Fiesta!

There are 208 days until Christmas, just in case you wondered.......

This is my latest Pinterest type project. We have had some rain and wind, I think it held up well!

This is my Fiesta birthday present. Lunch plates in paprika and marigold and a latte mug in marigold.  Thanks Nana!

These are some of my mugs that are Fiesta. I have  3 styles of mugs and several colors. I also have several Tervis tumblers that are Fiesta brand. They have lids, so I use them as go cups with my coffee in the mornings then for coke all day long at work. They are great, low risk of spill if it gets turned over and they don't sweat and they match most of my colors of Fiesta!

These are most of my dishes, I have several of the colors. I love all of them, but I think the scarlet is my favorite. I am still getting a place setting of the marigold for my birthday. I have been collecting Fiesta dishes since the early 1990's. I had to start over in 1998 when we lost everything when our home burned. The rose is no longer available, but they now have a flamingo that is a brighter pink than the one I have. It is my next color to collect. I have searched ebay for an orange replacement plate, one of my first colors to collect (second time around). It is no longer in production, I have faith I will find it. I also have a set of baking and mixing bowls in the scarlet as well as salt and pepper and sugar creamer sets. I love how Fiesta holds up. As long as I have had it, I have only lost one piece and it was an orange plate from a set. It was chipped accidentally, I have dropped them and they go in the dishwasher 2 to 3 times a day most days and I have only lost one plate. I think that is pretty good! There are also serving bowls, I have several as well as platters, I have 2 and one pitcher. I will keep adding to the set. Mom has a yellow bowl that her mom got when she was a teenager. It was our Jello bowl when we were growing up. She still has that bowl. Sorry, Jeffrey, it's mine! LOL! 

May 28

Today I turned 53 years old. Just 3 short years ago we were having a surprise birthday party for me at the firehouse after church. I had told Rick he'd better not but he did it anyway. It was a fun day. Today started off as a good day. Nick fixed breakfast for me. He made biscuits and gravy, bacon and eggs. It was quite good. He is a good cook. Then he left to go mow yards. He called me mid afternoon to meet him for lunch. It was kinda late so it was lunch and supper for me. We went to Zaxby's. I got some more Fiesta dishes. YAY.

It's been a good birthday!

I love all y'all.
To be continued..............

30 years ago today

Thirty years ago today our family was blessed with my parents first grandchild--my first nephew. Jeffrey Ryan James arrived a couple weeks late. I kind of thought he should have waited 2 more days since he waited that long then he could have shared his favorite Aunt's birthday. LOL! I am not sure how old he is in this photo.....maybe about 3 or so.....

This is a fairly recent photo of Jeffrey and Ashley. They have 2 beautiful little boys. Ashley is in nursing school now. I know she will be a great nurse!





Today a friend of ours Steve Miller was able to come home on a pass from the hospital in Nashville where he has been for several long weeks after suffering a stroke. Steve and his family still need our prayers so if you find it in your heart to remember them in your prayers please do so. There will be a fund raiser coming up to help the family with expenses. Please find it in your heart to attend that and help out too if you can!

I think it's a short post tonight. I am feeling a little short winded again and I believe I will try to sleep with the CPAP on. That will do the trick!

James 5:16 "Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much." (KJV)

I love all y'all!
To be continued.............

18 years!

I find it difficult to believe in some ways that I have lived in Wingfield for 18 years! I remember when Rick first brought me to Wingfield. We had not been married very long, we drove all the way down by the lock. Coming back, we stopped near his brothers in-law's place to check for bait. When we were coming back through, we stopped at a little store on the corner of Cline Road and Wingfield Church Road. Didn't know at the time it was Keith's store and didn't know at the time that in about 8 years I would be living near there. In December 1991 we bought the "Clifford Miller estate" at an auction. We had already bought the land where I had grown up and I was looking forward to living on my old home place again. I was upset that he had bought this land. He did it without really discussing it with me. He kept telling me we would build our house on the Stockholm place. I didn't expect it. It wasn't feasible to build there with us both working in Tennessee. That would add another hour onto our commute.

Rick started working to clean up the property. He had it looking good, Carlos decided to grow acres and acres of garden on the land. He had the whole field where Chris and Megan's house is in corn. Out behind the little white house up to the upper side of where our garden was was in potatoes. He had tomatoes and watermelons too. Nick was a little fella and helped his papaw hoe the corn. Carlos never said a word about how many stalks of corn he cut down.

Over the next couple years we would meet folks who are now our best friends.  Family would ask me when we were going to start to build our house. I would say I didn't know yet, and tell them it would be at Stockholm. They would shake their head and say Wingfield. I would ask Rick and he would tell me I promised you where it would be and that is where it will be.

In January 1994, we decided when school was out in May we would move to Wingfield and start building our house. We looked and looked for house plans. Late 1993 or early 1994 I brought up the subject of the house and that we should sell the Stockholm place because I knew where he would build the house. He said we could keep both farms. That didn't make sense to me at all.  Then Nelson approached us about buying some acreage for the cemetery and that a couple I knew had asked him to ask us to sell the whole place. We discussed it and we sold it.

Mid-late May 1994 we packed up and moved to Gary's house where Rick's grandparents (Wilson's) had lived. The building started and the rest is history. There are many stories about building that house. Pretty boy's nickname and many other stories came from that time frame.

I think this is all for tonight. It has been fun going down memory lane.

Proverbs 3:5 "Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding." (KJV)

I love all y'all
To be continued...............

an addendum

I know there are times when divorce is the only option left. You have tried to make it work and could not for whatever reason. I know those times exist and I am NOT telling anyone they should not have left. Sometimes it is the only option! And I know He understands......and so do those who love you.....all of them!!! Had things not changed when they did out in that garden I don't know for sure if I could have handled much more....God had a plan.......

I love all y'all
To be continued..........

Facebook posts

I saw a Facebook post tonight that said something like "I want to restart my life" -- I don't! I am basically happy with my life. I really am. I do wish there was a different outcome 2 years 2 1/2 months ago but I don't want to go back and redo elementary school. I definitely don't want to go back and redo high school, LPN school or WKU! I don't want to go back and relive the mistakes that are part of who I am today and part of how I have been able to deal with losing my husband. In a little less than 2 months, Rick and I would have been married 27 years. We didn't get make it to 25, God took him home a little less than 4 months from that milestone and I likely will never get to celebrate that milestone of 25 years married to your soul mate. Cherish it. It is precious. Cherish each other while you have each other. Yes, you argue and maybe "fight". Everyone does. But you make up. You go on and grow because of it. You don't go to divorce court over it. You give a little, the other one gives a little -- or not and you get used to it. You said "I do" for a reason.

I don't want a "do over" or a start over or to relive anything. No regrets. Everything is as it was meant to be. There are trials in our lives for reasons we were not meant to understand here. Remember Jeremiah 29:11. He does not put these things in front of us to harm us. Also remember the book of Daniel, the 3 men in the fire --> the fourth man in the fire! Their faith saved them. They believed God would deliver them and "even if" they were not delivered from the fire, they would be delivered from the king. In one way or another, God would deliver them. And He did. Read it!

I love the Psalms! "The songs of King David".

Psalm 90:17 "And let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us: and establish thou the work of our hands upon us; yea, the work of our hands establish thou it." (KJV)

That is all for tonight. I love all y'all.
To be continued.................

Best Mother's Day in a long, long time!

 Today is Mother's Day. I woke up late this morning, had a little trouble going to sleep last night. Went to Nana's for breakfast, I was late. Nick got me a great Mother's Day present-- 2 boxes of K-cups for my coffee maker in my favorite flavor! I was very happy to see that! (I still have to put them in the holder) I had 2 cups of coffee this morning! I love the ease of the coffee maker, I have a K-cup that came with it that lets you use your own coffee and that is what I usually do (Dunkin Donuts brand) unless I have these. These are so much easier because all you do is pop the old one out and pop the new one in. With the adding your own coffee, you have to empty the grounds and rinse the filter with each use. Having the disposable one time use cups is much quicker!

And I got to Nana's and Valarie gave me the present she got for me. It was this pillow that goes well in my house. It says "Mom's are like buttons they hold things together" and actual buttons make all the "o"s on the pillow. I love it! It is beautiful! I could not have picked out anything better!

Val wanted to bake cookies with her oldest today. Tobi Rose told her mama  that she couldn't have cookies and when she asked her why, Tobi responded that she'd be up all night if she ate cookies. Then she told her she wanted apple pie. What she really wanted was pineapple. That child is growing up so very fast.


That is it for today.
I love all y'all.
To be continued......

Proverbs 31:26-31 “She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue [is] the law of kindness. She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness. Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband [also], and he praiseth her. Many daughters have done virtuously, but thou excellest them all. Favour [is] deceitful, and beauty [is] vain: [but] a woman [that] feareth the LORD, she shall be praised. Give her of the fruit of her hands; and let her own works praise her in the gates.” (KJV)

A letter from 1987

Today while I was cleaning up some things and going through some papers I came across a letter I had written to Rick when he was in Massachusetts before I moved up there with him. He wasn't much on writing to me, but I did write to him. He kept the letters. I thought they were gone when the old Clifford house burned but one of the kids had found this one after Rick died and brought it in the house. I didn't know it was in here. I read it, it didn't really say a lot, just telling him how much I missed him and I would be glad when we would be back together and all the things Valarie was doing. She was 16 months old when the letter was written. I cried when I found it, I opened it and just smiled. He told me so many times over the years to move on with my life if he died first. He told me more than once after the tumor was found not to cry for him. I just can't help it sometimes. I miss him. I smelled his cologne again last night. I don't even have any of it here now. I do still have his phone on and I still call it to hear his voice.

I think this is all for tonight. I will ask again for prayers for our friends who are sick and those who just need prayers......I think we could all use prayers from those we love, I know I can!

I love all y'all...
To be continued..............

“And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.” Ephesians 4:32 KJV

It's just me

We had our scheduled AACN Chapter meeting (group of critical care nurses) tonight. We had an event tonight that really turned out well. Our chapter made a little money and a great topic was presented by a great speaker. We hope to have her back. Awesome group of young women who got it together for us too. They did an awesome job! We had our officer election for the next fiscal year as well-- it's more of who will volunteer for the work for the next two years....but we only meet every other month so it's not too bad. 

It has been a long week. My last post was on Livvy's birthday. I worked Monday, it was my first day back after being off 3 weeks. It just about whipped me. Tuesday I had balloon pump call, guess what. We had two so I went in. Wednesday was a scheduled day to work, I try not to work Wednesdays so I can go to prayer meeting. Sometimes it doesn't work out. Wednesday was busy too. I still gotta go in Saturday. I had switched that day with Rindy weeks and weeks ago. Her son is a senior and that is some activity for him. Prom maybe......I know she needs to be there though. Your baby is only a high school senior once. 

Picked up my thyroid medicine today. I can't run out of that again, ever. Turns out that hypothyroid (low thyroid levels) can contribute to the heart problem I have. I was without it for a while. I really didn't expect that. I won't let that happen again. Now one time without it likely didn't cause the problem, it is likely that combined with many other risk factors for it and how long it took to diagnose the low thyroid problem to begin with. I had symptoms for 2 or 3 years before the blood work indicated I need thyroid replacement. I just had no idea it would contribute to diastolic dysfunction. I do know now however, and I won't run out again. And I will take my bystolic every day. And a follow up ECHO in August or November (Dr Avula said 3-6 months) and I will be in his office in August for follow-up. I don't want progression of this to heart failure. There are other things I can do to help and I intend to do those too. I don't like being so short of breath and no energy. So I am making sacrifices and life changes to accomplish this goal. I will update you as it goes.

I love all y'all

To be continued....

“For I know the plans I have for you. Plan to prosper you and not to harm you, plan to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11

Miss Olivia Rhea Sullivan turned one year old today

this is Miss Olivia Rhea Sullivan at her debut May 6, 2011.

this is Olivia and Tober having a conversation. 

and this is Bubba giving her a bottle B

 

At Nana Becky's waiting for the game to start

6 months old at Christmas timeand this is Miss Livvy today wondering what all they hype is about! 
this has been a most difficult post to make today. I really really don't like this new format Blogger has made us go to. 

Janna and Nick

Janna's Junior Prom was tonight. This is what they looked like before they left my house to go to town to take prom pictures. They were going out for a good meal at Longhorn Steakhouse then to the Corvette Museum for Prom. I think they both look good in red! It was a little difficult uploading this picture-- it took 7 tries before I got one that didn't have weird colors in it. Blogger changed things a few weeks ago and I am still getting used to it. I don't know if I can keep up with their changes. Like Facebook, blogger thinks they are making things better. I knew where to go for everything. Now, it is all different. I have never liked change. Guess I never will. If it ain't broke, don't fix it OR at least give us an option to keep things like we like them. Nick and I went to town earlier this morning to clean up my car, that is what they were taking to prom and to get breakfast and for Nick to get a haircut for Prom. Valarie had to go pick up Janna's flowers for him because it took so long to get breakfast that we were running late. It all worked out.

Yesterday when I was cleaning out the car I found the missing iPhone. Good news is I now have 2. I called AT & T and they told me to keep it. So, I have a spare.  Oh, well. It will all work out in the end.

There are so many people I would love to ask you to remember in your prayers. So instead of naming them all and what they need, just know God knows and if you ask Him, He will know who you mean. And I ask this and then go to my online Bible site and believe it or not this is the verse of the day:

“Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7 KJV

I love all y'all!
To be continued......

Second follow up was today

Saw Dr. Avula in the office today for a second follow up visit. I get to go back to work on Monday. That is good news. I have not worked since 4/13. I think I needed a vacation, but this wasn't what I had in mind. That is OK though. My blood pressure was better today, it was 130/84. While that is not as high as last Friday, it is higher than it needs to be. They want it to be in the 110's/. It does take a little time to get the medication regulated and I have no doubt it will be OK! I have been a little more tired today than yesterday. That will be OK too! Went from the office to employee health to get the paperwork complete so I can return on Monday.

I had a nice surprise yesterday when I got up. Nick had brought home about a gallon of freshly picked strawberries. They were Bobbie Joe's berries so the plants originally came from Rick. They are so good, sweet, juicy. I had berries 3 times yesterday and twice today so far. Yum! They are a type of berry that has been passed from neighbor to neighbor and back again in this area for decades. The man who shared them with us said they are called Honey O's he thought. They sure are good! 

I found out at prayer meeting that I missed church on Sunday. I guess I never thought about it being the 5th Sunday. I thought I knew when those were coming up. I was wrong. I felt bad about missing!

I think this is all for tonight. Y'all please remember the family of the young man from Hart Co. whose body was found over the weekend in Green River. Thankful that they finally have closure, but saddened by the death. 

Also please continue to remember Steve Miller and his family in your prayers as he continues to recover from a stroke.

Remember us in your prayers as well. We will remember you as well.

Romans 1:9For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers;

I love all y'all!

To be continued...........

Do you believe in Angels?

(someone posted this picture today on facebook asking us to share if we believe in angels.......here's my share....)

I do. 100% without a doubt in my mind. No ifs, ands or buts. I do believe in angels. I have never ever seen an angel but I do believe I have been present more than once when they were present. One is when an angel came to room 6A19 and took Rick to his final rest until the Judgement. Another time is when Nick almost got hit by a truck in front of the old store parking lot getting off the bus. The bus driver didn't have the stop sign extended. Nick was 3 1/2 years old. Normally Nick would have run across the road to me. That particular day he said something held his shoulders and told him to be still. There was no one there but him. By the time the man driving the truck realized what was going on and got stopped he was drivers window to drivers window even with the bus driver. Had Nick started across that road, the man driving that truck would have hit him. There would have been no way to avoid it. Another time Nick had help from an angel he was about 5 1/2. He was trapped under water with his little body keeping the truck from going in the water. He was under there about 3 to 5 minutes before Rick could get him out. All that was out of the water was his little hand. Later that day he told me his great grandfather (my papaw James-who he described perfectly complete with khaki color shirt and pants) told him his dad would have him out shortly and to hold his breath. He would be fine. And he was. Yes, he had injuries, burns and cuts but they healed. When Rick got the truck off him, he got out of the water and stood to the side. He said, 'Daddy, I don't need CPR'. There is more to both stories that I won't go into here. If you want to know, ask me I will tell you. The one thing that I learned from these experiences (and I already knew) was that there is One above who controls all. I have no doubt. I know there were angels with Nick and with Rick. And if you read this and you still don't believe, God have mercy on your soul. 

Genesis 28:11-13
King James Version (KJV)
 ¹¹And he lighted upon a certain place, and tarried there all night, because the sun was set; and he took of the stones of that place, and put them for his pillows, and lay down in that place to sleep.
 ¹²And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it.
 ¹³And, behold, the LORD stood above it, and said, I am the LORD God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed;

I love all y'all!
To be continued..........