Thursday, July 29, 2010

Your Post Title HERE!

Hey Y'all!  It's been awhile since I've posted and the speed here at The Doublewide has been "wide-open".
There has been a LOT going on that has kept us so busy!
*We finally got our floors finished and I'm done painting.  Thank you Jesus!
*Also, daddy's still going to physical therapy twice a week and I take him.  Mama needs a break--even if it is only two hours, twice a week.  I know she is worn out...mentally and physically; bless her heart.
*Mammaw is getting loonier and loonier by the day.  She's been rambling through things in her house during the night.  She's finding old checks from 1985and carrying the files all over the house, going to "go through" everything.  If you try and tell her that those bank statements are 25 years old, she has no understanding almost of what you're saying.  This afternoon, my phone has rang twice.  It was her calling, and all I heard on the other end was a bunch of number punching.  I was literally screaming in the phone, and I just kept hearing bunches and bunches of numbers and beeps!  It was hilarious.  Finally, after hearing the beep beep show, I did get her to answer her phone.  She said she just wanted to make sure her phone was working....HAHAHAHA!!!  Promise, I'm not making fun of her...just live my life one day and you'll laugh too.  It's better than rocking in the corner, chewing on my tongue, while slobbering all over the front of my shirt!
*I have canned tomatoes, peaches, tomato juice, and strawberry-fig preserves.  I really want to can a bunch of green beans, but I ain't stooping my big ole puhtootie out in the garden, and picking them!
*Robbie is going to Georgia with PopPop and MiMi tomorrow morning.  I'm looking forward to walking through the den and not stepping on magnet letters and marbles.  HAHA!  I am so going to miss him this weekend.  I asked him last night what I would do without him when I'm here by myself.  He said, "You've got daddy---cuddle with him at bedtime!"
*Our friend Kasey has hung out here at The Doublewide this week.  She is such a great help and has offered to watch Robbie both Tuesday and Thursday when I took daddy to therapy.
*My sister and I are going tomorrow night to see Ralph Stanley and The Clinch Mountain Boys at Farthing Auditorium on the campus of Appalachian State University in Boone, NC.  If you know anything about bluegrass music, then you KNOW who Ralph Stanley is.  If not, watch this video from Youtube.  He's precious and I love hearing him sing!
*I hosted a Scentsy! Party, here at The Doublewide this past Monday night.  If you've never heard of them, check them out by clicking HERE!  Shoot, you can even click on my name, and order something if you just can't live without their products!
*I have to go back to school on August 19th.  UGH!  Not even gonna say anything else right now--this summer has been going by too fast for me!
I'll leave y'all with some pictures that Kasey took of Robbie on Tuesday!







Coming Soon:  Pictures of Project:
"Glorify the Doublewide!"

Monday, July 19, 2010

Movin and Groovin'!

Hey Y'all!  I hope you had a great weekend doing something fun!
We are so worn out, here at The Doublewide, that I felt like I was in a state of near-coma!  Since Robbie spent the night with Pop Pop and MiMi Friday night, I knew I wouldn't have to wake up until whenever I wanted to....stayed up until 4:30 AM, unintentionally, and slept until 1:00 PM.  It was heavenly--you hear me?!
I was supposed to have a Scentsy party tomorrow night.  But I decided I needed to call to reschedule.  After doing that, I felt a heavy load lifted!  I thought our floors would be ready, and I could show off The Doublewide in all of it's glory by hosting a party, but it wasn't meant to be.  We'll do that NEXT week.  Also, a few people that really wanted to come weren't going to be able to make it until they found out I changed the date--so that's great!
After morning worship today, we decided to go eat lunch at Texas Roadhouse.  It was soooo good.  When we got home, Robbie and I curled up for a good nap just before a thunderstorm was about to roll in.  We slept for 2 hours and I needed it as much as he did!
We then went to church tonight and headed home after services.
I was looking through the fridge and cabinets to find something for supper and remembered that we were out of self-rising flour.  UGH!  So, I did what any Southern woman would do...improvised!
I defrosted some boneless chicken breasts in the microwave.  Then after coating them first in egg, I rolled them in Bisquick with salt and pepper and then fried them.  Let me just say it was wonderful!  As if we didn't have enough calories headed our way, I mashed up two potatoes that were leftover and added an egg and the leftover Bisquick mixture and fried us some tater patties!  My mammaw used to make them all the time and they were delicious!  Two small potatoes made 6 patties and they're all gone!  Me and Robbie killed 'em!  Adding a fresh tomato from somebody's garden made my plate divine!
After watching Big Brother and catching up on a few blogs, I'm ready to go to bed now!

Me and Robbie are headed out to Hobby Lobby tomorrow morning and do a little grocery shopping while the men are here finishing up our floors!  They said it's gonna take about another day and a half..so we'll see! 
Talked to Mama tonight and Daddy has had a pretty good day.  His pain is lessening, and it's only because some of you were praying, along with us, that he could tolerate the horrible pain that Guillian-Barre Syndrome brings.  THANK YOU!
Finally, I have two bushels of tomatoes on the way this week and I have about two gallons of peaches in my kitchen waiting on me!  Why is it that women my age don't can foods anymore?  Why is it that they wouldn't even know where to start?  Why is it that when I talk about canning and preserving foods with my friends I feel like a MAMMAW??                              

But isn't she precious?  I don't know whose Mammaw she is, but she's just adorable.  I found her through a google "canning" image search.
Hey--if any of you have any recipes for peach jelly, send them my way!
Have a wonderful week!!!

Saturday, July 17, 2010

Officer Wore Slap Out Reporting for Duty!


IS THIS NOT THE CUTEST POLICE OFFICER YOU'VE EVER SEEN?  Pop Pop and Mimi are in law enforcement and they bought this outfit for Robbie.  I love that "mean" look on his face!  hee hee
First of all, I have to say that I absolutely crack myself up sometimes....seriously...for instance:Around, oh let's say, June 1st, I begin creating a list of things to do during my summer vacation with Robbie.  Each year, I feel like THIS will be the summer we can truly enjoy--mainly because the daycare owner doesn't make me pay during the summer months as I keep him here with me, and his spot is there when I return to school, and because he's another year older every summer!
I jot down places in my mind that we can go visit.  Like...
#1.Our movie theater nearby offers free movies on Tuesday mornings at 10:00 AM that are G rated.
#2.  Half price admission on Wednesdays at Monkey Joe's.
#3.  Lineberger Park is about a 15 minute drive from The Doublewide.  They now have a cute train that you can pay $1.00 for the kiddos to ride.  Picnic lunch, time on the swings, ride the train, then head home to nap--sweet, right?!
#4.  Our church just purchased a new playground set for our kids.  That would be FREE and FUN too!
Then I thought about all of these cute little ideas for things to do here at home as well.
I am a horrible mother.  We haven't done ANYTHING on either list.
Monday marks Week 3 of our men being here to put down our laminate flooring.  Everything is everywhere!  Boxes, bags, piles, stacks, etc.  I am about to lose my mind!!  I'm sure when it's all done, I'll have to go back to school the next day!  UGH!
Now, I am probably THE BIGGEST fan of a little show on CBS called, "Big Brother 12."  So much so that I order Showtime so I can watch the live feed for 3 hours every night from midnight to three AM.  My sister and my mama are fans as well.  As I was watching it tonight, I fell asleep in Big Daddy's Big Chair.  I knew I was going to do it, but I could NOT make myself get up and go to my bed.  At 1:08 AM, my phone rings and it's Mammaw.  She says her chair is stuck and she needs to go to the bathroom.  So I drive across the road, to find that the plug had somehow worked it's way out of the socket!  Bless her heart!  Now I've come back home and cannot sleep!
Robbie is spending the night with Pop Pop and MiMi, so at least I'm not keeping him up.  Big Daddy could sleep through a hurricane, so here I sit rambling!
My daddy is still about the same....He is very weak and tires easily.  Guillian-Barre Syndrome is a monster!  It has temporarily stripped my daddy of any strength whatsoever.  He has HORRIBLE pain and can't seem to get any relief.  The meds they've prescribed aren't even touching his pain.  He sleeps for about 3-4 hours and then is wide awake and in misery.  He goes to physical therapy two times a week, but it's going to take time...how much?....we don't know!  Coming out of his Physical Therapy appt. this past Tuesday, he fell.  He stepped off of the curb too fast and ended up on the ground.  It is so hard to see My Superman so feeble right now.  My daddy is only 56 and has been able to do EVERYTHING all of my life.  His blood pressure is out of the roof, all of the time, and he is getting depressed because he can't function like he wants to.
I have been trying to cook for him and mama a lot so that she doesn't have to worry about what she's going to fix, and it gives him a chance to get out for a little bit and come visit.  Please pray that my daddy can get some relief from the pain and that God will heal him to a full recovery really soon.  Mama works at Wal-Mart in the deli on 3rd shift.  She hasn't worked since June 29th and doesn't know when she will be able to return since daddy has to have somebody with him around the clock.  She has some sick time and vacation time built up, but when that runs out, she may have to go back.  She turned in her paperwork today for Family Medical Leave, and they approved it on the spot.  Daddy is self-employed and hasn't worked since then either.  When you don't work, you don't get paid, so they're worrying about money and bills.  Please...just pray.
Now...as I leave you...I'm going to add some pictures of the progress so far, here at The Doublewide!
Give me a holler and let me know how you are!

Old dining room (2 pictures)


New Dining Room (same wall)

New Kitchen Shots


The old cabinet doors had mirrors in them.  We busted out the glass and I made these!

Also made a cute little valance to match since I had some extra cloth:


The fireplace is gone, but the ceiling will be fixed soon!

Hall floors aren't down yet, but new OSB boards are!

New flooring is done in the dining room, great room, and kitchen--except for the moulding around the floor's edge:  TOLD YOU EVERYTHING IS EVERYWHERE!
Y'all have a great weekend!



Thursday, July 8, 2010

Whirlwind Summer.....

Hey Y'all!  I cannot believe it has been this long since I've posted an entry to my blog.
We've had SO much going on that I don't have the time....
Here's some updates:
My daddy has been in the hospital since we last spoke here.  He had a bad stomach virus and then a couple of weeks later, he found that his feet, legs, and hands were tingling--then went to numb.  He couldn't walk and last Wednesday, my sister and mama took him to the emergency room.  He's been diagnosed with Guillian-Barre Syndrome.  Basically, it's a paralyzing disease where your immune systems strips the insulators off all of the nerves in your extremities.  It is very painful and hard to do anything.  We've heard lots of horror stories but thanks be to GOD, daddy came home yesterday and is getting better-slowly but surely.  Going back and forth to the hospital with trying to keep Mammaw checked-on, and Robbie's cute little 4 year old self being ALL-BOY wears on you, but when things like this happen, you step up to the plate and do what needs doing.
Also, this past Saturday, I turned 39.  Ugh!  I think I've decided that I would just stay 39 forever--think that's possible?

Finally, we're getting our laminate floors put down.  We've ripped out our double-sided fireplace and opened that up!  We had a living room on one side and a den on the other.  Now we're on our way to having a huge great room!  Oh, how excited I am to see the light at the end of the tunnel!
I painted the kitchen.  It's lime green with black cabinets.  Love the polka dot vinyl stickers my sister made me too!
I hope you all are doing well and are enjoying the summer season! 
I have lots to do but know I'll be checking on your blogs!