georgia

georgia is my mini schnauzer that has been the puppy love of my life for the past 10 years. she was not liked by everyone because she was not the friendliest dog and was so darn "vocal". our georgia died last Wednesday at the ER vet. she had been sick for several months and was just not her self anymore. you could tell she didn't feel good and that something serious was wrong.
i miss her terribly, but i'm so glad we got another puppy to help fill the void of losing two of our puppy dogs this year.
it's strange to be so attached to something that is not human. you feel like an idiot, crying over losing a pet, but they become such a part of the family that the mourning just comes.
i know i'll be just as sad when we lose "white dog" and the new puppy - but hopefully that will be a few years down the road.

Would you believe...

Would you believe... that White Dog had a puppy????

Would you believe.... thatI bought this baby from a lady at Wal-Mart???

Taking names - please help me name her!!!! I wanted Ava, but I was out-voted by the men in the house.

Happy Anniversary Baby!

I've got chu on my mi...hind! I love this man! He has put up with me and my shannagins for 34 years. He is the most patient person I know. Nothing ever shakes him. Nothing comes along that he can't see some blue sky somewhere. I am the luckiest woman in the world to have snagged him so many years ago. Please shoot him an email at richardherren@hotmail.com and let him know that his wife loves him very much. I want his mail box filled up ladies! Thanks!

a simple Christmas

With money being tight for everyone this year, our family has decided not to exchange gifts. It's really given me time to focus more on others that are less fortunate than us. Last night I went shopping with the girls to buy clothes, etc, for Lisa B. Lisa was on the wish tree at HealthSouth and is sponsored by Gateway. I hope she will love the clothes, makeup and jewelry we bought her. She's 15 years old so we really could have used a young chick's perspective! I think we did alright despite our handicap.

I've also been told about this couple that just found out that daddy's cancer is back and it doesn't look too good. My heart melted and I had to send them a little something. They are Christians so there is assurance of eternal life, but they are so young and just starting their family. I want to see them grow old together.

Happy Friday all!

Dang! I still look like Lucy Ricardo!

I've colored it again with a light golden brown and I still get firetruck RED!
Tonight or tomorrow I'm going to add some highlights to the madness to see if that will give me neon orange stripes!

Girls just wanna have fun! Right?

Lucy Ricardo is alive!

Ok, it's not really Lucy, but gosh my hair is RED now! This is what happens when you go shopping for hair color with your gorgeous, naturally red-headed daughter! There is no way to have her color! I will have to color over this, but I just needed to document so I won't forget that I can't be a natural looking red-head! Back to Wal-Mart for me...

Interview tomorrow!

Got a call to interview with Protective Life Corp tomorrow morning at 9:30. I hope it works out that we like each other. I'm so tired of looking. Looking for work has been more than a full time job and so frustrating! As Christa would say - maybe I'll get a Thanksgiving miracle! Whoot whoot!

UPDATE - Interview went well. They are looking to hire someone in January. They will get back with me next week to let me know what the next step will be.

Ab and I went to see Twilight yesterday afternoon. It was good, but didn't seem as intense as the book. I was disappointed in the heavy white make-up that Carlisle and Jasper wore. It was fun though and I'd probably go see it again, just because. The best part was when I had to break for the restroom. I came back and couldn't find where I was sitting before!!! It was hilarious! I couldn't see a thing - only shapes of people staring at me! I knew somewhere Abby was laughing her head off at me! I finally just sat to the side and some nice young man came and escorted me to my correct seat! That just proves that I should be eligible for a senior discount! Gotta love old people - they are so funny.

tomorrow I'm fully severed!

tomorrow will be my final severance payment from DHC. YIKES! i'm still applying for everything, but no luck yet. when i do finally get back to work, i'm going to be really tired! i'm like a baby with my days and nights mixed up! i think i'm driving the hubs crazy with the hours that i'm keeping. i'm not sleeping any during the day, but i seem to be able to stay up really late. i'm saying, really late... even the dogs are begging me to get some normal hours!

the hubs is flying to one of my fav cities today :(. i so wish i could have gone to chicago with him!!! i know it's freezing there, but i just love wandering in and out of the stores. we keep saying that we will go back someday during the spring or fall when the weather is nice. it's just a great city with LOTS to see and do.

i'm excited that Twilight is so close! i don't think i'll be going to the midnight show, but i'll definately be seeing it before the weekend is over. ahhhhh - Edward and Bella.....

i've set up shop on Etsy now. i hope to get the rest of my "bazaar" items posted today. some of my peeps are tired of checking back and only seeing 5 things!

got to take GA back to the vet today... poor pup can't seem to get well. i hope it's not something serious!!! i don't want any more trauma!

Sushi Bug

We miss our little Sushi! We have been a 3 dog family for so long it seems strange and boring with just the 2. I've made a little slide show of Sushi on the right. She was such a sweet doggy - always a puppy at heart.

Thanks for the reminder!

Still no job. I look every day on the "www", but see the same things that are posted by recruiting companies as "eye candy". (They don't really have those jobs available, but just want to draw you in so they can help you...) I have two more severance checks coming and then it's just me and unemployment checks. I'm not really a worrier until I feel threatened. I will wait and fall apart when I don't have money to pay bills.

I'm on a mailing list for a local scrapbook store called The Scrapbook Princess (http://thescrapbookprincess.blogspot.com/ ). Paulette always begins her Newsletter with a scripture quote. Thank you for reminding me not to worry, Paulette! Y'all go visit her store. It's small, but totally PACKED with scrapping goodness!!! I have a 50% off coupon - email me if you'd like one.

"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink;
or about your body, what you will wear.
Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?
Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns,
and yet your heavenly Father feeds them.
Are you not much more valuable than they?
Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?"
--Matthew 6:25-27

Speaking of worrying - DON'T FORGET TO VOTE TODAY!!!

a few "highlights"

highlights are in the hair and I like it much better. next time i'll add more highlights -i was just a little scared this time.
i've been so busy lately -still looking for a job, working on a Christmas card workshop, working on my Bazaar items and doing all of this with one of those dumb sinus colds! my voice sounds like i'm a chain smoker right now!
i can't believe it's fall already! leaves are coming down like rain today. i haven't been outside yet, but the wind is really kicking out there. i suppose the swimming pool cover will be put on this weekend. i hate when the pool is shut down...looking at a green cover is not as relaxing as hearing the fountain and looking at that pretty blue water.
i think i'm going to meet the girls for lunch today. i'm in sort of a funk and being with them always picks me up. so thankful for the girlfriends!!!

Saving money?

I colored my hair yesterday! Doesn't look too bad but I'm hoping with some highlights it will lighten up. Going over to Abby's tonight to let her put in the highlights. Thank goodness for daughters!

Here's a pic of the hair before highlights. Hey - saved myself salon price of $90 for color and highlights. Sorry local salons!!!

Today was...

very enjoyable. Abby took off work so we could go to the Southern Women's Show. She wanted to see Jon and Kate (plus 8). We started out with a lovely lunch at Gatherings in Trussville. They have the most delicious Strawberry Pretzel Salad.

Left there and arrived at the BJCC - parking was $7, tickets for the show were $9 (each). We walked around with our free plastic bags from Chik-fil-a and tried to avoid the vendors begging us to register for giveaways. We left after about 2 hours.
Notes from the show:

We didn't get to see Jon or Kate - the seating was inadequate for the crowd.

Mothers of multiples were everywhere (I guess they wanted their kids to see more kids?)

Our rewards from the show were: a bunch of flyers, a fingernail file, a couple of magazines full of advertising, a pen and I had one shiny fingernail where a foreign guy demonstrated a buffing product he was selling.

Things we did not buy were: the Weight Loss Patch, Dark Chocolate with no caffeine, dips, sauces, cookware, a Christmas sweatshirt, fake pony tails, knock-offs, sleep system beds, tazers, pepper spray, jewelry, crazy clothes, crazy shoes, frilly socks, leggings, fudge, Avon, Mary Kay, Clinique, Estee Lauder, stationary, fight breast cancer blinkie buttons, henna tattoos, body wraps.................................

I did enjoy a free cup of Blue Bell vanilla ice cream. They served it with those cute little flat wooden spoons.

Please remind me that I'm supposed to remind Abby that we aren't going to the SWS next year.

negative

Abby just called - she's not pregnant.
JEHOVAH-JIREH: "The Lord will Provide." Gen. 22:14. God always provides, adequate when the time comes.

Correcting my thinking and getting out of the funk!

I've learned a few things lately. Being overwhelmed with failure leads to depression. I've gone through so many different possibilities as to why I was one of the ones chosen to be "downsized", but haven't been able to come up with a satisfying answer.

Today I have decided that it really doesn't matter. I know that losing my job was not my fault. I can walk away knowing that I did my best. I got TONS of experience that I would not have gotten otherwise. I made some good friends.

Today I'm going to try new things. I will find a really interesting job with a good group of people.

"The greatest mistake you can make in life is to continually be afraid you will make one."
Elbert Hubbard

It's about time!

It's about time that I signed on with Close To My Heart! I took the plunge and now I'm not sure what I'm going to do with it. I got so much "stuff" in the consultant kit, but I want to use it wisely to get the most out of it. Anyways, I'm working on putting together a Christmas Card workshop for the Pinkys and friends. I'll post some samples later, but here are some of the paper selections that I'll be working with.

Country Song or it Ain't?

Two thousand and eight started out great.
Grandbabies on the way who could ask for more?
We were expecting twin boys, Braden and Brody
watching them grow was a beautiful thing.
They made an early entrance in to this world
so tiny, so sweet, too small to survive.
Born the day after my birthday
I'll always remember
holding their tiny hands, ironing their smocked gowns,
tears of goodbye and I'll see you soon.
With hearts still heavy our attention was diverted
when dad complained that he was in pain.
We rushed him to the ER
scared of the unknown.
Prayers, tests, Prayers, surgery
Thankful, so Thankful to have him home again!
Summer was wonderful
relaxing by the pool
flowers were planted
finches and hummingbirds entertained daily.
I have a nice job that keeps our bills paid,
but long to be free to do what I please.
I didn't see it coming
I thought I was an asset,
but I was mistaken
and not needed at all.
Downsizing, downsmizing whatever...
I'm "free" now
Isn't that what I longed for?
Days are getting cooler
Fall is sneaking in
our dogs love this time of the year
Except...
one dog isn't as perky as she used to be.
Sushi is struggling to get up the steps
one day she just stops and can't walk at all.
Her legs are all stiff and won't bend right.
She spends her days laying down
unable to sit up or beg for a treat.
She's still alert and has her "right" mind,
her body is broken and can't work anymore.
What do I do with this helpless pup of mine?
I'm torn between keeping her with me right now
or giving her up to a forever nap.
Life is filled with surprises and such
it's good that we can't know the future in advance
whether happy or sad we are equipped to cope
through faith and family and friends
Who would have thought that a silly sitcom
would have such a relevant title to me?
One Day at a Time, I'm taking it
One Day at a Time.

Hey yall! Lookie here at this FUN Christmas event that my friend Virginia is planning. (If Virginia is involved, you won't be disappointed.) I think I hear some sleigh bells ringing???

"Join us at Wrapper's Delight for a weekend long crafting time, fabulous classes, make and takes, prizes, and much more!"

Hope to see you there!
Visit http://scrapetcevents.blogspot.com/ for more information!

Croppin Day - 08/23/08

Who: Me and Abby
Where: my dining room
What: picture frames for Brody and Braden

Oh, What a Night!

Who: Shan, Christa, Jennifer
What: Girls Night Out
When: August 18, 2008
Where: Sips 'n Strokes
Why: Umm??? Seemed like a good idea.

The night started out great. I picked up Christa and Jennifer from work and we headed for Fox and Hound for dinner (Christa had a BOGO!). Dinner was good. We were giggly and excited about going to paint "Funky Girl" at Sips 'n Strokes.
After we ate we headed for class. We decided to leave our purses in the car since there isn't much room in the classroom and some of us were afraid we would get paint on our bags. We paid, found our seats, squirted our paint, made another trip to the car to get Christa's drink and put our credit cards in our purses.
We had so much fun painting our masterpieces! Christa was nervous at first, but she quickly jumped in and gave "Funky Girl" some color! As we were getting closer to the car, I realized that my passenger window looked funny - no, it was busted out! We found out later that you should never leave your purse in the car. I don't know how many people had to let us know that, after the fact. We we were all dumb butts and we knew it. Anyways, the thief only took Christa's purse.
Jennifer and I felt really bad for Christa as she was giving her report of what she thought was in her purse to the police officer. It was really sad and unbelievable that such a fun night could end so "pooty".
Enjoy the pics of our fun night! And remember - NEVER LEAVE YOUR PURSE IN THE CAR...

Alternative Weigh-in

We had to take GA (georgia) to the vet yesterday.
Symptoms: weak, lack of appetite, difficulty breathing, weird lumps and bumps had been developing all over, coughing, etc.

My diagnosis: cancer of the throat, congestive heart failure, fluid in her cancer ridden lungs and pancreatis.

At the Vet: she had a fever, her heart and lungs sounded fine. He was going to let it go as just an infection and treat her with antibiotics. Oh no...I knew she was much more ill than that. I wanted blood work done. Blood work was done and revealed that she had an infection... guess I'm just an over-reacting "mother".

Back to the weigh-in part - the scales at the vet are so cool that I decided to weigh in. (we quit paying for WW...too expensive and we think we can continue on our own) Anyways, I'm down to 165! I wonder if I could start bring my weigh-in card to the vet each week and have them mark it for me???

Oh, BTW, GA started feeling better after just one dose of the antibiotics and pain meds...she's barking loud and shriller than ever! Yea!

Vacation Crop

I brought more scrap supplies than I did clothes for the trip to Clemson! My plan was to scrap while Dicky was in his conference meetings. Most people would feel sorry for me being "stuck" in the room all day - but I had such a good time. I only got these 5 pages done, but it was so much fun spending all that time doing what I love!

View Album

Get your own

Clemson, SC

We just got back from a trip to Clemson University. Conference for Dicky - scrap time for me! Here are a few pics from the trip.

View Album

Get your own

Attitude

There once was a woman who woke up one morning,
looked in the mirror,
and noticed she had only three hairs on her head.
'Well,' she said, 'I think I'll braid my hair today.'
So she did and she had a wonderful day.

The next day she woke up,
looked in the mirror
and saw that she had only two hairs on her head.
'H-M-M,' she said,
'I think I'll part my hair down the middle today.'
So she did and she had a grand day.

The next day she woke up,
looked in the mirror and noticed
that she had only one hair on her head.
'Well,' she said, 'today I'm going
to wear my hair in a pony tail.'
So she did, and she had a fun, fun day.

The next day she woke up,
looked in the mirror and noticed
that there wasn't a single hair on her head.
'YAY!' she exclaimed.
'I don't have to fix my hair today!'


Attitude is everything.


Be kinder than necessary,
for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle.

Live simply,

Love generously,

Care deeply,

Speak kindly.......

Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass...

It's about learning to dance in the rain.

Have a Blessed Day!

Rainforest Tourist Attraction in Pigeon Forge

Yes, we fell for it. We wanted to see this attraction in Pigeon Forge for a long time. We finally were able to work it in to our plans in May...

Enjoy the show below and save some money! : )

Time Bomb???

I had to take Dicky to the ER Thursday night. He was having severe pain in his left arm, but no other typical "heart attack" symptoms. By the time we got to the hospital, the pain had eased up and was almost gone. He agreed with me and Vance that he should go ahead and get checked while we were there. Nothing showed on the EKG, x-ray or blood work that linked his pain to a heart attack. Because Dicky has a few factors that make him high risk, we took the ER doc's advice and stayed overnight for observation, more testing and a consult with a cardiologist in the morning. The night was uneventful and Dicky was feeling fine Friday morning. The cardiologist suggested that he have an arteriogram to just make sure there wasn't any blockage. The plan was if any blocked arteries were found that they would put stints in during the procedure. About 20 minutes in to the procedure the cardiologist came out and said there was blockage and stints were necessary. One artery was 90% blocked another was about 99% blocked. There are a couple other areas that are 40 to 50% blocked. Three stints were placed in the 90 - 99% blocked areas. The other blocked areas will be watched. They do not put in stints unless you have at least 70% blockage.

It's Saturday and we are home now. Dicky is sore and sleepy, but that's normal for what he's been through.

Things to be thankful for:
going to the ER even though the heart attack symptoms were not all there
staying overnight to hear what the cardiologist advised
accepting the cardiologist's advice to have the arteriogram
skillful hands and eyes of the surgeons
the surgeon was able to place all stints needed (there was a possibility that they may not be able to get them all in which meant that we would have to go through the arteriogram again)
no heart attack
support of Dicky's Dad, Vance, Abby and Cary in the waiting area
kind, attentive nurses and nursing assistants

Please pray for a no complication recovery for Dicky. He's too good a guy for us to lose this early!!!

coping

View Album

Get your own

Braden and Brody's Birthday - April 12, 2008

My beautiful grand babies came in to the world early and were not able to survive. I know that God helped us through this by letting us see perfectly formed babies. All toes and fingers were accounted for. A little light colored hair was coming in (it was going to be red, of course). Their tiny ears nose and lips were absolutely beautifully formed. Every feature was so detailed and intricate that we tried not to miss anything about them. I held their tiny hands and tried to see any features that linked them to their mommy and daddy. Abby noticed that they had their daddy's "crazy" toe! It's as if God gave us something to smile about as we looked over their little bodies.

Braden Lee was born at 12:45 a.m.,weighed 15 1/2 ounces and was 11 inches long.










Brody Lee was born at 12:48 a.m., weighed 13 ounces and was 10 inches long.



While God did not allow us to love and spoil the boys, I know that He will be doing this for us until we can be with them. Maybe Granmaw and Meemaw and PawPaw are loving on them. I'm not sure how this works, but I know that since God's love is greater than ours that they are definitely being loved and cared for.

I know God has other plans for Abby and Cary. We will have to be patient and wait to see what He will give us to love on!

Welcome Spring!

I'm so glad things are blooming again. This Carolina Jasmine is taking over my deck, but I love it.

ww

DH and i have started Weight Watchers together. i hate watching what i eat. i just want to eat when and what i want. i guess that's why i've gained 40+ pounds since i last did WWs...

Weigh-in is tomorrow! i hope we have lost some pounds!

mini local vacation

a few vacation days

march 12, 13 & 14 No work - all play!

Day 1 - visited a familiar landmark to all Birminghamians. not even going to say what, but you will recognize his lovely features in the pics.

also worked in a visit to the Botanical Gardens. plan was to find a lovely swing and just swing, look at the sky and relax. of course we had to walk to the Japanese Garden area to see if the cherry trees were in bloom (they were not). we did find a lovely swing which i was truly enjoying until i looked at DH's face and realized he was bored silly. snapped a few pics of some tulips and left.

Day 2 - movie day - i had picked out 10 movies that are currently out that i thought we should see. DH picked a dud..."10,000 B.C.". it was ok but not a must-see.

Day 3 - lovely thunderstorms abounded so i got to pick the movie for the day. i chose "Spiderwick Chronicles". we both agreed that this one was much better than Tuesday's flick. (popcorn almost got us though...don't know how many points movie popcorn is, but we were strong and did not succomb to that lovely smell. it usually smells better than it tastes though.)

today is Saturday and i'm feeling like the vacation is over. still a little rainy out so i think i'll attempt to do a little cleaning today.

never really thought much about the subject of lobotomies...

i spend an hour traveling to work and back home Monday through Friday and enjoy listening to audio books rather than the radio or cds. i listen to all kinds of stuff - usually fiction romance, sci-fi or whatever else gets my attention at the library. i just finished listening to what i thought was fiction, but turned out to be a biography by Howard Dully called My Lobotomy. i don't think i'll ever use the term lobotomy to be funny again. i have been totally blown away by this book. this man describes his life from childhood to adulthood. he was given a lobotomy at the age of 12, because his step mother could not control him and his father was too complacent to object. the lobotomy did not "work" to the step mother's satisfaction so she talked his father in to giving him up as a ward of the state. it's amazing that this man turned out so well. he is in his 50s now and is doing well. i would love to meet him personally and just give him a hug. he worked with Sound Portraits on a documentary of his life which aired on NPR in Novemeber 2005. take a listen - it will take you out of your comfort zone and make you think a little.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5014080

There are TWO of them!

Abby and Cary are having TWINS! I am so excited for them (and me). Babies to arrive in August!

happy birthday, abby! January 5, 1979

You look maavalus hun!!!

friends

Christa, April, Sheila, Jennifer - these girls are the best. They have enriched my life through laughter, tears, prayer, work, play and many other ways. I hope I can be as inspiring and supportive to them as they are to me.

Pinky's Rule!