Thankful Thursday #318 - probably the scariest story of the year for us

 

So excited to have two awesome blog friends reach out to me on my last Thankful post & say they will help in the link up... so if you dont see a post on my blog for that day, be sure to mark these two & visit there on Thursday. It will be the same link on all of our blogs... but this just ensures you can still join in the fun if one of us is out.

Welcome Leslie at Once Upon a time & Happily Ever After - I know a lot of you know her. She's awesome at fun posts & keeps us organized for the One Sentence a Day link ups - shes just the best & if you dont know her, change that & get to know her!

& also Welcome Jennifer from All 4 Boys - I ended up running into Jennifer's blog through another link up & instantly have just enjoyed her posts & found we have so much in common. This is the beauty of what link ups can do...

So starting off this post this week THANKFUL FOR THESE TWO!!!

Let's look some of the other things I'm grateful for this week:

* While I'm super bummed about being in, I am going to look at it with gratitude & be thankful that I was able to be at home for a year & a half. It was quite the adventure & something I'll look back on & remember.

* Transition was smooth & easy to be back in the office.  It was a heavy load carrying a TOTE full of stuff... but it took me an hour to unpack & then learning where everything is at at my desk, because hello? A year & a half - made this whole desk feel new. 

* Sweet Hubby - he had Alexa give me this reminder on my first day back... how cute is he.

* Mom is doing well in her Rehab that she's in. I really hope they dont shut down visitors with COVID rates spiking so high because I think that's been the best help for her this time around.

* Getting together with my inlaws this past weekend!

* My MIL is 80 years old & looking SO GOOD!!!!

*ok.... this is a doozy... be prepared... we're still not over this - but it really needs to be noted - AND for others to be made aware.  I am grateful that OZZIE IS ALIVE!! No joke... this was terrifying!!!

Last week, I was walking on the treadmill - got done & came upstairs & didnt see Ozzie. I asked Hubby where he was & he said, I saw him a little bit ago, he's probably running outside. I didnt think anything of it.... 10 minutes goes by & I still havent seen him. OK, that's not like him.... I tell Hubby to help me find him & we start yelling for him. Nothing.  Hubby runs outside & I hear him SCREAMING....

Ozzie is lying lifeless on the ground behind the AC unit...

WITH A POTATO CHIP BAG STUCK ON HIS HEAD!!!!!

He must have found it in a garbage can somewhere & was trying to get the crumbs.  The bag was going in & out where he was breathing - but he was motionless.

Hubby ripped the bag off & Oz's poor little face & chest was DRENCHED in sweat... he was stunned & acted confused.  I got him up & got him in front of a fan & tried to get him to drink water.  It took about 15 minutes of coaxing to get him to drink.  About 30 minutes later, he was totally back to normal... but OH MY WORD. I know if it were minutes later when we found him, he would have suffocated.

W were shook up all night long.  Oz was totally fine - wanting to play & do life as normal.

Needless to say, no more bags in our garbage. Every empty container - it now gets cut down the side to open it up so it doesnt get stuck on anyone's head!! 

All I could think about was, "What if this happened while we werent home???" - my heart shutters at the thought.

This dog... keeping us on our toes.

But seriously - be aware of this if you have pets in  your home too. If you look it up, its actually common - which just makes me want to cry.  A lot of people dont have a good outcome. 

So after that horrible story - tell me something good...

What good things are going on in your world this week?

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The weekend we got to celebrate the best MIL in the world

 Well, yesterday was my first day back in the office. ... & I survived. Now, ask me how I'm doing around Thursday & we'll see.  

I woke up anxious about the day early so the alarm didn't bother me yesterday.... but I can tell its going to get REALLY old.... REALLY FAST.  I know I said to myself at least a half dozen times while I was getting ready, "I should still be sleeping" - #truth

I went into Monday after a fun weekend. We got to see my in-laws - a group of people we havent seen all together since December 2019!!!  Crazy! 

We had the perfect reason to get together too - a surprise for my mother in law for her 80th birthday!!!

It was funny because we all had gotten there & decorated & were "hiding" in the back - but got to talking about COVID & the vaccine  .... & then all of a sudden, she's standing at the door & said, "WHAT IS HAPPENING?" HAHA - she was so shocked - but she actually surprised us.  We didnt hear the alarm to tell us she was there.  A double surprise win. 

Hubby with his beautiful sisters & momma

She had no idea we were doing this get together & she missed having us all together for so long... I think it was a great surprise for her - & that it landed exactly on her birthday was just perfect.

I love this picture of her as a little girl

I asked her what her favorite "age" was... what sort of age range was the best.  She said her 50's-60's were probably her favorite - which made this 49 1/2 year old gal feel really encouraged & hopeful.  

Maggie is just full of life - she said her secret is she never stops moving... & I think that really is part of the answer to the secret of a great long life. Just keep moving.  We have no doubt she's going to be moving for quite a long time & we'll be seeing her in 20 years at her 100th birthday. Maybe she'll slow down a little bit then.

Other highlights of the weekend:

* Went to see my mom - she's still doing really well in the rehab she's in. I really think her being allowed visitors is helpful.

* I started watching the show Travelers on Netflix & am really into it!!!!

* While we were out in the area for my MIL's party, we drove out to see my grandparents resting place. I havent been out that far in awhile & I forgot how beautiful their monument was.  

*  I got my office space in my house that I worked out of for the past year & a half all cleaned out... shredding papers & dragging out to the garbage - it took me on & off all weekend & it ended up being nearly 6 bags of garbage!!!  My room looks so BIG now with all the paper out of it.  I really need to get in there & organize it.  It's been so many things through the years - knitting, photography, Beauty & the Beast, & planner stuff... now its ALL that... all combined in areas. I need to get it organized more.  Clear out some of the stuff.... let me add this to the list of things to do.

So how was your weekend?

... & your Monday since I'm a day behind!

Friday Favorites

 

Click Picture for Link

Favorite Eyebrow Gel

Favorite Sunglasses

I'm always for cheap sunglasses because I break and/or lose them so easily

Favorite Popcorn Salt

The reviews on this - makes it sound like this makes homemade popcorn taste just like the theater.

One off the reviews say "This is the best way to die" -which is hilarious - & makes me want to try it.

Favorite Bistro Set

I'm always looking for small little sitting areas for our back porch - this one is different! 

Favorite Candle

I think that combo sounds AMAZING!!!

Favorite Highlighter

I want to try it just for the roller! 

I think that would be fun to put on & the application looks like it works well with that tool

Favorite Eco-Friendly Cleaning Help

I love my Swiffer Dusters & I go through the refills.

This is kinda smart... I am going to give these a try & I'll let you know how they work.

Favorite Coffee Mug

Favorite Funnies

.... when I get start thinking of everything that could go wrong in life

... me as a vegetarian at every cook out where there's hotdogs & hamburgers

... me at 4:30pm today to my desk since its my last day at home

Happy Weekend Y'all!!!!

Prime Purchases

 

Always late to the game - but still love joining in & sharing all the latest Amazon finds.

Joining with the lovely Tanya at The Other Side of the Road

Let's see what has come in all the brown boxes being delivered lately.

(Click the Pic or Title for the link)

Pilates Exercise Ball

One of the exercise programs I was doing called for this for ab work - I really like it to put behind the low back for some ab work. 

Battery Organizer

I didnt realize that if batteries hit one another, it saps some of their power, making them weaker.
Plus, you can never find batteries when you need them.
This is perfect! Keeps them all in the same place.
The back side has nothing but space for AA Batteries.
& it comes with a battery tester to see if the battery has a good charge.
I am in love with this thing!

Clear Contact Paper

For my new coffee bar, its actually an Entertainment center - the top isnt made for spills.
I was actually worried what it was going to do to the top if it started to get wet.
My brother suggested this & I'm excited about it. I have to still lay it down on it but just looking at other things you can do with this - I'm glad to have it handy.

Pentel 0.3 Pens

I wanted a more fine tip pen to try in my planner.
This is REALLY fine tip. I'm not sure I'll use it a lot - but it does come in handy in small places to write. It may be handy even in a Bible where you have small spaces to write.
I have since bought the Pentel 0.7 pens & AM IN LOVE!!!!
They work perfectly for my planner.

Washi Tape

I was in a Treat Yo Self kinda mood the other day & just wanted this.
I love the simple pattern of this for my planner & love it even better in person.
It was only $5.99 for all of these - so what was there to lose?
I'm keeping this link to order more because it looks so nice & classy on any calendar!

Cold Brew Maker

Here it is... my new baby.
I honestly cant tell you how much I love this.  I really am thinking of buying another one to be able  to rotate the brew.  I  can drink a batch in about 2 days - 2 cups a day. MAYBEEEE 3 days - but not much left on that 3rd day. I'm so glad I finally got this.

Wireless Earbuds

This was a Prime Day buy. I never really thought I wanted wireless earbuds, but when I walk, I always am getting my arms snagged in the wires & yank them out.  I thought, why not - it was cheap enough on Prime Day. I really am enjoying these.  They synced up really easily to my phone (I'm an Android gal) & they are really nice to tap & pause & there's other functions I have yet to learn the tapping motion on them for - but I'm really happy I tried these out.

What's something nice you've gotten from Amazon lately?

Show Us Your Books {July 2021}

 

Sumer time reading!!! 

Had a really good one, some I couldnt even get through & my favorite book of the year so far!

Let's dive  into this.

The Last Thing He Told Me

**** / Really Liked It

Quick Summary:  A woman's husband leaves her a note that only says PROTECT HER after the company he works for is busted by the FBI & he disappears.  Hannah now is looking to find truth about her husband & protecting her step daughter who hasn't accepter her step mother through the years.

This is my Book of the Month from last month & I was really happy with this book. It read really fast & the story took some twists & turns I wasn't expecting. I really enjoyed the characters & how the story plays  out.

“This is the thing about good and evil. They aren't so far apart - and they often start from the same valiant place of wanting something to be different.”

The Book of Longings

DNF 

Quick Summary:  We meet Ana who is Jesus wife. A young lady who is betroved to a man she does not want to marry & runs across a 18 year old Jesus who she moves with after she feels like he understands things in an enriched way.

I honestly didnt finish it. I wanted to. My friend Nathalie sent me this book after she enjoyed it so much. I wanted  to enjoy it. I think I just had a hard time wrapping my mind around a love story with Jesus. Plus, to me, it started off slow. Learning about Ana & the family she came from & the cruel way her mother treats her.  

Probably didnt help that I just wasnt in the mood for the writing. It just seemed over the top to me - like someone was writing a Pulitzer prize winning book with long 10-letter words & names that I couldnt keep up with.  It was giving me such anxiety trying to re-read some sentences over & over to try & comprehend it. 

I gave it my test of reading the first 100 pages & if I wasn't into it, I'd walk away - which is what I did.

I did just borrow the audio book from the library - so maybe I'll try listening to it instead & see how it goes because I do know a lot of people who really enjoy the book. I'll update this if I change my mind.  Or even finish.

"All my life, longings lived inside me, rising up like nocturnes to wail and sing through the night. That my husband bent his heart to mine on our thin straw mat and listened was the kindness I most loved in him. What he heard was my life begging to be born.”

(See this quote... I have to re-read these things to grasp it - call me dumb. Because I feel dumb when writing seems over my head)

Pretty Girls

DNF

Quick Summary:  20 years ago, Julia disappears & now another girl is missing, making her sisters feel like its connected.

OK  - I just wasn't in the mood.  I was in this book for nearly 2 weeks & still not even a quarter of the way, so I said, nope - I'll come back to it later.  It was just too much for me from the get-go.  Something about it just felt icky & the writing was confusing on the POV characters & how they connected.  When I figured it out, I didnt even care.

I saw a friend of mine reviewed it with this comment "If you like creeptastic bad guys, read this. But I'm warning you, this one is especially vile, and the evils committed are gruesome" & that makes a lot of sense & how I felt. Just not in the mood for this sort of writing.

Maybe I'll come back to it down the road. Its been on my Kindle since 2017 anyways  - LOL

Malibu Rising

** / It was OK

Quick Summary:  A group of siblings are having their infamous annual party & building up to the party, we see each of their stories & a glimpse at how they each got to where they are.

I really used to enjoy this author but with each new book she puts out, I'm getting less impressed.  

I started out really enjoying this book & heard from  a lot of people they  didnt like it - I thought I was going to be  the one out that looked at it different. Nope. About half way through the book, it just got so .... boring. Building up to the party, it was interesting to me as we heard more of the family's back story & I enjoyed that.  We get to the party & there's so many characters & so many story lines & all of it was just not holding any of my interest.

The end didnt really toss me over the edge  - it was ok - so at least I didnt give it a bomb of a rating.

Would I recommend - nah - save your time.

"She was a woman after all. Living in a world created by men. And she had long known that assholes protect their own. They are faithful to no one but surprisingly protective of each other."

The One

***** / It was Amazing

Quick Summary:  Follow 5 stories of people who take the new genetic test to give you your perfect match for a relationship

I was here for this book.  I devoured it. Couldnt put it down. It alters between the same 5 characters & at different times, each one of them had such big surprise stories happening, I couldnt wait to get back to their story again - but none of the characters were boring. I was so into each of the stories.

The break in characters gave it a different sort of life too in reading.  Made it interesting & kept the story flowing really well.

It gave some really interesting thought too on what happens when DNA/genetic tests are brought into a world & how it effects the way the world works.

This really has been my favorite read of the year.

"Everyone knows I wear the pants in the relationship"

"You do wear them honey, but ask yourself who buys them for you"

>

The weekend the movies came to our home

 Most people care about the NBA... a lot of people are all about the Super Bowl! ...You have your Baseball League fans...around here, its all about College Basketball.  Me? Give me tennis every time! So this past weekend, I was one happy camper - WIMBLEDON FINALS!

Seriously - I plan my mornings around them & give Hubby the same lines he gives me when basketball is playing.  "Dont bother me unless you want to enjoy watching the game"... which he did every now & then.  I was super excited though.

I enjoyed the women's round on Saturday - didnt have either that I was really rooting for so it was enjoyable to just watch the match.

Sunday though, I am here for Novak Djokovic.  I wasn't initially a fan of his a few years back - but I think what made me really like him was watching a documentary on him & hearing about his choice to go to a vegan lifestyle.  He was having issues with his body, aches & pains in joints & digestion - sluggish... & he turned to a full all plant based lifestyle.  People were giving him a lot of grief about it & saying he wouldn't have the power to play hard & have the stamina to keep up in the tennis big leagues. Guess he showed him.  I know - what a crazy thing to make me change my mind about him.... but it does influence me... AND, yes, he's an incredible tennis player!

I also love the beauty of Wimbledon.... I mean, there is a ROYAL BOX. What else do I have to say about that? 

I loved seeing William & Kate on the Women's Finals day - but my heart really smiled on the men's finals where Kate went with her dad!  I played tennis because of my parents & me & my dad played so many hot summer nights. He was the one who taught me everything with tennis.  & it was so fun to go watch my nieces games with him too. I hate he passed away before he saw how good she truly got.

A daddy/daughter moment always will get to me.

Anyways... enough about Wimbledon. I'm now pumped & anxious for the next few months when we get the US OPEN!  Come on Djokovic Win all the Grand Slams this year!!!

The rest of my weekend? ... typical... usual.

Book reading in breaks of humidity....

& we got breaks in the humidity because of skies like this.

So many storms popping out of no where.  I walked out of my door & saw that clear sky ahead & started walking down the drive & noticed the black behind it. That was daunting.

The most irritating part of the weekend was Ozzie learning a new trick.....

He was playing with a ball, fetching, bringing it back - & was FLYING back to me when all of a sudden, it was like he didnt realize how fast he was going & couldnt stop - so instead, he SOARED up in the air & landed on the table. It was really kind of funny because he just stared at me & we both took a second to realize what happened.... but now? Oh, game is ON because that pic above - that's what I walked out to later to find.  ALL WEEKEND LONG - I'd find him on the table. His new favorite place. Geez. This dog is fearless... & so super clumsy - so that's terrifying.

One of the good highlights this weekend was we paid for the access to watch Black Widow at home.

Hubby wasn't too thrilled paying $29.99 but I reminded him what the cost of 2 movie tickets were & the added cost of snacks & drinks - I mean, even bottle water is like $5.00.  & hello - a PAUSE button. Perfect for my small bladder that needed to run to the restroom twice during the movie. I didnt have to miss one thing.  

We REALLLLY liked the movie. I'm glad - I probably would have been a little bit more bitter about paying that price if it wasn't good - but it lived up to the Marvel Universe of movies.  

Seriously though - I would almost pay for any movie I really want to see to watch at home.  Technology is so good now - with big screen TV's & surround sound systems at home.... I'm here for it.

& one of the other big highlights of the weekend - I got to visit my mom. She got moved into a rehab center & they just opened up visitation there. She was in the same one a few weeks ago & they didnt allow any visitors.  Now, the time is limited - I wont be able to make it on week days because they'll close right as I get there after work... but made sure to visit on Saturday & Sunday.  

So there we go - another weekend for the books.  GAME. SET. MATCH

Did you watch any of Wimbledon?

What is a dumb trick your pet does?

Would you pay to watch a new release movie at home to avoid the theater crowds?