Day 30 – A Dream for the Future Beyond the Next Year

I want to ultimately get down to my high school weight of ninety-nine pounds, but truth be told, I would be happy if I could just get back to one-hundred twenty pounds.

I plan to graduate college with a degree that my daddy will be proud of, because he's wanted it for so long. It is important to him because he never finished high school. All of his children graduated high school, but none of us have completed a Bachelors degree yet to my knowledge. Even after all these years of waiting, it is still very important to him. I want to make him happy.

I want to get to a good spot in my life where there's not so much grief-getting or giving. I want to grow old with my husband, not as two strangers in the night, two people just making do, but as one heart, one soul, true love, no more hurting each other, no more feeling like we have to give up ourselves just to make the other happy and still missing the target. I want real, not fake. I want all the hurt to go away and stay away for both of us, with no threat of it returning.

I want my children to grow up happy and strong and to have better lives than their parents have had. I want them to find true love and happiness. I want them to remain faithful to Heavenly Father, and strong against the evil that has tried and will try to lure them away.

I want to some day be a grandma, and to love my grandchildren as much as my grandma and granny loved me. I know that I will love them and I hope they think of me with the same fondness that I think of mine. I hope that I will be able to be with them for as long as mine were with me.

Day 29 – My Hopes, Dreams, Plans for the Next 365 Days

I hope to lose at least another twenty pounds by the end of this year. I hope for us to get back on track with the lifestyle that we started last summer and were making such great progress with in regards to our health.

I dream of a day, a life, with no tension, and no doubts about the things that I have the most doubts about.

I plan to do the best that I can this time around with school, though I am very apprehensive about how it will go. Things don't always go as planned, promised, or desired. Time will tell. One of the biggest concerns is just being able to make it through without getting sidetracked again by another sickness.

I pray to be the best me that I can be and to be the me that He wants me to be.

Day 28 – What’s in My Handbag/Purse

I have a small bag that I carry, barely big enough for the things in it. It serves its purpose. The usual contents are as follows:

...Epi-pen
...wallet
...Kleenex
...emery board
...3 ink pens
...mirror
...phone
...assorted crumbs from who-knows-what
...old coins
...receipts
...appointment and business cards.

Day 27 – My Worst Habit

Apparently, one of my worst habits is asking questions. I like to know the itty-bitty details of things: the whys, and the hows, and the what-fors. That drives some folks crazy, but it is just the way I am. I like to know stuff and the reason behind the stuff. But, it makes people feel invaded when I ask questions, no matter the reason for my asking.

I have many more bad habits, but that is the one on my mind at the moment.

Day 26 – My Week in Great Detail

On Monday we drove over two hundred miles for a route of jobs. It was a lot of fun. It was also David's birthday, so while we were out, we celebrated with a nice dinner out.

Tuesday, we had a few early morning jobs that went fine, easy. Then, in the afternoon, we had a job at two stores that totally wrecked the both of us. I don't know why, but it did. We inventoried DVDs, for crying out loud.

Wednesday, we signed in a new Avon recruit and are very excited! She's a real go-getter and we know that she'll go far in this business. We also had a job to do in the evening out of town.

Thursday, was a slow day, no jobs and no doctor appointments.

Friday, we took the kids to have their teeth cleaned and the rubber bands put on youngest daughter's braces. We also had an early morning job to do.

Saturday, we went to the grocery store, and I read in the book Morning's Refrain, and we spent a lot of time watching television.

I've also spent some time each day working on the blogs, trying to find ideas to improve them.

That's about it. What about you? How did you spend your week?

Day 25 – My Day in Great Detail

OK, well maybe not GREAT detail because that would involve remembering everything that I did and that's not happening.

I have read several chapters in Morning's Refrain, the second book in Tracie Peterson's Song of Alaska series. It is a very exciting book, in my opinion, though I wasn't particularly happy with the eighteen year jump between the end of the first book (Dawn's Prelude) and this one. I get attached to the folks in the books that I read and I want to know what happened to the lead characters in the first book during that eighteen years! But I am very much enjoying this series.

David and I are watching a series called Elizabeth R on Netflix. It is about Elizabeth I of England. I love the way her hair is done in this show. There are curls with jewels and beads in the center and it is just very pretty to me. I wish that I could do my hair like that, but I guess that some things are better left in the 1500s.

We have watched a couple of episodes of Quincy, M.E. as well as Matlock and something called Hot in Cleveland. On this last one, all of the main characters are people that we know from other series that we have watched in the past.

We had salad for lunch and hot dogs for supper.

I opened the box of school books that came today, but have yet to be brave enough to open the actual book. This time around, I am more nervous than excited. Things ended badly the last time I attempted school...I got sick and couldn't continue and the tumors were found. I guess I'm wondering what is going to sidetrack me this time around.

And this evening, I have been working on my blog posts for One Thousand Gifts, Random Thoughts by Suzanne, and this one here on P.S. Annie! I will tweet all of them and NaBloPoMo the Random Thoughts post. This is my third month as a part of NaBloPoMo. We are to post at least once a day on our blog for a month. I started in April. So far so good. I am working on a post a day, a month at a time, and hoping to keep this up for the long haul, and eventually hope to meet that goal on all of my blogs (even the oft forgotten Heartstrings by Suzanne).

That is pretty much it for my day today. What about yours? What have you done today and what are your plans for tomorrow?

Day 24 – Where I Live

I have lived on the Texas Gulf Coast in a little town of about 10,000 or so people for nearly seven years.

Right now we're in a major drought. Lake Texana appears to be more greenery than water. I half expected the Gulf to look the same when we were there Monday.

There are acres and acres of dead corn, rice being watered and appearing to grow fine, and something that I'm relatively sure is cotton looks to be doing fine, too.

I grew up in a rural area in South Carolina, but the two places are worlds apart in more ways than geographically. It has been an adventure.

Day 23 – A YouTube Video

I was introduced to this song today. Thanks, Miel!

Day 22 – A Website

There are so many great websites out there that I wouldn't know which one to call my absolute favorite. So, I'll introduce you to one that we consider the "front door" to all of our sites. It is: McClendon Enterprises. On it, you will find links to the various social media that we use as well as links to pages that are in progress. We have lots of plans for these pages in the future (not necessarily the very near future!).

Please drop by and let me know what you think of the site. I am practicing logo design and the header on the McClendon Enterprises site was created by me. The header design may change, but the logo will stay the same for the foreseeable future.

I would appreciate suggestions for websites that could tell me how to create blog templates. Not just the design, but the actual details like: what format to save the files and image sizes, how to do the HTML coding for the template to work properly in the various blogging formats (Blogger, WordPress, etc.), dos and don'ts of template creation, that sort of thing. Any tips and tricks that you've found that you feel would be helpful would be appreciated. Thanks in advance!

Day 21 – A Recipe

One of the first things that I learned how to cook was peanut butter cookies. My Aunt Charlotte taught me how. I think that I was younger than twelve years old at the time.

Here is the recipe that I remember.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Grease the cookie sheet or spray it with Pam.

Ingredients:

1 cup sugar
1 cup peanut butter
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla

Mix all of these ingredients together until they are well blended.

This is the part that gets a little tricky, thanks to my memory issues. I can't remember if you are supposed to use a teaspoon or a tablespoon to measure out the dough for each cookie. So, do whichever you wish and adjust the cooking time accordingly. :)

Roll the dough for each cookie into a ball and place on the cookie sheet, not touching each other. Using the tines of a fork, flatten the cookie ball a little and press a criss-cross pattern into it.

Bake for about 10 minutes, but watch closely, because if you used a teaspoon for the measure, they will cook faster than those measured with a tablespoon. Plus, some ovens are hotter (or cooler) than others, even when set to the same temperature.

Let them cool on the cookie sheet for a minute or two before you remove them for further cooling.

Enjoy!

Day 20 – A Hobby of Mine

One of my hobbies is digital art. I love to play with fractals. I discovered the existence of math as art on Fine Art America website.

Here are some examples of really, really beautiful fractals. I'm still learning, so I have a long way to go. But these folks do excellent work!

Iris

Fractal Floral Study

Spatial Spiral

I hope to be able to do fractals like those some day.

Here is an example of a fractal composite that I recently created. It is a blend of 3 different fractal layers in addition to a human iris from a photograph of my oldest daughter. I would love to have feedback on this. If you don't like it or if you do, I would still love to have your thoughts on this type of artwork.

P.S.  "Siobhan" is my working artist name. :)

Day 19 – A Talent of Mine

There are many things that I like to do, that I enjoy doing, but to say that I am talented in any one of them, I wouldn't go that far.

However, my husband says that I'm good at pulling something out of nothing. This is something that I've had to do many times over the years. Sometimes there's nothing in the wallet at the end of the month and what's left on pantry shelves is all there is. It has led to some pretty interesting meals on some occasions.

Unfortunately, at the moment I can't remember any of the nifty things that I've come up with during those times.

It would be great if I could pull something out of this "nothing" of a memory so that I could share something that might be helpful to you all.

I'm still breathing, so there's still hope. :)

Day 18 – My Wedding

Our wedding was a hundred years ago, a thousand miles away. At least it seems that way. So many things have come into our lives since then.

We have been married almost twenty-seven years, but have known each other almost thirty-one years. We met during my freshman year of high school; he was a senior. Things happened and we fell out of touch, but reconnected just before my junior year.

We had our first date on my sixteenth birthday. We went to see the movie "Endless Love".

Our wedding plans were pretty much taken out of our control, but the important thing is that we survived it and have survived every challenge since.

Day 17 – An Art Piece

I just recently discovered this artist during a visit to the local Buc-cees (a huge convenience store). Her name is Roberta Wesley and she is a very talented Texas woman.

The piece that caught my eye is titled "Old Friends". It is an emotional, expressive piece, in my opinion. It is the hand of an older man and older woman, obviously married. It made me think of my grandparents first, but it also made me think about our own mortality and wondering if my husband and I will make it that far, if we'll live long enough to have hands so aged.

I think that it is a remarkable piece of work by a very talented woman.

Please check our her site at: Wesley Gallery.

Day 16 – A Song That Makes Me Cry

Wow! There are so many songs that I could list here. But the one song that totally rips my heart to shreds every time I hear it is "Streets of Heaven" by Sherrie Austin, from the year 2003.



The first time I heard this song, I was on my way to pick my husband and the kids up from church. I tried to compose myself before they got into the car. Someone at church had given them each a new Bible. They were all excited and showing me their new Bibles and I just started bawling my eyes out. They thought that I was crying because I hadn't received a new Bible, too (and, maybe, the hubby thought I was off my rocker). I was happy for them and their Bibles, but what had my heart all torn up was this song that I'd just heard about a little kid fighting for her life and her mama begging Our Father to let her stay.

This song came to me at a time when grief over a similar situation was still very fresh. I was overcome with grief and guilt and couldn't contain it and out came the tears, while I was listening to the song, and while reuniting with my family.

What song does this to you? What song reaches down so deep inside of you that you can't contain the emotions? Is there a song that matches your life so much that you can't help but connect with it? Please share! I would love to hear about it.

Day 15 – My Dream House

Sometimes dreams change. I remember always wanting a huge house when I was younger. And I mean HUGE, as in Biltmore House huge. The place has forty-three bathrooms. Forty-three! No more waiting for my turn. That, and the fact that it has three kitchens, would sell me. Add the fact that there are over two-hundred other rooms and you've got a grand game of hide-and-seek. Of course, it probably wouldn't be good to choose me as the seeker because I would get so distracted by all of the pretties and history of the place that I would forget that I was supposed to be seeking.

I was willing to take that on thirty years ago, but over time, my dreams and priorities have changed. I want a more simple life, not a life of grandeur or the kind of "friends" that come with having a house of that size.

Something more like this is what I have in mind these days:

What I'm dreaming about: our own land out in the country, growing our own food, and a little house of our own, large enough to be comfortable, but not so large that we get lost in it. I'm thinking less than a thousand square feet will be just about perfect.

The children are nearly grown and will have lives of their own in just a few years. We don't plan a life of always being at home, so we don't need a house as big as we would need if we did. I don't know that I'm quite ready for the true tiny house idea (less than 500 square feet), but I am ready for a home of our own, no matter the size.

I like the whole homesteading idea, self-reliance, growing our own food, solar energy, building what we need from reclaimed/recycled materials, the whole package.

I know that it isn't necessarily the easiest lifestyle to lead, but I think that it can be done and we can be more comfortable and healthier in the process.
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Photo Credit: Jenkins Farmhouse - Dupree, Alabama USA; Rivers A. Langley; SaveRivers
This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.

Day 14 – A Non-Fictional Book

I do not generally read non-fiction books, so none of the typical non-fiction books really stand out to me. However, the Holy Bible is a non-fiction book and it is loaded with the types of things that hold my interest. It has history, genealogy, geography, poetry/songs, family relationships (or lack thereof), culture...all things that I find very interesting.

The biggest part of the story there is that it is a story of the ultimate love - the love Our Heavenly Father has for us, His children, and how His Son died to save us from our sins.

It is well worth the read. Have a blessed day!

Day 13 – A Fictional Book

OK, I'm not entirely sure what I am supposed to do with this prompt, so I will assume that I am to write something about a fiction book that I have enjoyed reading. Easy enough.

The book that I have just completed is titled Dawn's Prelude and it is by Tracie Peterson, from her Song of Alaska series. I usually pick an author and stick with them for the long haul, but decided to give a different author a chance, mostly because the covers are so beautiful and I've always thought that living in Alaska would be an interesting adventure.

It was good for me that I took a chance on a different author! This book had me from the get-go. It was hard to put it down whenever other duties called and, especially toward the end, I was all fidgety until I could get back to the book to see how it was going to end.

I do not know yet how to do reviews without spoiling the story for someone else, but I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading things in historical settings and far-off places, stories of love, and stories of faith and deliverance. This book has all of these things. I am looking forward to the next two in the series- Morning's Refrain and Twilight Serenade.

Day 12 – Something I Am OCD About

This one is easy! Hands-down, it is hand washing! It just totally does me in to be in a public bathroom (and that's a whole 'nother post entirely!) and to have people leave without washing their hands. It is especially problematic if there are no paper towels because I am, then, forced to touch the contaminated door handle with my freshly-washed hands after the offenders have touched it with their "potty" hands. ICKY!

One thing that gets to me the absolute worst is food handlers that wipe their noses with their hands and then carry on with food prep/handling without washing their hands before coming in contact with the food. I understand that sometimes a person get an itch that they have to scratch or whatever, but after doing so, they should wash their hands. I don't know anyone that wants a booger-burger...and even if someone else does, I sure don't!

I have called food handlers on it many times, telling them to wash their hands and never mind about what I ordered because I don't want it anymore. One in a local KFC had the nerve to argue with me on it because "I don't handle the food". Sure, fine, but she was handing me back boogerty change. OY!

So, my biggest OCD thing is demanding proper personal hygiene and not having people share their mucus with me, because I don't want it. I don't want to see it. I don't want to touch it. And I sure don't want to eat it!

Wellbee Photo Credit: Public Domain, Content Providers(s): CDC/ Mary Hilpertshauser with identification number #7222.

Day 11 – A Photo of Me Recently

The most recent photos of me were taken shortly after I created this blog and were some of the last photos taken with this camera. It will be awhile before I can have it repaired or replaced.

I do not like being photographed. I hate it, actually. I don't recall a time when I ever liked being in front of the camera, though I have loved being behind it since I was a little girl.

My word for this year is "Freedom". I am trying to break free and be the me that I am meant to be, and that includes getting over this in-front-of-the-camera aversion. My future offspring deserve to have the question "What did my grandma look like?" answered with a picture, no matter how uncomfortable it makes me to be the focus of attention.

I'm working on it.

The rest of the photos from that shoot can be seen here.