Friday, October 28, 2016

Fashion Diva October 2016 #FunnyFriday

Today’s post is this month’s Funny Friday, a regular feature published on the last Friday of every month. Funny Friday is a collaborative project. Each month one of the participants submits a picture, then we all write five captions or thoughts inspired by that month’s picture. Links to the other bloggers’ posts are below, click on them and see what they have come up with. I hope we bring a smile to your face as you start your weekend.



Here is today’s picture. It was submitted by Candice of Measurements of Merriment                 


33 - Measurements of Merriment - October 2016.jpg


1. The moment when Dad fully understood why mom highlighted "Do not let her dress herself, without parental input", on the list of While Mom is Away instructions.

2. Daughter: Why are you looking at me like that? It's the shoes, isn't it? I knew I should have worn my Princess Elsa flats.
Mom: Yeah, sure, it's the shoes.

3. Daughter: Mom, why doesn't this swimsuit fit me? I wanted to wear it for my fashion show, but it just isn't cooperating.
Mom: Well, that is probably because it isn't a swimsuit.
Daughter: What is it?
Mom: My underwear.
Daughter looks down in horror.
*A minute later*
Daughter: You know, I can see it now. How about we tell nobody about this? Wait. Is that your camera?

4. Mom: This is not how this works. It is not how any of it works.
Daughter: What? It looks fine to me.
*Dad walks in, looks at daughter, and slowly backs out*

5. Side story, that this picture reminded me of... So, when I was younger, we played a game called get dressed poker. We all started out with out regular clothes on, and we had to keep adding them on. Whoever could no longer get more clothes to fit on, was the loser, and had to walk down the street and back. It was especially embarrassing, because usually underwear were the easiest things to get to fit on over many layers, so we tended to do the walk with underwear/bras on the outside. We would occasionally play it with Rummy also. I am happy to report I very seldom lost.

Thank you for the super adorable photo, Candice!!! 

I hope I was able to make you giggle!!! Be sure to check out the captions everyone else gave the photo!!! 

Click on the links below and let some other bloggers make you smile:



Wednesday, October 26, 2016

Boo #TopTenThursday

Welcome to this week's #TopTenThursday. This is a fun writing challenge, that is hosted by Tamara of Confessions of a part-time working mom. Her, myself, and other bloggers, come together and post weekly Top Ten lists, which we create based on a chosen topic. I hope you enjoy reading my list, as much as I loved creating it.



As many of you have probably noticed, I've missed the last few Top Ten Thursday posts. I have not been feeling well. I have the corresponding lists for those weeks, and I plan on sharing them. I just need to write the posts. I'm still not feeling great, but I'm determined to share this week's list. We are sharing our top ten Loves/hates of Halloween. 

1. (love) All the costumes. Getting to see everyone dressed up. I especially love dressing Gigi up. This year, she is going to be a shark. Chad and I are going to be pirates.

2. (love) Giving out candy. I love you seeing the joy on kid's faces, when I give them candy. Sadly, in our current house, we get no trick-or-treaters. Luckily, we have been out with Gigi the last few years. 

3. (hate) The temptation of leftover and super cheap candy. I always buy too much candy. Even though I give lots of candy to each kid, there is always leftover. 

4. (love) Sending leftover candy to work with Chad, then him telling me they enjoyed it. 

5. (love) I love scary movies. Love them. This time of year, they're all over the TV. Yay. 

6. (hate) Spiders. Ugh. Terrified of them. Terrified. This time of year, they're everywhere. Ugh. I wish they'd quit making fake spiders, and that real ones were extinct. 

7. (love) The homemade goodies. Cookies, bars, Caramel apples, popcorn balls... So many yummy treats get made this time of year. 

8. (love) Haunted houses. Love love love them. I really love scary things. 

9. (love) The Monster Mash. It's silly, but this song makes me SUPER happy!!!! 

10. (love) Parties and social gatherings. I just love chances to get together with friends and family. 

11. (Bonus- hate) Candy corn.

Well, there you have it. What would be on your list?! Are you a fan of Halloween?! 

Make sure to check out all the other Top Ten Thursday lists this week!! 





Friday, October 14, 2016

Stable Layne Pt 3 Oct 2016 #UseYourWords

Today’s post is a writing challenge. This is how it works: participating bloggers picked four to six words or short phrases for someone else to craft into a post. All words must be used at least once and all the posts will be unique as each writer has received their own set of words. That is the challenge, here is a fun twist; no one who is participating knows who got their words and in what direction the writer will take them. Until now.


My words are: 
dessert ~ weight ~ scary ~ domesticate ~ husband
They were submitted by: http://www. thediaryofanalzheimerscaregive r.com/blog.html (Thank you so much for such great words!!)

If you would like to catch up on the Stable Layne tale, you can read part 1 here and part 2 here

Layne was starting to feel the burn in her calf muscles and abs. Well, she assumed it was her abs. Did she have abs? She was sure did somewhere under her tummy flab. She had never really had any problems with her weight, but she was not one to ever turn down dessert, so she had never exactly been skinny. She could use to lose a few pounds, tone, and tighten, but the truth was she was happy. She did not have a perfect body, but she did have a good body. With the exception of the last few months since her accident, her body had always done well by her. She was a decent athlete, an excellent jockey, and could hold her own in the marathons she did twice a year. She just always seemed to have a little extra padding, which in the Winter was a benefit. Now, during the Summer, when she was at the beach, maybe it wasn't such a blessing.

"I think that is enough for today," Damon said, his voice breaking through her thoughts. "You did really good. Much better than I had expected for your first session."

Trying hard not to blush, she smiled at him. "Thank you. It was actually nice getting a workout in."

"Oh," Damon said, his voice barely holding off the laughter bubbling up in his throat, "That wasn't a workout. That was just an assessment. Next time you come, you will get a workout."

"Is that a promise?" she asked, before she could stop herself, looking away quickly to hide her blush, she walked over and returned her weights to the rack.

"As a matter of fact it is," Damon said, as the laughter quietly got the best of him. "I do promise to give you a workout! To be honest, you did really well today. Based on the injuries listed in your chart, I had expected you to be much more limited. You seem to be healing very well."

Layne turned back and faced him, a giddy smile covering her face, unable to hide her excitement. "Really?! Does that mean I will finish therapy faster than expected, because that would be great!"

"Well," Damon said, a fatherly look settling onto his gorgeous face. "I wouldn't go that far. You did great, and I think you will progress quickly, but the reality is, no matter how well you do, you would definitely still benefit from a few months of therapy. You will just be able to accomplish more in that time, than previously anticipated." He said smiling warmly at her, and her heart sank.

She reached down and took her coat off the bench, her disappointment written all over her face. She was really going to have to go weeks more without riding. Weeks more without her normal life. Weeks more maintaining the sad existence she had been living since her accident.

Seeing the disappointment etched on her face, Damon reached out and gently squeezed her arm. "Hey! Don't let it get you down! You will do great, I can just tell. I may actually be able to get you back better than you were, and you may even be able to obtain that, while keeping up your weekly Lucky Charms habit."

She smiled, and laughed softly. He really was a sweet guy, or so it seemed. He was probably an excellent husband, to his super hot wife at home. "It isn't that, that I am really worried about. It has just been months since I have been able to ride, and I was really hoping to get through therapy as quickly as possible, and get back on my horse."

"Oh," Damon said, cheer returning to his voice. "Don't worry about that! You will probably be back in the saddle in a few weeks. You will start back doing normal physical activities outside of therapy, before your actual therapy is over. I mean, you won't be back in the saddle tomorrow, but it will be soon. I promise. I will do everything in my power, to help you get back in the saddle quickly. I will also do everything in my power to make sure you are fully healed, and able to be back to your old self, by the time I am done, and as I said, I may even have you reach an even better self."

Layne squealed, and practically hugged him. "Thank you so much!! That makes me so happy! SO happy! I have missed riding!"

"So, have you been riding long?" Damon asked her, as he picked up his towel, and handed her one.

She took the towel and wiped her face and neck off. "Well, I have been riding since I was four, but I didn't start riding competitively until I was almost sixteen. I mostly just really love riding. Really, I just love horses. I guess that is why I still work on our family ranch. I get to be near my favorite horses, and it gives me plenty of time to ride. Plus, it is fun. My Dad works with wild horses, that have been rescued from wildfires. Most just get housed until we can secure a new, safe home for them. Some we domesticate though. Usually just ones that have been injured, and need extra physical therapy and medical care. It is interesting and fun work."

Damon had been watching her closely while she was speaking. "I can tell you really love it," he said, his eyes staring deeply into hers. "Your eyes shine with a passion that is rare to see. I am glad you have found what you love to do."

"Do you love what you do?" she asked, as she began digging through her purse for her lip gloss.

"Physical therapy?" Damon asked, as he picked at the label on his water bottle. "I do love it. It is fun and rewarding. I love helping people. This isn't my full-time gig though. This is more of a fun part-time gig. I do this for the enjoyment of it."

Having found and applied her favorite grape flavored gloss, she looked at him, curiosity shining bright in her eyes. "What is your full-time gig?" 

"Well," he said, his eyes staring at her glossy lips, before he blushed slightly and made eye contact. "I am a member of the gang unit, on the town police squad."

"Wow," she said, surprise showing in her voice. "Isn't that scary?!?"

"It has its moments," he said, reaching out and placing his hand on her shoulder, starting to guide her towards the exit. "It is also very rewarding and worthwhile."

"Yes," she said, smiling and walking with him. "I can imagine it would be very rewarding. I just think it must scare your wife a great deal, I know if I were married, and my husband were a police officer, I would be scared."

"Well," he replied, as they stopped near the door. "I guess if I did have a wife, she might would be scared by my job, but I would hope she would have faith in me to always do everything possible, to make it home safe."

Layne could not help but smile, at the news he was not married. "I am sure she would trust you completely. Well, thank you for a great therapy session. When should I come back?"

Damon led her out into the hall and stopped, he pointed to a small office area to the left. "If you go over there, Melissa can get you set up for your next appointment, and I will see you then. It was great working with you today, and very nice meeting you." He started slowly walking away, still facing her.

Layne smiled and waved. "Yes, same to you. See you next time." 

They both turned and walked their separate ways. She could not help but feel butterflies in her stomach. So what, if he wasn't married. Surely he had a girlfriend or fiance. She stopped and spoke briefly to the bubbly Melissa, and made her next appointment for the following afternoon. As she headed out to meet Zayne, she was actually looking forward to her next appointment, and only a small amount of residual disappointment remained, that she would not get to discover the mystery behind her brother and Gwyn. 


(to be continued)

Okay, I hope you all enjoyed part three. I will probably continue this story with each Use Your Words challenge, where I am able to utilize the words in a way that fit. I may also write some parts separately, outside of the challenges, but I will definitely link any and all parts in the new posts, so you will always be able to easily find the entire story. I hope you are enjoying it so far. I am excited to write it out, as it has been burning a hole inside my head, wanting to be told.

I hope you all have a fantastic weekend!! Do not forget to go check out the other blogs featuring this month's Use Your Words posts!! I will see you there!!


Links to the other “Use Your Words” posts:

Southern Belle Charm        
Not That Sarah Michelle             

Wednesday, October 12, 2016

Falling Into You Oct 2016 #PoetryCollaboration

Every month (for a year now), some fellow bloggers and I have been writing poetry every month, based on a chosen theme. This month, we chose "Fall" as our theme! I hope you enjoy what I have created to share with y'all!! Do not forget to go check out the poetry my fellow bloggers created for you!!



Poem 1:

Falling leaves.
A
pple picking.
L
eaves changing color.
L
aughing around the bonfire.


Poem 2:

I miss lazy nights, laying in bed, with you.
I miss staring into the sunset with you.
I miss walking through the orchard, enjoying the Fall leaves, with you.
I miss lazy mornings, reading the paper over coffee and bagels, with you.
I miss simply being with you.
I miss the days we spent falling in love.
I miss planning our future together.
I miss you reading your poetry to me.
I miss reading my rough drafts to you.
I miss so much.
Do you?


Poem 3:

I love the way your voice caresses my eardrums.
I love the way your fingers caress my palms.
I love the way your tongue dances with mine.
I cannot stop falling into you.
I love the way you care for me.
I love the way you keep me safe.
I love the way you make me laugh.
I cannot stop falling into you.
I love the different colors of brown in your eyes.
I love the dimple in your left cheek.
I love the curves of your lips.
I cannot stop falling into you.
I love the way your eyes sparkle when you laugh.
I love the way your hips sway when we dance.
I love the way your beard feels against my cheek, when we cuddle.
I cannot stop falling into you.
I love the way you love me unconditionally.
I love the way you keep my secrets.
I love the way you promise to always catch me, as I keep falling into you.


Well, I hope you enjoyed them! I hope you all have a fabulous week! Do not forget to go check out all the other poems!


Here are the links to the other "Fall" poems:

Karen of Baking In A Tornado
Diane of On the Border
Dawn of Spatulas On Parade

Friday, October 7, 2016

Happiness is This Oct 2016 #SecretSubjectSwap

Welcome to this month's Secret Subject Swap. This week twelve brave bloggers picked a secret subject for someone else and were assigned a secret subject to interpret in their own style. Today we are all simultaneously divulging our topics and submitting our posts. 



My “Secret Subject” is: Take us on a journey to the happiest minute of your life.

It was submitted by: http://climaxedtheblog.blogspot.com  (Thank you for this fabulous subject!!!! With all the craziness in the world, it was awesome to think back to my happiest minutes, even if the road to them was a bit insane!!!)

So, when I read this subject, I immediately knew what the happiest minute of my life. I really did not even have to think about it, or try to figure out which one I would pick. As I sat down to write this out, I realized I do have a second happiest minute, and it is pretty much equally as happy, and happened one a few minutes after the first I thought of. Then, I realized I really have a third one as well. All equally as happy. So, I am going to bend the rules a bit, and tell you about all three. Truthfully, I could write for days on the journey that led to them, so I have decided to give a very condensed version, and try to focus more on the happy minutes themselves.

Have you figured out what the minutes are?! If you know me, you probably have already guessed. Let me tell you, getting to those minutes was not easy, but boy were they worth it. I would do it all again a million times over, even if I had to go through worse to get to them.

So, it was November 11th, back in 2012, and I was not feeling so well. I think I had this inner intuition, but really I am not even sure what it was. I just suddenly thought, my period is late, I am pregnant. Then I talked myself out of it, because honestly, we had tried previously, and it just never happened, and I had recently accepted the fact I would not be having any kids in the future. 

I am not even sure what I was thinking, because I was convinced I was not pregnant, but I just had this feeling. I sent Chad to get a pregnancy test, and then when I was getting ready to take it, I remember thinking I would make it sweat for a second, make him think I was, because it would be a horrible time for me to be pregnant. Only, the joke was on me. I was pregnant. 



Of course, I totally freaked out. I was thinking holy moly. How am I going to be a mom?! This is horrible timing. YAYYYYYYYYYYYY! This is going to be so bad. YAYYYYYYYYYYYYY! I do not know how to be a mom. I am so clueless, what am I going to do. YAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY! I am way to unhealthy to do this. This is probably going to kill me. YAYYYYYYYYYYYYY! 

So, then I was calm, and thoughtful. Then I was freaking out, so I called my mom. I swore her to secrecy. I have lost children in the past, and the thought of telling people was not a happy thought. I asked her advice, it was time for me to take my medicine, and I just was not sure I should. So, she advised me to call my doctor immediately. 

I did. My doctor freaked out, in that very calm doctor way they do, when something is wrong. He let me know that this was bad, but he would get me through this, and told me to definitely not take my medicine. He told me I needed to be in his office immediately on Monday, and that he would be finding out what we should do.

That Monday, he started to treat my blood clotting issues with other medicines, ones that were safer for the baby, but not very good for me physically. He referred me to the doctor he trusted, and that he felt could help me have a healthy pregnancy. I was beyond nervous, but I trust my doctor so very much.

So, that started a whirlwind of emotions and doctor's appointments. I had three doctors. My regular doctor, who treated my health with importance. A high risk obstetrician, that treated both the baby and I, and would be delivering her. Finally, I had a high risk pregnancy specialist, that focused solely on the baby and any problems she would face. In the end, I also ended up with one additional doctor. I had a pre-natal cardiologist, that made sure her heart was okay. 

So, every week, I had at least one doctor appointment. Many weeks, I had two. I think the most I ever had was six in a week, and that only happened twice. It was a bunch of tests, pokes, prods, exams, and worries. Looking back, I realize I did not even start to relax and enjoy being pregnant, until I was over six months pregnant, and even then, I was still terrified.

I can honestly tell you, the most terrifying moment happened on Thanksgiving. It was after we returned home from dinner, and I just wasn't feeling well. I went to the bathroom, and there was just so much blood. I will spare you the details, but suffice it to say, Chad and I thought we had lost the baby. We went to the ER, because I was bleeding badly, and it was a worry, since I was on three blood thinner shots daily.

At the end of the night, the ER doctor told me that we were so lucky. She could not explain it, but I was still very much pregnant, and I needed to go home and stay in bed. Up until that point I was on nearly total bed rest, but starting that night, I was on complete bed rest, and that lasted until after she was born. 

We were given a list of things that would be wrong with our baby, that could literally fill a book. It was overwhelming and terrifying, but it never stopped me from loving her or wanting her. I just tried on a daily basis to prepare myself for the struggles that we would face. I thought of ways to make her life as good as possible. I prepared myself for the possibility of her life being very short. I did a lot of stressing, and I am still baffled why my hair is not completely white.




Slowly, but surely, we passed all the milestone points the doctors wanted us to. We got closer and closer to a point where she would have a solid chance at having a life outside of my body. She was growing very slowly, and that was a huge concern, but despite not meeting the growth milestones, she was doing very well. Just after I reached six months of being pregnant, her cardiologist gave her heart a clean bill of health, and a huge weight lifted. That day, was the first day that I actually was a bit excited, without concern overshadowing it.

The days went by. I felt horrible. There were days, I genuinely thought I was going to die. I did not think I could physically go on. I remember making sure everyone knew, if anything happened to me, I did NOT care what they had to do, they had to save her. I wrote a bunch of letters, for them to give her as she grew up, in case I wasn't still here.

That was the thing... They had huge doubts she would survive the pregnancy. They had huge doubts I would survive it. They had the absolute most doubts that we would both survive. So, I just did my best to make sure she would be the one to survive it. All I wanted to do was make it to the end of July. It was hard to pinpoint a due date, because she was always so small, but in the end it was decided that my due date had to be the very end of July.

My doctor told me that if she was born weighing five pounds, and was not having any major issues, they would not keep her for an extended length of time. That was what I really wanted. I did not want her to have to be in the hospital for an extended period of time. I did not want Chad's job to ever be at risk, and I knew if she was in the hospital, he would need to be with her. 

June 27th rolled around, and I had two doctor's appointments, including one with the specialist, which meant we had to go to the office that was thirty minutes away. Thankfully, my high risk obstetrician, the one who I had the most appointments with, was only five minutes away. I was not feeling well, and was dreading the ride. I got up, and fought through feeling sick, and showered, and prepared to go to my appointment. Things were okay, until I stood up to get dressed, took off my bathrobe, and we realized I was bleeding badly.

I remember I began to panic. I called the specialist, and told them I was bleeding, and asked if I should still come to my appointment. I was told to go to the ER immediately. I was a mess. I just knew I was losing her. There was just too much blood, and after the Thanksgiving Miracle, I just was not sure we would get another miracle. Chad helped me dress, and we went to the ER. I was a wreck, and when they met us at the door, I remember telling them I was losing my baby. 

They brought me back to Labor and Delivery and hooked me up to monitors. The baby's heartbeat was strong, and I was dilated to three centimeters. I was losing the baby, but not to miscarriage, I was losing her to labor. I was in labor. I was having the baby. It was go time. So, Chad went home and got our hospital gear, and came back, and we worked on having a baby.

It took fifteen hours and forty nine minutes, but at 11:49 pm, on June 27th, 2013, I gave birth to a COMPLETELY HEALTHY, happy baby girl. It was probably thirty seconds after her birth, that they put her on my chest. I let her stay there for about a minute. One of the happiest minutes of my life. I told her I loved her, and then I told them to get her to specialists who were there to care for her. 



There had been some internal tearing, and due to my bleeding issues, the doctor and five nurses had to immediately get my bleeding under control. It was touch and go, and took an hour, but they got me stable. During that time, Gigi was examined by the specialists, and one by one, they all gave her a clean bill of health. The moment the last specialist informed us she was healthy, started the next happiest minute of my life. I realized she was healthy. She had none of the problems they said she would. She was exactly five pounds at birth, and was healthy. My baby had shown us all just how amazing she was.

Then I was back focused on myself, and how I was feeling, which was horrible. Exhausted. Weak. Then, once the bleeding was under control, and I was completely stable, I slowly started feeling better. The most amazing thing finally happened, and my third happiest minute happened. I was stable, I was alive, and they handed me my baby. I got to hold her. FINALLY. I got to look at her. Count her fingers. Count her toes. Look into her eyes. It was the BEST! 





Gigi is my happiness. She completes me. She makes me happier than I ever even knew possibly. She nearly killed me a few times, but she was so worth it. She is beautiful. She is amazing. She is happy. She is healthy. She is smart. She is happiness personified. 











So, there you have it. Hands down the three happiest minutes of my life. What is your happiest minute?! 




Here are links to all the sites now featuring Secret Subject Swap posts.  Sit back, grab a drink, and check them all out. See you there:

Skin

Welcome to June's Blog with Friends!! Each month a theme is chosen and then participating bloggers use the theme, to create their own un...