Tag You're It!

Before I begin the game, I want to thank everyone for your thoughts and prayers. Meggie at Meggie's Stuff said she hopes I can feel all of the prayers. Yes Meggie I can and I am overcome with gratitude! :)

Michelle at Vintage Pastiche' has TAGGED me to play the "The 7 Things Nobody Knows" game. So here I go:

1) I LOVE to be in water. Swimming, boating, sitting on the shore and gazing at waves.... I love it all.

2) I own a canoe. I love to pack a picnic, put on a bathing suit and take the canoe out. My husband doesn't care for the canoe, he is more of a white water kayak man:) so usually it is just my son and I which provides precious moments of down time for us.

3) After telling you of my love of the water, you may find it odd that my biggest fear is drowning. I know, I don't understand it myself.

4) I love Jimmy Buffet! OK maybe not all of his music, some of the songs are just to crude for my taste, but I know every word of; Mother, Mother Ocean, Son of a Son of a Sailor, and He Went to Paris. I sing them loudly and with gusto:)

5) The smell of guavas makes me violently ill:( I mean really, what was the Lord thinking, those things are just nasty.

6) My junior year in High School I played Sandy in our school production of Grease. I was never allowed to live down the tight stretch pants.

7) Last, but not least, I can throw a 50lb bag of chicken feed over my shoulder and carry it down to my feed bins. I don't advise this last bit though, I have given myself a wicked case of tendinitis from it.

Now I need to tag 7 others to play.... Being new to blogging I am not sure if I know 7 people who haven't been tagged. So I am just going to start with four, if you have already been tagged, sorry....

1) Melissa at The Inspired Room 2) Esther at Esther Sunday's

3) Mary at Little Red House and 4) Julia at Chicken Scratch

Have fun ladies.

A New Day, A New Perspective

Let me begin by apologizing for my rant yesterday. It was so horribly disappointing to going from the release of all the tensions and worry, to being back at square one. All I want is for him to be well, for his lungs to be clear of infection or "gook" or whatever it is. I reacted out of fear and for awhile I felt helpless and hopeless. I appreciate all of your wise and thoughtful comments. They helped me to calm down and gain some perspective. I am grateful for each of you who are praying for him...for us. I know that even though the doctors can not yet provide the answers we seek, God knows and he is holding my dear son in the palm of his hand.

I never react well to being out of control of situations. The Lord instructs us to lay our burdens at his feet. My weakness is that I always want to go back and pick them up again. I have faith that God will heal my son.

My prayers will focus on guidance and wisdom for the doctors who are caring for my son, as I have been so wisely advised to do. I will pray that God forgives my weakness, when I fail to recognize that he is in control. When I hold my worry and fear deep inside and refuse to yield it to him. I will follow the doctor's instructions, and I will pray without ceasing. I will not cave into the woe-is-me syndrome that so overtook me yesterday, and I will not lash out at those who are trying their best to help. Thank you for listening to me and for being there.

I will end on a very positive note. Today I was treated with the arrival of not one but two packages from recent give-aways I had entered:) What a perfect time for them to come. My beautiful Yellow Rose umbrella from Polly at Counting Your Blessings came in a big long box. I knew right away what it was and it gave me such a lift.

The postman also delivered a package from Ms. Peggy at Hidden Haven Homestead, inside was a tote filled to the brim with soaps, lotion, bath salts, and a lavender scented candle. She makes the most divine handmade Goat's Milk products from her own goats. I promptly rubbed on some lotion; it went on as smooth as silk and has a lovely fresh, clean smell. I can tell I will be visiting Ms. Peggy's shop on a regular basis!

Thank you ladies for your generosity! You just don't know how you have brightened my day:)

Having a Meltdown

The X-ray showed that his lungs are still full of "gook" as the doctor put it. He prescribed another inhaler and two tests. A TB test, we go back on Monday to have it read, and a Sweat Test to check for Cystic Fibrosis, the earliest test appointment for that is Monday the 8th.

I did not know what CF was so I "Googled" it and now I am terrified and all I can do is cry.

I don't understand how he could be so healthy just a few short weeks ago and now he is being tested for diseases!!! I have more questions than answers and after I have myself a good cry I am probably going to become very angry and quite aggressive. I can feel my Mama Bear instincts taking over even as I type, so perhaps the next prayer requests should be for the doctors down at Kaiser.

A Call For Prayer

Late yesterday afternoon my son began to cough. When I checked I could hear wheezing again. It was not as bad as before, but still present. I called the doctor....he is back on the inhaler and has to go in this morning for a re-check.
At his last visit on Tuesday, the doctor did not order a chest X-ray because he did not hear anything. I will have to insist on one today. If it shows any infection, we will be referred to a lung specialist. I will post the outcome of the visit later today.

I don't know whether to scream or cry.

I believe in the power of prayer, so I am asking you to please pray for my son.

Thank You,
Rhonda

The Tie That Binds

What can you say about someone who accepts you as you are, and loves you through the depths of the dark valleys and the intoxicating highs of each mountain peak. Someone who encourages you and lifts you up when the doubts set in. Someone who offers perspective when you allow your "leap before you look" syndrome to take control.

Almost sixteen years ago this someone ask me to make him the happiest man on earth by agreeing to marrying him. How did I get sooooo lucky?

Counting them one, by one.....

For the rest of the week I am counting my blessings here for the whole world to see. I will start by telling a story....

At the end of July my son developed a cough. It did not seem serious, more like an irritation than a sickness he had no fever and was not complaining of any pain nor acting abnormal. I chalked it up to the fact that we have had an extremely dry and hot summer. A couple of weeks later it changed. It sounded deep, and it started to be productive, he was coughing through the night and waking frequently. The change happened over the weekend and I told myself that I would need to take him to the doctor on Monday. That Sunday night he spiked a high fever. At the doctors on Monday, my son was diagnosed with asthma. I was stunned. He had never shown any signs until now. The doctor prescribed and antibiotic, a steroid and an inhaler. He told me that the nighttime coughing should be gone in about 3 days and that the daytime cough should be cleared up in 5. I was told to bring him back in a week if he did not improve.
One week later we returned, he was worse. The coughing had intensified and he had a clearly audible wheeze. When he was out playing he would come to me and tell me his "heart hurt" and he just wanted to sit and rest awhile. We saw a different doctor who preformed a chest X-Ray. The X-Ray showed an infection in his lungs. The infection was causing an asthmatic episode. The antibiotic he had been prescribed was not effective for this type of infection. ARGH!!!
Over the last 5 weeks my son has take 3 antibiotics, 2 bottles of Robitussin DM, 2 rounds of steroids, and an inhaler 3-4 times a day. He has endured 5 trips to the doctor, 2 X-Rays, Chest Therapy exercises, and blood work. I will never forget his words after the nurse at the lab drew his blood. He looked at her with tears in his eyes and said "That was so painful, that I will never come back here again." I cried.
As you can imagine, these weeks have been terribly frustrating and often times I have been near panic. I have played the "woulda, shoulda, coulda" game over and over. Everyone in our family, and our church families have been praying for him. I chide myself for not asking for prayer from my friends in blog world. Being new to blogging I was reluctant. I now know that had I requested, you would have responded in earnest, I am grateful for that, and I will not hesitate again.
Yesterday, he went for the his 5th doctor visit and his lungs are clear. The nightmare is over.
Through the combination of medicine and the countless prayers offered in his name, God has extended his healing touch and I praise him from the depths of my heart.

Go with what you love!

I take a class on Monday nights. I am adding a Gifted Education Endorsement to my teaching certificate. So that next year when I return to work, I may be able to teach in an area that is near and dear to my heart. As I was getting dressed to go, I spied my row of straw hats that are piled on top of my armoire. I love hats, especially straw hats but I almost never wear them. As I stood there looking at them, I ask myself why? The answer, I am afraid people will look at me funny! What a silly reason. To let something so frivolous as public opinion, to inhibit my self expression.
I chose one that my sisters and I had picked up in Myrtle Beach this summer, we all bought the same farmgirl style hat (that's it in the top picture) and wore them to dinner one night. I am sure we were a sight to see, but we were on vacation and we didn't care:-) So I put it on my head and off I went. Yes, some people did look at me like I was a bit peculiar. Hmmm...maybe they are right and I'm OK with that.

A New Addition

Saturday I carted off my donation items to the thrift store. Since I was there:-) I decided to go in and have a little looksy, because you never know...

I had already found two little votive candle holders in the shape of chairs which were painted with pink roses and about 2 1/2 yards of creamy upholstery fabric with little blue roses in urns, when I went over to the furniture section. I always go there even though I really don't need any more furniture.

I walked right beside a beat up and neglected brown couch. Something about it made me stop. It wasn't old but it looked like it had seen a hundred life times. It was stained and worn and one of the cushions was torn. It seemed as if no one had shown it any kindness in its entire existence. The price on the arm said $15, it had been marked down from $35. Well I couldn't just leave it there! It needed me:-)

On the way back I rented a steam vacuum and as soon as I got it home my dear, sweet, adorable, and loving husband took one look at it and said "Who is that for?" I knew it was going to be an uphill battle from that point on.

I rolled up my sleeves (figuratively of course, actually it was nearly 90 degrees and I wasn't wearing sleeves) and got to work. I took off the seat cushions, un-stitched and un-stuffed the back cushions and put them in the washer. I know they really were not supposed to go in the washer, but there was no other way, they were filthy. I laid the foam insert and fiber filling on an old sheet out in the back yard and doused them with fabreeze. Nothing freshes like the bright sunshine:-) Then I steam cleaned the entire couch frame.

Unfortunately, not all of the cushion fabric survived the washing. So I began rummaging around in my fabric bins to see what I could use as a suitable replacement. I found a beautiful rose upholstery fabric that I had gotten on the clearance table for $1.99 a yard. I thought that the tan background would match up nicely so I replaced one side of each seat cushion with it. The back cushions were a total loss, so I used the rose fabric on one side and an old trapunto bedspread that I had been saving for some pillows on the other. I finished the entire restoration process at about 12:30 this morning, and I decided to give her a test run, she sleeps great!

So with out further ado, let me introduce you to my home's latest addition. She is lumpy and bumpy and far from perfect, but she is comfy and cozy and most of all loved:-)

Happy Girl

Yesterday was such a good day:-) I woke up early, as I usually do, and came to bloggityville, as I do here lately. While I was waiting for everyone to wake up and join me I surfed around and viewed each post for Yellow Rose Day. What a treat to see all of the wonderful and creative ideas and items at each site. Then, what a surprise as I clicked on Counting Your Blessings and was greeted by the photo of my own Grandmother's rose tray. I tried to contain myself until I read down to see if I really had won the beautiful umbrella and as I saw my name I let out a "Yippee!!", which startled my poor sleeping cat and brought my husband and son in to see what the ruckus was all about. Of course, by the end of the day I had referred to it so many times that my son told me I was beginning to get annoying LOL! So, I'll try not to make a nuisance of myself here, but I do want to thank Polly and Michelle, both for their generosity and the opportunity to get better acquainted with some very lovely people. "Thank You."

Check back later if you get the chance. I am hoping to post some pictures of my big treasure I found and the thrift store yesterday. Another thing that kept me smiling all day long! :-)

Yellow Rose Day

Thanks to Polly and Michelle for the Yellow Rose Day give-away. After two days of sifting through "stuff", I was in the mood to focus on something fun and pretty.

I present a variety of goodies; yellow roses mingled with a few of my other treasures, some are nothing more than thrift/yard sale finds and others are precious heirlooms that have been past to me by the people I hold most dear. The wooden tray at the bottom was my Grandmother's. It sits on the shelf in my kitchen so that I see it everyday and remember her. Priceless.

Same Song, Second Verse

Welcome to the second stanza of Operation de'Clutter. The piles are steadily growing despite my son's tendency to come in behind me and remove items from the give-away and discard stacks. Honestly, it reminds me of a dog chasing it's tail; I collect and sort, he removes and disperses.

Instead of simply removing things that are mussing up the house I have dug down to the root of the problem. I have decided to strike at the very heart of the matter, I confess, "I am a card carrying member of the Pack-Rat Society." I know there are far more flattering terms to refer to this syndrome, but it is time to call a spade a spade and deal with it. So I am having "Spring Cleaning" in September. Nothing is escaping scrutiny! Even though the thought did cross my mind, I have ruled out the idea of replacing my son with a tidier version.

For those of you who are interested, Google list 34,100,000 sites for "clutter" most of which are people who are willing to come in and sort out for you. Hhmmm....I wonder if there is enough money in the budget... I could sit and blog and someone else could do the dirty work...Hhmmm. It would be my luck to wind up show-cased on Mission Organization . Yikes!!! Better stick to doing it myself.

Well I am off, maybe I can make some good head way while my little on is still asleep. :0)

"Out, Out, Darned Clutter!"

I shouldn't use the excuse of living in a small house to allow the piles of clutter to pop up like mushrooms, here, there, everywhere... But I have. As I have made my way from one blog to another, I have been so inspired by the lovely homes that I have visited.

So I ask myself, "What's an inspired, slightly jealous, girl to do???" That's right! Get to work!

Taking my cue from the organization show on HGTV I am constructing piles; Use, Store, Give Away, Sell & TRASH. My neighbors will probably come over thinking I am having a hang tag sale. If they do, I'm going to load them up before they leave LOL!

No, noway am I going to post Before pictures. If I get brave enough, I may post photos of the piles later. If no one hears from me again, please send the rescue squad. Tell them they will need shovels! :-)

Welcome to My Neighborhood

Kathleen Marie at The Open Window has declared today as Welcome to My Neighborhood day. So, "Howdy, neighbor!" Pour yourself a cup of coffee/tea and let me show you around.

We have all of the usual places; medical centers, post office, schools, mall, shopping centers, resturants of every make and description, subdivisions and housing projects, building supply stores, movie houses etc.. But I wanted to show you the things that make my town unique. I tried to seek out the lovely and the quirky. So here we go...


We are known for our lake and our poultry industry

There are chicken sculptures all over town, each decorated to represent an important aspect of the place where they stand.

This is our downtown square

This is my "Dream Shop," I would love to have a little

bakery here where I would bake bread from wheat I had ground myself. I would call it "The Little Red Hen" =)

Near the square is the old train depot that has been restored and is now the Smithgall arts facility.

I like to walk the one mile block around the college. If I have to excersie, I may as well enjoy the veiw. Just kidding, I enjoy walking. =)

Just a block from the college is the Northeast Georgia Musem of History. There is a lovely old pioneer display outside the main building

On April 6, 1936 two tornados struck our town. An F4 came from the South and another came from the West. They met in downtown Gainesville, 203 people were killed and more than 750 homes and building were damaged or destroyed. Many of those homes included the old antebellums. Here are some that survived.

This one is for sale. Buyers anyone?

Quinlan art center features some very eye-catching pieces.

Oh to run with utter abandon!

After all of this walking, I am hungry. I head straight for my favorite place to dine. Ooops! It's Sunday, and they are not open. =(

It's time to head out of town and get a couple of snap shots of two of my favorite shops where lots of pretty pretties live.

Love the tile work on the front steps!

Before I head back over the lake, I'll stop by my church and show you the crosses that stand at the top of the hill overlooking the water. They remind me of my favorite verse: "I will lift mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my strength. My strength cometh from the Lord" Psalm 121:1-2

The last stop is a Methodist church that I think has the most beautiful features of all the churchs in the area. I have tried to get my husband to convert so that we can go here, but he just won't buy into the idea. =)

Goodness but I have run on! Thanks for stopping by to visit.
You are welcome anytime. See you soon.