Thanksgiving, Black Friday & Tattling

Well, this has certainly ended up to be a busy, somewhat fun-filled week.

First, my eye appointment, which thankfully went well. No more abscess or infection. Bonus? No more visits for another three months.

But also, it was a bit of a frustrating day. Why? Because at the previous week's appointment with my son's Psychiatrist, I had scheduled a home visit with his Case Manager to discuss behavior modifications and whatnot. 11:15 AM came. And it went.

By 3:00 I had called his doctor's office to let him know that the CM was a "no call/no show". The nurse took down my message, and ON HER OWN, stated she was also sending the report to the Case Manager's Supervisor. While I was at it, I finally said I also was tired of having to CONSTANTLY sign late paperwork. This last one was signed a MONTH late (as usual).

She "ratted" me out to the doctor at this past visit, because "he has to know and it's nothing personal" when I CALLED her and cancelled. He was having a good morning that day, and I wanted him in school. Plus it's not like he was seeing the doctor THAT day, anyways.

That's alright. Because turn about's fair play. At least I called to cancel my appointment at the office.

As for Thanksgiving, all went well. We cooked the ham. It was pretty good, if I don't say myself. It was a really pretty day.

Were you nutty enough to go out for Black Friday sales? Including the midnight sales? My husband was. But for a good cause.

Our old Sanyo TV, which was pushing 12 years old finally gave up and grew wings and went to Television Heaven. So, he bought a 40 inch flat-screen for $250. Normal price was about $400. Can't complain. That is our "together gift" for this Christmas.

All in all, it wasn't too bad of a holiday week. Now, time to ready for Christmas decorating, shopping and wrapping.

Too bad that a certain Case Manager is going to come back from an extended holiday weekend to find out that she is in deep doo-doo. I have a feeling that I am not the only one that has made a complaint against her. Because, why else would a Psychiatry office's nurse be the one to state that SHE wanted to file a complaint with the CM in question's Supervisor?

25 Days of Christmas (Day 18 & 19)

For the last 12 days of Christmas, I will be posts to "break down" the Christmas Carol, "Twelve Days Of Christmas" by focusing on what each line is speaking of (Partridge, Turtle Doves, etc.) and their meanings and/or what they truly are. Just little facts and trivia things.

*HINT* ... Each day, the verse of choice will be BOLDED and highlighted.

Today, I'm doing the "two for one buy" deal, seeing as I didn't log on and write yesterday. It was *MY BIRTHDAY!!* and I felt the need to be a lazy bum. And I did just that. But only on here. I still had to clean and do the Cinderella thing around the house... Go figure, eh?


On the sixth day of Christmas,
my true love sent to me
Six geese a-laying,
Five golden rings,
Four calling birds,
Three French hens,
Two turtle doves,
And a partridge in a pear tree.


And here we go again with the stinking birds! Sorry. But I ain't the one who wrote this song. (=

I used to have to deal with geese back home in California when I went to the park (along with the seagulls, but that's a story for another time). They are loud and at most times mean little suckers. Okay, not so little, but still can chase you like a chicken with it's head cut off.

(From Wiki Dictionary)

The word goose (plural: geese) is the English name for a considerable number of birds, belonging to the family Anatidae. This family also includes swans, most of which are larger than true geese, and ducks, which are smaller.

There are three living genera of true geese: Anser – Grey Geese, including the domesticated goose and the Swan Goose, Chen – White Geese (often included in Anser), and Branta – Black Geese, such as the Canada goose.

Geese are monogamous, living in permanent pairs throughout the year; however, unlike most other permanently monogamous animals, they are territorial only during the short nesting season. Paired geese are more dominant and feed more, two factors that result in more young.


Now, onwards to the seventh day (which also is a flocking mess!)


On the seventh day of Christmas,
my true love sent to me
Seven swans a-swimming,
Six geese a-laying,
Five golden rings,
Four calling birds,
Three French hens,
Two turtle doves,
And a partridge in a pear tree.

Aren't they beautiful? And they are one of the few birds that are mates for life. This picture makes me think my my husband and I, and how still in love and still seemingly in the "honeymoon phase" we are in, even after being married for eight years now, and will be together for eleven in April.

The following about swans is also going to be found HERE.

A swan is a bird of the genus Cygnus.

Seeing as that site sucked and didn't give anything... We shall go HERE instead...

Classification

Family: Anatidae
Subfamily: Cygninae
Species: Whooper, Trumpeter, Tundra, Mute, Black-necked, Black, Berwick, and Coscoroba

A male swan is a cob; a female is a pen, and the young are called cygnets. Description
Swans are the largest of the aquatic birds, closely related to the Goose. They are known for their grace and beauty and have long been considered “ornamental birds” which float on ponds in zoos, parks, and botanical gardens. Swans are long necked and web-footed. The most common swan, the Mute Swan, is a large, all white bird with a pink bill that ends in a black knob. The bill of a swan is so sensitive that it serves as an underwater feeler.

Swans have the longest neck of any bird, with 23-25 neck vertebrae. Swans have as many as 25,000 feathers. They are long-lived birds, and can live up to twenty years in the wild, and even fifty years in captivity!

Habitat

Swans prefer wetlands and land surrounded by water, where they build their nests on mounds. The Tundra swan builds its nest in the tundra wetlands, where they maintain a territory of one square mile and defend it from other swans. Swans prefer cooler environments and avoid extreme heat. The Tundra and Whooper nest all across northern America, the Arctic Islands and Northern Russia. The Black-necked and Coscoroba are found from Brazil southward. The Black Swan lives in Australia and New Zealand. The Mute Swan resides in Europe.

Mating

Swans will both display before mating, then mate for life. They are devoted to each other, and remain together throughout the year. They keep their young with them until they nest again, some staying through a second clutch. If one of a pair of swans dies, the survivor usually takes a new mate, and they form a dedicated pair. Breeding Swans usually mature in two to three years, and breed at around 3-4 years of age. The northern birds do not breed until their fifth or sixth year. Birds kept in captivity take much longer to establish a breeding pair.

25 Days of Christmas (Day 9, 10 & 11)

Yes, I have three days in one post to do for the "25 Days Of Christmas" series, seeing as I have been WAY too busy to get anything done this past week.

First up, Day 9...More Christmas Decorating; The Outdoors Edition. In pictures mind you.

                  The newest edition (up to that point) was the Skiing Santa.

                      Yes, his arms REALLY DO move as if he really is skiing!

                        Meet our newest and latest edition to the Yard Deco Family...18 Ft. Frosty the Snowman!


Now, for "Day 10"... "Christmas" (Holiday/Winter) Party Planning... Wanna Trade Places?


School. The place where young minds go to learn and grow socially. And a place for a Room Mother to dread planning parties for twenty-two children aging between five and six years old.

Yep, that time again to plan another party. We have to call it Winter Holiday party of course, seeing we HAVE TO BE all PC about it.

And let me tell ya right here and now, I have some of the BEST parents to work with this year. In the three years since moving to this school and taking responsibility as "Head Parent" in the classrooms of my kids, I have NEVER seen as much devotion to and willingness to help and support myself and the kids in the class as I have in Skyler's Kindergarten classroom.

We're going to have craft time, Christmas music, all kinds of goodies to eat, pass out Christmas cards and presents, and goody bags filled with candy and trinkets. These kids are going to have a WONDERFUL time. I'd say that this will be  one of the best parties I have ever put together or have seen for a classroom to have.


Last, but most certainly NOT least..."Day 11", A TRUE Christmas Miracle.


As many of my FaceBook Friends know, we in our area have been passing around and getting other friends from all over the USA to share an Amber Alert about 12-year-old Brittney Smith. Her mother was found dead in their home, and that the live-in boyfriend who is 32, took Brittney and ran off.

For a week, there has been a nation-wide manhunt for Jeff Easley and his hostage, Brittney. They were last seen on a WalMart video surveillance tape leaving the store with a ton of groceries and a tent that was purchased with Tina Smith's (mom) credit card.

Last night, it was reported that Brittney Smith was FOUND, as was Jeff Easley. Best of all, she is ALIVE and to the furthest of knowing, doing well and doesn't look to be injured. They were spotted by a store clerk over 2,700 miles away from here, in San Francisco.

Not many children are lucky to be found alive and unharmed. Being just two weeks shy of Christmas, this is truly a Christmas Miracle.

Welcome home, Brittney! It's good that you can be home and be here for your mother's funeral. I'm very sorry for your loss. Losing your brother was horrible enough.

My thoughts and prayers are with Brittney and her grandmother, who apparently will be the one taking her in, after the loss of HER only child.













                       

25 Days of Christmas (Day 7)

Present wrapping.. I have to say, I really enjoy it. Love it? No. But I do enjoy it, though I am not the best at it. You can see lines and creases. I don't use ribbons or bows.

It's either just in pretty wrapping paper with a name tag, boxed, or in a gift bag with tissue.

One of the reasons being that with three kids to wrap gifts for, I can't take hours on end of wrapping and wrapping and...

Also, thanks to my back and the fact that my basement bedroom is nothing more than a concrete slab with a carpet on top, I can't sit there for very long. After three epidurals and a spinal in the space of five years, my back is pretty much shot in the lower region.

So, what may take most people no more than maybe two or three hours (if even that), takes me most of the time DOUBLE. Yesterday, I started wrapping presents at 2:30. I stopped at about 8:00 last night. And that was after breaks of about 15 minutes each, every 45 minutes, thanks to my back aching so badly.

Today, I plan on finishing what we have left. Then, once I can shop for my husband, and Hayley can shop for Skyler, being that that is the only kid-to-kid purchase left, I can wrap them and be DONE.

So with that said, how are you with gift wrapping? Do you enjoy it, or loath it? Do you go all out, or just a "plain Jane/Jerry" wrapper (like me lol)?

25 Days of Christmas (Day 3)

"The Spirit Of Giving vs. Receiving From Others" is what I have chosen for today.


As most of my readers know, just over a year ago, I required an emergency Corneal Transplant. I was needing it at some point. But thanks to complications I went from preparing to "do it now or else" within less than a week.

Since I was eighteen, I have been a Registered Organ/Tissue Donor. I've always been the type of person that took more joy in GIVING to others than I did with taking. It's been this way since I can remember.

Also, for the last three Christmases past, my husband and I had to swallow our pride and apply for assistance for the kids through the Salvation Army's 'Angel Tree' program that has generous people and families donate presents to needy children.

This year, we have turned a tide and did not apply this year. Some may call up nuts because my son being on SSI Disability automatically qualifies him and his sisters. But I am not, nor have I ever been the one to profit from another's suffering. Even if it meant a better Christmas for my children.

This year, with my children all now being at ages and levels of understanding in regards to helping others, we have decided to give back. On our way out to let the kids shop for one another, we stopped by the mall and found the local Angel Tree for our area.

Each of my kids were allowed to pick a child of their choosing. They all got kids off the tree of their gender and age range (though Skyler had to do a five-year-old, seeing as six was no longer there).

The first ones that they wanted to shop for after we "busted" through the store's doors was get the gifts for their chosen kids. In that moment as their mom, I could not have been more proud. They put OTHERS above themselves and thought of helping another human being BEFORE thinking of THEIR wants.

Each of their kids got a set of clothing and a toy (or make-up) that they made the final decision on (as long as it was within our price range).

After that, then the girls got to shop for their gifts to Bryce as he and I sat in the van. Then, it was vice versa.

Next, the girls have to get one another (seeing as it was getting late and too cold to be out). And knowing my three, separately, Scotty and I will be having to take them all as to be able to shop for us (Mom and Dad) like we do every year.

In the end though, this year, I have seen with my own eyes that the values I have tried hard to instill in to my children are indeed paying off. And it's getting paid forward.

Because this Christmas, three more children in this world WILL have *something* under their Christmas tree. All because three of their peers decided it was better to give than to get.

Volunteering. It's that time again.

Have you ever done it? Volunteering, I mean. In your child's school.

Did you know that as a Volunteer, you do NOT have to work at the school its self? You can do some things as a Volunteer in the privacy and comfort of your own home, as well.

And another bonus? You do not have to have a child at the school to be a volunteer! You can be a grandparent, an aunt or uncle. Or just a local neighbor that wishes to lend a helping hand.

Some of the things that you can do at home as a Volunteer would be...

Cutting out soup labels or boxtops.

Make phone calls to get others to supply things such as snacks and juices for events.

Cut out letters, numbers, shapes and other needed decorations for classrooms or other areas of the school you choose to help.

There are also many things you can help with within the school's setting. And you do NOT have to be with your child's class, either.

You can...

Be a Room Parent that coordinates and heads class parties as per the school's allotment.

Help in the Library.

Help with Reading Classes.

Assist at the school's Book Fair(s) that are held once or even twice a year.

Help with After School Activities (such as dances).

There is something for EVERYONE to do. Talents and knowledge within all types of areas are needed and encouraged to be filled.

You just do not know how even (what seems to be) the simplest of "jobs" you do, be it from home, or within the school, can affect the children you serve, and the staff.

Kids and the staff need outside help and resources to let the kids benefit the best that they can while in their instructional setting.

Plus, it gives you an up-close, upfront, and personal view of what REALLY does go on in the school environment and classrooms.

This year, I'm looking to add a couple more hats to being a Volunteer. The Principal and I had talked while I was at Orientation with Skyler, who is going in to Kindergarten this year.

We are going to look at me getting a "promotion" to Co-Volunteer-Coordinator, for one thing. The Volunteer Coordinator is dealing with a lot of health issues and having to travel much due to a family member being ill. She was gone a good portion of last school year, and I took over. So, I know what the entire job entails. And I gladly welcome the challenge.

And then, I will be sitting on not just one, but two Parent Advisory Boards. One for the school it's self, and the other where parents from ALL of the schools in each school zone come together and state (as a representative of your school and your zone/ward)in front of the School Board what WE as parents, and as reps, would like to see done differently, added, or taken away from 'policy'.

At the school-level, I would bring back to the meetings, what was discussed and decided upon at the School Board level, we would let the Principal know what we want to see for our individual school, and we would help decide on certain things of what to change, add, or remove.

So, it seems that overall, I'm going to be a busy bee where school is concerned, more so than last year. And I do plan on doing my three-days-per-week volunteering in the classrooms and wherever else I am needed.

I'm honestly at my happiest points after I have done a few hours at the school. It's so very rewarding. Not just for the kids and the staff. But for myself as well. I get to walk away each time, knowing I made a difference in a child's life. Even if it's just a scratch upon the surface.

Once the kids (that don't) get to know me, and I them, there is a very special bond. And yes, I may even collect a few favorites. It's really not hard to do. And the kids that know me from last year will come up and see me. I look forward to those that will do so, to come running up to me and give me my 'daily' hug. I'll be asked if I could lunch with one here or there. And knowing me, I won't be able to resist the puppy dog eyes and cave in.

Really, when I think of it, I don't know who gets more out of volunteering. Us, the Volunteers, or the kids that come to know us and look for us to be darting down the halls, maybe to their classrooms.

Please, if you have never done so, or think you cannot, do try to volunteer at least once within a local school. It's a gift that keeps on giving every time you do something to make a difference in a child's world. I wouldn't trade this gift in for anything.

My First Time.

Some say, when you have your first time, it can be really scary. You don't know what to expect, how to act or react. Or even what to feel at that very moment in time.

There are many firsts in our lives. First boyfriend or girlfriend. First dates and kisses. First time having sex. And then there is another first. One that thousands in the United States, and millions world wide get to have. Believe me, it is a first that no one wants to experience.

The loss of someone that for some people, they don't really even know on a "personal" level. But the shock, hurt, fear, and pain is still the same. Because in my exclusive club, when one hurts, we all hurt. When one rejoices, we all rejoice.

Sadly, there is no rejoicing for us in the Transplant Community in our Facebook tight-knit group, TEC. For one of our own is watching his wife dying before his very eyes. And there is NOTHING now that can be done for her.

She was in the process of testing to receive a Liver Transplant. She was even transferred to another hospital to start rehabilitation. But no sooner they got her there, she had to go back to her regular hospital and be placed in ICU. Sadly, she is now in Liver and Renal Failure. Her Kidneys have also basically shut down. Now, this vibrant, "young" woman is on full life support and around-the-clock dialysis.

Her family is coming in to say their good-bye's and at this point she is comfortable. By Monday, she will be taken off of life support and let nature take it's course, unless her heart stops before then.

This is a first for me. It is a stark, let alone grim reality of being in the Transplant World. None of us, be it Live Donors, Donor Families, or Recipients, I think honestly "get it" until something like this happens. We are in a "La La Land" of sorts. We all know that some get the call and are lucky. Some sadly don't. But until it REALLY "hits home" and happens to one of your own (so to speak), you can't honestly get a grasp on the severity of the realities of being in this (be it unwanted) exclusive club, where ALL ages are welcome, nor are they turned away. Transplantation has no age limits. Nor does Organ Failure.

Today, I await word on a friend's wife. He held out so much hope, gave her SO much love and devotion and was there for her from beginning to end, never wavering. He was giving positivity and hope to fellow new caregivers, even as he has had been getting his own heart shattering through seeing that there was nothing he could do but support and be there for the love of his life. And he is at this moment, by her side. Showing her his undying love, giving all the support he can as her soul-mate and just waiting for the end to sadly come.

We, his friends, have been loving them, supporting them and have hoped for the best. But sadly, the best came too late in the game. And for one woman, her journey through the Transplant Experience is almost over. Help was coming too late.

This "first" is something I will carry with me for years to come. And it's a "first" I knew would come along in my life. I just didn't think I would be blind sided with it this soon after becoming a Recipient myself. But I thank it for coming like it did. Why? Because now I can see the TRUE realities of the Transplant Community/World. It's not all a bed of sunshine, puppies and rainbows.

There is also darkness, heart break, sadness and death. In  this "club", lives are at stake. We have to depend on another person, be it that they are alive or have died, to keep US alive, seeing and going on with our own lives. And to be here for our loved ones. That's a hard pill to have to swallow.

Some one had to DIE to give me my sight back. Some people depended on someone's death to be their second chance for a new heart or a new set of lungs. It's not easy knowing this fact. In some ways, some of us (myself included) felt like we "took" or "stolen" from our donors, in a selfish manner. But that is NOT the case.

Our donors gave of themselves to help those that are in need of a second chance at living their lives and being with their loved ones. Without them, we either would not be able to see, walk or even be alive ourselves.

There is so much more of a Demand, than there is a Supply for people in need of a Transplant. Be it a heart, a kidney, lungs, cornea, skin, and many other organs, tissues and even blood. Please, if you have yet to do so, SIGN UP to be an Organ/Eye/Tissue Donor. Be a HERO and pay it forward. You never know when YOU may depend on someone else for a second chance for the Gift of Life.

April is for more than Easter. It's to Give Life, Give Hope....

Life. What a precious thing to have, isn't it? Most of us take it and all of it's gifts for granted. That is until something major happens and it makes you take a better look at that proverbial big picture.

That is how it is for over 100,000 people in the United States of America alone. Add in people all over the world, and you are looking at MILLIONS of men, women and children. Holding on to every single day as if it really is their last. Hoping for that one second chance.

Waiting for someone to give of themselves. Waiting....for a new organ, tissue, bone, or bone marrow.

Some will sadly die waiting for their turn. Some have been waiting only a few weeks. Some, a few months. And some have been forced to wait for YEARS to get "the call" to receive the Gift of Life.

During the entire month of April, those of us that have been touched by Organ/Tissue/Bone/Marrow Donation are celebrating Organ, Tissue Donation Awareness Month.

People that have been are a Recipient, a Living Donor, is a Donor Family, or a friend of someone who donated or received an organ/tissue/bone/marrow are banding together to spread the awareness of the need GLOBALLY, all around the world for people to SIGN UP 2 SAVE LIVES with their local Organ/Tissue Donation center.

Be it the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV), on a website such as www.donatelife.net/CommitToDonation, or Google-ing for International Organ/Tissue Donation Registration websites.

When you sign up to be an Organ/Tissue Donor, you are saying that you are willing to freely give someone else, after your death, a second chance to live on.

For me, it was a Cornea for my eye. That is the "outside window" that protects your inner eye from injury and enviromental infections that could otherwise sneak in directly and attack the eye its self.

Without my Donor's gift of sight, I would be COMPLETELY blind in my left eye. As a Stay-At-Home-Mom that was NOT an option. I wanted to see with BOTH eyes, my three young children grow, be able to keep BOTH eyes on them, be able to SAFELY cross a busy street and have more of my independence back.

If you sign up to be a Donor, you are a HERO! To not only the Recipient. But, to their family and their loved ones. We ♥ our Donors and their families EVERY day. They are NEVER far from our thoughts, hearts, and appreciation.

Please, take a few minutes out of your time today to sign up to be an Organ/Tissue Donor. It's free, quick, and simple. Let someone have a full life and a second chance.

http://www.donatelife.net/    http://www.organdonor.gov/     http://www.unos.org/

    

Copy of letter to DONATE LIFE AMERICA re: my story of being a Cornea Recipient

For much of my adult life, I have been battling what I thought to be "teen acne". That was until the morning of October 21,2009. That's when I perforated my Cornea after poking it with my finger knuckle as I scratched an itch on my eyebrow, and my finger slipped.

On October 24th, I was sent to Duke University Medical Center and learned that I in fact had the skin condition, Rosacea. This is called Ocular Rosacea. It was in my eyes as well. And as a result, the Cornea thinned with each flare-up.

On October 29th, I was rushed back to Duke for an emergency Corneal Transplant. The Gluing procedure that was used to wait out the infection didn't work.

Thanks to my Donor, their courageous gift, and his/her family, I was able to regain my sight. At least a tiny bit. It's going to take a great amount of time (about a year or so) for all of my vision to return.

But this married, Stay-At-Home Mom of three children (ages 10 years to 5 years) is forever grateful to the doctors, her Donor, Donor Family and the North Carolina Eye Bank for the gift of sight. Without them and my family's support, I very well could be blind for the rest of my life (or even without an actual eye).

That Cornea Donation saved my Cornea, the eye it's self, and my life as I've come to "know" it.

Please give to others. Be a Donor and give someone the chance at a better, healthier, and happier life.

I myself am an Organ/Tissue/Eye Donor. If you are going to "take", it's always a good thing to also "give".

Melissa, State of Virginia

Christmas. The Day After.

The stockings were hung. The cookies made and laid out. Presents wrapped and under the tree.

There was the trip to the Emergency Room...

Yep! You read it right. My family's Christmas was almost a complete bust. Bryce had to be taken in. His eyes were blood shot. He had no color, and goop coming out his eyes and nose.

Come to find out, he got an awesome gift! He received Pink Eye, a Sinus Infection, Imeptigo (contagious rash) on the end of his nose, and an Ear Infection.

We got home just in time for the kids to get nestled in their beds. Santa was able to come, with all of us fast asleep. He dropped off a couple of bikes (Bryce and Skyler), a Twighlight; New Moon board game (Hayley) and the stocking stuff.

The kids all got new bed sets. Mom got a Snuggie in pink from Bryce. So, my son helped to fund Breast Cancer Research. Dad got a new outfit. And that's just a few things to name off.

Between Santa, our family exchanging gifts, and at Grandma's, where extended family exchanged as well, these kids made out like bandits.

Even the kitty-kids (my three furry sons) got a couple of presents! From us, they received a new Crinkle Tunnel, and some Cat-Nip toys. From Grandma and Papa, they got some new jingle toys.

The aftermath is clear. Toys to be taken out of packaging. Beds to be made. Clothes to be hung or put in drawers. Garbage to be taken out. Gift bags and boxes to be folded and put away for next year.

Scott already built the play kitchen Santa brought Skyler. That was fun watching Dad put part AA in to part PP and DD in to LL. I know I'm a mean one (Mrs. Grinch as my Brother-In-Law kept callin me).

Here is to a hopefully happy, joyful, love-filled, family-filled Christmas that I hope you had all enjoyed this year. From my home, to yours.

Paying forward to those in need....

This year has been a wild ride, to say the least. There have been more ups of course. But some of the downs sure did turn our lives upside down.

All was pretty good up until about mid-October. Then, it seems like everything pretty much fell apart around my husband, myself, and our family.

My eye infection came back, then it (and my stupidity) perforated my Cornea to where I required a Cornea Transplant. Of course, soon after those bills, along with the regular monthly bills started to add up quickly.

Suddenly, we were in a very hard, but not uncommon predicament....Christmas was coming and we didn't have the money to buy our children gifts. At least not many.

So, we took a chance and applied for a Holiday loan. Sadly, we didn't qualify. But, as fate and luck would have it, we did qualify for a Personal loan that was just a bit more in interest.

Now, we had gotten each of the three kids some stuff. Not a whole lot. But enough to let them feel that they have a decent amount each under the tree.

Plus, we were able to let each of the kids shop for us. They wanted too. So, they were able to spend thirty dollars a piece on dear old Mom and Dad. Two presents from each of the kids.

Next, Scotty and I plan on buying for one another. No more than fifty dollars or so a piece. But, as we shop for one another, I plan on shopping for three more kids.

No, not my nieces or nephews, or cousins. They are all already taken care of. But for children that may not have a Christmas at all, without a little help.

This year, I plan on buying one girl's toy, one boy's toy, and one infant's toy and dropping them off to Toys For Tots.

Toys For Tots has been a great help to my family in the past. The service/charity is ran by the Marine Corps.

It's easy. Just buy new, packed, unwrapped toys and give them to the Marine Soldiers that are at your local stores, with TFT bins. Or drop them off at your local Marine Corp base. You should be able to find them in the Government section of your phone book.

Remember the old saying, "it is better to give than to receive". And yes, that saying really is true. It fills my heart with joy, love, and accomplishment to give to others when they may feel that there is nothing. There is something...

Love of your fellow man.

Pay it forward. Give to those that need the help, the love, and the gift of your willingness to serve.

Trials, Tribulations, and Test-Taking

This is a subject that I had touched on yesterday in my secondary blog...

Resigning to Fate. 

We all at some point in our lives will have to do this. Some sooner than others. Some in a higher fashion than others. Some with more pain or hurt than others.

So to get the following on FaceBook's application, "God Wants You To Know" this morning, it was even more clear than ever to me.

On this day, God wants you to know...

... that today you have a cause for celebration. Today, you should celebrate what an unbelievable life you have had so far: the accomplishments, the many blessings, and, yes, even the hardships because they have served to make you stronger. Just as a gem cannot be polished without friction, nor can a life be perfected without trials. Take a time to acknowledge your life and to praise yourself.

Sit there and really think about this. How does that passage fit in to your life, and the lives of your family.

Personally, I have had many ups and downs. Many trials, that most people would just crawl in to a hole, bury themselves, and never even attempt to crawl out. And this last 'trial' of my strength, courage, faith, and to see how truly blessed I really am was severely put to the test.

Even today, I am dealing with a small...yes SMALL setback in my recovery from Corneal Transplant surgery. I'm just thankful it wasn't worse. Let alone rejection. Which can happen at any given point in my life. 

But I can't let that POSSIBILITY, which at this point has greatly lessened in chance stop me from living. It just means that I have to be vigilant and watch my eye more closely from now on.

No matter what trials and tribulations come your way, you must take it in stride. Those things that you think will make you weak, will in actuality make you a stronger person, and more recognizing of what people and blessings you do have, compared to what you did lose, and might lose.

Believe me, I know all too well what I am talking of. 

Testimony Sunday...On MONDAY?!

Sorry about the delay, folks! I had other things going on yesterday and it completely slipped my mind to do my TS post.

So...it looks like you are getting Testimony Sunday on MONDAY! Ready? I think it's a pretty good one, if I don't say so myself. (=

(From 'God Wants You To Know' application on FaceBook.com)....

 On this day, God wants you to know...

... that you are unique and precious. When you try to value yourself for being the best in something, you are bound to fail. Even Olympic champions are the best only for a few years. You are precious to God not because there is no one better than you, but because you are a unique creation of mind, body and spirit, - th...ere is no one like you, - and that is exactly what makes you so indescribably precious.

 

Pretty powerful words, aren't they? And oh so very true at that. No one can be "perfect" or "best" at all things. We all have our unique gifts that God has chosen for us.

 

Some of us may only possess one special talent. Some of us may behold more than one gift. But, all of us do have one thing in common....

 

We are all unique. Especially to God. He made us all in His image. But He also made us all very differently. Even Identical Twins are 'unique' in their personalities and can have completely different interests and talents.

 

For my talents, I know that they were passed down from a couple to three generations ago. My Great-Grandmother was a famous Playwright in the 1930's and 40's, primarily in Chicago. 

 

To this day, I still have some of her Play Manuscripts and Scripts that were HAND WRITTEN by her stored. She had beautiful writing, to say the least. Along with the newspaper clippings about her Plays, and their reviews.

 

When I was in school, my strongest subject always revolved around the English language and writing. This included writing, punctuation, and English Literature. I love many of the classics, such as "Old Yeller" and "To Kill A Mockingbird" and the timelss classic literary arts of Mark Twain. That's just to name a few.

 

Math on the other hand is a completely different subject (pun intended here!) for me. I am so bad at math, except for the basics, that the numbers run away when they see me coming for them. As does Geography. Mountians move on. And not by the Lord's hand. But from fear of me and how bad I will screw up the naming of where they are located. 

 

So, enjoy your uniqueness and your special talents. Because God made you just the way He intended. He has you using special talents everyday. Hidden and not-so-hidden ones. 

 

 

What are YOU thankful for this holiday season?

This morning, I sat here and it suddenly dawned on me, that in one week, it will be Thanksgiving Day. And it will also mean my kids will have an extra two days off from school to drive me completely and utterly insane.

Of course, this is the holiday where people are thankful. For what they have, who they have in their lives, and so forth.

You know, the usuals. We are all thankful for our jobs (for those that are employed, especially in these very hard economic times), our families (even those pesky inlaws), for our homes and other neccessities in life. And even for the not-so-needed materialistic things that we have.

While I'm extremely grateful for all of the above myself, there is one special thing in particular that I am more grateful and thankful for this holiday season. One thing more than anything else in the above list. Yes, I think honestly even more than my children....

My eyesight.

In a flash (literally) it was gone from my left eye. I could barely see any light through it.

After a failed "gluing" procedure done on my Perforated Cornea, that was "blown out" by a skin infection that went to my eye, and my own clumsiness, I required an emergency Corneal Transplant surgery. Even though my eye was still heavily infected. 

Really, it was a gamble. Either do it, and chance possible failure (rejection) and lose my whole eye. Or just take the eye and get it over with.

There is only one way to retrieve a cornea from another person's eye. That is to remove the cornea from a deceased donor who was gracious enough, and had a kind enough heart to donate their organs and/or their tissues after death.

Within not even a week after surgery, I had my first huge break through. For the first time in about two weeks, I was able to read the first big letter, and a second set of letters on the eye chart. I could see a hand waving their fingers from about two or three feet back. And I was able to discern light from dark. 

Now, I'm able to get the first maybe two or three lines of an eye chart. Believe me, my Periphrial vision and judgement on clearing things on my left side are still problematic. But I deal with it. It's especially hard if I have to wear my protective eye patch. But it's all worth it.

Because, thanks to a fellow human being's final act of love and kindness, I am able to watch with both eyes wide open, my children grow, be happy, and one day have their own children.

God had truly blessed me and my life. He has given me and my family something special this year. And it's a gift that I hope to have until He calls me home to be with Him. He sent me an angel that day. That angel is my Cornea Donor and their family. May the Lord bless them as He has blessed me.                                        

It was a great evening! That is until....

As I had stated in a previous post, my son suffers from ADHD. But he also has a Mood Disorder, Axiety Disorder, and OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder).

Due to all of these mental problems, he is also mentally immature. Let's just say that I have two four-year olds in my house. Only, one is really eight in chronological and biological aspects.

Today was my oldest daughter's birthday. She is now ten years old. That's right! The big 1-0!! And we took her out to a buffet restaurant named Golden Corral Buffet, which was her choice.

Her "big gift" from us was a Nintendo DS. I got the original version as a "test run" to see how responsible she will be with such a "grown up" piece of private property. She about knocked me out of the chair after opening it.

When we were coming home, Scott, my husband and I knew what would soon happen. And sure enough, like clock work, it did. Bryce had a meltdown because Hayley got "special stuff" and he didn't.

He was fussing, crying, carrying on. As if he was a toddler not getting his way. He kept on saying he doesn't get anything today, but Hayley did, so it's not fair.

We have been constantly letting him know that he will be getting a "special thing" at Christmas. Plus, on his birthday, only HE will get presents. No one else.

As of now, he has calmed down a bit. But he is still pretty upset that the world has revolved around someone other than him. And I think that to Bryce, that is worse than not getting things on Hayley's special day.