A Father's Day Weekend

I had all these big plans for a Father's Day Weekend post. I was going to take pictures of the food we ate and the restaurant by daddy was taking us to. I was going wrap up DH's gift nicely and decorate our kitchen table for breakfast. However, all my plans went out the window when I was involved in my little accident. 

Our Father's Day weekend started last Friday night. After our trip to the ER, we headed to my in-laws' house for dinner to celebrate Father's Day and my youngest BIL's birthday. We had Papa John's pizza and a salad, with cheesecake bites for dessert. It was our first time having Papa John's pizza. It was okay, but Pizza Hut is still my favorite. We spent the rest of the evening enjoying our time together and talking. 

On Saturday afternoon, we went up to my parent's house for Father's Day. We do it a little differently than most people. My daddy told he has all he needs and wants, so he takes us all out for a meal. We have been to a lot of interesting places over the year and ate a lot of good food. This year we ended up at a little hole in the wall restaurant called "The Cornbread Shack." They serve good old-fashioned Southern cooking, as well as sandwiches, hot dogs, and hamburgers. Everyone, except for me, ordered home-cooked food. I ordered a double cheeseburger and a side of pub chips. Oh, my word, it was so good! The burger came close to a Five Guys burger and that is saying a lot. Afterwards, we went back to my parent's house. We sat on the front porch enjoying the evening air and talking. 

Sunday morning, we gave DH his unwrapped gift ~ the 8th season of JAG DVD's and a Hacksaw Ridge DVD. I fixed him his requested breakfast ~ livermush sandwiches, potato pancakes, and fresh fruit. DD and he headed to church afterwards. I stayed at home because I just didn't think I could handle sitting that long. We spent the rest of the afternoon watching tv snuggled in the bed with Miss Oakley. For supper, I fixed DH his requested taco salad with beans. 

Although things didn't go according to my plans, we still had a pretty good weekend. The thought that was full force in my mind was that I was happy that I wasn't hurt too bad and was able to enjoy the weekend. That is simply a good thing! 

Snapshots; Part 9

Here is a glimpse into life around here lately!

We have had a lot of rain over the past few weeks. As a result our garden is doing well.

Our squash plants. I am so looking forward to grilled squash. Yummy!

The last of our lettuce.

Bell pepper plants and volunteer tomato plants.

My flowers are absolutely gorgeous this year.

Bee Balm flower.

More of the beauty

I am trying to bring as many as I can in for us to enjoy.

After weeks of hard work, our flower beds are weeded and in good shape. Although, I will have to start round 2 of weeding soon.

I love our brick patio area.

A decorative touch.

 

My daddy takes old sewing machines and turns them into tractors. This is his latest one.

He built the engine part of the tractor along with the gears, seats, and axels.

He has built 3 of them so far.

The last of our lettuce.

Miss Oakley posing much to her chagrin with a pretty flower. An update on how she is doing is coming soon to "A Life Lived Simply's" FB page.

Living life simply and simply loving every minute of it!

Boom, Crash, Bang

Well, Father's Day weekend didn't turn out like I thought it would. Something happened Thursday afternoon that caused all my plans to be thrown out the window. I was involved in a car accident. 

Thursday was going to be a busy day for us anyway. DD wanted to visit her friends she had made while working at our local library. She hadn't seen them in a week since her temporary job ended. So, I dropped her off while I went to Walmart in our small town to get groceries. When I finished, I picked up DD then we went home to unload the groceries. 

We had about a 30 minutes to wait before we headed out to DD's dentist appointment in a neighboring town about 20 minutes away. When we finished up at the dentist, we went by MacDonald's to get some lunch to go. We took our lunch to my in-laws house to eat. We were there to pick up something and to visit with them for a while. After I finished eating, I headed back to our small town to stop by the vet's office to pick up Miss Oakley's pain meds, which I had forgotten on our first trip that morning. DD decided she would stay at her grandparents house while I was gone and I am so glad she did. 

As I got back to my in-laws house and was getting to turn into their driveway, I had to stop in the road to wait on 3 cars to go by. As I was getting ready to turn; I saw a flash in my rear view mirror, felt a jolt, and heard a noise. The next thing I remember was a young girl and boy at my door asking me if I was okay. All of the details we a bit hazy, but I remembered I didn't want to get upset in front of them, because the young lady was so upset. I asked them if the were alright and told them I was going to pull of the road, then go in to my in-laws house for help. I pulled off the road on to a side road that is beside my in-laws property. As I was moving my car, I figured out what the noise was ~ it was my car! 

As I walked to my in-laws house, I was so shaky. I opened the door and hollered for my MIL. She came into the kitchen and I told her what happened. I sent DD for my FIL and then I lost it standing in the middle of the kitchen. When I calmed down, I went back outside. Someone had stopped to help. He called 911 and was directing traffic. While I was digging through my pocketbook looking for DH's work phone numbers, a sheriff's vehicle pulled up. I was so relieved to see it was one of my cousin's husband. Some how his presence calmed me even more. He called to see how long it would be before the trooper would show up. He also called the EMT's to come check me out, after my in-laws convinced me I needed to be checked out. 

The next hour or two was spent trying to contact DH, retelling what happened as other family members arrived. Getting checked out by the EMT's. Reassuring the young lady, her brother, and her father (who arrived a short time later), that although I was getting stiff and sore, I was okay and things like that happened. Everyone's heart went out to the young lady. She was so distraught and cried the whole time. To make matters worse, she had just graduated the weekend before. When trooper showed up, he took all of our information and wrote up the report. By then, we had finally got a hold of DH and he had shown up. As the minutes ticked by, my lower back began to get stiffer and stiffer. By the time everything was said and done; I was hot, exhausted, stiff, sore, and heart sick to have added another burden on to DH's plate.  

That night saw little sleep for me. I was sore and stiff. It was hard to get comfortable, even with muscle relaxers and pain pills in me. It also didn't help that for about the first hour, I kept getting hit over and over again. Finally, sleep came and I slept good for about 2 hours. 

When DH got home from work on Friday, he took me to the ER to get checked out again. Since I was so sore and stiff, he wanted to make sure I was okay and to document I had been seen in case anything happens in the future as a result of the hit I took. The ER doc said she didn't see any evidence or symptoms of anything being broken. She thought I was just suffering from the jolt I took. She told me to keep doing what I had been doing and to take an easy for a few days.  

When DH put pictures on FB of my car, someone commented that God had been right there with me. Although God is with us all of the time, there are times when you can really see Him working in your life. I know He was there through the whole ordeal with all of us involved. First of all, none of us were seriously hurt. The wreck happened right in front of my in-laws house. The first officer on the scene just happened upon it and was a relative of mine. The father of the young lady that hit me went to school with DH. We knew the tow driver that came to get her car. The trooper was the nicest trooper I have meet, which made me happy for the terrified young lady. God was definitely there and making things happen. 

The young lady that hit me has learned a valuable lesson from all of this. She freely admitted that she was distracted and didn't see me in the road. The evidence of that she hit me dead center in the back. She didn't have time to swerve one way or the other. She had to be going the speed limit or just under because she pushed me 50 some feet down the road. I didn't see her in my rear view which I always check before I stop to turn. I hate she had to learn a life lesson like that, but she will be better off for it. 

That whole afternoon was a blur. I am sure I will remember more details in the next few days. However, the thing that is in the forefront of my mind is I am so thankful DD wasn't with me and no one was seriously hurt. God was indeed with us that day and He is good! 

A Tribute To The Father Of Our Children

As Father's Day approaches, I want to take the time to thank the daddy of our two girls for all he does for our family, especially the blessing we have here on earth with us. 

Thank you; 

• for working hard and taking on odd jobs to provide for all of our needs and a lot of our wants
• for having more patience than I do with DD 
• for spending time, taking her places, and doing things with DD so that I can get a little alone time
• for encouraging and pushing our DD to get out of her comfort zone
• for playing mediator between DD and I; and making us try to see where the other one is coming from
• for not being afraid to take us to see girly movies and for sitting through movie nights at home while watching the Disney Princesses
• for not being afraid to buy maxi pads for DD when she started her menstrual cycle
• for being the strong male figure DD needs in her life 
• for showing DD the right way ladies should be treated through the way you interact with me
• for being the strong back when heavy lifting is called for
• for being the spider killer for us because we are terrified of them
• for caring for the things that are of interest to us
• for being a role model of what a godly husband looks like and acts for DD 

We can never express how much you mean to us and we can never show you just how much we love you. You are our rock and our anchor. You are more than we deserve and we can't thank you enough for all you do for us. We love you!!!!! 

 

 

Happy Father's Day to all the daddy's out there! 

An Aspie Family

We are an Aspie family. What does that mean? Well, our 27 year old blessing here on earth has Asperger's Syndrome, which is a high-functioning form of Autism. You can read about how we always knew something wasn't quite right and her diagnosis here. Life with her is at times frustrating, challenging, and hilarious. You can read more about what I mean here. 

People with Asperger's use more of their brain, but aren't able to process all the information they are receiving and it overwhelms them. The picture was taken from a 60 minutes interview in 2011. You can read more about brain HDFT scans here.

What causes Asperger's is still a mystery. Genetics plays a part, as does exposure to viruses and chemicals. With DD, we know genetics play a part, because one of nephews has it as well as my youngest BIL. The common link between the three is that all three had problems at birth. I do know that DD's symptoms really started after her scheduled 5 year old well-visit for her to get last vaccines before starting school. Coincidence? I don't know for sure, but it makes me wonder.

With her diagnosis coming when she was in her late 20's, we are still learning what it means to be an Asperger's family. The amazing thing, for me, is that we were using a lot of the suggestions and coping methods with her that are recommended. I am not sure how that came about other than may my educational courses I took in college kicked in without me realizing it. 

We are learning to make adjustments, mostly in our way of thinking. The things we use to think were acts of defiance or making things difficult are just the difference in the way we perceive things and the ways she perceives things. We are learning to let go of preconceived notions and let things develop the way they need to. We have eased off on things we needed too, but still stress things that will help her cope with the world and people around her. We are learning we don't have to make excuses over the way she does things. She is just being herself. We are finding that fine line between when to push her past her comfort zone and when it really isn't important. We are learning to advocate for her and her needs. 

In many ways, Asperger's defines who we are as a family and will always be a part of our life as a family. We know that the things we dreamed of happening when DD grew up, may never happen and that is okay. Our future and DD's future is in the Lord's hands. He has a plan for our lives. For it to work, we need to just get out of the way to let it happen as He wills it. All it takes is a little simple faith!

Simply Me

A little over a year and a half ago, I started this little blog. I did so out of a calling I felt from God to pass on what I have learned over the years about being a wife and a mother. I also felt an urging to show that a life lived simply can be a life lived well. I have followed the calling and continue to feel that calling. So, I thought today I would start a relaunch of sorts and introduce myself again. 

I am a 40 year old (getting closer to 50) living in the South, which is more than a region it is a way of life centered around God, family, and food. I am a child of God and  have accepted Jesus as my Lord and Saviour. I am trying to live my life in such a way that the love and glory of my heavenly Father will shine through. 

I have been happily married to my high school sweetheart for almost 30 years now. He is my rock and the other half of my heart. I believe he was appointed as the head of our household by God. I believe it is my duty as a follower of Christ to submit to his authority, an authority that he doesn't abuse in anyway. I couldn't ask for a more patient, giving, understanding, and loving man.  

We have 2 daughters; one an angel in heaven and a blessing here on earth. She has an hearing impairment that requires the use of hearing aides. She also has Asperger's Syndrome, which is a high-functioning form of Autism. Needless to say, life can be very interesting around our house. We have fur babies; 2 dogs (Oakley & Snowflake), 2 cats (Copper and Bashful), and 8 egg laying hens. 

I am an individual that does NOT go along with the crowd. I am definitely more of a donkey than a sheep. I find my own path and take the road less traveled. I am not a people person and find it hard to let people in. I have been burned too many times by very close family members which has made it hard for me to trust. All of this makes me somewhat shy until I get to know you, then watch out, I can talk your ear off.

Political speaking, I am NEITHER republican or democrat. If I had to define my views, I would say I am a Constitutional Conservative. I believe the Constitution is a document of negative powers that is meant to keep the federal government from interfering in our lives. I also believe in the rights of the states. I believe it is up to individuals, churches, and charities to care for those in need. I believe the government welfare system created another system of slavery that is hard to get out from underneath. I believe our system needs to go back to a system that is for the people and by the people, not a system for the sycophants and by the sycophants. I know everyone has their own ideas and opinions. I will gladly listen to your views with great respect and will think over points you have brought up, if you will give me the same consideration. 

Socially, I am conservative and adhere to my Biblical principles and truths. However, I will NOT interfere or belittle your beliefs, as long as you don't try to impose your beliefs on me. Although I am a follower of Christ and will share my beliefs with you if asked, I will NOT impose my beliefs on you.  Live the way you want, but don't expect me to condone it. I will respect your rights if you will do the same for me. We can agree to disagree. 

Well, that is a little bit of who I am and what I believe ~ the good, the bad, and the ugly. I am a simply complicated person who loves fiercely and believes what I believe. I am simply me!

A Update On Miss Oakley, Part 2

The 3 1/2 weeks since Oakley's vet appointment has been interesting and full of the 3 P's ( pee, puke, and poop.) It also has been a time of growth for me. I am learning more about having patience, more about not worrying, and more about letting things go. 

When it is hard to find something that a sick fur baby wants to eat, you go with what she will eat. Even if it has a brand name, is organic, and/or expensive. That is just how we roll.

On our way down the mountain returning home after "Our Weekend Get Away", Oakley got car sick and threw up. She did it again when we got home. After that, we had a little difficulty getting her to eat, but we chalked it up to her getting car sick and weren't that worried about it. She still was throwing up some, but that wasn't unusual for her in the Spring when her allergies were bothering her. We discussed all of this with Doc Hannah at Oakley's appointment. She agreed with us and wasn't to worried about it. 

However almost a week later, she was barely eating and was turning down some of her favorite foods. It was starting to get worrisome. It was then I noticed something in her mouth. When I inspected further, her gums on one side was puffed. She had a sore on them and a tooth loose. We knew her gums and teeth were bad, because little dogs are notorious for having bad teeth. Since her vet knew about her teeth, I stopped by to talk to them about it and asked for an antibiotic. They agreed and sent me home with the meds. 

Oakley took the antibiotic the first two days just fine in her peanut butter, but on the third day, she knew something was up and spit it out. She was also having a hard time keeping the food she did eat down. We tried to get the antibiotic down on the 3rd day by forcing it, traumatizing her and us, then she refused her pain pills in her peanut butter. We didn't know what to do. She wasn't eating much. She was throwing up and we couldn't get her pain meds in her. 

The next day I went to buy her some broth, which would get nutrients in her and be easy on her stomach. I stopped by the vet's office and told them what was going on. They told us to stop the antibiotic and see how she did. If she was still throwing up, they could run blood work to see if the cancer had spread to her liver. After trying to force pain meds in her, we finally got her to take her Pericox in some food, but would spit out her Tramadol. We tried force it for a day or two and then decided if she was getting the Pericox in that we wouldn't risk the trauma anymore. 

Over the next week, we saw improvement. We found part of the loose tooth in the bed and on the floor.  She quit throwing up and was eating better, but all the broth was making her urinate a lot often times in the house. However, a new problem came up. She wasn't making a poo. We knew the lack of solid food and the pain meds could be working against her, but also knew that it was part of the signs the cancer could be in her liver. We were once again looking at having blood work done, but we are happy to report that is no longer an issue. She has pooed and pooed a lot. I thought we would never be excited about poo, but we were, even if it was on our bedroom carpet. 

This week has bought even more improvement. She has more energy and seems to feel better. The one pain med seems to be enough to deal with the pain she is having.  She is hungry and is wanting to want more. She is eating a little meat in broth. She is also eating a yogurt with a little sugar, vanilla flavoring, and strawberry syrup mixed in.  She is enjoying some of her favorite foods again. She is wanting to walk around outside more and is running again. 

Our sweet fur baby asleep on the pile of blankets.

This whole process is teaching me a lot. It is making me realize that there are times I need to set aside the chore I am doing and just enjoy being with my fur baby. It is teaching me to be more flexible that everything can't run according to my plans and time table. It is teaching me to be patient. It is teaching me to not worry and to let go. 

I know our time together is growing short. I know I will eventually have to say good-bye and that makes me terribly sad.  I am going to use that time we have left to love on her and be there for this little creature God gave me to take care of. She is simply my fur baby!

A Recap Of Our Mother's Day Weekend

We had the perfect weather for the Mother's Day Weekend. It was a little warm, but the sky was crystal blue and the sun was golden. Both of the gatherings to celebrate the special mothers in our lives were fun and relaxing. 

The celebrations started on Saturday night our DH's parent's house. Usually all of us fix a dish and serve my MIL a home cooked meal, with me organizing everything. This year I asked DH to talk to his father and see if he would get some sort of food for us and boy, did he. He also requested that I make some cookies which he thought would go well with finger foods. I made White Chocolate Walnut Cookies.

Publix has recently opened in our area and my FIL is very impressed with the place. He went to their deli and ordered a bunch of finger foods. There was so much to eat and the best thing about it was that Publix delivered it to the house. They also bought a huge cupcake cake that someone ordered but never picked up. We stuffed ourselves and then took plenty of leftovers home for lunch during the week. 

 

There was a pizza roll platter, a veggie tray with dip, croissants with different kinds of sandwich salads in them, a platter of chicken tenders, a tray of sub sandwiches, and potato salad.

All of it was delicious and all of us had our favorites.

My MIL insisted on a picture taking section and it was Mother's Day so we obeyed.

If you have a husband that has all brothers, then you will understand that DH was showboating for the benefit of those brothers in this pic. He pulled his shirt up and I was trying to pull it back down.

On Sunday morning, DH fixed the breakfast I requested for me ~ Country Ham Biscuits, Scrambled Eggs, and fresh Strawberries. I found my mother's day present at my place at the table along with my card. They got me the box set of the Twilight series that I had been wanting for a long time. I love the movies but the books are so much better.

My thoughtful gift and card from my loved ones.

Sunday night, we had my parents down for supper. We didn't have a big family gathering because one of my nephews was doing his month tour with the Army Reserves, not to mention the rest of my brother's family was on the way to the beach. Even with all of that, I still wanted to do something special for my momma. 

I fixed pork tender lions, potato salad, baked beans, and watermelon. I was going to fix a coconut cream pie, but we had plenty of cookies and cupcakes from Saturday night. I knew the cupcakes would be a hit, because my momma loves grocery store icing. 

We sat our outdoor table up on our deck. I picked some flowers from my MIL's garden the night before to make a center piece for the table. The deck was nice and shady. The view was awesome and we had a really good time enjoying the beautiful weather, good food, and conservation. 

The flower arrangement

The table setting and the view.

The drink station. We served water and homemade lemonade.

The food and the desserts.

We was a wonderful weekend shared with most of our loved ones. I love days where we can simply celebrate the special people in our lives!

Snapshots: Part 8

Snapshots of life in the Spring around here at "A Life Lived Simply."

Miss Oakley resting on her bed of our throw blankets and her blankets.

Since Doc Hannah okayed Miss Oakley eating people food, here is a pic of the food she gets to eat.

I am so far behind on my weeding of my flower beds. They are a mess.

However, I am slowly making progress.

It is sad when you can't see the pretty flowers because of the weeds in front of them.

A small victory, but lots more work to be done.

All the work is worth when you see these beauties; a bearded Iris on the left and a Siberian on the right.

Some wildflowers and blackberry brambles.

I love when I can bring in fresh flowers from outside in.

Wildflowers make me happy. The white flowers are new arrivals. I have never seen them before.

I have been working on a DYI project for a while.

I will put up a post about it and reveal the finished product in a few weeks.

DH has kept himself busy by replacing parts on my car...

and learning how to build transmissions.

I have been trying out new recipes; like oven roasted asparagus and sauteed mushrooms. Both of them were Yummy!

Although we usually don't celebrate Cinco De Mayo, we decided it was a good excuse for eaitng Mexican inspired food. So I made "Everything But The Kitchen Sink Nachos".

To go with our nachos, I decided to make "Agua Fresca" which I saw being made on "Pati's Mexican Table." You can find the recipe here. 

It was refreshing and something different.

You can't go wrong with watermelon and cantaloupe.

Our Cinco De Mayo meal.

Miss Copper was stalking me as I was taking pictures.

I got a pic of the elusive Miss Bashful. She had just finished bathing herself.Both of them have been naughty. I found a dead bunny in the garden shed where they sleep at night. DH had to remove the poor thing.

Our garden beds are still a work in progress. Our lettuce and radishes are up. The onions I set out rotted in all the rain we have had, but I am NOT going to complain.

Our peas are up and so is volunteer lettuce. I still have cucumbers, squash, tomatoes, and bell peppers to set out.

Springtime at our simple home is just beautiful.

We have been blessed with a lot of rain which has made everything lush and green.

I love our simple life out in the country.