SIMC - Poses, Pictures, Pets and Popcorn

This weekend has been rainy, but we've made the best of it.

Friday night we celebrated my hubby's birthday.  

I forced people to pose for photos.  It was great!

My Elayna, getting so grown-up.

Me, clowning around.

Just us girls 

Me & Elayna

Me & Shelbie

Tim, my little boy who is all grown up.

Shelbie, Elayna, me, Tim, and Tyler behind us.

On Saturday, my son Tim got a new pet.  

It's going to live here at my house temporarily.  

It's a chinchilla.  Super cute!!

Wiz

Saturday night, the girls and I had movie night.  We all piled up in my bed and watched "Oz the Great and Powerful".  We had our favorite movie snack - popcorn with peanut M&M's (festive 4th of July edition!).  The girls did my hair, and even painted my toes!  And the movie was really good.

~~YUM~~

I'm hoping for a little sun today.....

I need my vitamin D!

Visit Unknown Mami for more Sundays in my City posts.

10 Things of Thankful

It's time to be thankful again!

1. I am thankful that my Mama made chocolate delight for my husband's birthday dessert, because I am enjoying the leftovers right now.  Mmm-mmm, good!

2. I am thankful that my whole family and hubby's whole family got together Friday night to celebrate his birthday.  We had a great time!

3. I am thankful for one friend who is doing something fantastic for my extended family.  I will elaborate on that later.  ;-)

4. I am thankful for HOT showers.  Most days I just jump in and jump out with little thought.  But have you ever had one of those showers that just feels amazing?  The other day, I woke up sore and crampy and crabby.  I was hurting and stiff and had sheet-wrinkles all over me.  I stumbled into a hot shower and came out feeling a million times better.  Thank you, Hot Shower.

5. Thankful for Tums, because my tummy is currently not very happy about my late night snacking as mentioned in #1.

6. I am thankful for modern technology.  I ordered a frame for my dad for Fathers Day; it's a wooden frame that says We <3 Papa and then has my kids' names all over it.  It's really cool.  Anyway, yesterday at Byron's mom's house, I took a picture of my dad with my three kids and then was able to print it right there at his mom's house with her printer (I brought my own photo paper so I was only mooching her ink).  I just LOVE that we are able to do that; I was born in the 1970's so I am old enough that modern technology really amazes me.

7. I am thankful for these sweet boys.  They were very closely watching me eat breakfast.  They don't beg, they just watch.  Very intently.  And Patchy, the one in the back?  He drools.

8. I am thankful that I was able to un-clog our vacuum cleaner with a wire hanger and a lot of hard work.  Because I am Superwoman!  And this Superwoman likes a clean floor.

9. I am thankful for Summer.  It's my favorite.

10. I am thankful that I am co-hosting Medical Mondays in two days!!  Be sure and come back to visit!

Focusing on the Positive Fragments

~ Work was exhausting this week, but I am looking forward to the weekend!
Tomorrow we're going to visit both sets of parents (and the baby Hayleigh will be there!!).
Saturday, we're going to Byron's family reunion.
And of course, Sunday we'll be celebrating Father's Day!

~ Today we went to my stepson Tyler's baseball game.  Shelbie's boyfriend Dusty came with us.  The team won, beating a team that was favored to win.  Afterward we all went to my MIL's house for a cookout.

~ You wanna know what puts a damper on all of that?  On the way home, we stopped at a store and Dusty got out and threw up his dinner. Then, on the way back to the truck, he took his hat off to wipe his forehead and I saw several bald patches.  Talk about reality slapping you in the face....
He had chemo this morning.  This was, I believe, the fourth time this week.  Right now he is doing chemo 4x a week.  It's called "Hell Month".  Then he enters a maintenance phase.  But during this period, his body has NO time to recover from chemo before it's time for another treatment.  It's so hard to see a strong, active teenager going through this.  He's seventeen.  This should be the time of his life, with no major worries, just enjoying the last of his carefree childhood time.  But cancer ended that.  And it sucks.

~ Anyway...focusing on the positive.  He had a good time and has a great attitude and good spirit about all of it.

Hope y'all have a good weekend and a wonderful Father's Day!

Go visit Friday Fragments' summer home at Unknown Mami's place!

Happy Frag-Day

I am so happy that Mrs 4444 is using my button idea!  It came to me last Friday as I was composing my fragments and I just thought it was TOO cute.

Remember I told you that I stopped drinking soda?  I haven't fallen off the wagon yet - AND I have lost 3 lbs since quitting DIET soda.  Go me!

Last night there was a curriculum fair at Elayna's school and an art show at Shelbie's school.
The main draw of the curriculum fair (for the kids, at least) was a teacher/administrator dunking booth.  It was rainy and cool and I felt bad for the teachers!  But they were good sports.

Both Shelbie and my stepson, Tyler, had art in the show.  I am going to do a whole post featuring Shelbie's artwork (she had quite a few pieces, plus I have a framed piece of hers from last year that she gave me) because I am just SO proud of it!  But I will share Tyler's two pieces here:

The boy likes fish.

This is my yard right now.

It has rained, and rained, and rained, and RAINED.  I am OVER it.  Our road is darned near impassible; if we didn't have a four wheel drive, I really don't think we'd make it.  Enough already!  Mama needs SUNSHINE!

Had we not eloped, we'd have been getting married tomorrow.  Here on our property, the aforementioned wetlands.  I can't imagine how stressed I would be right now! I'm more happy than ever that we eloped.

Wishing you a wonderful weekend!
Also linking up with Stacy's Friday Free for All!

Prom ~~ 2013

I already admitted that I'm biased and think my daughter is simply beautiful.

But y'all....this is proof.

My Shelbie didn't go with a date, nor did her friend Mikayla.
(Shelbie's heart still belongs to Dusty, our friend with cancer)

Me & My Girl

Byron and I both have gorgeous children.
This is Shelbie and Byron's son, Tyler.
They happened to eat at the same restaurant pre-prom and their friend
snapped a pic.

TGIF!  

Thank You Fragments

I seriously MUST have the most supportive, loving friends in the whole blogosphere, and I can't thank you enough.  Y'all are awesome.  I love you.  From the bottom of my heart, THANK YOU.

I can't express how good it feels to close one sad chapter and start a new, wonderful one...and I truly believe this one is my happy ending.  I intend to elaborate on that more later this week. Stay tuned....


If you haven't tuned in all week....be sure and read back a few posts.  It's been an eventful week.  I got married, and stuff.

I've told y'all before and I'll tell y'all again.  My job kicks my ass.  I also have some amazing co-workers who build me up and keep me going.  We truly care about our patients and giving them the absolute best care possible, and that feels SO good.

My father - who turned 76 today (Thursday), is having open heart bypass surgery on Tuesday.  I JUST posted about it on Facebook and I'm sitting here in tears over the support and prayers that are now coming my way.  Thank you from the bottom of my heart!!

If ONE MORE OF YOU comment on my post about my dad before I finish this post I'm going to absolutely collapse in tears.

I am having another great-NIECE.  I totally confess to hoping for a BOY but I am absolutely ecstatic about having another great niece to spoil!  It's a win/win for me.

This weekend will be filled with baseball and family.  I hope you enjoy yours as much as I intend to enjoy mine!!!

So.Much.Fun.

When we returned from our wedding/mini-honeymoon on Sunday, we arrived to a beautiful reception thrown by my mother-in-law.  My entire (local) family was there, along with all of our children, Byron's "second mom", and my best friend.  It was absolutely lovely.

AND my MIL had a gift waiting for us....a personalized engraved photo album full of our wedding pictures that she had already printed!


She had decorated her house, had a cake made, and she and her friend (B's second mom) cooked a delicious dinner for everyone.  It was SO sweet and made me feel so welcome.

purple and an owl.
she knows me so well.

fake smile much? 

you gotta have a little silliness.
or...a lot.

love these girls <3

and these boys.
(my new stepson, me, and my boy.)

this picture CRACKS ME UP.
I'm pretty sure Tyler is saying,
"oh sweet jesus, what the HELL has my dad gotten us into?!"

Tyler hates to be embarrassed or have attention called to himself.  

I absolutely LOVE embarrassing my kids.

Poor Tyler.

my boys.
I so love them.

this picture is freaking HILARIOUS.
I was taking a pic of the banner that my mother-in-law hung up.
It says BEST WISHES BYRON AND CYNDY.
I have NO IDEA what my niece is doing, or what Shelbie is doing,
but I laugh my ASS off every time I look at it!
Those two LOVE to pick on me
PAYBACK!!!!!

Happy Thursday Y'all!!!

Darned Near Perfect

Today was basically, in my world, a darned near perfect day.
I worked last night and came home, fell into bed, and slept for a few hours.
Then it was time to pick up the girls.  Hunter's son T had a baseball game after school, so we went to watch him play.  My son came too - which I just loved.  He doesn't know H's son that well and it just warmed this Mama's heart for him to come to his baseball game.  Hunter's son's girlfriend was there too, along with her mother, and we all hung out.  It was a blast. Oh AND the team won.  Bonus!

Afterwards, we all went out for dinner and Hunter's mom met us there.  My son Tim got to the restaurant before we did so when we got there, he was sitting chatting with Hunter's mom, just the two of them.  So funny.  Hunter and I LOVED that.  Over dinner, Tim and Hunter's son bonded over making fun of me.  Thanks, guys!  And Shelbie and T's girlfriend talked more than they ever have before.  It's such a great group of kids!  I love teenagers....and my little pre-teen too, of course.  (and holy crap I just realized my son won't be a teenager any more as of next month!  Yikes!)

Dinner was a blast too, and delicious.  Latin food....YUM!
Tomorrow will be fun too - T has another game.  This one is out of town.  H and I are going, and taking Shelbie and T's girlfriend with us.  Poor Hunter will be totally outnumbered! Ha!


Speaking of Hunter.
I could write a whole blog about the stuff Hunter says.  Today we were buying plants from Walmart.  We got caladium bulbs, one of my very favorites.  H says, "What kind of plants are they again? Chlamydia?"
Um, no, babe.  BIG difference.  And just now about something on TV - "UGH.  That is GROTESQUE." I heart him.

I made these Cookies & Cream Cookies this week.  HIGHLY recommend.  I took some to work and everyone who tried them LOVED them.

We'll be planting trees and plants this weekend (LOTS of chlamydia).  AND...I'm getting CHICKENS!!  It's been many years since I've had chickens and I've wanted some more for so long.  I can't wait to finally get some!

We're also on a mission to take out some of the hogs that keep coming up in our yard.  Nasty, destructive critters - but delicious!

Hope y'all have a great weekend!

Eventful Sunday in my City

As I mentioned before, we celebrate birthdays around here for at least a month week.

So this is really more of a "Weekend in my City" post.

• For our family birthday celebration on Saturday, we went to my parents' house. 

 I made Three Cheese Chicken Parmesan, with spinach and dinner rolls.  

For dessert, Shelbie and her BFF Ashlee made rainbow cupcakes, 

and Elayna chose Blue Bunny White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Ice Cream.  

It was ALL absolutely delicious!

• Hayleigh is walking now and we had a BLAST playing with her.

That's Tim on the couch.  Hayleigh is pretty much his shadow!
They are so cute together.

Hayleigh and Elayna

• This weekend we also got a new addition to our family.

Elayna & Bo

A little backstory here: 

Shelbie and Hunter's son, Tyler, have known each other and gone to school together for years.  

They are not close friends but they run in the same circles.  

Tyler has dated several of Shelbie's friends.

Anyway, one of their mutual friends found this gorgeous puppy a couple of months ago.  Her parents wouldn't let her keep him, so Tyler ended up with him.  He originally planned to give the pup to his girlfriend, but her parents vetoed that idea.  So Tyler tried to keep him himself, but between school and baseball and of course having a girlfriend, he just doesn't spend enough time with the pup.
In fact, we puppy-sat him for a weekend a while back, I blogged about it here.

So Tyler called Dear Old Dad.

Meet Bo, the newest resident at the Casa de Dysfunction!

He is beautiful, a truly gorgeous dog.  He is ALL puppy.  

Sweet, affectionate, playful, HIGH - ENERGY.

I get tired just watching him.

If you're counting, that brings the pet total to 3 dogs, one cat, and one rabbit.

And one tired Mama.

Zzzzzz.......

Visit not-so Unknown Mami for more Sundays in my City posts!