Thanksgiving

I am Thankful.
This time of the year is a great time to truly reflect on those things that we have to be thankful for. I have so many thankful moments. I try not to take my blessings for granted, but sometimes I think we get so wrapped up in the day to day that we forget what a blessed people we are.
Please remember my mother-in-law in your prayers. She is having a very hard time the past few days. David is trying to get one of her doctors to return his calls. He is not certain what route to take with her. When we came in last night she was laying in the hallway. When I walked in the front door all I could see were her feet and they were not moving. It gave me a scare. She seemed not to have anything broken, but she can’t walk. Fortunately the wheelchair that my mother had was at the church and David went and got it. That chair has saved several folks- and for those who knew my mother, you would know that would make her proud. We are beginning to believe that it might be her depression. Depression has so many symptoms, and it can certainly affect the physical. She is sleeping 16 hours a day, she is confused, and she can’t seem to put one foot in front of the other. David has certainly had his share of nursing duties in the past few months. MaMa had a horrible case of the shingles, and then walking pneumonia. Being the caregiver is a stressful job.
In happier news, the kids Christmas picture adventure was a success. The pics are very good, and EVERYONE was cooperative. Levi and Hannah acted as if though they knew just what to do!
I am thankful for all of you.

Blogging Bullets

Blog Bullets

I know that I have been negligent on my Blog duties, and I apologize. I am going to Blog by Bullets to update-
· We had a great revival with David Powell
· David was in revival at the Oneonta Church this week. I managed to go every service. Now I am paying the price- I had to hunt clean undies this morning (is that TMI?)
· Lila is beautiful and such a sweet baby.
· Addi, Levi, and Hannah are wonderful. I can’t wait for the holidays.
· Paul did not pass his NBC this time- this was his first try. Since I am not a NBC teacher, I can’t personally attest to the process, but I do know from others that it is not a give away. We know he will make it this next time, especially since he has feedback and knows what area to key in on. We are very proud of Paul, and this is certainly not failure.
· Kim seems to be over her infection. We are ever thankful for that!
· I start a new internship class in a few weeks. I will have one student that has her doctorate and teaches at UAB. That will be interesting.
· Work is going well- it is always busy and interesting.
· I am looking forward to Thanksgiving. We should have a big crowd and lots of food.
· Addi played her last soccer game of the season last night. Her team won by a score of 3-1. She is turning into a good athlete. She really enjoys sports.
· David had to have a CAT scan, but all is well.
· I love you all!

Happy Birthday, Kim! Happy Birthday, Lisa!

Today is my daughter's 29th birthday. Bless her heart- she has been having a rough few days. She is fighting a staph infection, and of course with all of the publicity lately, that makes it even scarier. We are confident that all will be well, but we are also an impatient people that want things to be instant! I have always been the family "fixer", and when it is something that I can't fix, I feel bad. All that aside, I am thankful to God that 29 years ago he blessed me with my daughter. She is my heart. I love her so much, and I am very proud of her. She is no longer my little girl, but a grown woman with 3 children of her own, but in my heart she will forever be my first baby. I don't know how I got so lucky in this life to be so blessed. Thank you, God- You have blessed me more than I could ever deserve.
Today is also my oldest niece, Lisa's birthday. She has also been a very special part of my life. Her birth was one of my first real memories. I was so proud of her (and I still am!!!). Then when Kim was born on Lisa's birthday (Kim waited 3 weeks in order to hit the 28th!) that made October 28th even more special.
So, happy birthday to 2 special girls. May life grant you many, many years of birthdays!
I love you, both.

Cracious, Granna

Cracious, Granna- yes, I know it is Gracious, but Addi doesn’t. She informed me that she “speaks both English and Spanish”. I had the honor of taking care of Levi and Addi while Kim was in the hospital. They were really good, and overall both would have received an “A” in behavior. Levi pretty much entertains himself while he is at home. We cheated and watched some Sponge Bob, but Bob acted pretty good. Addi told me at least 50 times how much she “appreciated” me for keeping them. These accolades came in the form of:
You are the best Granna.
There’s no one else like you, Granna.
Thanks, Granna for helping us.
Thanks, Granna for washing my soccer uniform.
Thanks, Granna for fixing me some chocolate milk.
You're so sweet for doing laundry.
You're so sweet for buying me a milkshake.
The list goes on and on.
Right before Lila arrived home, Addi told me “Cracious”. I had tears in my eyes. That was the sweetest thank-you I ever received.
Lila is so sweet. I am so in love with her already. Addi and Levi have accepted her as if though they truly understand that she belongs to them. Hannah can already say her name (Hannah is an advanced talker for her age. She makes me think of Kim.). Lila will have plenty of folks that love her. How sad to think that any baby would not be wanted. Cracious, Addi, Levi, Hannah, and Lila, for being my sweet grandchildren!
Thanks, Paul, for updating my header photos!

Siblings and Family

I found myself thinking about Addi and Lila today, and wondering about their bond as sisters. Addi loves Levi, and he absolutely adores her, but having a sister is so special. Kim has brothers, and I don’t think for a minute that she would trade one of them in for a sister, but, in reality, it is different. I imagine that growing up she had moments when she would have liked to have had a sister in the mix. She has great sisters-in-law, so that is nice, and perhaps has helped to fill the sister void. I don’t know if boys have the same feelings about siblings as girls do- then again I would not know! I have a sister. She is special. I hope that Lila loves Addi as much as I love my sister. I love my brother, but I need my sister. Addi and Lila will be such great friends, I just know. Life will hold many adventures for them. Please remember Kim and Lila this week. We are on the home stretch, and things are looking great. We are thankful for an uneventful pregnancy, and this time next week we hope to be giddy in love with our newest grandchild!

Childhood Memories

Okay, if you read this, you are tagged to list your 20 favorite childhood memories. Childhood is considered age 12 and under. I had fun thinking back to some of these events. I could have listed many more. I think I had a good childhood. I had people that loved me, and that means the most.

20 Favorite Childhood Memories

1. Snow cones at decoration day at Freewill Cemetery
2. Becoming an aunt at the ripe old age of 8 (almost 9)
3. Watching the Red Mountain Fireworks in the front yard with Daddy
4. Setting mousetraps on the stove (yes, on the stove) and turning the lights out and watching for the mouse to take the cheese (using the pilot light for night vision!), also with my Daddy
5. Mother buying me a bicycle for no reason
6. Barbie Dolls and the shoe box of Barbie and Ken clothes that Patsy made me one Christmas- I especially loved Barbie’s blue corduroy coat with the little buttons
7. Chatty Cathy Doll
8. Going to Kresses in North Birmingham to buy crayons and coloring books
9. The North Birmingham Library
10. The Lewisburg Skating Rink
11. Spend the nights with Cathy or Teresa, or Cathy and Teresa
12. Going to spend the night with Aunt Willie Ross and Norma Jean
13. Fresh Air Farm Summer Camp
14. The Girls Club
15. The Fultondale Swimming Pool
16. Going cave exploring with my brother
17. Fairmont School
18. Mrs. Self reading the class, “No Time for Sergeants”
19. Getting my ears pierced
20. New school clothes and “Merry Moc” Penny Loafers from the Sears Catalog (new clothes were not an every day thing in my childhood. My first day of school dress was beautiful- a plaid dress with a yellow pinafore made by my sister. I will try to post a photo!)

The "List"

Well, it is official, Mary is on the liver transplant "list". This is not exactly the kind of list that one would want to be on, but it is a list of hope. We are very optimistic that Mary will get a liver, soon, and that she will be able to resume an active, healthy life. She has many years ahead of her, and she needs to feel good, and not have to itch herself to death!
Please keep Mary in your prayers. Add her to your prayer list at church. We know the power of the Almighty, and we are confident that Mary will be fine.

How I wish.....

In just over three weeks, the Good Lord willing, baby Lila will join our family. I am, as with the past three, excited to welcome this little one to our family. I can’t help but to think about the people that I wish could be here to welcome her, especially my mother and Lila Mae. How proud they would both be. My mother loved her grandchildren beyond words. She hung on every bit of news about their lives. She was so proud of their accomplishments, and she surely thought they were all beautiful. Mother was proud of Kim, and was so excited that she had met such a nice young man. She so wanted to be at their wedding, but that was not meant to be. The song about “holes in the floor of heaven” is a sweet song. I don’t know how Heaven works, but in my heart I want to think that Mother knows the good parts of our lives. I want her to know about Addi, Levi, and Hannah. I want so to share their cute stories with her, and yet I can’t. She would find them to be even smarter than her own grandchildren! Lila Mae loved my children so much. She would be honored that Kim and Paul have chosen to honor her by naming this new child, Lila. So, Baby Lila, Granna is waiting. I pray for your safe arrival for both you and your sweet mother. I am eager to smell the sweetness of a newborn, to hold you in my arms, and to look at the future through your eyes.

New Sister/Cousin Shirts

I am going to try to post some pics of Addi and Hannah's shirts I made. Levi's is blue, without bows, of course. I think they are cute- even if I did them myself!
P.S. After I put the photos on, Hannah's shirt looked as big as Addi's- it is really a size 2, I promise!

Art Linkletter Should Have Met Addi

Well, Paul posts all the cute sayings, but I am going to beat him on this one.
Yesterday David and myself and all the kids and grandkids met for lunch at Barnhills. We had a great time. As we were finishing lunch, Addi told Kim that she needed to go to the bathroom. Kim told her to wait just a minute, to which Addi replied that she would go by herself. Kim told her that she would not go by herself, and stated, “You can’t go to the bathroom by yourself, someone might try to get you.” To which Addi replied, “If anyone tries to get me, I will tell them that I already have an owner.” How funny.

Happy Birthday, Josh!

Happy Birthday, Joshua David Courington. It seems hard to believe that 26 years ago I was at St. Vincent’s wondering what to do with a little boy! We were so proud of you then, and we still are today. This birthday means that you are ½ as old as me- the only time that will happen unless I live to be 104 years old! Who knows????? May God Bless you with many birthdays.

Do I Make You Proud?

Taylor Hicks began his reign as the American Idol by singing,
”Do I Make You Proud?”, a song that he admittedly did not like, but I did. I got to thinking about my children, and boy, do they make me proud. Kim, Paul, Josh, Katie, Daniel, and Mandi….all so active for God. Kim and Paul, teaching and working with Lads to Leaders, Josh and Katie, also teaching and working with Bible Bowl and other good works, Daniel and Mandi, working with the church at Glencoe. David had the opportunity to spend some time with both Josh and Daniel at Polishing the Pulpit- because they were there. Josh had worked a hard day, yet he still found time to do something good. Daniel made the trip to Birmingham 2 days, and Mandi came after school one of those days. They have such good hearts. I know, the Lord willing, that I have sons and a son-in-law that will one day serve as Elders in the church. How wonderful that I don’t have to worry about them frequenting bars, or other places where so many other young adults find their “place” in life. I love you all.

Arky Update

As some of my 3 devoted readers may remember, I blogged about Arky, the Arkadelphia exit dog, many months ago. Arky was the big black dog standing on the side of the Arkadelphia Road exit. When I moved back to the new school, in September of last year, on the first morning there stood Arky (the name I gave him- I bet he has 10,000 names that others have given him). Well, today is August 29, 2007, and Arky is still there. How can a dog survive a year on an interstate???? He is so fat that he waddles. This morning he had pizza, biscuits (he has biscuits EVERY morning- up to 10 or 12), several containers of water (which he never seems to knock over- I guess he has learned the value of water during the drought), endless donuts, left-overs, and you name it. He goes into the shrubbery until the light changes to red, and then he comes out to see what has been left. He has become very picky, only eating what he really likes- I have noted that on bacon, egg, and cheese biscuits that he will open the biscuit and eat the bacon and egg but leave the cheese. The other morning as I came up the ramp I saw an Alabama State Trooper car pulled over- my first thought was that something had happened to Arky- wrong thought. The trooper was out feeding and watering Arky. I am amazed that some radical animal lover has not reported his hiding place to some animal organization. I hope people continue to leave Arky alone. He may get hit by a car tomorrow, but he is living the high life today. Even the grass mowers just move his water bowl and food when they mow. If you have a chance, check him out. He is truly a “Wonder-Dog”!

Primary biliary cirrhosis

Yesterday Mary had her port removed. The treatments did not help. She will go on the transplant list within the next week or so. They have told her that she has to be within 45 minutes of the hospital, and she will be on call 24/7. It is a scary time, but also a time of hope. How fortunate that we live near UAB where they are experts as liver transplants. Mary's condition is so rare, that they have only done 4 transplants for this same disease. Our family has certainly had their share of "rare" liver problems.As most of ou know, Kim suffered from AFLP (Acute Fatty Liver in Pregnancy), which is also very rare. I had a virus attach my liver several years ago, but fortunately I recovered. Obviously Mary is not blood related to Kim or me, and what Kim and I had was certainly not related, but all this liver stuff is scary.
Please remember Mary in your prayers. She is brave and strong, and that is to her favor. Also, the reality is, someone must die and donate, and that is a scary thought. Below is an excerpt about PBC.
(PBC) is a disease characterized by inflammatory destruction of the small bile ducts within the liver. PBC eventually leads to cirrhosis of the liver. The cause of PBC is unknown, but because of the presence of autoantibodies, it is generally thought to be an autoimmune disease. Other etiologies, such as infectious agents, have not been completely excluded. PBC has a worldwide prevalence of approximately 5/100,000 and an annual incidence of approximately 6/1,000,000. The prevalence and incidence appear to be similar in different regions of the world. About 90% of patients with PBC are women. Most commonly, the disease is diagnosed in patients between the ages of 40 and 60 years.

Choosing Cheerfulness

Well, it is Saturday and I have been busy washing, cleaning, hemming pants, and mending rips.
David and I went to Polishing the Pulpit last night, and we enjoyed it. I went to 2 ladies classes, and during the second one, Becky was there so I enjoyed her company. We don't spend much time together, anymore. Melony Webster spoke on choosing cheerfulness. I needed to hear that one. I have needed it today. We are so blessed, and yet sometimes we let things overshadow all the good.
I need to go vacuum the pool, so I may do that. I have also read all my daily blogs. It is nice to keep up with everyone, and to read what they have on their minds and in their hearts. It is kind of like reading someone's diary- only one they have edited, I am certain. If not my first 2 paragraphs would have been full of much more detail, if you know what I mean.
Have a great weekend, and be CHEERFUL!

Tidbits

Well, the first full week of school is behind me, and I have spent the last 3 days in training. We have a new circulation system, and I am here to tell you that I am about brain dead from the training. We spent 3 SOLID days, and the information was OVERLOAD. I really don’t know if I remember anything. I guess it will be one of those learn as you go type things. I had to do some programming with HTML language- something I have NEVER done, so that was a challenge (and also unbelievable that it was required considering this program set B’ham City Schools back MANY dollars). Our old program was only 2 years old, but the company bailed and we were basically left with a skeletal program. Oh well, enough of that.
Tonight we went to Golden Rule in Irondale to eat. About the time we got our drinks the lights went out because of lightning. David and I had food- but everyone else was just waiting. We actually ate in the dark. David went and got a flashlight right toward the end. It was interesting. We truly could not see what we were putting in our mouths. Everyone was using their cell phones to try to see. How funny!!
We have a funeral to go to tomorrow. Some people that come to church at Sylvan Springs had a 20 year old son to die. He had a bicycle wreck and they thought he was okay. Apparently he had gone to bed and they went to check on him some time later and he was blue. They called the paramedics and when they got there he had a faint pulse. They carried him to the hospital but he died. He was their only child (not that that makes any difference), and I know this is a tremendous shock to them.
Tomorrow is also sweet, baby Hannah’s big first birthday party. That should be fun. She is getting so big. Wednesday night she was walking every where. She is still a little wobbly, but she is about to overcome that. My bed calls…..I am getting old.

Mary, Mary, not contrary!

My sister-in-law, Mary had a port put in today so that she can take some medication to hopefully relieve her itching. For those that may not know, Mary has a liver condition that is going to eventually require a transplant. We are hopeful that it might be some long years down the road, but some of Mary’s problems, and blood work numbers indicates that the problem may have worsened some since it was last checked. Mary has taken some medications that may have caused the numbers to worsen. Have you ever noted that every single drug advertisement says something like…”Don’t take this drug if you have liver problems.” Some of the drugs that Mary has taken to TRY to get relief from the itching might be culprits in making the numbers higher, as well. I don’t know if any of you out in Blog Land have ever itched- but I have. It is not like a mosquito bite- it is sheer torment. Back before the doctors realized my gallbladder was bad (anyone else out there had this misdiagnosed????), I almost itched myself to death. As a matter of fact, at one point I spent 5 days in the hospital on a Benadryl drip (boy was that a trip!). I can sympathize with Mary. While I don’t think I know what she is going through to the extent that it is, I know it is more than just itching. I also know that Mary is being very brave. She is smiling, and laughing, and well, just being Mary. What she is actually facing is very serious. I love Mary. I don’t think the 2 of us have ever had a cross word. If we have, I don’t remember it (so don’t remind me, Mary!). So, all you Bloggers, pray for Mary. She is trying to work, but it is hard. She has no sick days, and she is the “insurance” carrier in the family. Hopefully she will feel better in a few days. I love you, Mary!

So Disappointed

I am not a huge fan of reality television, but I do love "Little People, Big World." As a matter of fact, I know too much about these people. I love Amy- she is so real. I love it that she is always loading the dishwasher, and that the laundry is all over the house. The kids are so messy, it seems real. They also fuss and fight. Molly, the only girl, stands her ground with the 3 brothers. Matt's parents crack me up- especially when his dad says, "I have had it up to here with these dwarf people!" The kids attend a private, church-related school. Amy worries about money (although I believe those problems have been taken care of by the income from the show), and Matt is always starting projects (some he finishes, some he doesn't). Well, the other day, Matt was arrested for DUI. I am crushed. I feel like my cousin committed a crime. Matt- what were you thinking???? You know your little body will not tolerate much alcohol. You already have a hard time driving a vehicle- and then you add alcohol to the mix. Shame on you, little person. You have disillusioned me with your awful act. What if you had an accident and left Amy to fend for herself, or worse yet, what if you have hurt someone else! You need to be ashamed little person.....As Gomer would say...."Shame, Shame, Shame!"

I also read that this was not his first arrest- he was arrested in 03 but underwent an alcohol program.

For All You Moms Out In Blog Land

I blog hopped to this site. Check out some of the cute items. Addi, Levi, Lila, and Hannah may get something off of this site for the holidays. I liked the white with the blue snow flakes. I thought it might be something they could wear all winter, perhaps. Kim, Katie, and myself will have to look through and pick something out. It is August 1st and I am thinking about Christmas.
Also, Happy Birthday to my "baby", Daniel, who is 23 today. Poor thing- he is celebrating in Gatlinburg. Addi was worried about Daniel just being with Mandi on his birthday. She has a big party mentality. So sweet.

http://www.babyfacedesign.blogspot.com/

He fought hard....

Baby Chandler lost his hard fought battle a little after 11 last night. The infection in his tiny body was just too much for him to overcome. He struggled his whole life, but had made some progress up until last week.
The family needs prayer at this time. It has been a very emotional and physically draining situation.