Life of the Party

      I'll be in and out for the next few days. My husband has taken ill and is currently in the hospital, so there probably will not be many updates. It's always challenging when your spouse is hospitalized. You don't realize how much you rely on their companionship until they are not around.      One surgery down and possibly one more to go! I've got all the farm chores on me, plus driving 2.5 hours each way to visit him. I've got this! 

      So, yes... Here were are months later, still trying to potty train my child. We started when she was 18 months old, she is currently 3. I'm at my wits end and don't know where to go from here. Any suggestions?  We've tried:     1. Positive  reinforcement (lots and lots of praise)     2. Rewards (stickers)      3. Cloth "big girl" undies      4. A toddler potty and one that you place over the regular one      5. 30min check ins (I escort her to the restroom to "try" to use the potty)     6. Watching cartoons about going to the potty          Have I mentioned that she can hold it all night, but chooses to use it on herself during the day? I think I need some fresh ideas. I'm trying to tackle this before school starts and I'm failing miserably. 

 I'm a sucker for a Nicholas Sparks book and this is by no means an exception. I was taken away in a story of Colin and Maria. The unlikely pair end up having a thriller relationship. Calling with his anger issues in Maria with her stalkers from her past/ current job as a lawyer. There was moments in this book. I was absolutely on the edge of my seat. Most of his books are just epic love stories, but this one holds a true note of something more. I would love to see this book become a movie, but the characters in my head could never be fabricated into a movie. I highly recommend if you are a Nicholas Sparks fan to pick up this book and read it. I enjoyed it this time on my Kindle as always. I look forward to reading more books by the author. This review comes with the obvious five out of five star rating for me.  I think this is just the perfect mix of romance, mystery, thriller, and overall well written material.  

      It has been a solid month since we've had any really major flare ups with any of our neighbors. My hot headed husband doesn't really help matters much. I really wish things could settle down for a while and back the heck off. We spent a majority of our Sunday moving a rather large tree. No, we did NOT ask for help. I have to be able to get in and out.      On top of dealing with my child (no medical insurance issues), we now have issues once again with the driveway. I don't care. It's passable and I don't have money to waste on gravel. My medicine alone is nearly $345 a month. I cannot cough up any more cash at the moment. We move the trees and I'm happy with that.  Dear goodness, I drive a low Kia Soul and it makes it up the driveway just fine. Go slow and you will not drag.      I hate confrontation in any form. Just when I think I'm getting out of debt, here comes people left and right with their hands out. Can I ignore it long ...

      We've all been  there... Life kicks us in the butt right in the moment when everything else is falling apart. Girt is what gets you through moments like that, and grit is what sustains a leveled mindset. Life happens for a reason. Every decision you make comes with a consequence. It can either be a good or negative impact. Choose wisely!      Life happens...     Today, started like any other ordinary day until it wasn't. Sometimes we do the best we can possibly imagine and still fail. I will elaborate in the days to come. 

      Every year I have this same debate. Why post and start back to school shopping so early? It's still three weeks away and I'm already getting back to school news from work as well. I still need these three weeks. Every hour, minute, and second.  I'm not exaggerating this one bit.     I'm just now getting where I can sleep in past 6:30 AM. My body had adjusted to getting up before five every day that getting to sleep in is a rare occurrence for me. I am also being able to fully enjoy myself and read a few books this summer. I don't know if I'm ready to go back and hit the grind 100%. Sometimes I think the mental break of summer really does benefit me.       What am I going to miss most about summer? I'm gonna miss my kid. I only get 4 to 5 hours with her every afternoon if I'm lucky on an average school day. Every adult has to work so I know everyone has to go through this. I'm just so overwhelmed with the thought that I won't get to see ...

      Ummmm. Yes, please. This was the perfect place for my toddler to play while I sipped coffee. There were kind of slow today, so I didn't have to be right with her as she worked her way through the maze. You can see straight through the netting. At no time was she unsupervised (before you judge). There was only one other child in the playground.      It isn't a big place, but the air conditioning was amazing in this 90 degree temperature. We haven't been going to our local playground due to the humidity in high temperatures. Once it gets above 82 I'm done with having playgrounds out in the direct heat.      Coffee?     Yes, coffee! I was pleasantly surprised by the variety of refreshers, coffee, snack, bake goods, and ice cream that they had to offer. My cold brew as well worth the $4.95. I would pay it again and probably will if we are up that way again. 

    Where do I begin with this book? Hummmm, well, it's a completely captivating book cover to cover. The reader is left with questions as to what will happen next. James could totally write an additional book on the main characters to see if the "killer" plot happens again with an additional wife.      I loved every second of this novel and look forward to more books written by Jane James. She truly has a knack for writing thriller mysteries that will keep you on your toes. Will Adie kill this wife too? I hope we will get a second book to find out.      Obviously, I will be rating this book a 5 out of 5 stars. The plot, characters, theme, and pacing was superb. I'm glad I gave this book a chance and ignored Goodreads advise. What were those readers talking about?  Honest Moment: I might have been more intrigued in this book due to the fact that I'm not my spouse's first wife  either. There are things we will never know, but f...

    Have I ever told you how much I love to garden? It's literally my jam! There is nothing better than raising your own vegetables for consumption. It's a feeling of fulfillment and gratitude. This is my first yellow squash of the season. I pan fried them with a little bit of cornmeal covering. We had a thick slice of ham and some stewed green beans.