Reasons I Am Not A Daily Blogger

So much for being a daily blogger. I'm doing much better than I was earlier in the year but I still sometimes can't manage to blog every day. There are more reasons than stars in the sky but I'll share a few of them with you today:

1. Sometimes I spend too much time with the three dimensional people to have time left over for the ones that live in my laptop. Honestly, any time I use any excuse that involves "not having enough time" the Heather from ten years ago wants to knock me cross-eyed because seriously... I have more free time in a day than that Heather used to have in a week. The Ten Years Ago Heather used to be much better at time management. Also... it didn't take her as long to move from place to place. #sadbuttrue  Yesterday I spent a long time on Facetime with Oliver which was delightful. We pretty much just make faces at each other and show each other different toys but it's communication and I'll take it. We had guests for dinner (I didn't spend a lot of time with them but I did give it a sociable nod). I conversed with the son who lives in my house. Real life interaction happened.

2. I had a doctor's appointment. Going to the pain doctor is great because they are so efficient. I know that if I arrive before my appointment time I will have paperwork, urine test, doctor visit completed and next appointment scheduled in approximately fifteen minutes. Yesterday was a grand exception to that I rule. I was there over an hour and every second was painful. They had me see the doctor instead of the PA for the second time in a row only because of a scheduling error. The regular doctor pushes procedures because... cha-ching... when the PA knows what I'm willing and not willing to do. There's a new diagnosis in the works that I've been alluding to here lately. It's an auto-immune situation but nobody knows for sure exactly what so we discussed that at great length. Next stop is the rheumatologist who, frankly, I think I should have started seeing five years ago but whatever. As my condition deteriorates they are putting pieces together so now things that were considered diagnosis' are really more symptoms of a bigger disorder. I'm not intentionally being vague... this is how vague it all is right now. I just keep compiling info and every doctor visit we get a little closer. It puts me in quite a pensive mood every time because I'm trying to remember what the doctors have said and figure out if there's something I'm forgetting to tell them. Takes up a lot of head space.

3. I'm still pretty charged up about Austin's employment situation. He broke a front tooth last week and needs a root canal just at the time he's getting smaller and smaller paychecks. I'm mad about things from the financial reality of ... if he doesn't have the money, it comes out of my account... but I'm also mad that the life lessons I've worked so hard to teach him are not coming to fruition because some jerk on a Napoleon trip doesn't like my kid. In his industry showing up to work every day, learning the jobs of everyone in your department and always doing your own job plus assisting everyone else should equal promotion or at least being able to keep your job. The manager of his store put Austin in a basket from day one and the more Austin proved him wrong, the more this guy fought to bring him down. As a parent it's infuriating and as long as Austin still works there, there's not much I can do. Once he has a new job... I'm going to be writing a lot of letters. I made it to the editorial page of the local newspaper over Austin before. I never set out to be an activist autism mom but sometimes you have to be a bit grizzly and I'm not afraid to do it. He's got to be working somewhere else first, though. A smaller paycheck is better than no paycheck. Austin doesn't do change well so it's going to be a process. This also takes up a lot of my head space.

4. Another reason I don't blog everyday is sometimes I get really absorbed in what's on tv. Or Netflix. This week it is The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. It's about a girl who is held hostage underground for fifteen years who is freed and moves to New York. It is HILARIOUS! It's so well written and stars just really funny people like Ellie Kemper - she was Erin on The Office. Last week I was obsessed with the Weather Channel and Call the Midwife. On Saturdays it's college football. I'm such a good couch potato I should get paid for it!

5. One thing I'm NOT watching on tv is too much election coverage. I just can't. I'm working hard at appreciating the diversity of my friends on Facebook and the fact that people are so deeply invested in the election process this time. My Facebook friends are split into three parts: I'm with her, I'm with him and I'm with neither. The two that are definitely one way or the other are so critical of the other decided third. The third that is so over it all are just as annoying with the constant "make it end" that I can't handle them either (even if I could possibly be sorted into that house). I will say this... the ones who are with her are becoming increasingly angered over things and increasingly insulting toward the other side of the aisle. My vote is and will always be over the same issue - abortion. The changes that will be made in the Supreme Court in the next 4-8 years are simply too important to get hung up over men who think with the lower brain and either act or don't act on it and the women who choose to defend them. My conviction is that ending a life is the greatest wrong that mankind can commit against mankind and the rights I feel compelled to protect are those of the unborn. That's who I am at the very core of my being and it's the single issue that trumps (no pun intended) all other issues for me. I can get all wound up about all the October Wiki-leak surprises but at the end of the day, in my heart, abortion is the greatest evil in our nation right now and it's the one that I feel most obligated to fight. I don't expect all of you to agree, in fact, I'm proud that I have a diverse spectrum of people who read my blog. God gives us each our own calling and we have to follow the path He guides us down. I don't feel obligated to insult you or attempt to change your mind. I respect your right to choose... the candidate you prefer. I will never support the right to choose to take the life of another living being.

I would continue with a few more reasons I don't blog every day but it's hard to continue past that last subject. I'm going to keep trying to blog every day but I'm pretty sure I'm going to miss a day here and there, it's inevitable. If you miss me... you can probably find me on Instagram or Facebook or somewhere floating around in cyberspace. If I'm awake, I'm probably online somewhere! I hope you're all well and that your week has started well. The weather here could not be more perfect and I'm happy as a lark in a big hoodie and sweatpants with a cool breeze blowing through the window. Tomorrow is Cosy day so if I'm not too tired, I'll come back here with a few pictures. If not, you'll see her on other social media. In the meantime... love and hugs, y'all!

Things I Would Do Different If I Was Parenting Now

What would I do differently if I was parenting now? Even the brief glimpse of my life that you get on my blog would convince you that I'm still very much in the thick of parenting... so when I say "if I was parenting now", what I mean is if I was starting over with a brand new person. These ones that I'm parenting now are already too far down the road messed up for me to fix things... just kidding... they're pretty amazing human beings and I think, given the resources I had, I did a pretty darn good job with them. All that being said... as a Monday morning quarterback... looking at THEIR youth in the rear view mirror, there are things I would do differently.

1. They would never play contact sports. We did it all... soccer, football, baseball... even a season or two of basketball... and a lot of that was a huge contributor to who they are as human beings today. Cody was my athlete. I always assume everyone knows that but many of you weren't around for that time of my life. He genuinely loved playing sports and was really good at many things. He was small for his age. He didn't really get his growth spurt until he married into Marquee's family. It might have something to do with him getting fed really good food once he married Marquee but have you seen her? She's a tiny little sample of a person. Anyways... football especially was a really rough game and so much more dangerous than I really understood at that time in my life. Cody played baseball all the way through high school but he gave up football in middle school because he was just too small and kept getting hurt. Ryan had bad asthma and didn't have the lungs/interest in playing sports much past... *bad mother alert* I can't even remember when he stopped playing sports, to be quite honest. Austin played a few seasons of baseball, football and even soccer but he didn't care for any of it ever. Now all that being said... the one really bad injury any of them got playing sports was the concussion Cody got when he was playing baseball against a really aggressive team. He took a knee to the head while pitching... someone was sliding into home and he was trying to tag them out and the kid came in with his knee up. Cody is the one of mine that suffers the most head and neck pain as an adult and I think it has a lot to do with sports. And a little to do with him driving the car into the house when he was 15 but that's another story...

2. Another thing I would do differently if I was starting over again as a parent is pay more attention to nutrition. I fed my kids enough food and I think... I'm pretty sure... I gave them a healthy appreciation for food. They're good cooks... two of them are really good cooks (I'll never say which two!). They are adventurous eaters. But I wish I had taught them more about nutrition. I didn't KNOW as much about nutrition when they were young and what I've learned I've passed on. I'm certainly more concerned with what I feed my grandchildren... margarine will never pass their lips in my presence! I just wish I could have been more consistent with eating for good health instead of "getting something in their belly before we have to be at ball practice/dance class/etc".

3. I would have traveled more with them. Obviously, single parenting for a large part of their childhoods made it difficult for me to afford to travel but still... I really regret not having made those memories with them. It's not that we never went anywhere... and we did make a lot of great memories just in our basic, every day life. But I wish I had those "Disney World" moments to look back on. I tell them now, that even if it stretches their budget, travel as much as you can when you're young. I always thought I would travel once my nest was empty but honestly... by the time they were old enough for me to just jet off wherever I wanted I was no longer healthy enough to enjoy travel. They did have a lot of opportunities in our "village" to travel. Cody went to Detroit with his friend George one Summer. Ryan traveled all over the place with a friend of mine who had an organ business. That's how Ryan ended up in New Orleans two days before Katrina hit when he was only 18. Austin had one Summer in Florida with his dad but for the most part, we were homebodies.

4. We would have attended church more. We went. We were quite steadily involved for the first part of their lives but once I was a single, full time working mom and they had tons of extra-curricular activities, a lot of times it was hard to squeeze out more energy to attend church 2 or 3 times a week (as I did growing up). I don't feel like I gave them as much of a spiritual foundation as my parents gave me and I regret that. Life is hard. I won't always be here. I want them to have a closer relationship to God and I want to know that my grandchildren have that same spiritual connection. It was hard to go after I was divorced from their dad. I felt... left out... odd... like a woman with a scarlet A. When Austin and I moved up here to White County after we left Florida we did attend church pretty regularly at first. Then my health began to decline and I became discouraged. SO many times I would feel so alone in church. People were lovely to me... I made a lot of friends at church... but there were many gaps in time where I just felt odd/out of place/alone/uncoupled because I was surrounded by families and I was just a mom with a nearly grown son who didn't want to hang out with me. Now I'm embarrassed because I feel like people can't really know and appreciate my my disability and I just look like a major slacker because I am "home-churched". Tasha takes Cosette to her church and I'm glad for that. I want my babies to know Jesus and to understand the faith of our family and have that as a rock to build their lives on.

5. If I had it to do over, I would have become more involved in the things that interest my children... those video games they play..... I wish I had sat with them and watched them play and been able to conversate with them about the challenges in their favorite game. I wish I had read the Harry Potter books with them and seen the movies with them. I would have liked to have more time to volunteer in their schools and gone on more field trips. My job didn't allow room for a lot of that. We did have a lot of guys hanging around out house while my kids were growing up... I've got at least a half dozen guys who would greet me as "MoM!" - who are not my birth children and it means the world to me. I barely felt I had enough of me to go around to my own natural born but yet you just can't help but mother them when they're in your house.

I'd love to hear what things you would do differently if you were starting over as a new parent... I always joke that people do their best parenting before they have children. Now lately I think it's more likely that you do much better parenting as a grandparent with some time and experience under your belt. The hard part is not being Granny Buttinski and letting your kids figure out what kind of parents they want to be!

Yesterday I spent the day watching football and trying to get comfortable (never happened). This morning I woke up still feeling as miserable as the day before and decided to just go back to sleep. I never do this but today... I did. I slept until almost 9am and the extra sleep helped. I'm still in quite a bit of pain and can't decide if it's just my "new normal" or if it's part of some sort of flare that will get better but pain definitely takes a toll on your energy level. I took Austin to work and went inside the store to pick up a few things. I ran into the lady that runs the Amish bakery... which isn't really Amish. Can't go anywhere without seeing someone you know around here!

Once I got to our neighborhood a little dog ran out in front of my car. I stopped in time but the dog wouldn't move from in front of the car. He was followed by a little boy of maybe 7 years old who was red faced and in tears trying to catch the little dog. I asked if he needed help and he said yes. I opened the car door and the dog jumped in my arms. I didn't want to ask the little boy to get in the car because it's never a good idea for a child to get the idea that it's ok to get in a stranger's car. Obviously I wouldn't harm the child but I didn't want him to get the impression that anyone else would be ok because I was ok. I rolled up the windows and locked up my car and started to walk him home holding the dog for him. I soon realized that he lived way up a steep hill and there was no way I could walk that far, especially holding a dog. I asked how much further and he said it was a long way still. He said, "I'm pretty sure I can hold him" and since the boy and the dog had both calmed down quite a bit, I handed the dog to him. As I got to my car I noticed someone had met him on the road and was coming to help so I feel certain that they made it home ok. What drama for our little neighborhood on a Sunday morning!

My candles are burning.... I'm watching a Call The Midwife marathon on PBS. I'm having a very chilled Sunday. Tomorrow I go to the pain doctor and I've got to get Austin in to see a dentist because he broke a tooth... better take advantage of the break today. Hope your weekend is going well! Love and hugs, y'all!

Update On Hurricane Matthew Mom Angst

Happy Friday! I'm still migraining it but it is nowhere near as bad as it was. I no longer feel like I'm going to toss my cookies. I can focus on words without my head spinning. The knife in my temple has become less intense. It's getting better.

My Disney Storm Warriors have all come home - Cody and Marquee came home, got home around midnight. My brother and sister-in-law also got home around the same time so I'm not stressing over my people being in Orlando - and that helps! I am, of course, worried about friends who are still in the path and praying for everyone facing this crazy storm. I think South Carolina is looking to have more damage than they thought yesterday so I'm back to semi-worrying about Ryan and Sara in Myrtle Beach but they're young and resourceful and don't have any babies with them so I'm not AS worried as I was about Oliver being in Disney and not having power or food, etc. Or my nieces experiencing the horror of a natural disaster. I'm much better when I'm not in Jewish-mother mode.

Cody sent me a video of a Tupac song about his mom and how she always was there for him and all and I was like... "are you trying to make me cry?" because... seriously... I was emotional all day between the migraine and worrying over everybody. When Cody texted and told me they were turning around I broke down. The only reply I gave him was, "whew". It was like the weight of the world was lifted off of my shoulders. I was also having a major autoimmune flare. My cheeks were so red and hot that they were almost purple. I kept holding cold things against my face to try to make it not burn so much - like a can of San Pellagrino. (it's a fizzy flavored water).

In other news... did you know Tori Spelling is pregnant with her fifth kid? She almost died from placenta previa with the last one. I think (but don't quote me on it) that there's a higher chance of those kind of issues once you've had them before but. I don't really have an opinion on her having another baby I'm just surprised that she is.

A vlogger that I watch is also pregnant. She announced it yesterday by showing her already huge bump, which I thought was amusing.

I've watched the weather channel nonstop for the past 36 hours so... forgive me if there's nothing all that interesting to blog about. I'm trying.

I've invented a new keurig drink. I took a chai tea k-cup and mixed it with a packet of the hot apple cider mix and it was really tasty. I also mixed a cappuccino k-cup and added a packet of hot chocolate and it was also quite nice.

My mom and I have been sharing dog-watching duties for Cody's dog Sammy. He's a long haired black dachshund. He and Oscar tend to have little competitions over marking their territory when they're together so we figured out if Sammy stays with me during the day and with Mawmaw at night, there is less marking and less barking. He is whining a bit right now but I think that's more from missing his mama and daddy than it is from missing Oscar. The cats are not in agreement with this arrangement. They keep giving me these looks that seem to say, "what fresh hell is this that you've subjected us to?" And I just laugh. They have such a rough life.... all sprawled out on the screened porch lounging the day away.

I forgot to share this little funny story that happened with Cosette when she was with us on Wednesday. Little Kitty has one of those cat scratching posts with a little perch for him to rest on. He reached his front paws against the scratching post and arched his tail end into the air and gave a good stretch. Cosy was watching and when he went away she tried to get in the same position with her own little tail in the air! It was so funny! I asked if her she was a kitty-cat and she looked embarrassed.

The photos in this blog are from Wednesday. Cosette was slooooowly warming up to Uncle Cody. She used to scream hysterically if he got close. Then she went through a phase of going all spider monkey and climbing up whoever was holding her if he came near. She does this for most men, it's nothing against Cody. Finally she will give him the occasional smile and not freak out if he gets close while someone else is holding her. The last picture is her actually letting him be right beside her. No smile... she's very reserved about it... but we're getting there! I cropped myself out of the photo... I'm actually holding her.

Anyways. That's life here in Mom-Angst Central while I obsessively monitor Hurricane Matthew for any potential harm toward my babies. Even if my baby in Myrtle Beach will be 30 next month. You never stop worrying about them. Hope you all are safe, dry and not in harm's way! Love and hugs, y'all!

About Hurricanes

I've been fighting a migraine since last night so this may not make sense or there may be spelling errors. Just know that I probably know the right way to spell whatever I spelled wrong but my head hurts too much to remember it. I have been up since 2am. One of my blog readers says I'm funnier when I'm tired... probably because my natural sarcasm peeks through in that case. At any rate...

I'm obsessing over Hurricane Matthew. I was worried about Ryan and Sara in Myrtle Beach but now it looks like the storm will make an Eastern turn before it gets to them so they won't get as strong of a hit. They also have obtained a generator and that helps. So they're staying put.

Cody and Marquee and Oliver are headed to Disney though so I'm worried about a different kid. "To have a baby is to forever have your heart go walking around outside of your body". That's even more true with your grandchildren! I've been sending Cody texts all day saying things like, "take lots of food and water". I'm sure it's annoying but it's like I always tell Austin, if I say it I've given a disclaimer and then I won't have to feel guilty if things go badly because... I told you.

The first hurricane I ever obsessed on was Hurricane Andrew which hit on Ryan's first day of kindergarten. I was off work that day which gave me lots of time to obsessively watch the weather channel... or whatever we had back then. I can remember talking to clients in that area in the days and weeks afterwards and feeling so bad for how rough things were.

The next hurricane I obsessed over was Hurricane Katrina. Ryan was in New Orleans two days before Katrina hit. I remember being so frustrated at the people who stayed. It's like... a tornado, you only have a moment's warning... an earthquake you have no warning... but a hurricane is the natural disaster you have time to prepare for. I understand that it's a hard decision to leave... and for some people it's not possible. I just remember watching all those people in the Superdome thinking... NO! Get out of there!

Anyways. My brief time of living in Florida made me understand storm preparation on a different level. We had to attend a seminar at the local State F arm district office at the beginning of the Summer to learn how to respond in the event of a hurricane. It was very detailed preparation and I was surprised how much went into it.

While I was still living there we had a tropical storm hit and it was the most terrifying weather event of my life. We weren't prepared, didn't have weather radios, etc and of course, didn't have smart phones back then. You knew there was a storm raging but you didn't know how bad it was and once the power went out it was so scary! I went back to work the next day and there were something like 30 homeowners claims in just our one little office just in that first day. Usually you might have one or two homeowners claims a month for that size office. I think about that same area - Jacksonville - being hit by at Category 4 hurricane and I can't even imagine staying through that... roofs being ripped off, water rising, etc.

I guess you could say I have a healthy/maybe not so healthy fascination with that kind of weather event. This is partially why I have been awake since 2am. The headache that keeps coming back is the other reason but it's not unusual for me to get a migraine with weather changes. I know that hurricane is a long, long way from me but it makes a difference.

I didn't blog yesterday because it was Cosy day. I had a rough night Tuesday night too. I had fallen back to sleep when Austin came downstairs and said, "let's go get Cosy". So we did. I posted a bunch of pictures on Facebook. She was as adorable as ever. Uncle Cody came up to bring Sammy the dog for us to watch him while they're out of town so she got to see him. She still won't let him hold her (she flirts but she won't let any men other than her daddy or her grandpa hold her) but she did smile at him. I got a few pictures of them together. I'll post them later.

I have a nephew named Matthew. He is the sweetest, mildest young gentleman... it's a nice name. I wonder if this will be the kind of storm that is bad enough that they take the name out of hurricane rotation.

I guess that's all for now. Hope you're having a good Thursday. Stay safe and dry! Love and hugs, y'all!

News Day Tuesday

Well, I see we all made it through another Monday. Mine was long and painful but... I'm still here so, there's that! I got started rewatching the last season of Call The Midwife while working on my family tree which kept me entertained but didn't keep my mind of the things that were hurting. Today I'm on call for picking up Austin so I'm having to just breathe through the pain so that I'm alert enough to drive. There is definitely a connection between bad weather on the way and my pain levels. My piriformis nerve is inflamed - which is literally a pain in the butt - and my shoulders are both hurting. My back hurts so bad that the slightest movement takes my breath away. It is just all kinds of fun being me right now, even with the great smelling candle and the awesome peach iced tea.

I wasn't sure I would have anything newsworthy to blog about today and I hate writing blogs where all I do is tell you how much pain I'm in because... nobody wants to read that, do they? It's News Day Tuesday and I wanted to have some real news to talk about. I just can't watch the news right now. I am so sick of the election coverage that I can't even stand to watch The Five and I love The Five! At this point it's just angry people on both sides being angry at the people on the other side and not giving any suggestions for improving life for anyone. I'm not on either side which makes me either angry at everyone - or no one, depending on my mood. Right now it's everyone. I've dreaded another Clinton presidency since the last Clinton presidency and I'm convinced that no matter what, it's going to happen. I just can't listen to that shrill voice another minute. I'm so sick of the hypocrisy... because seriously, Hill, you mean to tell me that you and Bill pay more taxes than you have to? I don't think so. At least Trump is earning and losing his own money without having to sell his government connections to make a living. Every time I mention either candidate I offend somebody in my life and there is enough about me to be offended by without bringing politics into it. I won't be watching the news for the next eight years, at least, so y'all let me know what happens. Although I might watch the debate tonight because I do find Mike Pence interesting and I think he might actually discuss policies and not politics.

But despite avoiding the mainstream media, I am keeping a close eye on the weather. I haven't sat in an insurance office in three years and I'm still addicted to risk management. I texted my kid yesterday saying, "come home this weekend".  I said something along the line of "don't let money be the reason you stay in harm's way." He got out of New Orleans just two days before Katrina. He was a teenager then and I'm no less worried. Also worrying about my friends in Virginia... we've got enough room to sleep six or seven more people on beds and couches and we've got a couple of air mattresses. We've even got a porch swing that converts to a bed so... y'all come on West to dry land.

There are two pieces of news-ish items that I wanted to share. The first is from our local Facebook page. We get the tv news out of Atlanta around here but it really has nothing to do with our part of the state usually. There's a local newspaper that comes out once a week so it's always about a week behind. The way you keep up on the news here is by watching the local Facebook community groups. The big news today? Somebody's goat is in town and they're looking for the owner. I love living here! This is the picture of the actual goat in town. He obviously belongs to someone because he has a collar... although I will admit that I didn't know goats wore collars. So much still to learn about rural life!

The other news item that I wanted to share is regarding national healthcare. We got some mail addressed to Cosette this week that is from her health insurance. I am pretty sure she's on medicaid but it's called something else. Anyways... there was a newsletter that came addressed to her and since it was a newsletter and not an actual envelope I opened it up and flipped through it. I was surprised to find a chart describing the rewards program for taking your kid to their checkups. So .... not only are you getting free healthcare, if you go to all your prenatal visits, for instance, you get a VISA gift card for $20. If you go to both prenatal and postnatal, you get another $30 prepaid VISA gift card PLUS a stroller or a playpen. If you take your baby to all of their checkups in their first 15 months you get a gift card for $60. So... doing the math here... you get pregnant and you get all your healthcare AND the baby's healthcare for free PLUS you profit $110 and a stroller or a playpen. This made my head explode!

Now... I understand that they're trying to make sure that babies get a healthy start and that they get all their immunizations. I understand that the costs of preventing illness is a lot less than the cost of treating an illness. What I don't understand is this concept of having to bribe people into accepting the free health care that is provided for themselves and their child. While I was waiting for my disability to be approved I was without health insurance. I was so grateful to be admitted to a local health clinic to be able to obtain my blood pressure meds that I happily did whatever they asked me to do. Those visits were not fun because there was always a wait but I knew that it was in my best interest to go to those visits. I thanked the volunteers every time I was there. I can't imagine them having to give me some financial incentive to come... I wanted to live so I went to my appointments. Even as a young mother I can't imagine someone having to pay me to make sure my children got the healthcare they needed. And honestly... if someone is so worthless that they can't be bothered to take their kid for their checkups they don't need to be having children. Just think of all the people who are just slightly above the income limits for these programs who might possibly be included if we weren't rewarding people for doing the things they ought to be doing in the first place! It makes me sick knowing that the working poor are getting fined for not being able to afford healthcare and the ones on medicaid are getting their pockets lined just for showing up! ARGH!

The program doesn't end with just babies. It goes on all the way through... including rewarding women for having their yearly exam and mammogram! You can make fifty bucks a year just by doing those things! HOW MANY MORE WOMEN could they treat every year if they didn't reward these women for doing the right thing? It makes me so angry. It's the epitome of the "Nanny State". If people don't care enough about themselves to accept and be grateful for the free healthcare they're receiving, I say, leave them to natural selection. If you're too lazy to go... you get what you get.

I'm grateful that Cosette has medicaid. Of course, even if she didn't we would make sure that she got proper healthcare. But I guarantee you Tasha needed absolutely no incentive to make sure Cosy went to all of her doctors appointments!

I'm interested in your feedback on this issue. Should people who are receiving free healthcare have to be bribed to accept it? Am I a big old insensitive meany that doesn't understand why people should be rewarded for doing the right thing... you know, with a reward besides just being able to survive? Let me know what you think...

And I guess I'll end my weekly news broadcast there. Hope your week is going well and that you're making careful plans to avoid any bad weather! (Hint, hint, three day supply of water, food and medicine... or come home... that's all I'm saying...). Love and hugs and go find your goats, y'all!

Reasons To Love Monday

This is from last week but it just makes me grin!

Happy Monday, y'all! Another week looms large ahead of us. I'm enjoying the brief hiatus of pain that happens when my pain meds are at the peak efficiency so I thought it would be a good time to find Reasons To Love Monday!!

1. The last week has been rough for Austin but he has enjoyed having a little less stress on him since his job duties have changed. It still stinks that he hasn't reaped the rewards of his hard work but... his attitude is good and we're hopeful that good things will come of this. Every challenge you face in life presents an opportunity to see what God has worked out to your benefit. We are believing in good things ahead. And honestly... this kid has had such a rough year... our family has had such a rough year... it helps keep things in perspective. We got this. He has lost a massive amount of weight this year, though which makes me want to feed him constantly.

2. Speaking of... Austin did his Jury Duty today. The case was involving something with State Farm so he was dismissed right away... ironically... not because I worked for State Farm but just because I have a State Farm policy. It's weird how all of that works out. I was glad it was over quickly because I was in a lot of pain this morning and I wanted to have him home so I could be settled in for the day as soon as possible.

3. You know how my Favorite Things were mostly food? My RTLM are also a lot about food. That's my vice, y'all. On Saturday I stopped by the local Amish bakery (which is really run by German Baptists but that's not the point). I picked up a batch of pecan rolls and some wedding cookies. I have enjoyed those pecan rolls for breakfast for the past three days and believe me, that is a great way to start your week! Not healthy but... really yummy!

4. Another good thing from the bakery that isn't food... The sweet lady who manages the place has known us since we moved here 8 years ago. She asked about my kids and grandkids and I shared some of the stress that we've been going through with Austin's work. I just love living in a town where people not only recognize you but actually remember your family and circumstances. That happened on Saturday but it's a RTLM because I still live in the same town today. HA!

5. It's not MY reason to love this week but in a way it is. Cody and Marquee and Oliver are going to Disney this weekend and I am so excited for them! They went last October and Oliver was just too small to get anything out of it. This year it's going to be so much fun for him. I can't wait to see pictures (and of course, I'll share what I can!). We'll be watching Sammy the dog this weekend so that should be fun. Right? Some other family members are also going to be in Disney at the same time and I'll tell you more about that next week. I wish I could do Disney. My body could not handle the trip, never mind all the walking or getting on any ride but I love living vicariously through Oliver!

6. This hurricane out there... y'all... my kid is in Myrtle Beach and my brother's family is up in New York. I have friends all along the Eastern coast so of course, we want Matthew to head as far to the east as possible. Believe it or not... even though it's several days and hundreds of miles away, I can already feel the change in the atmosphere. I'm really struggling to find a comfortable position. I didn't blog yesterday because I just felt so icky. How to turn this into a Reason To Love? Hmmm.... well, I'm glad that my duties for the day are done and as always, I'm grateful that my disability was approved because I cannot begin to imagine what life would be like if I was trying to work through days like this. Happy to be in my nest.

7. I made a little Walmart run yesterday which turned into a bigger Walmart run than I had meant for it to be. I got some new socks... a new bra... new Christmas lights for my dark hallway that doesn't have an electrical outlet. I slowly browsed the Christmas section. I did a lot more walking than I should have and I was really miserable by the time I got in the car but... a little retail therapy is always fun. And today... since he was released from Jury Duty early, Austin hung my new lights for me. Yay! To be clear... these lights aren't being used as Christmas decor... they're to light my dark hallway. But I am burning one of my Christmas-y scent candles right now and I don't even care that it's too early.

Ok... meds are wearing off and I'm randomly itching from head to toe which is usually an indication that an autoimmune flare is on the way. My life is so much fun! I've popped a benadryl and opened up a can of San Pellegrino - it's like a carbonated flavored water. Going to enter into major chill mode for the rest of my Monday. Hope YOUR Monday is going well and I hope you find many Reasons To Love Monday yourself! Love and hugs, y'all!

October Favorite Things

Since there is a bit of a nip in the air and the leaves are beginning to turn... I thought I'd share with you some of the things I'm enjoying this Fall. I've even included some links for you to check things out further. This is not sponsored (but gosh, it should be!) these are just things that make me happy.

First on my list is the word "autumnal". I get really irritated when people say, "autumnish" or "autumny" or "fall-like" because we have this amazing word "autumnal" that just rolls of the tongue so beautifully! I challenge you to incorporate it into your vocabulary today. It makes you sound really smart! Obviously I also enjoy all the autumnal things that are happening like the weather getting cooler and the aforementioned changing of the leaves... but having a perfect way to describe them is also tops in my book!

Most of my likes are food because I am not a person of many vices so forgive me if there are a lot of food related favorites. One thing I'm really enjoying is Oscar Mayer's P3 Portable Protein Pack. I have a hard time preparing food. Usually by the time I've put a meal together, my pain level is too high for me to enjoy it. Or... if I'm busy, like on a Daddy/Cosy day, it's hard for me to eat much because pain + food = seeing the food a second time. What works best for me is having a tiny little bit of protein to keep my energy up. Most portable food is carb-ish (carb-tumnal?) so I am happy when I find easily accessible protein that I enjoy. These little guys are yummy and cheap - about $1.50 each at Walmart. Of course there are times that I want something more substantial like a big, juicy steak but for the other 99% of the time, these are perfect. My mom can eat them because they're lower carb so they don't mess with her blood sugar too much.

Another quick pick me up are the Shoreline Fruit dried cherries that we got in the food giveaway that our church does every month. Pop works the giveaway and the workers get the leftover food so that it doesn't go to waste. We got these huge bags of dried cherries about a month ago and they were so YUMMY that I had to do some research to find out how to replace them when we run out! I throw them into my oatmeal while it's cooking and they plump up. It tastes like cherry pie oatmeal! I also just eat them by the handful when I need a bite of something sweet.

Along the same line... one of my go-to foods for Cosette is the Brother's freeze dried apples. She insists on feeding herself and since we don't have a high chair that can be a messy proposition. These little bags of apples are very light and easy for her to carry. They taste good (I eat them almost every day myself) and they're real fruit without junk added to it. Each little bag is two servings of fruit which is a huge amount to get into a toddler belly. Cosy eats the plain apples - they also have cinnamon flavored apples but that's not toddler friendly. This week she also tried strawberry and banana and seemed to like them just as much.

Honorable Mentions in Favorite Foods: My trusty PSLs - pumpkin spice latte's from Starbucks. I know they're probably made of squash and not pumpkin. I know you can make your own at home for cheaper. I know... all the anti-PSL things but for me, it's a lovely treat once a week or so. Also, still loving the Gold Peak Peach Tea. These ARE a Starbucks replacement for me - replacing the peach black tea or the mango green tea that I usually buy at Starbucks in the non-PSL parts of the year. I can get a gallon of Gold Peak for the same price as a trente sized Starbucks tea. Cons - must provide my own ice and cup, affordability and availability results in overindulging but... I love my peach tea. Cosette's favorite protein is string mozzarella cheese. We buy the kind in Frozen packaging because - marketing.

In non-food favorite things - first on the list is my Otterbox phone protector. I have an iPhone 6s - with no plans to upgrade any time soon. I also have two tech-savvy grandtoddlers who love phones. Because I am an indulgent Nana, I am generally willing to allow the babies to have access to pretty much anything that is not harmful to them, including and not limited to my phone and digital camera. This means that my phone needs as much protection as humanly possible. I was using an Otterbox Commuter Series cover but the phone got dropped and it chipped a tiny piece of the Otterbox - not the phone - right by the camera lens. I got on the internet ASAP and bought a replacement and upgraded to the tougher Otterbox Defender Series. When I got the first cover there weren't little hands on my phone and I only had to protect against my own clumsiness (and the cat's vindictive tendencies to toss things off of my end-table). I chose pink with a blue interior for my cover and I love it! When the phone hits the ground I don't even blink! We have paid about $40 for the cover in Walmart (for Austin's) but I found my replacement on Amazon last week for $20! Maybe because of the iPhone 7 being out? Not sure.

Other favorite things right now... Florida State Football - and college football in general. It just makes it FEEL autumnal to sit and watch football on tv. I'm also loving the Disney Emoji Blitz app which lets you earn Disney emojis for your phone by playing the game. I'm obsessed. I found out this week that I wasn't even using all the features of the game (so technologically deficient) so now it's waaaay more fun than it was before! Cody and Marquee and Sarabeth and Jamie are all also playing the game so it's fun to compare emojis. I started watching the New Girl tv series on Netflix this week and I'm finding it a light-hearted distraction. Not the best thing I've ever seen but it beats the heck out of 24 hours a day of election coverage.

Wow! SO MANY THINGS! And I could honestly easily name another dozen things I'm loving right now! I'm interested in knowing what your current obsessions are... my mom is into the adult coloring books and has amassed quite a collection. My dad continues to be all about golf. Austin ... hmmm... not sure what he's into right now. Staying employed, I guess. Leave me a comment on here or on Facebook and share your favorite things with me! Love and hugs y'all!