Tuesday, September 1, 2026

Pregnancy Update, Daycare Kids, Baby Shower

Ashley is about 38 weeks pregnant now. A couple weeks ago, it was discovered that the baby is frank breech. They've checked her every week and the baby has remained in frank breech position. Ashley has an appointment this week and then another next Thursday. If the baby is still breech, they will do a C-section that Friday, September 11th. We're praying the baby turns and a C-section won't be necessary.
 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
Ashley works at our church daycare in the room for 3-4 year olds. Lydia is one of the daycare kids. (In the room for 2-3 year olds. There's a half door that separates the 2-3 year old room from the 3-4 year old room.) I usually clean the church sanctuary on Thursdays (I clean the rest of the building on Saturdays) and when I'm done, I'll go to the daycare room Ashley works in to see them. Lydia is always excited to see me. She'll usually excitedly say, "Mema!" and come running to me with a big smile on her face. 
 
The other kids are usually happy to see me, too. They'll smile and a couple of them will hug me. A couple weeks ago, they were drawing and coloring on construction paper and a few of them asked me to write their names on their papers. One of the boys (I can't remember his name) came up to me and said, "You look like a princess." Which cracked me up. He probably thought that because of the pink dress I was wearing - Talbots madras print sleeveless shirt dress; I was wearing a white knit shrug over it.
 
Sunday the 23rd, after service, I was talking with Tykeisha (she's in her 30s; I've known her most of her life) and she complimented my dress. (A green chiffon Jessica Howard with white flowers.) I said, "Oh, thank you." Then she said, "You always look like a princess in your pretty dresses and your pretty updo." That made me laugh a little. Especially after the little daycare boy had told me I look like a princess the previous Thursday.
 
Anyway, I didn't go into the daycare this past Thursday because I had gotten there a little later than usual and most of them left when I was almost finished. Not long after I'd gotten there, Ashley texted me to ask if I was coming to the church and I told her, "I'm here now." Then she texted me back that Lydia said she wanted to see Mema. They came into the sanctuary when I was almost done. Lydia kept hugging me while Ashley and I talked. Sean got there around 5:30 to pick them up and bring them home. He usually hangs around for awhile talking to me, but he was really tired that day and didn't stay long.
 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
August 15th, two of Ashley's friends held a baby shower for her at the church. She got a lot of clothes for the baby, a few boxes of diapers, and other things like wipes, baby shampoo, Desitin, lotion, bath tub, etc. 
 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
Songs purchased for my iPod since my last entry:
 
Chains We Wore by Warr Acres
Withholding Nothing by William McDowell 
 
*

Saturday, June 27, 2026

Dresses

Dresses purchased since March:
 
Calvin Klein dress purchased from someone on Poshmark. (This is their photo.) Originally $109. I paid $33.62 after shipping and tax.
 
 
Eliza J dress. Purchased from ThredUp. (This is their photo.) Originally $148. I paid $23.58 after shipping and tax.
 
 
Boden Marilyn dress. Purchased from someone on Poshmark. (This is their photo.) Originally $158. I paid $49.63 after shipping and tax.
 
 
Talbots black eyelet dress. Purchased from someone on Poshmark. Originally $178. I paid $40.02 after shipping and tax.
 
 
Boden Selina dress. Purchased from ThredUp. (This is their photo.) Originally $198. I paid $77.37. More than I usually pay for a thrifted dress, but I really love fuschia and Boden's Selina dress.
 
 
Hobbs London faux wrap dress. Purchased from someone on Poshmark. Originally $210 (another listing says the original price is $290). I paid $38.96 after shipping and tax.
 
 
Talbots polka dot dress. Purchased from someone on Poshmark. Originally $139. I paid $17.61 after shipping and tax.
 
 
Talbots chambray dress. Purchased from someone on Poshmark. Originally $129. I paid $38.96 after shipping and tax. I've been looking for this one in my size and for a price I like for several months.
 
 
A few more dresses than I would probably normally purchase in a 3-4 month period, but in my searches for certain dresses I'm looking for (some for the past three years or more) I came across these and really liked them. And the prices weren't bad at all for most of them.
 
* 

Friday, June 26, 2026

This and That, March Through June

In March, Lydia was finally able to get tubes put in her ears. We were all nervous about the surgery, but it went well. And no ear infections since getting tubes.
 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 
 
Sean's 29th birthday was April 9th. We bought him a new suit. (He wears suits to church.) There's a store in Greensboro that sells good brand suits for discounted prices. Sean tried on a few before choosing one. I think it was Calvin Klein, but I really don't remember.
 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
Kelly's friend/my "second daughter" Rene had her second child in April. A little girl named Atalaya Hadassah. (Her oldest is a boy named Anthony. I think he'll be 3 this year.) She is so adorable!
 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
I brought Effie to the vet a month or two ago for a check-up, including one or two shots. She's healthy, but the vet would like for her to lose a pound. She already seems pretty little to me (I think she's 8 or 9 pounds), but maybe that's because all of our other cats were/are bigger.
 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
Charlie had to go to Indiana and Illinois the week of May 18th. He doesn't usually work on cranes on the rare occasions that he travels for work. He just has to basically do customer/client relations. He really doesn't enjoy that at all.
 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
The week of May 25th, Charlie went with Sean, Ashley, and Lydia (in his truck; they drove their car) to the Outer Banks. He asked Kelly and I several times if we wanted to go and we couldn't. We were both expecting to start that week and we don't have anyone to take care of our cats while we're gone. 
 
Years ago, we'd have my mom do it, but she didn't come over often enough to let our dogs out, fill bowls, clean out litter boxes, etc. So we don't ask her anymore. After we quit asking her, we had Rene house sit/pet sit, but she got married in 2019 and has two little ones now.
 
The only way we could go is if Sean and Ashley don't go and can take care of our cats for us. When they're out of town, Kelly and I take care of their cats.
 
Anyway, they had a good time. There was some rain for a couple days, but they did mostly indoor stuff on those days. Like going to the aquarium. Charlie and Sean were able to do a little fishing. And they all went to a couple lighthouses, the Elizabethan Gardens (Charlie wasn't feeling good when they went there, so he stayed in his room), etc.
 






Kelly and I enjoyed our week at home (except for AF) and really didn't miss not going to the coast.
 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
June 3rd, Kelly and I went to The Depot antique mall in Concord. That place is huge! We were there for about four hours. We had to hurry towards the end since they were about to close, so we didn't see everything. They have a lot of neat stuff. My favorite booth was filled with weapons, helmets, and other military items from WWI, WWII, the 1800s, etc. It was so cool!
 
After leaving the antique mall, we got something to eat (I don't remember the name of the place; the food was okay) and on our way home, we stopped at the North Carolina Vietnam Veterans Memorial, which is at a rest stop.
 


 There was a man there with a very friendly pit bull. He (the dog) came running towards us, off leash, tail wagging, tongue out. The man hollered at us, "It's okay. He's friendly." The dog started to walk away and then I made the pss-pss-pss noise and he excitedly came back to me and started to jump up on me. So, it works for dogs, too. lol He was a sweet dog.
 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
Saturday, June 13th, Kelly and I went to an antique store here in Greensboro. It was bigger than I expected and, again, we ran out of time before we could see everything. They had some nice stuff, but their prices were higher than the antique mall in Concord.
 
The reason I'm going to antique stores is because I want/need a larger, better quality trunk (real wood!) to keep our bedding in. (We don't have a linen closet.) Not only do I need one a little bigger, but I expect that Lydia and her baby sister at some point may want to sit or stand on the one I have and that one is made of thin, cheap material. It would likely cave in under their weight.
 
There are a couple thrift stores and a few more antique stores I'd like to check out. I've also done online searches. Hopefully I'll find one soon.
 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
I had a doctor's appointment on June 17th. A regular check-up. I was going to get the shingles shot and tetanus shot at that appointment, as well as have blood work done, but after getting the shingles shot (which hurt like crazy! - it bruised and has now turned yellow), I told them no more needles for the day. I almost fainted and the nurse had me lie down. She fanned me with papers in her hand for a few minutes. Then I moved to a chair and she brought me a small bottle of water. I felt better after a little bit.
 
I went back to the doctor this past Tuesday the 23rd to get my blood work done. I went to Rack Room after that and got some new tan sandals (I've needed new sandals for years) and then got a cute pink top and shorts for Lydia at Belk for half off. 
 
Oh, my blood pressure is a little high, so I'm having to check that a couple times a day at home. 
 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
There's been almost no movies worth watching for several years now, but I've watched two really good ones so far this year - Remarkably Bright Creatures on Netflix and Project Hail Mary on Amazon Prime. Both made me cry a lot. If I had known how much I would love PHM, I would've gone to the theater to see it in IMAX. One of the best movies I've ever watched.
 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
Songs purchased for my iPod since late March:
 
The Warrior is a Child by Twyla Paris
We Want Revival by Red Worship
Ask Me Why by David Jennings
Take Control by UPCI Music (featuring Draylin Young & Rayne Libby)
Show Me Your Face/Yahweh by Red Worship
Show Me Your Face Medley by Indiana Bible College
Making a Way For Me/Waymaker by Indiana Bible College
Nothing Else by Indiana Bible College
Everything For Me by J.J. Hairston
For Christ Alone by 2819 Worship
 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
I will post about dress purchases in a separate entry. 
 
*

Thursday, April 9, 2026

Lists

These lists are mostly not in any particular order. Not every channel I'm subscribed to on YouTube will be on these lists. YouTube channels I include will be those I like best or that I think most people would enjoy.
 
YouTube Channels
History, travel, life in other states and countries, etc. 
 
1. Itchy Boots
2. Joe Ryan (motorcyclist from Australia travels the world)
3. The History Underground
4. Harmen Hoek (hikes and camps all over the world)
5. Peter Santenello
6. SimpleD. (woman living in Romania w/2 cats)
7. Your New Zealand Family
8. Early American (woman from MO cooks recipes from the 18th & 19th centuries)
9. Royalty Now Studios
10. In Deep Geek
11. 1bike1world (Scottish man travels by bike, & sometimes van, w/cat)
12. History Hit
13. quatre saisons (Japanese lady and French husband travel to villages in southern France)
14. Through My Lens (American family travel the US & the world)
15. Dave's Walks
16. Kevin the Countryman (British man walks through English villages)
17. Una Moto (Canadian man travels the world on motorcycle)
 
 
YouTube Home Renovation/Restoration Channels
 
1. Mr and Mrs Adventure (American couple in Portugal)
2. Diego Leon (Portuguese man in France)
3. Raising Voyagers (American family in Italy)
4. Domaine Sauvage (Dutch/Belgian family in France)
5. emma shaye (Woman in VA renovating an old country store into a home)
6. So, we found this ruin (Scandinavian family in Italy)
7. The Rectory (British couple restoring an old rectory)
 
 
YouTube Reaction & Review Channels
People watching and reacting to TV shows and Movies
 
1. Everyday Negroes
2. Nikki & Steven React
3. LiteWeight Reacting
4. #StruggleNation
5. Cinema Therapy (a licensed therapist & a professional filmmaker)
6. Katie o'shaughnessy
7. Popcorn In Bed
8. Badd Medicine
9. James VS Cinema (independent filmmaker)
10. Jeremy Jahns (professional reviewer)
11. pReview'd
12. Omn1Media
13. Rob & Trin React!
14. NocBro Nation 
 
 
Favorite TV Shows
 
1. Band of Brothers 
2. The Last Kingdom
3. Andor
4. The Expanse
5. Shogun (2024)
6. The Walking Dead
7. Game of Thrones (despite seasons 7 & 8 not being nearly as good as seasons 1-6)
8. 12 Monkeys
9. Vikings
10. Call the Midwife
11. Loki (especially season 2)
12. Finding Your Roots
13. Victoria (though it was cancelled after season 3 & ended on a cliffhanger)
14. The Closer
 
More shows might get added to this list if I think of them. 


Tuesday, March 24, 2026

Dresses and Songs

Dress purchases since November:
 
Eliza J faux wrap dress. Purchased from ThredUp. (This is their photo.) Originally $148, I paid $48.67 after shipping and tax. I'll wear a light pink or blush tank top underneath it for modesty.

Boden shirt dress. Purchased from ThredUp. (This is their photo.) Originally $130, I paid $60.19 after shipping and tax. I wore this a couple Saturdays ago and a man complimented me: "That's a beautiful dress." :-)
 
 Talbots dress. Purchased from someone on Mercari. (Their photos weren't good, so I'm using this photo from someone's listing on Poshmark.) Originally $168, I paid $47.54 after shipping and tax.
 
 
Eliza J dress. Purchased from someone on Poshmark. Originally $140, I paid $56.04 after shipping and tax.
 
Calvin Klein dress. Purchased from someone on Poshmark. Originally $135, I paid $34.69 after shipping and tax.

Laura Petites chambray dress. Purchased from someone on Poshmark. (This is their photo.) Originally $90, I paid $26.68 after shipping and tax.


It's funny. Blue isn't my favorite color (though I do like it), but I think I probably have more blue dresses than any other color. Blue may be the most common color for clothing (besides maybe the neutrals like black, white, and gray), so maybe that has something to do with it?
 
By the way, my favorite color is green. Followed closely by red and fuchsia. Then after that would be plum, lavender, some shades of pink and blue, light yellow, and then a couple shades of orange (depending on what the object is). 
 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
Songs purchased for my iPod since November:
 
Bounce Back by Kevin Davidson and the Voices
Stubborn Love by Kathy Troccoli
Shout! by Rev. Milton Brunson & The Thompson Community Singers
Not Forgotten by David Jennings 
 
*

Saturday, March 21, 2026

This and That, November Through March

Sean, Ashley, and Lydia went to the Outer Banks in early October. I always worry when they take a trip, but they had a great time.
 
I think this was at Bodie Island Lighthouse.
 





At the Roanoke Island Aquarium.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
I'm not going to go into a lot of detail because of how much time has passed and because I don't remember most of the details lol, but we had a great Thanksgiving (desserts were pumpkin pie and apple pie), Anniversary (31 years), and Christmas (desserts were pumpkin pie again, key lime pie for Charlie, and homemade chocolate chip cookies). I don't remember what gifts were given. Lydia had a great time though. She loved the talking, singing tea set we got her.
 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
December 27th, Sean called me so that I could hear what Lydia calls me. (She hadn't called me anything prior to that.) He and Ashley were showing Lydia pictures of me and saying, "Who's that?" Lydia said, "Mema". It melted my heart to hear her say that with her sweet voice. She gets excited when she sees me and says, "Mema!" And when Sean's talking to me on speaker phone and she hears me she says, "Is that Mema?" Charlie is "Papa."
 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
On January 9th, I had to bring Loki to the vet because of blood in his poop. Thankfully it wasn't anything serious. He had a full anal gland, which the vet took care of. 
 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
Saturday, January 24th, it was forecasted that we would get a bunch of ice with very cold temperatures, and probably have power outages. We didn't get as much ice as was expected and we didn't lose power, but it was very cold (single digits and teens at night and in the mornings; 20s during the day). 
 
Sean, Ashley, and Lydia came to stay with us (they live about a mile or so from us) in case they lost power. I had bought a lot of food for all six of us (I had to go to five different stores to get everything we needed because people were buying up everything; I went to Walmart, Food Lion, Dollar General, Lowes Foods, and Harris Teeter) and ended up spending over $600! But at least I didn't have to worry about us going hungry.
 
We have a generator, so I cooked up a few meals ahead of time that we could heat up and have a hot meal each night for supper.
 
We got ice and sleet that Saturday evening and Sunday morning, which meant the roads were iced over. Sean, Ashley, and Lydia left sooner than we felt like they should have (Sunday afternoon) because Sean was going to try to go to work that Monday. They made it home safely, but Sean wasn't able to go to work.
 
This was taken on January 27th.
 
 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
Saturday, January 31st (and I think into Sunday, February 1st), we got 13 inches of snow. The biggest snow we've had in awhile. Again, I had go to three or four different stores to get what we needed because of people clearing the shelves, but I didn't spend nearly as much that time.
 

 

 

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
Some time in January, Sean and Ashley told us that they're expecting another baby. On February 28th, we found out that it's a girl! She's due in September.
 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
My 53rd birthday was February 7th, Kelly's 26th birthday was February 8th, Charlie's 57th birthday was February 21st, and Lydia's 2nd birthday was March 11th.
 
Lydia is such a sweet, smart, funny, sassy, adorable little girl! She is a joy to our family and friends. She loves cats, dogs, horses, buses (yes, buses), dinosaurs, and frogs. She knows her ABCs, colors, can count to 10, knows some words in sign language, and is learning to count to 10 in Spanish. 
 
She's at that adorable age where she can't say many words correctly and has such a cute voice. Fish is feesh, car is caw, bus almost ends with a lisp, she can't say the R in horse (well, she can't pronounce the R in any words; Ls are also difficult), Kelly is Keggy or Keh-yee, dragon is gaggon, frog almost sounds like the F word. She says our cat Effie's name really well, but can't quite get Loki.
 
Anyway, I could go on, but I'll stop now. :-)
 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
Tomorrow (technically today), March 21st, is Sean and Ashley's 6th wedding anniversary! 
 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 
 
Lydia is supposed to get tubes for her ears this Monday. She gets an ear infection nearly every month (except for the summer) and had two in one month last year. They've had to reschedule the surgery several times because if she gets sick (like a cold or anything that causes congestion), they can't do the surgery. As of today, she's not sick. Here's hoping and praying she stays well. 
 
*