Being Close to Home is so Nice

For the past 15 years my family and I have lived outside Charleston, SC. It was 12hr drive from home. We could get here for an emergency and came for trips and vacations periodically but coming for birthdays, anniversaries, and other occasions because of the drive. Now we are only 3 hours away it is so nice! My own kids had moved away for Charleston, one went to the west coast, the other to NC. So the hubby and I moved back home or at least close to it. Last night we went to my nephew's 30th birthday, well actually he is my cousin's son but we have been close as sisters all our lives so he IS my nephew. I had a wonderful time seeing him celebrate his birthday. I spent an amazing time with my very best friend, my cousin, my sister. We have not been able to do that for so long because we moved away.
This weekend I get to spend time with my dad to celebrate his 71st birthday. I am very excited and so blessed to be able to move closer to home. SO now if I could only talk my children into moving here it would be perfect.

Hodge Podge

1. The NFL playoffs were held this past weekend and this year's Superbowl will feature the New York Giants versus The New England Patriots. How do you define 'patriot'?
A Patriot is someone who loves their country and stands up for the principles that make that country great.


2. What's something in your life right now that feels like a 'giant'?
Closing and moving into this new home


3. What's the first thing that comes to mind when you think back to being 18?
My grandfather died.  This stands out to me because it was my grandfather but also because it was a traumatic time in my life. I had a fight with my sister moved out of my mother and step-father's home and moved in with my dad. I was not a Christian yet and I remember sitting on my dad's steps crying and asking God to make him well. That did not happen; it led to a few years of heavy drinking and partying for me. Praise the Lord he brought me through it.

4. Coconut-mashed potatoes-vanilla ice cream-mayonnaise...which white food would be the hardest to give up? I really have no strong attachment to any. I do not make mashed potatoes because I make them very lumpy but I could eat my mom's, step mom's or anyone else's!


5. Describe an incident or a day you remember as being the coldest you've ever experienced.
I remember a Christmas must have been in the 80s it was so cold Christmas day our car froze up while we were visiting my grandmother. It was something like 20 below with wind chill.
And ahhh, it was pretty cold last week when it was 10!



6. You're hosting a brunch....what's your favorite dish to prepare and serve?
Potato casserole with cheese and cream cheese kinda like the Hash Brown Casserole from Cracker Barrel.

7. How do you combat negative thinking?

Walk away, do something else and ignore.

8. Insert your own random thought here. '

I have been thinking a lot lately about mission work. Especially children  in other countries who live in orphanages. I wish I could bring them all home with me. I have also been thinking how I could incorporate my future education into helping with this. Maybe a social work degree along with my nursing degree.

Simple Woman's Daybook for today

 

FOR TODAY


Outside my window... it is grey dreary and cold
I am thinking...a million things right now. Such as I have been suffering from bronchitis and a sinus infection to which I still have some lingering effects; so I am thinking will I be able to make it through a whole 12hr shift tomorrow? We are in the process of buying a house here in Ohio and selling one in SC so I am thinking about that. And on and on
I am thankful...for my family; they stick by me and support me even when I am unlovable


In the kitchen...there is quiet not much goes on there at least right now.


I am wearing...a big t-shirt my leggings up to my knees and my favorite purple sock slippers


I am creating...a blog don’t have much room here to create anything else


I am going...to Pittsburgh for the weekend to celebrate my dad’s birthday


I am wondering...will the house in South Carolina sell soon?

I am reading… A Confident heart by Renee Swope

I am hoping...everything goes well with our new house and we can move in by Valentines day

I am looking forward to...getting settled with all my own stuff again

I am learning…how to wait for God’s timing it is not easy but I am learning

Around the house...it is cluttered

I am pondering...how nice it will be to not be so cluttered

A favorite quote for today...I love you Me Maw by my grandson Ethan

One of my favorite things...skype!! I get to actually talk to and see my grandsons on the other side of the country

A few plans for the rest of the week: OCN review course (Oncology Nursing) for my certification coming up in March

A peek into my day...Today was just a very lazy day of resting, watching TV and computer time recovering from the crud I had

Me and my grandson Remy

Bronchitis and snow Yeah

Yeah! I have bronchitis. I woke up yesterday afternoon with my chest feeling a little congested. I went to work, even though I was an emotional wreck for no reason at all. I actually take a medication for panic attacks that I started having a few years ago. I have tried to stop taking the medication because I was told by my doctor it would be temporary but every time I tried to quit I had another attack! I ran out of the medication the day before we went to my son's house and thought I will only be off for two days no big whoop. Apparently there is a big whoop because  yesterday I could have cried for any number of reasons. It was snowing when I left for work this was a reason for me to cry. Traffic, slush, I spilled a little tea on my uniform on the way to work, all reasons to cry. I did get the medication in me last night thank goodness now maybe I can act normal again, then I find out I have bronchitis! I was supposed to go back to work tonight. When I was in the doctor's office this morning she ask me when did I go back to work. I told her tonight. She said "NO! not tonight I assume you need a work excuse." Which I got along with a z-pack and cough syrup with codeine.
I have not actually had a full blown case of bronchitis since I moved south. Well, there you go I am back in the north, it is winter and I have bronchitis! Nice!

Can't believe I missed my Hodge Podge

Can't believe I missed my Hodge Podge but I was driving from NC back to Ohio.  We had a whirlwind weekend to house in SC; to son's in NC and back home to Ohio. It was wonderful spending time with my son and his family. My grandson's are adorable if I don't say so myself! My husband and I spent the day with our grandson Asher, he is 3; his brother Nate is 1 and needs the structure of the day care schedule with mom. So we kept Asher for the day. We went to the playground. Asher loved it. He ran all over the place and when he was swinging on the swing being pushed by his pap something poohed on my hand! Yest that's right YUCK!!!! I ran to the car for my antibacterial scrub and bathed my hand in tons of alcohol!! Next we took him to Target to get his birthday gift and whatever else he wanted. (we are grand parents after all!) We had so much fun watching him as he excitedly went from toy to toy trying to decide what he wanted. 45 minutes later he decided on a dinosaur railroad with track. Lunch at Chick Filia and back to house for nap. Then dinner with family. It was a wonderful time. Then Wednesday we came over for breakfast with Chick Filia biscuits and Krispy Cream donuts. The boys loved the doughnuts! (of course they did) Both of them with sniffles and coughs; now Memaw, me has cough, post nasal drip and something going on . (I am gonna go to doc after work this morning).
Well Ethan had mono, Remy had a cold, Asher and Nate both have colds so OF COURSE I have something now. I could not go with out kissing on them.
Maybe if I am lucky the doctor will tell me tomorrow to get in bed and sleep and not come back to work tonight. (that sounds wonderful!!)

I'll get back in the groove with Hodge Podge next week.
Hope you all are feeling good and enjoying the cold weather!

Feeling Sorry for Myself but God said NO

I went to look at a house this morning with my husband. I was half a sleep after traveling all day yesterday and getting to bed at 3am. I looked at the house; he found a crack in the wall that could be foundational. I came home moping thinking here we go again. I went back to sleep because I had to come to work tonight. I woke up and was feeling sorry for my self. I kept thinking why is this happening? Why can't we find a place to live? Should we go back to SC?  I really do not want to go back right now I am liking being close to my dad. I went to the store to get some lunch stuff for hubby and I who were both working tonight. He wanted me to get some sandwich he found and liked. I could not find it. SO I got a different one. When I came home he said this is not the right one and like a crazy person I started to cry.  He asked me why I was crying and of course I did not know, so I made up some excuse then left for work. ( I had so many things going through my head, I miss my kids and grandkids already, I came home to the small apartment again, had to climb to the third floor, you don't like your sandwich, you might not like this house, how long can we do this, where are we gonna live.......)

I tried to call my daughter, she was not answering; I tried to call my step mom she was not answering. I kinda felt alone then a song came on the radio. God is God by Stephem Curtis Chapman.......the words are here http://www.christianlyricsonline.com/artists/steven-curtis-chapman/god-is-god.html
This was the first song I heard. The rest followed suit like He was talking to me and letting me know He has a plan that I can not see right now. As the words say God is God and I am not. I can only see part of the picture He's painting. God is God and I am man; SO I'll never understand it all For only God is God.
As I continued to listen to the words of the songs that played as if they were only playing for me I started to feel better.

Although, I do not understand I will pray for God to reveal His plan. I will contiue to pray we find a house and be happy and cheerful, try not to whine so much.

Hodge Podge time

1. Lake Superior University has once again published a list of words/phrases they think should be banished from the Queen's English in 2012-

amazing, baby bump, shared sacrifice, occupy, blowback, man cave, the new normal, pet parent, win the future, trickeration, ginormous, and thank you in advance.

Which of these words/phrases would you most like to see banished from everyday speech and why? Go here to read more about how the words are chosen.

Actually the one I hate the most is not on here "my bad" ooo! I hate that. Where did it come from?  Thank you in advance I do not like either this phrase has nothing to do with thanking you and everything to do with forcing you "nicely" to cooperate in what ever. What exactly is "the new normal"? Won't there always be something new that seems normal to us. In this politically correct world our words are twisted to mean whatever the person saying them wants them to mean. I could go on and on about this subject but I will spare you my comments on this for a possible later post.

2. Are you easily embarrassed?

My children can always embarrass me. But I do not think I am easy to embarrass otherwise. Although I do have to say as a mom of grown up with children it is always fun to "pay back a grown child" say by dancing with your grandson in a public place just because there is music playing! I love it!!

3. What is your go-to snack?

I love Zone protein  bars. The chocolate chip are the best my hubby even eats them now.

4. Have you ever been to Washington D.C.? If not do you have any desire to go? What site/attraction would you most want to see in that city? If you have been, what's your favorite site/attraction?

I was in Washington DC for one crazy lost weekend following my daughter around as she did concerts. OK, I will explain. My daughter's marching band was chosen to go to Washington DC in 2000 for a year of concerts the capital was doing honoring the states for the millennium.  What you didn't hear about it? Don't feel bad I don't think anybody did. Anyway being the good parent that I am, my son and I joined my mom and went to follow her around to be supportive and see the capitol. My dad told me a head of time that it was a hard place to drive around so we should ride the subway, I forget what it is called. We did once. her concert was in front of the Lincoln Memorial. We got the subway to Arlington Cemetery (because that is was closest to her). We had to go through the cemetery across a 4 lane highway to get to the Lincoln Memorial. We made it before the first song luckily. The next concert was somewhere I do not remember now but we had to take 2 subway trains and a bus to get to it. On the last bus someone stop up when the bus was moving and fell on her face so we missed that concert waiting for an ambulance. We did see a few sites, by the way did you know there are two Pennsylvania Avenues in DC? I found out on that trip cause we could not find the white house and ended up in a neighborhood where I thought we were in a episode of COPS and my son kept singing "Bad Boys, Bad Boys what ya gonna do". 

I have to say my favorite attraction that we did see was the tomb of the unknown changing of the guards, awesome! 

5. sit ups-planks-lunges-squats...which do you hate the least? 

I have to say I like sit ups the least. Used to be able to do a bunch. Don't know about now though.


 6. What small act of kindness were you shown that you never forgotten?

 When I was a new mom of twins, yes my kids are twins, I could very easily loose my mind when my son did not like to sleep and daughter had this lets just say loose stool problem. A wonderful lady who is my step-mom's best friend used to come and rescue me. It was actually during this time I excepted the Lord. She would come watch the kids and I would have Bible Study with another great lady who was a missionary from Bogota Columbia. I remember two random occasions when Nancy, the friend of step-mom, came once she told me Sandra, the missionary was not coming that day but she was taking the kids and I should go back to bed. I did not argue. Another occasion I opened my door in the morning and found dinner and a card from Nancy on my doorstep, Just because she said. I still keep in touch from time to time through my parents and when they are in town.

7. Have you ever been a blood donor?

Yes, only once. It was not good for me. I have AB positive blood which is only an AB positive person can use. My husband has liquid gold his is O+. He donated all the time for a while. 

8. Insert your own random thought here.

Spending time on the west coast with my daughter and family was wonderful!! I hated to leave but it was time.