Meep.

It's FRIDAY! I want to spin around in an amazingly green field like Julie Andrews in The Sound Of Music! But I want a better dress.

Ya'll I can't tell you how happppy I am that today is FRIDAY.  I'm not sure why, but yes, I'm so very happy about it.  My weekend is looking a little corn-y as the corn at Mom and Dad's house has come in.  We are doing an assembly line of shucking, silking, blanching, cutting and stuffing into bags.  Dad worked hard in this drought to keep the water on this crop, so I'm glad he's seeing a reward.

We celebrated my brother's 44th birthday last week.  All the family on our hill pitched in and got him a charcoal grill, which he was very excited about.  I give him mucho credit - he is an awesome chef. Seriously.  

Katie and I took Macy to Lunar Golf - basically putt putt under black lights - because when it's 99 degrees outside, you just can't do much in the way of playing outdoors and this kid has ENERGY.  Our concerns of her being afraid of the dark room proved to be needless as she ran allllll over the place, enjoying all the glowing things.  And enjoying running in general. So glad there weren't many people there.  

There's our two space aliens.  Macy did NOT want to be the green alien at all.  That crazy yellow hair kinda looks like her bedhead in the morning. HAHAHA

When I was invited to come play - and enjoy homemade tacos - I couldn't possible resist the drive to Gaffney! :)  Especially since Donna had just gotten home from her vacation in Washington State and Canada.  Looked so beautiful!  I'm envious. Ellie is a sweetheart and Daisy had to smile for us, too!

 And now, enjoy some random photos I haven't posted for ya'll yet.  Macy after church - just thought these bright colors were so cute on her. :)

 The new puppy at my sister's house.  Macy named it Sparkles but somehow it was changed to Daisy.  So yes, another Daisy pup in my life.

 The sweet nieces enjoying Dunkin' Donuts I surprised everyone with this week. I had a doctor's appointment and knew everyone had be working on corn.  I figured they needed a break and a happy snack.  It worked - they were very happy.

Yes, I have become the Crazy Cat Lady in the neighborhood.  In addition to the stray mama cat that I took in and she immediately became pregnant (and may be again?) - three of her four kittens are still with me.  Now this dude just shows up like he owns the place.  Add another huge orange cat that I see slinking around from time to time.  Like I said, the Crazy Cat Lady.

So someone asked how the doctor's appointment went.  Welll..... Not that you want THIS much detail, but I have been diagnosed with IBS. This isn't new, but I hadn't had a flare up since this time last year.  Over the fourth of July I had a rough go of it, didn't eat for two days, felt so nauseous, was just sick with pains moving all over my abdomen.  It wasn't a lot of fun.  I called my gastro doc to see if I could see him but he was on call at the hospital. And no, they wouldn't let me see another doctor.  If I wanted to see him, I would have to go to the ER.  I did that and still didn't get to see him. But I did have a CT scan and blood work that showed nothing was wrong. That's the deal with IBS.  You hurt for no reason, really. So, I had prayed they would find out what is wrong with me and I suppose they did! There is no "cure" just endurance when you get a flare up. SUCKS.

What else is happening in my world? I do need some prayers for my family.  My brother-in-law had a huge back surgery fusion in Dec 2014.  They told him last week is has to be completely undone and redone - major pain.  MAJOR pain. It was such a long surgery before and so incredibly painful. I hate feeling helpless and we all felt so helpless to make a difference for him.  We are all so upset it has to be repeated, so please pray for the doctors, for him and that he will heal properly this time.

My Dad will be having a stress test next week leading up to his knee surgery.  Once he passes the stress test, we'll be on go for the knee surgery, which he really needs.  He is also in a good bit of pain and it's been tough on him to not be able to go go go.  So please pray his stress test goes well, too!

I know, it seems like all this bad news! But we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. I try to remember this - ya'll help me remember. Keep telling me, ok?

Ok, thanks for joining in my read-a-long here. :) It's a joy to have ya'll visit. Hope you have a great weekend! *hugs* friends!

Where oh where are you tonight?

Do y'all remember Hee Haw? And they'd sing, "Where oh where are you tonight? Why did you leave me here all alone? I searched the world over, I thought I found true love, you met another and *bblllttthhhh* you were gone!"

Sorry, just a little random thought from my head. A friend told me she hadn't seen a blog post from me in forever and she missed it. I would never imagine people would miss these random posts of mine. I'm very flattered. 

So I'll share a few Easter pics first - my heart beats the names of these two girls. 

Ok enough of that. Sorry - I had a great week with them. Took a few days off during their spring break to spend with them. We headed to a children's museum - Edventure- and had a pretty good time. I think they were prepping for summer so some exhibits were closed. Oldest Sweet Niece and I caught Cinderella - a MUST for Downton Abbey fans!!! She loved it and I loved it. 

These kids really do crack me up. 

Baby Sweet Niece went to a birthday party for Ellie Bellie, whose family are huge Clemson fans! The Clemson Tiger Cub made an appearance and he was great. 

So yes, you would think life revolves around these two girls and it sometimes does. But we have other things going on. Like my sister is having some surgery tomorrow, please say a prayer for her. And I have this annoying pain in my left side about all the time. It's achey and not very much fun (imagine!). I've also discovered berry flavored Tums and they are my friend. 

But on a lighter note, I'm currently wrapped up in The Voice - if you are addicted, too, give me a shout out. I have a few favs already. This show is just packed with talent. Seriously. 

Of you read- thank you. I'll do a better job of posting :) sweet dreams, peeps! 

2014 Wrap Up

2015 has already been quite eventful, and I haven't even had the chance to wrap up 2014 yet! So let's do that before 2015 totally overtakes me and I just blow off the 2014 wrap up all together.

January - It seems I started doing a photo a day in January.  Here is the first post. I'm not sure how long this lasted - I guess we'll find out as I move through the year.  I kinda hate I quit because it's great to look back and see what you were doing on a day by day basis!

February - February brought snow to the South.  Yes, we kinda lose our freakin' minds when it snows because we don't see too much of the fluffy white stuff around here.  So photos galore and happy children playing in the snow is the theme of this Photo Challenge Wednesday.

March - I was pretty darn happy in March.  The ice and snow melted and Spring slowly started to emerge.  Lots of fun photos of pretty sunsets and flowers and all things nature. And sweet niece voting! See more here from one of my Photo Challenge Wednesdays!

April - I love otters, did you know that? I think otters rock! I also love Spring, flowers, mild/warm temperatures, and cuteness on babies. :)  April I only posted three times - all three Photo Challenge Wednesdays, which I find impressive.  Check one out here.
























May - Spring time photo shoot with the chappies!  Sweet niece #1 is a perfect princess to pose for photos. She is really photogenic, too.  Sweet Niece #2 ... well it's a bit harder.  You can check out some of the pics here. Just looking back over May, I can see how work was pushing me under without a breath, trying to drown me!

June - Things got ugly in June.  June was sickness for me and about 8 doctor visits?  June was sickness and emergency surgery for my sister, too, which was obviously stressful.  And an election, which is what my job is all about.  Read some here, which was written before we realized she would have surgery.  It also shows photos of my house all cleaned up!, thanks to the goodness of my mom and sister. But there was a lot of good in June, too, as this post shows. Painting party being one of them!

July - Let's finish up the medical drama, including mom getting shingles, in this first post.  You'll also get fighter niece! HI-YA! And then, because I know no one wants all that drama, I shared fun photos of both kids and great scripture verses.  

August - Ahhh... August.  With August came EDISTO.  (Or Edislow as it's called).  Man, if we all didn't need a break to soak up salt water mist and melt into warm sandy beach.  Yes, Edisto is good, and you can see how good here and here. I also got crazy crafty with my LOVE canvas here and the office-grown pumpkin, fru-frued up for the fall holidays, which is featured here. :) 

September - It's my birth month! But during an election season - yeah, it's not as much fun.  But I got Downton Abbey so WHOOPIE!  Also took Baby Sweet Niece to a pumpkin patch - loads of fun! Check it out here! 

October - Man I love autumn and the beautiful leaves of the season.  Love it.  Enjoy lots of it here. And a stroll down a Friday's Letters Lane here. 

November - This is a very excited Ellie! She's part of this Friday's Letter! Along with Shrek, Sunsets, Macy baking cookies, ... all kinds of funness.  And one little Thanksgiving blog with no photos here. 

December - Obviously, the Election is over bc I finally caught up on Halloween and Thanksgiving here!  A new kitten appeared in this post "Run Faster, Catch Up With Life!"

And I think I will end it there.  Of course there were dozens of posts outside of those highlighted here, but eh, that's the past! Onward to the future! :) And to the first post of 2015! :)  Thanks for joining me on the journey. 

Saturday letters

Y'all know it's always something .... Today it was confirmed my brother-in-law has the flu. And my sister thinks she may be getting it, too. Baby Sweet Niece is with my parents knight for a "slumber party."  She's cried all day wanting her daddy. At one point I was crying with her because she was so pitiful. So yes, I've lost my marbles.

But let's look at my Friday Letters before I bawl again. :). 

Dear Ellie Bellie, you are a sweetie and I enjoyed seeing you last week or was it last weekend? Either way, you brighten my day! Why is your aunt Donna letting you grow up on us??? 

Dear friends in general, I'm so thankful for you and glad I'm able to spend some time wih you. Dinner with Sara (above), lunch with Corree, run in wih Martha Jean and Kathy, dinner with Donna and Ellie, devotionals with Paulene, letters from Raynore and Melissa is week after next! Loving it!!

Dear Sharon, I love Macy's scarf and hat. And she loves the baby doll blanket! And once the elf is found, he'll enjoy his scarf! 

Sweet niece #2, seeing your excitement for Christmas is adorable. Granted you've said you are asking Santa for corn on the cob, a puppy, an a hug. If that don't melt his heart, he's not the real Santa. Sweet Niece #1: be ready for a seriously packed weekend next week! Gear up and get excited!! 

Dear Paulene, we have got to get back on track with Job. We must get through this book! 

Ok folks,  wiped out and ready to see sleep. I hope your weekends are going great!  Night! 

Friday's Letters

Good Morning, Friends! It's actually Saturday, six something in the morning, and I realized I didn't post my letters for the week. Bad Bethie. I was so excited to see Shrek the Musical with friends that I completely forgot. Heck, I was so excited to see friends because I haven't seen anyone outside of work and family for about a month?? Crazy. Anyway, shall we start?

Dear hay ride, so ok, you didn't have hay, a tractor, or a trailer, but to a two year old the back of a truck is just as good. Well keep calling you hay ride, because you make baby niece happy. Not sure truck ride would be as amazing to her ...

Dear Baby Gates, you are a total cutie and such a sweetie!  Snuggled into my mama-your great aunt- and totally made her day. Then you woke up and took a bottle from Macy! Ok the two of you stole my heart. 

Dear Mama, you are so good with Little Miss. She learns so much from you because you are willing to take time and teach her. And I know it adds to your work to have a toddler in the kitchen, tossing flour in the air as she says, "It's snowing!!!"  You are the best grandma ever. 

Dear Ellie Bellie, I have missed you! I haven't seen you in a month of Sundays! You did so well in the play - I think you like the movie. We'll have to see if we can find it. Because I think you missed the part about Fiona becoming an ogre ... It was a little too late for you :) ZZZZzzzz...

Dear Limestone Theater Dept and Gaffney Little Theater, Bravo! Wonderful job! Enjoyed it thoroughly - very cool scenery - great singing and performing. Looking forward to the next one! 

Dear God, You are so good. Thank you for the friends you've given to me, the family you've made me part of and for the support you surround me with. You know there are prayer requests on the table- for family and friends. You see the situations, You know the plan and You will provide what is needed. Please help us all have greater faith in You. 

Well friends, I suppose I should get moving and start my day. Mom and I are shopping, tying to start on Christmas :)  I hope you have a beautiful weekend and come back to visit soon! 

Photo Challenge Wednesday - 14

Get Excited!  Today is PHOTO CHALLENGE WEDNESDAY! I'll post at least one photo from each day of the past week, assuming I was a good girl and actually took a photo each day.  Let's hope.

Wednesday, April 2, 2014: Started my morning with none other than Sweet Niece #2!  We had beautiful weather last week, which made for a fun day of play for MawMaw and Macy.  She's finally agreeable to hats and sunglasses these days - a little less so of hairbows. I endured my bloodwork at the company health fair and I didn't even pass out!! Do I get a cookie for this?

Thursday, April 3, 2014: Spring is in the air! The flowers are really blooming, the trees are just amazing to see lining the streets... maybe I can get a photo of that this week.

Friday, April 4, 2014:  Sometimes I get so distressed when I see how incredibly grown up my two nieces look these days.  Sweet Niece #2 is about 22 months old and Sweet Niece #1 is 12 year-old.  Where has the time gone? Sheesh...

Saturday, April 5, 2014:  Who is the most adorable birthday girl?  ELLIE!!! Sweet Ellie Bellie turned SIX on Saturday.  What a fun party. :)  I started my morning in Hickory Grove at the annual hash/bbq sale and tractor show.  It's a family tradition at this point. Hit Ellie's party, enjoyed tasty cake, then headed to a friend's new house to check out his digs.  Visited with his family and then headed home. :)  It was a crazy busy but SO fun day.

Sunday, April 6, 2014:  We had nursery duty on Sunday morning and it was SO cute, how Macy and her cousin were being so sweet to each other.  At one point, Macy grabbed up her cousin in a big hug and said her name, then "I love you!" and said, "MMMMMmmmm" as she hugged her.  Isn't that precious?

Monday, April 7, 2014:  I'm still making felt friends, and this time it's a lion with a blue bow for ADPi.  No, I'm not in any way supportive of sororities but my coworkers daughter is an ADPi and she requested this for her daughter.  I think the lion and bow are cute!

Tuesday, April 8, 2014:  This child LOVES Sandra Boynton books - I tweeted this pic to Sandra but didn't get a response.  Pooh!  But it's ok, Macy Mae still loves her some SB Books. Heck, the child just loves books in general and I'm so thankful!

Hooray! I did have a photo for every day this week! Our family also received great news this week as Dad went back for a check up on his bladder cancer and things still look good! I have never asked for prayers quite like I have in the past few years as our family has seen some ups and downs.  For every murmur of prayer, happy thought, good vibes - anything you've sent our way, I thank you so very much.  God is so good and has heard your every thought for us.

Ok, since today is my brother-in-law's birthday, I need to wrap this up and head for home.  Thanks for going on this photographic journey with me!