Something's take time,

Honestly, she's a pretty good study. She adapts quickly. NOT so much this time. I have done everything my "Big Sis" Melissa has told me and last night when I went to plug the iPad in to charge, I heard a swish...and she was off to hide out in Trenton's room!




I am bigger, stronger and smarter!! It will be 3 weeks Tuesday....and I am NOT GIVING UP!! Every time I put her in it I tell her what a good girl she is and I remind her she is in her safe place! I know we WILL SUCCEED, but something's just take time!

The rest of the 8

Soo...I'm finishing this blog. That means nobody took away my blog privileges.

5. Be a "Good" example to your children.

Children mimic what they see. We are all products of our environment. That being said, what you do, how you live, what you say, they totally absorb. There is nothing worse than a cursing 2 year old. NO, it isn't cute, EVER! Remember the beatitudes? Be kind, be generous, be honest, be attentive, be respectful, be good! Those things we learn in preschool and they are reinforced all through elementary school and should be reinforced at home. What a terrible tragedy it would be if the children of today grew up rude, obnoxious and completely alienated because they never learned how to be good.

6. Make memories not incidents with your children.

Simple things like a packed lunch at the park with your young child means the world to them. Making popcorn and watching their favorite movie with them for the 1000th time is golden in their eyes. They do not need expensive gifts, all the latest gadgets, or a fancy home. They just need a good clean home, filled with love and security to make memories. Don't you want those to be good memories. Think about your memories from your childhood. Don't they make you feel all warm and fuzzy? I can guarantee you they don't involve police chases, or wondering where your mom & dad are, or everybody sitting around hanging out doing drugs. Those kind of incidents do not make good memories. Mostly, they make unsupervised, unruly and insecure children who grow up confused, and lost. Nobody wants that for their children.

7. Show Respect...to everyone & everything.

Somewhere through the years the has gotten lost. This world is still ours and how we treat it and those people we share it with. Manners are Not a lost art....I have faith that they still exists and that when we taught you them, you retained them. So, use them! Pull your pants up. We do NOT want to see your crack or pubic hair. If you have a job interview, your suppose to dress up. That doesn't mean wearing your best shorts and t shirt, it means you wear your best clothes. Dress slacks (not jeans) nice dress shirt, button up or at least something much nicer than you hollister t shirt. If its winter, maybe a nice sweater, not your hoodie.
And by the way, you remember how we taught you to respect your elders? Well...anybody that's 15 years or more older than you is your elder, so show them some respect, please? If I see one more young person shove their way through a doorway jumping ahead of a little old lady and then not bother to hold the door open for her, I may just go postal.
Keep your things nice. Clean and tidy, everything is not disposable. The object is to take care of your things so they last. Money doesn't grow on trees. Especially, not in your parents back yard. We have nice things because we take care of them. It's not such a hard thing to do, just try it.

8. Prove everybody wrong.

No matter what anybody tells you, or says about you, always rise above and prove them wrong. You are the only one in charge of your destiny. Not your parents, not your peers and nobody else, but YOU! You have the ability to be anything you want. You can have anything you want. You and you alone!! One of my favorite movie quotes, taken from The Help, "You is Smart, You is Beautiful, You is Important." We all know you are capable, because we raised you and gave you the tools to proves everyone wrong, including us!

That's about all I felt I needed to say. These things are for the 20 something's who got things mixed up. It is not meant to be mean. Sometimes everybody needs a little reminding or enlightening. I could be wrong....but, I don't walk around with blinder's on, I see and hear just fine thank you. Please take these things to heart and make an attempt to understand. We are who we are, us parents the over 40 generation, because we HAVE done these things.

8 things you HAVE to do as a grown-up! Part one...

Nobody thinks when they are young, that being grown up isnt easy. We all think it's cool and fun...until we are grown up. Now that you are a grown up, there are several things you HAVE to do. Not because you want to. I am sure there are more than 8, but these are the essential things you HAVE to do! I will do four today, then the other four tomorrow. These are the things our parents did, and theirs before them, and now we do them and if you have grown children, you should expect them to do them as well. Now, I and every other responsible grown up adult will be the first ones to tell you, they are not always fun, customarily they require action, and most of them have a reaction if you do not bother to take care of them. But, if you want to be respected as a grown up, you need to pay attention....these are the things that sometimes feel like they will suck the life out of you, but it's the biggest parts of being grown up and you HAVE to do them. To begin:

1. PAY your bills!

They are always due on the same day of the month. Certainly everybody has a calender on their phone, so add the due date...actually, add it one week before it is due. Nothing is free. Well, not any that come in our mail. You know the ones: water, electric, car insurance, car payment (if you have one), gas, rent or house payment, medical bills and if you were foolish enough to take out a bunch of credit cards, they expect payment as well, and finally repay those school loans.

Nobody likes to do it, nobody wants to spend their money on frivolous things like electric, but, you gotta have it, it is a necessity of life. Everything is electric. Then just suck it up buttercup...and pay them bills. We have spent our whole lives doing just that. We pay our bills every month. That's why the washer and dryer run that you use, and that is how we cook the food you come here and eat, as well, the electric runs the box and the TV that you watch while your here. They all occur because we pay our bills! We maintain our own vehicles. We get or have the oil changed as required. We put tires on them when they wear out. If it needs repaired and we want it to continue to get us from point a to point b, then we get it fixed. It costs money, sorry. Sometimes more money than the normal person thinks is reasonable, but, we pay the repair bill. It's just a fact of life.

2. Put your needs on the back burner. 

You are not the most important thing in the world! I know we spent most of your childhood telling you that you were. You still rank pretty high on our list, but, as a grown up you have to set that aside and give some to someone else. Just like you were told over and over. It is better to give than receive. As parents, we learned that your needs and comfort were our top priority. You are an adult now. REALLY....if you are over 21 then you are old enough to drink, vote, go to war then you are an adult. It is time to think and act like one. ALL the time, not just at the bars or when you feel like it. Those designer mall clothes you think you have to have will be traded for the less expensive versions from Target, Walmart and Kmart. Buying clothes for a family is expensive, so you cut cost where you can to save and the one who gets cuts, is almost always the one who is footing the bill. Your children need clothes and shoes too. So that means, you are moved to the bottom of the list...or the back burner, your needs come last.

3.  Clean up your own messes.

I do not recall any of my generations parents, running behind us, picking up the pieces or cleaning up our messes. Actually, most of our parents didn't have the resources and that is NOT what they taught us or would ever in a million years do, even if they wanted to. We were adults and it was, is and always has been our job to clean up our own messes. If we got in a pickle, we pulled ourselves up by the bootstraps and faced it head on and cleaned it up ourselves. Nobody ever wants to be in the mess....nobody ever wants to have to fix it. But, we do. This something you learn...by doing it. We will gladly offer you advice and suggest modes of fixing it, but, it is your mess, you fix it.

4. Be a law abiding citizen.

YES...it has to be addressed, and yes, I am shaking my head. Believe it or they are there for a reason. They aren't just suggestions, they are laws. They are everybody's laws, not just suggestions for those who wish to follow them. We are ALL suppose to obey them, everybody is suppose to obey them.... me, the man down the street, and even you. Strangely, there are laws for just about everything. Here are a few, are you following these? Littering is against the law. EVERYWHERE in WV, and in some area's the fine can be as high as $25,000. No longer are the days of smoking indoors in most counties. All the nonsmokers had enough, went to the judicial system and made against the law. Government at it's finest. It is a law that all kids under 40lbs be in a car seat, and after that, until they are 4 ft tall they must be in an approved automobile booster seat. You, yourself must also be belted in. Wearing a seat belt is not an option, it is a WV State law that if the motor vehicle is moving all passengers must wear their seat belts. It is a law, at least in WV that you have car insurance. For your protection and all the crazies out there driving. Also, in WV we have to have coverage for the uninsured motorists...wanna know why? Cause too many fools drive around without insurance and then when they get into an accident there is no coverage and the insured driver has to cover all the costs. That stinks! I'm just saying. You must also be a licensed driver to operate a moving vehicle. That means you MUST have your license before you turn that key and peel out. WHY, because it IS A LAW! People who don't follow the rules and break the laws, are partaking in criminal behavior...didn't think of it that way, did you? The law books fill libraries...they are filled with all kinds of laws. Some of them may be foolish, but it doesn't matter, because they are laws and they must be obeyed.

That is enough for today. I pray this blog is taken as it is intended. Not to be mean or harsh, but to maybe make the muddy thinking clearer. As parents we want to help, we want the best for our kids. We just know we did a good job of raising smart children and they are completely capable of being the fine adults they were molded into. It almost seems generational. The young adults of today have gotten it all mixed up and think it's their parents job to do these things, not theirs. I hear lots of stories about grown children. Most think that everybody owes them something  or that Mom & Dad will take care of it for them.That is not the case. What amazes me is that they can't seem to understand that the things we have, we have obtained. The old fashioned way, we worked hard for the things we have. We got up and went to work. We put our needs aside and did what was expected out of us. Maybe that is where the disconnect is....maybe they don't understand that we expect the same out of them. Tomorrow the second part of the list and hopefully some words of wisdom. Who know, this blog may alienate me. But, all us parents of the 20 somethings are all thinking these things. I just got a burr in my saddle and needed to discuss it, and I am not sorry.

P-A-R-T-Y! How to celebrate being 5 with the old folks!

Today's was the day...the official Birthday is Monday, but we celebrated today. after a morning of snuggling with Poppaw & Leap Pad that is.




Then we were off...to Billy Bobs for token filled joy! My two favorite quotes from the day: "My dreams came true...I got my Lego City"! And..."You guys don't have to turn on the radio, I can play it for you"! and then the screeching joyful sounds of the plastic silver recorder Trenton bought with his tickets after spending all his token filled our car. Thank goodness he dropped it and it rolled too far under poppaws seat for me to get it,. Funny though it was like magic, his booster seat became VERY uncomfortable and he tried to convince us he needed to get out of it, so he could retrieve it. No dice, ice! As soon as we hit the driveway the seatbelt was off and he was climbing under the seat to entertain us some more.

All the family was at the party, he got some really cool gifts, which included, a nerf gun, a "Mack" semi with log loader, Dino Lego's, movies, money, a toys r us gift card, a play car block to work on, dart board, leap frog games and gel cover, a real live Bb gun (that I sent to Mommaw Rennie's) and his dream Lego city. He got the police and fire stations and after 1300 pieces, and a certain Mommaw played  birthday building gift fairy til 2:30 am..it was worth every second because that has been his go to gift all morning. Here are some of his memories and some cool pics of the Lego city...gotta preserve those, because it falls apart easily when a 5 year old is "playing" with it!




































Happy 5th Birthday Trenton Van Patton....it looks like it was successful!!

Adjusting and teaching a young dog new tricks.

Nope, she's not unhappy,she's just a little homesick and confused. This move has brought on new fears, strange noises and some panic. I probably made it worse. No, I know I made it worse. During the week leading up to the move, we shifted a lot of stuff to the garage, which if you didn't know was detached, just a short walk 1-2 mins away, but still out of eye sight. After 25 trips, Emma got a little ansy, so I let her follow me. She would wander down the sidewalk, then settle in the grass and then I would head back to grab something else. She's still got nosy puppy in her, so she couldn't be left alone. One bird, squirrel, person or car and she bolts...she just wants to say "Hi" and show them how cute and lovable she is. But,we all know she would end up getting hit or lost (because she forgot to turn around and gets distracted). So, I had to call her name and keep her close by, she made hundreds of trips with me, and had to be reminded often. Now she thinks she's gotta be underfoot every second of the day. It's amazing how quickly she developed this learned behavior.

After discussing with a vet friend, we have started her on 1/2 tablet of benadryl twice a day and she spends 45 minutes in her kennel, 3 times a day. She hasn't been in it since she was a pup and Winnie was alive. I house trained her with it, and made them stay in it when we were gone (mainly to protect her from the psycho Winnie), and after Winnie passed she was such a good girl, I let it go. Until now!

After two weeks here, we left her in her usual couch spot for 4 hours and returned to 4 spots of vomit and her first in house potty break since she was puppy. Seems she barked her head off til she puked, not once, but 4 times? And ON MY NEW WOOD FLOOR!! This will never do.

Since Winnie's passing she was even good about sleeping in her own bed in the living room. Since we restarted kennel time, we are sleeping in it as well. The first 2 nights she only whimpered at daylight. And last night, not a peep! Of course last night she hesitated when I told her it was night-night time and started to put her in. She actually stiffened her front legs, like she was gonna refuse,but, I just put her on in. Of course she is napping more, that's probably a combination if the Benadryl and sleeping in her kennel at night. But, she's a Shih tzu, that's what they do: eat, sleep, potty, nap, eat, nap some more, potty and sleep!

The other change is her feeding. She has ALWAYS been a food bowl in the kitchen gal. That's over too!! My lovely new home has those same wooden floors in the kitchen. I put the food and water in her feeding rug, but she takes a face bath every time she drinks and then strings water all over the kitchen. Food bowl and water moved to the laundry room, and she took to that much quicker than the kennel. It's almost as if she likes having the privacy, and I have saved my floors!






We are anxiously waiting for the day she just wanders in her kennel to nap, all alone. It is her cave, den, safe place, she just has to realize that herself! GOODLUCK little Emma Grace----it's for your own good, Mommy promises!!

Full day of housewifing

Yes...I know it's not a real word! But, thats what it was. Emma is exhausted from following my busy butt around. I tackled the grass...and MAN the back yard is larger than it looks. Swept the bits off the walk, driveway and street and then I hit the house. Baked some yummy pumpkin spice cookies, cleaned up my mess then got the house spic and span for Davids return from Cincy.

How exciting, huh? Funny thing is, Haleigh arrives in the morning and its our weekend with Trenton (who has a big 5th birthday party on Saturday). So, it won't look like this by bedtime tomorrow. That being said, I'm gonna wrap this up and just sit here in my clean house and enjoy it with my snuggle bunny,while I can!


(I'll fill you in on Emma's new lifestyle changes tomorrow-so tune in then, NITE!)

Krinkled noses and piggy toes

GYNORMOUS U haul unpacked, boxes of necessity flattened and the ones filled with things I can't find a place for are either in the attic or hidden in a closet. The house is comfy, and our loved ones are loving having us here!
Trenton shows up and immediately wants to know when Bailey's coming over. Bailey shows up and immediately wants to know where Trenton is. Those two are best buddies and I have a feeling this is their favorite place to hang out, for the moment. No bother, it makes my heart grow, just like the grinch's, everytime.
I should've taken pictures of their first evening here together...but, they were too busy and my house was destroyed. Next time. I did manage to get pictures of Trenton & Haleigh that very first Sunday, and one of Trenton and Uncle Alex watching the Lorax.











We are planning on watching Haleigh on Friday mornings and after two of them, I am hooked! She such a good little thing, and quite the little model, thank goodness!












That following Sunday we had a little family picnic and OF COURSE, I had my camera and got some good family pics!

Catching up is hard to do

Admittedly, I told David yesterday. I cannot wait to be all caught up on my blog! Trying to remember all the details and series of events is kinda hard. Especially after all we have done this last month. Let's see if I can continue....the last post was about our Fabulous FREE trip to Florida, right? Right!

I remember what I left out....the big news David came home with! Everybody knows about the grandkids, and Trenton starts preschool this year and our little Haleigh will be 4 months old soon. We haven't gotten ample Grandparent time with that little princess. Being 3 1/2 hours away doesn't seem like much, but when you factor in that in reality it is 6 hours round trip, a whole tank of gas....it's difficult with little ones. We have been meeting 1/2 way in Chilly Coffee (chilicothe, Ohio) when we have Trenton, and he is a trooper about it, but trying to expect a teensy one to tolerate it isn't so nice.

They were a big factor in David's news. Me missing my sister, niece and of course Alex and the fact that when Chelsea comes home for a visit, it makes it difficult for her as well. But, the top number one reason for the decision was based on these facts:

We moved to Ohio because David was suppose to STOP traveling....he's home 7 straight days only ONE week a month.
We MISS our family.
He MISSES the mountains, Putnam County, and more specifically HOME!

Yeah...you have figured it out by now. And most of you already know. But, here are your specifics. We have moved back to West Virginia. Back to Putnam county into the cutest little Carolina Brick/Yellow sided 3 bedroom house, in (we have discovered) the nicest, quietest little street that has a view of the most wonderful sunsets!

As of today we have been here for19 days. Most everything is unpacked or stored away in the office closet for me to get to one a rainy day. We have had Trenton 2 weekends, Haleigh spent her first night away from Momma with us, and she and Momma love coming and hanging out here on Fridays. Alex has done his laundry once. And Bailey spent the evening with us, once and then came back for her Photo shoot, and according to her Mom is trying to find every excuse she can to come back.

They needed us back here....We needed to be here! It's all good! Country Roads took us home, right where we belong, West Virginia, Mountain Momma, Take us home Country Roads!

Winning our Anniversary trip to Florida

Here's the scoop! My Casham group has a yearly Dinner for Dillion....and at this dinner they have raffles, silent auctions and games that attendee's can participate in for a minimal price and all proceed's go to the Team Dot fund. The biggest prize was a full 7 day stay at one of the former employee's who had fought and lost her battle with cancer in the previous 6 months, timeshare in Orlando, Florida. Hmmm...could be nice. What made it nicer was it just happened to start on the Saturday before our 18th wedding anniversary.

For over a year I knew about the dinner, for the weeks before it I had heard of some of the prizes and had planned on buying or donating money towards it. But, what happened was, I would rush in for Zumba, we would dance til we were breathless and had burnt 800-100 calories and when we would cool down and the music stopped. Everybody rushed out to get back to work. You see, their company was offering the class as part of their welness program. They could step away from their desk, dance with me, and return to work afterwards. Not many companies offer that. I thoroughly enjoyed giving them the needed break and exercise.

Just two week before, I managed to remember to ask Pamela to take my $20 bill and put me in for the drawing. Just one ticket. It was just twenty dollars and seeings how I NEVER win anything, I considered it a donations. I was wrong! The saturday of the dinner, I never even thought about the raffle. Honestly, I was hoping they would have a good turnout and raise a lot of money for the cause. Because, I NEVER win ANYTHING! After David and Trenton were tucked away for the night I received a text from Colleen, "You just won the Florida timeshare!!" "Your kidding, right? I NEVER win ANYTHING!!" "Nope, you won it!! I have paperwork you need to fill out, scan and send  back to Pamela tomorrow so they can get your name on it!"

Needless to say, it was the best little trip to date that we have taken together. We dropped Emma off and Miss Doris' for the week and we headed out. David did NOT work at all the entire week. We ate whatever, whenever we wanted. We took long walks and just sat on the patio enjoying the peace and quiet. We celebrated our anniversary the first day we arrived with dinner on the premise, I actually had a salad and he had fish taco's, so romantic, huh? We were tired from the trip, and David made a point to stop and have my ultimate, ALL TIME favorite, Bonjangle's chicken, fries, biscuit and sweet tea! So we weren't very hungry, we ate and explored  the resort. We both packed bathing suites because the place had 7 different pools and neither one of us even put them on. We just wanted to relax and spend time together. David DID start the work on my new Photography website, but, I think that was because I was boring him with all my pictures and editing. It is still a working progress and I will let you guys know when it is ready! But, here are some of my favorite pictures from the trip, and the cutest little video we put together! (Every time I watch the video, I get all misty...I have to offer this to my clientele!

Where we ate our anniversary dinner.

self portrait...

I said, just one more shot....He was DONE!

On Cocoa Beach before the storm rolled in.