I'm Back at My Post (no pun intended)

I'm back! A series of events has transpired which prevented me from blogging after my last post. Some good, some bad. First, I finally went to the doctor. I think I've already pretty well established that I'm on anti-depressants for severe depression. I've been unable to fall asleep, then when I do, I can't stay asleep. I toss and turn and wake up and then can't fall back asleep again. So I wait until I am bone tired before going to bed. My sleep pattern had turned around to where I was going to bed at 4am - 6am and sleeping till noon or 2pm. I'm a day person, and it made it seem like my day was only 8 hours or so long.

I also couldn't think clearly. I couldn't hold onto a train of thought. Before I got to what I was trying to say, I'd already forgotten what I was going to say. That was frustrating to say the least. I also felt like I'd lost a chunk of my vocabulary. I could not find the word I was looking for, to save me! Sometimes I'd finally come up with it, usually 20 minutes or so later after the conversation had taken a turn or two. But I'd put it out there, just in case anyone cared. Other times I never did think of the word I was searching for!

Also, I was more depressed, so I figured I either needed to have my dosage upped or the prescription changed to something entirely different. I'd had that happen before - a certain medication would work for 4, 5, even 8 years, then all of a sudden, it just stopped working for me. I'd begin getting more depressed and twice I checked myself into a mental health facility for what I used to call a 'nervous breakdown'. Don't get me wrong - I'm not crazy. Although there have been others who would say otherwise (and I'm not being 'cute' here, they seriously thought I was nuts. I'd just tell them, well, I'm on medication for my problems - what are you doing for yours?) I was just at a loss for coping with what life had dealt me.

So as I said, I went to the doctor looking for several different prescriptions. I was surprised to find out that he only gave me one - Abilify! The pill you take along with your antidepressant and it enhances it. The pharmacy wouldn't have it till the next day, so I waited, and looked it up online. Quite a few people said that it worked really fast for them - just a couple of days. So of course, I hoped for that for myself. All of a sudden on the 6th day, it hit me. I'd already gotten on a regular sleeping schedule from taking the Abilify at night - it helped me to fall asleep and it helped me to either stay asleep or fall back to sleep quickly if I woke up. When I woke up that 6th day, I had energy and I was able to plan out my day effectively, so I got lots done as opposed to wandering around in circles and getting little to nothing done.

That 6th day was on Monday, and I was scheduled to fly to Albuquerque, NM on Friday to help out for 6 weeks after my aunt had foot surgery. Six days before I was scheduled to go home, I got a call from my brother saying my mother had been in an accident and it appeared that she'd also had a stroke. So I left shortly thereafter and have been with Mom for about 4 weeks. We've gotten rid of a lot of clutter, cleared some shelves, and cleaned out her freezer.

Now I'm going home in 2 days and I can't wait.

Back to Real Blogging!

So, I've been cleaning up my blog a little bit and suddenly find that I've got 22 followers - how did that happen? Seriously, I'm stunned. And quite a bit embarrassed, to say the least. I haven't actually BLOGGED in 11 months! Well, let me start to update you! I think the last thing I told you is that I was to be a grandma! Let me introduce you to my little ray of sunshine! His name is Cole Carson, the middle name being for my younger son, now deceased. His middle name was Carson also. I was so surprised when they told me, I kind of cried. (I say 'kind of' because with the anti-depressant I'm on, it makes it very difficult for me to actually cry in most circumstances.) So here he is:



(well, blogger's little 'add a photo' button is NOT working for me, so I just cut-n-pasted this. hope it works.)

Yup, this one is the light of my life. What a joy! His momma says he's such a good little boy! He got a high fever along with diarrhea, so mom & dad took him to the ER. He was eventually admitted, then sent to TX Children's Hospital (right there in Houston; we're located just outside of Houston) and kept for several days. They thought he might have meningitis, so they did a spinal tap. I just stayed home & prayed. Figured I'd be more help there. As it turned out, it wasn't meningitis; they don't know what it was, but he went home & was fine.

Oh, and he was born 5-6 weeks early. Originally due 10/10/10, his mommy went into labor around the end of August. They gave her some steroid(s) to help his lungs develop better, then waited 2 days before doing a C-section. I have to tell you, when I saw them wheeling his little incubator down the hall, I ran out there before they could make the turn towards the nursery, so I could grab a photo. Let me tell you, when I could see his little face, he was the most beautiful baby I'd ever seen. I was literally shocked to notice that! I mean, everybody thinks their baby or grandbaby or niece or nephew - whatever - is beautiful. I know that. But I was totally unprepared for what I saw. I'd never seen such a beautiful baby. Both of my sons were C-section babies, but they were NOT this beautiful! Cole Carson, beautiful baby, was born on September 1st, 2010. A September baby, just like his grandma!

Holiday Fun - How Sweet It Is!

I'm playing in a wonderful contest to guess how many French mints are in a cookie jar they call it a cracker jar...semantics!) over at Make Mine Pink! You wanna know what I'm playing for? Go ahead, beg me! That's it, I love it! Okay, that's enough begging - I don't need much! I'm playing for a beee-yoo-tea-fulll, fabulous PINK hot cocoa set for two!!!!! (You probably already guessed before I said anything, didn't you? I know the photo was a dead give-away!)

So go over to Make Mine Pink and check it out - guess how many mints you think are in the cookie jar and follow the directions (CLOSELY!) on submitting your guess! It's that simple! I've already posted in my blog (obviously), so I'm already way ahead of the game - sometimes I surprise myself. I don't remember how I got the other photos on my blog before, other than using some html codes or something. But look at me now! I just went to the 'help' place on Blogger & found how to add an image and Voila! I did it! Now I can add pics of my beautiful grandson!

Now don't forget, make a guess and enter the contest. It ends Dec 6th, 2010 at 12:00MN EST. If I don't win it I hope you do! Good luck to all of us!

My guess is: 4,892 French mints in the jar!

Leslie Anne

P.S. Never mind any signs that this post may have been edited - I forgot to enter my guess! Whoops! LA

One of My Favorite Giveaways Yet!

I found a new blog, Blinkles Boulevard, along with an Etsy shop with the most wonderful things! Janee has created some scrumptious little marvels that just take my breath away, combining two of my favorite things - nature and miniatures! As greedy as I am, and as much as I hate to let more people in on a chance for something I really, really want, I can't NOT share this great blog with everyone! I'm hoping it's okay to take one of Janee's photos from her blog to share with you, to let you know how serious I am about this!



Look, look! Aren't they SWEET?!? I just love these!

A Renaissance

A renaissance has begun. I had to look up the word, to be sure it still meant what I'd thought it meant. You just can't be too sure these days. So many words that I grew up knowing the meaning of, now mean something totally different, if not the total opposite!

According to Answers.com, the dictionary definition of renaissance (as a noun) is "a rebirth or revival". Further, the thesaurus goes on to say "the act of reviving or condition of being revived: reactivation, rebirth, renascence, renewal, resurgence, resurrection, resuscitation, revitalization, revival, revivification."

Ok, as I thought/remembered. So, with the above in mind, it seems my family will be experiencing a renaissance, if you will. I am going to be a grandma. My son is going to be a father. He and his fiance'e are not yet married; they've been engaged for a number of years. He is 26 yrs old. When he came to me a week or two ago, he pulled me aside and asked me, "How would you feel about being a grandmother?" I knew then what was going on, and had the opportunity to keep my mouth shut, or perhaps at least guard the words that could come out of my mouth. But I chose instead to be honest with him. I told him I'd be pissed as hell. Those were my exact words. I wanted him to know that in no way did I support the idea of a child being born out of wedlock. However, I then told him that that baby would be loved unconditionally, as would he (my son) and his fiance'e.

I am a Christian and so is my son. My future daughter-in-law, I'm not so sure of. She says she is, but she had religion shoved down her throat by an over-zealous father & stepmother for a while, so she's kind of skittish about attending church. She does believe in the basic concepts however. At any rate, they' ve been living together, off & on, for a number of years as well. This goes against my beliefs & understanding of God's Word. I also believe that God hates the sin, not the sinner. Thank goodness for that, otherwise I'd be in trouble myself. So I don't condemn them, but I don't applaud their lifestyle either. At least they've chosen to get married. They do declare they love each other.

Now, understand that when my other son, Clint, died, I was not the only one affected. Everybody was. I only know how I felt. After six months, I went back to work and worked for 1-1/2 yrs. Then I was let go, when I was emotionally at a very low point. A month before being fired, I'd checked myself into the hospital on a Thursday and was discharged on Saturday. I was still a basket case, but able to function. (just saying that to let you know that they didn't let a loon go! More on that at a later date.) When I was let go, whatever self-esteem/ego I had was totally gone. That was my story. My remaining son and husband each had their own stories. My son had a good job and he was doing well at it. He'd quit high school before Clint died, then went on to get his G.E.D. But his brother's death left him devastated as well. He started acting out. On my birthday, just a week after Sept 11th (yeah, that was the year), he was fired. This was about 6 weeks after Clint died and I really didn't feel like going out, but it was a chance for DH & DS to focus on something other than Clint's death, and something they'd been looking forward to. My best friend, Kathy, and her husband, Mike were going with us to a favorite restaurant of mine. Well, DS's boss called me to tell me that they'd had to fire him, and why, and that he'd been pretty angry about it. That was just the beginning. But when he got home, we went on to dinner. DS was sweet. When someone mentioned that it was my birthday to a waiter, I quickly pulled said waiter aside and told him, look, I'm in mourning and I don't want a bunch of people I don't know to sing Happy Birthday to me. Let alone have the whole restaurant staring at me. So I'd squelched that idea. But when we left, the waiter discreetly handed me a box, telling me that my son wanted me to have a piece of birthday cake and ice cream. This boy could raise hell, then turn around and be the sweetest, most caring person on earth.

All that being said, said son has gone through a lot, dealing with his grief, self-blame (I know, I know, I told him it's not his fault, but what's in someone's head is in there till they're able to deal with it themselves, not just because someone tells you it's the wrong thing), as well as dealing with my problems and my husband's. So he's had a lot to deal with, as we all have.

So, back to the present. My son is having a baby! I wish it were under different circumstances. I wish they were both more prepared, in the financial department as well as in the maturity department. But then, I wonder. Did my mother have the same concerns when I announced I was pregnant?

I'm gonna be a grandma! There will be new goings-on in this household! My son is the last of the boys in this line of the family, so unless he has a boy, he'll be the last of our "real McCoys". Just a week before he made the announcement, we buried his paternal grandmother (my mother-in-law), who was the one of the sweetest Christians God ever put on this earth. My boy was devastated, as was his father. But the circle of life moves on. A rebirth. A revival of sorts.

A Simple Scrapbooking Giveaway from Karla Dornacher!!!

What a delightful giveaway from one of my favorite authors and artists, Karla Dornacher!! For the new scrapbooker or the seasoned scrapper, a beautiful way to show off your best photos as well as journaling about the seasons of your life! And speaking of seasons, there's one book for all four seasons, and they include what you need to create many beautiful pages in each season.

Make your way over to Karla's page to read the details, see some more beautiful pics and find out how to sign up for this lovely giveaway! The winner will be chosen by random drawing on Valentine's Day!

Movin' On - with Biscuits (A Cry for Help!)

photo taken from Roadfood.com

Okay, I'm taking a leap of faith here, folks! I've decided there are things I want to do before I die...a bucket list of sorts, if you will. And not just before I die, but waaay before I die. One thing I've wanted to do is make some mouth-waterin' good biscuits. So I need a good recipe, along with some most-excellent instructions. What should the liquids be - water? beer? What temp should the liquids be - room temp? cold? ice cold? Does temp even count? What about the kneading - is it the same as kneading bread? Does it take as long as kneading bread? And what about flour? Any kind that's handy? (I might as well tell you here & now, I use good ol' all-purpose flour.) Oh, and should I sift the flour? When - before or after measuring? When measuring, do I kind of thunk the measuring cup down on the countertop, to get rid of any air pockets? Or do I not dare do that?

By the way, I don't want any of those wafer thin biscuits - I want some big-time, hungry-man type of biscuits. Big around and tall to boot, please. And only tried & true recipes, please. If you haven't made them, but think they sound good, please try your hand at them first! I really need the hand of an experience biscuit-maker to help me with this! Anybody out there?