Little Rays Of Sunshine (after a day of darkness)

Since the tornado that destroyed much of Vilonia and Mayflower, Arkansas -Sunday, April 27)  my son's family have had little bits of happiness just falling all over them. It has been nothing short of amazing. This mug is just one of many of those happy moments. It was found on their property intact with only a tiny chip on the bottom. It is a photo of the whole family: Shane, Krissy, Alayna, Brooklyn and Lilly, taken about 4 years ago.

It is special for several reasons.
#1 there are few pictures with all 5 of them.
#2 my mother had it made several years ago for Christmas and one for me, as well.
#3 just the fact that it survived such a violent storm - a reminder of the strength of their family and they will be even stronger.
#4 with losing everything, finding any momento has become precious to them, reminders of what once was.

Then there is the bunny. A very nice lady found the bunny and took the time finding the owner which just happened to be my granddaughter, Lilly! She went as far as posting it on KARK4 NEWS
My daughter in law saw it and they have been reunited. She went above and beyond to get this bunny back to her. She posted it on 6 different sites and 2 news stations. She says her faith has changed forever. She and my daughter in law are now friends on Facebook. Neat story.

One of the neatest things have been all the pictures showing up - up to 150 miles away! Smithville, Pocahontas, Walnut Ridge, Batesville. Crazy but so exciting! People are being wonderful taking the time to post to the Arkansas Tornado Lost and Found and then promising to mail to owners.

So even though it has been a very tough and emotional week for them, they have found renewed faith in people, each other, but most importantly - in God. God is Good All The Time...All The time - God is Good!

Amazing - Rainbow Photos Taken Hours Before Storm...

First of all, I can't believe my daughter in law just happened to take these photos in succession just hours before the tornado ripped through Mayflower and Vilonia - completely wiping their land clean of nothing more than cinder blocks and sticks of wood. These pictures are from looking at their land from across the road - and finally as the rainbow settles over  their home directly above. 

And the aftermath of tornado.

Coincidence? No, I don't think so. That is God's promise - He never fails.

Thank you, Lord. for once again, sparing the lives of my son, my daughter in law and my precious 3 granddaughters.

You can read about the Vilonia, Arkansas tornado that destroyed this home and so many others here.

Again - My Hometown, Vilonia, Arkansas - REALITY

It is so hard to wrap my head around - the surreal events that have taken place since Sunday, April 27, 2014. Only 3 years since my hometown of Vilonia, Arkansas - went through this same thing - my son and his sweet family losing everything AGAIN. How can this happen? I don't know - but it did.
Tornado 2011 (3 years and 2 days to be exact)



It has taken me this long to sit still and type this post - mainly because I don't even know how to go through it all, even though I have told the story a hundred times and answered so many questions.

But - in a nutshell - The town is devastated. Literally.  Homes, businesses, buildings that have been there all my life. I grew up there. I graduated from there in 1978. My parents still live there as did my son and his family. Thankfully, my parents home was not hit. Praising God that none of my family were injured or worse. So many can not say that. There was loss of life. Two young boys. A father protecting his family in the bathtub. There were others. Some who lost their homes for the 2nd time with no insurance. Thank the Lord, my son was covered. He lost his brand new truck - again, covered. Those are replaceable items.

In the last tornado they were able to salvage a few personal items - photo albums, guns, bibles, baby memorabilia - things that were tucked under the bed and just managed to make it. This time there was NOTHING left - and their beautiful Boston Terrier, Mia - was in there. She is no where to be found. We have posted her pictures and info on the Facebook Tornado Lost and Found Pets and so many are being reunited with their families - but so far, no Mia. Their home imploded (most likely) since there was nothing at all left. This was a brand new double wide that they bought after the last tornado - bricked around the bottom, anchored - deck built on - over 2500 square feet. GONE.

Read Examiner.com story about Mia

There has been good news, though. Photos are showing up as far as 150 miles away! There is also a Facebook page called Tornado Lost and Found Photos & Documents - and I happened on 3 on the first day! I was so excited to tell my daughter in law and have since been in touch with the  people who are finding the photos. As of this writing there have been 5 photos found. Hard to believe! I have spent my evenings pouring over FB finding photos of people I know and letting them know. I feel like I am doing something - I am 500 miles away. I have talked to so many people that don't even know me - they are a friend of a friend of a friend kind of thing. I have put them in touch with people who I know have needs that are different than my families needs. People with babies that need formula, diapers and baby items. People who have horses and cows. It helps me to feel a part of it.

A photo found 128 miles away in Pocahantas, Arkansas

Friends have been wonderful to them. Strangers have been wonderful to them. It is amazing.
A friend is giving me a "like new" 3 story Barbie house for my 7 year old granddaughter who lost the 2 story Barbie house I got her for her birthday a year ago. It belonged to her daughter and it has been in her attic - waiting for a yardsale - I am so appreciative of her generousity. My Lilly Pie will be so happy.
I am putting together individual "personal" boxes to mail for each of the 3 granddaughters and I have friends wanting to contribute. Another gave me $100 to buy gift cards to add to the mix. Such kindness shown for my family.A man my husband works with handed him $100 to give. He has never even seen a picture of my family to my knowledge. I have an envelope of money to wire them that is mind boggling, to say the list, from one friend that I know would prefer me not to mention. She is just that way. A HUGE heart for people. God Bless her!

Other good news - my son's friend who he grew up with had an empty rental trailer that they can stay in until insurance is settled and they can buy a house. They only had to stay with friends one night - here we are 3 days later and they have a place to lay their head, a washer and dryer, microwave, table and chairs and air mattresses to sleep on. They are comfortable. It is much much smaller than what they were used to for 5 people but the are OK with that! They have personally been given so much already. People coming from all over specifically to see that they get the items they are bringing. My son has had so many calls - and he tells them to "bring it on" If they can't use it - they will make sure it gets to some one that can. There is a need for anything and everything you can think of.


As for the hometown people - it is amazing to see the help they are being given. People have stopped their lives to volunteer. People from all over the state. Even outside the state of Arkansas. Chruches, Red Cross, National Guard, schools, missions, businesses - all pitching in to help. It is heartwarming.
I hear people are BBQing all over the place. I know there is food set up in tents every where.

It makes me proud. My husband and I plan to retire in 5 years. We know we want to live closer to my family. My husband says he always thought he would like the small town life and now he KNOWS he wants to.

My son's land - everything gone.

****EDIT - today my daugher in law told me they found this mug on their land and it only has a tiny chip on the bottom. It has a picture of the whole family - Shane, Krissy, Alayna, Brooklyn and Lilly.
WOW! I told Krissy I see this as a sign from God - they will come back stronger than ever.

What I Wore: Wednesday

Linking up with The Pleated Poppy

We had college days at work so I (of course!) wore my Arkansas Razorback tee shirt!My little Hawg buddy was sitting on my shoulder - woo pig sooie!

Yellow Box Flip Flops
Ralph Lauren Denim Skirt

Remedies - Barry Joneshill - Rosebud, Arkansas - My Review

Remedies in Rose Bud, Arkansas

While in Arkansas for Spring Break - I visited a little shop in Rose Bud called Remedies.  Barry Joneshill is a homopathic/herbalist/legend/gifted man and people from all over visit him.  We went twice while there and both times people were lined up to see him. People say he has a God given gift that he can talk to a person and God will tell him through prayer what that person needs to help heal their body or make them feel better. I was anxious to see him and so when I did go I was surprised by everything he told me.
*I have had chronic pain for over half of my life. I have been to many many chiropractors, general practicioners, sports doctors, osteopathic surgeons, you name it. I have taken so many muscle relaxers, pain pills, nothing ever keeps the pain away. My back and neck always hurt no matter what I do. We have had a temperedic mattress, a posturpedic mattress, foam mattress - I will try just about any thing for relief. *

My first visit - I went with my mother - who has been to him many times. We sat down to wait our turn, there were about 6 people ahead of us. When it was finally my turn - he asked, "What's on your mind?" I did tell him I have a lot of back and neck pain - eye twitching - weight gain - trouble sleeping. I am a talker and I know most people say you don't even have to tell him much - he "reads" your body - but I couldn't help myself - I didn't want him to miss a thing! (lol) He was writing on his little white card and covered the whole card which was about the size of 2 index cards. He excused himself and went into another room for a couple of minutes and then came back in and sat down. He said " I tried to condense this all down because I know there is a lot going on with you but God told me that this is what we need to work on. I have broken it down into 3 sections and numbered everything as to what we need to work on first." He then started explaining it all to me. 

So....

I have shingles in my kidneys and urethra
I have 3 cracks in my left hip
I have parasites in my heart

Now after I told him all the things I thought were wrong with me - he told me what each of these things were causing in my body - things I had NOT told him. 
He said I probably have a lot of cysts and sties - which I do - I have had 2 cysts surgically removed - one on EACH SIDE OF MY GROIN AREA - caused from the shingles. (one of them was this month) I have had at least 6 sties  on my eye lids in the past 5 years - one had to be surgically removed because it would not go away.

He said the weight gain is from all the sugar and high carbs I eat caused from the parasites in my heart - and I am a binge sweet/carb eater. I am talking B I N G E - like in 3 or 4 candybars at one time, a whole box of cookies, that sort of binging.

I am low on potassium - and probably have a lot of leg cramps - which is very very true - they wake me up at night.

I fell head first on wet concrete about 5 years ago - which caused nerve damage in both ears so I have hearing loss. I didn't mention this at all - and didn't even think about it - but it could certainly explain the 3 cracks in my left hip.

The "remedies" he recommended:
Potassium, Boron, BHT, Black Walnut, Bioflavonoids
$98 worth - because I wanted it all - no sense in working on piece by piece!

I went back a couple of days later so that my daughter could go and hopefully she will blog and link up. I told him that I forgot to mention that in the last couple of months that I have become a very deep snorer - which I hate! He said no problem and handed me a copper toe ring for $10 to wear on my middle toe right foot. I did not snore at all that night - according to my husband. The 2nd night I snored lightly. The 3rd night he said I was about 50% less of what I was before. Last night he said I was about 75% less.  I guess it comes and goes - ha! I will continue to wear it tho, but I think losing the 10 pounds I have packed on has something to do with it!

Yesterday I went to my chiropractor and told her all about it and what I was taking and she was all for it! She was able to adjust my back and neck for the FIRST time without me wanting to reach up and slap her!! I think something is working! I am going to continue this regimen and will update in a few weeks.

Sidenote - I am also taking Cayenne Fruit, Cranberry Chewables and B12 dissolvables on my own. After doing some research I think these may also be helpful. Stay tuned!

Me after seeing Barry - my mom's finger got in the way...ha!

High Five For Friday

I am a wee bit late on my first High Five For Friday post, but that's ok!

I had such a funtastic week - it will be hard to narrow it down to my high 5! It was Spring Break -I was in Arkansas all week - but here goes!

1. Being with 4 of my grandangels....Alayna(12) Brooklyn (10) Lilypie (5) and Tucker (16 months)

2. Spending time with my daughter.

3. Shopping, playing dominoes and exercising with my mom

4. Teaching my grandangels how to make potato cakes and making a HUGE mess!

5. Spending 2 nights with my son and daughter in law.

Spring Break, Baby!

Wooooo Hoooooooo -Today is my final working day before Spring Break! I can barely contain myself! I have so much to do today to get ready to be off for a whole week - and then I have 3 days to get ready to be gone for 5 days!

My To Do List for today:

*Register 2 new students first thing this morning when school starts. This includes getting all their information in the computer, an e-mail out to all their teachers, cafeteria, get a locker issued, front office, nurse and technology and then request records online from their previous schools.

*I have to make labels for 6 different areas - setting them up is the hard part - running reports to get the information for each one in the program I use at work.

*Honor Roll certificates - 130 kids made the honor roll this 4th six weeks so I have the certificates created and printed - now to sort each one to where that student is 5th period so they can be given to them today.


*I have to get teachers to fix "holes" in their gradebooks. I have a whole stack of "need to be fixed" stuff and that means getting with the individual teacher to explain what needs to be done.

and most important!

*Do a water change on my 20 gallon aquarium, give them a 7 day feeder - make sure they are ready to make it without me for the whole week.

Of course these are my Must Do's - then there will be 100 interruptions along the way - :-)

My To Do List before Leaving for ARKANSAS:

*take care of 5 aquariums and prepare them for being away for 5 days.

*Pack a ton of stuff - I always have a lot of things to take with me to Arkansas every trip since I see every one every 3 months - I am always buying things I see that I know someone would like or could use. However, I am flying to Arkansas Tuesday and then my hubby is driving in Saturday and we will drive home Sunday. That means HE has to bring all of this stuff with him so I do have to have it all lined up in the foyer and ready to go or he will not know what in the world to do! (men!)
I have a 10 gallon aquarium and accessories to take for Brooklyn - all the dresses and tops I have been making for the girls, clothes I have been picking up for Tucker for summer, a huge bag of clothes for Lily that  were given to me by a friend, nice dress shirts for my son that my husband never wears, craft projects I made for everyone, Lily's Tinkerbell pillow I made, there are more things - the closet in the spare bedroom is always stacked with stuff.


*my hair trimmed and highlights


*mani/pedi


*Miles groomed


*Pack MY bags - trying to get everything I need into one large suitcase and then have my carry on bag as well. I learned a long time ago - my make up and medications go with me on the plane! After having luggage lost twice on trips like this, I will never leave my essentials at the mercy of whoever gets their hands on those bags in the luggage area! I hate that all my clothes could end up in never neverland, but I can chance that.


*Write out instructions for hubby while I am away from Tuesday - Friday. He will be feeding my fish, snails and shrimp for me. Each tank has specific instructions. I have plenty of faith in him, but since I can be a little bit of a control freak - I want it done to the letter.


*Get all of Miles things in order - he wears bellybands and since he will not have me to come home to every day for lunch, I am sure he will have accidents and so I will have all his bellybands padded and ready for a new one each day. I will have his bag packed with his treats and food, extra leash in the car, so all Brad will have to do is pick up his bag and bed and toss them in the car on his way out Saturday morning


I am sure there are a lot more I could add - but I am tired now just thinking about all of this so I am going to turn off my brain for awhile.

Yea - I NEED Spring Break!

Reflections of 2011

This year certainly flew by, didn't it?  I have to say it has really been a blessed year for me and my family.

I have 2 spectacular events of 2011 to share that I feel God was certainly in the midst of. 

 In March my grandson had his cranio surgery to allow room for his brain to grown as he was born without a soft spot. He came through the cranio surgery with flying colors and God took the liberty of healing him so quickly that even the doctors were surprised how fast his head shaped up and he could do away with the helmet after  only 1 month! We just helped celebrate his first birthday and he is now taking several steps at a time and is just about the most adorable baby ever!

In April  my hometown in Arkansas was hit with a devastating tornado and my son lost his home as well did many other people in the community. The miracle of it all was that my son, daughter in law and 3 granddaughters left their doublewide just in time to seek shelter in my parent's church basement. As my son sat watching the weather he had a strong urge to leave and I am so thankful they did! Had they stayed like they had every storm before, they most likely would not be here today.  Sad to say there were 4 deaths in their subdivision. The people of the community came together and supported one another in a way that was nothing short of amazing. My sons family received donations, monies, and physical help from all over. Thankfully they had great insurance. They now have a brand new beautiful double wide and we are all so thankful that they are here today to be able to tell their story.

Living in Texas for the past 13 years, it is a rarity to have any of my family here - other than my mom and 2 of my granddaughters staying 2 weeks every summer - we do most of the traveling to Arkansas to see every one. This year was a wonderful exception! My daughter, her husband and baby visited for the 4th of July weekend! Although too short of a visit - it was beyond wonderful. We were able to babysit while they attended a ballgame, I took him to have his pictures made, we played in the pool. It was great!
A very unexpected surprise was my son taking a job here in Houston for 3 months and he stayed with us part of that time. Once he hired help he stayed in an extended stay hotel but was still over every week, we went out to eat weekly and he and I even went to the movies together. It was a bonding time that I never thought I would get again. It totally changed our relationship as it had been years since we had any mother/son time. I loved every minute of it and was sad when it ended, but I know he was ready to get back to his little family.

One of the fun things of 2011 is I began a new hobby. I am now an Aquarist! I have "multiple tank syndrome". Ha!!  What started off with a Betta in a vase has turned in to 5 tanks total (so far...lol) They range from 5 gallons to 55 gallons. It has even carried over to the workplace as I have a 20 gallon there as well. I have gotten into breeding now and am having pretty good luck with selling the fry. I have mollies, platys, danios, cats, guppys, rasboras, and oh yes, I still have a betta. I am moving on to raising/breeding red cherry shrimp and mystery snails now. It is a big job but it is such a rewarding experience.

I am so thankful for all the blessings of 2011 and look forward to 2012 and pray that God continues to give us good health, financial blessings and helps me to grow closer to Him.

Happy New Year & God Bless!!