Flip-flop tans and....sorry, no white sand

Life is soo good!! God is soo AMAZING!! The weather is just beautiful!!
The gardens continue to grow. I planted some pink petunias out front this week. They smell amazing when it is hot outside. I added some cilantro and dill to the herb garden as well. We also have a new bud or two on our new red climbing rose out front.
Mom brought the girls down for a visit this week. We are having so much fun. Having them here is helping the week go by nice and fast....I don't know how much longer I can hold out waiting for the GED results to come in...lol!! If it doesn't rain we are going to go swimming later today. Last night we stayed up late watching Avater. A very interesting movie.

I have four new babies!! A pair of robins are nesting in one of the fruit trees in the back yard. The little things are so perfect.
Woke up with a splitting headache this morning. When I start waking up with headaches is when it is time to see a chiropractor. I haven't located one in the area yet, so I guess I am going to have to get right on that now.
I tried a new recipe earlier this week....."Avacado Mango Salsa". It is AWESOME!!! The sourdough bread is still going strong. Speaking of strong, you should smell the starter. It will make you silly just sniffing the stuff....lol!!

Going On

I am sad...."my babies" are all grown and flying now :(. The little robins have left home now. They are still as cute as buttons though.

The front is looking amazing. We have added a birch tree and landscaped the area near the front of the house. Grandma wants to get some kind of statue to put out there. I think that we are also going to get some weeping pussy willow trees to put out front as well. Summer time is such an exciting time of year.

I took the first part of my GED test today..Math and Language Arts. I feel really good about it. Tomorrow will be the Reading, Social-Studies, and Science. All three of those subjects I am really strong in, So tomorrow should be a piece of cake. I have tried to do this for so long that it doesn't seem real yet that I am actually taking it. I keep having to pinch myself...LOL!! Not too hard though ;).

In the Good Ol' Summertime

Summer is here at last I think. We have had our share of bad weather....tornadoes, thunder, and rain. But the sun is shining today and the breeze is warm.....it tickles the wind-chimes and makes them laugh.

The corn and green-beans have finally peeked out and embraced the sun. The herb garden is absolutely gorgeous!! I love herbs. Grandma and I want to make pesto with the basil this summer...YUM!! Speaking of pesto, I made asparagus pesto the other day...pretty good stuff, but I have decided that I am allergic to asparagus. Every time I eat that stuff I get this metallic taste in my mouth and then I just don't feel right. From now on I will not be eating the stuff. I think that using the recipe that I used for this pesto I will use spinach in it some time. I am sure we are going to be overrun by the tomatoes this year. We will have to have a BLT party.

The day after tomorrow I start my GED tests. I should be freaking out about now, but I feel perfectly calm about it. It just amazes me. Maybe taking all those pre-GED tests were more helpful than I realized. I feel so ready for this. I am really excited about taking it finally. We shall see how it all goes, but my GED instructor is sure I am going to pass, as am I. All of my scores in my pre-GED tests were off the charts. My math is still a little on the weak side, but it the tests I took over the past couple of weeks I scored high enough to pass. So....let's do this!!!


Yesterday I was out taking pictures of the garden and the baby robins. Well, I am not sure if I bumped the fence where the nest is, or if the baby bird jumped out, but one of the babies ended up on the ground. I was just going to leave it because you are not supposed to touch baby birds, but Beau (the dog) saw it and, with tongue hanging wildly out, started to chase the poor thing down (pick on someone your own size, Gosh!!). I decided I had better put it back. Scooped it up....it was so cute and soft...and set it back in the nest. So far they are all doing alright. The parents have not rejected it so far. They are just so darling. Today it is hot and their little heads are poking out from under their mama...they look quite warm under there. I am glad my mom doesn't sit on me when it is hot outside...or any other time for that matter....LOL!!

The sourdough is growing rapidly. I feed it once a week...it is kind of like having a pet. It is starting to smell nice and sour. There was so much dough this weekend that I made a double batch and put two loaves in the freezer. They say you can actually freeze the dough for up to three months. When you get it out you let it thaw out and then feed it once and let it sit over night before you use it. The bread that I baked turned out really, really good this time. It is more sour, and the crust is chewier than last time....YUM!! It made wonderful toast this morning, but the best time to eat it is when it is right out of the oven, so hot that the butter becomes liquid and seeps through the entire piece of the delicious bread. This is when Grandma joins me in the bread-making process...lol!!

Well, not too much else to blog about I guess. Life is full around here....life is good. God is soo good to me.

Bread Test

Today I made my first batch of my sourdough bread from the the starter. Had lots of fun with it. I had to wash up in the middle of kneading it though to help the respiratory services guy unload grandma's oxygen tanks. He seems like a pretty nice guy. Anyway, back to the kneading...finished that up and then let it rise for an hour. Punched it down and let it rest 15 min and then shaped the loaves. After that they got to rise for another hour and then I set them in the oven for about 30 minutes. After they came out of the oven I ate the heel with some butter on top.....OMG!!! SOOO GOOD!!! Ya'll can go ahead and be jealous now. I also made hot wings for lunch. Made some nut-peanut-chip-choc-chip cookies for grandma, who is not feeling the greatest as of late. And then, this evening I made some veggie soup to go with the bread. We dipped our pieces in olive oil and herbs.

The studying for my GED test is going good. I studied so hard today that I am sure my brain was smoking....*cough,cough, gasp!!* Next week I go in GED class to start taking the pre-ged tests. The week after I will do the same. Only 17 days until the official test..YAY!!!

Our garden is doing well. Planted the herb garden yesterday. We are going to have tomotoes running out of our ears this year. The roses and peaches are going to be plentiful as well. I love this season :)

There is not much else to write about.....I am going to end for now. I hope to take pictures of the garden and such this weekdend. Maybe I will do some more studying. I also need to get back in to reading again. I borrowed a whole bunch of books from the library the other day but have had trouble starting any of them. I kinda sorta started one this evening. It is a biography about Winston Churchill. I will let ya'll know if it is any good...that is, if I finish it...lol!!

Cleaning Frenzies and Gardening Fevers

It has been a busy week. Grandma ordered some beautiful new chairs for the living room, so we spent the week getting ready for them to arrive. We took the rug out of the living room and clean it, cleaned the garage up, and put boxes on shelves out there. We have yet to sweep but other than that it looks a lot better out there. Then, when the chairs did come, we moved furniture all around the house trying to get the effect that suited us best. It was fun!! I love re-arranging furniture....I got that from my beloved mum <3 . So all of this put me in a cleaning frenzy and I totally cleaned and re-organized my room...organized my clothes according to color and length (I know...crazy, huh?). I didn't re-arrange the furniture in my bedroom because it is just a bit small for that...oh well! Freshening it up and getting things organized again made me feel lots better. I bet grandma thought that I was just nuts...lol!!! I also made a sourdough start...and lovingly named it "Susie", after all it is like having a pet...you have to feed or stir it every day. So "Susie" is growing. It looks like maybe this coming week I might be able to make my first batch of bread. I will include photos when that happens.

This morning, grandma and I planted the tomato plants...YAY!! I can't wait to eat them. Juicy, dripping beefsteak tomatoes, with turkey bacon, lettuce, and LOTS of mayo!!! YUMMY!!! I will be in heaven!!

The rose plants out on the patio have tons of buds on them now and there is some pink starting to peek through on a couple of them. I think that we are going to have bunches and bunches of beautiful roses this year. They are David Austen climbing roses, and grandma has them positioned to grow up the white lattice that surrounds the patio...talk about BEAUTIFUL!! I will have to take pictures once more color starts to show up.

My GED test is coming up on the 24th and 25th of May. I am so excited to take this thing finally. Between all the stress and illness it has taken me like two years to finally get down to business and get it done. Thankfully, my life and health have calmed down enough that I feel mentally and emotionally ready to take it now. I am just keeping my fingers crossed about the math part :D . I am believing that I will do REALLY well on it. If you all would...I would appreciate prayers on the topic, as tests kinda stress me out. Thinking positive about it all...and studying, studying, studying like mad.

If all goes as planned I am going to go to the "Y" and work out for a bit today. And then I am going to take myself on some sort of a "date". You know, just some "me time". I haven't decided whether to go to a movie, or go to Barnes and Noble and read a book...and maybe buy one...shhhh, don't tell any one..lol!!

Happy Meals

WOW!!! I am tired!! I spent the nearly the entire day in the emergency room again with Grandma. That chest pain just won't go away. Even though the doctor has me sleeping with my upper body elevated. Kind of weird sleeping sitting up, I know. It beats sitting up with the dead though...not that I ever have, lol!!! It does wonders for your neck..lol!! I also have this stupid boils thing going again. Stay away from me....I am dangerous....oooooohhhh!!! Be afraid, be VERY afraid!!! When the nurse tried getting the IV in to me today (they had to use a really BIG needle for the kind of tests that they were going to be doing)all of a sudden blood started squirting ALL OVER my pants!!! I don't know why it hit me so funny, but all of a sudden I was laughing and laughing. I guess waiting five plus hours in the waiting room can make you kind of hysterical...lol!! So anyway, I guess I am still dealing with acid reflux. It isn't a blood clot or heart problems thankfully. The doctor was even nice enough to lance my boil....it REALLY hurts!!! I am sure Grandma thought I was just the tiniest bit slap-happy (which I was :D) after all the morphine...lol!!! That stuff knocks me for a loop!!! After I got out Grandma and I got Happy Meals at McHeartattack. I got a pink crown and Grandma got a barbie mermaid...lol!! I don't remember the last time I had a Happy Meal. It was sort of a fun day....minus all the waiting.
This coming week Grandma and I are going to get our little garden put together in the back yard. We are also going to get a few flowers. I am so excited!! I love this time of year!

I'm Almost There

Another day....another wonderful day. I am feeling so much better!! I woke up yesterday morning feeling like a human being and the feeling has not left me yet.

This morning found me on my knees in front of the mailbox. I only went out there to put some things in there for Grandma and nearly got lost in the jungle that was surrounding the area. Nearly fighting for my life, I attempted subduing the monster weeds that nipped and snarled at my body, getting dirt under my fingernails, and grass stains on my jeans. One of the monsters had an extra dose of fight in it's weedy little heart and nearly sent me sprawling over backwards....I hope none of the neighbors saw...lol!! Anyway, it was wonderful to be so close to the earth. Everything was so alive...including the weeds....GRRR!!!

Date...with a NUT!!!

Hello...again!!! I am up late due to the medication keeping me up. I hope and pray that I can get off this stupid prednisone once and for all!!! It gives me headaches, puts me in a terrible mood, I am hyper and hungry, the love-handles come out for a peek at the world, and my face gets to looking rather like a chipmunk...LOL!!! But really, it is NOT funny!!! And those are just the obvious side-effects. OK....ENOUGH!!! I really did have a pretty good day. Every day is a good one when not spent in the hospital or flat on your back in pain.....or in and out of the bathroom every few minutes.
The day didn't turn out to be as rainy as I thought it would be. It sprinkled some....and smelled marvelous mostly!! I love this time of year!! Didn't end up going on a walk after all. Went to Wal-Mart with Ben and Heather to grab a thing or two...or three. Then we all made a trip in to town to see mom at work. She was busy making a BEAUTIFUL flower arrangement with a fancy name...she would have to tell you. Heather ended up going to the clinic due to a fever and strep-throat...poor dear :(. She and I spent the rest of the afternoon on the couch....both doped up with meds and watching a movie on Netflix....Race to Witch Mountain. And then, last but not least, I went on a "date" with my nut of a brother. It was fun....as far as "dates" with brothers go. We saw Clash of the Titans, which turned out to be pretty good I thought. We were amazed that there were no kissing scenes..lol!! I can't wait to go on a real date...even if it is with a nut...lol!!

Anyway, I guess I will lay my head down and try to get some beauty sleep....even if the meds want it some other way. So goodnight world...this flower will open again in the morning.

Spring Rain

When I woke up this morning....something felt different. The air was close and cool. The room was darker than usual. I felt sad. It is a day for rain I guess.



Mum and I planted flowers in the window boxes on the porch yesterday. It was so fun to be up and around helping out. And being so close to the dirt and flowers was like food for my soul. It is a good day for rain. All the flowers that got planted will do really well to get some moisture after all the trauma of being planted yesterday.
Mum is at the flower shoppe helping out with the arrangements for the Military Ball that is coming up here in a bit. Wish I had someone to go with. I think that later....if it is not pouring buckets, I will walk in to town and see her there at the shoppe, and maybe do a little window shopping.
I am sure this post is pretty boring and pathetic....oh well!! Maybe I will have more to write at the end of my day.

The Perfect Day

All I can do is sigh with contentment as I write this. My two younger sister and I sat out in the sun this evening after my four hour nap. We blew bubbles, talked about boys, and watched our crazy dog tear around the yard at the speed of light. She ran all over Heather's homework...lol!! Martha showed me her track warm-ups, which look like a lot of fun. I felt like a flower soaking up all those dazzling rays of sunshine. When I got home from the hospital this afternoon I tried to eat lunch...which did NOT go well! So I then took a pain pill which resulted in me drooling on the couch for the next four hours. I had the craziest dreams!!! I am hoping that tomorrow proves to be another sunshine-filled day. If so, I am going to take a book out or my i-pod, some sunblock, and go stock up on sunshine. Maybe I will even sit in the garden and meditate...pretend I am a flower and lift my face to the sun and smile :). Life is so good when you are not having to lay on a hospital bed and haunt the lonely halls. Supper went down well....no pain!!! All of us sat on the porch eating mashed potatoes and BBQ chicken for supper...then the sun went down, some of us stayed on the porch doing homework, some of us laughed and cried together. All we needed to complete the evening would have been root-beer floats and lightning bugs :)....naw, it was perfect. I love my sisters....my brothers....my whole family <3. I am so happy and thankful that I was spared...that I am alive today. Jesus lives!!

Back in the Hospital Again

I kind of associate being in the hospital probably similarly to how the cowboys associated being "back in the saddle"...not very fun, but necessary non-the-less :P .I already knew that my body was not one for handling stress well, but going to the hearing in Vermont was necessary, and now, for the most part it is over.
Anyway, so here I am...bored, sitting in the hospital bed AGAIN!!! I have been sleeping a lot, which can be good I guess....I can't do much else. I would most definitely go bananas if it weren't for Netflix!!! Other than this I take medicine...IV and otherwise, lots of bathroom breaks, try to keep down each meal as it comes. I am the resident ghost that haunts the lonely halls. And then there is the occasional giggle that happens late at night when the male (married....bummer!!) nurse rides the computer cart down the hospital hall like a kid on a shopping cart....LOL!! And I am pretty sure all of the other patients up here are elderly because I can hear them and the nurses quite well from all the way down the hall...trying to understand each other. Yesterday, my elderly lady neighbor was "whooping" and "yahoo-ing" because she got to go home.....I lay there thinking to myself "what did they give her?" "I want some too..lol". One guy has no teeth...I am sure of it. Or at least they reside in a container somewhere in the hospital room. Each nurse is different...some wear TONS of make-up, some look scary, and then there are the really nice ones. The one that is on this evening is from India. She is so sweet but I can't understand a word pretty much...lol!! She smells like spices.
I keep hearing that the weather is beautiful outside and I want to go out so BAD!!! But until I can Mum and Heather have picked tulips from the garden for me...they are so BEAUTIFUL!!!
Think I will end for now and write more again later.
Thinking that I might be able to go home tomorrow....fingers crossed :D

Back Home

Loved ones....we are home once again. You wouldn't believe the relief that washed over me the moment we stepped off the plane on to good old Missouri soil. Vermont is a lovely place, a place that we once called home, but as fate would have it it is now a very dark place for me and members of my family. I am so thankful to be home once again. Will write more later....

Thunderstorms...and memories

We had our first real thunderstorm on Saturday. I LOVE thunderstorms!!! Somehow they make me feel safe. I remember back in the day being frightened of them like most little ones are, but then one day it all changed. I was at my grandparent's home in St. Joseph, Missouri. Grandma was babysitting me...I was about two years old at the time I believe. Anyway, I was "taking a nap" (which usually meant I was laying in bed pretending my fingers were little people. I would make them walk up and down the mountains...ie: my knees..lol. We had a grand time) when a thunderstorm blew in. All that booming a crashing sent me under the covers and then eventually in to the kitchen where grandma was....most likely doing the dishes ;). She re-assured me that things were all right out there, that I didn't need to be afraid. She told me that the thunder and lightning were just talking to each other. She tucked me back in to her bed and then left the room. I slept soundly after that. I felt safe, like a part of nature inside of me had been awakened, and I was at peace with it. When I woke up, I found grandma at the front door looking out through the screen at the fresh world. I can still remember the clash of scents and sounds as I stood there beside her. The smell of my grandma...who by the way smells like a wonderful smelling linen closet and baby powder, the smell of the screen pressed up against my nose, and the smell of the rain on pavement and grass. The robins were singing, and the you could still hear the distant roll of thunder. I miss feeling safe like that. Maybe one day I will feel safe once more.....in my Father's arms. I am looking forward to and preparing for that special day.

Spring

I am still trying to convince myself that Spring is really here. It is warm one day and bitter cold the next. I am ready for the steady smile of the sunshine on my face. Today it is raining. The only thing that helps me through these days is to pretend that I live in England....while I sip a warm cup of tea. I place my face close to the cup...the steam curls up and touches my nose with a moist, tea scented kiss. I feel better already.

It is crazy around here. I wish the weather would make up it's mind. We had snow on Sunday and now it is warm enough that we opened all the windows in the house to air things out. My room now smells marvelous!! I love watching the curtains blow back and forth gently.
I took a very invigorating walk with Michael Buble this evening. I am so in love with him...JK!!
Grandma D and I just finished watching Wheel of Fortune. The mother/son team won $100,000 ....and that was just the bonus round. grandma and grandpa Cool used to watched the Wheel faithfully every day. Watching it now reminds me of them and floods me with bittersweet memories, as my grandfather is no longer with us and my grandmother has cancer and will not be with us for much longer. It is sometimes sad to grow up.

Hey everyone....not that anyone will read this lol! Just checking this out again. A good friend of mine helped me figure out getting a cute blog up so I believe I am ready to start out in the world of blogging once again. I guess we will just have to see.

The weather has been just gorgeous!! I am not happy that it will be snowing once again. I am WAY ready for the sun to stay out now. My flip-flops and sunglasses are sulking in the closet.

I just recently was a part of my best friend's wedding. It was the first time I had been a bridesmaid and it was loads of fun. My feet really hurt by the end of the day though. That is what I get for wearing heels I guess....lol!! It was a bittersweet day. I saw my best friend marry the man of her dreams. She was so beautiful!