The Sleeper Awakens

 Hello to everyone,

 I am awake!! About time too. I have been really drained. All that sunshine and going took me some time to relax and when I finally was able to sleep I slept hard. I would wake up to eat and drink and read a bit and go back to sleep. I did check my Facebook once in a while but for the most part I have just rested but it is time to get up and move around and enjoy some time during the day. I really dis-like my sleeping pattern but I am giving up on trying to find an answer.

 This page is called Ocean Blues. I did this page on Sunday from a freebie kit from my group. I forgot the name of the kit but it is soft and pretty. The image of the girl and the birds is one I  have used before from a free site on the internet.

 So I know what I have been doing lately but what has everyone else been up too?
 I finished my book by Nora Roberts called "The Witness".... I must say it was a good book but it I thought that the ending could have been better. It seemed to me that the ending was all rushed and even though I will recommend the book I am still rather disappointed in a lot of ways.

 On the heels of that I started a paper back romance. It is good for the most part. I am almost done with it. The only complaint I have is.... and yeah I have a complaint. .. Several years ago it seems to me that I have read most of the books in a 7 book trilogy. I remember because at the start of this book I am like ... hmmm have I read this one? Then I re-read the intro and it said Conclusion of..... My sister in law gave me these books on the day of my brother's funeral. To bad that the rest of them are not in the box. I checked. This is why I prefer books that are complete and really dislike the 3 to 7 books in a series because it might be next year by the time that they come out and then I am playing a guessing game of "Did I read this already?"  And I have already forgotten the first of them I have read.

 I don't like movies like this either. My kids have waited forever for some Star Trek movie. Jonathan has rented it 3 times and something was wrong with the disc. Thankfully they gave him his money back, but I like movies that begin and end. No sequels.
 Well that isn't totally true. I loved Peyton Place and Return to Peyton Place. I read the book when I was 14. I hid it from my mama.... Ha Ha...  There was a lot of hype about the book at the time. But it was in our school library and so I checked it out even though she would not have approved at the time, then later on I found out that she found my book and read it while I was in school.
 I remember the day that I finished that book. It was a stormy wet day. I snuggled under the covers and read until it was finished. I didn't get the second book. By the time that the second book was out I discovered the Movies...  So on the old VHS tapes me and my sister had a Peyton Place Marathon!  Still in my opinion, the movie was good... Oh yes... but not as magical as that first reading.

 The only exception I will make is the Harry Potter series. Nathan and I started that as something that he and I could do together. One long hot summer in Nevada. He had gotten his first book for his birthday and I got mine from the library. I had to work so he finished his first and from then on it was on... and the movies were really good and we went together to see all of them except the 5th and the last one. He was at Boarding School by this time. Now of course it is too juvenile for him. He has lost that magical feeling so to speak but for me it is still like Disney or the first amusement park. It is like.... The magic and awe that I saw in my kids eyes on their first trips to Six Flags or Knottsberry Farms.

 I really must do some housecleaning today. It is past time. Karyn, God knows how much I love her, but she uses every single pot, pan, spoon and bowl when she cooks. I did two loads of dishes before my sleep vacation!

 It looks like I might have to see the doctor about my leg. The swelling has gone down but it is still really sore. More sore than it should be from just a bump. Nathan thinks I should go back to the spa and let the heated water help it but I think that I am just going to keep an ice pack on it and if not better then I will go to the doctor on Friday. I can go to the after hours clinic which is what I would rather do.

 I am having my last cup of coffee and then I am going to clean house. It is time. I was caught off guard as the fire building inspector came in early this morning and inspected. They were in and out and Nathan waited for them while I stayed with Cisco. Little stinker was throwing a fit to be let out to make new friends or to eat them up. Can never tell about this one. One thing for sure is that he did not like our house guest.

 Well time has come for me to close this post as I have no more news.  Hugs to all and be kind to one another....BB

Memorial Day Weekend

 Hi everyone,
 This page is from 3 years ago and I haven't been able to make any new scrap pages these last few days. So I came across this one and was so delighted at the memory of making it for my sisters and friend Kay. I think this was Jamaica but not sure. It is so hard to keep up with these 3. I am happy that they get to go and have fun and do things. It is a real nice feeling when I stumble across these on my Facebook memories and see them. I also have some photos to share with you today before I get into what is bothering me. I haven't had a very good weekend so far. And I am tired but it is what it is I suppose.

 In response to Memorial Day, I have kept hearing over and over words like... 3 day weekend whoo whoo... Well yes you might have a 3 day weekend but do those of us that acknowledges Memorial Day, do you really know what it is about?
 We have taken this day and have used it for a celebration instead of what it really is about. If I hadn't had company this weekend I would not have spent it or a great deal of it on Swimming, Barbecuing, or doing anything else and I have the rest of the weekend and tomorrow to acknowledge what it really means.....

 It is to pay respect for our fallen soldiers that have given their all for our Freedom. It is a huge price to pay for everyone's 3 day weekend. I am not saying that you should not enjoy the 3 day weekend. Not at all because we are a culture that works sometimes 7 days a week, but I am hoping that we can as a country, take the time to at least acknowledge what this day really means.

 This was what my Memorial Day looked like 6 years ago today.

 This is my back yard when I lived in Arkansas. We experienced the mighty 100 year flood. This water was rising in my back yard when I snapped this photo. I am waiting for someone to take me across the street to the hill that I might get my car and head to higher ground. All of my gardens are under water now.

 Pretty soon after the photo of my back yard this is what the front yard looked like. I am with the Mayor in this photo. We drove as far as we could. They were having us turn around at my drive way. This was as far as we could go.
 I was able to keep in contact with local authorities.  I was evacuated shortly before this photo was taken. Around 5:00 pm. By night fall the water had risen to the top of the windows. Only a part of the roof was showing. Once the water started coming it came in fast. Just to think that at 8:00 that morning they said that we still had about 3 days. They were so wrong. Thankfully my car and everything I could take was already packed and they used a rowboat to take me and my dog to the hill for my car.

It was very hard to go thru this. It was almost 3 weeks before FEMA and I could go to the house. We had to wait for the water to go down. The stench was awful, and it had brought in thousands of snakes, frogs, and I don't know what else. Lots of fish also got trapped in the house. I had the most gorgeous flowers there at the fence line. Petunias, sunflowers to the left and moss rose not to mention all the others, like rose bushes and pine trees just planted. It was all gone in a matter of hours. There was no celebrating that year for our town. We were too busy trying to survive and offer others help and rescuing animals. We took in a few until the owners could be found.
 We were part of the lucky ones because my friend the Mayor had a house in town that she let me stay in until I could get back into mine. Well not actually get back in. Another friend parked his RV in my driveway and let me stay in it.
 The work was horrible. The inside had to be gutted and what could be burned was burned. Months of hard work was gone. I didn't own this house. I rented and in lieu of rent I fixed up this house inside and out. I had help of course but the second time around I didn't have much help because I couldn't work.
 My job was still under water. I did what I could. I was also getting sick at this time and could barely walk. My legs hurt so bad and I began having terrible pains when I tried. Not only that but I was not able to keep much food down. I ended up in the hospital several times for my esophagus was closing at the end that led to the stomach and would only open occasionally to allow food into my stomach. When my legs left me where I could only walk a few steps my vascular surgery was arranged. I closed up the house... I couldn't do anymore.
 While in the hospital 2 hours away for 11 days the house was vandalized. Everything stolen. It was the last straw. My daughter Karyn decided I was going home with her and at this point I agreed. My neighbors were supposed to have taken care of my dogs. I don't know what happened to them. When I went to get my things Bandit was gone. The other one had was still there but she was being well cared for so I let him keep her. I cried so hard for that loss.
 These memories are hard for me so now I will move onto something else.

 My girlfriend came in on Friday. It was not a pleasant visit. She beat me here before I got home from the doctor. She is .... I don't know how to describe her. From the first 5 minutes it was chaos. She never stopped talking or complaining. I was too slow. I couldn't walk fast enough, etc. Karyn became very agitated with her the complaints kept coming and she had enough and told her, "My mom has a lot of disabilities and her medication has a lot to do with her being slow." She just wanted to go go go the entire time she was here.
 I had not slept in 2 days, and I did remarkably well in my opinion keeping up with her. We toured the facilities, went out to dinner, which she complained practically the entire time after our meal was delivered, went to Wal-Mart where she rushed me and called me 3 times to ask where I was. I said the front entrance where I am waiting for you. Well she finally made it to me then spent 30 minutes consulting with the pharmacist about aloe vera juice. We made it back and she wanted to go to the pool. I told her that the pool closed at 10:00 and it was already 9:45 pm and she kept saying, "Well no one will know" but I held firm and told her, "I am tired. I have not been to bed in over 36 hours, I need to sleep. She finally agreed but she talked and talked and talked. I fell asleep with her talking.
 She kept saying she was probably allergic to my dog and she was itching. The next morning she did have bites all over her but she spent a great deal of time outside and Mosquitoes are already bad. Also she was having a heated debate about her renters saying that they had bed bugs. The next morning she said.. You have bedbugs. No I Don't. But that didn't stop her. She went to the store and bought all kinds of stuff to treat my room. From a light detection kit to sprays. So I tore my room apart and sprayed and sprayed and took all my bedding and stuff off the bed and spent $20.00 washing it all and her stuff.
 We went to the pool yesterday after the laundry was done and she complained that Karyn and I were spending too much time at the laundry. Well I am not about to go off and leave our laundry there so we can go to the pool. I spent money I didn't have and borrowed from Nathan so that we could grill out. Ok so we did have to eat but good grief. Last night after we went to the spa.... which I fell and banged up my shin (Reason I don't ever go) we came back and 5 minutes in the door she kept saying I I itch all over. Finally I said you might need to go to the hospital. I gave her directions and told her where to go and I went to bed. I guess she must have gone because sometime during the night she woke me up and said she had gone to the hospital.
 I thought that I was dreaming, I really did. But I woke up this morning and she and everything she had was gone. She didn't leave a note and she didn't wake me up to say goodbye. She just left.
 Well she will not be back to my house again. If she ever comes back to this city she will have to get a Motel. Not that I actually invited her anyway. She called me and said she was coming to Austin and wanted to come and hang out. I said Ok. Big mistake. One that I feel is one I won't ever repeat again.
 Karyn said that she got mad because Joe was talking to a neighbor and she had gone to him and asked him to come and cook the food at the grill. Why would she do that? Karyn and Joe had plans with his family. Not ours. Besides why would she go and seek him out. She just said I will be right back and guess what? She had gone to seek out my son in law and then went to Karyn's to complain that Joe was taking to long talking to a friend!!!!
 Jonathan said that she had complained about so much that it gave him a headache and he went to bed to avoid her.
 I am not sad to see her go because truthfully I don't think that I could have dealt with her 2 more days. Now I remember just why I stopped having anything to do with her.

 So that is my rant for today and I think that after I get my kitchen cleaned up I am going to go and lay down and relax. I am rather tired, more mentally than physically.

 Karyn is picking Matthew up from the airport... I will be so happy to see him. He will be a bright spot in my life and weekend....... I am closing for now... BB

Love Is In The Air And So Is The Heat

 Hi Sending everyone Teddy Bear Love.

 It is so hot and muggy and the heat has really been taxing to a lot of people. I should say it is the humidity as the temps are not that bad but combined with the moist air it is like being wrapped in a heavy wet blanket.
 But on the upside of things, Love is in the air. My great niece is getting married July 15th, and so many of my family and friends have wedding anniversary's coming up. My friend Heather is planning her wedding for September. There is just something about Spring and Summer that makes everything feel better. And a good romantic movie or book doesn't hurt either.

 I hope that all are doing well. I am doing fine, just having a pretty relaxing day spent doing another one of my favorite things and that is reading.
 I am really enjoying this book. The Witness by Nora Roberts. I just love her books. I have always enjoyed reading her work and I also enjoy reading her blog. She is just so down to earth and even tho she makes tons of money with her books, it is not something that she flaunts. She cleans her house, does her gardening, bakes bread, spends time with her family and loves her dogs. She writes about real things in real life and when she does have special events they are awesome events. Anyway I got totally off topic here but as I was saying, I love her books and this one has had me totally glued to the pages. So that is what I have been doing. But as all good things, sometimes I have to put the book down and take a break. So I decided to work on my blog for a little while. I just don't have much going on at the moment.

 Need to think of something for dinner but I really don't want to eat anything. I have snacked here and there on a few things. I made some peanut butter and crackers and had an apple to go along with it. I made egg salad and have had some of that on a piece of toast so I am not really hungry.  I am leaving the dinner to the boys. They can decide on what they want.
 Nathan isn't feeling too well anyway. Toothache, stomach has been upset. He got up today and did a few things with a friend but didn't stay out too long before he was back and laid back down. He took something for his head as he has a headache now. I wish he wasn't feeling ill.

 Cisco has become increasingly over protective of Chicki today. Jonathan walked in the door and went over to pet him and he grabbed Chicki and took off. So of course we had to play. I decided to see how much he wanted Chicki and reached for a bone. Now let me tell you, Cisco is SMART.... He in a blink of an eye rushed to his bed and put Chicki down and I expected him to come back for the bone, which he did and grabbed it before he rushed over to Chicki, grabbed him by the leg and buried his bone under Chicki and Baby and laid down on top of them both and looked at me like... Hmmm I got the bone and the babies, what are you going to do about it?
 I know that I talk about Cisco a lot but he is a big part of my world. He is loving and I am delighted that I can love him back. I am a lucky lady.

 Well I am getting pretty anxious to get back to my book so I am going to close for now. I am sorry that this is so short. Hopefully I will have a better blog post next time... BB

Presents For Me!

 Hi Everyone,
 My latest scrap page. Never to old to dream. It is fantasy but I was trying to do something for fun. Isn't this a lovely kit? Another beauty from my friend Rosie.. This is called Vintage Lace. It is not a brand new kit but I haven't had a chance to work much with it. None of them really. The image from the internet free site, and the sparkles are mine from a Tiny Turtle kit.

 Well we had some excitement here yesterday. I was doing up the dishes and cleaning the kitchen when there was a loud knock at the door. Nathan answered and dragged in this huge box. I knew that my son Matt said to be on the look out for a package so I asked Nathan, "Is that for Matt"? and he said "Nope it is for Cisco."
 Cisco was already investigating, tail wagging and pawing at the box. We dragged it into the kitchen and I had to take pictures before we opened it. This dog knows that what ever is in that box is for him.

 Investigating!  You can't see the tail wagging here.... Oh noooo... He ran away... Hmmm maybe he wasn't to impressed after all.... Oh wait he is back....

 He had to go and get Baby. He would have grabbed Chicki too but Chicki was up on my bed. So it is time to open the box. Hang on Cisco, let mama get the scissors! Well I had better hurry up and do that pretty fast!

 A Bed... Oh My and look.... grabbed a tennis ball and crawled right in... didn't even wait to see what else was in the box. I can't believe that he took the tennis ball in the floor and not Baby. Awww he really didn't care at that moment. He barely sniffed it before crawling into and settling in.

 I opened the box and he roused up reached in and took a bone. Very delicately. He has such nice manners when he wants to. You can't really see, but he is eating the bone. His first meal in a new bed!! What luxury!!!

 He didn't wait for me to go to bed last night. He grabbed baby and went to bed and slept all night long. Sorry about my shoes but they were there and I was afraid I would wake him up with the camera. Ha! Not a chance!

 The gift box was from Pogo and Miss Edna! He thanks you so much. I actually have my pillows back on my bed now where they belong and Nathan has those old and much needed to be thrown away pillows back in his closet.
 Cisco sends big licks and woofs and Thank You's. You both have made this little man a very happy camper! I am glad that I can share the pictures with you to enjoy!

 There has been some changes with Cisco starting with a new food. Blue Buffalo Brown Rice and Chicken flavor, He seems more satisfied with this brand. We are going to get another bag on the first and we haven't decided if it will be the salmon or the lamb. Jonathan thinks we should stick to one flavor to avoid stomach issues. He might be right. But eating the same food all the time is just boring. I wouldn't like to eat just vanilla ice cream all of the time. Maybe some strawberry or chocolate once in a while hmmm? But Jonathan has a good point. Cisco's system and taste buds are not like ours. But maybe we will get 2 bags and alternate them and see how he does. If he has issues then we will stick to just one flavor.

 Nathan has a nasty toothache. We just watched an interesting video on how to naturally regrow your teeth by eating one egg shell a day and swishing your mouth with comfrey root once a day. Now this article is mainly about regrowing your teeth if you have a cavity or cavities. I am sure that when the tooth is gone and so is the root that this will not help me. Anyway the video is on YouTube. Two things to do tho. Boil the egg shells for 5 minutes or so to kill any yukky bugs, and 2, comfrey root is hard on the liver so you have to be careful with it.
 Did you know that comfrey root is also called knitting bone because it has the ability to knit broken bones back together?
 Ok so that is my lesson for today. Not sure I trust things that are all natural if it is harmful to the liver or other organs! But I watched the video with Nathan.

 My girlfriend Brenda is coming down Saturday morning. She was coming on Friday but she is really the only care giver to her son and she hasn't had a break in 2 years away from him since he was diagnosed with this disease. I can't think of the name of it but years ago it was fatal. Modern medicine has come a long way. It will be awesome to see her again. We have a blast together and she and I have always had a great time.

 Yesterday I talked to one of my longest and dearest friends. I have 2. Vicki and I have known each other since we were 13 or 14 years old. We don't talk much but we stay in touch on Facebook and we play Words With Friends.
 My other longest and dearest friend is Kalena. We met when I was pregnant with Karyn in the winter of 1984. So a lot of years and a lot of memories, kids and marriages and divorces, thru thick and thin. We talked for a long time last night. She goes in on Tuesday at 9:45 for a bilateral mastectomy. She had problems in 1999 and they did just a lumpectomy and this time it has come back as a stage 3 but they said that it is contained in her milk ducts. They suggested another lumpectomy but she said no. Take both breasts.
 Now do you know what I found that was just surreal to me. The doctors cannot suggest a mastectomy. They can give you all of the other options but cannot unless it is the only option left to have a mastectomy. If YOU bring up the subject then they can talk to you about it, but they cannot suggest it.
 Now why the hell NOT????
 So now I know.... I am feeling so scared for her but she is feeling positive. She is a bit anxious as they said that they will release her the next day to go home. She will have a less chance of developing an infection at home rather than in a hospital. We were both a bit worried about pain control. I am hoping that they send her home with something good for the pain. The good news is that her husband is a teacher and he is out for the summer and he will take awesome care of her.

 I am going to run for now. I have boiled eggs for egg salad and I am hungry so it is going to be a delicious brunch for me! I haven't had it in a while so today is a treat for me!
 I am going to see what I have in my goody folder for you today and see if I can brighten up your day with a chuckle or two. I hope that I can find something that I have not shared before.

 Now this sounds like something I should do with my HUMBUG family.... Not that I will but hey it is a thought hee hee....

 Many people will be heading to the beach or are already there!! Lots of beaches have sand sculpture contests. This one won a few years ago and I just love it. I wonder what Willie thought of this???? I have seen some amazing sculptures. Everything from people to Coca-Cola bottles and ships in a bottle. I am always amazed. This is something that I would really enjoy seeing.

 And this one is my final one for today. I do the same for my Cisco, after all, he is a person too... (Smile)......... BB

A Lazy Sunday

 My entry into the Baking Challenge on Daisy Trail using the freebie kit Summer Berries by Rosie H. I am going to make another page with the beautiful recipe card pages that my friend Edna made. I did this page like 4 in the morning. I was tired but I had slept an awful lot yesterday. This blood pressure medicine really knocks me for a loop until I get use to it being back into my system. But I did need the sleep.
 I am just going to have to accept the fact that I am a night owl. 35  years of working nights, being up nights with babies, going back to work on the night shifts and some grave yard shifts have become such a norm for me that this is just me and I am going to just sleep when I need to. I am not going to force it anymore. It is not productive and it is not doing anything but adding stress laying in bed awake.

 I also have another page to share that I did with another kit called Textures from my friend Anita. I really like this one too.

 This one isn't for a challenge or anything. I just liked it.

Our babies.... Look how much that they have grown. I was going to crop this picture but I am glad that I didn't now so you can see how much room that they have to play in. And they do play well together.

 Today is a lazy day for me. Just a bit of housework to do and I am staying in my jammies all day today. I don't want to get out and go anywhere today. I just want to stay home and blog and maybe work on another few pages or not, just do what ever it is that I want to do.

 I went to the dentist yesterday only to find out that my appointment had been canceled. They could have called me. They said that they left a voicemail. I checked my phone and no voicemail. It is strange but some times I don't always get my messages until a few days later so it still might show up. Anyway June 14th they will take out 3 teeth.

 The weather here is a bit cooler than on Friday. We had the rain come in and it cooled off but left everything steamy from the heat. I wish for much cooler temps. I cannot enjoy my patio right now. It is just to hot out there.

 Our smoke detector for 2 nights in a row has been going off around 3 in the morning. It is hard wired into the electric so we need a new battery. I told Jonathan that we are getting one today! It goes off for hours until it wakes one of the boys up and they can reach it to turn it off.

 Ok Cisco is liking his new food. We went with Wild Blue Buffalo. Brown rice and chicken flavor. It must be pretty tasty as he finishes his bowl and looks at us for more. But we don't give him more. Even with our discount it is $6.00 more a bag. He is worth it tho and seems to be more playful. You should see him with Baby. OMGosh.... He is so funny. He loves Chicki but it is Baby that he carts around most of the time.

I took pics this morning but they haven't arrived in my email just yet. This is very strange since they usually come in rather fast.  Anyway Baby is looking very tattered and battered. But it is his to enjoy until the end.
 Foxy had a fox and she had it for so long that all that was left was a patch of fur, but she kept it. Still has it. They tell her, "Where is your Lovey" and she will go and get that little patch of fur. I am sure that we will do the same for Cisco with Baby. He hides Baby at night and snuggles with Chicki.

 Well one finally came in. I tried to crop it with a program and it is not the same program that is on my tablet and other phone so I will be deleting this program. I tried to crop in my windows tools and it is grayed out. Checked settings and all are fine just unable to crop. Time to call my friend that knows the real deal... This is the only photo that came thru. I have to say it is one of my favorites. Nathan had some old pillows that he used when his bed broke. A bit on the dirty side but Cisco likes them so when we are all together he has a soft place to lay.

 I have to get off here and find some food..... Hugs to all and talk to you soon... BB

Happy Saturday!

This is an older scrap page that I did a couple of years ago. All of the dolls came from Kyra's kits and the rest is just bits and bobs from here in there. The little girl was found on a free site. Do you remember playing dress up as a little girl? This is one of my first scrap challenges and it is so odd but another lady did her challenge page with the same image. I lost these dolls when my computer crashed. I was hoping to get them back from Krya but I have never come across them again. I really loved that kit and wished I could remember what it was called.

 So a kind of boring but exciting week last week. A friend of mine stopped over on Mother's Day to wish me a Happy Mother's Day. That was exciting to me. I hadn't seen him in a few months so it was a nice surprise.
 Other than that I have just been hanging out here at home. Reading and crocheting and just piddling around the house. I swept off the patio on Thursday and right after I did it, it was so hot that I came in and took a shower to cool off. Then I heard the lawn men out and they blew all of the debris back onto my patio. Well it can stay there a few more days.
 It has been so very hot that all of us are miserable. Even in the North East, they are having a heat wave, or were. Perhaps their spring will return this week. I am afraid that our spring is over. We just jumped straight into summer.
 It is strange tho because  I am thinking that I am hearing thunder in the distance. We are supposed to get storms but I thought that they would come in later tomorrow.

 Tomorrow is dentist day. I go back to the oral surgeon tomorrow. One more tooth gone and that will leave me with 6. Then my insurance rolls over and I can have 3 more done and then in September another 3 then I can work on my dentures. This has been so time consuming. I wish I could have just had them all pulled at once but my insurance doesn't work that way.

 Oh yep it is thundering. A big boom just rumbled thru. I think that Cisco is losing his hearing. He hasn't moved at all, not even with the big one. I was sleeping so good when Nathan woke me up bringing Cisco to my bed. We cuddled a bit and then he got his spot and he went straight to sleep and I am awake. Since 2:30 am. I hope that after I finish my blog that I can go back to sleep.

 Karyn and I went out for a burger tonight. We had a gourmet burger and split it since it was so big, and fries and I had a margarita. It was one of the better house margarita's that  I have had in a long time. Then we went to Walmart. Oh talk about crowded. She really didn't want to go I don't think because she said that she doesn't feel safe in Walmart. She asked if I did and I said "As safe as any where else". No place is really safe anymore.
 I got to look around a little. It felt good to get out of the house. I signed up for this Ride With A Senor program but they forgot to pick me up. Somehow there was a mix up in the scheduling. I will give it another shot later on in June. I don't have the money now to go and do the rest of the things that they are planning to do.

 Well I have to wrap this up and shut down the computer. We now have some lightening. So let me look inside my goody folder and see what I can find.

 This one sounds good. Let stuff hit someone else. I am tired of it getting aimed at me haha.

 This one is more personal to me. I am angry at someone and I started to say something on Facebook but I didn't and then I came across this. It was the perfect something for me at that time but isn't this true? When a lot of people know what is going on in your life, especially your troubles then they think that they can come into your life and all that does is make it harder for you with more added stress. For once I am going to Thank who ever posted this because I needed it.

 My girlfriend is coming next week end. I am the frog on the left!!! I know that this is just how we are going to act. She is a NUT but I love her. A practical joker too. She can always get me. Most of the time she really surprises me and I am at a loss for words. Brenda is something else and I am getting more and more excited.

 Sharing one more then I really have to shut down. More lightening....

This one is for all of us.... When you think that you can't go on.... when you think that your at your wits end... Remember this....

 See isn't this the truth... we all have days when we think that we are alone but we get thru them...
 Have a fabulous weekend... BB

A Bit Of Good Bad And The Really Ugly

The Courtyard, a place where all is welcome to come and sit and have a laugh or two. I am really enjoying this kit. It has everything in it that I love.

 Hello,
 It has been a week so I thought that I needed to do a quick update. I had planned on it last night but I ended up making this page and by the time I did that, caught up on some blog reading I was falling asleep. But when I got into bed, Cisco wanted to snuggle and kissy kissy so that is what we did. What a joy to know that he was feeling a bit better. He hasn't wanted anyone to touch him the past few days. So it didn't matter if I couldn't sleep as long as my fur baby wanted his mama well he came first.
 I have a man that I play Words With Friends with and he has 2 dogs. He said last night Wow you sure take good care of him. I said Of Course. I know that he takes really good care of his dogs too because he is like me, talks about them all of the time and loves them to bits.... so he understands that Cisco is not a dog. He is a family member and he is my baby.

The news that Cisco is feeling much better is my good news!!!! Here is the Bad.... My fridge is sometimes dumping water from up top. It is coming from the ice maker. We have a towel in the bottom of the fridge and another one on the floor. I know that there is a way to turn off the water but when we pulled out the fridge we didn't find the connection. Anyway I HOPE that they will get out here today and fix it.

 Now for the Really Ugly...
 As you know I went to the library the other day. I got 2 books. I am reading one of them and.....The book is infested with some kind of bugs. They look to be a cross between a roach and a bed bug! Which tells me that this particular library has an infestation of some kind.
 So I called and they brushed me off.  They Brushed it OFF.. said well we can't be responsible for what kind of bugs that our books have since they are at the disposable of so many people.
 I said... that is not what I am saying. I am letting you know that your infested and your branch needs to get some kind of pest control out there to spray and check your books.
 The woman said I will be sure to pass on your message.
 What kind of library does that? Anyway I have the books sealed in a plastic bag to return as soon as possible and sitting outside and I am really disappointed as I was really enjoying my book. I am very disgusted. Anyway I yelled for Nathan to help me get rid of it as Cisco was laying on my legs at the time and I said what is it? A roach?  A Bedbug? He said I am not sure, it looks like it can be either one. So now I have to take the books back and I have to be put on for the next pest control to come out and spray my house....
 So to make a long story short I am not getting any more books from there. I have never in all my years ran into this kind of a problem. I have never ever turned a page to find bugs on my pages. And I sure am not going to live with bugs of any kind.

 So there you have it. Now on to other news. Not much to tell. It is hot and it is muggy and we did have some rain. I took Cisco out to potty and we have a lot of rain puddles out there and the grass is wet. I wore my flip flop sandals and Cisco and I both got our paws wet lol.

 Karyn just stopped over to see if I had anything for nausea. She has a migraine and was wearing dark glasses so her head is throbbing but she has to go into work because she as a defense hearing  and it is downtown. She really suffers from these migraines.  All I could give her was some pepto bismal chew able tablets. Not that is going to really help but all that I had. She needs to call her doctor to get a prescription refill on her medication for nausea, other wise I see a trip into the clinic for fluids and a shot. She is just reluctant to take off work because they are so short staffed and our Governor put up a hiring freeze until sometime in August and may extend it. So he is really  making it hard on an already short handed staff.

 Well I guess this just about wraps up my blog for today. I have a couple of pages to share and will look into my internet goody folder to see if I can find something fun or interesting to share.

Our newest little donkey. A little girl... She was born April 12th in the early morning. She is a silver gray and the other one is a dark brown if you remember. We are proud to have her.

 Now I don't know about you but I think that this is adorable. Isn't it sweet that cats like their toys too? I am an animal lover.  Cats and dogs, and have had my share of both. I would love to have a kitten but Cisco says NO to that and so does Jonathan. But it still makes my heart go pitty pat to see a photo like this one.

Wow would you look at this beautiful "Cake" yes it is a cake. This is such a piece of art I would never want to cut into it. The detail is so beautiful. I read the article a few years ago but have forgotten how many hours of work went into this detailed cake but it wasn't as much as I thought that it would have been. If I had been doing it the cake would not have been edible by the time that it was finished!

My niece had a rant the other day on Facebook. This was her son's lunch at school. No wonder her kids come home starving. She is packing them a lunch now for the last few weeks of school. I remember our school lunches and they were delicious. Seriously how is a child suppose to concentrate on his or her studies when they are hungry? Another mom posted a picture of her child's lunch as well and it was the same except it had a carton of milk. This one didn't even have milk. I would have been on a rant too and have at certain times. We paid for our kids to have lunch. This is not lunch.

 This is the last I will be sharing today. My stash is getting low so I am going to have to find some more good stuff to share. These are for a Bride to give at her Bridal Shower or a gift. It is a do it yourself project and I think that they are adorable.

 Guess I will close for now and have some lunch. Have a fantastic day to everyone.... BB

Not One But Two...

 Hello Everyone,

 Meet the newest member of my brother James's miniature donkeys. We have been waiting to find out what the sex is and it is a BOY!!!! No name yet.
 He was born 10 days after my brother passed away. He was waiting anxiously for this little one to be born and I hope that he is looking down from above to see his baby.
 No name yet but in the running is... Elmer... which would fit my brothers sense of humor... He loved Elmer Fudd.... My suggestion is Bo and the last is Tuck... I think that I like Tuck best of all but my niece will name him and she will probably come up with something totally different!
 We have another due to be born any time now. In the next couple of weeks. This little guy was promised by my brother if he was a boy to his best friend as they are in need of some females so we are hoping the next baby will be a girl.  Somethings are just so bittersweet that it makes me smile and cry at the same time.

 This next page is done with a kit from my friend Rosie. It is called Tattered Teal. I love it. The tattered edges and whisper of days gone by.
 My sisters are doing ancestry from my moms side of the family. I found out that my Great Grandfather came from Scotland and my Great Grandmother was born in Ireland but moved in her youth to Wales. Sooo interesting blood there. Also some family (Distant) very distant is sending my sister letters and some things from Scotland as a lot of the family is still there.

 I love history. I have never been much into Family History but with both sisters into it I am finding out all sorts of things. So I am getting a bit more interested. I would love to read the letters and journals... That means a lot to me. Not sure what the packet will contain but I will hope that I can sit down and read some of the papers and letters. I am excited to see what she will get in the mail.

 So on Saturday and Sunday Karyn and I was out and about here around the complex and then we did a fast run to the Pad Thai restaurant and let Jonathan experience the delicious food. That was on a Saturday. On Sunday we just sort of hung around here and Matt came to give his mama a big hug and kiss before he flew back to Arizona. After that I just kind of read and took a shower and went to bed early.
 Good thing too because on Monday Karyn had to take Nathan to work so we stopped by our favorite little German place for some Kalache's. While Nathan and Karyn was BAD ordering a Blueberry Cheesecake and a Cherry filled Kalache I had a small sausage and cheese and a cup of coffee. I am still working hard on my diet!

 Then dropped Nathan off to work and she and I headed to Wells Branch to the library. It is really nice but a few pros and cons. First off it is not affiliated with Austin Public Library. So that means that I will have to get a new card for the main branch. Here are some pics. I didn't have time to crop them and the sun was really bright but it is really a nice library except that they are very limited on books. I only checked out 2 as they are due back in 2 weeks. No point in checking out more than I can read.

This is the front of the Library. I wanted to crop up the roses as they are such a pretty color. I will work with them later on.

 Walking up the garden path. You cannot see all of the reading benches and the bird baths and the birds. WOW amazing birds...

 And this little guy has a buddy also reading a book... All in all it was a fun day.

 Then off to the grocery store. By the time that we reached there I wasn't feeling too well. I got some of what I needed but not all and had Karyn take me home. I dropped my books on my nightstand and laid down.
 When I awoke I was running to the bathroom. Stomach virus! or Food Poisoning. Not sure which. But it had me down until about midnight last night. I woke up around 9:30 last night feeling better. Shaky still but better and today I have felt really good for the most part.
 I didn't do much. Just piddled around doing a little of this and that. Plus I have caught Jonathan's cold so it is a good thing I stocked up on Kleenex tissues.

 So that is my news. Not much of it I am afraid. I am going to see what I have snatched from the internet for my stash and head to bed. It is after midnight and I am finally getting tired...

 This was in one of my oldies but Goodies things on the web, I don't remember these little guys but perhaps some of you might... worth a try.

 Can you see the faces on this pretty girl or uhhhh guy??? I love animal markings. They are so unique.

 I am not ok with this either.... I hope that if and when the time comes for a new fur baby that you will consider adoption. How cruel to keep a mother in a cage just to breed.... Where is the justice in these kind of things. Why do we even allow this to happen... I am sure I have shared it before but it never hurts to share again...
 And I know that I have also shared the next one as well, but sometimes we all need a reminder....

 A good reminder for our feathered friends.... Please don't toss out bread. It is bad for them. They cannot digest it properly and it can make them sick...

 Thanks everyone for stopping by and have an awesome week.... BB

Sleepless In Texas

 Hello Everyone,

 I splurged tonight and bought a new kit. This kit is called ArtPlay Sage and is by Anna Aspenes. I use to buy her kits a lot many years ago, but my finances changed so I had to stop and buy cheaper ones, but now and then I will buy from a favorite designer. I love her textures.
 The first page that I made was so gorgeous but I accidentally clicked on something looking to spell her name properly and it covered my whole photo with a preview. I tried to cut it out and remove it but ended up making a mess of it so I started over. This one is ok, but the other one was beautiful.

 I am sleepless, but not for long. I have fought anxiety for many hours today. It started last night when I heard an intruder outside my bedroom window. To make a long story short, only slight damage to the window and screen but no way could I go back to sleep. At dawn I laid back down but Matt woke me up around 7:30 am so I just stayed up. I finally relaxed enough around 7:00 pm tonight and slept a couple of hours.
 I feel ok now and the window is secure and I have my phone near me at all times and it is on so I can hit 911 if I need to do so. What a scary thing to happen.

 Other than that I didn't do much. Read a few blogs, some interesting news articles and played my game. But Cisco is giving me that look so I am going to see if I can find some fun things to share and then  I am going to take my night meds and go to bed. It is almost midnight and I always sit up to wait for Nathan to make it home before I can fully relax.

Isn't this a pretty way to hang your herbs and let them dry out before you store them? I had never thought of this before and I love it.

 Nothing to add to this... I think that this says it all!

 And I really can't add more to what Winnie is saying here either!

 And my chuckle for the day... I use to have a miniature Dachshund She was long haired and her name was Samantha. Sammi for short. I miss her...

 Good night and sweet dreams........ Take care of yourself... BB.