Memorial Day weekend

Well, the long weekend has come and gone..leaving me wishing for an even longer weekend/vacation. Most of my time was spent catching up on sleep I didn't get while worrying about my Mom. She spent almost 5 days in the hospital from what appeared to be an "overdose" of chemo. She went for days without being able to keep solids down even with anti nausea injections and a bag or two of IV fluids. SO, she went to the ER and they admitted her. After many, many phone calls and inquiries I was still as uninformed as before I called anybody-MAJOR source of frustration. As with many others-not knowing is one of the hardest things for me.
Thank goodness for having family and friends who work at the local hospital.I finally got some accurate information mid morning on Thursday and felt a little better about what was going on.
I could add more about the stressful part of the end of the week/weekend but won't.
On a positive note-We took R to see her first LIVE cows and horses. She was thrilled to see the "moos". We heard about the baby moo for days.

Bellingrath Gardens

When my parents were visiting, I took time off and took Mom to Bellingrath Gardens in Mobile, AL. I wasn't incredibly impressed this time, but the gardens are pretty at anytime. I'm thinking they were in an in-between phase because I saw lots of new plants and lots of planting being done.
What I enjoyed was the time we got to spend together and the time my parents were able to spend with little R.
R had a great time exploring the grass, shrubs, leaves, flowers, water features and various bugs we encountered along the way. We used her new backpack with a leash, ummm strap-to keep her from escaping into the river or dissapearing into the flowering abyss. It was a lifesaver-she could walk or ride in the stroller and I didn't have to plead, argue, redirect or force her to hold my hand or stay close. I distinctly remember the devices from quite a few years back that attached to the child's hand and had a strap the parents held and I even more vividly remeber my thoughts about them. It went something like this I can't believe a parent would have their child on a leash like a dog..I will never do that to my child...those are for people who just don't try to make their child behave, etc, etc. I take it all back!!!!! I was so thankful for the backpack and the peace it allowed.

Heirloom seeds

This year, I planted mostly heirloom seeds from Ferry Morse and Burpee. Why heirloom? I like the idea of non hybrid veggies and being able to save seeds year to year. Plus, there is just a tiny bit of preparedness in the back of my mind and heirloom seeds are a start. All of the seeds I planted are growing well and now I'm waiting on harvest time. The dragon tongue beans already have beans on them, the squash and zuchini are blooming and the onions are doing okay. I will post pictures soon.

Letting go and letting GOD

Why is it so hard to stop worrying about things you have no control over???? I keep reminding myself, let God take care of it the way he sees fit, just pray about it. BUT, I find myself worrying about the outcome, thinking about what ifs and getting down about what the future may or may not hold. So, this is a visual reminder for me to Let Go and Let God. I will continue to pray for healing but also pray for acceptance of God's plan.

Gratitude

Definition of GRATITUDE

a feeling of thankfulness and appreciation

a feeling of being grateful for gifts or favours

The state of being grateful; thankfulness.

My mom's recent diagnosis has reminded me of how thankful I should be for what I have...even the little things. So, here is a list for the world to see.

Things I am thankful for:

A healthy child
Parents who care
In-laws who are helping
A home
My car
Flowers
All of my senses
The ability to work
Having a job
Reasonably good health
unconditional love
Air conditioning
Food for my family
GOD
the bible
Church
Music
Good coffee
Krispy Kreme :)
Having had my parents around till now
Doctors
medications
change of seasons
the beach
mountains
sunsets
rain
intelligence
having at least a little common sense
a husband who helps out w/ baby
Nichole-she takes wonderful care of little R
my 3 critters
silence (not that I experience it alot)


These are just a few of the thinks I am thankful for. A few years ago, Oprah mentioned a gratitude journal on her show. I haven't done that but I do make it a point to think about all I have to be thankful for..even the small things.