Pay it forward contest

Ok, finally I'm taking the time in the wee hours of the morning to post this. Several weeks back Rhonda over at A Day in Rhonda's Life had a pay it forward contest and I happened to be one of the lucky winners!!! Rhonda sent me an awesome book and I just can't wait to finish reading it!! So in keeping with the program, I must do my own "pay it forward" contest.

This is how we are going to do this! Send me a comment telling me one thing you are thankful for! I'm not going to draw names on this one! Simply, the last three people to comment me are going to be the winners, so let's go!!!!

I guess I should tell you what I'm thankful for!! I'm so very thankful for the wonderful family and friends that the Lord has provided me! I could not ask for better support!!

Writer's Workshop

Thanks to Mama Kat for doing this each week. There are a few weeks that it has kept me writing.

Today's prompt that I chose is: write a letter to someone you miss greatly. The first thing I thought of when I read this prompt was that you should write a letter to someone who has passed away but when I read A Day in Rhonda's Life I realized that it doesn't have to be someone that has passed. Rhonda, I really enjoyed your post!! So back to business!!

When I decided to do this prompt three wonderful people came to my mind. All three have gone on to heaven but are thought of a lot here on earth. I've decided that instead of doing a letter that I'd just like to talk about each person briefly and tell you what they meant to me.

The first one being my Granny Hazel! Oh what wonderful times we had together! She was a wonderful influence on my life even though I lost her when I was only ten years old. I miss her everyday of my life! She was such a petite and proper woman. She was always dressed nice and always had her jewelry on! I guess this is where I get my love of jewelry!! She got very sick during the later years of her life, she developed a severe case of asthma from smoking for many years, this would be the reason I do not smoke! It was an asthma attack that took her life when she was only 65 years old. She could sew anything you wanted her to, she even taught sewing lessons in the small town of Atkinson where we used to live. There she also owned and operated "Hazel's Fabric Shop" I spent many days there playing while she worked since I was with her during the day because my mom had to work. Granny was a great cook! I always enjoyed getting to eat at her house especially when there was a special occasion. There are lots of other very fond memories that I have of her that will always be in my heart forever! I also share those memories with my daughter Hazel and will share many more with her! Granny, I miss you more and more everyday and wish you were here beside me to share the joys of my life! But I will see you again, someday!

The next person would be my Papa! We had some good times too!! He and Granny were always so much fun to be with! I got to spend a lot more time with him, he didn't pass until I was 17. He would always take me to school and pick me up in the afternoons. Unfortunately the last few years of his life were spent in a nursing home after he had a bad stroke. I will always remember the kindness he showed to everyone. He also owned his own business, the only Amoco station in Atkinson! He was a kind man but he would tell you what he thought about you or a situation in a minute. He was always honest in telling you what was on his mind, no matter what it was. He did embarrass me on a few occasions that I remember vividly! There was one particular time that happened that turned out to be the most embarrassing moments of my life! That was the subject of some English papers that I would have to write in high school about the subject! To my Papa, one of the biggest lights of my life, I miss you and love you very much!! I will see you again, someday.

Last but not least, Mr. Steve! I spent most of my life without my father but Mr. Steve did a mighty fine job of filling in! My father left my mom and I when I was 3 years old. Mama and Mr. Steve started dating when I was in fourth grade, I think. He was a very special part of my life and my mother's. He was always there for us no matter what. He and my Papa did a fine job being father figures to me but they each had different places in my heart. I remember Mr. Steve buying me the things that I wanted (but didn't necessarily need) that my Mama couldn't afford to buy me. I just can't say enough nice things about him. He never said a harsh word about anyone. He was everyone's friend. He was a hardworking, christian man! I think he worked everyday of his life until he was so sick and weak that he couldn't. I know that God prepared a very special place in heaven for him just as he has a very special place in my heart and in my family's heart!! Mr. Steve, I love you and miss you so so much!! I'll never forget all the wonderful times we had! I'll be seeing you again someday!

Hello friends! Sorry I haven't made a post lately but I've had the "I can't think of anything to write that anyone would give a crap about" bug!! Hopefully very soon I'll come up with something exciting to talk about. Until then, I'm keeping up with everyone else!!

Homework...letter to me

Thanks to http://mamakatslosinit.blogspot.com/ for doing this homework assignment again!

I've chosen the you are 20 years in the future, write a letter to your today's self.

Dear Melissa,

You are 50 years old now, and you thought you were old at 30, you are almost at retirement age! Which is not a bad thing. I must tell you to SLOW down woman!!! Take the time to enjoy all the moments in your life. 20 years from now you are gonna wish you could go back to when your daughter was 7 years old and she was totally into you! Do more fun things with her and don't get so aggravated when you are helping her with her homework! You are one lucky person to only be working hours a day and you have the whole afternoon to spend with her after school. Alot of women don't get to do that and you should know because you haven't been doing it long!! Enjoy that time and savor every last moment of it. Also, you and your hubby need to take more time for yourselves! When Hazel is out of the nest you two will have nothing to talk about because you won't know each other. Don't get so mad at him about fantasy football, he really does enjoy it, even though you have been replaced in his life by Dan! (Josh, I had to throw this in, sorry!!) Try to spend more time with your mother, you will regret not spending the time with her when she's not around for you to see. The same goes for your father as well, even though it's hard for you to let go of the past. He was another person then and he's a much better person now. Love him for who he is now and live in the present and for the future, not in the past!! This goes for a lot of things in you life!! I'll tell you again you can't change the past no matter how hard you try. Never forget your girlfriends!!!! Not that you ever did!! They are such an important thing to have in your life. Well you are not doing bad at all despite all the things I've told you in this letter. Just live, laugh and love!!!!

Love,
Me

The weekend!!!!

Well, we did fine during the storm, we only lost power for 15 minutes. We didn't even get much rain just mostly wind.

Anyway, my mom and I had the duty of babysitting my niece over the weekend. Her parents went out of town without her for the first time, and she's almost 3!! I went and picked her up from my Mom's house on Saturday afternoon and she spent the night with us. Boy what a handful she is!! It made me really happy that I decided not to have that second child! Especially after I took her and Hazel to the Children's museum on Sunday. We had a wonderful time with her, she has such a sense of humor. She says and does the funniest things! One of my favorites of the weekend was when she got in my car she said "I'm about to burn up Aunt Lissa!" Then she woke up in the middle of the night coughing and I was trying to get her back to sleep and decided I would rub her back, as soon as I stopped she says "Aunt Lissa rub my back more!" I thought that was totally cute! Kaylee's Aunt Lissa loves her very very much!!!!! Here are a few pics from our trip downtown to the museum.

Tropical Storm Hanna part 2

As promised these are photos taken at Wrightsville Beach, NC just an hour ago. I was pouring down rain when we first got there but it quickly went to a sprinkle so we didn't get soaking wet! This is the north part of the beach. We went that way 1st because it's usually where all the news people are, and boy were they ever there! As you can see here. This is at the Holiday Inn Sunspree, where I took most of my pictures. Josh and I also met 2 ladies that actually drove down here from Durham just to see the beach with the storm coming in and they are spending the night! I thought that was taking things a little too far! But everyone is different!
Now here's one of me in front of the choppy surf with my nice cup of Cafe Mocha from Port City Java! There's nothing better!! Except maybe the beach with a beer! :)

The next 2 are taken at the south end of Wrightsville Beach at Masonboro Inlet. If you look very closely you can see the jetty, I tried to get a good pic of it. This was about the time my camera battery died. But no fear, I have fresh charged ones ready to capture some more fond memories of a tropical storm, which is supposed to be a hurricane by landfall later tonight.

As you can see the sun actually started coming out a little. It's trying to peek out now at our house, we are only a 15 minute drive to the beach. Well I will post more info and pics as I have them! For now we are just relaxing and having a beer and waiting for Hanna to get here! :)

Tropical Storm Hanna

Here are 2 pics that describe my weekend! Tropical Storm Hanna is expected to make landfall tonight. The people in Wilmington are going nuts!! You can hardly find bread, water or milk. You would think Hurrican Ike was approaching us! I think this one sounds like a good reason for a storm party!! :) Of course we have the necessary items like bread, bottled water, batteries, beer, wine, beer, wine! :) I'm almost always prepared with batteries because finding those at this point in this town would be like finding a needle in a haystack! That's not streching the truth! So for now we just sit and wait for Hanna. I'll post later about how things are going. I'll try to take pics to post of water and damage also, although I don't think there will be too much, damage that is. I think we may ride to the beach later on so I'll get some good pics of the surf to post!! It's pretty eerie looking when there's a storm out there!

Last night's homework

Hazel has to read for 20 minutes every night for homework. Last night she picked Amelia Bedelia! I remember her very fondly!! She is a stupid woman!!!!

Anyway, Hazel got a really good laugh out of this particular book. In the particular one we read she has a list of housework to complete while Mr and Mrs Rogers are out. The first thing was to change the towels in the green bathroom. Since she always interprets the wrong thing, she took the towels off the bar a cut holes in them, she "changed" them! Hazel's favorite was when she "dressed" the chicken, she actually made clothes for the chicken!!! It was very funny!! If you need a really good laugh pick up an Amelia Bedelia book!!

A woman's work is never done!!

Attention all Mommys!!! I have proof that all those months of carrying your baby and the labor and of course who can forget the sleepless nights, acutally do pay off eventually! Here is it!!! drum roll, please!

You can actually teach them to do housework!! Here's little Hazel loading the dishwasher after dinner tonight, BTW, my child is not a towel head, that is a twisty towel for drying your hair after it's been washed. This was just too cute to not have a picture of. This has become her nightly chore. She also dusts the furniture! Hazel actually enjoys doing her chores, especially on payday!

Even though she helps out with little things here and there Mama still has lots to do!! Thanks for your help Hazel!!!

Labor Day weekend!

My family did absolutely nothing exciting over Labor Day weekend! Friday was Hazel's birthday so we had our very first sleepover party! It was full of pure hell!! To start things off a kid throws up all over the carpet in Hazel's room. She's just a throw up child, anything makes her throw up so we figured she'd be fine. She played and was feeling perfect, we ordered pizza for dinner and I was fixing their drinks and plates. Everyone wanted root beer so I put ice in the cups and grabbed the root beer and start to open it and............it explodes all over me and my kitchen!!! I've never had a bigger mess (except for the throw up a little earlier) OMG, I thought I'd never get this spill cleaned up! Do you have any idea how sticky root beer is?? I didn't before but unfortunately now I do. Ok, that mess cleaned up except that I haven't yet scrubbed the floor, so we are walking on it with this sticky texture. After this mishap I HAD to have a shower! I had root beer on me from head to toe!! We have opened presents and are getting ready to eat some cake when "throw up child" says she doesn't feel well again. So she proceeds to throw up on me and the carpet again! Now I call her parents to come pick her up, then another one of the girls gets scared of the throw up and starts panicking! She was scared she was going to throw up! She starts yelling for her mommy and I have to call her to come pick her up! What a mess!! Then Hazel starts crying saying she doesn't understand why child #2 has to leave, she's not even sick. After explaining that to her, she and the other 3 guests left start playing and having the most fun ever! My poor husband at this time is still running the carpet cleaner to clean up the throw up and that kitchen floor is still sticky! I take shower #2, since I got thrown up on!! I feel very clean by this point, after all I had taken 3 showers in one day!! After the 2 kids go home the one's that were left had the best time, so Hazel actually had a great sleepover after everything was cleaned up!! I will try to post a few pics from the eventful night later today.

On Saturday I had to mop the entire floor with super hot water and Dawn dish detergent to get the sticky off the floor! After that we pretty much crashed for the rest of the weekend! I didn't get out of my PJ's all day Sunday. We watched several movies and lots of TV shows. Yesterday we watched the hurricane come in via TV. And found out we will probably have our very own hurricane coming in at the end of the week. Hopefully it won't land right in Wilmington but you never know. We just have to keep a close eye on it!!