Daddy's Girl #UseYourWords

Welcome to October's Use Your Words challenge. Here is how it works: each participating blogger submits four to six words or short phrases, for another blogger to craft into a post. The post can be about anything, as long as each word is used at least once. The words are assigned randomly, so no blogger knows who gets the words the submitted, and have no clue which words they will receive, until they are assigned the words. The bloggers can interpret the words into any kind of post they want, and the posts are usually quite unique.

My words are:

blueberry ~ fantastic ~ love ~ scared ~ zoo

It was submitted by: http://theblogging911.com/blog

Since I received the phone call, from the Sheriff, telling me my father had passed away, I have done so much reflecting on life. Thinking about my dad. Thinking about our life together. Thinking about my life apart from him. Really, just a lot of thinking. I have also been doing a lot of crying. Thankfully, not all of the tears have been sad. Some have been happy, and a few have been from laughter. My dad was a very funny man, and I owe him much thanks for all the laughs.

My dad and I have had a complicated relationship, but no matter what, I love him. I will always love him.There will never be a past tense for that. No matter how upset he made me, how much he frustrated me, or how annoyed he would make me... I always loved him. I think the same can be said for him. No matter what I have done, how badly I have upset him, or how annoyed he was with me... He always loved me.

I have some fantastic memories of him, and I have discovered over the past few weeks, that so many other people can say the same. His death has hurt a lot of people. I am sure it has made some people happy. My daddy was not an easy guy. He was complex, and knowing him was definitely an experience. He was such a contradiction of sorts, just like I am. I guess I got that from him. Chad said it best, I think... He was an asshole, but he was our asshole. 

My daddy taught me the importance of love and kindness. He taught me to stand up for what I believe in. He taught me that the old saying is true, it is definitely better to give than receive. He helped give me my inner voice, which I was able to use to defend myself, and those around me who need defending. He sure talked a lot, another trait I got from him. When I saw him at the funeral home, his mouth was open, and it made me giggle. It was so appropriate, that even in death, he couldn't keep his mouth shut.

He was so strong and so stubborn. In fact, I am honestly still shocked that he passed away, because I thought he was simply too stubborn to die. I have often joked that he would outlive me, and in truth, many times I thought that was the absolute truth. He started fighting cancer before I was even born, and he never quit fighting it. He did not let it slow him down. No matter how sick he got, he never lost his inner fire, that burned hot with determination. 

I do not know, if he purposely hid how sick he was at the end, because he did not want me to be scared, or if he really just thought he was going to kick cancer's ass yet again, but even at the end, he was talking about the future and making plans. I can only hope, that if faced with similar obstacles, I handle it will as much strength and determination as him.

One of the things he will be most remember for, is food. Whether it is the food he grew in his gardens, and gave away, feeding much of the community around him, or the food he prepared in his kitchen, that would make any mouth water. Those are definitely two things I would have loved to inherit from him. I cannot grow a garden, even if my life depended on it, but I can grow weeds. Well, the grow on their own, I just watch them grow. I can do okay in the kitchen, but nothing compared to him. I miss his cooking, and will always regret not going home for more visits, and enjoying more meals with him.

Growing up, we did not do some of the more normal things, like zoo trips, beach trips, or Disney trips. We did have many adventures together. We traveled all over the USA, and had so much fun doing it. It was normal, for him to pull me out of school for a week or two, and just go on a road trip to visit friends. We never drove straight. We would zigzag all over, and explore the places we passed through. I think he had a nomadic heart, and I inherited it from him. I have been here for ten years, and it is driving me bonkers. I want to go, leave, explore. Yet, some how, Chad got me to lay down roots, and so I am here, to stay. At least for now.

I am so worried, that with these cysts in my head, I am going to forget all my memories, especially my earliest ones. It makes me wish I had many more pictures than I do, especially of my childhood. Pictures have a way of bring back my memories, even the ones I have mostly forgotten. I really do not want to forget my life at all, not even the bad parts, because they have all made me me.

I especially do not want to forget my good ones. The ones of shenanigans with my best friend Shannon, while her parents and my dad would be picking vegetables and cooking. I do not want to forget all the blueberry bushes, my dad planted for me, all along the perimeter of his garden, or the slow Summer days I spent eating all of the blueberries. All. Of. Them. I do not want to forget Summer nights spent of our friend's porch, all of us kids taking turns churning home made ice cream. Our parents would be talking and laughing. My daddy would play the guitar, and we would all sing.

I do not want to forget all the times I helped him help other people. All the times he helped families get aid, to pay their bills that had piled up, while one of the parents had been sick. I do not want to forget all the food we delivered to people in need. I do not want to forget listening to him debate with politicians. I do not want to forget him telling me he loves me, a bushel and a peck and a hug around the neck.

I do not want to forget things, and be unable to tell Gigi more about her Papa. He loved her so much. I think he may even have loved her more than he loved me, and I am okay with that. Gigi is a very special little girl, and I am blessed to be her Mama, even though she is a total Daddy's girl. I can respect that, and understand it, because I am a Daddy's girl too. Despite the difficulties in our relationship, he was my Daddy, and I love him very, very much. So, it makes total sense to me, to see Gigi being a Daddy's girl. Chad is an amazing dad. I cannot blame her one bit. Plus, I know she loves me a whole bunch. That is good enough for me.

I am sorry I am still be pretty radio silent. I am just trying to get through these emotions, and come out on the other side in one piece. I just thought this would be so much easier, than it has been. This experience has taught me a lot. I wasted so much time, focusing on the bad memories, and letting them impact my current attitude. I should have spent so much more time focusing on the good times, because now I can see that those are the ones that matter. In the end all that truly matters are the good memories, and all the love. It has definitely been a learning experience.

Parent child relationships are hard. They have lots of bumps and falls. There is anger and sadness and frustration. Those are very powerful things. In the end though, the happiness and laughter and fun and LOVE matter the most. I wasted so many years, letting the hurt still hurt, and the anger fester. Now, all of that is so far gone from my thoughts, and all this goodness has replaced it, and I should have let it replace it years ago. Leave it to my daddy, to teach me something, even in death. 

He was good at that. Teaching me things. Except for cooking and guitar playing. He was a terrible teacher for both. I think maybe because he was naturally talented at both. He played guitar by ear and cooked by taste. That is two natural talents I definitely do not possess. Something else he was great at, was being there for me. He always was. No matter what, when I needed him, he was there. I only wish I had been there for him. I think that is what breaks my heart the most. I hope he can forgive me.

Well, there you have it. My words used. I appreciate y'all reading along. I just really needed to talk about my Daddy, and as soon as I saw the word blueberry, my mind filled with memories about him. He ruined several foods for me. Not by making them terribly, but by making them so well, no others can ever compare to his. He also had a knack for growing the most delicious fruits and vegetables. To this day, I have never eaten a blueberry, that tastes as delicious as those, on the bushes he planted for me. I think it may have been the love he poured into them, that made them extra good.

Well, now that I have used my words, be sure to check out the other blogs featuring this month's Use Your Words posts. I will meet you there. I just need some coffee, a blanket, and some tissues.

Links to the other “Use Your Words” posts:

Baking In A Tornado

On the Border

The Blogging 911   

Cognitive Script

Climaxed

Boredom, Boredom Go AWAY! #BlogWithFriends

Welcome to July's Blog with Friends Round-up!! Each month, a group of bloggers join Karen from Baking in a Tornado, and pick a theme for the month. Then each blogger creates a post, based on that theme. Posts can include anything the blogger wants. You may find poetry, recipes, short stories, DIY projects, crafts, informative posts, and anything else a blogger may choose. It is just a fun way, for us to all give our own take on a given theme.

This month's theme is Anti-Boredom Month. Did you know that July is National Anti-Boredom Month? I did not know this, until we were researching themes for our BWF posts. I think it is an excellent idea for Summer. I know when I was growing up, the most boredom I encountered, was usually in the Summer. The rest of the year, I would be so busy with school and activities, I did not have time to be bored. Then Summer would hit, and after the excitement wore off, the boredom would come visit regularly. 

I decided to compile a lists of activities and other things, that can help you keep boredom away, during July, and really the rest of the months as well. Some of these may be more for people who also live in California, but really, I am sure other states have similar things.

1. I was not sure I wanted to include this one, and then I ended up deciding to put it as first idea. Disney. I think my California residency may have been revoked, had I not put this. Now, I am sure you guys know, there are so many Disney options. They have locations around the world, and they even have cruises. I have not been, but I do hope to go one day, in the near future. I have done some looking into it, and I have found out a few things, that you may not know.

*The Disney Cruises are actually packed with super fun activities, and kids can get more face time with the characters. You have to research each specific cruise, to find out what activities and which characters are available, but this is definitely a less stressful option, to actually visiting one of the parks. 
*If you are a Costco member, you can pay for your vacation through them, and you can make payments, rather than pay all at once. You can visit your local Costco, and they can fill you in on the details. 
*Once you decided which Disney location you want to go to, visit their site. Find out what special events they have, and the dates of the events. Then you can totally take advantage of those events, or you can use those dates as a guide of when not to attend. I found out from my friend who visits Disney at least once a year, that sometimes it is better to go during an off time. When there is not a big event, that attracts even more people. Lines will be smaller. The crowds won't be as suffocating. Also, local hotels may have special offers available, because they are looking to fill vacancies. 
*I was also told time and time again.... Don't be afraid to stay at a hotel nearby, and take advantage of Fastpass. Yes, if you stay at a nearby hotel, you will have a tiny bit of extra travel, and yes your experience will be different. However, that is really not a bad thing. It is just as magical, plus, the money you can save, can enable you to enjoy more in the park!
*I have also met a wonderful lady, who is as nice as can be, and her job is helping people plan Disney vacations. Yes, seriously, that is her job. Amazing right?! I am going to link you guys her page, so you can check it out. I am sure she would be totally cool will helping you and answering questions you may have. No, this is not some paid sponsorship. I just really think she is super nice, and she happens to have inside knowledge on how to plan an amazing Disney vacation. You can find her here. Her name is Brittany! 

Suffice it to say, if you took a trip to one of the Disney parks, or went on a Disney Cruise, you would definitely not be bored. 

2. One thing I have really been trying to focus on lately is making memories. They say memories are more important than actual possessions. So, spend money on doing things to make money, rather than items to fill your house. One excellent thing I have discovered, is Groupon and Living Social. Have you ever browsed your local Groupon or Living Social pages? They often have some amazing local experiences for very  affordable prices. When I was on my local page last week, I found several awesome Summer adventure options, for hundreds less, than if I bought the tickets at the places themselves. I have also found some awesome deals on stays at a B&B!!! My goal is to go to this one B&B that is in Tahoe, and then spend the weekend enjoying Tahoe. 

I highly recommend checking out your local Groupon and Living Social offers. I always see awesome deals. Chad really wants to go cage diving with sharks, and a few years ago, before I really understood just how amazing Groupon and LS were, I saw a deal on diving with sharks. I let the opportunity pass me by, because I really did not have an experience with the sites at that point. I can now tell you, I would not let that opportunity pass me by again.

Also, say you want to go the route, of buying a B&B package, and having a few days away. I highly recommend checking out Restaurant.com and searching for local restaurants around your B&B. Restaurant.com is always having amazing sales, and the certificates never expire. You could very easily go out to a fancy dinner, at an amazing local restaurant, near your B&B, and eat a $100 meal with your family, and only pay $25 to $50 out of pocket. 

So, why not do some local activity at a discounted rate, or explore a local town, while enjoying a quaint B&B?! 

3. This suggestion, can also tie in with Groupon and LS, depending on what offers you have local. Find a local art gallery, and see about taking art classes. If they do not offer classes, chances are they know of a local artist who does. You could also do a search on your Facebook, and find the local paint parties. They are popular, affordable, and tend to be a blast. Plus, you get to create art. If you are like me, just creating art alone will be happiness enough. 

If you happen to be local to me, and this interests you, I know of an amazing gal that does paint parties. Again, I am not paid to tell you this. I just think she is an amazingly nice person, and she happens to be an artist. She can come to you for a paint party with your friends, or she hosts parties at local restaurants, and you can easily attend one of them. You can find her here, and she will post the dates and times of the events she hosts. She even hosts kid friendly events, if you want to get the entire family in on it!!

4. If visual art is not your thing, you could easily find a local shop that offers instrument lessons. For yourself, your kid, or for you both. When I was younger, I played the guitar, and I genuinely wish I had kept up with it, and often think about taking lessons again. Though, I would probably prefer drum lessons. I don't know why, but I have always LOVED drums.

If you like music, but don't want to be the one creating it, you could easily take a dance or Zumba class. Many schools offer classes for all ages and skill levels. It is also possible to find classes for a discount, on Groupon or Living Social!

5. I almost feel like I should be sponsored by Groupon for this post... LOL... So, as I was browsing Groupon the other day, I found cooking classes on there. I had never even thought to take cooking classes before, but as I scoped out the Groupon deal, it was actually quite awesome. They had adult classes, and ones for kids. When I did some more research on my own, I even found Mommy/Daddy and me classes. 

Well, if you pay attention to my Facebook page, you know that Gigi has recently become obsessed with cooking/baking. Just this past weekend, we baked homemade cookies and a cake. The cake was box mix, but she had me add fresh berries (blueberries and strawberries) to it, and we made homemade butter cream frosting. I am honestly quite amazed. So, suffice it to say, these cooking classes are on our to do list. 

6. If you are lucky to live on the East, West, or Gulf Coasts, then you can make a fairly easy trip to the beach. Swim or surf in the ocean. Build sandcastles. Enjoy the sun. If you cannot visit the ocean so easily, I am sure you can get to a river or lake, and enjoy the beach there. I highly recommend it. It is something I want to do more often. Living in California, I should be going to the beach at least six or seven times a year. Sadly, that is not an accurate number. So, I have made a promise to myself, that the next time I find myself wondering what we will do for the weekend, so we aren't bored, my choice will be to pack a picnic and some towels, and go to the beach.

Sometimes, fighting boredom, is just a matter of making a decision on what to do. Well, if you are in place where it is warm, and a beach is nearby, make that choice to go to the beach. Live it up!

7. I will probably get some eye rolls on this one, and some of you may even tell me I am a weirdo. That is okay. Really, it is. I am thirty five, and in my lifetime, I have had multiple (really good) friends tell me I am a weirdo. Before I got sick, and daily tasks became something I have to put a ton of effort into do, one of my absolute favorite things to do, was to clean and organize. I am not even joking. I loved cleaning so much, I would clean my friend's homes. 

So, I am serious when I say.... Feeling bored? Clean. Organize. Not only will you be busy, and not bored, but once you are done, you will feel so amazing and so accomplished. I am convinced we are just naturally happy, when the spaces around us are clean and organized. I have a goal of getting our entire hallway organized before the end of Summer. It is a task that would normally be extremely easy, but factor in my health, and our lack of any storage space in this house, it is actually not as easy as you may think. Plus, I have yet to find the necessary key (a new desk or desk alternative) to the complete organization of the hallway. I am not letting that stop me, though. I will conquer the unruly hallway. 

I know I may seem crazy and weird, but try it. The next time you are feeling bored, conquer an area of your home, and clean and organize it. If your kiddo is bored, tell them to clean and reorganize their room. Make it fun for them. Offer them a reward. It does not have to be a huge thing. Maybe just ice cream at your favorite ice cream place. 

If you are like me, you LOVE Pinterest. Especially when it comes to finding recipes to try, or ideas for home decorating/organization/cleaning. So, again, I am NOT being paid to share these links, nor am I affiliated with them. However, I was recently coming up with a game plan for home organization, and I found these lists helpful...

Wellness Mama

Home Storage Solutions

The Country Chic Cottage

Also, just in case you want to find me on Pinterest, I am here. Also, if you are ever bored and in bed, and have your phone/tablet handy.... Browsing Pinterest is an excellent way to get rid of boredom, and stay up way too late. I mean, or so I have heard. 😉

8. This one is honestly probably my favorite thing to do. Not to beat boredom, but just to do in general. Volunteer. Seriously, non-profits, Food Banks, youth programs, etc are ALWAYS looking for volunteers. Do you like to play soccer/softball/baseball/etc? Our local kid's leagues are always looking for volunteers to help with coaching and being referee. It is a super fun way to spend your time, and help local kids. Food banks and Soup Kitchens can always use more volunteers. You will keep boredom away, and feel great about helping others!! 

9. Do you know every single place in your town? Every shop, restaurant, event center, club, park, etc? Probably not. One thing that we love to do, when we find ourselves sitting at home and bored, is to simply go someplace local, that we have never been before. So, if you and your family are bored, pull up a local map, or search local events on Facebook, and pick one and go. My favorite way to explore new places, is to keep an eye on local events posted on Facebook, and on posts in my local mom's group, and to pick places and go. We have discovered lots of interesting things locally. Also, I strongly encourage you to do this for restaurants. Rather than go to the same place you always go, look up a place you have never been on Facebook. Check out the reviews and pictures people post, and pick one that looks good, and go. We found three of our favorite places to eat by doing this. I also want to mention Restaurant.com again. They really do offer great deals, and it can help save your family money on dinner!! 

This is how we found our favorite park, as well. We were just out driving, and saw the park, and stopped. It has become our go to park, and had we not been exploring a place we had never been, we would not have found it. I think a lot of boredom can be ended, simply by getting in the car and going. 

Maybe you can go berry/fruit/vegetable picking at a local farm, and use your bounty to make a yummy treat!! 

10. Remember how I said that Gigi has developed an obsession with cooking and baking? She will make me sit and watch cooking/baking videos on Facebook with her. We literally have weekly dates, just to watch these videos together. We have created a list of recipes we want to make. We are very slowly making them, as we get the time and recipe, and I am having a decent day health wise. So, if you are bored, go in the kitchen and cook. You can cook a tried and true recipe. Find one on Facebook/Pinterest or in a cookbook. Maybe don't even use a recipe. Just gather up some ingredients and see what you come up with. Cooking can be so much fun, alone or with your kiddos. As crazy as it was to make cookies and a cake in the same weekend, we definitely had fun crossing two recipes off our list.

I am going to share a few recipes from the list of recipes Gigi and I have made. Again, I am not paid to share these recipes, and I am not affiliated with these chef bloggers at all. 

Puppy Dog Pals Chow Mix

Dorito Taco Salad

Kool-Aid Taffy

Cashew Nutella Snowballs

Cotton Candy Bars

Peppermint Chocolate Chip Bundt Cake

Hobo Dinner Foil Packets

So, there you have it! Ten ways to keep boredom away. I know they are all such common sense ideas, but if you are like me, sometimes when I am bored, I just cannot think of anything to do. So, hopefully the next time you cannot think of anything to do, you will suddenly remember this blog, and a fun idea will hit you! I hope you have a July that is far from boring! 

Now, go see what my fellow bloggers have come up with, to help you keep boredom away.

Karen of Baking In A Tornado

Layered Thai Shrimp Salad

Dawn of Spatulas on Parade

Buffalo Chicken Celery

Kim of Georgia Vegan Peach

5 Fun Vegan Recipes To Cure Mid-Summer Boredom

Tamara of Part-time working Hockey Mom

The “Hockey Mom, I’m bored Bottle”

Lydia of Cluttered Genius

Easiest. Scrapbook.Ever.

Stable Layne Pt 6 #UseYourWords

Welcome to January's Use Your Words writing challenge. Our first one of 2018!! This is how it works: participating bloggers submitted 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.

Your words are:

poet ~ snow ~ car ~ hibernate ~ stick

It was submitted by: Karen of http://Bakinginatornado.com Thank you for such great words!! :)

Do you remember the Stable Layne story I had been writing for y'all using my words?! No?! Yes?! Either way, take a few moments to refresh your memory, or to catch up.... 

• Stable Layne Part 1
• Stable Layne Part 2
• Stable Layne Part 3
• Stable Layne Part 4
• Stable Layne Part 5

Caught up?! Good. So I have decided to use this month's words, to pick up where I left off. Then I plan on posting another post soon, fast forwarding a bit, and then I will use future words to continue on the story. Now, where were we?? .... 

Layne, Damon, and Marcus spent the next hour getting everything in order for the party. All the necessary food and pantry staples, had been put into their correct places in the garage kitchenette. The sodas that Damon and Marcus had brought, had been put in the fridge, ice was made and ready, the grill was all set to be fired up, the tables and chairs were out. Since there was no snow on the ground, she had spread the tables all around the patio and even put some out in the yard.

Damon had shown Layne several simple exercises, ones she could easily incorporate into her daily activities. Marcus had done them with her, and it had really helped her relax. Maybe it was all the daydreams, or maybe it was the feelings she had been feeling, but she had felt so tense around Damon. Having Marcus around had definitely helped her feel less nervous, and she actually found him to be quite funny. 

It was obvious, watching how well Damon and Marcus got along, that they were very close. She had found out that Marcus was a fireman. It also seemed that he was single. The more time she spent around him, the more she knew she just had to introduce him to her friend Jules. Lucky for them, she would be coming by soon, to deliver all the baked goods, that had been ordered for the party.

As Layne finished putting the last of the plastic utensils into the utensil tray, she looked up catching Damon staring at her. She felt her cheeks burn, as they turned bright red, she quickly glanced down. "Do I have something in my hair or a smudge on my face?" Damon laughed as he walked over to her, reaching up and gently rubbing his finger along her jaw, holding it up for her to see little specks of green glitter covering his finger.

They both laughed. "I guess I got more of the glitter on me, than I had thought," she said. "I knew I should have just left that darn glitter garland in the bin, but I just thought it was just what this kitchenette needed."

Damon looked into her eyes, and she may have felt her heart skip a beat or two, "The kitchenette did need it. It looks perfect. Don't worry, you did not get much glitter on you. It just happened to be that a streak of it was on your jaw, and you caught my eye, and I saw it."

"So sparkly I can catch a person's eye eh?" she laughed, as she quickly busied herself with filling a napkin holder.

"Well," Damon said, as he leaned against the counter next to her, "I don't think it was the smudge of glitter that caught my eye."

She looked up at him, feeling her cheeks becoming warm again. "Not the glitter," she said softly.

"Not the glitter", he repeated after her. "More you, less the glitter."

Then it happened. He leaned in and brushed his lips against hers. A simply, sweet, perfect kiss. It was so perfect, a poet probably would have trouble putting its perfection into words. As she looked up at him, biting her bottom lip, watching him smile, she knew she was in trouble. He must be feeling it too, or he never would have kissed her.

Feeling like she had to break the silence, she said the only thing her mouth seemed capable of saying, "Hi."

He chuckled softly, "Hi."

All she could think of was dragging him into her house, and making him hibernate with her for the rest of the winter, getting to know each other, and seeing where these feelings took them. For the first time in months, she was thinking about something other than her accident and her painstakingly slow recovery. For the first time in years, she was thinking about something other than a solitary life. For the first time in years, she was thinking about possibilities outside of her Master plan. 

Just when she was about to make a fool of herself, and kiss him again, the slamming of a car door broke their comfortable silence. They both turned in time to see Marcus helping Jules carry boxes of delicious baked goods into the garage. They were both smiling and chatting.

"So, I was finishing up hanging that lighted garland, and I saw this angel drive up," Marcus said to Layne and Damon, as Jules laughed. "Only I did not know she was an angel, until I offered to help her with her boxes, and saw all the delicious goodies she had."

Damon started laughing, "A woman with baked goods would definitely be your definition of an angel," he said as he helped put boxes onto the counter. "This guy right here may look fit as can be, but do not let that fool you. He eats more than a horse, and has a serious addiction to baked good, especially cookies and pies. His physical fitness is thanks in part to the hours he spends working out, to combat the copious amounts of baked goods he eats."

Marcus tried to defend himself, "Listen, I am not that bad. In fact, I have you to know, I have seriously cut back. I only visit Jules' bakery three times a week now."

"You visit Jules' bakery three times a week?" Layne asked in shock. "So you two know each other already?"

Jules was shaking her head and Damon was looking confused. "Who knows each other? The Angel and I? Why would we know each other?"

"Well, you said you visit Jules' bakery three times a week" Layne said, "So, I just assumed you two knew each other."

Marcus, looked down at the boxes, and for the first time realized they were from Jules' Bakery. "Oh my gosh! These are from Jules' Bakery! You must work there!" He grinned at the woman that now seemed even more like an angel.

"Well," Jules laughed. "I guess you could say I work there. Hello. My name is Jules" she winked and held out her hand to Marcus.

"You're the Jules." Marcus said, as he shook her hand. "The very Jules who created the Four Nut Peanut Butter Cookies?!"

"The one and only," Jules replied, a smile lighting up her face. "Those happen to be my favorite thing to not only make, but my favorite treat to eat."

Damon looked over at Layne and whispered "This is going to end in a marriage."

Layne could not help but hope it ended in more than just one marriage. She smiled at Damon, and mentally told the butterflies in her stomach to calm down. Too bad she could not reach inside, and scare the butterflies off with a stick. She knew, beyond any doubt, she was in over her head, and for once she did not care. She liked it. She liked these feelings, and she certainly liked Damon. 

To be continued....

I hope you like where the words are taking Layne, Damon, and their friends. Now, go grab some coffee/tea/water, get comfortable, and meet me over at the rest of this month's Use Your Words posts. I will meet you there promptly after I get a refill of coffee.

Links to January's other “Use Your Words” posts:

Baking In A Tornado

Bookworm in the Kitchen

On the Border

Cognitive Script

Part-time Working Hockey Mom

Southern Belle Charm

Climaxed

The Blogging 911

Put Your Back Into It #FunnyFriday

Today’s post is December’s Funny Friday, a regular feature published on the last Friday of every month. This is the last one for 2017! 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’ve come up with. I hope we bring a smile to your face as you start your weekend.

Here’s today’s picture. It was submitted by Jules of The Bergham Chronicles ... Yep, that's me! :)

1. Gigi: You call that effort?!

Me through gritted teeth: Yesss.

Gigi: Effort smeffort. Put your back into it. Push!

Me, glaring: You are proof positive I know how to push well. Now, hush.

Gigi: But Ma, you told me to help you.

Me: We have different ideas of help.

2. Gigi: Dad, take my picture.

Chad: I am taking Mommy's picture.

Gigi: But I am cuter! *poses* See!

Chad: True. *takes pic*

3. Gigi: C'mon, Mom. You're acting like it is actually hard or something.

Me: It is hard.

Gigi: Not that hard.

Me: *grumbles and tries harder*

4. Me: How many was that, Gigi.

Gigi: Um. I don't know. I lost count.

Me: What?! You said you would count.

Gigi: I was busy posing for pictures.

Me: Pictures? Now? While I'm dying.

Gigi: Well, I think it was like forty eleventy nine seven.

Me: Sure. Sounds right to me.

5. We are blessed with these awesome parks here, that have awesome workout stations throughout. The machines are a mix of exercises. Some have weights attached, and some work with your own body weight. The best part, is thanks to our awesome weather, we can even use them in the Winter. I actually love working with them. I am not great at it, but I do try hard. Gigi, is a mild drill sergeant, but mostly she is just my biggest cheerleader. However, she does put me to shame. Serious shame. She is so strong and determined. She owns these machines. She is only four, so we have to be cautious, but man does she give it her all. In this particular picture, I was dying, probably more literally than I care to admit, and she was having a little posing fun off to the side. Chad was taking photographic evidence of my last minutes alive, and Gigi, who had just worked her butt off at like five machines, still had energy to get in some poses. Did I mention she puts me to shame?!!?

So, there you have it! Now, be sure you take a peek at all the other Funny Friday posts, and see how they captioned Gigi and I!! I will meet you there, right after I get more coffee. We are working hard at getting Gigi on a better schedule. Our schedule is iffy at best, and with us all being sick recently, it really got off track. Last night was night two (I am actually typing this is 9:03 pm of "last night"), and it went smoother than night  one. Night one when great, with one huge glitch. Gigi was asleep by 8:20 on the couch, but when Chad went to move her into bed, she woke up. Rather than going back to sleep, she stayed up. She did not go to sleep until after eleven, which means I was up until nearly 1 am. Nonetheless, I was up before 8, and had her up and moving before 8:30. So, we are on track. She has been asleep since just before 8:30, and the transfer to bed was smooth. So, fingers crossed. So, yes, I am probably sleep deprived and groggy, because changes in schedules are harder on me than her. SO, first coffee, than meeting you at the rest of the Funny Friday posts!! 

I hope you all have an amazing last weekend of 2017. I hope this year ends well for you all, and 2018 starts amazingly well. Hopefully, we will all have a fantastic 2018!! Just a heads up... I am joining in on the Blog With Friends post for January. Stay tuned for it, coming your way! I talk to you about resolutions! 

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

Cognitive Script
Southern Belle Charm
Bookworm in the Kitchen
Baking In A Tornado

Trapped in Love's Madness #SecretSubjectSwap

Welcome to December's Secret Subject Swap. This week ten 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: "You must be mad, coming here" Where are you and what is going on.  Why DID you come back?

It was submitted by:  http://www.southernbellecharm.com (Minette, I will simply say... I love you!!)

I have been doing these Secret Subject Swaps for a few years now, and I have had some interesting subjects. I have had some very challenging subjects, and some that the words just flowed nearly effortlessly. I have had some that made me dig deep, and some that I was able to stay light and fun with. I can honestly say, that was the hardest one I have ever received. I have read it so many times, and I am still at a total loss. The one thing that has gone through my head, is the Alice in Wonderland "We're All Mad Here" quote. So, imagine my surprise, when I decided to google this subject quote, and Alice in Wonderland came up.

So, now I will share a little secret with y'all. If you have followed my blog, and paid attention to my Facebook page, or know me... You have probably caught on, that the vast majority of kid movies that I have watched, I watched since being an adult. Many I watched since turning fifteen, but most all were since turning twenty. Kid movies just weren't a huge part of my childhood. So, I am in my thirties, and still watching certain classics for the first time. Well, I have not watched Alice in Wonderland yet. I do know the general story, though not the entire thing. I have heard some of the more famous lines. I do know most of the characters. 

I almost watched it a few years ago, when I watched The Wizard of Oz for the first time, but never got around to it. Oddly, I know Gigi has watched it, because she watched it with Chad a few months back. She seemed to really enjoy it. So, I guess I should sit down, and watch it with her. I wonder if I had already watched it, I would have struggled less with this subject. Okay, enough rambling, and here we go...

Trapped Again

I must be fully mad, coming back to you.

You hurt me enough the first time.

Then you hurt me even more the second time.

I did not think I would recover from that heartache,

but somehow I did.

I rose from the ashes of heartbreak, like a Phoenix.

I should know better.

I should be stronger.

Yet, here I am.

Back in your home, back in your arms.

I am not sure what the pull is you have on me,

but whatever it is, it is strong.

Stronger than my sanity.

Stronger than my willpower.

I love you so deeply, so madly.

I almost think I would rather be miserable with you,

than happy without you.

I am not sure I can ever truly be happy without you.

In some ways, you are happiness.

Maybe that is why you trap me so easily.

Maybe that is why I always come back to you.

Back to this madness that is us.

Back to this insanity that is you.

You make me happy.

You make me complete.

You give me such pleasure.

You give me such joy.

You make me laugh.

You make me crazy.

You and your love are forces to be reckoned with.

Maybe we should be apart.

Maybe we are completely wrong together.

Maybe I just don't care.

I love you.

I love your sense of humor.

I love your intelligence.

I love your heart of gold.

I love your fearlessness.

I love your taste in music.

I love your style.

I love your passion.

I love you so much, that I cannot even hold onto my anger.

I know it is just a matter of time, before you get restless.

I know it is just a matter of time, before you get tired of playing house.

I know it is just a matter of time, before you realize you don't want to settle down.

Then you will be gone again, and my heart will again be broken.

I know what is to come, and yet still I came back to you.

I must be completely mad, a lunatic for sure.

I never should have come back through your door.

I know this wasn't quite a direct approach to the subject, but it is what my brain did with it. I hope you enjoyed it! Do not forget to check out what subjects everyone else received, and how the wrote about them! I will meet you there, as soon as I get another cup of coffee. I am just now finishing this, less than an hour before it goes live for y'all to read, so trust me, I will be drinking TONS of coffee today!

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!! 

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

Baking In A Tornado

Cognitive Script

The Blogging 911

The Lieber Family Blog

Southern Belle Charm

Bookworm in the Kitchen

Never Ever Give Up Hope

Part-Time Working Hockey Mom

Climaxed