RANDOMNESS #1 - Mike and I went to Pepper Place Saturday morning, and a Spring outing to this farmer's market did not disappoint!
Mike bought a loaf of this bread and it was a big hit with our family this past weekend.
I found this lady sitting in the exact same spot as last Fall.
Some things never change.
One of the things I love about Pepper Place are all the cute pups. They come dressed in hats and sweaters and bows. Some come "as is," but still very well-groomed and even more well-behaved.
"Uh, Enchanting Belinda... Isn't this a picture of goat on a leash?" you might ask.
"Why, yes. Yes, it is," I would reply.
This little guy was a hit with all the kids in the market Saturday...
And a lot of the adults were pretty taken by him, too.
I want to have fairy gardens with my grandchildren one day.
I think it would be a fun project.
These two street performers reminded me of our recent trip to Nashville.
I could have sat under this red umbrella with a cool Spring breeze blowing on my face...
Looking at this guy all day Saturday...
But, alas, other things had to be accomplished the day before Easter!
RANDOMNESS #2 - After church and before leaving to celebrate Easter at Grandmother's, we found a shady tree for some Easter pics.
Austin and Josh.
Just so you know, Austin hasn't shrunk. Josh was standing on a huge tree root, and he got to tower over his big brother instead of standing shoulder-to-shoulder.
Roxie and her Daddy.
I think this pose may become our new Easter Picture Tradition...
The Brothers call it "The Model Pose," and if truth be known, they like it more than The Chick...
Which is a little worrisome.
Roxie and Katie.
Roxie, Grandmother and Katie.
This ended up being my favorite Easter pic of 2014. Roxie, MamMa, Katie and Zac.
RANDOMNESS #3 - The following recipes and/or ideas were taken directly from my Easter Pinterest File.
Chocolate bunny in a mason jar with Easter grass and little Cadbury Eggs.
Classic!
Peeps swimming in a marshmallow topping!
Who cares what is under the marshmallows?
Cross Cupcake Cake decorated by The Chick.
The gang decorating eggs with Sharpies.
Katie's egg...
And Austin's Chick-Fil-A egg.
RANDOMNESS #4 - Wedding News - The months until Austin and Melia's wedding will hit the 6 MONTH MARK this week.
I know.
It's a little mind boggling, isn't it?
The fact that Mike and I got engaged in August of 1987 and married in January of 1988 with only five months to plan seems incredible now. I'm not sure how we did it.
Melia is not only planning a wedding, but she is finishing school and is scheduled to graduate in May.
The girl is a Wedding Planning Machine!
My two biggest "jobs" between now and the wedding date are simply as follows:
1. Finish planning the Rehearsal Dinner. (I'm trying to get Barry Manilow to come South for an "Evening With Barry" if you will.)
2. Find the perfect, if not elusive, Mother of the Groom Dress.
Or, as I like to call it, Hot Mother of the Groom Dress.
And, also, Looks-Like-a-Size-4-But-Totally-Isn't Mother of the Groom Dress.
If I am not mistaken, I will have much better luck getting Barry to commit to a Rehearsal Dinner than the second item on my list!
Heavy, heavy sigh.
Wish me luck.
RANDOMNESS #5 - After today, there are only two parts left to my panic attack story, and then we can move on to something more cheerful and upbeat.
If you know of any such topics (cheerful and upbeat), feel free to leave suggestions in the Comment Section below!
A Little Bit of My Story - Part 3
The meeting with my internist went well, but it was not what I wanted to hear. "Why is this happening now?" I asked. "Things are just starting to settle down with Josh. We're understanding what we have to do, and we're working on everything. We're sleeping again. We're eating as a family again. We even went to church together for the first time in a year. This is ridiculous."
She (patiently) explained to me when a child is sick, most moms do without sleep, food or anything else they need to get through the sickness to take care of the child. Then, depending on how long or how severe the child's illness was (or is going to be), their own body will react. In my case... panic attacks.
"Well, I'm not having this. We're not finished with OCD. From everything we're learning, it's here to stay. I do not have the time OR energy for this. This is ridiculous."
"It doesn't matter how many times you say 'ridiculous.' This isn't going to go away anytime soon. It's not uncommon, and denying you have panic attacks isn't going to work."
"Ridiculous," I muttered.
Then I started the medicine "thing." Unfortunately, what worked for most people, didn't work for me. I was taken off the anti-depressant, but I was given an anxiety drug to take when I felt the attacks coming on, as well as a small dose in the morning and a small dose in the evening.
While this medication did nothing to stop the panic attacks, it did keep me out of the hospital every three to four weeks.
BUT, before the medications even had a chance to work, my attacks got much, much worse. I had not one, not two, but three heart tests... each one more comprehensive than the last.
The first one, a nuclear stress test, was a breeze. They proclaimed it a success. I left the doctor's office having chest pains, shortness of breath... otherwise known as a heart attack or panic attack.
The second test, a nuclear stress test with an immediate ultrasound of my heart, showed a tear in my aortic valve. WHAT? I thought they said I didn't have any heart problems. A tear in my aortic valve sounded serious. I was assured it was not, but they would have to check it every two years for the remainder of my life. (That was okay with me. A little known fact... When you have panic attacks which have the same symptoms as heart attacks, the hospital is your favorite place to be. Plus, having to have my heart checked every two years because a cardiologist said it was necessary made me feel less "ridiculous.")
The third test was straight off the Rick and Bubba Show. I wanted the test where they put the dye into an IV, and then perform an X-ray. (Rick, Bubba and Speedy all had this test done, and talked about it on their show.) It showed the heart in tiny slices, thus letting the doctors see if there were any blockages. It was the last non-invasive test I would be able to have, but it was also one of the better tests. The test results for that one came back, "No significant sign of heart disease."
"That's good," Mikie said when I called him.
"What does 'significant' mean?" I asked.
"Not enough to worry about," he replied.
"But there is something. Otherwise, it would simply say, 'No sign of heart disease,' and they would leave out the word 'significant.'"
"It's okay, Belinda."
"It's ridiculous, is what it is," I mumbled to myself.
I'll leave you today by stating once again I'm thankful God is in control of this most unsettling new illness which found it's way into our home over five years ago. Even though there were times I thought I could handle the attacks all by myself, I never had to do it alone. God's hand has been on this family in so many ways. Some of which we've been blessed to be able to see in hindsight, and others we will probably never even know.
I'll share Part 4 Friday morning.
Pinterest Stuff
Mother-Son Bucket List
This list was taken from a great blog (www.susanme.com), and she has many more ideas and several more lists!
Go rock climbing (real or facility).
Wake him up in the middle of the night and go to an all night diner for breakfast.
Plant a tree or grow vegetables in the backyard.
Make a model airplane.
Take a spontaneous, weekend road trip.
Go canoeing.
Create a paper-mache volcano and blow it up.
Go on a missions trip.
Run a 5K together.
Go to one professional game for every sport you can list.
Go horseback riding.
Go snorkeling in the ocean.
Go zip lining.
Read a classic together (The Lord of the Rings, Tom Sawyer, etc.).
Make your own pizza from scratch.
Create your own barbecue sauce.
Watch the entire Star Wars collection.
Take a trip to where his favorite movie was filmed.
Buttercream Icing
You will need the following:
1 cup salted butter (2 sticks), softened
4 cups confectioner's sugar, sifted
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
3 to 5 tablespoons heavy cream
1. Using a paddle beater, beat softened butter on medium speed for about 3 minutes.
2. Add sifted confectioner's sugar and stir on low until incorporated.
3. Add vanilla extract and 3 tablespoons of heavy cream. Beat on medium-high for 3 minutes, stopping to scrape the sides once or twice.
4. If a thinner frosting is desired, add additional heavy cream 1 tablespoon at a time until desired consistency is reached.
This recipe was copied from www.unsophisticook.com... And it was FANTASTIC!
Have a delightful rainy Tuesday and an equally delightful Wednesday and Thursday, too. I'll be back Friday with A Little Bit of My Story - Part 4, Pinterest Stuff, Mother's Day Ideas and much, much more.
Take care, and I'll talk to you the end of the week.
Sincerely,
The Enchanting Belinda
My daughter gave us two weeks to 'plan her wedding' - or they were going to the courthouse. No, this was not shotgun -just 'no reason to wait' and 'no reason to be a big deal.' Everything came off without a hitch two weeks later at the beautiful out-of-doors event. I survived (barely).
ReplyDelete