The Week Where We Tried To See How Many Days We Could All Be In A Hospital Room

Dear Family and Friends,

Last week was such an emotionally and physically draining week around the Goode household. We feel blessed to all be home and recuperating...though not as quickly as we would like at times.

For those who have been out of the loop, the outline of our week went something like this:

Friday - Fonda's gallbladder surgery (outpatient)

Monday - Bri's car accident, rushed to hospital by ambulance, admitted with pelvis fractured in two places

Tuesday - Fonda and Jim are supposed to be meeting with Bri's surgeon to see if surgery would be needed, but Fonda is readmitted (at a different hospital than Bri) with severe pain that is not diagnosed until late Monday as 'bile leakage'. Thankfully, Bri does not require surgery.

Wednesday - Fonda undergoes procedure to place stint to reroute the bile; Bri is released from hospital that evening

Thursday - Fonda is recovering but still not able to eat so one more night at hospital is required

Friday - Fonda is released from hospital

Was that a crazy enough week for you? Thank goodness for family and friends. Meagan stayed with Bri while she was in the hospital. Brian and Kelli took care of her once she got home. Jim stayed with me. Friends brought dinner over for three nights. Rosa and Stevi drove down on Friday and stayed until Sunday to help in our care taking. (Thanks again, Sister. Jim really needed a break. I know he was happy to spend hours on that lawnmower and get out some of his stress knowing you were here to keep it under control.)

Bri's last two days have been pretty rough for her. She can't get comfortable and is tired of lying around. She goes back to the doctor on Wednesday and we will see what they have to say...but so far, it is looking good for a full and speedy recovery.

I am getting better and have been up and moving...but my abdomen is sore. I am nervous about another set back, so my stress over every ache and pain is not helping much either.

Thanks to all of you who have called or sent messages through text or facebook. Your prayers were very much appreciated!

We love you all!
Fonda and Family

PS: I wanted to share the word of encouragement that came on my breakfast tray Friday morning. I had just had a 'spasm' around the stint that made me think I was going back into surgery and was freaking out (you should have seen Jim - the man was about to come unglued!). On my tray was a small card that said:

"I lift up my eyes to the hills - where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth." Psalm 121: 1-2

Praise God, it is so!

What's On My Nightstand - May

It's that time again...time to tell you all about the wonderful adventures awaiting me on my nightstand. After all the bragging I did about not buying any new books last month, you will be surprised to know that I fell off the wagon: Big Time! I have made one trip to Half Price Books and two trips to Barnes and Noble since last month. I made the trip to Half Price every seeing all the amazing things everyone else was reading last month. And the two trips to B&N...well, they came after I surveyed everyone's "I Read It" list. Probably need to stay away this month!


Books I Read:

Revenge Of The Gypsy Queen by Kris Neri - Ehh! Nothing to get excited about.


The Proper Care And Feeding Of Husbands by Dr. Laura Schlessinger - Highly recommend this to anyone who is married and especially if you have been married over ten years. I wrote a little bit about it here.


Savor The Moment: Book Three in the Bride Quartet by Nora Roberts - Fun read. Now that three of the four partners at Vows are in serious romantic relationships, I can hardly wait to see how things turn our for Parker...Miss-Has-It-All-Together. Will it really be with Mal, the mechanic? I will have to wait until November to find out. (If nothing else, the cover art of a bride's cake will make you want to pick up this book! Looks delicious!)


Corpse On The Cob: An Odelia Grey Mystery by Sue Ann Jaffarian - I read it in one day. Of course there is much else I have been able to do since having my gallbladder removed on Friday...but still. It was a pretty good read for a mystery without the gory stuff that really disturbs me. My mother would probably find this book to be boring...but I can't take the graphic stuff. Plus I loved the plus-sized heroine, a lot!


I Feel Bad About My Neck: And Other Thoughts On Being a Woman by Nora Ephron - I was in love with this book from the opening chapter on purses...I have the same hate/need relationship with them myself. My purse is not organized, neither do I change it out to match my outfit. It is a tool that I am forced to use because I am a woman and I need 'stuff' while I am away from home. My girls have a purse for every outfit and then some. They buy them for me...really nice ones...and I try to co-ordinate, but I get so tired of moving things around and then I don't have what I need because I left it in the other purse until I finally just carry the same one around until they get me a new one for my birthday or Christmas!


Books I Am Reading:

66 Love Letters: A Conversation With God That Invites You Into His Story by Dr. Larry Crabb - I am listening to the audiobook on my iPhone...or at least I was listening to it on my iPhone until someone in my family 'borrowed' my cable from my truck which I still haven't found...then I will be listening again.


The Senator's Wife by Sue Miller -I am starting it this evening.


Books To Be Read:

Besides the nine books still remaining from last month's list, I have also added:

(Click on the name if you want more information - this will take you to the Amazon page...since I haven't read it yet, I can't tell you much about it!)



The Happiness Project: Or Why I Spent a Year Trying to Sing in the Morning, Clean My Closets, Fight Right, Read Aristotle and Generally Have More Fun by Gretchen Rubin

Choosing Gratitude: Your Journey to Joy by Nancy Leigh DeMoss

The Postmistress by Sarah Blake

The Girls From Ames: A Story of Women and a Forty-years Friendship by Jeffrey Zaslow

Hotel On The Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford

Sullivan's Island: A Lowcountry Tale by Dorothea Benton Frank

Killer Blonde (Jaine Austen Mysteries) by Laura Levine

Getting the Pretty Back: Friendship, Family, And Finding The Perfect Lipstick by Molly Ringwald

What To Wear For The Rest Of Your Life: Ageless Secrets Of Style by Kim Johnson Gross

So that is nine more books added to the list...and I will get to them. Sooner or later!

What's on your nightstand? What have you read lately and enjoyed? Let me know...and I will try to refrain from buying it until I read some of these. But no promises!

A Perfect Pantry: Fact or Fiction? One Month Reveal

Remember last month's breathtaking expose' on the state of my pantry and the lengths I went to to get it in order? If not, you can read about it here.

Several of you made the comment that you wanted to see it again after one month...and yesterday was one month. Before you do the comparison, I have to fill you in on a few things: #1 - as hard as it was for me, I did not touch a single thing before taking the pictures, so what you see is what is there right now. #2 - I had surgery last Friday so my family has had the freedom to run willy-nilly through my pantry without me being able to straighten up behind them...plus that means that I have three weeks worth of meals in this pantry since it will be that long before I can go shopping again. And finally, #3 - because of so much shopping, I had to move some of the appliances back to the floor in order to fit all the food items on the shelf. When you have a 15 year old boy at home and you know you are not going to the store for three weeks you tend to have A LOT OF SNACKS...thus pushing the baking products from the top shelf to the bottom and the roaster to the floor.

So...are you ready?

Here is my pantry one month from clean up...Perfect: Fact or Fiction? You decide.

Notice the roaster was moved to the floor with the cast iron dutch ovens (they are too heavy for a shelf) .
The picture didn't pick up the bag of potatoes that is about half full and sitting in the middle of the floor after Jim made potato soup for me on Friday night. But hey, My Hero made me potato soup...so what do I have to complain about?

Ditto the roll of paper towels sitting on the floor...why? Oh well, I am not up for bending over to pick them up yet, so they will sit there until Meagan comes over tomorrow. (I don't bend too well after having my gallbladder removed! Maybe in a few more days.) Same thing for that baby chair tray that has somehow moved itself to the middle of the floor.

Not sure how long I can keep this up...but it is working for now. The kids are even getting the hang of it when they put the groceries up. Bri worried that she couldn't fit all the snacks on the top shelf (which keeps my grand babies out of trouble with their Mommies) and asked me what to do...we settled on moving the roaster and baking supplies.

There it is...the state of the pantry one month after over haul. Now you know all my dirty little secrets...except how bad my closet looks. Maybe that will be the next item on the decluttering list!

Love,

Fonda

We Are A Bunch Of Wimps

I will just go ahead and get that out on the table for all of you who are wondering how everyone did with the media fast. For starters, Jim quit before it began.

When I walked into the house Monday evening, Jim was watching a documentary on the Ali/Frazier rivalry and Will was in the guest room playing video games. I asked what they were doing and Jim replied, "Ah, you knew I couldn't do it." Will's eyes got wide and he tried to make out like he wasn't playing video games...but he had already been watching television with his dad so his cover was blown.

Will and I did restrain from any further media Monday night by playing Phase 10 dice instead.

Tuesday night we had extras in the house. It was Meagan's day to clean, so she and Davin were here. Brian had gotten off work really early so he and a friend had driven up to Bryan/College Station to check on some things for school this fall and they were also here...playing video games....with Will! There wasn't as much television watching that night due to time spent sitting on the deck visiting with Meagan while Davin played in the yard. But Will was unable to resist the allure of video games with his brother!

I admit, I had sent a message on facebook before arriving home on Tuesday...but only because my cousin had asked a question directly and it pops up on my screen without me having to pull up the facebook page.

On Wednesday, I read a couple of blogs during my lunch break...and by last night, I had fallen completely off the wagon too. I caught up on a day or two of facebook posts and watched The Biggest Loser from the DVR after dinner. I was so surprised that Ashley and Michael made it as the top two. They may have had the most to lose, but they hadn't seemed very strong until they went home. My heart just broke for Daris when he had gained 2 pounds. I think I relate to him the most. Like me, he thinks "too much". (or so my husband tells me.)

Anyway, that is how our media fast went. Although we didn't totally abstain from all media, we were more aware of how we were spending our time.

Thanks for checking on us and for the encouragement we received.

Love,
Fonda

Media Fast

Conversation as occurred on the drive home from a friend's house last night:

Will (to me and Jim): Sometimes I wish we didn't have video games and stuff. (This is after spending the WHOLE weekend playing them with Brian and a friend.)

Jim: Why?

Will: Because we just don't do as much together anymore.

Me: Okay, then why don't we go on a week-long media fast? No television or video games for the week.

Jim: Okay, you and Will can't watch television or play video games all week.

Will: No, all of us.

Jim: What about three days? Monday through Wednesday.

Me: Why Wednesday? What do you have to see on Thursday?

Jim: Nothing. I just don't think I can make it for a week.

Me: Okay, Monday through Wednesday night. No television or video games.

Will (to me): And no computer or blogging or Facebook or texting or talking on the phone.

Me: I don't know if I can go without talking to family on the cell phone. What if my daddy calls or your sisters?

Will: Okay, no talking on the cell phone except for family.

Jim: What if a customer calls?

Will: Okay, but only work or family.

Me: Well, I do have to go online every morning for work...but I will get off without even checking my email until I get to work.

Me: Everyone agreed?

Jim and Will: Agreed.

So, I will be out of pocket for the next few days. Taking a little break from the blogs and the phone calls...and trying to reconnect with the men in my house. This isn't going to be easy...and though I am technically allowed to used the computer and the Internet at work...after I post this, I will only be accessing work related sights until Thursday.

Just didn't want y'all to worry about us...or to think that I was ignoring you. Of course, if something urgent comes up we will be right there. But, I understand the need to disconnect for a few days. It seems that at least one of us is always distracted by one development in technology or another.

I will let you know on Thursday if we make through our fast or if we broke it early!

Love you,
Fonda

A Good Whack Over The Head

Okay, so you all know how much I love a good book...and boy have I found one!

Let me begin by saying that I am not very familiar with Dr. Laura Schlessinger. Other than a brief time a few years back when Jim was 'into' talk radio and would occasionally mention something he heard on her show...I haven't heard much about her.

It wasn't until I was investigating something using Google that I realized how polarizing she can be to the general public. People seem to either love her or hate her. As for me, after reading this book? I love her.

This is not my first book on the subject of a woman's role in marriage...it is probably not even in the first one hundred. However, it is one of the few that I intend to return to and read again...and I am thinking that I just might need to return to it annually for a refresher.

Dr. Laura's book, The Proper Care and Feeding of Husbands, is written from a Judeo-Christian perspective without avoiding the reality of our postmodern culture.

Let me state for the record that I believe that marriage is a lifetime commitment. It is not a covenant to be entered into lightly. BUT I get very discouraged by leaders who advise women to stay in disastrous relationships because 'God hates divorce'. Last time I looked God hates abuse and adultery too. Yes, they can be overcome by the grace of God...but it takes work...from both parties.

So, the older I get, the more frustrated I get when I read some Judeo-Christian authors who ignore that not all marriages are healthy.

However, Dr. Laura clears up that frustration in the first few sentences of the Author's Notes. She says, "...the 3 A's: Addictions, Abuse and Affairs, are behaviours, in my opinion, that break the covenant and justify the self-preserving decision to end the relationship. Where the behaviour of one or both of the spouses is blatantly destructive, dangerous, or evil, this book does not apply."

And just in case I still had any doubts, she definitely had me in the Introduction when she said, "...I've got to tell you how remarkably true and sad it is that so many women struggle to hold on to some jerk, keep giving an abusive or philandering man yet another chance, have unprotected sex with some guy while barely knowing his last name, agree to shack up and risk making babies with some opportunist or loser, all in a pathetic version of a pursuit for love, but will resent the h*ll out of treating a decent hardworking, caring husband with the thoughtfulness, attention, respect, and affection he needs to be content."

Wow!

I didn't necessarily learn anything new from this book. But I was reminded of truths that I had conveniently forgotten about:

* putting kids or work or ministry or (fill in the blank) first

* complaining/nagging

* speaking words of affirmation

* not trying to make him into my girlfriend by overwhelming him with conversation and expecting him to read my mind

* the importance of physical intimacy

* R-E-S-P-E-C-T

* giving him the space to deal with stress

Much of this book reminded me of William Harley, Jr.'s book, His Needs, Her Needs: Building An Affair Proof Marriage. I read it years ago and it remains one of my favorites; having given me a LOT of insight into why we were so different from each other (and yet so complimentary).

So, if you have been married over ten minutes...I recommend this book. If you have been married over ten years...I highly recommend this book. And if you are feeling a little bit (or a whole lot) disconnected from your husband (no matter how long you have been married)...RUN, DO NOT WALK, to pick up a copy right now.

It was just what I needed to hear as we near our twenty-ninth anniversary. Comfortable can be a good thing...but sometimes it can become a detriment.

If you are looking for some other titles, I also highly recommend:

Love & Respect by Dr. Emerson Eggerichs

Sheet Music by Dr. Kevin Leman

5 Love Languages by Gary Chapman

and of course my favorite, His Needs, Her Needs by William Harley, Jr.

Mother's Day 2010

We celebrated Mother's Day on Sunday.

Brooke and I tried to take a self portrait. This was our best shot even though it is overexposed. I love that 'cheese' face of hers.

Our other two Mommies were able to enjoy a mostly relaxing day too.

Jim grilled pork loin while Bri prepared the sides. What a meal! Grilled corn on the cob, mashed potatoes, rolls, salad, brownies and German chocolate cake. Yum!

The crew spent the wait time sitting on the deck visiting.

Here are pictures of the babies:

Maddux has started walking and that boy can move! He has been feeling badly the last few days and has to take breathing treatments every four hours. Josh and I helped Kelli give one. He would alternate between crying and laughing though the whole ten minute ordeal. Poor Josh felt so bad for him.

Isn't Brooke cute in Pappaw's boots? He called her his little bumblebee. She was as busy as a bee all day!

Derrick put Davin's shorts on his head and we snapped this picture. He looks like a little rooster.

I never got around to taking a picture with my babies...but I got pictures of Meagan and Kelli with their babies.

It was a wonderful Mother's Day! Hope you enjoyed yours.

A Week In The Life: Day 7, Saturday

"Weekends don't count unless you spend them doing something completely pointless." Bill Watterson

I don't know what world Mr. Watterson lives in...but it is not the land of Goode! I have to admit that I did not do a lot yesterday morning. I drove to the store to buy some creamer while the coffee brewed. After I made breakfast for the boys (Jim had already eaten cereal by the time I got back from the store), I sat down with my coffee and paint chips from Lowe's.

I love tastefully decorated homes that have color on the walls. I hate the blandness of white walls. But at the same time, I am intimidated to death by color. I have a great fear of picking the wrong one. And so...I compare and I ask opinions and I look through magazines for idea...and all the while, my walls stay stark white! That has got to change! Jim and I have been planning a trip to buy tables for our new sitting area, but they seemed to always be interupted by something or another. Now I know why. When we lived in Alief we were given an antique flat file that we used as a coffee table for years. Jim and I both loved the piece...but when we moved into the two bedroom trailer in the country, we didn't have room to bring it with us. Once we bought the double wide and moved it out to the property, we put up a combination pool table/ping pong table in this area. Since there was no place to put the flat file when we emptied the Alief house, we stored in our honeymooners bungalow.

Well, yesterday I was trying to figure out a table to use outside with my bench and I suddenly remembered the flat file. The boys brought it in for me before they headed out for paintball and it looks great in that room. It is the perfect size and height! It needs a fresh oiling...but then it will be good to go again!

Jim spent his day working on finishing up the fence. I missed the moment of the big unveiling...but I was told that the cows had to be lured with a bribe of sweet feed before they would enter the new lot.
By the time I made it out with the camera, they were happily munching while exploring their new boundaries.

My Hero is covered in flesh wounds from stringing barbed wire. I think it will be a long time before he builds another fence...but I would be willing to bet that it will not be barbed wire next time! He kept saying, "Blood, sweat and tears" built that fence.


Don't tell Bri, but he really loves having those cows around. He says watching them makes him feel peaceful...especially now that they have a larger area to graze and the guilt has subsided. You can't really tell from this picture, but he is covered in a layer of dust!


And this is about the only view we get of Bri these days.

It is always "go, go, go" for this girl. Go to school, go to work, go to see Josh. She was on her way to dinner with his family as they celebrated Mother's Day with his mom.

Pib likes riding in the Polaris as much as Davin does. He jumps in everytime it starts up.

This was my view for the next several hours as Jim and I puttered around cleaning up the fence building materials and picking up around the property. It was a wonderful way to spend a Saturday afternoon, just me and My Hero. All the kids were gone and it was just the two of us and the pets around the homeplace.

After I came in to get a shower (because now I was covered in that layer of dust too), he set out to mowing a section of the yard where we park. He was making the most of the time when all the cars were gone! Ha!

When it got too dark to continue he came in for his shower and then invited me out on a dinner date. We made it in to Willie's Icehouse around 9 and had a wonderful visit while eating our favorites: fried pickles (mine) and chips & queso (his). Poor thing, he had been operating on that bowl of cereal all day! He had blackened tilapia and I had grilled shrimp. Yum!

I had to stop for gas before we headed home.

As we walked through the back door about 11, Pib nearly knocked us over running out. You guessed it! Trash! Everywhere!

We both helped to clean it up and then carried it out to the burn pile where we sat and watched it until the limbs had burned down.

Midnight...time for bed!

Thanks for joining me for "A Week In The Life". It has been a wild and eye-opening journey!

Ponderings

"But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart."

Luke 2:19

"What would have to change in your life for you to experience more times of "treasuring" your blessings, of "meditating" on the goodness and greatness of God?...If you did, what do you think would be the result of it? How would it benefit you? How would it alter your perspectives?" Quote from Jesus: 90 Days With The One And Only by Beth Moore

Happy Mother's Day!

ponder: to think or consider, especially quietly, soberly and deeply

Note: The Willow Tree figurines have been gifts to me from different people on different occasions...I just never noticed until today that they represent the different stages of motherhood that I have experienced. I thought it was pretty neat!

A Week In The Life: Day 6, Friday

TGIF: Thank goodness it's Friday!

I love Fridays. Not just because it is the end of the work week and usually the quietest day in the office, but because every one seems to be in good spirits on a Friday. Maybe it is the thought of having all the possibilities of a weekend in front of you that makes people enjoy Fridays -- sometimes even more than the weekend itself!

Friday began with a trip to the pharmacy (Walgreen's) to pick up prescriptions that I had neglected in favor of the bookstore the evening before. I talked with my dad and my friend, Stacy, as I drove in to town; making the commute much more relaxed.

After a short time at the office, I packed up and headed out for the day. I had things to do and people to see!

I love my sunroof! In my opinion, every truck should have one. Especially on days as beautiful as this!
I had a pretty good little drive ahead of me...here is a picture of me driving. I think this was my best self-portrait of the week! ha!
On my way to my appointment, I became most thankful for small town drivers. Especially the gentleman in the white pickup truck headed south on Highway 6 who was diligently flashing his headlights to warn of the State Trooper up ahead.
If not for him, this might have been me sitting on the side of the road. (I apologize for the picture quality, but driving, taking a curve and taking a picture does not make for the best picture taking conditions. Plus, I certainly wasn't going to get caught taking another up close.)
The officer pulled out about four cars ahead of me to make the traffic stop.
My destination: Martha's Bloomers in Navasota. I have been wanting to go have lunch at their tea room since moving to Waller. I finally had a chance.

It was an opportunity to meet Lea Ann in the middle and to have a leisurely lunch, catching up on our family lives.

Lea Ann is one of my oldest (as in, 'known the longest'...the girl never ages) Texas friends. We met in 1990 when our oldest daughters were in Brownies together. Not only are Meagan and Sadie the same age but so are Kelli and Mitzi (our second children) and Bri is the same age as their twins, Lacey and Kyle. (And with Brian being just 14 months behind Bri...it is like they are 'almost twins'.)

Our families grew up together and we attended church together for years. Until they had the opportunity to return to their 'mecca' city of College Station. (Home of the Texas A&M Aggies.)

We have stayed in touch via email over the years...but there is nothing like seeing one another in person! The last few times have been at family weddings, but you don't get to visit much when one of your children is getting married.

After a wonderful lunch and our next date added to the calendars, I headed back to Houston for some grocery shopping. But first I stopped by this Farmer's Market just because I had always wondered what it was like.

As I drove into Cypress, I realized that there was not enough time to grocery shop so I made a trip to Lowe's instead.

I was in a bit of a rush because I needed to pick Will up from football practice...only they end an hour earlier on Fridays.

As it turned out, I could have gotten the shopping done after all because he was late. He was helping his coaches store some equipment so it was nearly 5 when he got out. I just sat and talked with my sister while I waited.

When we got home, I took some chicken breasts out for dinner and started on a new project while they thawed.

First I spray painted the metal on my Mother's Day bench with some Rustoleum to protect it from the weather.

Then I applied a coat of primer to get it ready for the beautiful old red color that I bought at Lowe's.
I would have applied the paint...but I need a smaller brush for the detail work. I will have to wait.
I made dinner. Not the Parmesan chicken I had intended though. At about 7, Brian called to say that he was coming over to spend the weekend and asked if his friend could come over later. I knew that those four chicken breasts were not going to feed three teenage boys plus My Hero, who had been working on the fence all evening.
Parmesan chicken became Shrimp Stir Fry with Chicken Fried Rice...and there was plenty.
When Jim came in, he snuggled on the couch with me while I was watching HGTV.
Thank goodness it's Mother's Day weekend or I never would have gotten away with that! Ha!
Hope y'all are having a wonderful weekend!

A Week In The Life: Day 5, Thursday

Thursday morning brought back sweet, sweet memories for Jim and I. We were greeted to the wake up call of a creaking door and a little voice whispering "Nonna, are you awake?"

I am now. I decided to sit down to a quiet breakfast for two with one of my favorite guys.

Everyone else had already left for work/school or was still asleep so we had the time just to ourselves. He never did eat the cereal...he just wanted the strawberries. But only after I took the leaves off!
Davin kept me company while I put on my make-up and made sure I brushed my teeth. When it was time to leave for work he didn't want me to go. He wanted to go four wheeler riding and get on the Polaris instead. It was hard to say 'no' to such a sweet face.
As I left for the day he said, "I love you, Nonna. Be careful the tires!" That's his way of telling you to be careful driving. Why the tires? I have no idea.
The view from the driver's seat this morning was the accompanying bag of dry cleaning that had to be dropped off. I am very thankful for $1.49 dry cleaners. My Hero likes his jeans starched and I do not like to starch jeans! We have found our compromise. I drop them off and pick them up...and he doesn't ask me to iron his jeans.

As opposed to yesterday's traffic jam in the city...this is the view of the first half of my drive in to work. No one coming, and only one following me.

It was another busy day at work. So busy that I didn't even go to lunch. I just grabbed some peanut butter crackers and kept moving.

After work I made a pit stop by Barnes and Noble to pick up a book that Brian had been looking for. I totally wanted to show you one of my favorites sights in the whole world...the inside of a bookstore filled with possibility. I even took my camera in ready to use. But, I was distracted immediately and didn't think of it again until I was walking out the door.

Oh, and all that bragging I did a few weeks back about not buying any new books last month? Well, I have made up for it twice this month with trips to Half Price and B&N! I am ashamed to show you the shopping bag I walked out with this trip! :-( Oh how I love a good book!

I had to make some quick decisions or I would be late to pick up our football star.

Jim had been picking him up all week (we usually take turns) due to my hectic schedule at work.

Will has been either at practice or weight lifting every day after school for the last few months. (Since tennis ended) On the way home he asked me if his dad was home yet. I told him I wasn't sure and asked why. "Because that man works too much," he replied.

Will really didn't want to have work on the fence for the fourth day in a row after all that football.

Was he ever relieved to walk into the house to see this:

But it didn't last too long.

I am so thankful to have a man who does the yardwork! I told him so yesterday. I WILL help out with it and have even done it myself when he was gone. BUT I do not LIKE to do it.

I did go out and water the plants. I have two buckets of petunias on the steps leading up to the deck.

And I turned the water on for my strawberries. I even got to eat the first one of the year! It was a little stunted, but still delicious!

While I was out doing my 'yardwork' (and I use that term very loosely), I moved the two barrels of flowers that I had out in the side yard to the front along with the bench the kids gave me for Mother's Day a few years back.

It is much more convenient along the driveway for sitting in the shade and reading.

We had the leftovers from Monday...and I have to say that it was even better the second time around. I spent some time reading and then turned in for the night.

So, are you bored enough yet? There are only two more days left of "A Week In The Life". I hope I still have blog readers when I finish! Ha!

Seriously, I don't think I realized how much we do in a week's time until I took on this project. It has been a nice reminder to slow down and live in each moment as it arrives.

Love ya'!

Fonda

What's Up With This Blog?

Edited @ 7:20 pm: Thanks, August! I changed the setting to 3 days of posts as you suggested. Lo and behold, there is my sidebar again! What in the world would I do without you? Thanks again!

Robin noted in the comments a few days back that the blog was missing it's normal sidebar. I had noticed it myself, but really thought it was just an iPhone thing and paid it "no nevermind' (as my grandmother would say).

But when she noticed it too, I sent an email to my web guru...Miss August...who informed me that several of the pictures on my post about Monday were too big and needed resizing to keep from pushing the sidebar off the page. (Well, she actually said some very technical stuff but I am giving you my loose 'everyday vernacular' translation. It's like King James versus The Message...only, it's not the Word of God, nor am I as skilled at translation as Mr. Peterson!)

Anyway...back to the point of this post!

I did learn how to compress my photos today and have done so for those on today's post. However, I really don't want to fight with Blogger and reload all my earlier pictures because...let's face it...it's just not worth it to me. Especially when I am operating on so little sleep as it is!

So, once the post about Monday falls off the bottom of my blogger page, the screen should return to normal. Until then, if you need my blogroll or archives or whatever....just scroll to the bottom of the webpage. It is all down there!

I apologize for the inconvenience and will make every effort not to do it again.

Thank you and good day!

A Week In The Life: Day 4, Wednesday

Cinco de Mayo

May 5, 2010

Wednesday was a 'Rise and Shine' day. There was much on the schedule and many miles to be covered before returning home. I had to leave earlier than normal for an appointment. It was a foggy ride in to the city. (The pictures don't do it justice...but believe me, there were a few times I could barely see three feet in front of my truck.)

Monday I captured a highway scene from my commute. Tuesday was a rural scene...Wednesday, the dreaded city scene.
That is three lanes of bumper to bumper traffic, my friends. I truly believe that this is currently the WORST commute in Houston. Thankfully, my exit is the first one past the sea of brake lights!

My early morning appointment was here at the Harris County Courthouse. Not a traffic ticket, thank goodness...but a small claims case against a client who never finished paying for his fire sprinkler system. It was the first of what will be several trips to default hearings over the next couple of months.

Just in case you have been living on Mars for the past couple years...we are in a recession, even here in Texas which has been moderately protected thus far.

After the hearing, it was a busy day of cleaning out my inbox at the office. I had been swamped with special projects for a couple of weeks so there were a lot of 'Important' but not 'Urgent' things that needed to be taken care of.

In honor of Cinco de Mayo, I picked up some lunch at Taco Cabana and ate at my desk while I coded invoices and filed papers. After lunch our sign man showed up to apply the decals to the new truck.
Looking good!

I had hoped to leave the office early to get ready for an evening gathering at our house, but it didn't work out as I had planned. I needed to get our Service Technician in his new truck and oversee his tutorial on his new equipment before leaving.

I stopped by Kroger on the way home for some party supplies. Queso and Tres Leches are requirements for a proper Cinco de Mayo celebration, you know!

Meagan and Davin were already at the house when I arrived. Most of our other guests, the Lozano family and Brian, arrived shortly after me.

See this crew getting their Mexican grub on?

Appetizers: Cream cheese with jalapeno jelly and crackers or chips and guacamole


Meal: Tortilla soup, enchiladas, tamales, queso, and charra beans


Dessert: Tres Leches cake and assorted cookies (coconut, mango, pineapple, and dulce de leche flavored)



While we filled our stomachs with the good food...Davin was four wheelin' in the backyard's lone mud puddle. He is his grandfather's grandson!


After dinner, Jim and Davin took Albert and Charley for a ride in the Polaris to burn the trash. Davin insisted on driving.


WE had a few latecomers to the party, including these two. Bri had to work and didn't get home until later. Josh joined us soon afterwards.

Derrick came even later...but still in time to eat.

Finally, here is the one picture of me so far this week. (I am REALLY BAD at self-photography!) Bri snapped this picture of Will and I as we were all sitting on the deck visiting after dinner.

It was a treat to spend time with family and friends to celebrate a holiday I never even knew existed before moving to Texas. We missed Kelli and the family, a lot...but Maddux is suffering with his asthma again and Kelli needed some rest.

We had overnight guests of Meagan, Davin and Brian...so the party lasted late into the night. Meagan and Davin were staying over rather than driving back this morning to take care of her weekly maid service for me. Brian decided to just stay and go to work from our house this morning. I happily threw his clothes in the washer and stayed up until they could make it to the dryer. I think I crawled in bed sometime between 1 and 2 AM! I will be going home early today (Thursday) and left overs are definitely tonight's menu. Thank goodness, my house will be spotless when I get there!

Did you celebrate Cinco de Mayo yesterday? How?

(A funny note: I received a phone call from SE Arkansas yesterday around noon wishing me 'Happy Cinco de Mayo'! Debbie and Casy were here to celebrate with us last year due to a doctor's visit and she remembered. I think they were having tacos last night in honor of their 'new holiday'! I'm telling you, Texas has a way of getting in the blood.)