Awe Mothers Day Commercial Moments...

 Being home bound, I often get stuck watching the same things over again.  I enjoy NCIS, anything on HGTV, anything on DYI, and watching the news.

Lately I've found myself stopping in my tracks for this Publix Mother's Day Commercial...

I love watching it, and could watch it over and over again.  I think the little girl is just to cute, and the mother is played perfectly. 

And this Hallmark Mothers Day Commercial, I stop dead in my tracks for this one as well. It speaks to me.  It say all I want to hear..

It's no wonder I get anything done at all!!  But, there is something about GOOD commercials.  They tug at your heart.  Speak, what your thinking.  Bring tears to your eyes.

 Another commercial that grabs me is Got your 6.  I've added it for your review. Once again, it's awesome.  You might think it's not Mothers Day related, but as a Military Mom; let me assure you, it is.

 No matter what you are planning this Mothers Day, we just want to know; We aren't forgotten.  You still need us.  You think of us often.  You are proud of us.  That you love us...

Home Therapy, Range of Motion & My First Day

Today has been a really rough day.   With the cast off of my arm, the real work has begun.  Don't worry, I haven't started any Holmes projects.. yet.

Lately my sweety has been working late nights.  While my wrist was in a cast, he was picking up the slack in the kitchen.

That's my sweety ~  he is the greatest!!

But the past 6 days, he leaves for work before the sun wakes.. and comes home after the sun has called it a night.  I spend half my sleeping hours in bed, and the other half on the sofa.  Effects of sleeping in a 4 bedroom 2 bath house on 1 acre of partly dark property.  We are currently working on lighting my property up like Tampa International Airport.  Let me know if you see a very bright property from the sky.

Any-who, today started my Home Therapy.  I need to get my damaged wrist up to the same level as my good wrist, before my next Ortho visit; in three weeks.

At the Ortho visit May 9th

    While at my Ortho visit, the physician asked me to do a series of exercises.  I couldn't even make a fist.  I became very worried.  Very.  I hadn't counted on not having any Range of Motion when the cast came off.  I mean, I expected there to be stiffness, but not having any range of motion; hadn't crossed my mind at all.

    Today I began with a clean slate.  Just how bad was it?  Just how much work was ahead of me?  Just how hard was this going to be?  In a matter of seconds, all my questions were answered.

 

 

Uninjured Left wrist

Injured Right Wrist

    As you can clearly see, the range of motion in the left hand, is much better than my right.  Not only that, I am unable to make a fist with y right hand.  Folding the thumb into my palm in my right hand, is also another problem.

Uninjured Left hand

Injured Right hand

    Yay!!!! I worked very hard to fold my thumb inward on my injured wrist,  for this picture.  It was hard work, harder than I though it would be.  And it made me sweat!!  As you can clearly see, I can not fold my right wrist backward, well a little maybe... it's a start.  Not bad for the first day in my opinion.

Uninjured Left Wrist

Injured Right wrist

    While the palm of your hand faces you, make a fist and bend your wrist right and left.  In other words, bend your wrist sidewards.  This is one of the hardest exercises for me to do.  There is very little give for me to bend my injured wrist inward or outward. 

    The Ortho stated in my appointment .. the type of injury to my wrist can lead to Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, the only treatment for that is surgery.  You can see the need for me to stay on track with my Home Therapy, but I will keep on top of logging my progress with you.  Pictures and all.  I have to tell you, I almost forgot.  I am really worried about one exercise.  

    I haven't tried it yet.  I know, I should.  But, you are talking to the gal who stayed awake last night until 2:45am worrying about the pain I might have felt without the cast.   Anyway, the exercise that has me really scared ~ place both hands, palms facing you and fingers pointing downward.. now bend your fingers toward you, walk to a table, place your bended hand on the top of the table, and touch your wrist to the table top.  Oh yeah, I am very afraid of that.



 

The things I say... Wow!!!

  Remember the days when your children were little, take a second and think back to the times when they would say the darn-est things at the darn-est times, I could name off a half dozens if I just really thought about it.    We as adults would laugh it off, little ears.. big voice. 

  Oh the things little ones say. 

  What about the things big people say.  The things that come out of our mouths, and than you want to shove your head into a whole.  Yeah.  Those times.  Take a quick tour with me, and you'll understand why I wanted to bury my head.  Why I say the things I do, is well past understanding.

Grow grass... Grow!!

  I live here.  I'm not crazy about the green house and black shudders.  So I am planning on painting the shudders white, after my hands and wrist heal of course.  When we moved to this 4 bedroom 2 bath 1 acre place, the front and back yard was nothing but sand.  The doings of the previous tenants and the horse they owned.  So meet my little grass children.  The blinds though out the place are new, and the carpet has been ripped up and replaced.  2 five gallon paint buckets were purchased, so far we have used only one of the 5 gallons.  I have plans for the other 5 gallons left, one of the bedrooms is painted this mint green color that doesn't sit just right with me, so it has to go; after my hands and wrist heal of course.

  The flat entrance isn't appealing to the eye, so I would love to put up a pergola, one that has a moveable sun shade; making coffee drinking outside a delight.  Another thing on my 'waiting for a full healing' list. 

  You can see the AC unit to the left of the front door, don't ask why, because the reasoning of a move like that is just inexcusable.  Oh, how I would love to move that AC to the back of the house, or even cover it up by enclosing it with something pretty, maybe colorful blooming plants.  Anything is better that that 12 year old 4 ton unit at the front door.  Thant reminds me, did I tell you about my visit with Scott's One hour?  Let me tell you this shocking story.

 
  First we have to go back a few days, maybe even longer than that.  When we were having cooler days and wonderfully cooler nights, we didn't even worry about running the AC.  There was even a time or two in the beginning when the temp had dropped down into the 50's, where we kept the windows open and soaked up the cooler weather.  I was really missing Texas when the weather warmed up because, that is when we really needed our AC.  So, like more than half the people in Florida, we closed up our place and turned the unit on for the first time and waited for the temperature to drop to a comfortable level.  We like it at 70, we would love it at 50 but, keeping the unit at 70 is logical.  We wait.  And wait.  Again we sat waiting until the unit brought the house from 88 down to, 84.  This is not going to work at all.  I am not about 84 degree weather inside my house.  So, we turned off the unit, opened the windows and put our fans in place. The weekend was in a few days, and my sweety was going to check the ducts, make sure there was open air flow and everything was intact.   It was.

Box fans went in 2 windows to bring air in...

  One of the major problems with the unit, was it never turned off.  The outside unit ran all the time, lord knows during these times Tampa Electric Company loved me.  Although it never really cooled the house, I knew that the unit should have shut itself off at some point and time.  So we called the previous owners, because as we understood it; the husband put the Ac unit in himself... ducts, connections and all.  Who would know better about the unit, than the person who put it in.  After talking to him and listening to his suggestion, we agreed to set an appointment for the AC guy who worked on the unit in the past.  This AC guy came out to the house three different times to work on the unit where on his last visit, we found the unit completely frozen over.. from the compressor to the coils.  Our AC unit was one big block of ice.  Now if only our house was as cold.  It was during that visit, when the AC guy told us that the AC is working to hard because of our front windows "To many windows in front" he said in his broken English. "This let water out. Do not remove this.  OK?" I wasn't sure why he was saying this because I am more than sure the drainage PVC do dad, wouldn't freeze over the whole unit. Do yourself a favor; hire your own AC company. 

while 2 of these fans worked hard to move air around the room

  From the point of that AC guy last visit, we never ran the unit again.  I made sure to make my point to that AC guy.  "That PVC thingy, has nothing to do with why the whole unit is frozen."  He just looked at me  "And the windows in this house, are the same windows that were hear before."  again he just looked at me "If the unit ran good before with these windows, it should run good now."  Still he said nothing.  "With a 4 ton unit, I should be hanging meat in this house".  You could have heard a pin drop.  That was the last time he looked at our unit.  Stupid isn't stamped on this forehead.  During the week we ran fans in the bedroom, dining room, and living room.  My sweety headed out to work before the sun came up, and would return most times after the sun had set.  So, both of us were not suffering during the week.  Not at home anyway.  I would work out in the yard, yes even with my temporary cast and visit my mothers place every other day.  I would do laundry on those days, and soak up as much of her AC, physically, as possible.  My mother and I even began cooking on the grill I purchased for her, because it was just to hot in my house to run the range or oven.

Grill I purchased for my mother ~ guess I should have gotten one as well

  We are getting plenty of use out of that purchase.  Burgers, steak, pork chops, hot dogs; just about anything we could think of to cook on the grill, was cooked on that grill.  In the proses, my kitchen didn't rise above the out door temperature.  Still, 92 inside; was 20 degrees to hot for my taste.  Boy was the cooking good!!

Yum!!!

  This is where, when the weather became to hot inside, we called Scott's One Stop Air.  It was the perfect choice.  The very next day, a Tech name TJ was standing at my AC unit and checking things over.  There were hoses, red and blue gauges, sighing, words about the compressor running at over 15amps when 14.1 should be the max.  Talk about the unit being a dinosaur at 12 yrs old, and than the really scary words came out.  "Let me show you something." TJ said to me, so my mother and myself moved closer to the unit.  "You see this contact connection right here?"  "Yeah" escaped my lips "It is soldering itself to the unit because, the compressor is working to hard to keep up with the coolant."   "OK" I replied.  "The black around the contact connection is where it is catching fire."  Eyebrows went up.  "Oh my God.  Fire?"  I looked at my mother, in shocked, and said "And that other AC guy was just here a week ago.  My house could have burnt down!  With us inside!  Jumping out of a bedroom window!"  The Scott's One Touch guy walked over to the AC unit box outside, and pulled out the power connection. 

   I must have spent the remaining time TJ was working on the unit in shock.  Before I knew it, we are talking about cooking on the grill.  About my older brother becoming the kitchen police.  About how both my brothers have become more aware of the ingredients we cook with.  And how the biggest fear of them both, were heart burn and their bowels.   While TJ is screwing the panels back on the AC unit, he began to chuckle.  "Think about it TJ" I began "how can you be Puerto Rican and not want seasoning on your food?"  Again he laughed, this time more than a chuckle.   "See what you have to look forward to when you get into your 50's TJ.  Thoughts of, if your food is going to give you heartburn and;  if you'll be able to move your bowels the next day."  My mother was sitting in a chair under the shade of our oak tree. She was now laughing very loudly.  I walked up the stairs to enter my house, in the back ground I hear TJ and my mother laughing.  Than it hits me.  My right hand slaps into my head forehead.  Quietly I say to myself  "Good Lord, you just discussed your brothers bowel problem, with the AC guy!!"  

  From that moment on, I just listen.  Carefully.  And answered with short responses.   "No matter what.  Do Not plug that power source back in."  TJ said.  "I wont" I replied.

  Later on that night, I told my sweety what happened.  He shook his head, disbelieving my very real actions.. 

"I know" I said "I don't know what happened.  I don't even know how the subject came about" I reasoned

My sweety chuckled and grabbed a beer.

  Looking back on the whole blabber session.  I blame the restraint on my wrist.  I blame the hot sun shining down one me that morning.  I blame the weeks of indoor heat.  I clearly wasn't myself.  Right?

Oh Baby!!!

That night, we had BBQ chicken and baked potatoes.  Yum!!  

Than I went to sleep, hopping all parties involved would forget my moment of quirkiness.

An Ortho visit and a fracture.. or is it?

The view when I need to just... Breathe

 The time had come.  3:30pm.  My mother picked me up from my yard, I live two doors down from her, and we headed to my Ortho appointment.  I kept going over it in my mind, you know... the possibilities.   12 weeks in a cast or,  maybe a date for surgery.  My mind was in overdrive, and I was trying to keep up.

 Being in this temporary cast was already getting under my skin.  I wasn't able to do anything properly, cooking one handed was getting old, the itching at times was more than I could handle, and man was the whole restricting thing getting on my last nerve.  I started to feel tied down during the hot days, and in Florida there are plenty, that ripping the thing off came across my mind more than a time or two.  Between my OCD and anxiety, I had to mentally work hard to keep it on.  I lashed out more than a few times at my sweety, what kind of person does that?  I mean, the phrase hitting rock bottom doesn't even come close; I was well past rock bottom.

 We headed down Boyette road, cause taking John Moore to 60 is just so much easier than traveling, 301 to 60.  At one of the lights on Boyette; my mother suddenly fears she is lost.  With a little convincing and a calm voice, I remind her that through the light, is Fish Hawk and by turning right we would have been heading in the direction of my sisters old address.  Thus, reminding her that a left turn, would bring us to 'her' Walmart {as she calls it} and lead us to John Moore road; with another turn or two of course.  We were back on track.

Yes, I am starting to worry about my mother now.

We arrive at Florida Orthopaedic Institute, I fill out the mountain of paperwork and wait for my name to be called.  CNN is playing in the waiting room, and the big story of the moment was President Obama statement of same sex marriages.  Not that I am going to get into any political debate over this, the President happens to be my sons boss, I brought it up because I remember listening to it on the T.V. as my mind was in triple over time.

Anyway, my name is called.  We, my mother and myself, rise and walk in the direction I was told.  "Right this way Miss Joslinda.  Down this hallway, all the way to the end and turn left."  Easy enough.  It lead to another full waiting room.  The door there read X-ray.  I didn't wait to long, I hadn't finished the pile of paperwork, and the time seemed to move right along.  I mentioned in my last blog "An emergency room visit, and a fracture" that I had injured my left hand as well, so it took longer then it should have to fill out the New Patient paperwork.  My hand kept going numb, and being left handed... this was not a good thing.  But as fate would have it, well more like the reason for my appointment, I was called for my x-ray as soon as I finished my paperwork.

Don't you just love the look of bones in an x-ray

Through the temporary cast, three views were taken. " Turn your hand slightly this way". she said *click click*  "Place your palm flat on the table". she added *click click*  "Lets try a view like this". she ended with *click click*  My inners were now on film, and I couldn't see anything wrong.  Not that I would even begin to know what I was look for.

looks kinda webbed, don't you think?

Once the x-rays were taken and developed, we were asked to wait back in the main waiting room.  Right way I thought "great, the fracture wasn't healing and surgery was the only other option".  With no health insurance and no job, I just knew my wrist was going to fuse together and cause me plenty of pain in the future.  We waited.  My name was called again and I was told, "third door on the right".  My x-rays were pulled up on a computer, hence the photos above, and the temporary cast was removed. 

ER April 23rd

Ortho visit May 9th

The lighter skin, is the direct result of not relaxing and attempting to tackle Holmes type of projects.  It never felt so good to scratch and feel my right arm, as it did when that cast was removed.  Still, as you can see; the swelling continued and caused such pretty patterns on my skin.  I was so happy to be free.  It was like taking a breath of clean crisp air.  You remember Mork from Ork {Robin Williams}, the Egg scene where he tosses the Eggs in the air and yells "Fly, be free"... I was in that moment.  I was free!!!

Soon enough Anthony Infante DO enters the room.  The nicest, kindest, physician I have ever encountered.  He asked me to explain how I injured my wrist.  Than he enlarged my x-ray films to a size, that I am sure my daughters in Texas could have seen, he moved the film via mouse, left and right... up and down.  He studied every inch of every smaller wrist bone under my skin.  The rolling chair he sat on, soon rolled in front of me.  "Can you close your hand into a fist?"  I did.  "Does this hurt?"  No  "How about this?"  No  "How about here?"  "OUCH!!! Wait a minute." I cried out.  With my right hand in a fist over my mouth I begged him "Please just give me a second, don't move it again please"  Tears ran down my face in pain.  I wanted to jump out of my skin.  With deep breaths and throbbing pain, I said "OK".   "Your good now.  Are you sure?"  Yes I replied.  "What was that", I asked "I felt that in my elbow and down to my toes."   

The pain was so strong, I wanted to rip my skin off.  At that very second, I would have welcomed the removal of the whole area.  The complete answer would come with an MRI, But I didn't have one.  The muscle appears to be torn.  The problem, an MRI would be quite a cost for someone with no insurance, that would be me.. the no insurance injured person.  The plan, is a very strong anti inflammatory medication in the form of a pill,   an anti inflammatory medication in the form of topical cream that will be mailed to me, a brace for the area, ice 2/3 times a day for the swelling that just wont go down, wrist exercises to loosen the stiffness the swelling is causing, and a appointment in 3 weeks... for a more invasive treatment plan if the current treatment plans doesn't work. 

Poor Poor right wrist muscle

If you look closely at the above photo ~ just above my wrist area, again please forgive the farmers tan, and the first photo of when the temp cast was removed, you can see the growing swelling problem.  In just that short time, simply bending my thumb and fingers was making the skin to tight.  Tight enough, that my thumb would get stuck, and I would have to force it correct again.  Oh yes, OUCH was used many times during this visit. 

Oh, I almost forgot to tell you.  He was so nice, that he even looked at my left hand.  I have sprained the thumb area of the palm of my hand.  The result of using a staple gun single handed, a mistake I wont make again. 

Well, my Home by Holmes days are over, for the moment.  I am to exercise my right hand/wrist/arm and relax the left hand for the next three weeks.  Lord help me.  Oh another thing, the physicians assistance made it a point to tell me as he was handing me my exit papers and prescriptions, "Make sure you follow everything he told you to do.  Everything.  I'm hear to tell you, he will know if you don't".  I am sure he is going to test the range of motion when I return, so I am going to work hard on delivering good results when I see him again.  At the moment, this very second, I can not even bend my wrist backward.

This is going to hurt, a lot!

An emergency room visit, and a fracture...

A trip to the emergency room, has brought on new challenges for me recently.   Having OCD doesn't allow me to just 'sit back and relax a while' as some might say; I am not capable of just 'sitting back' or 'relaxing' for that matter.  The temporary cast on my right arm has however, slowed me down some; noticed I said slowed me down SOME.

Jaycee and Nana

 On April 23d I finally gave in and asked my mother to take me to the local emergency room.  The pain in my right wrist was increasing, I was now waking up from a sound sleep crying out in pain.  My sweety and I weren't getting a full night of sleep.  I had put off seeking medical attention long enough, I injured my wrist March 10th and, just dealt with the pain; working though the often 'OUCH' and stomping my foot when the pain had me on the verge of screaming.  Not only was I afraid of the medical bills that would follow, I was afraid of not completing the much needed work on our place, and even more afraid of spending my time in Virginia with my son and daughter in law, plus how I would assist with my new grand daughter... in a cast?  So, in lieu of medical attention; on March 15th I boarded a plane headed to Virginia, I was looking forward to the time I would spend with my son and his new family.  I could not wait to hug my new daughter in law, hold my new grand daughter, and spend much needed time with my son.  Sure my wrist screamed out in disagreement when I griped my suitcase, when my grand daughter rested on my right wrist, when I washed my hair; but I wasn't going to let the pain stop me.  I intended to enjoy every second of my visit, and I did.

My son with his daughter Jaycee

They Wed... My daughter in law and my son

 When I returned back to Florida on April 4th, my first thought, after spending time with my sweety, was the home list.  Over grown trees needed to be cut back, the grass was starting to grow now so it needed to be cut, and my house needed tending to, after all, my sweety was home by himself ; there was plenty of indoor work to do.  I jumped right in on April 5th and worked through the pain, right up until the morning of April 23th; where this story begins... or should I say where the work ends.

Interesting enough, my ER visit wasn't as long as most ER visits.  I was very impressed with the local hospital new 'non life threatening' emergency area.  I was placed in a room fairly quickly and seen a Physician Assistant within a proper time frame.  The ER staff thought it was pretty humorous that I was taking photos of my visit for my future blog, and was shocked that I worked in my yard with the amount of pain I was having; the swelling in my wrist and hand was quite visible now.

 But who in their right mind, would let this type of story go; untold.  Not me.  Right after the Physician Assistant conducted her assessment, I was carted off for an x-ray.  Exactly where was the break, what bone  in the wrist was broken?

I found the x-ray technician to be fabulous.  Not only was he understanding, but he was so careful in the placement of my wrist to get perfect x-ray photos while remaining mindful to the amount of pain I was in.  He also engaged in small talk while preforming the x-rays, smart move to get me talking about my grandchildren because, before I knew it he had gotten all the angles he needed of my wrist; and did it pain free.

 It was a short walk back to my room, and within a matter of minutes an RN was wheeling the cart full of bandages behind her.  My x-rays were viewed and a fracture was seen.  The second part of my fear was coming to life.  With a cast, the work that needs to be completed in the home and, on the property would have to wait.  I would have to rely on my left hand to make up the lack of work the right hand would be able to do, and it would take longer to get anything finished.  At this point, I was not happy. 

The Navicular Bone in my wrist was broken, and the tendon that runs along side the thumb was possibly damaged.   In one swift visit, I lost mobility of my wrist and my thumb, as the temporary cast flows more than half way up my forearm.  The extra movement has brought the pain to new levels.  I am discharged with Ibuprofen 600 mg and Ultram 50 mg for the pain, along with the name of an Ortho; Anthony Infante D.O. Because the fracture is in the biggest bone of the wrist, the Ortho would decide the type of cast and, if surgery would be needed. 

Before I leave the room, I was given the last portion of my dressing, a sling.  Not just any sling, but  nice vibrant blue sling.

 My Ortho appointment is set for May 9th.  In the mean time, I have fixed the broken screens on my back porch.  Added wire to make the porch dog proof, otherwise they would have just jumped through the screens again, and removed the old tenants squirrel cage. all with the help of my wonderful mother of course.  In the proses, I have injured my left hand.  And so, the story goes on....

Our Big Blue Marble needs YOU...

There is something to be said about Earth Day.  Like Christmas, people from all over come together with one common goal; to make the Big Blue Marble a better place to live.

When I was growing up, I was drawn to the commercial with the Indian actor and the person throwing the bag of food out of the car window.  Remember that one?  A single tear falls from the Indians face as the bag of food lands at his feet; Iron Eyes Cody.  What strong message if you really LISTEN  and  SEE it.  I posted the link below so you can watch it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m4ozVMxzNAA&feature=player_embedded

Today a wonderful way to get our younger generation involved in caring for our Earth, get them interested in Earth Day.  Start off your Earth Day outside of your front yard.  Start in your own neighborhood.  Grab a trash bag, and walk through your neighborhood picking up any liter that has blown in, dropped on the ground, or was forgotten at the curb side.  How about visiting your child's favorite park or playground, lead by example and get your child involved in cleaning up the area you both enjoy.  This morning, I am going to do exactly the same thing.  All my children are grown, but I am going to make an impact in my neighborhood and pick up the trash along the road side.

Arches National Park

Funny thing about LEADING is, before you know it; others follow suite.  Here is a perfect example.  When I returned from visiting my son and daughter in law {and my new grand baby}, I began working on my yard.  Once I started, so did my neighbors.  Next door to me, Lois and her daughter/grand daughter, started raking leaves and picking up limbs in her yard.   Just three days ago, she planted colorful flowers in her wine barrels.  It is so pretty and made such a big difference in her front yard.  My neighbor Pat, on the other side of me, also started cleaning up one of the fenced areas in her back yard.  Granted there is still a whole lot of work to be done there, but the work her family did do made a big impact on that fenced area.  I still have a lot of leaves to pick up and burn myself, but seeing the end result in Lois yard has me itching to get back at it.  A possible broken wrist is the only thing holding me back. 

The point is, there is all kinds of Earth Day events going on today, here is a link where you can find an Event near you.  Get your children or grand children hyped up about Earth Day.

http://www.epa.gov/earthday/events.htm

The Amazon Rainforest

There are also business taking part in Earth Day as well, here are just a few of them.. check your local listings for Earth Day Events and Savings.

http://www.alternativeapparel.com/store/Women/collection/19.htm

Buy a Tee, and they will Plant a tree, and if I understand it correctly.. even give you 20% off your total purchase.  The cool part is, the tree will be planted in YOUR name.  What a great gift to give your child or grandchild, and the Earth.

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/first-100-rainforest-alliance-certified-coffeehouse-in-the-us-caribou-coffee-celebrates-earth-day-with-free-coffee-giveaway-147913625.html

FREE coffee with them, just bring in your own reusable coffee mug!

http://sites.target.com/site/en/spot/page.jsp?title=EarthDay2012

Target is giving away one FREE reusable bag per customer today.  Save a tree, pick up your reusable bag!

http://www.lowes.com/

In need of a new washer or dryer, dishwasher or refrigerator? Lowes is offering 10% off any Energy Star Qualified Appliance $299 or more.  Better hurry, offer ends 4/23/2012

http://www.babobotanicals.com/index.php
Get a FREE Organic Toy Bunny with a purchase of $20 or more by shopping with Babo Botanicals.

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/

Receive 20% off all Earth Friendly Toys at Barns & Noble.  No need for a Coupon Code Today!!

http://www.michaels.com/Store-Events/store-events,default,pg.html
Make it - Take it ~ completed project at Michaels, and your child takes home a FREE tote bag. Hurry, offer is only from 1pm till 3pm.  Check the Events Schedule at your Local Michaels.


http://www.nps.gov/npweek/

FREE ADMISSION at ALL 357 U.S. National Parks!! WOW!! This offer will last through April 29th.  What a SUPER way to spend Earth Day with your child or grandchild.

http://www.potterybarnkids.com/customer-service/store-events.html?cm_type=fnav
Inspire the little gardener in your household today by taking him/her to Pottery Barn Kids.  There kids  will receive a packet of Sunflower Seeds for FREE!!!

There is even something for the person who just CAN NOT leave their house.  How about planting a tree for just $1 dollar.  Check out the link below...
http://www.plantabillion.org/

Be sure to take lots of Earth Day photos.  Share them.  Post them on your Social Network Site.  Blog about your Earth Day. Display your photos proudly, and more importantly; Do your part today and EVERYDAY.  Start a trend in your family.  Get Involved.  Help Keep Our Big Blue Marble, our planet, Beautiful.


Happy Earth day Everyone !!

The Force, The Diva, The Princess, The Comic and The Baby...

When I tell people I have 5 Grand children, they hardly believe me.   Guess I don't look like the Grandma, Granny, MiMa, or Nana type, but let me be the first to tell you... I feel it.  Welcome to the world of aches & pains.

Me.  Nana of 5.  Mother of 3.  Military Mama of 1.  ME.

  At any given time there are more then a few gray hairs peeking through; and two bottles of hair dye to cover it up.  This was taken this past December 2011.  It doesn't change the fact that I have the greatest, cutest, loveable, and inventive grand children.

The Force...

Garrett is my first grandchild.  The first male born into the family.  Therefore the younger ones love being around Garrett.  He is of course, the person they look up to and is so smart.  From this photo, I am sure he is thinking "Mom, I am too OLD for Blue Bonnet pictures"!!  I can hear him say it now, as if he was standing right next to me.  Be ready to get into some deep conversations with Garrett.  By the time he was 2 years old, he could tell you the make, model, and year of a car.. just by looking at the tail lights.  His goal is to Fly Jets for the Air Force, and he has already checked the mechanics of Jets by reading about them from the library and studying them online.  Look out Tom Cruise, We have the next Top Gun in our family.

The Diva...

Jayla is my second grand baby.  The first born girl on both sides of the family, as you can see from the photo, she is DIVA from head to toe.  Anything dress up, heels and makeup is right down & up Jayla's alley.  Put her in the kitchen, and she will cook right along with you.  Take an Energy 5 drink when hanging out with Jayla, and you might even want to bring an extra one or two.  Jayla has a lot of Energy and is going places.  Move over Miss America!!

The Princess

Arianna is my third grand baby.  She is nothing like her sister and yet, like her in so many way.   Arianna is bound to meet her Knight, of course when she gets a lot older.  She is a watcher.  Taking everything in.  Learning by visual experience.  She leads not follows.  Give her dress up items, and you will have a Princess right before your eyes.  Arianna is sure about herself, has a very high confidence level and knows what she wants.  She will speak up fast if she feels she is correct about something.  She reminds me so much of my sister Gladys.  Her actions, her facial expressions, and even her disposition is just like my sister Gladys. 

Arianna and Jayla are sisters.  Best buddies and, like all sisters, get on each others last nerve.  Wherever one is, the other wants to be right along side her. 

The Comic...

Eli is my fourth grand baby.  The last born boy, so far.  In this picture he is eating the "Stinky" Cheese
he so carefully got off of the rack and sat quietly by himself as he indulged.  Unless he is really tired, Eli always has a smile n his face.  He knows what he wants, and watch out if you get in his way.  Even as a baby, you knew Eli was going to be a force to reckon with.  He is very head strong, willfull, and determined to get what he wants, when he wants it.  Even with all that, he will light up a room with his smile.  Make you laugh by just watching him, and loves with all that is in him.

Garrett and Eli are brothers.  Everything Garrett does, you will find Eli next to him copying it all.  Eli wants to be right next to his brother, watching everything, learning it all.  With the age difference, you know Garrett has his hands full.

and The baby

Jaycee is my 5th grand baby.  The last one born, for the moment.  She is young right now, but already  has her mommy and daddy wrapped around her finger.  The time I spent with her  was not long enough and showed me that Jaycee has things figured out.  She knows how she likes to be held, fed, and put to sleep.  Swaying away from the way she wants it, comes at a price.  I can not wait to watch her grow up, develop her personality, and make her mark on the family well known. 


There you have it... My grand babies.  My loves.  My life.


I couldn't be more proud of my blooming family tree.

Jaycee

Brothers.. Garrett and Eli

Sisters... Arianna and Jayla

The best reward for being a parent...is being a grandparent.