Final Blog Reflection

Assignment 7.6

July 19, 2015

 

     During this summer session of the English Composition 1 course, this is the first time I’ve ever set up a blog or even opened Blogger.com.  The only real computer interaction I’ve had since I was in high school is Facebook.  So this was a totally new experience for me.  As the days went by it became easier for me, at first it was difficult for me to sit and free write.  I noticed that my words per ten minutes of allotted time increased, as I got my experience with my blog writing and techniques.

     Most of my blogs where just reflections of my day or items I wrote down on my “I believe” list.  Some of my blogs when writing brought back a lot of precious memories.  Things I hadn’t necessarily forgot, but just hadn’t really thought about for many years.  Some blogs I struggled with the words to properly express my thoughts, while others just seemed to flow with ease.

     I wrote blogs mainly about my family.  This is the subject in which I know the most about.  I’ve always been taught to “Write what you know”, I believe that I achieved this goal.  I love sharing memories and stories of my family, especially my children.  They are my most prideful accomplishments.

     I also found it interesting to read and respond to others in the course’s blogs.  This was just another way for us all to connect with one another, outside the traditional classroom setting.  It was like opening little windows into each of our lives.  Some blogs were very random in content, while others were more personal and serious.  It was a way for each of us to learn each other’s likes, dislikes, hobbies, and interest.  Each of us have our own way of special expression.

     Overall, I enjoyed this assignment quite well.  It gives you a way to express your feelings, thoughts, or just tell about a random story.  It’s a great way to remember memories that are repressed in your minds.  I found this very therapeutic as well, a simple way to “unwind” after a hectic day at work or a busy day with the family.  A way to share your day and events with others.  I am going to try to continue writing a blog post each day, and maybe someday print them all off and put together as a journal.

 

Cooking

July 18, 2015

 

I just love to cook.  This started at a very young age, my grandmother taught me basically everything.  I can remember when I was about five years old she would let me stand on a chair and watch her cook.  She would let me break the eggs, even though sometimes she would have to fish out the shells, she never complained and always helped me learn.  I remember helping her make noodles.  She would let me roll them out on the table with the old time rolling pin, and then she would use a pizza cutter to cut the noodles into strips.  She taught me how to make pies.  I can fluet a pie crust better than anyone I know thanks to grandma Olive.  I remember at Thanksgiving and Christmas she would always let me help prepare the meals.  She would always make homemade dressing and let me cut up the onions and celery and cube the bread.  She wouldn’t buy bread crumbs, we would start saving bread heals in the summer and putting in the freezer for dressing.  I would love to help make meatloaf, she would let me put my little hands in there like a mixer.  I love that my grandma helped teach me all she has, I have became a great cook in my opinion.  I love to experiment and make up my own dishes, only a few have been not good, edible, but not really good.  My husband always laughs when he asks what’s for dinner and I tell him, “Oh I just made this up tonight”, but he usually eats it with a smile.  My grandma taught me how to be a great baker as well.  I started cooking all the meals at home when I was a teenager, my grandpa would always tell my grandma let Angel cook tonight.  She would say “I’ve taught you better than myself”.  I now try and do the same thing with my daughter, she loves to help in the kitchen.  I let her break the eggs, and I too now pull out the shells, she measures and dumps in the bowls.  If I could get her to start cleaning up the messes she makes I would have it made.  Another tradition that I am instilling into my children.  Someday my future son in law will thank me.

 

394 Words

10 minutes

TGIF

July 17, 2015

 

This has been such a long week.  Starting off with my niece coming in from Pennsylvania, and my sister in law and brother in law and his son coming down from Granby.  They stayed in my father in laws fifth wheel camper they set up in our side property.  They didn’t hook up the water so it was constant in and out of our house for showers and going to the bathroom.  I have had a hectic week at work.  More than normal, It usually is hectic but this week had been exceptionally busy.  We have a four admits in the past two days.  My little ones are having cabin fever I think, it’s been so hot I haven’t been letting them go outside too much, not even in their pool.  And at night when the sun goes down the bugs come out so bad.  I don’t know if it’s because we have had so much rain or what, but the bugs and mosquitos are terrible at my house.  You can’t go outside for two minutes without getting bit on.  I have to get ready for work today, then I’m thankfully off tomorrow.  My niece and her boyfriend are leaving early Sunday morning, so I think I’m going to plan a family dinner, movie night tomorrow before they leave.  I don’t really know what new movies came out this week.  Last week we rented “Get Hard” with Will Ferrell and Kevin Hart, this movie is hilarious, the language is a little rough, but the movie is funny.  Not a family movie, I would send the little ones out of the room.  I’m really in the mood to do some baking, but I don’t have a clue on what I want to bake.  This time last year I was baking tons of fruit breads for my daughter’s pageant.  A fresh strawberry pie sounds amazing.  I remember when I was young we used to have family reunions and my aunt Linda would make the best fresh strawberry pies.  I miss those family reunions, it was so much fun for all of us to get together and eat and all us younger ones would play together at the park.  We always had our reunion on Father’s Day Sunday.  Great memories.  I hope you all have a great and safe weekend.

 

391 Words

10 Minutes

Butterflies

June 16, 2015


I just love Butterflies.  Every thing Butterflies.  I have all kinds of things with Butterflies.  They are so magical I think.  They are quite miraculous if you think about it.  They start out as a little caterpillar and then through this awesome transformation, turn into a creature of flight.  My daughter had a school project, like most of us did when we were little, collect a caterpillar bring it into school and then they put them into jars and watched them transform into a chysillis and then after a long awaited few months they hatch into a beautiful butterfly.  The butterfly is quite delicate.  Flying from flower to flower collecting their pollen.  It's cool how something that once crawled and slinked on the ground now can soar high above the skies.  I was watching them in my flower gardens earlier they do not resemble their past life at all.  It's awesome how Mother Nature works.  We took our children to the Butterfly Palace in Branson, several years ago.  It's amazing just how many different species of this magistic creature there really are.  You never now when you pick up a caterpillar what kind of butterfly will emerge when it transforms.  It's kind of like the saying in Forrest Gump "Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what your gonna get", well that can be applied to the butterfly as well.  It's amazing to sit back and see what wonderful creatures God has created for us, sometimes its worth the time to just take a moment out of the busy hustle and bustle of life and enjoy them.

My Favorite Disney Movie

July 15, 2015

 

I would have to say out of all the Disney movies, my favorite would be a Bug’s Life.  I have watched hundreds of Disney movies since I have three children.  But I just love a Bug’s Life.  It makes you wonder if other forms of life do communicate.  I know other mammals communicate and bugs, birds and such I’m sure do to.  Little Flick goes out on an adventure to make sure that his colony has food for the winter.  I love the saying “When the last leaf falls.”  Every fall when I see the leaves turning and falling it always makes me think of this movie.  This little guy Flick goes through a lot to prove himself worthy of all the other ants.  This poor little guy almost doesn’t make it back.  Until he comes across the circus bugs, who teach him how to stand up for himself.  When he takes them back to the colony, he doesn’t know that the circus bugs had been lying to him to find themselves a better life.  They all work together to help one another out to get that harvest for the winter and to stand up to the bully bugs who are trying to steal all their food.  Then you have the little love story that is tied into the story.  This is one of the older Disney movies, we bought it on VHS tape for our oldest son, Roger when it first came out.  We watched this movie over and over, until finally the movies actually broke inside the tape.  Then we found it on DVD and my other two children watch it a lot now.  Disney makes so many movies that really do teach little hidden life lessons.  We still buy all the new release Disney movies and hope to pass this collection someday onto our grandchildren.

316 Words

10 Minutes

Family Day

July 14, 2015

 

     On Monday, my niece Stacy and her boyfriend Jon traveled from Pennsylvania to visit us all.  It has been almost two and a half years since we have gotten to see her and this is the first time the family has got to meet Jon.  Today we spent the day in Branson together.  First we went to Tanger Outlet Mall and went shopping.  My husband got him some new shoes at Finish Line.  Then we went to Bath and Body Works, and had to smell everything.  I got myself some great smelling handi-santi’s.  That store is so awesome, there is so much good smelling things in that store.  Then I wanted to go to the Disney store, I can’t go to Tanger without going to the Disney store and buying my little ones something.  I guess it’s the mom in me.  I got them a couple of new t-shirts.  Then we decided we was getting hungry and went out to lunch.  We went to Fudrucker’s.  We ate some awesome burgers.  Then my niece had never been to Dicks Five and Dime in old time Branson.  So we went there, there are some many items to look at in that store.  Of course, my niece had to look at everything, so two hours later we finally got out of that place.  Then we took them to the Landing.  Stacy had been there, but Jon had never seen the fountains so we took them there.  Once again my niece had to go in every store and look at everything.  It was starting to get to be a long day.  Finally we came home to the nice cool air conditioning.  So nice to come home and relax after being out in the heat and walking all day.  Tomorrow we will be attending evening church together and getting some family photos taken.  We are a family that is big on pictures when someone comes to visit.  Sadly Jon and her, will be leaving Saturday, but we are having a great time making memories this week while they are here.  Thursday they are all going to Silver Dollar City, unfortunately I have to work and won’t be able to attend with them.  But I am glad for the precious time that I have got to spend with her and her new wonderful boyfriend.

 

393 Words

10 Minutes

Almost Over

July 13, 2015

 

It’s so hard to believe that we are almost done with our summer semester.  It seems like just yesterday when I was going to buy my laptop to start my online classes.  I was so nervous, I didn’t think I could manage a forty plus hour work week, going to school, and three children.  But look at me now I have done it much to my surprise.  All my family and friends kept telling me that I would do fine, but I was so scared that I was going to fail.  I set aside school time for each day, learned to prioritize all my assignments for both classes, and it has really worked out for me.  The first week, I have to admit was awful, I felt so overwhelmed and didn’t think I would honestly make it to where I am now.  I did cut back on work a little.  I am used to working six day a week, I cut back to five with no overtime hours.  It really hurt the wallet, but I knew that in order to succeed in this journey this is what I would have to do.  I didn’t realize that summer semester would be so condensed and hectic.  My friends told me don’t take two classes online this summer, it will be to hard to keep up.  I just brushed them off, and said I can do this.  Little did I know what I was getting myself into.  But I have managed to maintain good grades in both of my classes.  Have managed not to miss one assignment.  I was late with one, because I wasn’t quite sure on how to submit it, but other than that I have kept right up.  This fall I am planning on taking a seated class with labs, and one online class.  Hopefully it won’t be as stressful.  But I have a plan in order and want to try and stick to this plan as much as possible to get my degree in two years.  Good luck to all of you in your classes as well, and I hope that things are going as good for you as they are for me.

 

369 Words

10 minutes

My Son’s first Car

July 12, 2015

 

Well my husband and I did something that we always said we would never do, we bought our son a car.  Roger, my oldest son, saved quite a bit of graduation money and we told him whatever he saved we would match him.  Well a girl that I used to work with recently told me about a car she had that she was wanting to sell.

Several weeks ago, I went over to her house to look at this car.  It is a 1997 Hyundia Elantra.  I took my son with me to look at the car.  As soon as we pulled up, he was like I want it.  Of course he did.  We looked the car over inside and out.  The car has a near perfect body, inside the interior was in the same shape, near perfect.  After looking the car over thoroughly we decided that we would be buying the car for him.

Originally she quoted me a price of $1,000.00 which was a great price considering the shape and mileage of the car.  We met my friend yesterday and my husband and father in law looked the car over once again.  It was a go, we were definitely going to purchase it for him. 

We followed her back to her house and started filling out the title and bill of sale.  She asked me how much I wanted to pay for the car, I told her the original price she quoted me.  She said well how about you give me $800.00, it was her moms car who recently died of cancer.  She said the look on your son’s face would make my mom so happy, so I want him to have this car.  I was so happy, not only did my son get a great car, but got it for $200.00 less than what we had planned on paying for it.  He hasn’t quit smiling since we got home with it.

 

Couponing

July 11, 2015

 

I see all over facebook where a lot of my friends are couponing.  They are saving huge amounts of money.  I haven’t been able to figure out the way of doing this.  At Christmas time, a friend of mine back in Indiana, got all three of her children’s Christmas presents for under $100.  Recently, friends of mine here in Missouri are posting the same sorts of success with this couponing.

With the high prices of groceries and toiletries this is such a great way to save money.  I know a lot of the coupons they are getting are online coupons.  Some of them make items that are seven dollars like twenty five cents. 

I would love to know how to do this.  I spend over $750.00 a month just on groceries, and that doesn’t include the other stuff like toilet paper, shampoo, trash bags, laundry soap, dish soap, and the list could go on and on.

It would be so awesome to get your final total for $750.00 worth of groceries and it be under $10.00.  I do know that sometimes the couponing techniques require buying in bulk quanities.  Unfortunately this wouldn’t help me because I have no storage for large mass quanities of toilet paper or cereals.

I watched a show on The Learning Channel where this lady had turned her basement into a storage unit for her groceries.  Tons and tons of items.  The one thing I remember specifically was the sixty-two boxes of cake mixes.  There is no way I could use that many cake mixes before they went bad.  That’s another thing, I’m real big on expiration dates.  I don’t like to eat things that are past there dates.  I know that might seem wasteful, but that’s another reason I don’t buy in bulk.

If anyone has any tips on couponing please let me know.  Saving a little at a time will certainly add up.

323 Words

10 Minutes

 

God Blessed Me With Three Mothers

 

 July 10, 2015

 

     I have been very blessed, I don’t only have the normal one mother, I have been blessed with three. My birth mother, my grandmother and a wonderful bonus mother. 

     When I was born, my mother wasn’t ready to become a mother, therefore my grandparents raised me.  They actually adopted me from her when I was eight.  I have always had a relationship with my real mom, that never changed.  Although I was a little ackward that after my grandparents adopted me, my mom was legally my sister. 

     I did however live with my mother for a short time.  When I was two my mother got married and took me to live with her and her new husband.  He was in the military and I lived on the base with them.  However their marriage was short lived.  Then I went back to live with my grandparents. 

     When I was five, and getting ready to start kindergarten, my grandparents had to contact my mothers’ ex husband because he had my shot records to start school.  He and his wife came to our home, she was pregnant with their first child.  Her name is Santa, yes Santa, just like the jolly old man of Christmas.  She wanted to involve me in their lives.  My grandparents let me go over there and go to church with them.  My stepfather at one time, became my stepfather again without being any relation to me.  I know its confusing. 

     They have always treated me like their child.  Kent, my stepfather refers to me as his daughter, and their children call me their sister.  They welcomed me into their home with open arms.  I suddenly had a second family.

     When my children were born, they were there.  My children all call them grandma and grandpa and they treat them as if they were.  I believe you don’t have to be blood to be family.  And this is why.  My grandfather died two months ,unexpectally of a stroke, before I was married.  Kent walked me down the aisle and gave me away.

     Santa has always treated me as a daughter, even after she had their own daughter, I was never set aside.  My children love their “Grandma Santa”, she has been there when no one else could be.  I have a different relationship with her, she is the one who taught me the word of God, and is the one that I talk to when I don’t want to upset my grandmother or mom, because she is more “down to earth” you would say.

     I am so blessed to have been given this extended family, and blessed that my children have them as well.

 

454 Words

10 Minutes

Our Tadpoles

July 9, 2015

     Several weeks ago, when we had the first big rains, our children’s small plastic pool was overflowing with water.  Several days went by and our children wanted to play out in the pool.  After going out to check the water we noticed hundreds of little black things swimming in the water.

     After a closer look we discovered they were hundreds of tadpoles swimming in the pool.  My daughter and youngest son were so excited to see tadpoles in their swimming pool. 

     Conflicted, my daughter and son wanted to go swimming, but the pool had to be dumped out and refilled.  Lillyan, my daughter, didn’t want to kill the tadpoles.  She said “we can’t take them out they don’t have their lungs yet”, so innocent.  She was crying not wanting to kill the tadpoles, but still wanted to go swimming.

     I explained to her that those hundreds of tadpoles would eventually turn into hundreds of frogs.  She got even more excited then, not the reaction I was looking for.  So we came to a compromise, I told her she could save some of the tadpoles in another container, and we would clean the pool out.  This way she could go swimming, and still save some of her tadpoles.

     So of course, they got one of my good Tupperware cake taker containers, filled it up with some of the pool water and scooped out some of the tadpoles.  I would say at least 25 or more are in the container.

     The container is now on our front deck, where the little ones have put grass and rocks in it for the tadpoles.  They have made them a “comfy little home” according to my daughter.

     I had to google what to feed them, for I had never raised tadpoles before.  It was quite interesting to find out this is a habit for many people.  They were pages of information on how to raise tadpoles.  But we are doing everything the websites were saying to do, create a habitat, provide rocks for algae to grow, grass, and leaves.

     My daughter and son are so excited to see them growing, and they have grew quite a bit since putting them in the container.  Although I’m not sure on what we are going to do when they become frogs.

 

385 Words

10 minutes

My Son Roger’s First Day of Work

July 8, 2015

 

     My oldest son, Roger, graduated in May of this year.  He has never had a job, because I felt like until he was eighteen and graduated from high school he was my responsibility to take care of.  This is the way I was raised, I was never allowed to have a job during school.  School work always came first. Keeping your grades up and having that interaction with school is what is important, this is what I was taught.

     Roger took Marine Tech at the vocational school half day for his Junior and Senior year in high school.  Upon graduating he received a technical certificate for Marine Technology.  He is certified in many categories from small engine repair to boat engine repairs and work shop. 

     He is working on getting his driver’s license, it is basically my fault he doesn’t have one yet.  When we moved here from Indiana he was only fifteen and missed taking the driver’s education course there.  And the school he attended here in Missouri didn’t offer the course.  I was so nervous about his driving here.  It took me months before driving here, the sites of no guard rails, single lane roads, and not a reflector one on the highways scared me to have him driving.  Although I realized I couldn’t keep him from driving forever.  We bought him a car and he is practicing with his permit.

     Roger wanted to get a job to help on insurance and expenses, but with no license he wanted to get a close to home job so his father and I could pick him up and take him.  So he decided to go to McDonalds.  This wouldn’t have been my first choice for him, since he has a degree in a technical field, but I commend him for trying to start his own life off and get a job.  He is super excited, and who knows maybe he will be manager someday. 

      He says this is only temporary, but whatever his path in life leads him, I will be a proud parent and support his decisions.  Plus, his little brother and sister are so happy that he has “the hook-up” to happy meal toys.

 

373 Words

10 minutes

 

Round Two

 

     As most of you know we are experiencing flooding issues again.  I know a lot of the area has been hit hard this morning by down pouring flooding rains.  As I awoke this morning to the loud sounds of heavy rain hitting our roof, the first thing I thought was not again.  If you read my previous blog, on the nineteenth of June our driveway and road was taken away by flood waters.

     I went to my front door, to open and see the same thing happening all over again.  But this time it was even worse.  I woke my husband up and we began to scramble to get the cars moved to higher grounds. 

     The waters were rushing once again with full force.  Large rocks and logs rolling down our lane.  The end of our lane completely under water.  I am like Gilligan on the island.  My husband got a pick and tried to dig out a trench to redirect the waters, but nothing was seeming to help. 

    Our driveway, and where we normally park our cars is completely crumbling in front of our eyes.  My father in law arrived to try and help, but at this point so much water is coming down the road and the current is so strong, there isn’t much we can do, but sit and watch the earth crumbling and falling into the raging waters going down our drive.

     They have sent out a message that it is hazardous to drive thru the  town I live in, Reeds Spring, and have blocked most of the travel off due to flood waters.  The rain is still coming down and the waters still flowing at moch speeds.

    Finally the city workers have showed up to dig a trench with the back hoe, and it has redirected most of the water away from our drive.  We still have a terrible mess.  There is no way in or out of our drive at this time.  Needless to say, my husband, son, nephew, and father in law all are outside pushing rock to try and build up the drive.

 

353 words

10 minutes

Little Miss Tomato

 

     Last July, I entered my daughter Lillyan who was seven at the time, in the Reeds Spring first annual Little Miss Tomato contest.  The rules were you had to have a business sponsor your child.  I decorated a donation can and placed at a local video store.  It was based on a penny a vote.  All the money was going to be donated to the “Backpack Program” to benefit needy children for school supplies.

     I went to the Osh Gosh outlet at Tanger Mall in Branson and got Lillyan a pair of bib overhalls.  This was the required dress code the day of the pageant.  Any means of raising money was exceptable to help get a bigger donation.  So I baked about four dozen mini loaves of bread.    I made banana bread, banana chocolate chip, blueberry banana, pumpkin, zucchini, and pineapple zucchini.  I took the loaves to work and sold them for three dollars each or two for five dollars.  It seemed like I baked bread for weeks.  Before and after work I would be in my kitchen baking bread.  Family and church members also donated money for Lillyan’s can.

     It came time to collect the donation can at the video store.  My husband and I counted change for hours.  She had collected about ninety dollars in her can.  Then we counted stacks of one and five dollar bills that I had collected at my work.  All together she collected five-hundred and seventeen dollars and eleven cents.

     We went to place to drop off her donation can the next morning.  They had a couple of volunteers recount the money.  They were four other girls, beside Lillyan in the contest.  It came time to announce the winner.  Lillyan was the winner, the very first “Little Miss Tomato” she was so excited.  When the lady ahead of the church whom the money was given ask Lillyan what it meant to be “Little Miss Tomato”, my daughter made me very proud, she said “I’m glad I won, but it wasn’t the point of me winning, it was that I got to raise money for a lot of children who don’t have as many things as I have.”  My eyes glazed over with tears, to know that the qualities of life I am trying to instill in my children, they really are paying attention to and learning was a greatful moment for me.  Her father and I couldn’t have been more proud of the beautiful young lady we are raising.

 

 

421 Words  

10 minutes

My Car

     I recently purchased a used car.  A 2006 Chrysler Sebring, very nice car.  At first I was very happy with this car.  Recently the temp gauge got up to the half way mark, which is a little warmer than it normally runs.  Then on our way back from Branson one evening, the temp gauge got up to a half again and the car decided to shut down.  We were stranded at Best Buy for almost two hours.

     My father in law, who is a “Jack of all Trades” decided to look at he car.  I have a bleeder valve with he let a lot of air out, and then come to realize that the thermostat is probably sticking.  So we went to the auto parts store and purchased a new thermostat.  My husband and father in law planned on changing the thermostat themselves, however it was going to be a bigger project than expected.

     So I took my car to the auto mechanic and had them change my thermostat.  When my husband picked up my car, the mechanic told him, don’t let your wife drive this car, you have a busted front passenger tye-rod.  Wonderful, yet another problem.  So back to the auto parts store again, my husband and father in law were able to change this.  When buying  the car from a dealership in February, I was told the car was inspected and given an inspection tag.  However, this wasn’t the case, the car was never inspected, the tye-rod was completely crumbled inside the rubber boot. 

     Then this past week, I was going to come to OTC in Hollister, to take a proctored exam, my father in law asks before I was leaving, “Have you checked the antifreeze levels since we had the thermostat changed?” No, because it had been running fine.  So he decided to check it.  I get to IHOP in Branson and the car is steaming.   I pull over at the open lot next to Ripley’s to discover that the radiator cap hadn’t been all the way put back on by my father in law and all my antifreeze had sprayed out all over the top of my engine.  Steam was everywhere.  I decided to turn around and come back home, I made it to Walgreens in Branson West, and the temp gauge went all the way up to three quarters, I pulled over.  My husband and father in law came, I  got more antifreeze, back to the auto parts store, because now the cap isn’t fitting properly.   We filled the antifreeze back up and replaced the cap.

     The car seems to be running fine for now “Knock on Wood”, but I’m just gonna have to drive it and make sure.  I have had enough trouble with this car, and hope it all goes good from here on out.

  422 Words

10 minutes  

 

Independence Day

 

     The fourth of July, a day for cookouts, swimming pools, smores, and of course fireworks.  When we moved here to Missouri, I realized a big thing also to do is go to the lake on the fourth of July.

     Every year, we try and make the day special.  After all it is the day that our wonderful America got their Independence from King George.  It is considered Amercia’s birthday.  And by lighting up the sky is like lighting up the top of a birthday cake.

     The first year we lived here, we went to the lake.  This was an awesome experience, however, traffic is horrendous here during the holidays.  You have to leave three hours early to get a good parking spot, then it takes three hours to drive a normal twenty minute drive home.

     I have found a spot, actually at my place of employment to watch the same fireworks, but no have to fight the traffic.  And the residents enjoy the company of the children, this helps to make their holiday a little more special as well.

    We drive up to my work, set up a blanket, take grilled hot dogs, chips, and drinks and have a night time picnic with the kids.  Then when we get home, we have our own birthday celebration.  The cost of fireworks at a fireworks stand is so expensive anymore.  So we have several friends and family members who all buy an assorted selection, then let them all off together.  I make the kids smores and they sit on the back of my husband’s pick-up and enjoy the show.

    Not only are we celebrating the freedom of our country, but we are making traditional memories with our children.

    I hope you all have a wonderful and safe holiday!

    And “Happy Birthday America.”

 

302 Words

10 minutes

Joshua’s Eye Surgery

 

     My son Joshua, is scheduled to see a pediatric eye specialist on July 27.  When Joshua was around two and a half years old, we noticed that his eyes would “wonder” in occasionally, especially when taking his picture.  At first, it was slightly noticeable, but has gotten more predominate over time.  My other two children also had the same issue when they were young, but they both grew out of it, with glasses. 

     So we decided to take him to the eye doctor and have his checked out.  The result was that he is a little near-sighted, but he has a condition where is eye muscles that control the movement of his eyes is too long.  We got him so glasses, which at first was an awful experience.  If you have small children with glasses you know what I’m talking about.  We went through three pair in almost eleven months.  Broken frames, broken ear piece, and when cleaning one pair I snapped them right in half.  After the adjustment period wore off, he now wears them fine.  But we have learned when he wants to take them off, we let him.  So we don’t find them broken in the corner somewhere.

     After two years of wearing glasses, the situation hasn’t corrected itself like we had hoped.  His right eye has gotten a lot better, but the left still pulls in.  Then we started taping the inside corners of his lenses with frosted tape to try and teach his brain to pull his eyes out and away from the tape, that unfortunately didn’t work either.  Sometimes they are completely fine, with no pulling in at all and then when he doesn’t focus any longer, then they pull in, not both at the same time, the eye doctor said that was one of the good things, his eyes alternate.  She said this meant it wasn’t straining just one of his eyes.

     My husband and I, have really debated on seeing the surgeon.  But I know if it isn’t corrected now he may never grow out of it, and may cause serious eye damage later on in his life.  The doctor has tried to reassure us it is a common surgery, recovery is two days at most, he will be an outpatient.  They will put him to sleep and snip the eye muscles to make them shorter to control movement.  But as a parent, I am extremely nervous about this.  But I know it’s for the best welfare of my child, and just pray that God will keep him safe.

 

 

430 Words

10 Minutes

Country Living

 

     Coming from the city, I never knew the tranquility of the country. I was always woke up to honking of horns, the sounds of sirens, or the familiar trash truck on Mondays.  When moving out here to Missouri, I can sit on my front deck and listen to nature.  The sounds of the creek flowing over the rocks.  The sounds of the birds chirping outside my windows.  The dogs barking from seeing our deer than run along the side of our woods or occasionally the armadillo’s that like to lurk around our property.

     It’s so peaceful here, knowing that I’m usually woke up by nature instead of the chaos of living in town is such a nice change.  Knowing I can let my children out to play without the cars racing past our home is also very nice.  It’s scary when you live in town and feel like you have to keep a leash on your children and they cannot run free and truly enjoy their childhood.

     The only thing about where I live that is not as good as living in town is that our mail is not brought to our home by a postal carrier.  Where I live, I have to have a post office box, and go into town daily to receive our mail.  This sometimes is an inconvience.

    All in all the pro’s of country living out weigh the con’s by far.  I am so glad I decieded for our family to make the move to the country.

 

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10 minutes

Our Dogs

     When my family and I decided to move here three years ago, it was a very hard decision.  It involved leaving the only family my children knew, to be with their other family that hadn’t ever really known.  It was a decision that took a while to come to a conclusion on rather stay or move.

     My daughter who was five at the time, always wanted a dog.  But we lived in town, and rented our property so was unable to have a dog.  Lillyan, my daughter, has always showed a compassionate heart for animals, I think she will grow up and be a veterinarian someday.

     So we promised her when we got out here to Missouri, from Indiana, we would go to the local shelters and get her a dog of her own.  The property we have here we own, and no one could tell us if we could have a dog or not.

     We went to a few shelters, but she didn’t find one she wanted, they were all too big, she wanted a puppy.  Only a few short weeks, after we got here, my father-in-law came to tell us that his blue healer dog was pregnant and Lilly could pick her own puppy out of the litter.  She was so excited, each day asking grandpa if Kellly, my father-in-laws dog, had had her puppies.

     The day came and we went up to my in-laws to see a litter of four little puppies.  There were three brown and one black pup.  At the time, we didn’t know what kind of dog she had bred with, but we soon found out it was a coyote.

      Lilly would go up every day and visit the puppies.  She decided she wanted the black one and his name would be Lou.  However, one of the brothers was always tagging along with Lou, so guess what?  We ended up with two puppies, we just couldn’t separate the two dogs.  The brown one she named Bo.  So now she has two male half blue healer and half coyote puppies.  They are now a part of our family, and my daughter couldn’t be more happy.

 

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10 Minutes

Be Greatful for What You Have

 

Sometimes I feel like I have to drag myself to work, don’t get me wrong, I love my job.  It’s just having to leave the comfort of my warm bed or the fact of having to leave my children and husband for the day.

But It’s always worth it when I get there.  Someday’s my residents are very demanding, but at their age let them be demanding.  I know one thing if I ever have to go to a nursing home I do not want to be gotten up at 4:30 a.m., woken up every two hours to be checked on, or by no means have my pills crushed. 

When you look at their lives and look at your own, you realize that you don’t have it so bad after all.  These people were once businessmen and women, pillars of the community, doctors, lawyers, politicians, educators, nurses, contractors, and the list goes on.  I have met many interesting men and women at my job.  Some cannot fully tell you the details of their life, which is heartbreaking.  To live such miraculous lives and not have the recollection of such events.  But some do have a wonderful story to still tell.

I try to make it a point to have a personal connection with each and every one of my residents daily.  It’s nice to know that on my days off, and when I return, they ask how was your weekend “Angel”.  Many of them do not have any family or friends that come and visit them, so the staff is their families.  I consider each of them my family members.  I spend more time with them than my own family in some weeks.

We have a motto at our work it is “We have dedicated our lives, to make theirs better” and I fully stand by this motto.  When the day is over and I get to go clock out for the day and go home to my family, these men and women remain.  Only to see the changing of shift faces.  When you see these people and what they no longer have or have access too, rather it be personal items, family, or just a memory that cannot quite remember, It makes you realize that you need to be greatful for what you have in your own life.

 

395 Words

10 minutes

I believe that I am a good photographer

 

          I have always enjoyed taking pictures, rather it be flowers, seasonal scenery, or my favorite thing my children.  I remember when I used to take pictures with an old camera that required the 110 film cartridges.  Then I moved up to disposable cameras.  Those were awesome, just take a picture till the film was gone drop it off and your pictures were developed.

          When my daughter was born, I decided that I wanted a good camera, one I could really capture memories with. So I went out and got myself a good Fuji camera.  I absolutely love this camera.  I have taken thousands, and I mean thousands of pictures with this camera.

          I like to take side shot pictures with my camera of my children, I feel like it really captures the essence of their little faces.  I have entered numerous pictures in the county fair, and have done very well.  I have placed third, second many times, and first a few times. 

          I love also to take black and white pictures.  I have many photos of the kids in my bedroom that are all black and white pictures that I have taken and blown up to 8 X 10, and 10 X 13 photos.  My favorite on of my daughter is when she was three and is sitting in her swimming pool holding a beach ball.  And the one of my youngest son, about eight months old, with an Indianapolis Colts football helmet on.  The helmet is twice the size of his little head, but it so cute tilted over.

          I love taking pictures, pictures can say a lot about a person.  I love the memories I have created by taking pictures.  I have made all three of my children wonderful scrapbooks with pictures of their first years.  These memories I can hold on to forever.

 

315 Words

10 Minutes

Know Your Audience Blog Post

Lesson 4.4

 

                In taking online classes one of the biggest disadvantages is not having the opportunity to have the face-to-face interaction with your teacher and classmates.  It’s not the “traditional” classroom setting that most of us are used to.

                The “Know your Audience” question gave us all the opportunity to have that personal interaction with each other.  I really enjoyed the opportunity to learn a little about each of my classmates.   

                There were many interesting questions.  Some questions really made me have to think on my answers, while others were more relative questions.  One question that really made me think was “What painting best describes you, title and painter?” I had to do some research on this one.  Another one that really made me have to think was the “What color is your attitude? Explain well.”  This question could have had many different answers depending on what day I was asked. 

                There were many fun questions as well.  Like “Where would you like to vacation?”  This question was an easy question for me to answer.  My husband and I have been talking about going to Hawaii for quite some time.  It is our “dream” vacation.  After completing my education, I think, I am going to reward myself for all my hard work with such a vacation. 

                It’s nice to feel like I’ve gotten to know a lot of my classmates through this assignment.  Chances are we will never get to meet face to face, unless we already know each other outside of school, or possibly are taking the same majors and do end up, by chance, in the same seated classes.

                These questions also gave us all a glimpse into one another’s likes, dislikes and personalities. Some were more serious, while others were light in humor.  I believe we can all learn from each other, rather be our interactions on the discussion boards, blog posts, or our writing groups to develop our own style of unique writing. 

                I look forward to getting to know each of my classmates even more through these final weeks of our short summer session together.

 

353 Words

What I believe to be the best movie of all times:  The Wizard of Oz

  

     The Wizard of Oz, I would say is my favorite movie.  I started loving this movie as a young girl.  This movie would come on every year about the same time on TNT, around the middle of November.  My grandma and I would look forward to watching this movie all day.  I would help her get the popcorn ready, this was the closest thing I had to going to the movies with my grandma. 

     This movie was originally put out in the movie theaters in 1939.  My grandmother was young girl, she would tell me how her and her mother went to see it at the movies.  And how that a lot of the movie had been edited and removed.

     Judy Garland, who plays Dorothy a young Kansas girl, who is taken away by a twister to the wonderful magical world of Oz.  She meets the Munchins, Glenda, the Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Lion along the way.  Oh and let us not forget my most favorite character the Wicked Witch of the West.  All to get the the Wizard of Oz to grant her the one wish of being able to go back home.

     I have always been fascinated with this movie, I don’t know if its because of the memories my grandmother and I made watching this movie, or the movie itself.

     I love how the movie starts off in black and white, and when she arrives in Oz, and opens the door in Munchin Land, it is all color and beautiful.  This movie was made along time ago, but the graphics and attention to detail are remarkable. 

     I have many collectables of this movie as well, I have for the past several years, gotten snow globes with the characters inside them, I have salt and pepper shakers, and a pair of ruby slipper Christmas ornament.  I watch this movie all the time.  My husband doesn’t care to watch it with me because I recite the movie. 

    I would have to say that I have traveled the Yellow Brick Road on many occasions, and love it each and every time that I do.

 

369 Words

10 Minutes