Christmas Fun

How did you spend your Christmas? We spent ours in Georgia and Alabama with family. We headed to Georgia a few days before Christmas and visited the Georgia Aquarium (awesome) and Stone Mountain (okay, should have reserved a snow time) and spent time with the sisters-hubbie's two older children. R had a fabulous time hanging out with her sisters-watching movies, playing games, going to the playground, getting her nails painted and more. I also got to spend an afternoon with my college roomie and her sister!
We opened presents Christmas morning, spent some time with the sissies and then headed to Alabama to see my Dad.
We stayed in Alabama for a few days and my nieces and their children drove down and spent the days with us and visited their Grandpa. It was nice for us all to be together, even if only for a short time. AND Dad got to eat real food the day after Christmas. Technically it was mush but it was food and not through a tube!

  

child of an aging parent

Once again I find myself sitting in a hospital, my heart heavy and torn between being a mommy and wife and being a daughter. My daughter, husband, home and job in one state, my Dad in another. I leave tomorrow to go back home to work for a few days, take care of my little person, and spend some time with the hubby. What happens from then, I have no idea. Hubby and I are both torn about Thanksgiving. We would like to spend it with his parents but also want to take little R to see her Poppy. They don't interact alot but she brightens his day and he enjoys watching her play.
My Dad has had a significant cognitive decline, a possible TIA, is unable to swallow and had a hip replacement in the past few weeks.
Tomorrow's barium swallow test determines whether or not he can resume eating or has to have a feeding tube put in. Even if the test comes back positive, he may still need a tube for meds and additional nutrition. Either way, he will be moving to a nursing home in the next few days.
The idea of my Dad being in a nursing home 300 miles away makes my heart ache. The thought of him possibly not being able to get up and get around, get dressed, go to the potty, etc on his own and relying on others to do these things for him makes me cry.
So, I will pray for God's Will and peace and comfort for both my dad and me.

Publix Savings!! and Thrifting

So impressed with my Publix haul today.
6 bags of Eight O'Clock whole bean coffee
4 boxes Toaster Strudel (little R will almost always eat these for breakfast, don't judge :) )
2 boxes Toaster Scrambles
2 boxes Krusteaz Heart Healthy pancake mix
6 cans 100% Natural Campbell Soup
2 Hidden Valley Ranch Dressings
2  Minute Rice steamers
4 boxes Quaker instant grits
2 bags Chicken nuggets/tenders

all for $ 51.03 after BOGO, sale, and coupons. YAY yay YaY

I know I could make some of these myself and save more $ and be more healthy but sometimes saving time is more valuable :)

On another note, scored some bargains over the weekend at the thrift store in Alabama.
Yellow flowered Gap Dress for R
Mancala game
Skirt for me
~90 Wilton Cookie Cutters (box says 101 but I'm guessing some are missing)
2 new wipeable workbooks for R
Wooden mugholder (will paint and use as bracelet holder)
Cookie tin

Total less than $20.00

Summer Sand Pail List

R and I's Summer Sand Pail List

TP bird feeders

 
Melted bead sun catchers
Play in the sprinkler
Mini Golf
Sunset Picnic
Pick blueberries
Bake cookies and send to Dad and Uncle Jim
Pool at Boys and Girls Club
Water gun fight
Beach trip to Camp Helen
Early morning seashell hunting at Crooked Island Beach
Afternoon swim in the Bay
Splatter painting, outside of course
Star gazing
Canoeing on the Econfina
Fishing at the Marina
Birthday party for the Cats
Water bomb (sponges) fight
Make Coffee filter flowers

more Gardening

Once again I am making an attempt at gardening, this time with a modified square foot gardening approach. The hubby built a raised bed with landscape timbers and I used a mixture of garden soil and bagged compost. I also have tomatoes in buckets and some random veggies in the flower bed-some I planted and some little R decided to add in. So far we have-radishes, carrots, yellow squash, zucchini squash, acorn squash, butternut squash, cucumbers, bell pepper, tomatoes, pole beans, cilantro, basil, and okra. Things look great and I am super excited and ready to really make it work this time.

On another note, I tried to make a sunflower house for little R again, the squirrels had another idea. I planted seeds, the squirrels dug them up. I planted seeds again and this time covered them with old screens. The seeds sprouted and I had tiny little sunflower plants. I was certain the sunflower house was on it's way....NOPE!! The X@#%?/"*&^%%$#$ squirrels dug up the plants too. Aaaarrrrggghhh! Maybe another year.

I hope it's just a phase!!!!!!!

OK, so I haven't blogged in forever, oops :) Maybe I should revisit the idea?
So, my little R is being absolutely Terrible about most everything most ever day. She screams when she doesn't get her way, screams when she gets a consequence, yells alot, talks back, throws things, bosses us, hits, kicks, complains about every little detail, is obsessed with washing her hands and can be just downright mean. Geez I hope this is truly just a phase. It's been going on about 6 weeks of the awfuls and I am praying it ends soon. I know some of her actions are just a reaction to us so we have got to make changes too.
I've heard some positive things about "Have a New Kid by Friday" and just checked it out. I'm open to trying almost anything :)

                

control

There are so many things out of my control that I worry about. I'm trying to Let Go and Let God but sometimes it is so hard.
 I am still amazed how people act sometimes and how they feel the need to run other's lives. Just when you think they have ceased the crap, it starts again. AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!
I am so far away and feel so out of the loop and feel no one wants to keep me in-it's as if certain individuals want me out of the picture and I truly don't understand why.
I find myself having less than Christian thoughts and questioning how these Christian people can treat others in such a way. Then I remind myself-no one is perfect and it's not my place to judge.
When things get stressful I miss my Mom even more. She was the persistent, assertive one. Wish heaven wasn't so far away.

Birthdays

Yesterday was my Mom's birthday, the second one since she passed away last February. In a way I'm proud of myself for not getting upset and then I also feel a little guilty that I thought so little about it. I was aware of the date but I guess not focused on it. I still have days when the grief is overwhelming but those are fewer and fewer. Now I have more short moments of all those feelings versus entire days. So it's true, time does help.
Moving on to this weekend-R is having a pool party for her birthday. She is super excited!! She picked out a Tangled theme! Her birthday is next week and she will be 4. My baby is no longer a toddler, she's a little girl :(.