I realize that my title is not very catchy. It is all I could come up with so just humor me.
One of the many reasons I love living in the south is the abundance of birds, frogs, turtles and other creatures who live in our area. We do live somewhat in the country so I know it would be different if we lived closer to downtown. I love to sit out on our patio and try to catch some of the beautiful birds that live in our backyard. This is the first year that we have witnessed mother's, father's and their babies. I tried to catch a photo of this daddy Cardinal feeding the baby but it just did not happen. They are still some fun photos...
Notice the baby is reaching his beak toward daddy's beak?
Isn't he/she cute?
We have a variety of frogs in our area and many of them like to hang out in our pool.
The frogs always seem so happy in our pool that we are not sure if we should leave them in our take them out. We always take them out. I mean seriously, who wants to swim in a pool full of frogs.
For Charlie's birthday during our first summer in SC we, along with Megan and her family, bought Charlie a Magnolia tree. It is his favorite since growing up in New Orleans. Charlie planted it in the fall of 07 and last year the tree actually had a few blooms. This year the tree has gone crazy and Charlie is in heaven. He goes outside every morning and smells the beautiful flowers...
I love this one. If you look real close or click on the photo to make it bigger, you will see dew drops on the leaves.
I think that is enough nature for one day. Have a groovy Saturday!
Have I ever told you that I LOVE IKEA? Well, I do. When the store opened up in Utah I never had the opportunity to visit because we were getting ready to move. I finally had the chance to visit an IKEA store the first time we went to IKEA. Of course I had to take a photo...
We bought most of our furniture at this IKEA making a couple of three hour trips each way. Now that IKEA is open in Charlotte, I only have to drive about one hour and 15 minutes. So, we went last Saturday in search of a bed for Mitchell. I wanted to spend all day there but we had to be back in time to pick Patrick and Storm up from work at 4:00. Next time I go I am going by myself and spending all day there, well at least as long as my feet will hold up.
Here is Mitchell's new bed which by the way, he has been making every day since we bought it. Well worth the $300 we spent.
We also purchased an Armoir for our guest room and a small chest of drawers. They are not yet put together so those photos will have to wait for another time.
I am writing this on Thursday evening and tomorrow is my LAST TYSABRI treatment!!! We are going to try giving me an IV of Benedryl prior to my infusion to see if that helps with the headache. If it works then it is possible that I will continue. It all depends on my lovely liver and white blood counts. So, please say a prayer that all goes well and the Benedryl works.
I currently sitting outside watching the lightening which is getting kind of scary so I will say goodnight. Have a great weekend!
On Tuesday I received the good news that I do not have Hepatitis. So, what is causing my white blood count, liver panels and other labs to be abnormal? The answer to this question depends on who you ask. My family doctor believes it is due to my MS therapy Tysabri. My Neurologist does not think Tysabri is to blame. He thinks I do have a bit of Pancreatitis, possibly chronic.
I believe that it is a combination of all of the different drugs I am currently taking. I have decided to slowly go off of all of them. My Neurologist thinks it could take anywhere from 6 months to a year since I have to do one drug at a time and taper off slowly. I had also hoped to stop Tysabri but my doctor convinced me to do one more treatment which is scheduled for Friday. We will do my yearly MRI on Tuesday and he will talk with the Tysabri rep and we will go from there.
Okay, on to the art part of this post. Ever since I finished the kids bathroom I have felt like something was missing on the wall where the towels are hung. I just could not decide on what should go there. A couple of weeks ago while I was walking around Hobby Lobby I saw a lady holding up a poster that I knew was exactly what I was looking for. I found the perfect frame at Michael's that was even on sale. It is hung a little higher than I would like but I am still in love with it. The kids love it too!
Is this not the coolest poster. It is perfect for both of the kids. Vinny LOVES dolphins, and Mitchell LOVES sunglasses (actually, Vinny loves sunglasses too).
So, just when I thought I was finished with this bathroom, Vinny came home from school with a piece of art that she made to match the bathroom. It is meant to hang from the ceiling. So, Charlie put it up tonight in the only place we could find; over the toilet...
This is made from drinking straws with ribbon running through each of them. It looks so perfect in this room!
The next room that needed some art was the Master Bathroom. Here are a couple of shots of the wall before...
Again, I searched and searched for months for the perfect art. I finally decided to make my own art. I loved what I did in our master bedroom so I thought would try something similar. Here is the result...
I tried to channel my inner David Bromstad. After painting the canvas with Gesso I then painted it a cream color. I painted a few streaks of brown paint randomly across the canvas then sprayed it with a water bottle. If you ever watch COLOR SPLASH then you know that David does this with almost all of his artwork. Mine did not quite turn out like his but I still liked the effect. Then I painted some flowers using acrylic paint mixed with some gel medium which gave the flowers some texture. I sealed it with a good water proof sealer and up they went! I am really happy with them. I was worried that Charlie would not like the pink but so far he does not seem to care.
Alrighty then, I am going to attempt to go to bed at a reasonable hour tonight. Tomorrow is Mitchell's Honor Assembly and Vinny's 5th grade Graduation party. I hope you all have a groovy Thursday!
We had a very nice holiday weekend. Other than going to IKEA on Saturday (deserves a separate post) we did some yard work and hung out together. On Monday we had my friend Christi and her kids over for a barbecue and a little swimming. The rain held off until we were ready to put the meat on the grill. Charlie just pulled the barbecue underneath our patio cover and went to work. Believe it or not, I did not take any photos. When I realized this blunder I sent Patrick up to the pool to shoot a few of the kids. This was all he got. Enjoy...
Mitchell racing the girls. I have a hard time believing he could beat Vinny so she must have given him a head start.
Anna Kate, Vinny and Abigail taking a break. Or is it Abigail, Vinny and Anna Kate?
I have no idea what Mitchell is doing here.
Abigail (I think) diving.
Anna Kate ( I think) diving. It is hard to tell identical twins apart in photos. I can tell them apart in person it is just photos that stump me.
Mitchell showing the girls his best form.
I have no idea what Vinny is doing here; perhaps she is pretending to be a horse? What is so sad about this photo is how sunburned she got. I must have been out in left field to miss the sunscreen check. She actually woke up on Tuesday morning with a fever. Could it be sun poisoning? She stayed home today and her fever finally broke around 8:00 pm.
So, that is it. Stop by tomorrow for some fun photos from our IKEA trip.
Yesterday was Memorial Day. Many American's celebrated with barbecues and spending time with family. We had our barbecue and had friends over but I made sure that I tole each of my kids what Memorial Day is truly all about. I asked each of them to say a little prayer for the brave men and women who are currently risking their lives so that we can be a free nation. I asked them to say a little prayer for the families of those brave soldiers who paid the ultimate price. I found this video that made me feel so grateful that there are men and women in our country who are willing to fight for our freedom.
I also thought a lot about our own family members who we have lost. Not a day goes by that I do not think about my parents, Grandma, and dear niece. I know that Charlie also thinks of his parents often. So, I am dedicating this post to those dear family members that we have lost.
This is Charlie's BEAUTIFUL mother and HANDSOME father. I never had the opportunity to meet them and I know that they would be so happy if they were alive with their three new Grandchildren (my kids) and with all of the Great Grandchildren.
This is my Grandma Honey. Her actual name was Helen McLaughlin. When I was little when I tried to say Helen it came out Honey. She has been Honey ever since. All of the Great Grandchildren called her Honey. This photo was taken in 2005 just a few weeks before she passed away. I was in Southern California on business and had a free morning so I made the drive to see her. I am so thankful that I was able to see her one last time. I miss her so very much. Honey's mother passed away when I was perhaps 5 or 6? I called her Big Mama even though I remember her being very tiny. I called her Big Mama because she was my oldest Grandma. I wish I had a photo of her to share. Hopefully someday I will find one.
This is my Grandpa Mac. His actual name was Loren McLaughlin but everyone called him either Mac or Grandpa Mac. That cute little girl he is holding is me. I do not know when this photo was taken. Grandpa Mac passed away in 1996 when I was pregnant with Mitchell. I never knew my Grandpa Mac's parents who passed away before I was born.
This BEAUTIFUL woman was my mother, Patsy Ruth McLaughlin Adamson. She passed away in 1979 when I was one month shy of 17. She was so lovely inside and out. She was a great friend to all and always very generous. If someone needed something and she had it, it was theirs. I still miss her every day even after almost 30 years.
This is my daddy. Yes, he has been gone for 17 years (I was pregnant with Patrick) but I will always call him my daddy. He served our country during the Korean War. He was the best father anyone could have asked for. I always knew that he loved me and my brothers no matter what we did. He called me Scooter since I was a very little girl. I miss him more than words can say. At least I know that he is in Heaven playing golf and hanging out with my mom.
I unfortunately do not have a photo of my father's Mom who I called Grandma Kaun. I am not even sure that is how to spell it. She passed away when I was 7 and my father's dad passed away when my dad was only 5. I do remember a few things about my grandma. I remember that she could play anything on the piano by ear. She could not read music but if she heard it once, she could play it. I also remember that she crocheted me the most amazing barbie clothes. I was the envy of the neighborhood.
And last but certainly not least is my dear niece Ashley. In this photo she is dancing with her dad, my brother Jim, at my wedding. Ashley has been gone for two and a half years now. I miss her so much! I think of what she is missing as her children grow. I know her children miss her too. They were so young when she died. Her death is such a tragedy to me and one I am not sure I can ever get over.
Today I remember these people that we have lost. There are so many others; my sister in law Debbie's father was one of the coolest, nicest men I have ever had the pleasure of knowing and I think of him often. I have a couple of aunts who have passed that I wish I could have known better. When I think of the people we have lost in our lives it reminds me to love those that are still here a little harder.
I have four brothers who I love dearly. One of my brothers has not spoken to me in 4 years. I also have a niece (his daughter) who has not spoken to me in that long. There are days when I feel like I must be dead to them. I hope that when the day comes that I am no longer here on earth that they will not beat themselves up with grief over what has passed by. I know that I will be sad for what I will have missed out on but I know that it is out of my hands at this point. I miss them, I miss their voices, I miss knowing what is happening in their lives. I pray every day that one day they will realize that we are family and that this silence is so stupid. I have tried to no avail. I know that I just need to leave it up to God.
Well, now that I have totally put myself in a sad and gloomy day, I think I will go kiss my kids one more time and go snuggle with my fabulous husband. To those of you who are still around, I love you all and miss you.
Charlie and the kids think I am a little obsessed when it comes to cleaning the pool. I will admit, I do like it clean. I do not like dirt on the bottom or bugs floating on the top. If I wanted to swim in a lake, I would go swim in a lake. I want a nice clean pool that I can swim in without the risk of swallowing a bug.
To keep the pool the way I like it I usually have to vacuum it every morning which takes at least an hour. Then I use the net to scoop up whatever is on the top of the water. This takes about another hour. Once a month or sooner, I take the magic sponge to the sides. By the time I am finished cleaning the pool, I usually need a nap.
So, my lovely, caring, thoughtful husband surprised me with an automatic vacuum! They do make one that actually goes to the top of the water and scoops up the bugs and such but we would have had to get a second mortgage on our house to pay for it. The vacuum arrived while Charlie was in Atlanta and I thought about putting it together while he was gone but decided I had better wait. First thing Monday morning Charlie was outside putting it together. Here are a few photos...
The tube Charlie is trying to attach to the vacuum is for our manual vacuum. For some reason he thought he would just use this tube instead of the one that came with the new vacuum. It did not work.
Then he tried to attach the old hose to the new hose. Why? I have no idea.
I finally suggested that perhaps he read the directions.
He is now ready to try it out. First he had to take out the old tubing and put it away. It works so well. It took most of the day but the pool was very dirty. It even climbs up the walls and cleans them. The only thing it does not do is the stairs. So, before we use it, I will go in and sweep the stairs off with a little brush. We will start running the vacuum at night so that in the morning all I have to do is net and then I can swim and get some exercise!
I am so lucky to be married to someone so thoughtful! Thanks for stopping by! Have a wonderful holiday weekend. I will be back on Tuesday.
Before I introduce you to Mr. Edward Sticky Hands, I must give a big SHOUT OUT to American's Newest Idol!!! Chris Allen!!! I am so happy! When they announced his name I literally jumped for joy. Well, it was not much of a jump but my heart was in it. I am so happy that the majority of voters realized that The American Idol should be someone our kids can look up to. I believe that Adam Lambert is very talented; just not someone I want my kids to model themselves after. I do not care that he is a homosexual or bisexual. I do care about the make-up and the ear gages. Okay, I digress. Congrats Chris Allen!
This past weekend, Charlie took Mitchell and Vinny for one last visit with Megan and her family. They are moving to Milwaukee on Saturday. Patrick had his Choir Banquet on Friday so we had planned on going down on Saturday. As it turned out, Megan's kids had all had pneumonia within the past few weeks and my doctor did not want me to go. They were not contagious anymore but you never know with my immune system.
So, Patrick, Storm and I stayed home. On Friday night I walked past our back door and noticed something on the glass...
It took me a minute to figure out what it was. We get a lot of frogs around here but this variety is new to us. I had Charlie take my camera to Atlanta so I yelled for Patrick to get his and to take some photos. After 30 shots he finally managed the one above. Then we went through the garage to take a few more...
Isn't he cute?
Another one from inside of the house.
We left for a few minutes and when we came back he was gone. It turned out he was still on the door just not the window.
When Storm came home a few minutes later I opened the door to show him and the frog jumped onto his leg. Storm picked him up and named him Edward Sticky Hands , not to be confused with Edward Scissorhands.
This photo gives you an idea of just how tiny Edward Sticky hands is.
Patrick was not too excited about holding Mr. Edward Sticky Hands.
The best photo of our little guy! Thanks for stopping by!
I realized today that I never posted about Mitchell's participation in the State Optimism Oratory Competition. It was held on May 2nd in Columbia, SC. While he did not win, he did an amazing job. He was beat out by an 8th grader who has three private speech coaches. After the kids had finished their speeches and we were waiting for lunch to be served I was approached by at least 30 people asking if my son was the boy who spoke about his mother. They all told me that his speech had the best message, the best substance and truly made them think about the true meaning of Optimism.
He was a little nervous and not as smooth as the winner; next year will be a different story. Here are a few photos of the day. Sorry about the color. The walls were yellow, the lighting was yellow and of course the photos are yellow.
Mitchell with Mrs. Cavendish, his drama teacher. She is the most amazing teacher! She has taken Mitchell under her wing and helped him gain confidence in himself and has encouraged him to follow his dreams. I cannot wait for next year! Vinny will have the great opportunity to be in Mrs. Cavendish's class.
Each student was presented with a plaque. They asked to tell the audience where they were from, who was with them and what grade they were in.
Mitchell with Shannon who is the female winner from our district. Shannon is a Freshman at Dorman High School's Freshman Campus. She did not win but also did an amazing job.
Shannon and Mitchell with our local Optimism Club President.
As many of you know, Mitchell has a tendency to get injured fairly often. Last weekend, he was riding on a longboard in a squating position. A friend was goofing around and pretending he was going to hit him. Mitchell got a little nervous and started to get a little speed wobble and down he went. Here are the results...
This is after Patrick threw him into the pool. Patrick forgot about Mitchell's knees and did not realize how badly the water would make them sting. Here is a close-up...
The photos don't do justice to how badly he scraped his knees. I have never seen road rash this bad. He has been a real trooper and they are slowly beginning to heal.
Patrick's actual birthday was on Wednesday, May 13. He had to work that night so we decided to celebrate it on Thursday. It was a BEAUTIFUL evening! He had his choice of going out to dinner or having my enchiladas. He chose my enchiladas. I told him he could invite a friend over so he invited Beautiful Bo. Remember her? I don't think I posted about their breakup; they have remained friends. I did not take any photos of dinner, I guess I was too busy cooking. After dinner we went outside for presents. Here are some photos of our night.
Opening presents. This was a 6 pack of Reese's Peanut Butter cups; his favorite candy.
He is saying 'Yummy'.
A Giant Hershey's Bar; his second favorite candy.
Reading the card from mom & dad.
Attacking the present from mom & dad.
A big box...
with a smaller box inside...
with a purple I Pod inside. In case you haven't noticed, Patrick's favorite color is purple.
Card from Mitchell & Vinny...
with an I Tunes card inside.
Then they went for a quick swim before we had cake and ice cream.
You might be wondering where Mitchell is. The explanation deserves a post of it's own.
The cake.
Singing.
Make a wish.
Well, that is it for his celebration. One more gift was a set of ear phones from Storm. Storm was at work while we celebrated.
Thanks for stopping by. Tomorrow I will explain the latest Mitchell saga.
