewalk chalk from where we were playing outside." I was relieved, of course, but... my word! She asked for a "bambage" (bandage) so I wrapped her with medical tape and she was perfectly fine.<br />
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We had to get Austin's van insured and registered yesterday but on Monday, the insurance quote he got was way beyond what he could afford. I wasn't really up to dealing with it then so I told him to shop online and I'd see what I could do to help him in the morning. So Tuesday I emailed a former co-worker at State Farm and started brainstorming with her about how to lower his insurance cost. To make a long story short, because my dad is a long time customer with State Farm, Austin qualified for State Farm's Mutual company, which has much lower rates. It took the cost of his insurance from $154 a month to $44 a month.<br />
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While I was making the arrangements for the insurance I sent Austin to town to find out how much his tag was going to be and to get a fax number so we could send his proof of insurance over. I was emailing back and forth with my friend at State Farm and all of a sudden I noticed that Cosy had dumped out the bucket of slime and was covered in it. That stuff is of the devil. It is an ooey gooey mess. You cannot get it off. I would get one little appendage cleaned off and she'd stick it right back in... so of course I was bent over, stretching my back all kind of ways and basically in tears thinking, "why me?" but also laughing at the predicament because she was just freaking hilarious! I finally got the bulk of it off her but she needed a bath to get the rest off. I couldn't let her walk because she would leave footprints of slime all over the carpet so I picked her up and carried her to the bathtub... and once again, my back was just screaming at me.<br />
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At any rate... Austin got home about then and he bathed her so I didn't have to bend over. She had a great time in the bubble bath! It was all just a great adventure for her. I posted several pictures of this on Facebook yesterday. After her bath, Austin took her home and finished up all the details on his van so he is now all set and independent. He can drive, he has his own vehicle and I can do whatever the heck I want, whenever I want and not have to worry about anyone else's schedule and that feels really, really weird. It's the first time in my whole life I've been this ... carefree... and all I feel like doing is sleeping.<br />
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I came down to Marvin's last night for date night (and day and night and day). We went out to a restaurant in Atlanta that he had always wanted to try, The Red Snapper. It was amazing and I'll post a review about it on Friday. Then we went out for ice cream and then came home and I went to bed. Today we slept late, went out for lunch, went to Publix to pick up a few things and I'm in for the rest of the night while he is hosting trivia. I'm about to get in the bathtub and then catch up on Better Call Saul, it's what we're watching right now. I'm a few episodes behind him.<br />
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Tomorrow will be a stay in the house and chill day, probably. I've got a post ready to go up in the morning so be sure to check that out and I'll be back for Food Friday to talk about what we've been eating this week. Hope your week is going well! Love and hugs, y'all!Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16177522637630437113noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2565064927448520692.post-18401411084272658602018-07-16T15:43:00.001-04:002018-07-16T15:43:39.586-04:00Reasons To Do A Reasons To Love Monday Blog PostY'all. I'm trying. I literally have not left my house since Friday morning and other than a few trips downstairs, I've barely left my bed. I'm just in too much stinkin' pain. I'm grumpy and miserable and the last thing I want to do right now is write a "sunny side of the street" blog post on why I should love Monday this week. Quite frankly, I hate Monday just as much as I hated Sunday and Saturday... they've all been pretty rude to me, karma wise and I just have no love for any of the days. Or life, at the moment.<br />
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I do not, however, hate y'all so I'm going to push through and put up some kind of bloggety blog blog nonsense for your viewing pleasure. So instead of listing my Reasons To Love Monday, I'm posting my Reasons to Blog Anyways, even if I don't have any reason to love Monday.<br />
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1. It's probably a good idea of have some contact with the outside world. I've seen Pop and Austin... watched Cosy for Tasha... and talked to Marvin a bunch but otherwise, I've been mostly silent since Friday. I want to withdraw and introvert so hard... but I know it's not healthy.<br />
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2. I'm running out of new things to watch on Netflix / Amazon Prime. I just watched the Amazon Prime series Good Girls Revolt and I really loved it! Such a great show and I hope they will make more seasons because they left us with a cliffhanger. I may do a blog post tomorrow about what else I've been watching lately since I am a professional couch potato.<br />
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3. I will probably never again be an <i>every single day of my life</i> blogger but I do want to be consistent. If you hardly ever post, people stop bothering to look for a post. With me, once I allow myself to take something out of my routine, it never finds a way back in my routine. I haven't posted since Friday so it was time to dust off the laptop and get bloggy. I'm trying to blog most days of the week but it sometimes just doesn't happen.<br />
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4. I needed to stimulate my creativity. I don't have anything profound rattling around in my brain but maybe by sweeping out the cobwebs of my head in order to stir the creative juices, I'll have thoughts beyond, "why do I have to pee again?" and "are there any more new episodes of Lockdown?" It's good to think out loud and try to form actual sentences and paragraphs and so forth. Last night I reached a point of exhaustion/pain that I just laid the phone beside me on the bed and listened to Marvin talk. I could barely form rational responses.<br />
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5. I'm not going to end up getting a nap today even though I have tried desperately. Right now, when pain is such a mean, ugly beast, the only escape for me is sleep and darnit, I wanted some sleep today! The house was so peaceful and quiet all morning when I wasn't ready for a nap yet.. then I finally got sleepy around noon... but then animals were annoying me and Pop was singing loudly and Austin was finally getting insurance quotes for his van and... all the interruptions when sleep is so terribly fragile for me. Now I'm just sleepy and grumpy for not having slept.<br />
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6. Also, today is Marvin's long, busy day at the radio station so he goes pretty dark on Mondays. By dark I mean there's not a lot of communicatin' betwixt us. It's feast on Sunday, when we talk pretty much constantly all day long... and then famine on Monday while he's busy doing all the things that require his undivided attention... or at least his best effort at undivided attention because he is always paying attention to a half dozen things at once. He gets off late and we talk for a little bit before he has dinner and then we talk again before bed but mostly... it's quiet.<br />
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7. Another Reason to Blog today is I need a distraction. I don't yet really know if this new version of pain level is my new normal or just an injury that needs to heal. If this is the new normal, I will eventually get used to it, I always do, but right now it's all I can think about. I can't find a comfortable position, all the usual potions and lotions are not helping and I'm at my wit's end. It just hurts so much and then I become acutely aware of how constantly I'm complaining about how much it hurts and I feel like I'm just a miserable person who should not interact with other people until I can conquer the whining. This is another reason I just want to sleep until I feel better... so nobody has to listen to the whining. And another reason that it's hard to blog... I'm a one trick pony right now.<br />
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So... that's the situation here in the Ivory Tower on Patton Lake. Just me and my many dwarf buddies - sleepy, grumpy, doc, whiny... or... whoever. I'm going to try to come up with something more interesting and entertaining to blog about tomorrow and then I'll be heading south for date night (and day and night and day)... although the official date schedule will soon be changing because my beau is going to be hosting a trivia show on Tuesdays. More about that soon! I hope you're all having a Marvelous Monday and if not... I hope you're finding reasons to keep pushing on to complete whatever tasks must be conquered today. Love and hugs, y'all!Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16177522637630437113noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2565064927448520692.post-73223925253494213722018-07-13T17:01:00.000-04:002018-07-13T17:01:04.710-04:00Food Friday - Pig Tales at Lake Lanier<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WCZj1lymuts/W0kL86TYpQI/AAAAAAAAh9Y/UkskUNEho2grNu1qVcV133GOchDNsg7EwCEwYBhgL/s1600/IMG-2048.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WCZj1lymuts/W0kL86TYpQI/AAAAAAAAh9Y/UkskUNEho2grNu1qVcV133GOchDNsg7EwCEwYBhgL/s320/IMG-2048.JPG" width="240" /></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RWnNErDavZw/W0kL9BxAa3I/AAAAAAAAh9c/I4PagbgvOKYmthQhaRPD4pMoIrJp2lPegCEwYBhgL/s1600/IMG-2050.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RWnNErDavZw/W0kL9BxAa3I/AAAAAAAAh9c/I4PagbgvOKYmthQhaRPD4pMoIrJp2lPegCEwYBhgL/s320/IMG-2050.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
View from Pig Tales restaurant near Lake Lanier.<br />
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Good morning, friends! Just kidding. I'm writing this at 4pm on Friday afternoon but I did JUST wake up from a glorious nap. AND... I could go right back to sleep now but I'm staying awake to chat with Marvin while he's in between work and the DJ gig he has tonight. I'm having such huge guilt feelings about the massive amount of sleep I'm currently needing to function when he's out working these 12 plus hours a day, working every day of the week in one capacity or another. But I also know that it's something I haven't chosen for myself, it's just where I am health-wise at the moment and pushing myself just makes things worse.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wednesday... you can see the pain in my eyes<br />this week. It's been miserable. Also, I braided<br />my hair into a fish tale even though we ate<br />at Pig Tales. Ha!</td></tr>
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The up side is that the house was empty and quiet today. The painters finished up and our covered porch looks great. If the grass cutter came today, I surely didn't hear him. Pop's been playing golf, Austin has been at work and the house has been deliciously cool and quiet. It's perfect for sleeping. My back is hurting worse than yesterday and was worse yesterday than the day before. I hope there is a point where it starts getting back to normal but at the moment, I'm feeling pretty discouraged and overwhelmed. I also had a migraine last night that woke me up and kept me up for several hours which contributes to the fatigue. I sometimes have these headaches... and I don't even know if they qualify to be called migraines but basically the pain originates somewhere in my spine and radiates up my back to my head. It's different from my normal migraines, which sort of feel like they originate in a vein behind my ears and pound their way up my temple and behind my eyes.<br />
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Anyways... so a cold dark room and quiet house are awesome things right now but I also had a great time on Wednesday getting out to the great outdoors at Lake Lanier. For those who aren't local to Georgia, Lake Lanier is a reservoir that was created by building a dam on the Chattahoochee River back in 1956. It is a place where people go for boating, water skiing, fishing, camping or whatever you might do on a lake. Marvin lives really close to the lake so we have occasionally been able to enjoy the view at the lake, On Wednesday we had lunch at a place called Pig Tales, which is located on the lake (near the lake? there's a little bit of ground in between.). Pig Tales is a bbq restaurant that also serves a lot of fish dishes on their menu. You can check out their website by clicking here. <b><span style="color: blue;"><a href="https://www.pigtaleslakelanier.com/">https://www.pigtaleslakelanier.com/</a></span></b><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">last bite of the fried green tomatoes<br />with pimento cheese. it was served<br />with ranch dressing but they were good<br />all by themselves.</td></tr>
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Marvin and I had previously been to their sister restaurant, Fish Tales so we had an idea of the quality and standards of the particular restaurant group. Pig Tales, however, is a little different in that it is an outdoor restaurant. It was a hot day but the dining area of the restaurant is shaded and they have fans everywhere and I don't feel like we were particularly affected by the heat but at the same time, I was glad to get back to the a/c in the car when we left so... take that into consideration if you're heat sensitive. There wasn't any wait for a table - which is what we find most weekdays when we go out. Our waiter was attentive and came right away to get our drink and appetizer orders. The food came quicker than I expected... you know that feeling of, "who is she taking that to... it's too early to be... OH, it's ours!"<br />
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We started with fried green tomatoes which were served with pimento cheese layered between them. We gobbled them down so fast that I almost forgot to take a picture until there was only a bite or two left.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-liDz31V8FKs/W0kL7QvWELI/AAAAAAAAh9k/tnCc7HSMG4wlsUrQQOEv6WqPzRahlLJkwCEwYBhgL/s1600/IMG-2043.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-liDz31V8FKs/W0kL7QvWELI/AAAAAAAAh9k/tnCc7HSMG4wlsUrQQOEv6WqPzRahlLJkwCEwYBhgL/s320/IMG-2043.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">pina colada</td></tr>
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We had sweet tea to drink but I was also in the mood for a pina colada which... I probably hadn't had in 20plus years. Marvin had a voodoo juice to drink. Neither of us partakes in the adult beverages very often... maybe once a month or so, I guess? But it felt right to have a tropical drink in the heat and humidity that is life in Georgia in July. The heat, humidity, alcohol and my being out of sorts anyways with my back all combined to make me a bit tipsy and giggly but not sloppy drunk. It was one drink, after all. Just for the record, it had been more than six hours since I had last taken pain medicine. You have to be careful about those things.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">voodoo juice</td></tr>
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For our meal, I had the pulled pork sandwich with sweet potato fries. The pork was great. I'm not a fan of slaw so I scraped that off - I had forgotten to request that they leave it off. The sandwich is served on big thick slices of texas toast and I ate that separately. The only suggestion I would make is that the texas toast be garlic toast, that would be perfect.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nGOTrHsAtH4/W0kL7tTBqDI/AAAAAAAAh9k/aLMKnrNH2WwOeIp00noRfaQ-X72fjotugCEwYBhgL/s1600/IMG-2044.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nGOTrHsAtH4/W0kL7tTBqDI/AAAAAAAAh9k/aLMKnrNH2WwOeIp00noRfaQ-X72fjotugCEwYBhgL/s320/IMG-2044.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">brisket philly</td></tr>
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Marvin had the Brisket Philly which was sort of like a philly cheese steak sandwich but using bbq beef brisket instead of steak. He had the cripsy beer battered fries with his sandwich. It was a lot of food and almost more than he could eat. I don't often see him unable to clean his place - where with me it happens almost every single meal - so trust me, this was a generous portion of food.<br />
It was not a cheap meal, despite the sort of rustic setting. We had an appetizer and cocktails which greatly increased the price. Maybe not a budget, end of the pay period meal for me but the price of the food is in line with the quality of the food. They are open well into the evening and I could definitely see that as a nice place to go at night when it's cooler outside. They allow pets so... that's unusual for any restaurant here but I'm sure it's because it's outdoors.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">pulled pork sandwich with<br />sweet potato fries</td></tr>
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Finally the "blog review" curse was broken and we didn't have to go the whole meal without refills. Of course, we also had cocktails so we didn't need as much tea and that lowered the number of trips our waiter had to come to our aid.<br />
Overall... great service, great food, beautiful location (probably not on the hottest days) and worth a visit if you're in the area.<br />
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What has been your favorite meal this week? Do you have any fun dining out plans for the weekend? Be sure to share in the comments either on this page or by my blog link on my Facebook page. Hope you have a great weekend! Love and hugs, y'all!<br />
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<br />Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16177522637630437113noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2565064927448520692.post-83563822529608015052018-07-12T17:34:00.000-04:002018-07-12T17:34:00.563-04:00Cosy Pics and My Week So Far...This kid... just melts my heart the way she looks at my fella! For an introverted little girl who has been scared of men her entire life, he sure has won her heart! <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I haven't been a great blogger this week but I have been a pretty good mom, Nana and girlfriend and sometimes, that's all I really have the energy to do. I'm back home for a few days and hopefully I'll be able to just chill and blog and... well, you know, mostly chill. Tuesday was crazy busy/exhausting and then yesterday Marvin and I spent most of the day just hanging out together. When he goes to work on Wednesday night I usually blog but last night... I just took a long bath and rested. Today we got up and headed back up here so we could spend some quality time with Cosy. So although I've missed y'all... I'm glad I've had time with my 3D people this week.<br />
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The thing is... my back is a whole new level of messed up lately. This happens to me from time to time... it's the degenerative part of this dysfunction in my spine... it will hurt worse for awhile... sometimes it's just a temporary "worse" and sometimes it's the new normal. Either way, it really zaps my energy for awhile. Everything takes more effort and I sleep a lot more and lay around a lot more and just really withdraw. Even with being in a "withdrawal" stage, I've done an awful lot this week and still have a few things I have to get done tomorrow. So if I'm not as bloggy, it's just me trying to catch my breath.<br />
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I did get some really cute Cosy pictures today and I thought I'd share them with you. I tend to share my photos either on Instagram or Facebook but I'm sharing these here first to reward my "blog only" people who stick around even when things are terribly boring here!<br />
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Marvin and I played with Cosy here at the house for awhile today and then took her to "the playground" which, for those of us who aren't keen on being in the hot July sun means the indoor play place at Chick-fil-a. Cosy has been there three times this week between me and her mom. Although she doesn't play great with Oliver, she marches right into that playground like she owns it and has a great time with whomever she finds there. She also had a great time today making faces at Marvin through the glass as we sat at the conveniently located tables right outside the playground. Also, look for that bossy pointer finger she has... you can tell when she's trying to get you to do what she wants because that finger comes out...<br />
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Hope your week is going well! I'll be back tomorrow with a recap of the really awesome boozy lunch that Marvin and I had yesterday at Lake Lanier.<br />
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<br />Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16177522637630437113noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2565064927448520692.post-40714809924738684832018-07-10T15:53:00.000-04:002018-07-10T15:53:01.023-04:00Tuesday Newsday - Adventures of Nana and Cosy<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">breakfast in bed... pink donuts and a bagel </td></tr>
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Although I make an effort to avoid the mainstream news (because my blood pressure is already too high), current events do find their way to my social media platforms. I also read the Daily Mail even though it's a rather amateurish publication... it suits my taste without being slanted either liberal or conservative, at least as far as American politics are concerned. I thought today would be a good day to talk about some of the things that are happening in the world right now.<br />
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World Cup Semifinals - refer to yesterday's post. Go England!<br />
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The Thai soccer team trapped in the cave... I only fully became aware of this situation on Saturday and it's a good thing because I'm such an empath that I would have been worried SICK knowing these kids were missing and then found but in a place where rescue is difficult. Those poor boys! Their poor moms! What was so crazy to me was that as the kids were rescued they weren't telling the parents which ones had come out... and the 12 sets of parents agreed to wait at the mouth of the cave until all the children had been brought out. While I appreciate the concept of solidarity and community... if my kid has been lost in a cave for so many days, I'm going to be stuck to him like glue for as long as he will tolerate it. There was, I understand, some fear of infection that was keeping doctors from allowing the parents close to their children. I call bs on that. Gown that mama up and let her hug her baby! At any rate, I'm relieved to know they're all out. I think caves really bother me because I'm claustrophobic and the idea of being stuck there... yikes.<br />
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I see that Prince Louis was christened yesterday. What lovely photo ops of the Royal Family although I was a bit put off that the Queen couldn't make it due to her busy schedule. They've basically had a year to plan for the Christening... nine months of pregnancy and the three months since he's been born... they couldn't find a date and place that would work with her schedule? She's the Queen, after all. She can do whatever she pleases. At least that's how I see it. Maybe it's not that big of a deal too Will and Kate but I'd surely be miffed.<br />
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Also, side note, I feel like the dress Megan wore to the Christening was also a bad fit for her, just like her wedding gown. She's buying really expensive clothes, she needs to spring for the extra cost of having them tailored to fit her shape. Also, side note to the side note, aren't most clothes constructed for a super model anyways? Seems like she could buy off the rack and have a better chance of something fitting than I would. I'm just saying. The clothes are wearing her instead of her wearing the clothes... says Heather, in her ten dollar Walmart dress.<br />
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Hollywood Icon Tab Hunter has died at the age of 86. I remember him most from the movie musical, Damn Yankees (a classic, if you ask me!). He wrote down a lot of Hollywood's dirty little secrets in his 2005 book, Tab Hunter Confidential. I think I have read it before but I'm eager to read it again. Actually, I am almost definite I checked that book out of our local library. He died of heart failure.<br />
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Today I picked Cosy up early, early and we went to Dunkin' Donuts to grab breakfast. On the way to DD she had a complete meltdown because we didn't bring Whiskers, her kitten. I finally got her to chill when I reminded her that there is a snake at my house and we didn't want Whiskers to become a snake snack. We got to DD and she played this little game she loves where she dashes from one car door to the other. When I open it to get her out, she climbs away from me. I end up looking like an idiot running from one door to the other. My back was already killing me but stretching to grab one little lady leg and pull her close enough to get her out of the car really did me in. I ended up having to spank her to get her to cut it out... which breaks my Nana heart but... also, I'm not a fan of games in a car or a parking lot and am trying to teach her that those situations are all business. I carried her into the DD because I forgot to get shoes for her and then juggled her, two drinks, donuts and a bagel on the way out because she was barefoot. So my back was screwed in the first thirty minutes of the day.<br />
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Fortunately when we got to the house she was much more cooperative but then it's carry all the things... climb up the stairs... breakfast in bed for us ladies... then back down the stairs with a load of laundry which I needed to start before Austin got up. At least I got some encouragement from Cosy as I was carrying the basket down, "You're so strong, Nana!". You just have to laugh. She loves doing laundry with me, especially because she can see inside the washing machine (the lid is clear). Then I got out the bug zapper and started killing moths and she got tickled. She said, "here little buddy... Nana's gonna fry you like an egg!". Not sure where she heard that but... teehee... it's much funnier when she says it in her sweet little girl voice than it is when I say it. Then we were back up the stairs for Nana to shower and do makeup.<br />
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I was dangling the prize of a playground visit to help motivate her today and it worked wonderfully! I had thought of taking her to the little playground by our local fire station but by the time we were all ready to go it was already too warm outside so we went to the Chick-fil-a instead. She amazed me at the playground by introducing herself to two little girls there. She said, "I'm called Cosy, what's your name?" ... which is the first time I've seen her do that. She played well with the older girl but the younger girl was a shover/kicker so Cosy gave her a wide berth. They were also both screamers and Cosy covered her ears while saying, "Calm down!". I agree! There's no sense of all that squealing in a confined space. It was a big day for my little introvert, though and I'm proud of her for making nice with others.<br />
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Then we had several more errands to run... pharmacy, Walmart, bank, gas station, Jessi's work... by the time we got Cosy home and I got back home and got stuff put away I was completely wiped out. I took a quick little nap and although I'm still in a stupid amount of pain, I don't feel as fatigued as I was earlier. I'm hoping Marvin doesn't have any exciting adventures planned for tonight because I'm not at my best. Maybe just dinner and an early bedtime for the win! I'm just so determined to keep our usual Tuesday night date because when I start allowing myself to make things optional, I end up never doing them. If I wait until I feel like doing things I'd never leave the house. Anyways... hope you're having a great Tuesday. What's new in your life? Love and hugs!<br />
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Also... just for the record... bp still high.Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16177522637630437113noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2565064927448520692.post-78863318986696314722018-07-09T12:36:00.002-04:002018-07-09T12:36:22.901-04:00Reasons To Love Monday<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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HELLO Monday! Here you are back at me again... and here I am greeting you from bed at noon, just like Monday should be handled! I mean, what's not to love about Monday? But for those of you who punch a time clock and actually leave the house for reasons other than to go to the doctor or for a weekly date night (and day and night and day).. I'll help you find a few reasons not to hate Monday quite so much.<br />
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It's not cold out, right? No scraping the frost off the windshield or shoveling snow on your way in right now. Obviously, you have to worry about having a heat stroke on your way home from work but first thing in the morning it's not so bad out. Is it? I'm not taking Austin to work any more so I'm pretty much not outdoors first thing in the morning unless I'm picking up Cosy but... honestly, Austin pretty much does that too.<br />
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Another reason to love Monday is this guy. Birthday number three is about to snatch him up! My babies are almost pre-schoolers! They are both really knocking potty training out of the park, they can count, they know their colors, They both kinda sorta recognize their own names. Cosy knows that Oliver's name starts with the second letter of her name because I always write them like a crossword puzzle. Cody and I were talking about Oliver being bilingual and whether or not he realizes that Nana and Daddy don't speak Spanish. Cody has noticed that he uses the words that people use with him back to them so, for instance, he might tell his dad he has a booboo but he uses the Spanish word for it with his mom. Kids are just so amazing in how they develop language. I haven't been working at my language learning very much over the past week so...<br />
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I love Monday because it gives me a do-over every single week! I can work harder at the things I should work on. I'm doing much better on my Lumosity so now I can focus a bit more on learning Italian and Spanish.<br />
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I had written a lot of this post yesterday (I write some posts in advance, or at least start putting them together in advance) but I was just texting with my sister-in-law Helen this morning and she mentioned it... there are only about 8 more Mondays (or so) until another Gant Girl joins us! I can't wait to see if she's got red hair (some of my favorite Gant Girls do!) and I can't wait to find out what her name is!<br />
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I love Monday because I've been eating good... not just tasty but mostly healthy too. Well, more healthy than unhealthy. Austin did my food shop for me on Friday and I did a mini-food prep on Saturday. Pop picked up fried chicken for us on Sunday and picked up Powerade for me (which I had left off my list on Friday). I've got chicken and green beans defrosting in the refrigerator for dinner tonight (probably, if they've thawed enough). Then tomorrow I'll do a small food shop to prepare to head down to see my guy.<br />
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Another reason to love Monday is that the next day is Tuesday and Tuesday means date night! Cosy sucker punched Marvin right in the feels on Saturday by telling him that she misses him so we'll probably come up this way to spend some time with the munchkin on Thursday. Not sure what's on the agenda for Tuesday night and Wednesday (we talked about it yesterday but... I don't remember what we said because my memory is like swiss cheese).<br />
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My blood pressure is ... still too high so today I finally bit the bullet and reported in to my doctor that we probably need to do something new/different/better to get my blood pressure down. I gave the nurse the readings from the past two weeks and she said... no, those numbers aren't ok. Oddly... my blood pressure went down over those two nights that I was without ambien which means I should probably cut back on ambien but... the lack of sleep scares me to death. It's like... do I want a long, miserable life or a short happy one? I won't answer that. Obviously, I have a lot of things to stick around for...<br />
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Marvin has a fun dj gig booked for Friday night. I mean, that isn't so much a Reason for me To Love Monday, necessarily, but when he's happy, I'm happy and when he's excited about something, I'm excited. It's generally how it works. He's got a fun week ahead... just has to get through work on Monday, Tuesday and Friday... he hosts trivia on Wednesday night and Thursday night but that's more fun than work for him. I won't be with him Friday night but I'm still happy for him to get to do things he enjoys.<br />
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I think this week is the MLB All Star game... right? Never mind. That's next week. But there is World Cup Soccer this week... I'm cheering on England, of course! France plays Belgium on Tuesday and England plays Croatia on Wednesday then the final is on Sunday. I'm not the world's biggest soccer fan but I'm a fan of fans and I love all the happy buzz, especially from the Brits about the possibility of bringing the World Cup "home". God bless 'em!<br />
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Only 83 more days until October 1st when we will be through the worst of the hot weather, probably. Not wishing the Summer away but... definitely wishing for cooler weather. Since I'm living up in the Ivory Tower instead of in the Whine Cellar lately, the warmer temps make for a warmer nest. Pop bought me this amazing window unit for this room up here so I can always make it comfortable. I really only end up running the window unit about 6 hours a day. The rest of the time it's comfy. Actually, at the moment I'm under a blanket so... while I'm indoors the heat can't get me but MAN do I hate it when I go out! One thing I do love about the Summer, though, I love the way it feels right around sunset when the hottest part of the day is past and it feels warm but not miserable. Those Summer... niiiiiii-iiiiights!<br />
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We're getting our covered porch painted this week so... I'll try and remember to take before and after photos of that. That's a big deal around here... home improvement. We had the porch built two years ago and the wood had to age a bit before it could be painted but then mom got sick so it didn't happen last Summer. Austin doesn't know it yet but we'll have to help (and by "we" I mean "he") get the porch cleaned off and some of the foliage trimmed back from it over the next day or so. Probably that means I'll be cuddling up here with Cosy while her dad is slaving away cleaning off the porch.<br />
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ANYways... even though it's Monday, hopefully it's not a bad Monday for you, even if you're not still tucked up in bed like me. Hopefully you have lots of wonderful things to look forward to this week, too! Have a great week and I'll be back with another blog post soon. Maybe even tomorrow!Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16177522637630437113noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2565064927448520692.post-57055059411589818952018-07-08T13:51:00.000-04:002018-07-08T13:51:01.684-04:00Young Family Cemetery / Census Records<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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On the 4th of July, after we had lunch at Moonie's BBQ, Marvin and I stopped at an old cemetery across from the Falcons Complex (where the Atlanta Falcons NFL team trains) in Flowery Branch, Georgia. Being a genealogy and history enthusiast, cemeteries are always interesting to me. I had mentioned to Marvin that I'd like to wander through some of the ones in his area and so this is one he stopped at on the 4th. This one is close to the road, shaded and is small enough to cover the whole thing quickly. It was divided into two sections - one with ornate, well marked stones and another with simple, unmarked graves. We found a marker that indicated that one side was the Robert Young family and their kin and the other side was his slaves and their kin. I found a newspaper article from 2011 that explained that there were also some Native Americans buried in the slave portion of this cemetery.<br />
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Robert Young and his wife Selia Strickland Young were born in Virginia in the mid 1700's and moved to Georgia around 1795. They settled in the Hall County area (near what is now Lake Lanier). They had around a dozen children. Some died very young and there are many tiny graves in the family cemetery. Their son Robert married Martha Louisa Winn. There are several Winn family graves there as well with a marker noting that they were moved to this area when the Buford Dam was built to create Lake Lanier (around 1956).<br />
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I did a little research on ancestry.com for this family. I had hoped to find some addresses on census records to help correlate this family with actual locations in and around Hall County. Obviously, the cemetery would have been on what I presume to be a family homestead but as far as other locations in the area, I haven't found much. I don't want to spend a ton of time on it because... I still have years and years of research to do on my own family but so far I haven't found any addresses listed in the census records.<br />
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That's the thing about census records... sometimes they are an amazing wealth of information and sometimes they're blah. It is as varied as the number of people who performed the census searches over the years. I know that the few times I have responded to census requests I have been sort of aggravated by the intrusion BUT... as an amateur genealogist, I realize how important this record can be to future generations. Currently census records through 1940 are available online so it's possible to know far more about your great-great grandparents than your grandparents sometimes.<br />
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Up until 1840 the US Census just took a count of household members, not necessarily the names of individual members. So you may be able to see how many household members were literate, for instance... or how many slaves in a household (which never fails to make me cringe)... but you might not know exactly who lived there. Later records list the names of everyone in the household which shows us a lot about how families took care of each other back before welfare and social security. You will see elderly family members and sometimes young couples living with middle aged couples.<br />
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I think we've lost a lot by separating ourselves into individual households. Certainly if I didn't live with my dad, my granddaughter wouldn't know her great-grandfather as well as she does. Multi-generational households introduce their own set of problems, no doubt, but I think it's a great system for connecting family members who might otherwise feel isolated. Austin needs the financial support my dad and I can give... and the help parenting his little girl... but we need his physical strength and ability. Hopefully there's enough give and take to even it out for everyone. I just know that it cracks me up that Cosy gets excited whenever she hears Pop come in the door... and that she felt perfectly well at home enough to get out some of my mom's fine china out of the china cabinet to eat her pancakes on yesterday. I wish we were close enough geographically to give her that kind of familiarity with all of her extended family.<br />
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At any rate... I did find a nice write up about the Robert Young family on Genealogy.com and I thought I'd share it here, if you're interested. Hope you're having a great Sunday! Love and hugs!<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #6d4f28; font-family: SourceSansPro-Regular; font-size: 16px;">Robert Young and his brother, "Devil" John Young, came to Georgia at the time the state of Georgia, in collusion with the Federal government, was rapidly expanding into the tribal homelands of the Creek and Cherokee. Robert and John established a trading post at Ponce de Leon spring within the environs of present day Atlanta. (This site was later commemorated by a plaque placed upon the Sears store building on Ponce de Leon Avenue in Atlanta across from the old Ponce de Leon ballpark). Here they traded and became friends with many members of the Creek and Cherokee tribes. </span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #6d4f28; font-family: SourceSansPro-Regular; font-size: 16px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #6d4f28; font-family: SourceSansPro-Regular; font-size: 16px;">As stated, the state of Georgia, either by forced treaty or outright confiscation, was actively annexing Indian lands and making it available for settlement by lottery (at least in theory...there was a lot of corruption in the lottery system). After the discovery of gold in the Cherokee tribal territory this practice was escalated. The price of these lottery plats was inexpensive and Robert took advantage of the opportunity. He was able to acquire himself a 1600 acre tract in what is now Hall County, Georgia and erect himself a two-story, twelve room log house complete with chimneys, pillars and flagstone walks. (The site is now marked by the Young family cemetery located about two miles outside Flowery Branch, Georgia). Here he engaged in farming, trading and cattle raising. Because his home was located on the Federal Road (opened in 1805 and the first vehicular road opened in northwest Georgia) he also became a de facto innkeeper. Travelers frequently stopped at his home for lodging. One such visitor was Andrew Jackson, General in the 1818 Seminole campaign, who stopped there for a night with his staff and two companies of militia. That event is commemorated by yet another Historical Marker placed on the site in 1957 by the Georgia Historical Commission.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #6d4f28; font-family: SourceSansPro-Regular; font-size: 16px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #6d4f28; font-family: SourceSansPro-Regular; font-size: 16px;">The writer J. C. Flannigan wrote a description of Robert Young in his publication "Gwinnett County History". "It is said he (Robert) marked out the road from Fort Daniel at Hog Mountain to Standing Peachtree (the Peachtree trail from Atlanta to Flowery Branch, Georgia). Later on Robert, John Young and Augustin Young were employed to grade and construct this road. Robert Young was a character, whose like will seldom be seen hereafter. He was original in his looks, in his language, in his habits, and in the character of his mind, wholly with no knowledge of books, except the great book of nature, from which he drew liberally. He was a man of superior judgement, and had stored up from observation a large fund of information that was valuable to him and his friends. He was true to his word, faithful to his honor, truthful to the fullest extent. His word, his promise, and his integrity were never questioned by those who knew him. He always wore his hair tied in a queue, which he prized most highly, and of which he was proud to the day of his death."</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #6d4f28; font-family: SourceSansPro-Regular; font-size: 16px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #6d4f28; font-family: SourceSansPro-Regular; font-size: 16px;">Many of Robert Young's children, siblings, nephews and nieces later settled in the Indian lands in Alabama. It seems that Robert also made trips to this country from time to time. In 1837, after one such trip, he returned home to find that his wife, Celia, had died some weeks earlier. He then married a Elizabeth Carmon of South Carolina; a woman some 49 years younger than himself. He sired two more children by Elizabeth but by 1850 she had left him. Robert died at half past four on the afternoon of 21 March 1854 leaving an impression on his surrondings that is still in evidence today.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #6d4f28; font-family: SourceSansPro-Regular; font-size: 16px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #6d4f28; font-family: SourceSansPro-Regular; font-size: 16px;">Robert Young and family were enumerated in the 1820 Hall County, Georgia census as 4 white males under ten (Harrison, Richard, Robert and Isaac), 2 males of ten under sixteen (Wiley and Kerney), 2 males of sixteen and under twenty-six (Wilson and Unknown), 1 male of forty-five and up (Robert, Sr.), 1 female under ten (Luzaney), 1 female of ten under sixteen (Delany), 1 female of sixteen and under twenty-six (Irana), and 1 female of twenty-six under forty-five (Selah). Also enumerated with the family were 5 male slaves under fourteen, 3 male slaves of fourteen under twenty-six, 3 male slaves of twenty-six under forty-five, 1 male slave of forty-five and up, 3 female slaves under fourteen, 2 female slaves of fourteen under twenty-six, 2 female slaves of twenty-six under forty-five and 1 female slave of forty-five and up. Sixteen of the twenty slaves were foreign born. (NOTE: Of the two white males of sixteen and under twenty-six the unknown male would logically be Augustine. However, Augustine was enumerated that year as a single male in Gwinnett County, Georgia. It may be that he was enumerated twice if, perchance, the Gwinnett census was taken at some time after the Hall County census).Robert's brothers, Richard and John A. Young were living nearby with their families.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #6d4f28; font-family: SourceSansPro-Regular; font-size: 16px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #6d4f28; font-family: SourceSansPro-Regular; font-size: 16px;">Robert Young and family were enumerated in the 1830 Hall County, Georgia census as 1 male under five (Samuel), 2 males over five under ten (Isaac and Robert), 1 male of ten under fifteen (Richard), 1 male of fifteen under twenty (Wiley), 1 male of sixty under seventy (Robert), 1 female of five under ten (Celia), 1 female of fifteen under twenty (Luzany), and 1 female of fifty under sixty (Selah). </span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #6d4f28; font-family: SourceSansPro-Regular; font-size: 16px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #6d4f28; font-family: SourceSansPro-Regular; font-size: 16px;">Robert Young, Sr. and family were enumerated in District 411 in the 1840 Hall County, Georgia census as 1 male under five (Nelson), 1 male over fifteen under twenty (Benjamin), 1 male over twenty under thirty (probably Wiley), 1 male over sixty under seventy (Robert, Sr.), 1 female over fifteen under twenty (Celia) and 1 female over thirty under forty (Elizabeth). Also enumerated were 4 black males under ten, 5 black males over ten under twenty-four, 6 black males thirty-six under fifty-six, 6 black females under ten, 1 black female ten to twenty-four, and 1 black female thirty-six under fifty-six.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #6d4f28; font-family: SourceSansPro-Regular; font-size: 16px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #6d4f28; font-family: SourceSansPro-Regular; font-size: 16px;">Robert Young and family were living in the 38th District, Hall County, Georgia in October 1850. Living with him was his mentally retarded son Wiley. Also living with the family was "T. A. Young", female, age 17, born in Georgia.She was likely a child of one of Robert's deceased sons.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #6d4f28; font-family: SourceSansPro-Regular; font-size: 16px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #6d4f28; font-family: SourceSansPro-Regular; font-size: 16px;">There were two other Young children, born in Alabama,living with the family of Allen Blake who's farm was not far from Robert's; "Toliver", male age 12, and "E.", female age 11. (In 1860 they appear again as "M. T." and "Elizabeth"). Allen was married to Robert's daughter Luzany and he was the brother of Thomas Blake who married Delany Young another of Robert Young's daughters. NOTE: "M. T." is Mathew T. Young who is buried in the Young family cemetery in Hall County, Georgia which is located on the site of Robert Young's plantation. He was the son of Richard Young, the deceased son of Robert, and Emily Long Young. This Matthew T. Young married Elizabeth Ann Wigley in October 1858. Elizabeth is also buried in the Young Family Cemetery. </span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #6d4f28; font-family: SourceSansPro-Regular; font-size: 16px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #6d4f28; font-family: SourceSansPro-Regular; font-size: 16px;">LEGAL RECORD</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #6d4f28; font-family: SourceSansPro-Regular; font-size: 16px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #6d4f28; font-family: SourceSansPro-Regular; font-size: 16px;">24 July 1838. Hall County, Georgia. Mentioned in the will of JAMES D. R. HARTWELL. "To old ROBERT YOUNG a new gold watch."</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #6d4f28; font-family: SourceSansPro-Regular; font-size: 16px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #6d4f28; font-family: SourceSansPro-Regular; font-size: 16px;">4 January 1848. Hall County, Georgia. Estate sale and auction of Richard Winn. "...the Allred Place was bought by Robert Young, Sr. for James Roberts."</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #6d4f28; font-family: SourceSansPro-Regular; font-size: 16px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #6d4f28; font-family: SourceSansPro-Regular; font-size: 16px;">24 May 1851. Hall County, Georgia. Book "A" Wills, pp 99-102. Will of Robert Young. "To wife, ELIZABETH YOUNG (2nd wife), one Negro by name CICERO. To minor son, NELSON T. YOUNG, 2 lots numbers not recollected in 8th district, 1 lot where my Mill stands on Mud Creek and the lot covering Beaver Ruin Place." Also named in the will are: daughter-in-law LUCINDA YOUNG, widow of son RICHARD; granddaughter MARY ANN YOUNG, daughter of RICHARD; son AUGUSTINE; son WILSON. Children named to receive distributive shares of his estate: IRENE STRICKLAND and children; SELANNAH BLAKE, wife of THOMAS BLAKE, and children; WILEY YOUNG; LOUZANA GATREY BLAKE, wife of ALLEN BLAKE; ROBERT YOUNG, Jr.; ISAAC YOUNG; SELAH STRICKLAND, wife of TALBOT STRICKLAND, and her children; SAMUEL B. F. YOUNG; ELIZABETH and EMILY YOUNG, children of son RICHARD, deceased; ROBERT LUMPKIN YOUNG; LOUISA; SAMUEL YOUNG; and children of HARRISON B. YOUNG, deceased. </span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #6d4f28; font-family: SourceSansPro-Regular; font-size: 16px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #6d4f28; font-family: SourceSansPro-Regular; font-size: 16px;">More About </span><b style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #6d4f28; font-family: SourceSansPro-Regular; font-size: 16px;">Robert Young</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #6d4f28; font-family: SourceSansPro-Regular; font-size: 16px;">:</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #6d4f28; font-family: SourceSansPro-Regular; font-size: 16px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #6d4f28; font-family: SourceSansPro-Regular; font-size: 16px;">Date born 2: December 12, 1760, Nash County, North Carolina.</span><span style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #6d4f28; font-family: SourceSansPro-Regular; font-size: 0.8em; position: relative; top: -0.6em; vertical-align: baseline;"><em style="box-sizing: inherit;"><a href="https://www.genealogy.com/ftm/h/o/o/Terrill-Hooks/WEBSITE-0001/UHP-Sources.html#8779" style="box-sizing: inherit; color: #8b7b66; cursor: pointer; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;">8779</a>, <a href="https://www.genealogy.com/ftm/h/o/o/Terrill-Hooks/WEBSITE-0001/UHP-Sources.html#8780" style="box-sizing: inherit; color: #8b7b66; cursor: pointer; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;">8780</a></em></span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #6d4f28; font-family: SourceSansPro-Regular; font-size: 16px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #6d4f28; font-family: SourceSansPro-Regular; font-size: 16px;">Date born 3: December 13, 1760, Fredricksburg, Spotsylvania County, Virginia.</span><span style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #6d4f28; font-family: SourceSansPro-Regular; font-size: 0.8em; position: relative; top: -0.6em; vertical-align: baseline;"><em style="box-sizing: inherit;"><a href="https://www.genealogy.com/ftm/h/o/o/Terrill-Hooks/WEBSITE-0001/UHP-Sources.html#8781" style="box-sizing: inherit; color: #8b7b66; cursor: pointer; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;">8781</a></em></span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #6d4f28; font-family: SourceSansPro-Regular; font-size: 16px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #6d4f28; font-family: SourceSansPro-Regular; font-size: 16px;">Date born 4: 1766, North Carolina.</span><span style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #6d4f28; font-family: SourceSansPro-Regular; font-size: 0.8em; position: relative; top: -0.6em; vertical-align: baseline;"><em style="box-sizing: inherit;"><a href="https://www.genealogy.com/ftm/h/o/o/Terrill-Hooks/WEBSITE-0001/UHP-Sources.html#8782" style="box-sizing: inherit; color: #8b7b66; cursor: pointer; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;">8782</a></em></span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #6d4f28; font-family: SourceSansPro-Regular; font-size: 16px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #6d4f28; font-family: SourceSansPro-Regular; font-size: 16px;">Burial: 1854, Young Cemetery, Hwy 23 near Flowery Branch, Hall County, Georgia.</span><span style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #6d4f28; font-family: SourceSansPro-Regular; font-size: 0.8em; position: relative; top: -0.6em; vertical-align: baseline;"><em style="box-sizing: inherit;"><a href="https://www.genealogy.com/ftm/h/o/o/Terrill-Hooks/WEBSITE-0001/UHP-Sources.html#8783" style="box-sizing: inherit; color: #8b7b66; cursor: pointer; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;">8783</a></em></span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #6d4f28; font-family: SourceSansPro-Regular; font-size: 16px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #6d4f28; font-family: SourceSansPro-Regular; font-size: 16px;">Died 2: March 21, 1851, Hall County, Georgia.</span><span style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #6d4f28; font-family: SourceSansPro-Regular; font-size: 0.8em; position: relative; top: -0.6em; vertical-align: baseline;"><em style="box-sizing: inherit;"><a href="https://www.genealogy.com/ftm/h/o/o/Terrill-Hooks/WEBSITE-0001/UHP-Sources.html#8784" style="box-sizing: inherit; color: #8b7b66; cursor: pointer; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;">8784</a>, <a href="https://www.genealogy.com/ftm/h/o/o/Terrill-Hooks/WEBSITE-0001/UHP-Sources.html#8785" style="box-sizing: inherit; color: #8b7b66; cursor: pointer; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;">8785</a></em></span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #6d4f28; font-family: SourceSansPro-Regular; font-size: 16px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #6d4f28; font-family: SourceSansPro-Regular; font-size: 16px;">Died 3: March 21, 1854, Flowery Branch, Hall County, Georgia.</span><span style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #6d4f28; font-family: SourceSansPro-Regular; font-size: 0.8em; position: relative; top: -0.6em; vertical-align: baseline;"><em style="box-sizing: inherit;"><a href="https://www.genealogy.com/ftm/h/o/o/Terrill-Hooks/WEBSITE-0001/UHP-Sources.html#8786" style="box-sizing: inherit; color: #8b7b66; cursor: pointer; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;">8786</a>, <a href="https://www.genealogy.com/ftm/h/o/o/Terrill-Hooks/WEBSITE-0001/UHP-Sources.html#8787" style="box-sizing: inherit; color: #8b7b66; cursor: pointer; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;">8787</a></em></span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #6d4f28; font-family: SourceSansPro-Regular; font-size: 16px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #6d4f28; font-family: SourceSansPro-Regular; font-size: 16px;">Occupation: Farmer..</span><span style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #6d4f28; font-family: SourceSansPro-Regular; font-size: 0.8em; position: relative; top: -0.6em; vertical-align: baseline;"><em style="box-sizing: inherit;"><a href="https://www.genealogy.com/ftm/h/o/o/Terrill-Hooks/WEBSITE-0001/UHP-Sources.html#8788" style="box-sizing: inherit; color: #8b7b66; cursor: pointer; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;">8788</a></em></span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #6d4f28; font-family: SourceSansPro-Regular; font-size: 16px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #6d4f28; font-family: SourceSansPro-Regular; font-size: 16px;">More About </span><b style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #6d4f28; font-family: SourceSansPro-Regular; font-size: 16px;">Robert Young</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #6d4f28; font-family: SourceSansPro-Regular; font-size: 16px;"> and </span><b style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #6d4f28; font-family: SourceSansPro-Regular; font-size: 16px;">Celia 'Selah' 'Sealey' Strickland</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #6d4f28; font-family: SourceSansPro-Regular; font-size: 16px;">:</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #6d4f28; font-family: SourceSansPro-Regular; font-size: 16px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #6d4f28; font-family: SourceSansPro-Regular; font-size: 16px;">Marriage: 1798, North Carolina.</span><span style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #6d4f28; font-family: SourceSansPro-Regular; font-size: 0.8em; position: relative; top: -0.6em; vertical-align: baseline;"><em style="box-sizing: inherit;"><a href="https://www.genealogy.com/ftm/h/o/o/Terrill-Hooks/WEBSITE-0001/UHP-Sources.html#8789" style="box-sizing: inherit; color: #8b7b66; cursor: pointer; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;">8789</a></em></span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #6d4f28; font-family: SourceSansPro-Regular; font-size: 16px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #6d4f28; font-family: SourceSansPro-Regular; font-size: 16px;">More About </span><b style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #6d4f28; font-family: SourceSansPro-Regular; font-size: 16px;">Robert Young</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #6d4f28; font-family: SourceSansPro-Regular; font-size: 16px;"> and </span><b style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #6d4f28; font-family: SourceSansPro-Regular; font-size: 16px;">Elizabeth Carmon</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #6d4f28; font-family: SourceSansPro-Regular; font-size: 16px;">:</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #6d4f28; font-family: SourceSansPro-Regular; font-size: 16px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #6d4f28; font-family: SourceSansPro-Regular; font-size: 16px;">Marriage 1: June 14, 1838, Hall County, Georgia.</span><span style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #6d4f28; font-family: SourceSansPro-Regular; font-size: 0.8em; position: relative; top: -0.6em; vertical-align: baseline;"><em style="box-sizing: inherit;"><a href="https://www.genealogy.com/ftm/h/o/o/Terrill-Hooks/WEBSITE-0001/UHP-Sources.html#8790" style="box-sizing: inherit; color: #8b7b66; cursor: pointer; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;">8790</a>, <a href="https://www.genealogy.com/ftm/h/o/o/Terrill-Hooks/WEBSITE-0001/UHP-Sources.html#8791" style="box-sizing: inherit; color: #8b7b66; cursor: pointer; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;">8791</a></em></span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #6d4f28; font-family: SourceSansPro-Regular; font-size: 16px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #6d4f28; font-family: SourceSansPro-Regular; font-size: 16px;">Marriage 2: May 05, 1838, Hall County, Georgia.</span><span style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #6d4f28; font-family: SourceSansPro-Regular; font-size: 0.8em; position: relative; top: -0.6em; vertical-align: baseline;"><em style="box-sizing: inherit;"><a href="https://www.genealogy.com/ftm/h/o/o/Terrill-Hooks/WEBSITE-0001/UHP-Sources.html#8792" style="box-sizing: inherit; color: #8b7b66; cursor: pointer; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;">8792</a>, <a href="https://www.genealogy.com/ftm/h/o/o/Terrill-Hooks/WEBSITE-0001/UHP-Sources.html#8793" style="box-sizing: inherit; color: #8b7b66; cursor: pointer; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;">8793</a></em></span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #6d4f28; font-family: SourceSansPro-Regular; font-size: 16px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #6d4f28; font-family: SourceSansPro-Regular; font-size: 16px;">Marriage bond: May 14, 1838, Hall County, Georgia.</span><span style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #6d4f28; font-family: SourceSansPro-Regular; font-size: 0.8em; position: relative; top: -0.6em; vertical-align: baseline;"><em style="box-sizing: inherit;"><a href="https://www.genealogy.com/ftm/h/o/o/Terrill-Hooks/WEBSITE-0001/UHP-Sources.html#8794" style="box-sizing: inherit; color: #8b7b66; cursor: pointer; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;">8794</a></em></span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #6d4f28; font-family: SourceSansPro-Regular; font-size: 16px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #6d4f28; font-family: SourceSansPro-Regular; font-size: 16px;">Children of </span><b style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #6d4f28; font-family: SourceSansPro-Regular; font-size: 16px;">Robert Young</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #6d4f28; font-family: SourceSansPro-Regular; font-size: 16px;"> and </span><b style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #6d4f28; font-family: SourceSansPro-Regular; font-size: 16px;">Celia 'Selah' 'Sealey' Strickland</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #6d4f28; font-family: SourceSansPro-Regular; font-size: 16px;"> are:</span><br />
<ol compact="" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #9e8f7c; font-family: SourceSansPro-Regular; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" type="i">
<li style="box-sizing: inherit; list-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">+<a href="https://www.genealogy.com/ftm/h/o/o/Terrill-Hooks/WEBSITE-0001/UHP-1015.html" style="box-sizing: inherit; color: #8b7b66; cursor: pointer; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;">Augustin 'Gus' Young</a>, b. August 17, 1799, Flowery Branch, Hall County, Georgia<span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-size: 0.8em; position: relative; top: -0.6em; vertical-align: baseline;"><em style="box-sizing: inherit;"><a href="https://www.genealogy.com/ftm/h/o/o/Terrill-Hooks/WEBSITE-0001/UHP-Sources.html#8795" style="box-sizing: inherit; color: #8b7b66; cursor: pointer; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;">8795</a>, <a href="https://www.genealogy.com/ftm/h/o/o/Terrill-Hooks/WEBSITE-0001/UHP-Sources.html#8796" style="box-sizing: inherit; color: #8b7b66; cursor: pointer; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;">8796</a>, <a href="https://www.genealogy.com/ftm/h/o/o/Terrill-Hooks/WEBSITE-0001/UHP-Sources.html#8797" style="box-sizing: inherit; color: #8b7b66; cursor: pointer; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;">8797</a></em></span>, d. February 02, 1868, Polk County, Georgia<span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-size: 0.8em; position: relative; top: -0.6em; vertical-align: baseline;"><em style="box-sizing: inherit;"><a href="https://www.genealogy.com/ftm/h/o/o/Terrill-Hooks/WEBSITE-0001/UHP-Sources.html#8798" style="box-sizing: inherit; color: #8b7b66; cursor: pointer; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;">8798</a>, <a href="https://www.genealogy.com/ftm/h/o/o/Terrill-Hooks/WEBSITE-0001/UHP-Sources.html#8799" style="box-sizing: inherit; color: #8b7b66; cursor: pointer; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;">8799</a></em></span>.</li>
<li style="box-sizing: inherit; list-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">+<a href="https://www.genealogy.com/ftm/h/o/o/Terrill-Hooks/WEBSITE-0001/UHP-1016.html" style="box-sizing: inherit; color: #8b7b66; cursor: pointer; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;">Wilson R. Young</a>, b. July 28, 1800, Flowery Branch, Hall County, Georgia<span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-size: 0.8em; position: relative; top: -0.6em; vertical-align: baseline;"><em style="box-sizing: inherit;"><a href="https://www.genealogy.com/ftm/h/o/o/Terrill-Hooks/WEBSITE-0001/UHP-Sources.html#8800" style="box-sizing: inherit; color: #8b7b66; cursor: pointer; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;">8800</a>, <a href="https://www.genealogy.com/ftm/h/o/o/Terrill-Hooks/WEBSITE-0001/UHP-Sources.html#8801" style="box-sizing: inherit; color: #8b7b66; cursor: pointer; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;">8801</a>, <a href="https://www.genealogy.com/ftm/h/o/o/Terrill-Hooks/WEBSITE-0001/UHP-Sources.html#8802" style="box-sizing: inherit; color: #8b7b66; cursor: pointer; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;">8802</a>, <a href="https://www.genealogy.com/ftm/h/o/o/Terrill-Hooks/WEBSITE-0001/UHP-Sources.html#8803" style="box-sizing: inherit; color: #8b7b66; cursor: pointer; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;">8803</a></em></span>, d. Aft. 1870, Lafayette County, Mississippi (?)<span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-size: 0.8em; position: relative; top: -0.6em; vertical-align: baseline;"><em style="box-sizing: inherit;"><a href="https://www.genealogy.com/ftm/h/o/o/Terrill-Hooks/WEBSITE-0001/UHP-Sources.html#8804" style="box-sizing: inherit; color: #8b7b66; cursor: pointer; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;">8804</a></em></span>.</li>
<li style="box-sizing: inherit; list-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">+<a href="https://www.genealogy.com/ftm/h/o/o/Terrill-Hooks/WEBSITE-0001/UHP-1017.html" style="box-sizing: inherit; color: #8b7b66; cursor: pointer; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;">Irene Irana Young</a>, b. December 15, 1803, Jackson, Butts County, Georgia<span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-size: 0.8em; position: relative; top: -0.6em; vertical-align: baseline;"><em style="box-sizing: inherit;"><a href="https://www.genealogy.com/ftm/h/o/o/Terrill-Hooks/WEBSITE-0001/UHP-Sources.html#8805" style="box-sizing: inherit; color: #8b7b66; cursor: pointer; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;">8805</a>, <a href="https://www.genealogy.com/ftm/h/o/o/Terrill-Hooks/WEBSITE-0001/UHP-Sources.html#8806" style="box-sizing: inherit; color: #8b7b66; cursor: pointer; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;">8806</a></em></span>, d. December 1895, Cleburn County, Alabama<span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-size: 0.8em; position: relative; top: -0.6em; vertical-align: baseline;"><em style="box-sizing: inherit;"><a href="https://www.genealogy.com/ftm/h/o/o/Terrill-Hooks/WEBSITE-0001/UHP-Sources.html#8807" style="box-sizing: inherit; color: #8b7b66; cursor: pointer; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;">8807</a></em></span>.</li>
<li style="box-sizing: inherit; list-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><a href="https://www.genealogy.com/ftm/h/o/o/Terrill-Hooks/WEBSITE-0001/UHP-1019.html" style="box-sizing: inherit; color: #8b7b66; cursor: pointer; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;">Kerney Young</a>, b. 1805, Flowery Branch, Hall County, Georgia<span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-size: 0.8em; position: relative; top: -0.6em; vertical-align: baseline;"><em style="box-sizing: inherit;"><a href="https://www.genealogy.com/ftm/h/o/o/Terrill-Hooks/WEBSITE-0001/UHP-Sources.html#8807" style="box-sizing: inherit; color: #8b7b66; cursor: pointer; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;">8807</a></em></span>, d. April 27, 1841, Georgia (?)<span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-size: 0.8em; position: relative; top: -0.6em; vertical-align: baseline;"><em style="box-sizing: inherit;"><a href="https://www.genealogy.com/ftm/h/o/o/Terrill-Hooks/WEBSITE-0001/UHP-Sources.html#8807" style="box-sizing: inherit; color: #8b7b66; cursor: pointer; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;">8807</a>, <a href="https://www.genealogy.com/ftm/h/o/o/Terrill-Hooks/WEBSITE-0001/UHP-Sources.html#8808" style="box-sizing: inherit; color: #8b7b66; cursor: pointer; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;">8808</a></em></span>.</li>
<li style="box-sizing: inherit; list-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">+<a href="https://www.genealogy.com/ftm/h/o/o/Terrill-Hooks/WEBSITE-0001/UHP-1020.html" style="box-sizing: inherit; color: #8b7b66; cursor: pointer; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;">Delany 'Selannah' Young</a>, b. March 20, 1807, Flowery Branch, Hall County, Georgia<span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-size: 0.8em; position: relative; top: -0.6em; vertical-align: baseline;"><em style="box-sizing: inherit;"><a href="https://www.genealogy.com/ftm/h/o/o/Terrill-Hooks/WEBSITE-0001/UHP-Sources.html#8809" style="box-sizing: inherit; color: #8b7b66; cursor: pointer; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;">8809</a>, <a href="https://www.genealogy.com/ftm/h/o/o/Terrill-Hooks/WEBSITE-0001/UHP-Sources.html#8810" style="box-sizing: inherit; color: #8b7b66; cursor: pointer; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;">8810</a>, <a href="https://www.genealogy.com/ftm/h/o/o/Terrill-Hooks/WEBSITE-0001/UHP-Sources.html#8811" style="box-sizing: inherit; color: #8b7b66; cursor: pointer; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;">8811</a></em></span>, d. January 25, 1895, Cleburn County, Alabama<span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-size: 0.8em; position: relative; top: -0.6em; vertical-align: baseline;"><em style="box-sizing: inherit;"><a href="https://www.genealogy.com/ftm/h/o/o/Terrill-Hooks/WEBSITE-0001/UHP-Sources.html#8812" style="box-sizing: inherit; color: #8b7b66; cursor: pointer; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;">8812</a></em></span>.</li>
<li style="box-sizing: inherit; list-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><a href="https://www.genealogy.com/ftm/h/o/o/Terrill-Hooks/WEBSITE-0001/UHP-1021.html" style="box-sizing: inherit; color: #8b7b66; cursor: pointer; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;">Wiley Young</a>, b. 1810, Georgia<span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-size: 0.8em; position: relative; top: -0.6em; vertical-align: baseline;"><em style="box-sizing: inherit;"><a href="https://www.genealogy.com/ftm/h/o/o/Terrill-Hooks/WEBSITE-0001/UHP-Sources.html#8813" style="box-sizing: inherit; color: #8b7b66; cursor: pointer; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;">8813</a></em></span>, d. November 23, 1851, Georgia (?)<span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-size: 0.8em; position: relative; top: -0.6em; vertical-align: baseline;"><em style="box-sizing: inherit;"><a href="https://www.genealogy.com/ftm/h/o/o/Terrill-Hooks/WEBSITE-0001/UHP-Sources.html#8814" style="box-sizing: inherit; color: #8b7b66; cursor: pointer; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;">8814</a>, <a href="https://www.genealogy.com/ftm/h/o/o/Terrill-Hooks/WEBSITE-0001/UHP-Sources.html#8815" style="box-sizing: inherit; color: #8b7b66; cursor: pointer; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;">8815</a></em></span>.</li>
<li style="box-sizing: inherit; list-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">+<a href="https://www.genealogy.com/ftm/h/o/o/Terrill-Hooks/WEBSITE-0001/UHP-1022.html" style="box-sizing: inherit; color: #8b7b66; cursor: pointer; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;">Harrison Bennett Young</a>, b. 1811, Flowery Branch, Hall County, Georgia<span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-size: 0.8em; position: relative; top: -0.6em; vertical-align: baseline;"><em style="box-sizing: inherit;"><a href="https://www.genealogy.com/ftm/h/o/o/Terrill-Hooks/WEBSITE-0001/UHP-Sources.html#8816" style="box-sizing: inherit; color: #8b7b66; cursor: pointer; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;">8816</a></em></span>, d. 1841, Georgia (?)<span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-size: 0.8em; position: relative; top: -0.6em; vertical-align: baseline;"><em style="box-sizing: inherit;"><a href="https://www.genealogy.com/ftm/h/o/o/Terrill-Hooks/WEBSITE-0001/UHP-Sources.html#8816" style="box-sizing: inherit; color: #8b7b66; cursor: pointer; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;">8816</a></em></span>.</li>
<li style="box-sizing: inherit; list-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">+<a href="https://www.genealogy.com/ftm/h/o/o/Terrill-Hooks/WEBSITE-0001/UHP-1014.html" style="box-sizing: inherit; color: #8b7b66; cursor: pointer; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;">Richard Young</a>, b. Abt. 1813, North Carolina (?), d. Bef. 1846, Randolph County, Georgia<span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-size: 0.8em; position: relative; top: -0.6em; vertical-align: baseline;"><em style="box-sizing: inherit;"><a href="https://www.genealogy.com/ftm/h/o/o/Terrill-Hooks/WEBSITE-0001/UHP-Sources.html#8816" style="box-sizing: inherit; color: #8b7b66; cursor: pointer; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;">8816</a>, <a href="https://www.genealogy.com/ftm/h/o/o/Terrill-Hooks/WEBSITE-0001/UHP-Sources.html#8817" style="box-sizing: inherit; color: #8b7b66; cursor: pointer; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;">8817</a></em></span>.</li>
<li style="box-sizing: inherit; list-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">+<a href="https://www.genealogy.com/ftm/h/o/o/Terrill-Hooks/WEBSITE-0001/UHP-1023.html" style="box-sizing: inherit; color: #8b7b66; cursor: pointer; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;">Luzany Causey 'Gatsy' Young</a>, b. January 08, 1815, Flowery Branch, Hall County, Georgia<span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-size: 0.8em; position: relative; top: -0.6em; vertical-align: baseline;"><em style="box-sizing: inherit;"><a href="https://www.genealogy.com/ftm/h/o/o/Terrill-Hooks/WEBSITE-0001/UHP-Sources.html#8818" style="box-sizing: inherit; color: #8b7b66; cursor: pointer; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;">8818</a>, <a href="https://www.genealogy.com/ftm/h/o/o/Terrill-Hooks/WEBSITE-0001/UHP-Sources.html#8819" style="box-sizing: inherit; color: #8b7b66; cursor: pointer; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;">8819</a>, <a href="https://www.genealogy.com/ftm/h/o/o/Terrill-Hooks/WEBSITE-0001/UHP-Sources.html#8820" style="box-sizing: inherit; color: #8b7b66; cursor: pointer; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;">8820</a></em></span>, d. November 11, 1857, Flowery Branch, Hall County, Georgia<span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-size: 0.8em; position: relative; top: -0.6em; vertical-align: baseline;"><em style="box-sizing: inherit;"><a href="https://www.genealogy.com/ftm/h/o/o/Terrill-Hooks/WEBSITE-0001/UHP-Sources.html#8821" style="box-sizing: inherit; color: #8b7b66; cursor: pointer; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;">8821</a></em></span>.</li>
<li style="box-sizing: inherit; list-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">+<a href="https://www.genealogy.com/ftm/h/o/o/Terrill-Hooks/WEBSITE-0001/UHP-1026.html" style="box-sizing: inherit; color: #8b7b66; cursor: pointer; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;">Robert Young, Jr.</a>, b. January 15, 1818, Flowery Branch, Hall County, Georgia<span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-size: 0.8em; position: relative; top: -0.6em; vertical-align: baseline;"><em style="box-sizing: inherit;"><a href="https://www.genealogy.com/ftm/h/o/o/Terrill-Hooks/WEBSITE-0001/UHP-Sources.html#8821" style="box-sizing: inherit; color: #8b7b66; cursor: pointer; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;">8821</a>, <a href="https://www.genealogy.com/ftm/h/o/o/Terrill-Hooks/WEBSITE-0001/UHP-Sources.html#8822" style="box-sizing: inherit; color: #8b7b66; cursor: pointer; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;">8822</a></em></span>, d. March 31, 1869, Hall County, Georgia<span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-size: 0.8em; position: relative; top: -0.6em; vertical-align: baseline;"><em style="box-sizing: inherit;"><a href="https://www.genealogy.com/ftm/h/o/o/Terrill-Hooks/WEBSITE-0001/UHP-Sources.html#8823" style="box-sizing: inherit; color: #8b7b66; cursor: pointer; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;">8823</a>, <a href="https://www.genealogy.com/ftm/h/o/o/Terrill-Hooks/WEBSITE-0001/UHP-Sources.html#8824" style="box-sizing: inherit; color: #8b7b66; cursor: pointer; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;">8824</a></em></span>.</li>
<li style="box-sizing: inherit; list-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">+<a href="https://www.genealogy.com/ftm/h/o/o/Terrill-Hooks/WEBSITE-0001/UHP-1025.html" style="box-sizing: inherit; color: #8b7b66; cursor: pointer; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;">Isaac Young</a>, b. April 15, 1819, Hall County, Georgia<span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-size: 0.8em; position: relative; top: -0.6em; vertical-align: baseline;"><em style="box-sizing: inherit;"><a href="https://www.genealogy.com/ftm/h/o/o/Terrill-Hooks/WEBSITE-0001/UHP-Sources.html#8825" style="box-sizing: inherit; color: #8b7b66; cursor: pointer; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;">8825</a>, <a href="https://www.genealogy.com/ftm/h/o/o/Terrill-Hooks/WEBSITE-0001/UHP-Sources.html#8826" style="box-sizing: inherit; color: #8b7b66; cursor: pointer; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;">8826</a>, <a href="https://www.genealogy.com/ftm/h/o/o/Terrill-Hooks/WEBSITE-0001/UHP-Sources.html#8827" style="box-sizing: inherit; color: #8b7b66; cursor: pointer; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;">8827</a></em></span>, d. July 19, 1889, Fox Creek, Clay County, Alabama<span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-size: 0.8em; position: relative; top: -0.6em; vertical-align: baseline;"><em style="box-sizing: inherit;"><a href="https://www.genealogy.com/ftm/h/o/o/Terrill-Hooks/WEBSITE-0001/UHP-Sources.html#8828" style="box-sizing: inherit; color: #8b7b66; cursor: pointer; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;">8828</a></em></span>.</li>
<li style="box-sizing: inherit; list-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><a href="https://www.genealogy.com/ftm/h/o/o/Terrill-Hooks/WEBSITE-0001/UHP-1027.html" style="box-sizing: inherit; color: #8b7b66; cursor: pointer; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;">Celia 'Selah' Young</a>, b. May 18, 1821, Flowery Branch, Hall County, Georgia<span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-size: 0.8em; position: relative; top: -0.6em; vertical-align: baseline;"><em style="box-sizing: inherit;"><a href="https://www.genealogy.com/ftm/h/o/o/Terrill-Hooks/WEBSITE-0001/UHP-Sources.html#8829" style="box-sizing: inherit; color: #8b7b66; cursor: pointer; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;">8829</a></em></span>, d. date unknown.</li>
<li style="box-sizing: inherit; list-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">+<a href="https://www.genealogy.com/ftm/h/o/o/Terrill-Hooks/WEBSITE-0001/UHP-1029.html" style="box-sizing: inherit; color: #8b7b66; cursor: pointer; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;">Samuel Benjamin Franklin Young</a>, b. October 14, 1825, Flowery Branch, Hall County, Georgia<span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-size: 0.8em; position: relative; top: -0.6em; vertical-align: baseline;"><em style="box-sizing: inherit;"><a href="https://www.genealogy.com/ftm/h/o/o/Terrill-Hooks/WEBSITE-0001/UHP-Sources.html#8830" style="box-sizing: inherit; color: #8b7b66; cursor: pointer; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;">8830</a>, <a href="https://www.genealogy.com/ftm/h/o/o/Terrill-Hooks/WEBSITE-0001/UHP-Sources.html#8831" style="box-sizing: inherit; color: #8b7b66; cursor: pointer; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;">8831</a></em></span>, d. June 02, 1902, Flowery Branch, Hall County, Georgia (?)<span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-size: 0.8em; position: relative; top: -0.6em; vertical-align: baseline;"><em style="box-sizing: inherit;"><a href="https://www.genealogy.com/ftm/h/o/o/Terrill-Hooks/WEBSITE-0001/UHP-Sources.html#8832" style="box-sizing: inherit; color: #8b7b66; cursor: pointer; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;">8832</a></em></span>.</li>
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<br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #6d4f28; font-family: SourceSansPro-Regular; font-size: 16px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #6d4f28; font-family: SourceSansPro-Regular; font-size: 16px;">Children of </span><b style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #6d4f28; font-family: SourceSansPro-Regular; font-size: 16px;">Robert Young</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #6d4f28; font-family: SourceSansPro-Regular; font-size: 16px;"> and </span><b style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #6d4f28; font-family: SourceSansPro-Regular; font-size: 16px;">Elizabeth Carmon</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #6d4f28; font-family: SourceSansPro-Regular; font-size: 16px;"> are:</span><br />
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<li style="box-sizing: inherit; list-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><a href="https://www.genealogy.com/ftm/h/o/o/Terrill-Hooks/WEBSITE-0001/UHP-1030.html" style="box-sizing: inherit; color: #8b7b66; cursor: pointer; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;">Nelson T. Young</a>, b. 1840, Hall County, Georgia<span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-size: 0.8em; position: relative; top: -0.6em; vertical-align: baseline;"><em style="box-sizing: inherit;"><a href="https://www.genealogy.com/ftm/h/o/o/Terrill-Hooks/WEBSITE-0001/UHP-Sources.html#8833" style="box-sizing: inherit; color: #8b7b66; cursor: pointer; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;">8833</a></em></span>, d. date unknown.</li>
<li style="box-sizing: inherit; list-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><a href="https://www.genealogy.com/ftm/h/o/o/Terrill-Hooks/WEBSITE-0001/UHP-1032.html" style="box-sizing: inherit; color: #8b7b66; cursor: pointer; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;">Elizabeth Young</a>, b. 1842, Alabama<span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-size: 0.8em; position: relative; top: -0.6em; vertical-align: baseline;"><em style="box-sizing: inherit;"><a href="https://www.genealogy.com/ftm/h/o/o/Terrill-Hooks/WEBSITE-0001/UHP-Sources.html#8834" style="box-sizing: inherit; color: #8b7b66; cursor: pointer; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;">8834</a>, <a href="https://www.genealogy.com/ftm/h/o/o/Terrill-Hooks/WEBSITE-0001/UHP-Sources.html#8835" style="box-sizing: inherit; color: #8b7b66; cursor: pointer; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;">8835</a></em></span>, d. Aft. July 24, 1860, Georgia (?)<span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-size: 0.8em; position: relative; top: -0.6em; vertical-align: baseline;"><em style="box-sizing: inherit;"><a href="https://www.genealogy.com/ftm/h/o/o/Terrill-Hooks/WEBSITE-0001/UHP-Sources.html#8836" style="box-sizing: inherit; color: #8b7b66; cursor: pointer; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;">8836</a></em></span>.</li>
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<br />Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16177522637630437113noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2565064927448520692.post-81548448751802161562018-07-06T17:15:00.000-04:002018-07-06T17:15:59.373-04:00Food Friday - Moonie's BBQ and Saigon CafeIt's a two for one this week on Food Friday! We had an amazing food week with the 4th of July and with Marvin being off work on Wednesday night it meant an extra date night eating out for this girl! I'm really proud of my "eating to lower my blood pressure" plan for this past week and I feel like I was probably 80/20 good to bad ratio with my food choices and that's a doable percentage for me. I stayed on task with fresh/healthy/clean/protein and veg, fewer processed foods, etc. Did it lower my blood pressure? Not really. I had one normal blood pressure reading on Saturday and otherwise it's stayed high. Have I seen the doctor? Nope. We'll talk about that later.<br />
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Fun things first! On Tuesday night Marvin and I went to Wild Wings Cafe with two guys from his softball team, their significant others and some of their friends. I think there were nine of us in the party and it was busy and slow. We got there at 6:30 and by the time we were seated and fed it was 8:30 but it was fun to hang out and chat with everybody. I'm not a big wings person. When I go to Wild Wings I get the shrimp skewers which you can have with the same sauces as the wings. I went for ginger flavor and thai flavored. I ate the celery that came with Marvin's wings and I had fries on the side.<br />
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On Wednesday morning we slept in because... you know, day off (for him)... then we went to <b><span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://www.mooniesbbq.com/" target="_blank">Moonie's Texas BBQ</a></span></b> in Flowery Branch for an early lunch. You can click the link if you want to check them out. I had the pulled pork basket which comes with a pulled pork sandwich and a side... I had creamed corn. My dad makes the best creamed corn and I have a very high standard for the dish... and Moonie's is a close second to my dad's. The pork is amazing... lots of burnt ends (my favorite!). They have a Georgia Sweet sauce that I really love and of course, I had sweet tea to drink. It felt like a very patriotic meal for the 4th of July. Marvin had the same as me except he gets their pulled pork sandwich with slaw on it. I'm not a huge fan of slaw so... not for me. At Moonie's you order at the counter and then seat yourself. They were busy on Wednesday, lots of people were getting large to-go orders, I'm guessing for picnics and cookouts and such but it didn't take long for us to get our food and tuck into it. And of course, the nice thing is that you're then not obligated to tip because you've served yourself. The restaurant is clean and the counter service is friendly and generous. Definitely recommend them in you're in or around Hall County.<br />
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Little addition to this bit on Moonie's... Marvin said I have to tell you about their other sauces because he is a huge fan of Moonie's. They also have a Texas Red sauce that is vinegar based, a Carolina Gold that is mustard based and a Spicy sauce. I'm a fan of the Georgia Sweet because I don't like spicy and honestly, the Georgia Sweet is a bit spicier than the sweet sauce that I get at Sonny's BBQ and at North Georgia BBQ, just for comparison sake. I haven't tried Moonie's beef brisket because I'm mostly a pork bbq girl but Marvin says it's amazing. Anyways...<br />
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We went home and had a nice nap... yep, slept in and then napped... that's my kind of holiday! Then we went to dinner at <a href="http://saigoncafeusa.com/menu/" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: blue;">Saigon Cafe in Buford</span></b> </a>near the Mall of Georgia. It's a Vietnamese / Thai / Chinese / Malaysian restaurant. Here's the thing... I loved the food and would very much love to go back and try lots of things from their menu. The menu is colorful and descriptive with big pictures of the food so you had a great idea of what you were getting which is so helpful when it's a cuisine you're not used to. I'd love to go back but the service was terrible. I've linked the online menu for you above. As a starter I had the goi cuon - slivers of boiled pork and shrimp fixed with vermicelli rice noodle, lettuce, bean sprouts and wrapped in rice paper. Dipped in a mixture of peanut and hoisin sauce. Marvin had thit nuong cuon - slivers of bbq pork mixed with vermicelli rice noodles, lettuce, bean sprouts and wrapped in rice paper.<br />
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I didn't try his roll but mine was awesome. I really love basil rolls when I get Thai food and this was comparable to that. The peanut sauce was thick and sweet. Honestly, I could make a meal out of the rolls and maybe a soup or something. They had pho - which I have never tried and really would like to but it was so steamy hot outside that I couldn't imagine eating soup. Marvin had me try panang curry recently at our favorite little Chinese restaurant close to his house and I loved it so instead of going with something I would normally order, I was a bit adventurous and ordered the panang curry with chicken. Marvin ordered chicken pad thai. We asked the waiter to make mine less spicy and his more spicy. Apparently that was lost in translation in the kitchen because the curry came out really spicy and the pad thai, not so much. I tried to soldier through it but Marvin was a real gentleman and offered to switch entrees with me. He likes spice... me, not so much... so I had his pad thai and he had my curry and we were both happy!<br />
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Our food came out quickly and despite the spice mix-up, both were really tasty, better than average for sure. But our waiter disappeared and we never saw him again. No refills, no "how is everything"... not even a bill. I found a pitcher of water and refilled our glasses - but there was no ice. Later I finally went and grabbed the first waiter I saw and said, "please, we have been abandoned, can you find our check so that we can leave?". The check came and there was no apology, no explanation... nothing. Honestly, if the service had been even fairly decent, this is a place I would ask to go back to frequently. There were lots of things on the menu that I would like to try, such as the pho. By the time we left the place was busier but by no means busy... there was no one seated anywhere around us. Maybe that was the problem? I don't know. I would just say... go there for the food because it was definitely a step above but be prepared to spend some time there, just in case.<br />
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When we left the Saigon Cafe we noticed that the Hot Fresh sign was lit up at Krispy Kreme and Marvin had a buy one dozen, get one dozen free coupon so... yes, please! Krispy Kreme was packed but it moved really quickly and everyone was in a friendly, chatty mood in line. We got two dozen glazed and it made for a nice dessert that night and breakfast in the morning. Marvin likes his donuts hot... I like mine a day old or so... so we both got exactly what we wanted.<br />
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On Thursday we slept in again (notice a pattern?) munched on donuts and then Marvin fixed hamburgers for our lunch. He used blackening spices and bacon bits with bleu cheese dressing and they were amazing! Then I was feeling out of sorts and thought I should go ahead and drive home while I felt well enough. It's not a bad drive - about 45 minutes.<br />
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When I got home Cosy was still here with her dad and she was so happy to see me! I held her and she laid her head on my shoulder and stayed there for like... five minutes. She's not really a big cuddler because she's an introvert so it was a special treat for me to just be able to hold her and get lots of love. She had been such a good girl for her dad all day. She seems to have turned the corner on the potty training thing and just all of a sudden is owning it. As long as we don't bug her about going, she will let us know when she has to go and she stayed dry all day for her dad. I'm super proud - and relieved. The trick seems to be putting her in undies instead of pullups and letting her decide when she needs to go. She had really gotten to the point that when we tried to put her on the potty on a schedule she would absolutely refuse and throw a fit and... just totally not cooperate. Letting her decide when she needs to go is working for her. Austin feels like she's totally potty trained now but I told him we still had to work on the whole poop situation. That's a whole 'nother issue!<br />
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Since I've gone from eating to pooping, I guess it's time to wrap this post up. I hope you are enjoying my Food Friday posts as they are definitely one of my favorite type posts to write! Have a great weekend! This is what I'll be doing... in the middle of this...<br />
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<br />Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16177522637630437113noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2565064927448520692.post-60424957358196064782018-07-05T10:58:00.000-04:002018-07-05T10:58:34.949-04:00Throwback Thursday - July 4th and 5thThis week I'm going to look at what happened on this day, July 5, and the day before July 4th in my blog history. These have been two very memorable days in my life. Last year on July 4th, my dad went to the hospital to see my mom who had been in the hospital for the past few days. She had been very sick but mentally fine. That morning, July 4th, changed everything. From that point on we only had brief glimpses of who my mom used to be. I can remember one day when she seemed particularly clear and I tried to hurry and talk to her about everything, knowing it could be my last real conversation with her. It was.<br />
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<b><span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://tighteningthecorsetagain.blogspot.com/2015/07/reasons-to-love-july.html" target="_blank">In July of 2015</a></span></b>, I was enjoying tiny baby Cosy and looking forward to Oliver's arrival. This year the highlight of the month will almost surely be Oliver's birthday party on the 21st. It will be Cosy's first ever visit to Oliver's house and her longest road trip. I'm so excited to be there for his party this year. Last year my mom was so unwell that it was impossible for me to travel that far away. Instead I gave him a little party at my house for the family up here. It will be nice to go to his party (and also to not have to give a party!) this year.<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JrvgKcDwIKc/Wzk412jmbSI/AAAAAAAAhzM/GVJXiZZUbqkR3r_DMhmBjMY1R7ydrdGQgCLcBGAs/s1600/100_7573.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="532" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JrvgKcDwIKc/Wzk412jmbSI/AAAAAAAAhzM/GVJXiZZUbqkR3r_DMhmBjMY1R7ydrdGQgCLcBGAs/s320/100_7573.JPG" width="212" /></a><b><span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://tighteningthecorsetagain.blogspot.com/2014/07/4th-of-july.html" target="_blank">The post summarizing my 4th of July in 2014</a>,</span></b> didn't go up until a few days later. Cody and Marquee and their friends had come up for a visit. They had a nice swim in the lake and we did fireworks and sparklers and it was just a nice time with friends and family and friends that feel like family.<br />
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<b><span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://tighteningthecorsetagain.blogspot.com/2013/07/the-4th-of-july.html" target="_blank">On the 4th of July</a></span></b> and <b><span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://tighteningthecorsetagain.blogspot.com/2013/07/the-5th-of-july.html" target="_blank">5th of July in 2013</a></span></b>, we were growing mushrooms in our front yard. It was a very wet Summer, our first full Summer up here. The basement flooded frequently. My level of frustration was pretty high but at the same time... life was much easier since I had recently stopped working.<br />
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<b><span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://tighteningthecorsetagain.blogspot.com/2012/07/thankful-thursday-hanging-out-with.html" target="_blank">On these days in 2012,</a></span></b> I was at Grandma's house in Hayesville, North Carolina, staying with her until it was time to move her to Assisted Living. She went through a lot of emotions that week and it was... rough. The whole process went much more quickly that I had thought it would but I feel proud that I was able to spend those days with her at the end of her time of independence and help her say goodbye to the people and places that were so important to her. It was hard.<br />
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Probably the hardest 5th of July I ever faced was the one in 2011. I was at work and I received a call from Austin letting me know that the house was on fire. Our little duplex had been struck by lightning and caught fire. The next two weeks were hard... some of the hardest days I had ever lived through at that point but in the end, we were ok. A lot of special treasures survived the fire. We survived the fire. The cats survived. I had renters insurance (it's so important! If you're renting you really NEED it!) that paid to pack up all our stuff, clean it, salvage what was salvageable and move it to our new apartment. I felt very, very blessed throughout that whole process. It was not easy but having renters insurance made it bearable. The fire is covered in blog posts that you can access by <b><span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://tighteningthecorsetagain.blogspot.com/2011/07/whiny-wednesday-what-unexpected-turn.html" target="_blank">clicking here</a></span></b> and <b><span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://tighteningthecorsetagain.blogspot.com/2011/07/ps-on-whole-fire-ordeal.html" target="_blank">here</a></span></b>.<br />
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Looking back at 2010, I was talking about losing weight and what was different for me in that weight loss effort than previously. You can read my posts <b><span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://tighteningthecorsetagain.blogspot.com/2010/07/weighing-in.html" target="_blank">here</a></span></b> and <b><span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://tighteningthecorsetagain.blogspot.com/2010/07/mondays-delicious-randomness-or.html" target="_blank">here</a></span></b> and <b><span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://tighteningthecorsetagain.blogspot.com/2010/07/my-frittata.html" target="_blank">here is a fabulous recipe for this really yummy frittata</a></span></b>. Now I need to make a frittata this week!<br />
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AND... the oldest blog post I have for this day is from 2009 when I had just had my wisdom teeth removed. It's short and sweet but if you'd like to read it (and your fabulous comments!) <b><span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://tighteningthecorsetagain.blogspot.com/2009/07/im-still-alive.html" target="_blank">you can click here. </a></span></b><br />
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Hope your 4th of July was amazing and I'd love to hear how you spent it this year... and what was your most memorable 4th of July?Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16177522637630437113noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2565064927448520692.post-41018425011809871472018-07-04T14:19:00.000-04:002018-07-04T14:19:23.240-04:00Apps I UseWhen Smartphones first came out I thought.. what do I need with a smartphone? People who know me know that I hate to talk on the phone. Hate it. If you need me, text me. You'll get an answer 99% of the time. Call me and... if I know who it is I might answer. I mean, I always answer when Marvin calls (that's a rare thing, he better appreciate it!). But my family mostly just sends me a text. SO... I didn't think there was any need to do more than absolutely necessary with my phone. For awhile I didn't even have a cellphone and people would just communicate with me via Facebook or my mom's phone. That became sort of inconvenient and my parents got me a very basic phone. But then... the grandbabies started coming and I knew I was going to want to be able to video chat with them so I took the smartphone plunge. I got the most basic smartphone with the smallest amount of storage possible because I had no concept of what I would do with it. It didn't take long for me to figure out I wanted MORE MORE MORE on my phone. There's literally an app for everything and soon my phone usage far outweighed my laptop usage. Once I upgraded to a phone with a lot of space on it, there was no turning back. You literally never see me without my phone. It's another appendage. I sleep with it right beside me. If the battery gets below 40% I get nervous. I use my phone constantly and almost always in place of my laptop. In fact, there are only two things that I absolutely have to use my laptop for - blogging and ancestry.com. Everything else I do on my phone.<br />
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So... I thought it might be fun to share with you the apps I use. I'd love for you to share your favorite apps with me (because I need MORE things to do with my phone!).<br />
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First and foremost in my phone usage are the basics - communication/contact with the outside world. I talk on the phone a lot more than I used to becasue Marvin and I talk twenty-eleven times a day. I also text back and forth with my kids, my sisters-in-law, Cosy's mama, Austin's girlfriend... and of course, Marvin. I keep in touch with my real life and cyber friends via <b>Facebook</b> and<b> Instagram</b>. If I had to pick only one app to use ever, it would be Instagram. I am addicted to Insta-Stories. I follow a lot of real life and cyber friends and I follow a lot of celebrities and other notable people. I get most of my news via Instagram. I love Instagram because it is more of what I love about Facebook (pictures) and less of the argumentative political bs. Not that those things aren't on Instagram... it's just in a smaller, less obtrusive manner.<br />
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I use <b>FaceTime</b> with Oliver and get to "see" him a couple of times a week. He goes about his business, bouncing on the furniture, playing, dancing around, etc, but he talks to me while he does it. Usually we talk in the evening while his mama is having time to herself and Cody is watching Oliver before bath and bedtime. Cosy and I use the video tool in <b>Facebook Messenger</b> to videochat with Marvin. He tried to talk to her on the phone last week and she got upset that she couldn't see him so he called right back in videochat. My sister-in-law in NYC is really good about posting pictures and videos of my nephew Finn to a family cloud so we can all see Finn living his best life. I use <b>Snapchat</b> very rarely and almost exclusively with Marvin. I just prefer Instagram.<br />
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In sort of a sub-topic, I take a lot of photos that I like to share by text, Instagram, Facebook, in the family photo groups for Oliver and Cosette and on my blog. I use my basic iPhone functions to edit most of my photos but I also like to use the <b>Prisma</b> app to get special effects for my photos. I use an app called <b>TouchNote</b> to create postcards to send via snailmail to people like my grandmother. Touchnote prints your photo on a postcard with the message and address that you provide. They provide the postage and mail it to your desired location at the cost of about $2 per postcard. To me, that's a great bargain. I also enjoy using the <b>Bitmoji</b> app to create emojis of myself that I use in texts (mostly to Marvin).<br />
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Since Trump was elected and the United States became such an angry, divisive place, I have almost completely stopped watching or reading the news. I just can't stand it. I can't handle all the spin and fake news and things that are taken out of context to present one political stance over another. Instead of following any American news sources, I go to the <b>Daily Mail</b> app from the UK. It's maybe two steps removed from the National Enquirer. It's a lot of celebrity news and it's often poorly written and I DON'T CARE. It's news-lite for me. I get the basic gist of what's happening in the world plus lots of news on the Royal Family and if there's ever a news topic that I feel like I need to get more information on, I will investigate via more serious, reputable news sources. For the most part though, the Daily Mail is all I need.<br />
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I have been working on learning Italian since the beginning of 2016. I really have no reasonable intention of traveling to Italy... I mean, if someone offers me a trip, I wouldn't turn it down but it's way beyond any budgetary possibility for me currently. It would be physically difficult for me but... it's just always been a place that interests me. Learning Italian is my way of keeping my brain from turning to mush. I'm not GREAT at it but I am able to follow a few Italian speaking Instagram accounts and understand most of what they're saying. I use the <b>Google Translate</b> app to help with words or phrases that I'm not sure about.<br />
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I've also started learning Spanish because Oliver is learning Spanish since his mama's family is Mexican. Since Oliver is learning Spanish at the same time he's learning English, he doesn't really differentiate between languages. In other words... he is as likely to say something in Spanish as he is English so Nana needs to understand a little Spanish. I primarily use the<b> Duolingo</b> app for my language learning. It's easy and user friendly and free (unless you want to use the premium program but I don't.) I also use the<b> Memrise</b> app for this and it is also user friendly and honestly... it is much more in depth than Duolingo. I had to get about six months into Italian before I was able to be consistent with the Memrise app but... they're both free and fun to use.<br />
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In the same category as "keeping my brain from turning to mush", I also use the <b>Lumosity</b> app. It gives you three different games to play each day that help with your memory, agility, problem solving, etc. Lumosity games can be hard but I guess that's sort of the point. My memory is really, really poor and I feel like Lumosity is helping improve it... or at least keeping it from getting worse. Marvin and I play a trivia game that I have mentioned here before - <b>HQ</b>. They have one or two live challenges every day where you answer questions to win a share of the jackpot for that particular game. Usually it's 12 questions and usually the jackpot is $5000 but it can be much higher and they sometimes ask fewer questions. On Fridays you are able to see your friends' answers - which helps a lot if you have smart friends. For many games Marvin and I play together either in person or over the phone. If you try the HQ app, sign up with my username, heathergant and I will get an extra life to use in a game. I have won the game twice for a grand total of $1.16 in winnings. Marvin has won three times and has gotten bigger prizes. I have a friend who has won over $300. So it can vary. I don't play for the winnings as much as I play for the fun of it and to challenge myself.<br />
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I also entertain myself by playing a few games that are just for fun. My favorites at the moment are <b>Gardenscapes, Fishdom </b>and <b>Farm Heroes Saga</b>. There is a <b>Sudoku</b> app that I play from time to time but I've gotten such a high score on it that it's practically impossible for me to beat it now... which is frustrating. I have an app called <b>Talking Tom </b>on my phone for Cosy. It's a cat that you can punch, tickle, feed... and he repeats what you say. She is really adept at navigating my phone and finding what she wants to play.<br />
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Cosy also really enjoys watching YouTube videos. Her current favorites are toy opening videos. She sometimes watches via the <b>YouTube</b> app on my phone. I also use the YouTube app via chromecast on Marvin's tv. When he's at work I watch YouTube videos.<br />
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Marvin and I play the Streak game on the <b>ESPN Fantasy</b> app. You pick who you think will win in various sporting events. Today you got to pick if the winner of the Coney Island Hot Dog eating contest would eat more than 70 hot dogs or not. I picked correctly. The next event I picked was the baseball game between Tampa Bay and Miami. Usually I'm clueless and it's just a blind guess but it's fun to compete with Marvin on it.<br />
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An app that is really helpful during the time I spend with Marvin is <b>Shazam</b>. You click a button and it will identify the song you're hearing and for most songs will give you the lyrics. This helps me because Marvin listens to a lot of music that I don't know... or don't know well enough to sing along to. I look up the song, sing along with the lyrics and it makes car-aoke a lot more fun!<br />
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I use other things like the <b>Waze</b> app to get directions (like a GPS). It also will let you know about traffic conditions along your route, things like if there is an accident or construction OR if perhaps you need to be careful about obeying the speed limit (wink,wink). I use the <b>Amazon </b>app for purchases and... I use the<b> Google</b> app to google/fact check/expand my knowledge on things.<br />
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I hope you enjoyed this summary of the apps I use... I'd love to hear what you're using. Comment below or on my blog link on Facebook. Hope you're having a fabulous Fourth. Marvin is napping / watching baseball. I'm about to join him in one or more of those activities. Love and hugs, y'all!<br />
<br />Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16177522637630437113noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2565064927448520692.post-90459934846458316712018-07-03T14:27:00.000-04:002018-07-03T14:27:08.817-04:00Out Of Sorts TuesdayIt's been an unusual Tuesday for me... I am still really kinked up in my back from doing too much on Saturday. Potty training with a girl who only wants to use the upstairs bathroom which means hauling butt up the stairs while carrying her... I am going to have to just let her climb the stairs herself instead of trying to tote her because it has me really struggling since then. Austin was supposed to work today but his boss wants him on antibiotics a bit longer since he works with food. Staph infection is pretty serious and highly contagious. I think he's doing a good deal better, he certainly feels better and isn't as exhausted as he has been. So we didn't have baby girl today, even though I miss her so much. If it was physically possible, I'd have her with me all the time because I enjoy her company. It's the same for her and Oliver... they're just really cool kids. I think every age is my favorite age with them and then they get a little older and I enjoy that next age even more!<br />
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I spent a good bit of time on the phone with the bank today. Somebody has been making charges against my account through iTunes. I don't have enough to share... so I had to file fraud charges and cancel my bank card... which is terribly inconvenient. Fortunately Austin was home and could run cash a check for me so I have a little money over the holiday. It still really stinks. The customer service person from the bank was kind and helpful and I always appreciate that. Any time you have to deal with someone over the phone about money it's a stressful situation, at least to me. I appreciate when the person on the other end of the phone is friendly. It makes a difference. Her name was Jewel and she really was one.<br />
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While working on my ancestry.com today I found that I am distantly related to Calvin Coolidge and James Garfield (Presidents of the U.S). On the same line there is a connection to the Bush's. I already knew there were connections to Grover Cleveland and the Roosevelts. These are all cousins, not direct ancestors but I still think it's fun to find those relationships. I've been told that we're all cousins, one way or another. I'm not sure if that's literal or figurative but, regardless, there's a lot of Presidential overlap in my ancestry. No word on Trump yet but I'll be sure to let you know.<br />
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I've been resting and watching tv all day. It has felt like the longest day ever! I'm so ready for my "weekend"... and glad that Marvin is off tomorrow night. I don't care if we sleep for the entire 48 hours... I probably said that yesterday too. I really don't mind what we do, I just enjoy hanging out with him. I'm always glad to see him and I'm always glad to go home and I think that's a pretty good place to be in life. Be content wherever you are. He's good company and he makes me laugh and I think that's about the best thing someone can do for you. I don't take it for granted. I spent a lot of years having to entertain myself... and I'm ok with that, I can do it, but it's nice to have someone to share things with. Date nights are fun!<br /><br />
Cosy's mommy got a new car yesterday. She's still nervous to drive to my house, as she had her wreck on the way home from here. It's not a really busy route, honestly. She just had the misfortune of coming past when someone was driving too fast and in her blind spot, I guess. She's lucky she wasn't hurt worse than she was. Poor Cosy, though, she's got a mom who is recovering from an accident and a dad who's fighting this staph infection and a Nana who is just in too much pain to be of much good to her at the moment. My blood pressure was high again this morning - back up to 157/103. I have been so careful with what I'm eating and drinking so much that I'm in the bathroom every twenty minutes. Didn't I say I was going to call the doctor last week? Then I dealt with the drama on getting my meds refilled and that took all my attention. I'll definitely have to give them a call this week.<br />
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Anyways... so I guess that's about it for the day. Is there anything you would like for me to blog about? Anything I can clarify for you or share my opinions on? I'm trying to be consistent with the blog but sometimes there's just not much to talk about here. Hope you have a happy and safe 4th of July! Thanks for stopping by!Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16177522637630437113noreply@blogger.com0