Thankful Thursday #256

This week I am Thankful for:

Ricky + the horses
My brother has been in the hospital for over 2 weeks now... he is the horse care taker 5 out of the 7 days.  He also does all the heavy lifting. He's makes sure there's water in jugs in the barn for me to give to them on the weekends & makes sure I can reach the hay.  He's full time horse caretaker. I'm part time.  So when he was out of commission & I ended up having the cold from Hades - we were in trouble.  Good ole Ricky stepped in though  & has been the champ of taking care of the horses when I was down & out. Grateful for the help.

Relatable
I had to go to the Lady doc this past week for what I thought would be a routine check up.  Little did I know I would be laying in pain, unable to get up because they ended up doing a biopsy of my uterus.  Also scheduled an ultrasound & talks of a uterine ablation.  To say I was a little freaked out was an understatement. But I text my sister in law who has been having similar issues & she messaged me back & told me she had just had an  ultrasound & a biopsy the day before!!! WHAT? What are those odds. .... it was just so comforting to be able to talk to someone who was in the same boat I was in, comparing stories & how we were feeling. It's just always good to know you're not alone.

Mucinex DM
... FINALLY... that bottle was my lifesaver for finally a good night's sleep & helping me get this junk up out of my lungs

Budget Journal
I mentioned this in my post last week but I am LOVING my new Happy Planner Budget Journal. Keeping me aware of where my money is going.

Bruno Sitting up
Our little old man was having some rough days. He seems to do that - have good days, bad days - but his bad days have his worried. I mean, he's now at 19 years & 5 months old! (WHAT??? Is he gonna make it to 20???) but he was even having trouble sitting up on his own for a few days. We'd have to make a Bruno Sandwich - put pillows on both side of him to hold up upright .... but now, that little old man now has that core strength building back up.  He's able to sit up on his own & once again fighting to stand on his own - which he can't do but again, thankful for his walker that lets him get around.

Warm January
My goodness... winter here has been very calm. We've had zero snow (knocking on wood it stays that way) & we've spent most of the time in weather that you just need a light jacket.  I know winter still has some weeks ahead, but I'm grateful for the ease of it all so far.  .... 38 days till Spring!!!!

Dr. Brown to the rescue ... again
My Brother was in the hospital for a week & getting worse & worse.  He had some obvious issues that were getting serious & when the nurses were telling us that the doctor would just see him in the morning, we knew this wasn't going to work. My brother wasn't going to be able to handle it for over 12 hours... Me & my Sister in law were ready to cause a big scene when all of a sudden, nurses come in & they tell Tony he's going into surgery within the hour.  The Doctor had seen his latest CT scan & was rushing in... & it was my surgeon who did my 2 emergency surgeries.  Isnt that funny?  He remembered me & was curious how my situation ultimately ended.  But I was so grateful he took the initiative to handle this - because honestly, Dr. Brown said if it was left alone longer, it would have been dire.

Over 2 hour surgery
So grateful my brother came through the surgery OK.

Friends
My brother has some good friends. One of them came up & sat with us during this surgery that took over 2 hours to do - & it took an hour to even get him started once they were back in the OR - so we were in the waiting room for over 3 hours.  It was really nice for Tony's friend to help us out & run & get drinks & just keep conversation going & company.
... Tony's friends also came over & cleaned the stalls & put down new bedding for the horses.  Thankful for all the help they have been giving.

Christmas is Over
For those of you that do Christmas in just a few days in December - you're doing it wrong.  We take it & make sure we can spend time with those we love & not be rushed.  It works for us to spread it out & yes, it goes into January... but we finally got through them all this past weekend.  Another successful holiday in the books.  ... & now, I can take down my decorations. Whew!

What's good in your week?

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The weekend I'm starting to give 2020 the side eye.....

This past week / weekend has been a doozy.  & not in the fun, joyful, yahoo way of saying doozy. But more of the, "lets see how much we can throw into life at one time" sort of doozy.  So instead of just sort of summarizing the weekend, I'll sort of do it in categories so I can give a little bit of background on what's been going on this past wee,....

Brother

So yeah.... I dont want to share a whole lot because my brother is a really private sort of person & while I'm obviously not, I dont want to take someone else's life & put it out there unless he said it was OK.  I can say, he was put in the hospital the Friday before last. SO over a week.  & he was just getting worse & worse & ended up being rushed into a pretty long surgery on Thursday night.  My poor brother... he's never had any sort of surgery & to have to go into such a big one that is setting him on a pretty long road, it was just heart breaking.

With my brother being in the hospital, that's just changed our family dynamic right now too.  He has twins & they're both active in different things so his wife is trying to keep up on games & practices & just all the 15 year old things on her own right now.  He also is the one who takes care of the horses 5 days a week & does most of the heavy lifting with them... so that's on Ricky & I right now.  Plus, he does so much for mom & takes her to appointments during the week, so now, we're trying to find some people that could help us in that area.  Needless to say, with such a small family, you take one of us out & it changes everything.

& in all of this, it just breaks my heart because I know its a lot for my brother.  Not just the pain - which is severe - & the recovery & the future surgeries ahead for him... its just alot.

Biopsies & Ultrasounds

Remember when I said I'm not a private person - well get ready because I'm going to be doing some TMI right now. 

I know I've talked before about my over excess bleeding in the past. Remember when I was bleeding for 6 months straight & that's when we discovered my hemoglobin had dropped to 7.2 (YIKES) & that's what kicked off all the infusions.  Well..... it's started again. I've been going for quiet a few months. & its been SEVERE. Like, I dont know how I'm standing upright with all the blood I'm loosing. 

So I went to the doctor last week & she gave me a biopsy on my uterus - which HOLY COW THAT HURT!!!!!!! Dont believe them if you ever need one & they say "its only a pinch - it'll just last a second" - LIESSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!! 
My doctor also sent me for an ultrasound which I had to go do this past weekend.  Super Thankful that they offer Saturday appointments.  It was crazy because I've had these before & I dont remember them being very long but this one took nearly an hour. A LOT of clicking of the machine so I'm curious what they found.

The doctor had told me if everything came back OK, she was wanting to do a uterine ablation. Anyone else every have one?

In the meantime, to try & get the bleeding under control, she's given me a prescription of Provera - anyone else ever take that?  I hate medicine so I'm curious of anyone has been on that before.

Now, I wait for the results that should be back this week.

Mom

So on the night that my brother had his surgery, while he was in pain & we were trying to get a doctor to come to his room.... I had to take my mom to the Emergency Room.  She had a lot of issues happening at once so yeah, I had to drop her off in the ER & kept running between that floor & my brother's floor.  Talk about the Wood family just taking a nose dive.... geez.

Little side note

... I've seen been battling this stupid cold. I cant stop coughing.  I'm about over this!

... Mother Nature pulled the rug out from under us with the cold... Winter finally kicked in

... We had to make a mad dash to mom's Sunday night when my brother's friend went to do something in the barn & Baby got out of the barn. She started running free & didnt want to come back. LOL ... My brother's friend got nervous & called my brother & Tony text me if me & Ricky could help out.  By the time we got there, he had already gotten her up & all was well.  She just needed to do a few laps & stretch her legs is all.

... We finally got our last Christmas done this past weekend - yahoo!!!! Now, I'm on the process of getting the Christmas stuff down.  It's always fun to keep our Framily's Christmas to the last one because its one of our favorites to do & the kids love having Christmas after all the celebrations. Who doesnt love gifts nearly a month AFTER Christmas?

You know its a good time with framily when you eat Cheesecake & drink amazing coffee at midnight.  We had gotten home that night at nearly 2am.... time flies when you're with ones you love.

& yes, after getting back to work after a long weekend, 

I'm gripping my coffee the same way baby boy.

So how was your weekend?

Did you get off for MLK Day?

Have you ever taken Provera?

Ever have a Uterine Ablation?

How is your 2020 starting out?

Friday Favorites

(Click Pic for Link)

Favorite Tee

Favorite Lazy Helper

All the photo editing or blog work in bed... yes!

I like it can fold up too - so much easier to store.

Favorite Magnets



Because all these years, I never tire of Mean Girls quotes.
I say You Go Glen Coco at least once a week.

Favorite Keychain

Favorite Tea Kettle



I've been on a tea with honey kick lately & of course, I got rid of my tea kettle awhile back.
I'm looking for another one. I really like the wood handle on this.

Favorite New Year Reminder

Favorite Slippers



It cracks me up these are a real thing!!! I kinda love it!

Favorite Royal Pic



I know all the talk is about Harry& Meghan (love them) - but I love his picture of all the people in line for the throne. Pretty cool.

Favorite Pill Organizer



I dont take any meds - but I know a lot of people do & this looks so much nicer on the kitchen counter than the big, bulky plastic containers.

Favorite Grocery Organizer



I have these on my fridge & LOVE IT
It's magnetic so you can just leave on the front or side of the fridge & when something runs out, just mark it on there. Then Pull the sheet off & take with you!

Favorite Funnies

Did you catch it?... I totally didnt

... when I come home from my hair appointment & the hubs says I look pretty



... when I see commercials for weight loss & the results are like a size 12 to 2 in one month



... every time I walk into Michael's & look at all the Planner stuff




...me at 4:30pm today



Happy Weekend Y'all

Thankful Thursday #255

This week I am Thankful for:

Breathing at work
Year end at work was crazzzzzzyyyyy.  So now that we've got that behind us, this past week has felt just enjoyable as anything. Work at a steady pace. Not having 25 emails pop up at once, needing everything ASAP.  Now, its a much more breathable atmosphere & it feels wonderful.

Bean Street Tea
I've been battling a sore throat & ear ache this past week & on my way home, I've had to stop & get my favorite tea ever from our little local coffee shop.  They put in the honey for me too & its DELICIOUS.  It's so super hot too & it just feels so good on that scratchy throat.  It's a cheap drink too... we get 2 mediums & its under $4.00. I could make this a daily stop.

More Stickers
My fellow work sister & planner nerd went to a friend's house where they were swapping stickers that they dont use (which, hello - what a cool idea!) & she picked me up some stickers she thought I'd like .... UM YES TO ALL OF THE ONES SHE PICKED FOR ME.  I'm especially happy about a sticker book that has all sorts of habit trackers in it & even a page full of book stickers.  That's been something I say over & over again I need the people that do these big sticker books to do - one on nothing but books & book quotes. I'd be so on top of that.


Watching my favorite B-Baller
Got to go see one of my twin nieces play her game this past week.  She is just getting better & better & is so confident on the floor.  I love to see her in her element.

Reset
We had issues with our router / wi-fi in our home & it was causing all sorts of chaos.  Its not the first time it's happened, but hopefully this will be the last.  It took us a few hours to get things switched, a lot of hassle & a lot of searching to what was going on, but I think we're good now.

Weekend
I didnt feel good the end of the week last week & I've never been more glad for a weekend in my life.  We had our last Chirstmas planned but it needed to be rescheduled & I'm glad in the end with the way I felt. We've bumped it up another weekend & I had a weekend with zero plans.  GLORIOUS. I am just thankful for the time to lay down & recover.  It's been a long time coming.

What good things are happening in your world?

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Keep it Together ... 2020 Planners .... ASSEMBLE!!!

Most kids want toys or electronics for Christmas.... I was just excited for Planner goodies.
I mean, 2020 is the start of a new year, which means a fresh planner.  I was all about some new things. It didnt help that The Happy Planner had just put out a few new things on their web site right before Black Friday... GIVE ME ALL THE THINGS!!!!

Plus, it was so fun to decorate the planner for the Holidays.

So let's dive into the new things I got this holiday....

Of course, a bunch of new stickers... from family & my work sister Liz who got me this one Faith sticker book that is older & hard to find... super excited about this!!!

Also super excited to get my Budget Planner for 2020.  I ordered it in December & actually just got it last week... UGH... I had a few emails with The Happy Planner & they kept saying they were overwhelmed with orders.  Which was sort of frustrating because you just put out a new line at the Holidays & you'd think they'd be able to get it shipped out in time then.  But, I got it in the end & only missed the first 2 weeks of January with it... it could be worse.

I even bought the Companion Pack that goes with the Budget Planner.  Seeing what's in it now, I probably could have done without - but it has a few sheets I'll use - like a 12 month spread where I can do like a quick glance thing of bills due .

& I like the jar with the color in savings tracker - & I think these cash envelopes are super nice too. I think I may use these for a savings sort of thing for vacation or the Holidays -  a nice place to tuck that extra cash away.

Here we go with my December spreads....

Week 1 - I really think I could have done more pink spreads for the Holidays... its just so fun & cheery to me!

Week 2 - Navy blue isn't a normal Holiday color but I really like this turned out.

 Week 3 - I really like this bright spread... I used some of the Nutcracker stickers from my Christmas sticker book. 

Week 4 - Christmas week!!!

I really didnt fill in a lot on my planner just because it was a slower week as in planning. It was more of a go with the flow week.

Close up of Christmas Eve & Christmas Day

So here we go into another year of planning & super excited about my Happy Planner. I've got mine exactly how I want it - I'll take pics & show more detail next month how I set mine up.

I know a lot of you got new planners for the year - JOIN US next month!!! Or even this month :) I love seeing all things planner & how you use yours.  There's no right or wrong way.  & it really helps with ideas for others. Share away. Write it in your planner!!! LOL - Its the 3rd Wednesday of every month!

PLAN ON!!!

Link up with me, Alexandra at Simply Alexandra & Lauren at Shooting Stars Mag

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My top five books of 2019.... Show Us Your Books

The Holidays are the time I never get to read with all the hub-bub & business... so instead of posting my one sad pitiful book I read this past month, I'm going to add it to my next month's book post....

& because I totally missed the link up where everyone posts their favorite books of 2019, I'm going to just jump into that.  

I'm usually a step behind when it comes to books... that's OK - as I always say - better late than never.

So here's my Top books of 2019

NUMBER 5

I was rooting for Margaret & wanted this woman to get her Happily Ever After ending so badly after the hand she was dealt.  I appreciated the story of recovery she went through & just loved the romance story of it all. It just felt real & hot too corny.

I actually had a hard time picking this book verses the other Katherine center book I read... they equally were wonderful

BONUS... call it 5B

NUMBER 4

I loved this author's books in the series, The Selection, & I had seen this book for the longest time but just never got around to reading it.  I was so enchanted by the lure of it all. 

A little mix of mystical lore, romance, life struggle.

I really did enjoy it.

NUMBER 3

This one just charmed me.  

The character who loves books, planners & had red hair

... yeah, I was down to see where this story went.  

NUMBER 2

I haven't had a book in the longest time that made me seriously laugh...

like gut laugh.  Like, want to just read this book straight through because it just made me so happy.

I will forever be a Class Mom fan & will keep an eye out for more books in this series because I never want to let these characters go.

NUMBER 1 BOOK FOR 2019

Yes, I know I'm 48 years old & I picked a book that is intended for young kids.

But it gave me all the Harry Potter magic feels & I just am totally wrapped up in it.

I wish it would get more reconigization because it so deserves it.

Tell me what you picked as your favorite 2019 book!