I've Been Working on the Railroad….wait…what……...

Yes after 24 years of being a stay at home mom I am back to work.
Hubby buys a company
Wifey goes back to work

November highlights!
My office

2 big windows!!!

My computer desk (before computer)

Inspecting railroad parts in NC

On to FL

Perks of the job

Home again home again jiggity jig

Cousins

A snowy view from my office

Ready for Christmas

Love, Laugh, and Always know where the nearest bathroom is

Just in Case You Were Wondering...

My favorite honey is

YUM!!!

Love, Laugh, and Always know where the nearest bathroom is

Holy Birthdays Batman!

August is a great month in my family. Not only is it the month that I married my wonderful husband 30 years ago but it is full, FULL, of Birthdays!!! Starting the 18th of August there are 6 very important birthdays and our anniversary plus 2 brand new beautiful baby boys!!!

August 18th is not only my beautiful niece K's birthday but also her beautiful daughter P's birthday
K, P, and G

Knowing that I had a wedding to go to on the day of P's birthday party I decided to have a princess birthday tea party for her
She was thrilled

August 19th is my handsome nephew CJ's birthday. Born the day after K.

Skip to August 24th and its my first born son J's birthday
Happy Birthday J

August 26th is my beautiful niece C's birthday and the 27th is her beautiful daughter G's birthday

And our two newest babies born August 30th and 31st P and G

Love them all.

Love, Laugh, and Always know where the nearest bathroom is

If Life Gives You Lemons….

Spending the past two years without any medication for my Crohns beast has gone well for the most part. Recently my symptoms have increased a bit which makes me wonder how much longer I can go without meds. After the last medication sent me to the ICU I am very hesitant to start any new medication. The changes in my diet were helpful for a while but in the past six months or so the gluten free and dairy free diet just has not been helping. As a matter of fact upon hearing that the coconut (milk/ice cream/yogurt) products I had been eating may have been the culprit leading me to 3 kidney stones in three months I have just gone back to just eating limited dairy. My nails have thanked me, they were getting very brittle and ridged. So far no more kidney stones either. I have been focusing more on organic foods and choosing REAL food instead of processed. Being on the gluten free diet I was eating a lot more processed foods that I'm convinced have more sugar. I've switched to sourdough bread. Apparently the gluten breaks down in the process of making the sourdough. The best tip I've read regarding real food is to look at the ingredients list. If there are more than 4 or 5 ingredients leave it in the store. You would not believe some of the stuff they put in the food we have been eating. If you want to know go to foodbabe.com She tells you exactly what is in all kinds of foods/products and the labeling is very misleading.

Now for the lemons! I've know for some time that lemons are very good for you. I put them in my water all the time. Lemons are cleansing so when I had my first kidney stone I started drinking hot lemon water in the mornings instead of tea. Once summer kicked in I decided to start making fresh squeezed lemon aid. I looked for some recipes and "holy sugar". A small pitcher of lemon aid calls for 1 cup of sugar. No thank you. So I tweaked it:

Cut 4-6 Lemons in half and squeeze the juice out.
Next make a simple syrup (they used 1 cup of water and 1 cup of sugar)
I used 1 cup of water and 1/4 cup sugar. (I would prefer to use honey but my honey supply has been low)
heat water until sugar is dissolved

add squeezed lemon juice to simple syrup, stir

Pour mixture through a strainer and into a pitcher
Add 4-6 cups of water
Refridgerate
Enjoy :)

Its also a great source of vitamin C. I haven't had any colds since I started drinking this!

Love, Laugh, and Always know where the nearest bathroom is

What is it?

Is it an adult raft?
or
Is it a kiddie pool?

It is whatever you want it to be!!!

That's how we roll in the summer.

Rafts are also great places to hide

especially when Boubbie shows up for a hug

Love, Laugh, and Always know where the nearest bathroom is

Dig Dig Dig Dig

We dig dig dig dig dig dig dig dig
From early mornin' til' night
We dig dig dig dig dig dig dig dig
Up everything in sight

Leveling the yard and getting ready for……….you guessed it………..more CEMENT!!!

Love, Laugh, and Always know where the nearest bathroom is

Cement

I came from a real tough neighborhood. I put my hand in some cement and felt another hand.
Rodney Dangerfield

We've had some pretty serious cement work going on at our house. So thankful for family and friends who can DIY!!!

Front of house and extended driveway done…to be continued…

Love, Laugh, and Always know where the nearest bathroom is