Family Pictures & Updates

Since it's been a while, thought maybe I should do a quick little update on my family. Not much has changed, but there have been a few things that are worth mentioning.

I'll start with Abbi. She is 9 going on 15 haha. Seriously she is so much like a moody teenager sometimes! I have a feeling we are going to be in for even more moodiness and attitude when she does hit her teens! But even though she is moody most days, she has her moments too. Most days she is funny, kind-hearted, and gets along with everybody (except her big brother haha). She loves any kind of animal. Owls, cows, pugs, and kittens are her favorites. Her teachers brag on her every year about just how sweet she is. She doesn't hang with just one group, like most 4th grade girls. She will hang out and get along with just about anybody in her grade. She works hard and tries her best in all her subjects, and she loves to read. She is in gifted class this year, too. I am so proud of how smart and well rounded she is. She can be dramatic and moody, but we love her all the same!

{I can never take a serious picture with her, she loves to make crazy faces!}

Speaking of moody teenagers, that is exactly what Isaac is. He became a freshman in high school in August, and also turned 14 on August 28th. He is smart and funny, and still loves his computer and Xbox. We can hardly get him out of the house except for school or anything else he absolutely has to do. He's tall too, outgrowing momma and I both. He still has that signature red hair that was probably the cause of his wild and mean streak back in the day. He still picks on his sisters, but he has gotten a lot better and matured somewhat. I love that I can be my crazy goofy self around him and Abbi both and I won't get judged for it. 

{The most recent picture I have of him, taken on my birthday in June. His hair is much longer now. Being a teenager apparently means you can't have your picture taken!}

As for me, nothing much to update. Since my grandfather passed away in May of 2011, I have only attended one semester of school. It's been rough, but I will eventually finish and get my teaching degree in Early Childhood Care & Education. Little things have gotten in the way, but they are only speed bumps. I am determined. I know he wouldn't want me to give up, and I want to make him and the rest of my family proud. So with my free time I have just been enjoying my family and keeping up my hobby of crochet, even turning it into a tiny little business for myself. It's not much, but I get a little extra spending money here and there. 

In the summer we had family pictures made. Granny had a photographer come to the church and bought us a ticket for 1 free photo. Then of course when you get there they talk you into doing a few more so you will have options to choose from. It was a disaster almost to get us all there, and then we showed up a couple of hours late. We were a mess, but somehow we pulled ourselves together enough to smile and look like we hadn't just been at each others throats haha. We rarely take pictures of the 5 us together, so I was really happy we got to do it. 

I love them all. Especially the one of all of us kids, and the one of momma and daddy. Daddy is actually smiling instead of scowling like he usually is! Haha.

That's all for now! I hope to continue to do better about posting more often! :)

Changes

I have got to stop making promises I can't keep. I keep saying that I'm going to post more, but it just doesn't happen. This post is going to be about changes, as the title says. Changes that have happened and changes that I want to happen on this blog. 

One of the biggest changes was losing my sweet Grandpaw Don. He had been suffering from throat and lung cancer, severe COPD, diabetes, and congestive heart failure for about a year and a half. On April 11th he went to the doctor because of excess fluid. The doctor examined him and it didn't take long for him to determine he needed to be taken to the hospital. He was at Floyd Hospital from the 11th of April until the 22nd when we decided to move him to Redmond to try a new treatment called aquapheresis. He hated Redmond and we hated to move him there, but we had heard wonderful things about aquapheresis and it sounded like the perfect thing to help get some of the fluid off of him that wouldn't come off with diuretics. Eventually we learned that he was just too sick for modern medicine to make him better. On May 4th they brought him home at around 8 or 9 that night by ambulance. My momma, nanna, and I spent all day making things perfect for him at home while my aunt waited with him at the hospital. Momma and nanna went to the store and bought everything they could think of that would make him more comfortable, and I stayed at nanna's and made his favorite meal of veggie soup and cornbread. I also made chocolate cake since he had been craving more sweet things lately. When Abbi got home from school she picked him a boquet of honeysuckle and roses from his rose bush. I will never forget that big smile on his face when they opened the door of the ambulance. He was finally home.

On May 5th, 2011 at around 6:30 a.m., my precious grandfather took his last breath. I knew his soul had left this Earth and that only his body remained. He had assured us he was ready to go, but it was still so hard for us to accept. I prayed that I could be strong for my family, but it was hard. And some days it still is.

On a lighter note, I am very excited about updating my blog more often. I have discovered this awesome website called Pinterest, and it is pretty amazing. If you haven't heard of it or haven't joined yet, you totally should! It is basically an online pinboard where you can "pin" all kinds of recipes, crafts, and other cool ideas that will change your life. I was skeptical at first, but once I joined and started pinning, I couldn't get enough. I visit the site at least once a day, and have a collection of recipes, crafts, and beauty tips that are organized on their own boards.

I am very excited to share with you the pins that I use the most and hope they will work for you and your family as well as they do for me and mine!

In the last post, I created a little list of goals for myself. I don't know if this will be something I keep in the future, but I feel I should update you on my progress (or lack of) since I last posted.

-devote more time to crafts: I have materials to make things, whether it's crochet or sewing, but haven't done either one. My sewing machine is still in the box. I want to make at least one sewing project this month. I have done really well with this goal!  made one sewing project, and started selling my crochet things locally and in a small store near my town. :)

-help out around the house more: I don't have a set chore list, but I would like to help out more. Even if it's just loading the dishwasher or doing a load of laundry, I want to get back to it. I used to do it a lot, but I get burned out when I am the only kid around here helping out. I am happy to report improvement with this goal as well! I have started making an effort to help my mother around the house more. Not that I never did it before, but like I said, it gets a little boring. 

-stop staying up so late!!: I have turned myself into a night owl, staying up until at least 2 every morning. That usually ends with me sleeping the day away the next day. I would like to set a bedtime for myself lol. My goal is to be in by by at least 11 every night Eh, I don't think I have done too well with this. And it's not just me, it's all five of us. I have done better about going to bed on weekdays, but on weekends we stay up waaaayyyy too late! This  is a goal that definitely needs to be worked on! 

I suppose that's all for now. And this time I won't make a promise that I'll be back, because I always jinx myself. I'll just say "see you soon!". :)