Friday, January 20, 2012

Triple By-Pass Surgery



Right now the Lord literally has my husband's heart in His hand. My husband will be going in for a triple by-pass surgery on Monday morning. He has severe blockage in 3 of his main arteries.


I am only posting this because it helps to to deal with the anxiety I am feeling right now. We have both spoken to the surgeon and he has made us feel at ease about the procedure. Plus we have talked to numerous other people who have told us Dr. Dodd is one of the best heart surgeon's in the Southeast.


However, I am still feeling very anxious and nervous. Everyone tells me that's normal and I suppose it is. But I'm also trying to be strong for my husband, who is trying to be strong for me. And I can see in his face that he is just as nervous as I am. But the Lord got us through his stroke in August and He will bring us through this. I do have faith.


And my friends, both local and computer, long-distance friends have truly been a blessing to me through all my issues. I truly could not get through these hardships without your heartfelt prayers and words of wisdom. I do get alot of strength and encouragement from each and everyone of you and I love you all.


Thank you all for sticking by me and letting me vent, rant and rave, cry, giggle, laugh. I always try to return the favor but am not as good at words and such as most of you, so I tend to stick to the background. But I do want you all to know that I do pray for you, feel your pain and anxiety also, even though I may not leave a message or send you an email. I am with you, regardless.


Most of you follow me on Facebook, so I will try to update when I can on Hut's progress. If I am unable I will get one of my kids to post a comment on my page. I beleive most of you are friends with at least one of my kids, too, lol.


This blog did not go in the direction I was thinking when I first started it, but it went the way I believe it was supposed to. I wanted to let you all know a little about what would entail with the surgery, but instead I was meant to tell you how much I love you guys. I thank God everyday for each and everyone of you.

Monday, January 16, 2012

Talking Turkey with Mother Nature at Work

I know you guys are probably tired of seeing these guys. I take pictures of them ALL the time. They may not be the prettiest birds on the block but I just love them.
This past weekend they all decided to show me their plummage. They've NEVER opened their feathers for me before. They really are beautiful creatures.This picture shows the 3 toms with their feathers opened and if you look closely you'll see the 3 "babies".Talking Turkey, lol.This one turkey just put on a fashion show. Here is a really good look at his hind end. I wish he wasn't behind the fence, but oh well.Side view. He had ALL his feathers spread out. I was so excited to be able to see them in "full dress".
I had to be very patient here. If you look closely, you will see a bee in the flower in the middle near the bottom. Can't believe my camera got such a good shot. To the left is another shot of a bee on a flower. You can actually see his wing in this photo.
We have a small pond behind the State Farm building I work at. The turtles come out alot when it's sunny. I have to zoom in from across the pond though. I tried walking down to the water from the side closest to them and they all dove into the water. Wish I had a better camera with a lense that zoomed in more. I guess if I ever win the lottery I will buy one.

Mother Nature was out in full force this weekend. If you look really close at the middle of the picture you will see a female cardinal. I was so thrilled to be able to see her and for her to let me take some pictures of her. Another shot of her in the middle of the picture. She sure is hard to see. She blends right in with the scenery.Here's a really good shot of her. She has something in her mouth, not sure what. Looks like a piece of mulch. I sure am glad she let me get some great pictures of her.
Here is the love of her life. Mr. Cardinal. Isn't he gorgeous??? I was so blessed this past weekend to be able to get some pictures of them. They usually flitter around from tree, to bush, to wherever and I can't get them to stay still for a picture. This past weekend they both let me take a couple.Another beautiful shot of him. Isn't his red coloring just stunning?
My last shot of him. What a contrast between his red and the green on the bushes. Where you can't really see the female, the male just stands right out.
This is a Sandhill Crane. They are an endangered species here in Florida but we have quite a few on the property. This one looks like it only has one leg, but like the Flamingo, they will lift one up and "hide" it for whatever reason.Mr. Blue Jay. We have quite a few of them around, too. He's got a nut in his beak and he was trying to break it open on the branch.
What are you lookin' at? Peeking out between the branches.Not a great photo, but if you look close to the middle of the picture you will see a red-headed woodpecker. He was not very cooperative. He kept flying higher into the trees. So this is the best picture I could get of him.No, your not seeing double. These are two of the Sandhill Cranes looking for some yummies in the orange grove.Another shot of the turtles on the bank. I did not realize that I had also gotten a shot of the duck swimming in front of them.This is a Blue Heron. The turtles usually hang out with him all the time.


It was definitely a great time to work a weekend and have my camera with me. I hope you enjoyed seeing some Florida wildlife. I don't think I'll ever get tired of it and I hope you won't either.

Thursday, January 12, 2012

How Much Is That Doggie In The Window?

As we were driving to meet up with the kids, we saw this cute dog hanging out the back window of a pickup truck. He/she was very content to see where they were going, lol.


Sunday, January 8, 2012

Cookie Making "Monsters"

I know by now most of you have seen this picture of the girls. Right now it is my all time favorite picture of them. Look at the serious, intense looks on their faces. It reminds me of Norman Rockwell.
The beaters with cookie dough on them sure are yummy!

Hmmmmm? What should I do with this green icing? Let's help GiGi ice the cookies to that we can eat them. Yay!









Friday, January 6, 2012

Holiday Celebrations at the Farm

Every year State Farm puts up displays for the different Celebrations of their diverse employees. The pictures are pretty much self-explanatory and hopefully will give you a better understanding of some other ways holidays are celebrated around the world.


Wednesday, January 4, 2012

Snow Central Santa Visit 12/15/2011

Just a few pictures of Santa's Visit at Snow Central. Guess because the kids go every year we did not take any pictures of the "Snow" part of it. A very candid shot of Santa and Mrs. Claus. Scott D'Elf doesn't even remember taking the shot, it's so candid.Santa (a.k.a. Grampy) with Layla Sue. I think she's figuring out that this might actually be Grampy but she's still not real sure.Layla's cousins JoJo and Abby with Santa.
Cousin Ethan with Santa, on Ethan's birthday, which just happened to be the same day as Snow Central. Ethan's not too sure about Santa.Diana's sister and her family. Ethan on Momma's(Jessie)lap with Daddy (Ian) behind her and JoJo and Abby on Santa's other side.Wade, Layla, Rossi and Diana under the tree where Santa was just sitting.