Dating in stained tees, hobo life & 70's diet drinks still live on!!! {Thankful Thursday #230}

This week I am Thankful for:

Evaluation at work
I really am thankful that they take the time each year at work to go over how the year was at work.  That doesn't happen at some places.  My manager told me that nothing in an evaluation should be a surprise if she's doing her job right & I appreciated that.  It's been another great year at my job & besides the new desks we have (BLEH!) I still love my job. & honestly, we're adjusting to the smaller space. It's all you can do, right?  Here's to year 2!

Fast communication
My uncle in Texas is having some health issues - if you want to lift up a prayer for my Uncle Jack, I know he & his family would appreciate it.  I love though that updates & the latest news from the hospital can get delivered to the whole family in just a matter of clicks of a phone.  It really is everything that Tomorrowland in Disney World said it would be.

Chili leftovers
I always say it - chili is so much better a day or two after its made. Why?  I'm sure there's some sort of culinary reason.  My mind wouldnt understand it anyways, I'm sure - but I do appreciate leftovers that taste super yummy AND lets me off the hook for cooking that night.

Rugs for Bruno
Ricky always has bought little rugs that he finds on clearance on Target.  Not sure why - I dont complain.  We ended up using them ALL OVER the house when Sydney had bone cancer & had trouble walking on flat surfaces with no grip.  Our house was a modpodge of rugs.  So, Ricky apparently has snagged up more rugs over the years she has been gone & we now have them all over our kitchen for our little Blind guy who is having a little bit of trouble standing & walking.  He does good on the rugs though.  So once again, my kitchen looks like a bojo castle - but my little blind man can feel along the carpets & walk. Keep moving little guy - keep moving.

Hello Kindle
I havent used my Kindle in months! Since getting in the mode of stopping at the library & loading up every 4 weeks, I just havent had to charge it up.  Well, allergies have attacked my eyes lately making them water & everything blurry lately - so break out the large print of my Kindle. I forgot how much I love using it & how convenient it is to have so many books on it - free from Overdrive too.  It's like finding an old friend again.

TAB!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
So most of you probably saw this - but its worth noting because it is probably the best day my mom has had in the past 14 months.
A little back story - my mom has ONLY drank TAB - my whole life, its all I remember, her holding that pink can. Ask any of my friends - they will all tell you that's all they remember seeing in my house too..... So she has been drinking it since the 70's.

About 2 weeks after my dad passed away, all of a sudden- they quit carrying it in all the stores. WHAT IS HAPPENING? My mom was convinced my dad pulled a fast one in Heaven by making a deal with God to make her stop drinking them. Dad always said they were bad for her.  Cue all the panic & ridiculous buying what you could. I dont know how much mom paid for a case off of Amazon - but desperate times called for desperate measures.  & then, even that stopped. No more TAB.

My mom called the stores & managers & would have called the President himself if she thought it would make a difference.... all of them said, Coke stopped delivering that to our area.  Apparently they still carry it out west.  (Hello West Coast blog friends - let me know if you see it out there!)

So someone shared a funny post on Facebook about getting some TAB at a Coca-Cola factory - & my brother's friend saw it, immediately got in touch with my brother, who even more immediately, called that same Coca-Cola factory & asked if he too could get some TAB.  YES INDEED - they could help him.

It was going to be a further drive than it was but they ended up shipping it up to another store/factory closer for him - but it was still like a 6 -7 hour drive round trip.

My mom had signs out waiting for my brother to return with all these glorious cases.  WELCOME HOME TAB!!!

So in the end, my mom is one happy woman - my brother calls her TAB Drunk now... I'm curious to see how long 30 cases lasts.  But now, at least she's hoping she has a 'dealer' that can get her TAB whenever she needs it - after a 7 hour car ride that is.

Lanyard
Our work friend Liz has the prettiest lanyard.  We have to keep one on us to badge into our office & even the bathrooms - so when my other work buddy went to Michael's to find one similar, she ended up picking up the last one hey had for me. YAHOO - fancy smancy lanyard.

Dinner Out
It feels like Ricky & I haven't really been out together to eat in the longest time. He'll meet me after church or we'll drive in separate cars because I need to go somewhere & he needs to go the other direction after we eat - so we figured out we hadn't been in the same car to do anything since Steven Curtis Chapman! Which was in May - that's sad.  So after pointing that out to him, he put up all his fence building stuff & we went out to eat.  Granted, I didn't make the 'date' look good at all - I had on sweaty horse stinking clothes (so did he) - no make up - hair in a baseball cap.... but we had a good time talking on the ride & enjoying dinner out together.  The little things after being together so long.

Wimbledon
I'm still reeling over the Men's Final on Sunday.  BEST.TENNIS.GAME.EVER!!!!

So tell me what good things have happened in your week!

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A no REGRETS Medley....

Joining in today with the fun Wednesday Medley gang...

1.  Do you enjoy fresh peaches?  What is your favorite way to use them in a recipe?

I'm not a huge fan of peaches.  I think its a texture thing - I'm weird about a lot of things & peaches are just slimy to me.  & the outside? with the fuzzy texture? it's just all wrong for me.

2.  Have you ever gone the wrong way on a one-way street?

I have not. I'm pretty good at noticing signs & I've been driving downtown since I was a teen since my high school was downtown. But let me tell you - it makes me VERY aware driving downtown because its at least ONCE a month that I see someone turn the wrong way on a one-way street.  That's a lot!  & people look at YOU like you're the crazy one - even when you see a whole line of cars in 2 lanes coming your way.  People are reckless .... literally!

3.  Tell us about your life when you were 17.
I was in between my Junior / Senior year in high school. I had my job as a cashier in a grocery store.  Nothing was better than a sleep over with my best friend Stephanie.  I drove a Toyota Celica & felt cooler than cool that I had my own car.  I had dreams of being a pharmacist or a chaplain in a hospital.  ... man, I think back at that 17 year old & all the expectation of life & knowing how different life can look from what young minds envision. What a sweet age it is to feel so grown up, but to really still be a kid.


4.  Do you use emojis when you text, email, or FB message? Do you have a favorite?
I am forever using emojis.  My go-tos are typically a smiley face, a heart, the face with the tongue out & winking - & the one I think I use the most is what I know is supposed to be like a "high five" - double hands in the air.  I always take it as PRAISE HANDS :) Like the attitude of YES - AMEN :) Am I like that mom who always use the LOL that used it for their family when someone died & they were like, MOM - & she thought it meant, "Lots of Love".  OOPS

5.  It has been asked many times, but do you have a tattoo?  Do you want to get a tattoo? 
Nope - none. But not because I dont want one. I actually have a few that I want.
* A cross on the back of my neck
* PRESS ON - my life scripture
* Something that documents running around my foot / ankle
* Something that points to Beauty & the Beast - I always liked the Broadway symbol that is a silhouette of the Beast
* Something that documents my love for animals - "Friends, not food" sort of thing
* Something that involves knitting.
* & now, my big one I want is the signature of my dad where he left me notes every week that said, "Love ya, Dad"... I want that on my wrist to see every day

All this, it sounds like I could have a whole SLEEVE done :)

I just know my luck & know that I'll be the one who gets a tattoo & something gets mixed up & letters get turned around... or even worse, I'll get some sort of infectious disease where they have to cut my arm off or something. We all know this is true.

6.  Last, but not least, please tell us something about your week!

Today is my Mother in Laws Birthday!  Happy Birthday Maggie!! I love my MIL so much.  She's all sorts of sassy, funny, loving, independent & just always makes me feel like one of her own. The best

& also give my momma some loving shout outs.  Thursday would have been her & dad's 55th wedding anniversary.  What else can you say to that. Still hard.

So my blood sucks again....

I totally forgot that I never did do a post about my last blood level check. 

Know how I remembered - because I go back this Friday for another test to see if I'm still bottomed out.  Which I totally expect. 

For a reminder... this is the picture I posted on my last blood check....

Yep - you're seeing exactly what happened.  Tanked.  Bottomed out.

OK - so I guess its not ALL horrible - maybe?  Kinda? ... so my hermoglobin is up. Actually the HIGHEST its ever been.  A 12.  Which is still at the bottom of the scale for hemoglobin - but for me, let's shoot some fireworks & have a parade. That's awesome for me.  That's where all the infusions helped.

But......

That picture you see above is for ferritin.  ... what's the difference?  Here's a little snippet from the Mayo Clinic.

Ferritin is a blood cell protein that contains iron. A ferritin test helps your doctor understand how much iron your body is storing. If a ferritin test reveals that your blood ferritin level is lower than normal, it indicates your body's iron stores are low and you have iron deficiency

So basically, what my hematologist told me was this time around - I actually have blood (hemoglobin up)... BUT, its basically worthless blood.  Greaaatttt.  My blood doesnt have any protein in it - no iron.

Again - here's all the symptoms of a low ferritin.

• unexplained fatigue.
• dizziness.
• chronic headaches.
• unexplained weakness.
• ringing in your ears.
• irritability.
• leg pains.
• shortness of breath.

The big ones for me are the shortness of breath & ringing in the ears.

OK - let's add on the fatigue & dizziness... & I do always get leg pains.

& yeah, we know Ricky is going to say the irritability is totally high on the list.

At least I'm not back to chomping ice - that's a good thing, right?  Thank you hemoglobin for not tanking on me too & causing that craving all over again.

So what's next?
The doctor said she wanted to give it 6 more weeks to see exactly how my blood was doing after the infusions I had before.  If its dropped any bit at all more - looks like I'm back to infusions on the weekends.

Y'all - I cried. CRIED - hard, big, crocodile tears.  Ask my coworkers. I was at my desk & I just felt so overwhelmed at the idea of having to do that all over again.

& the idea that this could be a normal part of the rest of my life.

Apparently, for some reason, my body jsut doesnt produce iron & it doesnt hold on to it either.

Frustrating thing
For me, I think what is most aggravating is that I feel really bad on most days.  & no one really sees it. It's like most people that have an autoimmune disorder feels. 

Simple things are a struggle & there's not really anything "wrong" with me that people see so when I get out of breath doing anything - or even just talking - its like I'm lazy.  Or when I'm so tired that I can barely keep my eyes open, or raise my arms & legs to do something, its because I'm just not getting enough sleep, or I'm not trying hard enough.

That's what's aggravating.  & this could be my life. Forever.

Saying all that - I KNOW that I KNOW there are so many more terrible & horrible & awful things to deal with.  In the grand scheme of things - this is a little blip in the radar.  I truly know this.   God KNOWS I know this.   I dont want to come off as a whiny cry-baby...

.. I just tend to cry at anything & everything. Y'all know that about me now, right?

So that's where we stand now.

I get more blood drawn on Friday ... I'll find out the results more than likely, next week... & yeah... we just keep Pressing On.

The weekend I watched so much tennis... {Hello Monday}

OH my goodness... ALL THE TENNIS!  I can't even begin to say how much I loved this weekend watching ESPN.

Yes.  Let's sit a second & appreciate this thought. Me. Rebecca Jo.  Sitting in front of ESPN all weekend.   It only happens twice a year.  July & September.  Wimbledon & US Open time.  Give me all the tennis.

It's funny because the other day I told someone that I dont really have many thoughts or idea for a Bucket List in my life.  I'm not that creative with goals.  After this weekend, I thought about my first (or 2nd) goal on my Bucket list.... to see a Wimbledon final or US Open final in person. Wouldnt that be the best??? I'd love it.

Before all the finals, on Friday I took my momma to the grocery to pick up some things & then we ran over to Walgreens just to pick up an extension cord.  Nothing is ever a fast trip with us... we ended up spending oer an hour shopping in Walgreeens.  We're wild & crazy chicks like that.

Actually, it was really nice because the pharmacy was closing so they were pretty empty so me & mom got to look around & find some goodies.  I walked out $50.00 poorer from hair products, because thank you Walgreens for trying to give me hope for these frizzy hair humid days.

I got back to mom's & we just waited until the sun went down before I let Baby back into her stall so she could get some more time out.  While its super hot, we've kept her in her stall so Cochese can stay in the barn out of the sun.  That barn is in the perfect spot so there's a constant breeze going through there.  But they both can't be out in the barn together.  No fear - Baby's stall has a wire fence on it so she can feel the breeze & she has an outside door on her stall as well so she can get air from the other side & see out.  Plus, Cochese & her touch noses all day long through her fence. She's never alone in there.

So anyways - we let her out of the stall when the sun is going down so there's lot of shade for Cochese to run around in & then Baby can go to her grassy area.

I may have waited too long on Friday because it was PITCH BLACK in the barn when I went to put her in. I had to take a latern to see - & praying I wasn't walking near any snakes.

Saturday, I woke up to find Ricky was already out working on the fence.

I took my breakfast outside to cheer him on & then he took a break to come up with me & the dogs.

How about that loving'....

I always will support my love - but the support was cut short when I saw the clock & knew the Women's Finals was on.  Get my cup of coffee ready, get in my sport - & let the fun begin.

I was excited for Serena to be playing - but man, she just never got on a streak... & I really thought the woman who won played incredibly.  So that was fast game....

Still enjoyable!

I cleaned up a little after that went off & actually got in a workout (go me!) & then Ricky asked if I wanted to go out to grab some lunch.

But lunch got pushed back by the time we left & then took care of the horses & then had to stop at Home Depot - so we were like, "Let's go out for dinner"

Chili's was the hubby's pick....

The rest of Saturday night was just lazy.  We played a game. I watched some more Gossip Girl.  Showers & dog snuggles.  A good night.

Sunday, I knew I wasn't going to church. Wimbledon Sunday.  Can't miss it.

& MAN OH MAN am I so glad I stayed.  I probably could have actually went to church & came home because the game would have STILL BEEN ON!

I got on my couch with my knitting at 8:30 - Watching Breafkast at Wimbeldon - & the game started at 9.... & HOWWW was I still on my couch watching it at 2:15pm.

That was the craziest game I have ever seen in my life. That they got to 12-12 in the 5th set & it came to a tie breaker.  Y'ALL.... THE BEST GAME EVER.

Look at that score in the corner!!!
7-6 / 1-6 / 7-6 / 4-6 / 12-12
12 - 12 Y'ALL!!!!!

& my guy won too!  I was all for Novak Djokovic..... mainly because the whole crowd was for Federer.  I actually didnt have a favorite going in. Ricky even asked me, "Who do you want to win?" - I told him, "i'll be happy with either" - I really do like them both. But I felt SOOO bad for Novak because the crowd in the stadium was obviously for Federer - so I felt like I had to root for the underdog.

Plus, can I be honest? I really like Djokovic even more because he was on the new documentary from Food Matters talking about good nutrition & how it changed his game  & endurance & stamina.  It made me appreciate his game knowing the struggles he had & that he takes nutrition seriously - with the idea of "food is thy medicine" - I know most athletes do this - but I just watched this documentary last week so it was fresh in my head & made me give an extra "umph" for him in cheering him on.

(FYI - here's the link to that documentary if you like that sort of thing.... link.fmtv.com/transcendence)

In the end, I think we can all agree they are BOTH winners with a match of nearly 5 hours.  & didnt even seem breathless or sweaty either.  #GOALS

I ran down to the grocery to pick up my order & got home in time to see that ABC was replaying the game.  Do you know I sat down & watched most of it again????.... I will confess - it's so much easier to watch when you know who is going to win....

Here's actual pics from me watching the game when I didn't know who would win....

& after watching for 5 hours & not knowing when the end would come!!!

This is me watching it the 2nd time around....

Ended the weekend with usual horse duties & Big Brother & one more (maybe 2) of Gossip Girl before I dozed off....

So how was your weekend????

Do you watch Wimbledon?

If you did, please tell me how much you loved this game too!!!

Enough Tennis talk - tell me what is your favorite Walgreen's purchase you get?

Linking up with Tanya - Click pic to join in!

Friday Favorites

(Click the pic for links to item)

Favorite Crafty Item

This lady takes ultrasounds & makes them in embroidery.

What a gorgeous idea!!!!

Favorite Desk Accessory

Because who doesnt need some Office Magic 8 Ball guidance?

Favorite Organizer

OK - just the calendar alone is blowing my mind that it actually works year round.

Isnt' that cool?

Favorite Hand Lettering Tool

I have a holder but all the pens fall over.

This is genius!!!

Favorite Cleaning Item

This is perfect to hang off a drawer for when you're cooking & you can slide some of your chopped up leftovers in to take to the garbage can outside!

Favorite DIY

Favorite Beauty & the Beast

Favorite Funnies

... when I have big goals of working out 

... the second a bulb blows in the high living room lights

... when I see a new Beauty & the Beast piece of clothing on Instagram

... me at 4:30 pm today

Happy weekend y'all!!!

Pie, wider gates & people that get my weirdness {Thankful Thursday #229}

This week I am Thankful for:

Eating outside for lunch
Loved when my coworkers suggested eating outside. Even on a hot day, this wasn't bad because this restaurant keeps their doors open where you could feel the cold wind. I cant even begin to imagine how much that electricity costs!!! But it was lovely sitting outside watching downtown traffic.

4th of July
God bless America for a day off work!

Pie
... because is it REALLY the 4th of July without a pie?  I think not.

This was a Red/White & Blue pie
(Cherries, applies & blueberries)

Trail Mix Friend
So having to work on Friday was a little bit miserable when everyone else in the world seemed off.  But work tried to make it a little bit easier on us by giving us a "make your own trail mix" afternoon.  We all went down to get some yummies & I go to walk in & ...... GASP..... STOP!!!.... CANT GO IN!!!! The C-word (cereal) was in boxes everywhere.  I instantly could smell it & started to gag & had to run out.  I was like, someone hates me!!!!! .... but thank goodness for friends that get your weirdness because Liz was like, "I'll get some for you" - & she loaded me up on some pretzel, peanuts & M&M's ... all you need for a good trail mix. Keep that C-stuff out of it please.

Pizza Night
I always love when Ricky picks up pizza for dinner so I dont have to worry about cooking & we typically have leftovers for lunch the next day.

Tight Squeeze
So all the time we've lived  in this house (18 years) we have not been able to get our riding lawn mover in the back yard because our gate was installed a wonky way & we couldnt get it open the full way.  We've been push cutting it ever since & that's a chore with the hills & trees  all around the yard.  So while Ricky has been redoing our fence, he rebuilt out gate & made it open INSIDE of the fence instead of opening outward.  So now, the riding lawn mower fits through!! What normally takes 30 minutes (on a good day), he had it cut within 10 minutes. & less sweat too!!!

Tell me something good about your week!

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Show Us Your Books {July 2019 Edition}

I just got in one measly book in June...

too embarrassing to join in with the link up last month - 

so jumping back in for July & only have 3 books . My reading mojo has just been on a slump!  But a readathon is just around the corner & those are usually the UMPH I need to get back in the game.  At least I can join in this month with all the awesome book link ups!
Thanks Jana & Steph for hosting!
(Click the pic at the bottom of page to join in!)

More Than Words

** / Just OK

Quick Summary:  Nina inherits her father's incredibly known hotel businesses & she discovers secrets he's been hiding after he passed away.

This book put me in a rut. I just couldnt get through it. I dont know why I just didn't give up on it - I have no problem doing a DNF but I just kept thinking, "its gotta get better"... it just didn't for me.

I gave it 2 stars because I did connect with Nina when her father passed away. I felt the pain & was moved in that part - because yeah, that's close to my heart right now... but the rest of the story? Was just so bland to me. Nothing really was exciting or shocking or really grabbed my attention.  I was just bored through it all.  Even the love story in it was just so blah to me, I didnt even care.

I hate that I wasn't super excited about it because I really did enjoy The Light We Lost so much... & I love the style of this author's writing, but man, just did not care for this one.

In the end, I'm glad I got this one from the library because I almost bought it & I would have been a little upset if that was the case.

"All decision were affected by the time in which they were made"

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Nine Perfect Strangers

DNF

Quick Summary: 9 people go to a health resort that offers a different sort of experience

I was really enjoying this book & all the characters. I love how this author always breaks up her chapters to different POV ... but my time ran out for it to be returned to the library.  I tried to renew but someone must have had it on hold, which wont let you renew.

I've got it on hold on my Kindle from the library - so hopefully I'll pick it up one day & see how it all ends.

In the end... I'm bummed that I didnt get to finish it.  I was really enjoying everyone's story.

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The Booish Life of Nina Hill

Abbi Waxman

**** / Really Liked it

Quick Summary: A book loving Nina discovers a family she never knew existed & learns to deal with finding a new side of herself.

I won this book on a Goodreads giveaway & so glad I did because I had seen other people get it for a preview & loved it.

Put me on that train - I loved it too.

How can I not love a red head gal that loves books, works in a book store, lives  her life by her planner, loves trivia & random facts & is awkward in so many ways. Whose been watching me????

It's a very predictable book - not a lot of shock & awe here.  Nina got on my nerves at time with the way she handled her relationship with Tom.  It's not the most gripping story - but its easy & cute.
A totally perfect weekend or beach read.

In the end:  Nina is my book & planning soul sister, for sure.

"Thursday night was reading night, the best night. She had a routine: She left work, she picked up dinner, she got home, she ate, she showered, she put on pajamas & special fluffy socks that she preheated in the microwave, & then she curled up in her enormous chair & read until her eyes crossed"

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What's been your favorite Summer reading so far?