Vince and Susan's New House

Roger has been very busy painting the house. Vince has been hard at work as well, Susan and I shopped yesterday for blinds, paint and odds and end- mailboxes and towel bars. Then we went back with the paint to plead with the paint counter to add some white to the deeper blue they had picked out for the accent walls. It was a bit on the neon side. The final result is much better. Still vibrant, but in a softer hue. The picture of Susan at Home Depot sums up how tired everyone is. We did not even think about needing a mailbox. When you buy a new house they don't even come with towel bars. Strange. I did not go over today because I have not been feeling well and needed to get some things done around here. I know Roger is so tired. We can't go like we used to be able to and he has not stopped since Friday afternoon. Mom and Dad went to Nashville to see Gabe, so I hope they are having a good time. He really likes us to come down. We don't get to as often as we would like. We are hoping to go more this Fall. I will post pics of the house as it progresses.

Ashley's birthday at Belle Notte

We went to eat tonight at Belle Notte for Ashley's birthday. We had fun and Kenzi had fun eating the lemon from her Mommy's water.

Nana's Business Card

I love this business card of my Nana's. I am not sure when it was because she cut and styled hair before she was married . She was born in 1914 so I would imagine it was sometime around 1933 or so. This is the only copy I know of and you can see how beat up it is and that there was a nail hole in it from being hung up. I just love the graphics and they are probably from the 20's.

My Husband

My husband is probably one of the most thoughtful people on earth. He is always looking out for others and doing little things on a daily basis for others that are both helpful and kind. He would be the first one to help in a crisis whether he knew the person or not. He has been known to change tires, go get food and water and come back to deliver it to people on the street begging. Wanting to make sure they don't starve or dehydrate. Not wanting to give cash for fear of it being used the wrong way. He is a natural nurturer and when the boys were little he was the best "tucker" in for bed. This was especially true when they were sick or just grumpy. This giving nature has gotten him in trouble a time or two because he does not always use the best judgement in his giving but I would not have it any other way. He always calls me Princess and The Pea because of how much trouble I have sleeping no matter how comfortable the bed might be. I have to have things just right to sleep. Can't turn my brain off is the main problem. He made the comment yesterday that I needed to go out to my princess and the pea swing and I did not think anything about it because I usually have two layers of cushions and still complain about the metal ridge in the swing bottom. I thought he was just calling it that. I did not get a chance to go out there yesterday or really even look at it or notice it. When I went out with my coffee this morning the full impact of his words hit me as I saw my swing. He had put two more cushions under it and propped up a comfy pillow for me. Boy did it look funny but was it ever great! Thank you honey for always being so good to me even when I am crazy to live with. I love you now and always.

Button , Button, Who's got the button?

One of my favorite things to do as a child was to sort my Grandma's and my Nana's buttons. I would put them together all sorts of ways. I would write words with them, make designs with them and just run my fingers through them and imagine what dress or coat they would look good with. I counted them and compared which kind there were more of and naturally realized the more common looking the button the more there were of them. The most beautiful were like precious stones and gems. There were not as many of them in a pile that were alike unless I could come up with something more those special ones had in common like rhinestones, stripes or openings of some kind. She lived in an old country house by a creek that had some warping on the floor in the front room. I used to like to try to line the buttons up on the ridge in the warp to see how many I could get in a row before one would slide off. I would pretend it was a mountain or hill. The flooring was linoleum. My grandma gave me the ones I used to play with at her house about 15 years ago. They are the ones in the Christmas tin that is lined with aluminum foil that she put in herself. They are the old ones from clothes that had been discarded to turn into quilts or rags. The buttons got snipped off first of course. My children used to play with a box of spools that she saved. They make great blocks and she gave me those about the same time as the buttons. I have had the spools at school for about 8 years and the kids like to build with them. They are the plastic ones and they also make fun bubble blowers and paint stamps. The print looks just like a wheel.

banana tree and hyacinth bean plant

Here are some pictures of my banana tree. It is really geting big. The japanese beetles worked it over a bit and ate through a few leaves but it is starting to come back. I will hate to cut it down and dig it up in a few weeks. I will have to before the first hard freeze.

You say tomato.....

Been making salsa and picking tomoatoes today. I have picked so many of these babies. The small ones are canning tomatoes and the larger slicers are Big Boys. Busy washing dogs and school tomorrow.

Survived the first day!

We finished our first day and most things went well. I just get so tired of being the talking head. My voice is soft and gets a little iritated when I talk loudly. That seems to go along with the asthma. They were very cute. Can't post a pic yet but will after all of the paperwork in. Here are some of my tables and things. Nothing too new but did lose a teacher desk and seem to have more walk around room.

Breastfeeding in public

I usually do not go into anything political or force too many of my opinions (too much that is) because I know everybody has one and each is unique and valued by that person. That said, I feel like I have to comment about some happenings that have occurred in our area lately and how appalled I am by them.

This is world breastfeeding month and Kentucky the lowest initiated rate of breastfeeding in the nation. I did not know the rates were that low but I always did notice there were not too many mothers who nursed. Even if they started nursing, they rarely continued past a few weeks at best. I thought maybe some reasons might be busy work schedules that did not allow time to quickly and sanitarily pump, lack of good breastfeeding support and instruction, a sick or premature baby or just lack of education about the benefits that breastfeeding gives infants.

Recently, two different mothers in neighboring communities were asked to leave restaurants because they were breastfeeding and it offended one or more of the other customers.

These were just two that made the news in recent months. The second was after an ordinance was passed that stated in so many words that breastfeeding mothers have the right to do so in public places without being harassed. There was not a penalty attached to the ordinance. I wonder how many other mothers have been made to feel like a freak because they were nursing and asked to leave. The police asked her to leave because the nursing was not occurring at the time and all they saw was a confrontation so she had to leave. Not very good in the police investigation department.

I have just been infuriated by this. Most probably because it hit so close to home with me. I was a nursing mother of three sons, my mother nursed and her mother before her nursed and so on. I had an excellent system of support and was encouraged and reassured about what a great job I was doing feeding my sons. A new nursing mother has so many questions and worries about how much milk her baby is consuming. Is it enough? How will I know? etc. etc. They were there for me and I was made to feel successful and good about what I was doing.

As a result of this support system, I was able to be proficient enough at nursing to donate breast milk to the neonatal unit at a local hospital. This enabled premature and very sick infants to have the benefit of breast milk that my children had.

I can't count or name all of the hot, gross places I have had to stand and nurse my babies for lack of a comfortable place. I was just glad all of the times that I was not having to worry about refrigeration and heat contributing to milk spoilage or being caught out and having no formula.

I had just hoped in my heart that these incidences were brought on by people who just were grumpy, prudish and/or ignorant.

In a discussion about this issue with someone who is educated and young, it came to the surface that she would rather not be sitting in a restaurant with a nursing mother either. She did not want to hear it (the sounds of a suckling baby) and that nursing was a personal and private act. I don't know where that quiet place might be void of loud music, where the sound could even be heard. It was also stated that the trip or event should have been planned better and feeding should have been done before the trip to the restaurant. This person is not a parent , but nevertheless I was dumbfounded!

I love the person who has this opinion so dearly and was just saddened and devastated that an act so pure and so natural could be viewed as obscene and forbidden. How? The sounds that a baby makes when nursing are some of the best sounds in the world whether they are suckling a breast or a plastic nipple. It all sounds the same and most breastfeeding women I have seen are very discreet and QUICK on the draw!

Mother's of newborns are so very emotionally vulnerable about their body changes that the last thing most would want is to be viewed as trying to be an exhibitionist. I was not always completely confident that as I nursed (God forbid) that my baby's head would pull away or turn to expose my breast for a fleeting second. I always had a cloth diaper for just that moment. What I did feel confident about was my moral, honest intentions and that not anyone with a bone of decency would ever condemn me for nurturing and feeding my baby the way my body was made to do.

In the age in which we live, it is socially acceptable to sexually degrade women in action, song, movies and photographs. Men do it to us and worse, we do it to ourselves.

Mom, as I have been pondering this, I keep coming back to you and how very much I appreciate you for so many reasons. I know that you are responsible for teaching me to be open minded and to accept people for who they are. You took us to many different churches to see a variety of worship settings which went a long way towards fostering empathy, respect and compassion towards others. It is just truly hard to walk the walk when something like this happens. I can accept that they have the right to their opinions but I can't help but to think it is my quest to stand up for the rights of those too small, weak or vulnerable emotionally to do it for themselves.

School begins next Wednesday

I have been so busy the last few days (weeks) trying to get ready for the start of school. Sometimes (Most times) there is nothing that can get me ready. Don't get me wrong. I love what I do but it is so hard for me to go back each year. I do not EVER like the start of school... try as I might. It is just too darned stressful. I love it about the middle of September after the routines and behaviors have been worked out but coming off the lazy days of summer to the start of kindergarten will never be my idea of a good time. Some people love it.. To each his own. I love getting to know their personalities and helping to make them confident and comfortable with the process of coming to Kindergarten, but teaching routine and making sure transportation is correct is not my cup of tea. Just let me start teaching already!

Get together at Mamu's and Grandaddy's house last weekend!

We got together and swam and ate last weekend at the folk's house. Weather, food and company was great. Kenzi had fun in her floaty boat and Aaron liked being with her to help guide.

Alex Trent

While in Nashville I got a chance to hold another very precious baby boy. My nephew Alex is growing so fast none of us may be able to hold him for long. He will be holding us! Here are a few shots of him on his 3 month old day! He was giggling, cooing and trying to talk to us. He is a very good baby and likes to be able to see what is going on!

Visit With Kelly

I finally got over to see my friend Kelly on Thursday which was a good thing for several reasons. I got to see her new precious baby, her "old" precious toddler, her very new and beautiful house and if I had not gotten there then, with the crazy weekend, I may never have made it! Avah is toooo funny. She is very expressive and observant just like her mama. Kelly, you had better watch out and Jenna will be hot on her heels. They are so sweet. I did not want to let go of Jenna she felt so good. Her little smile lights up the room. I meant to bring my camera. I will next time.

Stephanie's New Baby

Here are some pictures I got of Stephanie's new baby Brookelyn Grace along with big sis Maddox Elaine!

Gabe in a wreck in Nashville

We just got back from a whirlwind trip to Nashville to check Gabriel out after he was a passenger in a wreck Friday in Nashville. I was in the middle of a kindergarten screening and got the news that he had been in a wreck. He was a passenger in a car (going to lunch from work) that had the right of way and was going 45 miles per hour when a truck pulled right out in front of them. He remembers the driver of the car he was riding in screaming and the impact (like hitting a brick wall). After that he did not remember getting out of the car, calling work or anything until people were standing around trying to wipe the blood from his face and him thinking he couldn't see he must have lost an eye. That was just the blood from a cut on his nose and the airbag burn along with glass fragments. He was given motrin and a head CT and sent home. By the time we got there Friday evening he was miserable. His chest wall and face were causing some excrutiating pain. We took him back to the ER and he had a chest xray and CT to rule out bleeding and or a break. That was all clear but they gave him something else for pain and we got back to his place around 3:00 am. He is very sore and slow moving..... It really hurts but other than that and his bummed spirits he seems okay. He was so lucky it was not worse. Even though the seatbelt and airbags beat him up a lot they quite possibly saved his life and for that we are so grateful. Hopefully he will not have any long term aches and pains as a result.