What the Heck Have I been doing?

 On of the biggest things that has finally been knocked off my To Do list (for now) was to finish up with all the poking, probing, and tests the Dr's. had ordered. So I have this pile of machines I have to take with me wherever I go and record whatever my body is doing, grrr Seeing how's we are going on a quick trip and the fact that I think I deserve a special treat for all the not so fun testing over the past two weeks, I bought myself a new bag :) Everything fits perfectly inside and its really cute, so much better than the yucky bags they all came in!!

 I was also SUPER busy helping DD#1 host her first ever essential oils workshop. There were bags to make, recipe cards, labels for the bottles, the bottles themselves, the list was LONG.

 In and out of soooo many stores finding cute useful things her ladies would need when they started mixing their lotions and potions.

 All that running around in this HEAT!!!!! UGHHHH
She had her workshop last night with 9 ladies. Everything was perfect :) The ladies all had a blast and are looking forward to her next workshop. Seeing as how one of the BIG no no's for me is being around too many different opened essentical oils at one time I spent the evening sitting on her back porch. Nothing like being the yard dog in 100 degree temps. Oh what we do for our kiddo's but it was worth it.

 I between all the ripping, running, and creating I finally finished the second quilt I HAD to have completed today. After a spin in the washer and dryer all that was left to do is look for tiny loose threads.

 It's so soft an cuddly. If it wasn't over 100 degrees I might just break it in with a early evening nap

 This is as close as this finished quilt is going to get to the clothesline. Honey its HOT outside!!!

That's the Good, the Bad, and now for the Ugly. I spent most of the day Sunday getting fruits, veggies and such cut up. Made a few picnic sorta sides as well. One of the main sides our SIL's and hubby wanted for Fathers Day was a pan of cheesy potatoes. Just as they gang arrived the timer went off on the oven, perfect. I turned the oven off but left the potato's inside so they would be nice and warm when dinner hit the table.
As hubby and I were kicked back in our chairs enjoying the peace and quite after all the big and little kids left I remembered that stinkin pan of potato's was untouched still sitting in the oven!!!!

A mind is a terrible thing to lose :)

Today was one of those days. Not one single thing went right. Of course this only happens when you have no time to spare :( Rather than give up I just dug in and carried on. Hubby and I are on the road in the AM before the sun comes up to visit his family in IL. So excited to see everyone we are so far from.
Looking forward to an uneventful trip!!!

DIY Fathers Day

Hubby has been saying for awhile now that he wanted Bill O'Rielly's set of documents. I finally ask him last week where in the heck would he hang them? His response "In my office" BINGO!!!! While I do like each and every one of them they just wouldn't fit in my decor :) There are 4 in the complete set of course he wanted them all. With myself and our DD's getting one each for him he would be all set. Figured I could knock Fathers Day gift off my to do list quick and easy, that is until I saw the price $69.95 each. OUCH What's a thrifty Nanny to do? I ordered the documents only $19.95 :) We figured we could each use a 50% off coupon to purchase our frames then have a Mommy DD's craft day to pull it all together.

Total cost of supplies $135.00, not too bad. Had we ordered the documents already framed and shipped it would have been over $280.00. While ours might not be as professional as the ones in the on line store they are not bad at all

Mommy DD's days also include 5 little ones with sticky hands, hungry bellies, and more energy than the Ever Ready Bunny. My nerves just couldn't take it :) I completed them all yesterday morning on my own, the DD's can hand over a check to cover their part of the cost. The deed is done with no blood shed!!

 My afternoon and evening was filled with these buggers. Blake's new favorite thing to do is flip over the kitchen stools, UGH You would think he wouldn't like the LOUD bang they make when they fall, you would be wrong. In his 12 month old world that is the best part.

 

I just happened to catch this photo of Kara as the second stool was coming down. Happy to report it missed her. The stools have been relocated to the other side of the gate. I can only take so much no matter how happy it might make Tater Tot.

Before the kiddo's arrived I was able to get in some quilting. If I can hold up my head after they leave today I should be able to move forward with some help from that trusty crock pot.

 

Off to the races, I need to pick up the grands, make a run to the grocery, and a stop off at the playground before the temps hit 100 degrees again today

 

 

Thank Goodness for Health Insurance!!

 Honey it's HOT outside!!!! I wasn't in the mood to hang out in the sun at our local farm picking up veggies today. An air conditioned grocery store was a better option for me :) We do have a few things to pick from the garden right now, Swiss Chard, Cucumbers, and Squash. Our lettuce kicked the bucket this week in this excessive heat.

 Another stop on my errand list today was to pick up this mess :( After months of Dr. visits, tests, going above and beyond with a healthy diet my blood sugar levels are all out of whack, grrr  Our family Dr suggested until I get use to poking myself it might be easier for hubby to do the deed. After almost 40 years or marriage hubby now has the green light to draw blood!! I hope he doesn't enjoy it too much :)

 All this running around testing, and feeling like dodo has put me so far behind on things I MUST get done. This quilt being one of the many must do's. This afternoon I will be sitting at my fancy machine.

With the bad there is always good!!!! OK, maybe good is and overstatement now that this bugger can get up the steps quicker than lightning. Unless I have back up he is now gated in the kitchen and playroom with me. While he can't talk yet believe you me he lets me know in no uncertain terms he is not happy with that gate.

We really and truly love our family Dr. as well as the specialist I have been seeing for the past 15 years. We are all on the same page when it comes to prescription or OTC drugs. Throwing a pill at whatever is going on health wise is a last resort. During the process over the past few month's I have worked closely with them to incorporate essential oils into my health and wellness plan. So far so good!!!! I would NEVER suggest anyone jumping on the essential oil band wagon without a Dr.'s OK While the majority of essential oils are safe for most people they are powerful, Enough said :)

Nothing like adding a crazy bunch of medical equipment to my daily schedule but........If it can help the Dr.s find a good solution for all these nutty things going on in my body I am all in (Crap)

As it stands right now everything seems to be pointing to the brain disorder I have. Hooking up to machines, keeping a log of those results along with every single thing that passes my lips for the next 30 days might be of some help. Along with all of that they have done a DNA test that might give them a clue as to what will help keep me Rockin and Rollin.

One of the many nice things about having our Papaw around the house is he is pretty good at recognizing odd little things that I don't give a second thought too. One example is lights. I didn't realize I had gotten back into the habit of not using lights until or unless it is really dark. Noise...Lord it drives me nuts, once again that is an important clue on this road to health.

I am soooo thankful for so many things each and every day. Today big on my thankful list is our Health coverage.

Time to belly up to that sewing machine

Officaly Summer

 Tyler decided last week he wanted to spend a few days with Papaw and I now that school is out. Of course we know that AJ the Beagle is the biggest draw :) Those electronic games he wants to play 24/7 dive me right up the wall!!!! So I put him to work. He enjoyed working in the kitchen and of course eating the cookies and food was pretty nice too.

 In the evenings Papaw kept him busy in the garden planting and weeding.

 I had a nice pile of pillowcases we are giving Elijah to donate to the children's hospital where he is receiving his treatments so I put the bugger to work loading them in zip lock baggies.

 I think we had 40 in total when all was said an done.

 Tater Tot's Mommy gave him a SHORT hair cut last week :) Our temps are hovering in the 100's, way to hot for all that hair he had. He and Papaw enjoyed some lemon aide at Kara's final game of the season Saturday. So THANKFUL they had the 9:00AM game!!! Honey it's hot outside!!!!

Kara was super excited to get her T-Ball trophy after the game Saturday. Mommy is going to have to find some sort of summer activity for her to burn off all that energy now that the season in over!!!!

It's been a whirlwind of activities this past week with the end of the school year going ons, I am ready for some quite time!!!!

Hubby and I skipped out on Sunday family time to drive around looking at more property for his retirement mini farm. The big kids carried on without us enjoying a few hours at DD#1's pool followed by dinner. LOVE THAT!!! We so want our big kids to carry on what we think is one of the most important traditions for our family, Sunday dinner.

Today I'm off for another round of Dr. visits, booooo followed by a day of FMQ that needs to be completed super fast!!! I am trying really hard not to complain about the heat wave we are having, holy moley!!!!

Happy Mail

 Soooo excited to have this box dropped off on the front porch today

 Lots of goodies for whipping up lotions and potions

 One of the things that has been making me a bit nuts is digging around on my oil cart looking for the right oil I want to use to mix up something special. I have to pick up each one to see the label, of course the one I want seems to always be the last one I touch.

 One of the many things included in the box are these oil labels for the tops of the bottles. Love this!! No more digging around looking for the right oil.

 While I can get glass bottles with assorted tops at our local health food store they are pricey!!!! As in over $5.00 each. The cost for these? $1.10 each, that is savings  well worth the cost of shipping

 Our grands love their nite nite oils blends, the Mommy and Daddy's are pretty happy too :) I couldn't pass up these purple/pink for the girls and green roller balls for the boys

 These little roller balls also cost over $5.00 each at one of our local stores, cost on line? $.75 cents each

 I'm not sure if these little bottles will do the job or not. I had thought home made hand sanitizer for our purses but now that I have them in my hot little hands they seem way too tiny.

 The most exciting of all is this cute little bag that holds up to 10 oils/blends. Perfect for throwing in my bag to take along at ball games, parks, or picnics with the family.

The bag is nice and durable and even more importantly I can throw it in the wash when it gets dirty!!

If you haven't guessed by now I have the oil bug bad :) As I have been mixing up our lotions and potions I realized they are not so easy to tote around. This little bag might be just the ticket. I can have some of our favorite little first aid oils or blends with me wherever we might go.

I have been shocked at hubby's reaction with this new adventure in the oily world, he is ALL in :) What won him over? A good nights sleep using that handy dandy room diffuser. He is loving opening our kitchen cabinet that holds our  first aid items and pulling out something home made. It's a bit hard to hold back on my buying when I have the man sitting in his recliner saying "Buy some more"!! Ha

I have a nice size list of oils I would like to try but until I run them by my Dr. they are a no go. I am so sensitive to foods, smells, OTC drugs and such that there is just NO WAY I will take a chance on the health successes I have worked so hard to achieve over the past 14 years!!!!!

There is a part of me that wants to share some of the blends I have mixed up for our family but.....I am afraid someone would try something out that could make them sick :( Really and truly I think essential oils have a place in our home but it takes a TON of research, in my case also working with my Dr. before I try anything new.

Today is the last day of the school year!!! The grands and our DD's are excited to have the next two months off. I am wondering how I will stick to any sort of schedule or To Do lists with the sweet little buggers in and out this summer. Tyler has decided he wants to kick off his summer vacation with a mini vacation with hubby and I. We think the main draw is AJ the Beagle. Tyler is so lonely after the loss of his best buddy Cody Jackson. He couldn't wait to go to bed at his last sleepover with us so he could cuddle up with the beagle :)

Are You His Mommy?

 So...remember that unexpected  right turn into the bookstore parking lot I told you about? Here is one of the "I had no idea I NEEDED books" that jumped into my arms. It's a beautifully illustrated book with tons of photo's of cozy Tiny homes. Lots and lots of photo's!!! My hubby is not much of a reader...that might be a good thing as I have such a love of books, we really can't afford two readers in one home. However hubby does love him some picture books :) He is all over the Dr. office looking for the latest copy of "Highlight's" I have hopes that this picture book will help him visualize the adventure he thinks we need at retirement. I think it's a good investment for our marriage.

 The next book to jump in my hands was this little jewel. While on this retirement "dream" he has for us I am the one who is always calculating numbers in my head.  I like water, I drink lots and lots of water, how much does a well to pump water cost? When you drink a lot of water you need to go potty. I don't mind popping a squat in the woods every now and them but not on an every day basis, certainly not at night!! We live in the South, have you ever heard the old saying "A skeeter will bite your buns"? Ya, it can happen. What about a road to get to this secluded hide away in the woods. I nor hubby have ever been hikers. Who pray tell is going to backpack that 6 pack of beer you will want to sip while enjoying all that Mother Nature has afforded us? Not me!!!! I will be too busy looking for a safe place to potty. I have high hopes this book will wake the dream boy up a little.

 While hubby is driving me NUTS in his search for the perfect place to park our old butts in retirement for a little getaway every now and then I am in search of ways to save our Livers :) Ain't nobody got time for land hunting when they are learning a safe way to get toxins out of our bodies.

I get down right giddy when I pull these oils from their tube :) I need to do a whole heck of a lot of research on using oils in a healthy way. I have no time to be wondering around in the woods looking for the promised land. I need to add tick and chigger bites to my list of research. Until hubby finds his oasis in the woods I have a feeling we are going to be munched on by many yucky things :(

Why the books for my man's retirement idea you might ask? So maybe, just maybe I won't have to be his Mommy!! Too many times during the almost 40 years of our marriage I fall into the Mommy of hubby roll, it makes me nuts.

My man makes the money. I make sure to hang on to that hard earned money the best I know how for as long as I can. I feel like I land in the Mommy roll when I constantly remind him of all the extra costs involved in some of his wants, needs, and got to haves. I HATE that!!

Creative Decluttering

I haven't posted a grocery trip for a long time. When I ran out yesterday to deliver goodies for Goodwill and Serenity house I hit the farmer down the street to pick up a few things. We are over run with lettuce from the garden right now but nothing on tomatoes and cucumbers. Couldn't pass up on the corn, Kale, and watermelon. All this home grown goodness for $4.50!!

As I was finishing up in my closet I figured I would do a clean sweep around the bathroom. I had these mostly empty lotion and potion bottles around our tub. Glass containers for our oil mixes are a bit costly, why no use what I have on hand that are doing nothing more than collecting dust....well they also looked pretty cute too :)

 After lots of soaking and scrubbing I now have a nice supply of bottles for mixing essential oil recipe's

 Today's big project was to clean up the sewing/scraproom. To keep me company I enjoyed some essential oil U Tube video's. Time flew by, in just over an hour I had things back in shape. One of the many interesting things that peaked my interest while enjoying the video's was Bed Bug spray.

As you know hubby does lots and lots of travel, he never gives it a second thought of what might be lurking in that bed. Me......Lord it creeps me out. I always have a big old can of Raid in my suitcase. The headboard and under the bed gets a good spray before I can lay my head down!!!! I know commercial bug spray is not good for us but finding a bug in the bed would give me a  heart attack, I was willing to take my chances :)

NO MORE!!! So excited to have some home made non toxic bed bug spray for our next road trip!!! It's super easy.

1/2 cup distilled water
6 drops of Thieves essential oil

All we have to do now is shake the bottle and spray, LOVE that!!!

One of the big problems in the sewing/scraproom is there are just too many projects piled up waiting in the wings. In and effort to declutter AKA have some fun, I pulled out a See and Say quilt kit I bought way back when. My plan was to make it for the grands to have at our house. I still need to add a border around it but that will have to be another day as dinner needed to get on the table.

It feels like a hundred pounds has been lifted off my shoulders now that my closet and craft room are back in order!! One of the next pressing clean ups is my PC, UGH!!!

I need to get the junk e-mails to stop, what a pain. I also have way too many web sites I have saved for just a tiny bit of info, recipes, tips, and tricks. That one will take the longest I'm sure!!! I have a legal pad sitting beside me to jot down info I want to hang on to, once I get the info documented I can hit the delete button. My goal is to clean out 10 each day.

Of course that will lead to another issue of what to do with all those info notes :) I am feeling another planner or two will be on my shopping list soon.

On the To Do for today

Clear out 10 PC sites/files
Sandwich/pin a quilt
Make up a lotion/potion for my elbow/wrist issues
Read!!!

As I drove by our local bookstore this morning my car took an unexpected right turn right into the parking lot!! Don't you hate it when your car does things like that? Silly car seems to have a mind of its own. Figured the only thing to do was wonder around inside since I was already there. I mean really who needs to waste gas right? I had nothing in particular I was looking for but....Low and behold I ran into two books that I had no idea I really and truly needed :) More on that in tomorrow's post.

Well don't you know I found an additional book that just might be helpful in our essential oils journey to rid ourselves and home of more toxic junk. Who knew a right turn into a parking lot would be such a great and badly needed adventure.

Closet Clean Out

 My closet seems to be the dumping ground for so many things. Maybe because it is located in our bathroom it gets a lot of abuse. I also use my closet to store OTC meds, health and wellness stuff, first aid, and a some cleaning supplies. I must admit many times I tend to be the dumper.  Sometimes when I bring things home that should be put away in the containers way up on the high shelves I do the dump thinking I will get to it later, too busy right now :) My closet is a walk in but its a tiny walk in. Way back when it was the latest and greatest. Now days the builders are making closets as big as my kitchen!! No thanks, I know me!! I would fill that sucker to the brim in no time flat.

The only way for me to truly do a clean out is to drag everything out in the open. This pile on the bed is from one side of the closet.

 After giving this side a good vacuuming and mopping everything worth keeping is back in place. Tops and Capri's are together on the top and bottom. Short dresses then long dresses in the back. I wear dresses most of the time in the summer.  I have a LOT of them. I was too lazy to try on the dresses. I know they all fit but some are not as flattering as others. I plan on making a point of ditching the ones I don't like as the summer moves along. I think it's a good plan....seeing as how I skipped a shower, therefor no boobie holder was worn, I knew things just wouldn't hang right if you know what I mean :)

 The back side of the closet is where my Nanny wear is housed along with winter shirts and sweaters. I HATE winter clothes!!!!!! Winter finds me in jeans and tee shirts for the most part. If I need to go out "dressed" a summer tank top with a sweater works for me. I think it's and age thing, I often get HOT!!!!

 After a good clean on this side my comfy winter/Nanny clothes are back in place.

 On to the middle shelf that gets the most abuse. It's all nice and clean. All the stuff that was dumped is covering the bathroom counters. That's a job for the evening when hubby is home to drag down the tubs I store things in :)

 I hate tight bands around my wrists!!!!! For years I thought I was just an odd ball. Now I know it's part of a sensory disorder. I didn't have many in the closet to begin with but now they are all gone. Who needs stuff that makes them crazy?

 This pile of things has been folded and bagged to donate at a later date as I am trying to stay at home for as many days as I can get away with!!!

 One of the many things that was junking up my closet was toiletries hubby collects for me when he travels. I should sort them when he returns home but I don't :) In my defence we are usually so busy trying to catch up on two man jobs, getting in much needed little and big kiddo time for him, and getting him settled back in that there is no extra time to spare. I sorted out some bar soap for our own use, then put it in the tub that it should have already been in.

The rest is sorted into gallon bags for charity. Soap, shampoo, conditioner, mouthwash, and lotion. Next time I leave the house I will deliver all of this to Serenity House. Serenity House is a Hospice type facility but run by all volunteers in a private home.

On for today...The dreaded sewing/scrapbook room. UGH!! It feels like a hopeless never ending chore cleaning up in there. Why oh why am I so messy?