Moooved on Over

So, the time came for me to moooove to wordpress.  Why? Simply because I can do mobile posts from my Droid.  Yes, it's probably a lame-o reason, but I am.

Two posts later ~ come check me out at my *new* bloggy home ~ www.preppybumpkin.wordpress.com

It's still a work in progress, but then again, so is life.

Hope y'all come on over and check out my new *digs*.....this blog means more to me than I ever thought possible, and I thank you all personally for making that happen.


See y'all real soon ~
~B

Worst.Blogger.EVER

Hi, my name is B, and I'm a bad blogger.

For serious, there has to be a support group for people who have all intentions of blogging. Then, they don't.  I tweet. Probably way too much. If you follow me on Twitter, you know what I'm talking about.  And, if you don't follow me, and want to, send a request. I'm private primarily because I don't want the whole entire world to read my randomness ~ but for you, I'd make an exception.  But really, I think about what to blog about, and then don't. Is there an app for blogger on my Droid? Must investigate. Because y'all are just dying to know how "Hoarding, Buried Alive" saved me from being in a bad situation.

So, updates!

Health, still icky, still being poked and prodded. If I was a cow, you'd be eating me at McDonald's by now.  It's been going on for almost 6 weeks now ~ so I'm ready for answers and to feel better! Thanks for the prayers and emails and tweets.  Won't go into details (because they are icky gross), but we're hoping to know what's going on soon, had a CT scan yesterday.  At least I like my doctor ~ that means a LOT.

And - my sweet sister has been married for 3 years today! Insane! Where does time go? This time next year, I'll have a sweet nephew! She's getting the cutest bump.  Got to see her this past Sunday. While the thoughts of touching her belly to feel him kick sound fun to her, it freaks me out.

...the best thing to happen was I got to go HOME last Saturday and Sunday! I don't know what it is about the Blue Ridge Mountains, but they are as much a part of me as my hair.  The crisp air and slower pace heal my spirit unlike anywhere else on this earth.  However, it's always a sad realization that my grandparents are getting old to spend time with them.  They are forever locked at age 60 in my mind, and their 80-something selves just kind of make me melancholy. And sad. Because I never know if this visit may be our last.  And, yes, instead of just enjoying and rejoicing in the time we have together, I think about the time when we won't be able to visit. Seriously, Saturday night I cried myself to sleep thinking about when they're no longer here. And, the phone doesn't work there, so there was no calling K-dawg at the beach for comfort.

Sunday, we all went to Independence, Va, for Grandpa's Family Reunion. Seriously, we're talking about the gathering of my great-grandfather's brothers and sisters offspring. Which is beyond cool, but everyone needs a nametag. First Sunday in June = family gathering.  And, again, it was hard to see just how much everyone had aged.

Then, Sunday night, I spent my first night alone in our house. Seriously, we've been married almost 5 years and it was the first.  And, it didn't bother me like I thought it would.

Tomorrow night, we've got a date to see Beauty & the Beast in Durham ~ the last of our anniversary nights out!

.....see, I've just crammed like a months worth of stuff into one post. Further examples of how I'm an awful blogger!

Ta Ta for Now!

No Title ~ Pretty Much Just Rambling

The last few weeks have been a blur as I've gone through the *have to*s with all these GI things going on.  Still don't have answers but have a procedure tomorrow to hopefully help diagnose/develop a treatment plan. I can't physically go on with the way things have been.  Girl can not live on applesauce and electrolyte drinks alone.  Tonight with the prep work, I feel the drain on my body like you just wouldn't believe.

...And, it's bothering K-dawg to see me in pain.  Actually,I think it's worse for me to see his pain and know it's my body causing it and there is nothing I can do about it than it is to feel this awful.  We've been married almost 5 years, and have been through so much together ~ good, bad, and otherwise.

We were supposed to go to the Beach House this weekend with one of his college buddies and wife, but around Monday I realized that wasn't the best idea ~ and, he wouldn't go without me.  Then it was both Mama T and Momma D wanting to come help us. I think it's a girl thing (maybe just a me thing?) but I want to be left alone when I don't feel well. I don't want to talk; I don't want to go out; I just want to do what I HAVE to do to get by.  I'm thankful that the friends were very understanding about the whole thing and we're going to try to reschedule.  And, I'm going to try to get K-dawg to go to the "Gotta Be NC" Festival this weekend.  He was planning on fishing, and there biting, so he needs something fun to do.


If you could please lift K-dawg and me up in your prayers, it would be most appreciated. And, that we'll get some answers soon.  We've had a thousand conversations trying to decide if we WANT the test to find something or NOT.  We can't reach a conclusion.

And ~ something beyond cool happened today/tonight....
I've received emails from 3 separate ladies from our church tonight who didn't know what all is going on; but said God had laid me on their hearts this week.  These are not ladies in our Small Group or that I interact with beyond once every month or so.  Short email notes from these sweet ladies is like God speaking to me, reassuring me things will be ok.  So comforting and unexpected!

~~sorry if this is all rambling and makes no sense, it's been a rough evening getting ready for tomorrow.  Thanks for all the sweet tweets and notes, I'm surrounded by such loving and uplifting people. I'm blessed

8 Things!

This is makin' the bloggy rounds, and I'm hoppin' on board!

8 TV Shows I Like to Watch:
1. How I Met Your Mother
2. The Office
3. 6:00 News; 10:00 News; Morning News
4. One Tree Hill
5. 19 Kids & Counting
6. Big Bang Theory
7. Hannah Montana (please, don't judge!)
8. Modern Family

8 Favorite Places to Eat and Drink (Casual Dinning List):
1. Our Back Deck
2. Crab Pot @ Surf City
3. Flingin' Grits (aka  Flying Biscuit)
4. Any Mexican Place
5. Indian Food! (yeah, so don't know the name of the place, but it's yummy!)
6. East Village with my homegirl S
7. Little Tokyo
8. Yum Yum Thai

8 Things I Look Forward To:
1. The Weekend
2. Summer Parties/Gatherings
3. Wolfpack Sports
5. Hunter Smurf arriving in late Sept/ early Oct
6. Spending some time at our beach house
7. Going to the mountains
8. Moving our bedroom downstairs

8 Things that Happened to me Yesterday:
1. Worked at home
2. Talked to the MIL for like 30 minutes, just catching up!
3. Dropped off my samples at the hospital
4. Discovered Diet Lemonade at Chick-fil-A
5.  Bubble bath before bed
6. Had beef broth for dinner
7. Washed a load of clothes
8. Paid bills (yesterday was a very, very boring day!)

8 Thinks I Like About Winter:
1. Snow!
2. Christmas
3. Hot Chocolate
4. A fire in the fireplace
5. Homemade chili
6. That it gets dark early
7. Soft flannel sheets!
8. Corduroy pants!

8 Things on My Wish List:
1. New vehicle (when O'Mali gives out and nice man in Chatham can't put her back together again)
2. Painting/restoring my pickup truck
3. Getting our bedroom moved downstairs; and a guest bedroom with a full size bed (vs. the 3/4 bed!)
4. Netbook
5. That that old nasty oil floating on the Gulf would just go away
6. Loosing a zillion pounds and being healthier
7. Declutter the house!
8. Harry Tepker's "The River" Artist Proof/Print/Original

8 Things I am Passionate About:
1. God
2. K-dawg
3. Friends
4. Fairness
5. Family
6. Helping others
7. My Church
8. Muppy Dawg

8 Words or Phrases I Use Often:
1. Inappropriate
2. Gah!
3. YAY!
4. Dag
5. Good Gravy....
6. HA!
7. You think?
8. Did THAT just happen?

8 Things I Have Learned From the Past:
1. It's ok for me to be ME!
2. Sometimes friendships are just for a season (even if that season was 20+ years)
3. It's all ok in the end.  If it's not ok, it's not the end.
4. One day, Daddy won't be here ~ and you'll regret weekends having fun in Raleigh when you could've been with him.
5. When you find THE ONE, you know it's THE ONE
6. I don't have to be a doormat for people to like me. 
7. By the same token, it's ok that not everyone will like me.
8. Never, ever underestimate the power of prayer.

8 Places I Would Like to Visit/See:
1. Washington DC (outside being there for a conference)
2. Boston (including a Red Soxs game)
3. Yellowstone
4. Charleston, again
5. Hawaii, again ~ and with K-dawg
6. Seattle
7. Idaho
8. Back to the Keys or to the Islands

8 Things I Currently Want/Need:
1. To go to the mountains and see my grandparents
2. A new haircut/color/know what to do with this mop of hair
3. More frequent and scheduled Girls Nites Out!
4. Some direction/vision/clarity on things that are going on
5. A fence around the garden so Muppy Dawg won't destroy things
6. Hanging plants for my porch, just something to add a touch of color
7. To get in shape/be healthier/loose weight
8. To feel better ~ and know what's going on!

Now, it's y'alls turn!

B.R.A.T. is turning me into a Brat! ....and a Recipe from our Derby Party

After a week of bouncing between BRAT and clear liquid diets, I feel the need to apologize to the world.

I'm turning into a brat.  I'm feeling pouty, whiny, and all kinds of other things.  Pretty much,  I'm ready for this to be over with (and probably everyone who knows me since I'm being such a brat!)

Today I finally finished and submitted all the samples I'm supposed to do ~ so now, just waiting for my new GI doc (who I really liked!) to get results and schedule a follow-up and see where we go from here. Patience is a virtue, right?

It's spring! It's the time of year of hanging out and chilling with friends ~ not for freezing and running a fever.  For shopping and girls nights and all kinds of fun stuff!

See, I'm being braty in the bloggy world too! And on Twitter! EEK!

So, here's recipe from last weekend's Derby Party that was a hit to make amends for being such a brat!


Cheese Sandwiches (from Paula Deen Celebrates)
2 cups (1/2 lb) grated Cheddar cheese
1/2 cup finely chopped pecans
1/2 cup mayo, plus extra for spreading on bread
1 tbsp grated yellow onion
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1 lb loaf of thin-sliced white bread

Easy peazy- mix everything together (well, except for the bread!) and make sandwiches.  I've trimmed the edges and fingered them; but you could triangle or cut into shapes.  It's yummy stuff!

And, 10,000 thanks to Sissy for fixin' 'em for the festivities.  Sorry you couldn't stay and enjoy in all the fun!




 

Better Than...

Y'all, I just had to share this song with the world!





  

God loves a lullaby
In a mothers tears in the dead of night
Better than a Hallelujah sometimes.
God loves the drunkards cry,
The soldiers plea not to let him die
Better than a Hallelujah sometimes.

We pour out our miseries
God just hears a melody
Beautiful the mess we are
The honest cries of breaking hearts
Are better than a Hallelujah.

The woman holding on for life,
The dying man giving up the fight
Are better than a Hallelujah sometimes
The tears of shame for what's been done,
The silence when the words won't come
Find More lyrics at www.sweetslyrics.com
Are better than a Hallelujah sometimes.

We pour out our miseries
God just hears a melody
Beautiful the mess we are
The honest cries of breaking hearts
Are better than a Hallelujah
Better than a church bell ringing,
Better than a choir singing out,singing out.

We pour out our miseries
God just hears a melody
Beautiful the mess we are
The honest cries of breaking hearts
Are better than a Hallelujah

Better than a church bell ringing
better than a choir singin' loud
singin' loud
Repeat Chorus


~
Isn't this just the sweetest song ever?  The first time I heard it on KLOVE, I had to pull over I was crying so hard.  It makes me think about when I cry out to Jesus with all my problems and concerns, that He sees it as a love song.  Just like how my Daddy always loved me, no matter what, even when I made the most obvious mistakes, God is the same way.  It's not about the rituals of *church*, it's about my relationship with Him.  How cool is it that we have a Savior who loves us for WHO we are and not WHAT we are, with our mistakes, flaws, and shortcomings?

I'm going to be an UNCLE!

I'm beside myself giddy ~ Sissy is having a little BOY!

Not only is she having a boy, I called it! Everyone (and I mean just about the rest of the whole world between here and the Tennessee line) thought it was going to be a boy. Conversations that were held after the phone started ringing were cracking me up.

Me & Sissy:
me ~ WHAT IS IT?!?!
Sissy ~ A baby.
me ~ no, what is the smurf? (it was the size of a blueberry when she told me she was preggers. We have a tradition that the baby gets a nickname based on the object. Case in point, friends have a Newton because he was the size of a fig when they made the announcement)
Sissy ~ IT'S. A. BOY!
Brother-in-love ~ WOOO HOOO!!! (loudly, in the background)
me ~ So, y'all get to pick: Hunter Smurf, Farm Smurf or Golf Smurf (to make sure I hit on all hobbies)
Sissy relates this to BIL
BIL ~ Hunter Smurf!

and thus, my nephew (eek! weird to say) will forever more be "Hunter Smurf!"


Me & Momma
me ~ Hello?
Momma ~ Well? (awkward pause)
me ~ Well, what?
Momma ~ Aren't you going to say "I told you so?"
me ~ Nope, you already know I was right.

Me & K-dawg
me ~ Hey!
K ~ How are you feeling?
me ~ (avoids question) Sissy and BIL called, it's a boy!

K then posts on Sissy's FB "This means I'll be an uncle, right? Good - I didn't want to be an aunt." Gotta admit, the boy's got jokes. Just one of the eighty eleven reasons why I love him!

So, let the spoiling begin! Already scoping out camouflage baby stuff and baby boy invites for a shower. Glad Sissy and I had the smocking discussion this weekend, she's cool with it up until about age 2. Guess what I'm going to be scoping out at consignment and thrift stores?

~~
And, thanks for all the prayers and well wishes. I've got an appointment with a specialist tomorrow afternoon and hope to know answers and have relief soon. I have the faith that it will all be better soon.

And, K-dawg is having a tooth ache and is going to need a root canal this week. We're just a mess around these parts.

Hope y'all have had a great day; my heart goes out to those in Tennessee/Arkansas and along the Gulf. And, full of praise that the Times Square situation was an incident that wasn't worse!