My Birthday!! :)

I celebrated my birthday this week! Although my husband was away with work, I had a very nice day. My son took me out to lunch on my birthday, My Sister in Law also took me to dinner another night, then I went out with friends two more days after that! It was wonderful..it was as if the celebrating was never going to end! :)
I didn't have a birthday cake...I chose not to have one. I am still eating so healthy and am trying to stick with it. Our Son Patrick's birthday is the end of May, and I want to be able to celebrate his birthday early before he leaves for the military in the couple of days. I thought it would be much better if we bought him a cake for his special day...this way we won't be left with too much cake in the house!
I can't believe how fast the days are flying now...the hours are just passing so quickly. I wish I could make time stand still!
I enjoyed lunch with my son. He is such a wonderful young man. I love him so much! We took family photos for Mother's day with his camera and we got a really nice shot of the two of us together. I am happy for this photo.

I had a great time having dinner with my Sis in Law, and lunch with my friends. It is once again hard to say goodbye. I was so surprised when I was given such beautiful cards and gifts! Gifts from family....I also found gifts at my front door, and in my mailbox for a couple of days too. It warms my heart so much to realize how very much I am loved.
Amazing gifts and goodies!: 

I think this was the most perfect time to have a birthday :)
I am truly blessed indeed!
I am so grateful for all the wonderful family and friends in my life.

Happy Birthday to Me! :)
 

I'm Still Here

I have been very busy. It has been a very hectic and emotional past couple of weeks. Things are going fast forward at this point and we are trying to squeeze so much in at the last minute. I had a mishap happen at the dentist office. They put a crown into my mouth that was much too light in color. I was so upset and now have to have it done all over again. I had told them that I was about to move in a couple of weeks, and somehow they made me feel as if it was my fault. The assistant told me that she had showed me the mirror and said that I told her I was happy with it. I never saw a mirror , in fact, I had to wait until I went into my car to look in my rear view mirror which I pulled towards me to check it out to see how it looked before I went back into the office to say I was unhappy!
So....back to the office I went the other day to have the crown drilled off and we start all over again. Not what I wanted to do with so many other things going on in my life.
I know so many people want to see me before I move away from Florida, but physically and emotionally, I don't think it will be possible. I am trying my best though. We will be going to our nephews graduation, which we look forward to, we are so proud of our nephew! In just over a week, our own son will be leaving for the  military.
To be honest with you, I am having a very hard time thinking of it all. I am very close with my son.
We have a wonderful Mother/Son relationship, and I am so happy for that. I love him so much!
I know he has to go on his own, and I am so proud of him, both I and his Dad. He has always made us proud.
It is hard, and will continue to be hard for me though. My little family unit is so important to me. I have never had anything much in the way of family except for my husband and my two children. They are my life.
I will have to learn to cope, for I want my son to succeed and to grow, and to have a wonderful life for himself. This is what every parent wants for their child.
Then, I will know for sure that I have raised him well.
I hurt with the thought of leaving Florida again. I know this time it is forever. We won't be back this time again. To live anyways.
Perhaps we will be by to visit. I love Florida, it is to me, my home. My husband prefers North Carolina, and it is beautiful there, I will agree. But...I just feel this closeness to Florida. Our children grew up in Florida and I feel so comfortable here.
I want my husband to be happy. I will adjust.

My son took me out to the gun range to target practice! This was my first time. I must say, I had a pretty good aim and I did very well. We had a nice day out together with lunch and also visited some thrift shops too..

I guess after looking at all these pictures on my blog, my crafting and now target practicing..I guess I am well rounded. I just laughed out so loud! :) Keep in mind I grew up with three brothers and a Dad that hunted...

We have begun the changes and preparations for leaving...our son gave away his old car....

Pictures are being removed now from our walls...

more packing is being done....the dining room is being cleared out...

I feel sort of numb..I cannot believe I am moving again. Although, I am trying my best to be excited. We do have a beautiful home we are moving to..it will just be so hard to move there without our son. I am glad however that there are enough bedrooms in it that there will be a room just for him for when he decides to visit...a place to call his own, whenever he wants to drop by, if he wants to. I plan on making it his own, with all his decor. I have found fabric with a "Navy" logo and I plan on making him pillowcases as a surprise to put on his bed. I look forward to doing this for him. I want him to feel that although he is out on his own now, he can always feel he has a home with us if need be.
Although things have been so hectic and busy, I am trying to find time to occupy myself, my hands and my mind on some other things, so as to not cry so much!
My beautiful niece is making her First Holy Communion soon...I did a little cross stitch for her which I will frame shortly..isn't it pretty! :)

Also, special friends of ours are going to be Grandparents to a sweet baby girl soon...so I thought I would make a pretty pink and white baby blanket for the little Angel's arrival! (I sure hope I finish it in time, if not I will have to post an IOU!) (Hi Jackie and Dave!!!) :)

So, as you can see, I have a lot going on...I am going to hold onto this next week and count each minute as an extra special blessing of special time with our dear son Patrick. Then, next up will be our move to North Carolina.
Sometimes I think it is all too much with our son leaving for the military, and us moving the following week, but then again, perhaps God planned it that way so I wouldn't have too much time to think about being so upset..I will be too busy and tired. I will all be ok, I know it will..it always turns out fine in the end.
After all, We have God, and I know that he is watching over us.
All our pictures are down..but we left the crucifix up...He will come down at the very end.

Blessings to you This Mother's Day,
This one will be my most special Mothers Day yet,
Louise

Sad News :(

Sadly, "Little Bear" did not make it. :(
 I had taken care of the little one all last night, kept it warm and fed.
I was heartbroken today when "Little Bear" passed.
It was so sad! He did pass away peacefully, snuggled up in the little box we had him sleeping in
with a soft blanket.
I tried so hard, petting him, holding him, making sure he had my touch and warmth of my hands also.
so sad and heartbreaking.
I cried when he passed.
I could not believe how much I fell in love with one tiny little kitten that I had only known less than two days.
My husband said I cared too much,
I said "no, I cared...just enough"

Louise

"Little Bear"

We are on a mission to save a life! Our family found a newborn kitten on the ground near the front of our house last night. It was just laying there on the cement. The mother was no where to be found, and the kitten still had the umbilical cord on it. We are not sure what happened, or why the kitten was laying there. We thought at first the kitten was a mole, or a rat, being as it was night time. We were not sure what we were looking at! My husband grabbed a flashlight and we looked closer. He then realized it was a baby kitten.
I was so surprised and knew we had to do something!
It is a baby black kitten and has a touch of white fur under it's chin.
It is so fragile and tiny.
I wasn't sure we could take it in, but we had no choice, we had to.
We didn't want it to get eaten by another animal, or perhaps run over by a car...the kitten already was starting to feel a bit cold when I touched it.
We took it in, my son ran up to Walmart to pick up kitten formula and a nursing kitten bottle.
I put a heating pad in a box with soft towels.
I had forgotten what it was like taking care of a newborn baby!!
I was up a couple of times last night when I heard weak cries....
It is taking milk from the bottle, but not very much...I am making sure though it is getting some.
I am massaging the body so it feels touch and I am giving it kisses too.
We already nicknamed it "Little Bear"..it does remind me of a little bear!!

We hope that we can save this little life...
My son seems the most excited about this little kitten we have found outside.
It is the most hectic time for this to be happening, with our son leaving for the military so soon, and our pending move, but perhaps God had a plan for me...that's what I am thinking.

So far so good..woke up to "Little Bear" sound asleep and looking content.
Here is a picture of the little one...

 Please won't you say a prayer for "Little Bear".
We hope that this little one will make it with our help.
If it is God's will.
We are happy that so far we have helped this little one along for one more day.

Thank you so much,
Louise

Feeling Sad Today

I am feeling a bit sad today. I feel sad after hearing the news that an old friend is now in hospice.
We had been neighbors when I first moved to Florida, and we shared many days together. She is a wonderful person and was always so good to our children. She is about ten years younger than me, and much too young to have to endure and suffer all that she is going through at the present moment.
Although she has had complications throughout her life due to illnesses, she has a strong faith in God and is such an inspiration to all the lives she continues to touch.
I am glad that Kelli continues to touch my life.
I will be visiting her within the next couple of days, and my son too asked to go along to see her. He has fond memories shared with her from when he was little.
It is so heartbreaking!
I spoke with her on the phone yesterday. She is in great pain.
Tumors wrapped around her spine, in her brain, and all over her body.
There is nothing they can do to help except manage her pain to make her comfortable.
I am sad. I pray, and will continue to pray that God will take care of her as he always has.
I know each of our lives have purpose, I know Kelli's life has great meaning to so many.
Blessings to you Kelli,
You mean so much to so many,
God Please wrap your arms around her and hold her tight, help her not to be afraid.

 

House Hunting

We are back from a weekend away. We continued our search for a new home for our family and this was the weekend to find one! It was a very interesting weekend indeed. Our son was not able to come along with military restrictions, not being able to go out of town. Such a short time till he will be departing for bootcamp. This is so hard for a Mom's heart to take, I feel as if I cannot get enough hugs and kisses until that day comes. It seems all too soon!
We left last Thursday, giving us a nice early start to our house hunting. We drove up to the Carolina's, making stops for fast food along the way. So glad Wendy's has those salad's with grilled chicken in them..oh, and the pomegranate dressing is really good. So, It is possible to go to fast food restaurants and eat healthy!

 Our realtors were wonderful, so helpful and knew exactly what we were looking for. We knew we couldn't get everything we wanted in a home, being as we weren't building one..but we came pretty close!
We saw big homes, little homes and in-between homes.
We were a little taken back when walking through the door of this home.
I don't think the owners of this house knew exactly how to stage a home? I also think they will have a hard time selling it!

Each room was worse than the other! My husband just walked out...I of course could not believe it..and I continued on into other rooms, because I really did not think all the rest of the rooms of this house would look like this...but as you will see....they were.....
the kitchen...

After passing through the kitchen, I thought surely the master bedroom had to be a little more tidy? After all, with all this chaos, wouldn't the owners need a quiet calm relaxing place to unwind???
I guess not....

 I tried to look beyond the clutter to imagine what the house looked like beneath all this "stuff"..but it was just impossible!!! How can this house sell, especially in this market??
How can anyone even find a sock to wear??
There was one plus to looking at this home...it was when I walked into the garage...I saw a lamp on top of a cage..look what was inside!!

 yes, they had baby chickens in the garage! Sooooo sweet!...Then..we moved on to seeing other homes.
Many of them were very nice with pretty yards. One house had a wreath out front with a nest of baby birds in it!
I snapped a photo of the baby birds....

Not sure what type of birds they are..but they are adorable! Interesting looking beaks.
The next day our car broke down...then it started to rain..and then I started to cry!!
I guess I was feeling a little overwhelmed. I guess I was thinking that it wasn't exactly good timing for the car
to break down, the rains to start and we were stuck in another state ....no tools and not sure what was wrong with the car.
But, my dear sweet husband is just amazing..as I have always said before. He is a ROCK! He never waivers and is always so calm.
Our friends came to help us. We used his tools, and he drove my husband to the auto store to get a new alternator. My husband felt that this was the problem with the car. Bless my husband, he is so good at fixing everything! In the meantime I went with my friend  and my daughter to mass at our soon to be new Catholic church . I have never prayed so hard!!
We left church, drove to our friends house, and there was our car...at their house, so we knew it was FIXED! My husband had said, while the car was stuck, tons of people had come by offering to help. Sounds like we will be moving to a wonderful new town in North Carolina!
We looked at more houses but knew we had found the perfect house when we found one with just about everything we were looking for.
I had always loved the look of a home with dormered windows. I have always wanted a rocking chair front porch too.
We finally found a place we can settle and call HOME!
We are very excited!!!

Hubby cannot wait to work on the landscaping, and I cannot wait to decorate and put a wreath on the front door! I am finally going to get a craft and sewing room again, and I will have plenty of space to spread out in the room over the garage! YAY!
After the stress of the car ordeal, and the signing of papers was done..we had a most relaxing rest of the weekend at our friends home on the lake. They have the most beautiful scenery as you sit on the deck in their backyard. Their backyard is the lake!
Soooo peaceful. :)

 Our friends showed us their wine bottle collection...they save bottles that people give them so they can fill them with their own homemade wine!

As it looks right now, the dates of our closings should work out well..the closing of the Florida house will take place, then a couple of days later, the closing in NC should be just a couple of days later. We are praying for a smooth transition, and that all will go well with this house selling/purchasing and that our sons transition will also go well with the United States Navy.
So much happening in such a short time.
May God continue to Bless our family one day at a time.

Until next time,
 

updates again

My husband and I just recently celebrated our 26th wedding anniversary. We had a lovely evening out to dinner, just the two of us. Before we left home, our daughter took a picture of us..she did a pretty good job of it too! :) I think perhaps, suitable for framing :)

We have been busy, busy, and are on the hunt for a new homestead! Been searching and looking for just the perfect house for our family to live in. I am certain I want a nice front porch this time. I do hope we can find a house with one. I do need a front porch for sipping tea, stitching and relaxing with the long summer days ahead..don't you agree? :)
Please keep us in your prayers and thoughts that the perfect house will pop up for us and God will plant us where we need to be, and at the perfect time. I do not want to move anymore, and I want this move to be the last and final move in our lives. I want this to be our final "earth" home and I want it to "feel" like home.
I haven't truly felt settled in a very long time now. Too much moving around!
School is winding down for our daughter. I am so glad for that. She needs the summer break too. Our son has been keeping up with military training and doing extremely well..bootcamp is coming up all too soon.
I don't know if I will fare very well with him leaving the nest. How will I ever say "goodbye" to my son. Although, I really do not believe in goodbye's...only farewell's for now...
I am proud of him and want the best for him, but somehow I don't want to let go, but know I have to.
A Mom will always worry, and always have that strong love and bond, it never ends.
Oh, this is going to be one hard and emotional month ahead with so much going on.

Please, won't you think of me and keep me in your prayers, I would so appreciate it.
I need all the hugs anyone can offer, I truly do,
Thank you,
Louise

Another Milestone!

I have officially reached a 40 pound weight loss goal! I am so thrilled!!
It is a LOT of hard work and determination. I am so proud of myself. :)
I have been continuing on my weight loss journey with healthy eating and exercise and it is paying off.
I never thought I would look forward to exercising, but now I do. I listen to my ipod full of wonderful music when I go for my power walks. I walked three miles briskly last night.
I wanted to go out walking today, but the fires are bad here again in Florida. Looks like we are hitting another drought. That is one thing I will not miss after moving away from here. The smoke is so thick in the air , it is hard to breathe outside.
A picture of me and my bunny Peter!
:)

I wish you all a beautiful day today,
Louise

Mail!

Recently I had won a giveaway at Feathers In The Nest and my goodies have just arrived in the mail.
I won a beautiful pair of Gingher "Tessa" embroidery scissors, and to my surprise there tucked inside the box was a beautiful big piece of  Blackbird design fabric!
Isn't it all just beautiful!

Thank you so very much to Jennifer for holding this fantastic giveaway.
I was so very lucky to win!
Blessings to you!
Louise

Giveaway!

Please head on over to the Victorian Motto Sampler Shoppe for a fantastic giveaway!!
Enter for a chance to win, while looking around at her beautiful blog. :)

Louise

An Offer!

Three days on the market, second showing today, we have our first offer on our home. At the same time we had a rainbow in front of our house. :) Things are moving along as expected. We have some thinking to do and some decisions to make. Saint Joseph, thank you for doing your thing. We promise, it won't be long for you to stay in your uncomfortable position, then we will dig you up again and you will be in a place of honor in our new home! :)