Please, Do Not Ignore This Post

Sometimes I miss the obvious! Tonight I am watching the special report on the storm damage and I realize maybe there is something I can do. I have all ready registered online to volunteer to help, but as I was watching the report it dawned on me I can make a plea! For all of you that check out my blog and to my facebook family and friends I am asking if you would consider helping. Every little bit will help! These storms have wiped out towns, erased neighborhoods and devastated families. I am posting the information for the American Red Cross here, all checks can be sent to;
 American Red Cross 5015 Woods Crossing Montgomery,AL 36106 on the memo line write Alabama Tornadoes
If the Red Cross isn't someplace you want to send your donations, please go online and look on WSFA.com, that is the Montgomery news station.
I thank you from the bottom of my heart!

Crisis or Boredom

The day turned out quite hot, yet beautiful! We took walks, read books, sat on the porch and chatted with neighbors to stay busy. My big excitement for this evening is making nachos. Though of late it would seem our options have been a crisis or boredom, I will gladly take boredom! I am trying hard to fend off the nasty cold that Shawn had. Nothing is quite as lousy as a summer cold! I pray you are all well and healthy!

Sunny Saturday

It is looking a beautiful sunny Saturday! I am being beckoned by the dog to go feed her! Besides that there is not one single thing on our agenda! I hope you all have a good weekend!

Bieng a little Sarcastic

I never had the knack  for waiting or much for patience. I left a voice mail around 1pm with the guidance office explaining that Kelly needs a copy of her birth certificate...today! They have not called back and now I am just hoping when I pick up Kelly from school, she will have it in hand! The whole school situation has me quite frustrated. I went for a walk earlier, hoping it would help me to refocus and hoping it would brighten my mood. I have spent the rest of the afternoon reading. It is just Friday and this weekend is shaping up to be as exciting as the last several, note the sarcasm! I wish things would just work out all ready! The disability office hasn't called back yet, though I am not expecting them to do anything other than send a letter at this point! Well, I am off to fill some water jugs at the nearby gas station, that way I can wash some dishes! Joy! Then I am off to pick up Kelly.

Keep Alabama in your Prayers

Still grumpy! I slept quite poorly! I was woken up to the phone call letting me know, Yes Kelly's school records were sent and Yes they have been lost! Thankfully there are copies of the transcripts! This only reaffirms our decision to sign Kelly up for the corp! I just want to update you with the situation here, though you probably have heard allot about it on the news! Wednesday tornadoes were the worst in Alabama's history. This morning the death toll is 210 and is expected to climb. The destruction is unbelievable! I am looking at various ways that I might be able to be involved in the clean up effort. The clean up effort is suspected is expected to take months. There are many basic needs that folks need; clothes, food, water, medical, diapers and of course housing. I ask that you keep Alabama in your prayers! Not sure what our own plans are for this weekend, praying it will be better than the past few! Happy weekend to all of you!

Easily Annoyed

Why is it when you are in a good mood it can easily be changed? However if you are in a bad mood nothing can make it go away quickly and will more often than not annoy you even more? Tonight I am grumpy and easily annoyed! I am praying that I will get a good nights sleep and wake up on the happy side of the bed!

Talking to Myself

A couple big rants! Rant one;When we tried to pick up Kelly's school transcripts it appears Lee high school has lost them! In the transcripts was also a copy of Kelly's birth certificate. I am very angry! I have called her old high school in New Hampshire in case they have copies! We may have just lost all of Kelly's school records! I mean, come on! And to make it more of a tick off, Lee's guidance office actually is upset with us for even asking for the transcripts!  Give me a break! Rant two; I called the disability office...again. This time I was told there was no record that they owed Shawn any more money.  We have been told over and over that he was to be paid for the months of October through to December (we even have a letter stating  just that!). At the beginning of April I was told that it was in the process and would be mailed out this month. Now when I follow up it is like I have been having a conversation with myself all these months! I was able to speak with a supervisor and she has sent the  case to the payment center. We are hoping either they will call and say a check has been sent, is being sent or give us a very convincing story on why we are not now going to receive this money. We have spoken to no less than five people that work for Social Security that were all in agreement that Shawn was owed retro monies, now this! Shawn is just about ballistic! I can not even begin to express how frustrated I am! I pray with all of  my heart that God will have this all sorted out before Monday! No I am not giving him a deadline, that is when Kelly is supposed to have all of her paper work together for the Job Corp orientation. Tuesday is the 3rd of May and when Shawn will receive his usual monthly disability check, it would be nice to know that they have gotten their act together and he receive his owed monies! Or you will hear me screaming and hollering all over the place!!!

Feeling Fortunate

It was a very intense ride here! 128 people were killed in Alabama yesterday in the massive out break of tornadoes we had! The storms were the worse they have seen in years here. One tornado was about 1 mile wide and just destroyed a town. Many towns were devastated! We were very fortunate! We had a severe thunder storm around midnight and were under a tornado watch until 2am, thankfully we did not get a tornado here! My prayers and thoughts go out to all those effected!! The weather is much cooler here today! Our big plans for today are to take Kelly for another shot and to pick up her school records. We are trying to have all the papers she will need on Monday for the Job Corp orientation! I hope all of you have a great day! Please, keep those here in the south effected by these tornadoes in your prayers!

A Sad and Crazy Day

Alabama has been slammed by an incredible amount of very dangerous tornadoes! There have been 25 people confirmed dead and many, many people injured. The weather has just started getting bad here in Montgomery, we have high winds, rain and major lightening. We are prepared to camp out in a central hallway with a mattress over us if need be. Shawn is calmer than the girls and I are, he has been through this before. It has me a bit anxious! We can actually see the storm that is happening to the west of us right now. There is a confirmed tornado there. My prayers are with those all ready affected by the storms and for those of us still waiting! On another note, a sad note; the missing 20 year old mom that was missing in North Conway,NH has been found dead. They found her body in a duck pond close to where her car was found. Our prayers are with her family and friends! What a very sad situation! The person that may have been responsible for her death may have also been responsible for the armed robbery that occurred last night in Conway. What a sad and crazy day! For all of you, I pray you are all safe! I will keep you posted on our situation!

Busy News Day``

Today has been a busy news watching day! We are under the threat of very severe thunderstorms and have tornado warnings. Many people have died in these storms so I am taking them quite seriously! We have also been following the search for the missing 20 year old mom in North Conway. Sadly it sounds like they may have found her and she may be dead. This is just an unconfirmed rumor for now. Shawn has been resting on the couch for the better part of the day. I think he feels better than he did this morning. Kate Lynn finished getting the house nice and clean and then went grocery shopping. It has been a pretty busy, but not hectic day! I ask that folks will just pray for that missing mom and her family in New Hampshire!

Storms!

 Up early, Shawn is pretty sick this morning,so I had to drive Kelly to school. I am so not a morning person!! We are waiting on some pretty nasty thunderstorms!  Other than that not sure what the day has in store! Right now I am battling Kate Lynn's "storm", she woke up on the wrong side of the bed! And is having a fit over her mp3 player!! Ugh!! It is going to be one of those mornings! I am off to finish my coffee and then see what I can do about cleaning this house! I need to get rid of all the germs before we are all sick!

Opportunities!

After much consideration, a whole lot of investigation and even more discussion; Shawn,Kelly and I have signed Kelly up for Job Corp. She goes Monday, May 2cnd for orientation. If she is accepted, she would complete high school through the Corp and then move onto career training and college. She could even have the opportunity to take driver's education through them. The public school system in Montgomery has been disappointing and we needed to look at different options. This looks like a fantastic opportunity for Kelly. Some of you may know Kate Lynn had considered Job Corp, she continues to say she still wants to join..just not here. So early in May we are praying we will have the finances to put her on a plane headed back to New England. Once she is there I pray that she will follow through with signing up for Job Corp in Maine. She is 20 years old now, so it is up to her what happens after she gets off the plane. My sister has graciously offered to allow Kate Lynn to stay with her if Kate Lynn would like to. It is definitely a time for change in this family! Please be in prayer that things will go well. On an interesting note, Shawn and I could be on our own as early as this summer! What in the world are we going to do with ourselves?! I told Shawn I always knew that someday both girls would be out of the house, I just hadn't expected it so soon or at about the same time! Kelly is a little nervous about the prospect of having to leave home so soon, she is, all though, excited by the possibilities. Because the program is accelerated she could be have her high school diploma and beginning career training and college well ahead of her friends. Boy oh boy.......

It is Tuesday

hmmmm.... It is Tuesday! I will leave it at that for now!

Down Falls

There are down falls to Shawn visiting with Ricky, the biggest suddenly are unable to tell time! The only condition to Shawn going over to visit with Ricky was that he remembered to pick Kelly up from school. When 3pm came and went it was all to clear Kelly had been left to walk home. I called Ricky's and sure enough they did not know what time it was and Shawn was still there. I hung up on Ricky and raced down the block, trying to meet up with Kelly. Her book bag weighs a ton and the temps have been in the high 80's with high humidity, pair that with a 2 mile walk and there is nothing pleasant about a walk home from school. Shawn arrived home around 4pm, knowing all too well he would be met by grumpy women! Next time he goes to Ricky's for a visit, I will call an hour before Kelly is to be picked up to ensure she is not forgotten! I wish I could tell you it was cooler, it is if you consider cooler to be 79 degrees! We truly need to get some air conditioners or at the very least some fans in this house! Other than that it has been a quiet Monday. I just enjoyed a fudgicle on the front porch! How is that for excitement!

Enjoying some Quiet

Shawn has been at his friend Rickys' all afternoon. Kate Lynn and I spent the 15 minutes needed to clean the house. We have been so hoping for rain and when it rained for all of maybe 30 seconds, we missed it! There is still a cloudy looking sky, so just maybe!! It has been a pretty lazy Monday or maybe I have been lazy!! Shawn and Kelly should be coming home in just a short while.  So I had better enjoy the quiet while I have it!

Prayer for Missing Mom

Well it is Monday, another new week. No plans right now, still being prayerful God will open all doors that are holding Shawn's retro disability check. We had a good Easter am I so happy for that! I am going to try to stay optimistic and to keep a hopeful heart and a sense of humor. I hope you all a have a good Monday! Please, be in prayer..There is a 20 year old woman missing in North Conway,NH (the town we moved from). Someone found her car running in a parking lot with her 14 month old baby in the car seat. The baby is just fine. No one has any idea where the mom is!

Contemporary Worship

We had a very nice church attending Sunday school and then church with our lovely neighbors! I am always nervous about attending a new church, I have primarily attended Baptist churches. But I enjoy contemporary worship services and that is what this one was. After we returned home I finished cooking dinner and we enjoyed a yummy lunch...on the porch of course! In a few minutes I believe I may take a walk! It has been a good day! The only gray cloud that wants to keep creeping in, Shawn has run out of ciggies and he is easily irritated! The girls and I will spend the rest of the day tip toeing around, not to tick him off!  I hope all of you are having a great day!

Happy Easter

Mark 16:5 When they entered the tomb, they saw a young man clothed in a white robe sitting on the right side. The women were shocked 6 but the angel said "don't be alarmed,. You are looking for Jesus of Nazareth who was crucified. He isn't here! He is risen from the dead! Look this is where they placed is body." Today we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus.   John 3:16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish, but have eternal life. 17 God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him!
We are all up, and have eaten a nice breakfast on the porch! Kelly did a great job with the cinnamon rolls and the orange sweet rolls! I have just about had my fill of coffee! We will all be ready by 9am, when our neighbors will be by to pick us up for church. We are anxious about trying a new church with people we hardly know, but it was so sweet to be invited we could not say no. Besides it is the spirit of Easter we are going. I think this is going to be a very nice Easter for us, it has started out well! I hope all of you a very, very happy Easter!

Easter Wishes

It was pretty hot all day! A cooler evening, cool enough for me to do all the cooking for tomorrow tonight! We baked up a whole bunch of finger foods and turned on the family channel for an evening of family movies and pickies. Tonight the girls and I are painting our nails, they all ready have chosen their outfits for tomorrow. We are anxious, however looking forward to going to church with our neighbor's. We baked up some cinnamon and some orange sweet rolls for breakfast tomorrow, yummy! Easter isn't quite the same now that the girls are older, this one seems like it is going to be a nice one though! I happy all of you have a great Easter!!

Weeding

It is quite warm!! We have been outside since 9 this morning weeding and general landscape clean up! The front yard looks awesome! It was a pretty cool family project!! Maybe not cool as it is near 90 degrees today! I just heard that my New England family and friends just had a little snow! So sorry!! Tee hee!! Now I am going to relax in the shade of the porch, play some cards with girls! Happy Saturday!

Good Friday

After our landlord left, Shawn let me know that he had paid Shawn to refinish 2 dressers. We were able to put gas in the truck, fill up jugs at a gas station that offers free water and go to a laundry mat and do some laundry! It is the things like this that we take for granted, but they were true blessings today! I was also able to wash up all the dishes and clean the house. I am a much happier camper this evening. After dinner the 4 of us are all going out to rake the front lawn and pull some weeds! I have to tell you I am becoming quite creative to come up with meals that do not need much water or even pans. For Easter I bought premade pie shells,in their own pans, for Quiche, frozen biscuits in their own pans! So the only pan I will use is for the ham! But it will be delicious! I hope all of you pause for some time today and remember this the day Jesus died for us and our sins, so that we may all have the chance to go to heaven! Today is Good Friday and in 3 days we celebrate his resurrection on Easter. He had the power to conquer the grave!
Mark 15: 24 Then the soldiers nailed him to the cross. They divided his clothes and threw dice to decide who would get each piece. 25 it was nine in the morning when they crucified him.   33 At noon, darkness fell across the whole land until 3 o"clock. 34 then at 3 o'clock Jesus called out with a loud voice " Eloi, Eloi lema sabachthani?" which means "my God, my God why have you abandoned me? 37 Then Jesus uttered another loud cry and breathed his last. (He died for us!!)
The story does not end there and on Easter I will tell you the rest.

Embarrassed

I am not going to whine this morning, things are what they are! Maybe it will be a good day?  Right now our landlord stopped by to check on some of the work that has been done. Because of the water situation, my house is not as clean as I would like it to be, nor are we! I am terribly embarrassed by all of it and I can not believe Shawn let him come inside. Do not get me wrong, we do the very best to keep the house clean and ourselves. However, sometimes a day can go by before I can get enough water to do the dishes, scrub the bathroom or that we ourselves are able to wash. Yeah, real fun! I wish it would all just get better all ready! It is Friday and while so many people are making plans for the weekend, we have none. You know it is funny, if we were able to have the water turned on, I would gladly spend my weekend washing laundry, dishes and cleaning the house. Then a long, long soak in the tub. I sometime wish I was five again and believed wishes could come true.  Right now I wish my landlord would need to find some place to go, I really do not want anyone around until the situation is better! I could not be more uncomfortable! Most of you know that I have obsessive, compulsive behavior and I tend to keep a very meticulous house! It is very important to me. Ok I am done rambling! Hope you all have a great weekend!!

Cooler Evening

It has cooled off nicely this evening! Kelly and I were just enjoying the evening with a game of Rummy on the porch! It has been a good enough evening. I will take the joy where I can find it!! Shawn and I were able to discuss a whole slew of things on our very long walk. Sometimes it is good just to be able to talk and regroup. Maybe tonight I will sleep past midnight! The past 2 I have had to go sit on the porch just after midnight, after anxiety has kept me up! I can not imagine why I have anxiety...tee hee! It is what it is! God has it all figured out, in His time not mine!

Another Walk

I am getting ready to take a very long walk to pick up some groceries! I am trying to time it with the time Kelly gets out of school, so that I can walk her home. It has been another day of sitting around. I suppose another walk will do me good!

Old, Very Old

The day begins as it usually does lately, a walk to the store for water. Today I can safely say this is old, very, very old! I will not go off on some tangent! I am trying to dig down in my brain to see what I would write that would be of more interest than our lousy situation. For now, I hope you all have a good day!

To Sell or Not to Sell

I wish I could tell you today took some exciting turn, it did not! It was pretty boring! The big excitement was dinner, homemade spicy chicken wings! Yummy! Tonight is just us watching TV..again! Shawn and I were made an offer on the truck! We do not even have it up for sale. Now we are considering if we want to sell the truck or not. In Montgomery we have plenty of public transportation and we live nearby to so much, walking is not a huge concern,hmmm.... I will keep you posted!

Muggy

No rain yet! It is very muggy! Though Shawn says unlike in New England, when it rains here the humidity does not go down! The humidity will take some time to adjust too! Shawn and I went for yet another walk. Not another thing going on here!

Lemonloaf and Coffee

Coffee and some homemade lemon loaf will start the day! Not sure what today will have in store! We are expecting some thunderstorms later on today. Not a whole heck of lot going on! Shawn may have an opportunity to work some time this week. Not sure doing what, our neighbor across the street has her family keeping him busy. It is handyman stuff mostly, Shawn doesn't mind at all. It  gives him something to do and it gives us a little extra money. I hope you all have a great day!

Roofing Chihuahua

We walked and walked and then walked some more! First it was Kate Lynn and I, we went to Winn Dixie for water, Shawn and I later went to the pawn shop to see if he could sell an old GPS for ciggy money (he did) and then all 3 of us and the dog went to the Dollar store for paper goods! I have to tell you it has been a pretty warm day! Walking never hurts though! Tonight I made it an "Olive Garden" night! My version of soup, salad and bread sticks! It was delicious! It has actually been a better day than I anticipated. We also received word that they caught the dog that bit Kate Lynn. It however looks like we are going to have a fight to get them to be responsible for the bills! I am always prayerful! We went by and thanked the kind gentleman who helped her on the day of the attack, he reminds me a lot of my Poppa! Very sweet man!It is the simple things that often bring the most joy, a clean house, a full belly and just a nice night with the family! To update you on our roof, it is just about finished. Well the argument is, our landlord's handyman believes he is finished. Shawn and I believe that we will have 3 rooms getting wet when it rains, instead of just the 1 ! But I guess you get what you get when  some guy and his Chihuahua re roof your house! Tomorrow will be the test, we are supposed to be receiving some Strong storms. Let us see if we are wrong or if I will always use a Chihuahua to roof a house!

Before Coffee

To make coffee and then be able to brush our teeth, Kate Lynn and I had to walk to the grocery store and buy 3 gallons of water. Nothing beats a morning that involves walking a couple blocks, carrying a gallon of water in each hand! Then to be able to flush, wash dishes and wash up ourselves we then have to ask our neighbor's if we could fill a couple storage bins. Shawn and I then hauled these inside. This is all before we can even have a cup of coffee!! The good news for the day is the rain. If it rains we will leave empty containers outside to fill. These work well to be able to flush the toilet. I am all to well aware you do not want to read about these things! I apologize, this is just a day in our lives lately! We are prayerful that things will NOT keep on this way, they have to get better! There is a break out there just for us! We just have to be patient! This way of living has been extraordinarily difficult, I guess we are learning something...how to be resourceful??  Because of all the heavy hauling this morning my arms are pretty sore and I am having some trouble typing! Kate Lynn and I did joke if we continue needing to walk to get water and then carry it home we should be pretty fit! Kelly seems ok about having to walk to school, that I am grateful for. I have to check to see if she brought the umbrella or I may be walking to the school, then walking home with her. For those who do not know, that is a mile and half, one way, give or take! There is not one side walk either way! Not complaining just telling how it is!I hope for all of you to have a great day!

Not Ungrateful

I am the only one up. I know I should just get to bed, but I am waiting until I am completely exhausted! Not sure I would sleep other wise! Today has not been a very good day at all! Shawn and I though have had some very good conversations! I am married to such a great guy! I love him so very much! We both are on the same page with everything. Right now we are praying for a miracle and just the oppertunity to get caught up, paid up and set up! We are so tired of the struggling, however are not so ungrateful that we have forgotten where we have come from. Despite the situation, it is still better than being homeless!

Hang Tough

It has been a tough day! I am emotionally exhausted! It is pretty bad that beore one day is over I am all ready worrying about tomorrow!  Please be in prayer that this little family will hang tough!

Still No Happy Thought

Shawn took a walk with me to see if it would help, a long walk. Though I enjoyed the walk I am still frustrated! And I am hot and unless we get some water from neighbors I can not even shower! I am going to go do some word searches on the porch and just distract myself! Still trying to find my happy thought!

Not Cheerful

Feeling a whole lot over whelmed, a little more than pessimistic and doubtful and really not sure I really care! I am well aware how that sounds, I wish I could sound a bit more cheerful this morning! I am not feeling very cheerful this morning! Trying to pray for the situation, and sadly I feel a little like has turned a deaf ear towards us right now. Maybe we have a lesson to learn here! I know how this is going to sound but I can't help it...we are good people, we work hard, we give to everyone, we help whenever we can, we are trying so hard why can we not get a break? Why do other people have it so easy and we have to struggle so damn hard? I guess I had better go drink my coffee, no one wants to hear this

$7

We made a lousy $7 ! Not enough for gas! Good thing the weather is warm and we enjoy walking! Guess with the price of gas it is no big loss! Shawn and I walk with Kate Lynn to have her 2cnd series of Rabies shot. At the hospital we waited over 2 hours for her to be seen by a nurse and given the shot! The 4 of us are all getting a little stir crazy being stuck at home weekend after weekend. Not a whole lot of anything can be done for projects at this point.  Kelly actually decided rather than fight the boredom she would go to bed at 7:20 in the evening!Shawn has taken over the TV and Kate Lynn and I are reading...again!Hope you are all having a little more fun than we are this weekend!

Little Sale

No church this morning! Not enough gas in the truck to get to the end of the road, let alone across town! Very disappointed! But not to dwell on the situation and to see if we can make the best of it, we are having a teeny little yard sale! It gave us a chance to sort through some things we have accumulated and what we no longer need. If we can sell some of it we will not be sad to see the items go and it will enable us to put some gas in the truck. Please, be in prayer for our little sale! The girls are having a good time with it! And Kelly is finally going through some of her things! She came down here with the most stuff! She has never been the kid to get rid of anything, today we are seeing that change a bit. She is my little hoarder! Wishing you all a good day!!

Good Food

It has been a pretty good day! Shawn and I took a nice walk, just the 2 of us! We have just finished Kate Lynn's birthday meal of ravioli with broccoli, sausage and tomatoes. It was delicious! I was all too glad to cook her a nice meal today, she is feeling pretty sore today! When we have allowed dinner to settle a bit, we will be enjoying some red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting and some ice cream! I guess Shawn and I should have saved our walk for after dinner! We still could I suppose go for another walk. It has been a pretty laid back day! Hope all of you are having a good Saturday!

Little Tomato

Alabama had a record amount of tornadoes last night! The weather was incredible. There are many people who have lost their homes, churches and business's destroyed. Many southern states were impacted by theses tornadoes. Our Governor declared a state of emergency. We were very lucky, as we had no damage here! Today it is quite a beautiful day here!  Today is my shopping day! I am heading off early to grocery shop and make sure I pick up the stuff Kate Lynn would like for her belated birthday dinner and cake! She is like a kid! Don't tell her she is 20 now and this will be most likely the last birthday meal and cake mom makes at home for her!! She is doing well with the dog bite and still no sign of infection, praise the Lord. No big plans for the day or the weekend. Shawn has found some plywood that was heading for the dump (it was actually brand new!) we may do some more work on the fire place today. For now I am off to put my tomato plant outside. I had dragged in due to the weather last night! I am so happy to announce it has it's first little tomato on it!

A Little Sunshine for New England

Kate Lynn identified the dog that bit her. We found him in some one's back yard. She is quite certain of it being the correct dog. She notified animal control and is waiting to hear back from them, an officer may even stop by here. Hopefully we will find out that the dog is current with it's shots! That would be a huge relief. Then we have to see if they will be responsible and take care of the medical bills. It will be nice to this without a whole lot of fuss and hassle. All though fuss and hassle seems to be the way we end up doing most things! We are waiting on some pretty  significant storms, including tornado watches. Some terrible storms and tornadoes have hit Arkansas and Oklahoma all ready. People were killed in each state and the damage was quite bad! I sincerely hope we do not get that severe weather! Our roof has been tarped for now, it has a long way to be finished! My prayer is that the tarp will stay put and keep the weather out! I hope all of you are having some good weather! I do know that many of our friends and family in New England are recieveing a whole lot of rain. After a very snowy winter I can only imagine all that rain must be terribly frustrating and depressing! I do pray that they will finally get a whole lot of sunshine soon!

Aches and Pains

I woke up feeling like the house was literally sitting on my back! I have always dealt with back pain, this morning it is quite bad! I think the stress of things have settled into pain in my joints and back! The good news Kate Lynn is doing well this morning! She had to sleep on the couch because in her own bed she was afraid she would roll onto her leg. She did not sleep very well, but the pain in her leg is minimal. The pain in her arms, where she had received the shots, is worse. She is black and blue and swollen, but not as bad as I expected. We still have a couple more days where we have to watch for infection though.
Not sure what today will bring, we do have severe thunder storm warnings, with a potential for a tornado watch. The roof is being worked on early this morning, I am hoping it will be done before the rain! Before I forget, and I hope this does not sound too much like an afterthought! Kelly presented her "Day of Silence" project yesterday, it went so well she was asked to do it twice! Today is the day for Day of Silence and she is going to give it a try. I pray that other students will participate and that the teacher will be receptive! I am very proud how she worked and how well she presented this to the school! For now, I hope all of you have a good Friday!

Birthday Nachos !

Once things settled down a bit, Kate Lynn was able to get some rest. Shawn and I also realized we had just a little money left on our Moe's cards, so we went and picked up some of Kate Lynn's favorite homemade nacho chips and quesadia dip! A little something to make her birthday brighter! I would tell you it was a quieter evening however, our redneck roofer and the dog are on the roof! Too top it off Kelly has taken it upon herself to personally avenge her sister! She has been sitting on the porch watching for any dog matching the description Kate Lynn gave of the dog. I may try to tune out the noise and find some peace!

Prayer for Kate Lynn

I was laying in bed this morning, thinking about the day ahead and lamenting our ongoing water situation! I heard the phone ringing I figured as good a time as any to get up! Shawn answered the phone and then promptly informed Kate Lynn had been attacked by a dog on her walk. Shawn and I set out to go get her, found her actually trying to walk home. Her right leg is pretty messed up. They can not suture the wounds because they are bites. She had to have the first set of rabies shots, 9 shots today, including her tetanus. She has 5 more shots in a 5 shot schedule over the next 28 days! Today Kate Lynn turned 20, Happy birthday! She has had a very rough day! Please keep her in prayers! Infection is a very big concern!

Finding Humor

Kate Lynn and I went a couple blocks over to the library. It is nice to read something I haven't read before. Shawn and I just finished playing Frisbee with Izzy. Sounds like a pretty laid back day! Though as dinner approaches the crankier I am! With only jugs of water, cooking and dishes becomes a chore like no other! It takes forever, even the easiest meals! The mess is awful and trying to clean it is pain in the butt! I can NOT wait for things to work out so we can have the water turned back on!! I hate the dinner routine lately and worse I hate my attitude at dinner time! Right now I am avoiding the kitchen while I am waiting on the spaghetti water to boil! ugh! After dinner I will immerse myself in my Dave Barry book, some humor for the evening! The other big joy, I made a bread in my bread maker this afternoon and it smells yummy!

A little Redneck Humor

Just for a giggle; (first a disclaimer; none of this is meant to be mean, the person and the dog represented in this post are genuinely very nice!) Our roof above Kate Lynn's room and the porch is in very serious disrepair! Often when it rains Kate Lynn's room is drenched! We reported it to our landlord and he agreed to have it fixed. He sent over his handyman to take a look and to make the repairs. This handyman represents every redneck joke any of you have ever heard! He can not talk to you for more than 10 minutes with needing to spit at least half a dozen times and you have difficulty understanding him, not for the southern drawl, more for the wad of chew he has shoved in his mouth. He has a son, just 15, whom he allows to drive his truck all over the neighborhood, not licensed or permitted by law. His son assists him with most jobs, when he is not at school. While at school I suppose then it is up to the dog to assist.He lives close by and we walk by his house at times, it is also like every redneck joke you have all heard. About this dog, this dog goes EVERYWHERE with him, today this man AND his dog are on our roof! First with the leaf blower to clean off the leaves, then the man tired from his efforts layed down on the roof to rest and chat on his cell phone. We had ran an errand and when we returned we came home to find him on his back and all we could see was a foot, we at first were alarmed he had gotten hurt. We were relieved when we realized what was up! He is now throwing the roof debris onto a homemade trailer he made. How it is road worthy is far beyond me. However, his attempts at making it airborne while he is flying down our road and hitting the big hole at the stop sign, may just bring the flying trailer to fruition! The roof will be done and may never leak, it also may take a better part of forever to have all the work done, it will provide much amusement on my part. I have often needed to come inside as not to laugh out loud at this man and his roofing dog. (Is there a class for training dogs like this? I know they have dogs bring people mail, this one holds down roofing shingles. Maybe I can teach Izzy to lay down tile?!) Kate Lynn has just come in laughing her fool head off, it would seem the man has just nearly fell of the roof twice in just a two minute span! After the first near miss he proceeded with his version of the "funky chicken" dance and a proclamation that he "just done near crapped all over himself". The 2cnd attempt was when he stepped forward and proceeded to step in the same place that almost sent him off the roof the first time! I need to go see what I am missing or if I need to set up a net!

Never Ungrateful

I wish I could say today is going to be better than the past week, I may be overly optimistic! The good; Shawn has gone to measure and make a layout plan for a neighbor's mom, that will provide us with some gas money! the not so great; we still have no water, We have gotten gallon jugs filled as we can, that doesn't wash laundry or even finish all the dishes! Maybe I am feeling a little blue! The whole situation is what it is, it is just overwhelming and frustrating! Tomorrow Kate Lynn turns 20! When the food stamps are in on Saturday I am going to buy all the ingredients for a special birthday dinner for her! I know at this point she would probably want a hot shower for her birthday! We are getting by, in a third world country sort of way. I suppose you could say we have a better appreciation for what we do have!  I never want to sound ungrateful or too whiny! I am just stating the facts as they are! The weather is supposed to be beautiful, another day reading on the porch, after I figure out how to scrounge up enough water for the daily needs of a family of 4!

Almost Forgot!

I almost forgot! We made the decision to take Mommy Spot and her kittens to the Humane Society. They will be better off in the long run, we could not provide the care for all those kitties! The agency did keep all their names; Spot, Dot, Speck and Fleck! We  also found out all the kittens were girls! I will sleep better knowing they will have the care they will need and knowing Spot isn't trying to shove one of the babies under the closet door! That became her obsession the past couple nights, trying to hide the babies in the closet! They are going to missed tons though!

Still Grateful

It has been about 5 days since we have been without water and today I am really feeling frustrated! We continue to pray things will work out quickly! I have filled out so many applications for work I could not give you an exact number, zip for return calls. We have been told Shawn has retro disability due him, when they will mail out the check we are still unsure, though were told it should be this month. I am praying God will remove the red tape from the bureaucracy of the whole thing! Tomorrow Shawn is going to price a kitchen redo for a neighbor's mom. She needs her kitchen measured and a layout plan, Shawn has agreed to do it. These small jobs are a God send for the small amount of money they provide! We are grateful!

Northerners in the South

We did receive the thunderstorms fore casted last night so it is cooler this morning. Shawn and I spent a few minutes of this beautiful day meeting with the principle of Kelly's school. We addressed the issues we are having with Kelly's English teacher and we included our feelings that some of the problems were due to Kelly being from "Up North". We had expected that at the least to be shot down right away, it was not. The principle himself has only been in  Montgomery a year himself and instead informed us that these sort of issues continue to be problematic here. Shawn and I are now discussing letting Kelly complete this year, find her tutoring during the summer and then I home school her the last year. I know she would be disappointed because of the social aspect of school, we may have few other options! We continue to pray for our on going difficulties here. I remain strong God has a plan for us here in Montgomery, we need to be patient and faithful! I am all too aware some days are easier than others! Today is going to be a cool and comfortable 76 degrees, I will relish that!

A Better day Tomorrow

I believe I was a little grumpy today! Right now I am waiting to see if the thunderstorm that they have fore casted will materialize, then maybe the humidity will go down! And praying like crazy that tomorrow will be a better day! We have to meet with Kelly's principle in the morning and discuss the issues we are having with her English teacher. The woman through Kelly's report into the trash and ignored my email! She is a very difficult teacher and woman! Keep this in your thoughts and prayers!

4 Days, No Water

It is going on 4 days without water! Today most definately feels like the most frustrating! I am trying to remain prayerful! We need water for flushing, for dishes, for brushing our teeth, for showering, for coffee, for cooking, for the pets! Shawn and I have picked up some side jobs, that will certianly help down the road. We will see what the Lord has in store today!

Brownies

An update; Kelly's brownies came out perfectly! Delicious!

Lazy Lazy Lazy

To say this has been a lazy day would be an understatement!! Shawn and I did walk the dog this afternoon and Shawn did a little weeding, that would be just about the size of anything all day! I am feeling a little more than sluggish! Really can not do anything more than just sit around at this point. This keep up for too long I think I will go a little stir crazy!! Kelly right now is staying busy making homemade brownies. Sitting around and eating...oh boy I can see the weight piling on! I for see many walks for the dog!!

It was a very rough night for sleeping! It was very humid and Spot was very agitated. She managed to worm her way under one of our closet doors, then she woke me up because she was stuck! Then I was awoken again when she was trying to shove one of her kittens under the same closet door! I had to place something in front of the door to prevent that! So it was an up and down night! Then I was woken this morning to the girls arguing! Kate Lynn is in a terrible, terrible mood! She is cursing, screaming and slamming everything this morning! She is so unhappy here, that she is determined we are the same! Shawn and I are really struggling with her. She turns 20 on the 14th and we are praying we will have the finances to send her back to New England. Our prayer is also that one of our family members will allow her to stay with them until she has a job and an apartment. Today feels like a very difficult day! We are out of water and had to borrow a couple gallons from a neighbor. The gas tank in the truck is below E and Shawn is out of ciggies! He tried to quit, with the stress that is not doing well. I continue to trust God has a plan for us. We are praying diligently. He will provide! I am wishing we could have gone to church this morning! Please, know that despite what I have mentioned above, we have plenty of food in the house, we have a roof over our head and are blessed in other ways!

Walk, Walk and Walk some MORE!

Not having a lot to do, we keep busy puttering. When we have nothing to putter around with we take walks! We can walk 2, 3 or 4 times a day! After our second walk in this heat I felt I had better come up with some ideas quick! Kelly and I were sitting on the porch and played cards. Realizing we did not have a lot of playing surface I suggested to Shawn we could build a table for the porch! So the better part of the afternoon we spent the time building a coffee table for the porch, as a family. Kelly and one of our neighbor's kids are sitting on the porch playing board games! It is a hot and humid night, a good night to be outside! Kate Lynn is starting to become cranky due to the heat, also because they have shut off our water! We are praying like crazy we will just have to get through the weekend and will be able to find a way to have it turned on next week! It is always very tough to go without water, we manage! We find ways to fill jugs, the store nearby sells it for 30 cents a gallon and some of the gas station has places to get it for free. The financial struggle continues only because we have had so much to catch up on. Soon enough things will be much easier, patience!! Patience!! Hope all of you are having a good weekend!

Up Early

Up way too early! Just could not stay in bed after I was awake. So I have fed the animals and am waiting for the coffee to brew. We have not a single plan for the weekend. I am just hoping that we will all stay in good moods and we make the best out of the weekend!

God Provides

I am certainly in a better mood than I was earlier. Nothing special, I spent the better part of the day sitting on the porch reading. The girls and I went for a walk before dinner, that was nice. A very quiet day! I must confess part of my grumpiness is due to our still lousy financial situation, one that would vastly improve if disability would come through! When we watch the news showing the Federal government could shut down, that would only cause further delays! Not a case for the warm and fuzzies! God continue to provides, often in unusual ways! I have learned a long time ago to always expect the unexpected. God has it figured it all out all ready. He knows what needs to be done and I believe he chooses unexpected ways to get our attention! We just continue to pray that he will open doors wide for the disability office to release Shawn's retro check. Happy Weekend!

Grouchy Morning

Not a very good morning! To say I was in a bad mood is probably an understatement! Just feeling a bit overwhelmed by some things! Shawn and I went for a length walk and that seemed to help a bit. Ina little while I am going to try making some cookies! We are feeling pretty frustrated with the disability office again. They are dragging there feet with something that should have been settled months ago. I am not even going to start in on that! I am in a better mood and want to stay in one! Hope all of you have a good weekend!

Waiting For Tomatoes

As usual something came up! Shawn's friend Ricky came by this afternoon and we all went for a short ride. He enjoys showing us interesting areas around Montgomery. It was a nice ride! Shawn, Kate Lynn and I went across the street and trimmed our neighbor's hedges and did some raking. It looks very nice. We are now resting and trying to cool off some! The sun has gone down a bit and it has cooled down a little, actually it feels like the perfect night to have a coffee on the front porch! I have to report some good news, my tomato plants are starting to flower and bud! Maybe not all that exciting to you, but I am thrilled! Now I am just waiting for the tomatoes!

A Whole Lot of Nothing

Another day of whole lot of nothing! It is funny when  I think about the past few months and where we have been and where we are, I will take a whole lot of nothing! I will clean the house, walk the dog, read a book and maybe do some cooking and I will enjoy all of it to some degree or another! Shawn is off to spend some time with his friend Ricky, Kate Lynn still has not dragged herself out of bed so I am enjoying some me time. I should take advantage of this time and finish the cleaning I have so that I will have the entire day to finish my book and start another! Please be in prayer for 2 things; Shawn is attempting to quit smoking and the Disability office has told us that we should be recieveing the monies they owes us this month (they are very behind!). Thank you for all your thoughts and prayers! I hope all of you have a great day!

Reading and Naps

Over all it has been a very lazy day! Shawn and I played frisbee with the dog, puttered around the yard and then took the dog for a walk. For the better part of the afternoon I have been reading a book, Shawn took a nap and Kate Lynn has been puttering around the house. Not one exciting thing to report, and that isn't neccessary a bad thing!

Slept very well, but I am feeling a little slow this morning! Absolutely nothing planned today! I am going to drink my coffee, water my tomato plant and maybe finish touch up the bathroom. An update on the 3 kittens and mommy cat; all are doing very well. The kittens are growing and looking beautiful!

Pomegranate not Paint

We never did paint today. We did make it to the library! When we returned home, Shawn started talking to a neighbor and he was told we had a pomegranate tree in our back yard. The tree was been over grown and ruined by another tree growing in the center of it. We spent the day cutting down the menacing tree and pruning the pomegranate tree! We are thrilled, now we know we have Pecan trees and the fruit tree! Looking forward to the fall when they are both ripe! The lousy thing is Shawn ended up with a nasty headache and has been laying down since about 3:15pm trying to get rid of it. Hoping he will feel better soon enough to eat dinner! Maybe the painting will be done tomorrow! Right now I am contemplating if I am  in the mood to make cookies.

No Tornado

Woke up to the sound of the kittens making enough noise to wake up everyone! They sound like a bunch of little chickens! Overall babies and mommy cat are all doing well! The storm and rain has passed and now the sun is out. Our yard faired very well despite the torrential down pours last night! The weather last night was wild, but no Tornado! This morning Shawn and I may touch up paint the bathroom. Later this afternoon I think we need a trip to the library. Not a very exciting Tuesday planned!

3 Kittens and 1 Squirrel

It has been a very good day! We finished the electrical, watched 3 kittens be born, met with the landlord, scared the heck out of a wounded squirrel and mowed the lawn! The cat we have named Spot was a stray that was here at the house when we moved in and we inherited her. This afternoon she had 3 kittens! They will be going to the ASPCA as soon as they are old enough. We will have Spot spaded and get her shots , then keep her. As for the electrical, Shawn did an amazing job and now all the extension cords are put away! I am not sure what the deal is with the squirrel, we found him on the front porch unable to move well. Though when we came up on the porch he dragged his wounded self under the porch! The meeting with our landlord went better than we could have expected! He is very pleased with all our work, to the point he is crediting the work we have done toward our rent! He is also upgrading some of the materials we need, so that we are able to finish the floors with higher quality materials! He even asked if Shawn would refinish two dressers for him! Shawn and I left his office very happy! Very happy!! The neighbors in the neighborhood have all made positive comments about our front yard, one of them took it a step further today! He knew we did not have a lawn mower and came by and told Shawn "here is my lawn mower, mow your lawn before it rains. I will pick up the mower later!". Shawn then did as he was told and mowed the back yard! It looks wonderful. We are all sitting waiting for the severe storms to roll in! The temperatures have dropped, the sky has grayed and the wind has picked up, should be pretty soon! It has been a good Monday!

Electrical Work

A beautiful morning, this afternoon and evening we are expecting some severe thunderstorms. The big plan for today involves some electrical work. I am looking forward to the TV not needing an extension cord running the length of the living room! At 3 this afternoon we are supposed to meet with our landlord to discuss the work being done and the work that has been done. We also have to show hims some photos of the damage we were not expecting to find when the rugs came up and we began the work in the bathroom. I am hoping this meeting goes as well as the last one.  And that is just about it for this Monday morning!

Puttering Away

What a beautiful day it has been! Kate Lynn and I were the only two to make it to church today! I am so glad I went! It was a fantastic service!Shawn stayed busy at home puttering away at some smaller projects. One of them was about what you would not see not what you would see! That was cutting down the septic pipe that stuck straight up on the front lawn about a foot! He cut it down and replaced some of the top, then buried it under the ground! The way it is supposed to be! I tell you, a septic pipe is NEVER a front lawn ornament! The other project that cost just around $4 and made a huge difference, was taking the dining room light switch and putting it in the dining room! It was on the living room side of the wall, behind the TV, not very practical! Now it is in the dining room and free of obstructions! He also hung a couple of shelves I found in a yard sale. They look awesome! He and I planted my tomato plant in one of those Topsy turvy things, I am hoping I may do a good enough job with it to grow some tomatoes! Right now it is down time with coffee! We still have an electrical project, some painting  and other odd and ends! They will be done soon enough!

White Sandy Beaches!

I apologize for no posting yesterday! Shawn, the girls and I were up and out early yesterday. The plan was to go have breakfast out, pack the cooler with ice, drinks and snacks and head to Mobile, Alabama and check out the Intracoastal. We started out on a sour note, Kate Lynn was pretty grouchy and the route we took did not have one single place to stop for coffee let alone breakfast. We finally found a place to eat, at lunch! By then we were all pretty grouchy and not "feeling" the scenery around us! We arrived in Mobile in pretty sour moods! We walked around taking in the city sights, trying hard to find some cheerful thoughts! We found a very nice park where I took a bunch of photos and we walked the dog. Izzy was fantastic on this road trip, despite a couple episodes of tummy upset! From Mobile we drove along the Mobile bay, down to Foley. Foley, Alabama is an incredible beach town! There is so much to do there and the beaches are so much more beautiful than the beaches I went to in New England. We did not arrive at the beaches until around 4pm and no dogs are allowed, this really set Kate Lynn off ! We could look but not get out and wander around! Any good mood she might have found quickly flew out the window! I could not have been more happy to be there! I have never been to the Gulf before and the 90 degree temperature and white sandy beaches were incredible! We decided to drive over to Pensacola, Florida before heading home. That allowed us to drive all through the coastal areas there. It also gave Shawn the chance to show us where he worked for FEMA after hurricane Ivan. He was taken back by the turn around and growth of the town (Foley) after the disaster. It looked like a thriving midsize city! In Florida we took a wrong turn somewhere and was a little lost. This is normally just fine for us, Kate Lynn flipped out and I almost left her there! We figured out what we did and the proper direction to head, we also finally improved the mood in the truck! With some smiles on our faces and heading in the right direction we stopped for a quick bite to eat and another walk for Izzy. We returned home around 10pm last night! Despite the hungries and the grouchies it was a good trip! I am looking forward to going back again soon! The next time we go, we agreed to take the most direct route! That way we can spend a ton of time at the beach! This morning we will be heading off to church and then coming home to work on some of the house projects we can. I also have a tomato plant to plant! I think I mostly will be day dreaming about those white sandy beaches!

Family Drive Tomorrow

It turned out to be a better day than we expected! The best of it all is Shawn now has all of his medications refilled! We were also able to replace the spark plugs in the truck and trust me when I tell you they needed to be changed! We have been very blessed by this truck and it is very important that we maintain it! The more enjoyable of our tasks was laying a little top soil and sprinkling some more grass seed on the balder spots! Tomorrow we are planning on packing a cooler and then taking our first long drive since we have been here! I have been really wanting to take my camera and explore more of Alabama. It should be a very nice day tomorrow, a perfect family day! Maybe we will come across a yard sale or two! I promise to post some of the pictures I take! I hope all of you have good 1st weekend of April!!

Waiting on rhe Sun

Not a single thing planned for today. Maybe if the sun comes out we will rake the front yard! Right now it is time for coffee!