My Head is Spinning!

SO MUCH is going on right now! I feel like my head is spinning as I try to keep track of all that is in my brain!

---- At work, I am still trying to get myself organized while I help the young teacher that I am the assistant to, get organized as well! Today, "should" be an easier day. We'll see!

---- At the gym, I went for my "Physical Assesment". I wasn't impressed with the trainer that did my assesment, so I feel like I wasted my time on that. Oh well. I did get signed up for a program called "Fitlinxx", tho. It is a program that keeps track of your workouts as you work out on each "Fitlinxx" machine. I am hoping that it will help me to "accountable"! I need that! My plan is to go to the gym on M-W-F, after work.

---- At church, there is this HUGE event happening on Sunday, after church, and I am part of the team that is organizing it! And... on top of that.... I am in charge of helping my College Age Sunday School Class prepare a "booth" for it! I am feeling frustrated because it doesn't look like some of the kids are going to come thru with the things that they promised that they would "do" or "get". (This is including MY own girls!!) I have to be at the church pretty much all day on Saturday to prepare and set up for Sunday. I was hoping that I would have plenty of help from my students, but several of them have had to back out because of work or school commitments! (Including my girls!) So.... I have no idea what our booth will look like on Sunday! I don't like that it is being left up to ME to get it ready!! I am trying REALLY hard not to stress about it, but it's hard.

---- At home, I feel lost. Now, that I'm working 5 days a week... I am having to do more things "after" work and therefore I am not getting home in the afternoons until like 3 or 4pm. I am not keeping up with my household chores as well, and it is frustrating me. David is having to help out more and I know that he doesn't like it. Hopefully, once I get this weekend behind me... things will get better.

Gotta run and get to work! Hope you all have a blessed day!

Philadelphia - Staying at Mom's House

Congratulations to Becca of Everyday Life for guessing the correct answer!! We will be staying at David's mother's house. This is also the same house that he grew up in! His mom has lived in this same house for over 50 years!

David's parents divorced when David was about 18 years old. His father moved to Georgia. (That's how he and I met! **Smile**) Unfortunately, he is no longer with us. He developed Cancer and passed away about 10 years ago.

Philadelphia is known for it's "Row Homes". Many look like these...

Photo Source

Photo Source

The homes are "stuck" together, one right next to the other. If you have to go around to the back of your house, from the front... you have to walk around the whole block to get there!

It's funny.... when I first met David, I had never been up north and had no idea what a "row home" was! I can still remember him pointing them out to me, the first time he took me to Philadelphia. They looked like huge apartment buildings to me! (That's what I grew up living in - apartments!)

David's mother grew up living in a row home a lot like the first picture above. The homes were each exactly alike!

The home that his mother now lives in is -- I "think" -- still considered a row home, but it is more like a "duplex". There are only TWO homes "stuck" together. There is a yard (a tiny one!) in between each two houses, like these....

 Photo Source

David's mother's home looks a LOT like this one! She has a bigger porch on the front, tho. There is an "alley" in the back and her driveway and garage are pack there. In Georgia... these would be called "duplexes" or "townhomes".

I look foward to taking pictures of her home while we are up there so that I can show you. (Hope she doesn't mind!)

Later today... check back for a new clue & hint for Day Two of our trip to Philadelphia!

A New Backyard to Enjoy!

I wanted to share with you how pretty my backyard looks now!

We have grass now!! You gotta' love sod! It's any easy fix!

Here's the retaining wall that David worked SO hard to replace! He had built the wall with landscaping timbers about 12 years ago when we had our pool put in. With the timbers now "rotting", they needed to be replaced. Doesn't it look great now?!! 

We planted Lantana here, along with another rose bush to match my other one. 

After 12 years, we finally have a beautiful patio set! I realize now that the cushions are not on the chairs. Oops! We love it and spend a lot of time out there, now!

We bought these two chairs as well. Since this picture was taken, we now have a small table between the chairs. Our plan is to get a free-standing umbrella to go in this area, as well.

The hammock is new, too! Ashley has always wanted one. She bought this with her birthday money. Thankfully, we ALL get to enjoy it!

The flower bed is new, too. There WAS a very BIG palm tree here. Actually... there was one on each side of my pool! But, the trees were planted too close to the pool and they grew too big. The roots were cracking our cement, so they had to go. David built flower beds in their place. I planted some Marigolds and Saliva.

If you look closely... you can see my two puppy dogs. Chester is my youngest. He is only a year old. We had to make a separate yard for the dogs because Chester was eating all of my plants and digging holes everywhere! They are mostly spoiled "house dogs", but it's nice to have the fenced in space for them to run around in and Chester can chew on anything he wants and dig as many holes as he wishes!! LOL!

I am so happy to now have a yard that I can enjoy!

I am joining Debbiedoo's Outdoors-Color Newbie Party! Come visit me there!

Thirty Days of Thankfulness - Day 8

Today, I am thankful for the home that God has provided for me and my family. So often, I forget just how fortunate I am to HAVE a home, when so many others do not. It may not be the home of my dreams, but I am happy that I have one.

David and I have been blessed, for many years, to have a home of our own.

We purchased our first home a year after we were married, in April of 1986. It wasn't a huge home, but it was new and we loved it!

We lived in this house until April of 1989, when we bought our second home.

By looking at these two pictures, you would think that it snows a LOT in Atlanta, but it really doesn't! LOL!

We fell in love with this house the minute that we drove by it! We happily lived in this house for 9 years. The only reason that we moved was so that David could get better working hours with the company that he works for. In order to do that, we had to move OUT OF Atlanta.

We still miss this house and talk about it often. The neighborhood was great and we had wonderful neighbors that we still miss very much.

The move from Atlanta, in March of 1988, brought us to the Columbus, GA area. We ended up buying a 2.25 acre lot in a newly developing subdivision just outside of Columbus. We "thought" that we would be able to afford to build a house like this....

but, we quickly learned that the housing prices were a good bit more than we expected! So... we changed our thoughts, and settled for what we could afford and ended up with this house that we live in now.

We have lived here for almost 11 years -- which blows my mind!!! Time has just flown by!! Our girls have grown from being little "girls" into young "women". We have been happy here, but still talk about our previous house and how much we miss it.

Ashley & Miranda

Miranda & Ashley

But, like I said before..... I am just thankful that we have a home to call our own. Thank you, Lord!