Putting the FUN in DysFUNctional

Southern Pride

noreply@blogger.com (Cyndy Bush) — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 13:12:00 +0000

As a Southerner, we face a lot of stereotypes.

Many people think anyone with
a Southern accent is stupid or slow.

I just recently read this line in a book: "I'd like to permanently strike the following vocabulary from the record, posthaste. Y'all: I just hate it, and it makes you sound fatter. Punishment: For every offense, you must donate a toe to Paula Deen."

Nice.

And just before that, in another book, when a child heard someone speak with a Southern accent and imitated that person, she was harshly corrected by her Mother, who said "Don't EVER talk like that, it makes you sound STUPID."

Southerners are also assumed to be racist, rebel-flag waving,

ignorant backwoods toothless moon-shine drinkers.

And granted, some of that does apply to some people.

But it is a ridiculous, outdated, and unfair stereotype.

Which is why those of us who are CLASSY Southerners are proud,

and like to spread positive Southern messages.

I understand that we do not necessarily own the rights to sweet tea,
or some of our charming sayings.

But come on....let us have our moment.

We are simply emphasizing the positive side of our Southern roots

and demonstrating that some of us have class, grace, and charm.

We are sweet, tough chicks with manners and attitude.

We may cook and eat a little differently.

We may talk a little differently.

We may live life at a slower pace.

We may always wave at the cars that pass us - but hey, maybe you do too.

Maybe we say Yes Ma'am and Yes Sir - maybe you don't.

We probably holler at our young'uns a little differently than our Northern friends.

We love bonfires and the water - you probably do too.

We wear flip flops year-round - you probably don't.

We probably wear more camo than you, and listen to different music than you do.

We may eat more chicken and dumplings,
shrimp and grits, and boiled peanuts, and drink more sweet tea than you do.

We almost certainly bless more hearts.

Why can't we all just celebrate our similarities, AND our differences?

I reckon we would all appreciate that.

{My favorite of these? Cattywampus.}

A Glimpse Into Our Weekend - SIMC

noreply@blogger.com (Cyndy Bush) — Sun, 16 Jun 2013 03:36:00 +0000

A glimpse into our weekend,

in pictures.

And some words.

Because I like words.

We went to my parents' house to visit Hayleigh.
Oh, and my parents, of course.
But mostly, Hayleigh.

Elayna couldn't resist joining her in the pool.

Shelbie fed Hayleigh her lunch.

I made my first banana pudding,
with help from my Mama.

Hubby picked a flower for me. <3

My Mother-in-Law LOVES and collects birdhouses. I recently
found this one for her and she absolutely loves it, says it's the prettiest one she's ever seen. =D

On Saturday we went to my MIL's Family Reunion

near Crystal River, Florida.

They had door prizes, and Elayna played the Price is Right girl,

handing out the prizes.

She had fun.

The reunion was fun and the food was DELICIOUS.

They also had a pinata.

MIL's aunt and uncle live in a beautiful house on stilts right by the river.
I wish I could have gotten a better photo.

Elayna is silly.

Shelbie is, too.

Hope you're having a wonderful weekend!

Focusing on the Positive Fragments

noreply@blogger.com (Cyndy Bush) — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 02:19:00 +0000

~ Work was exhausting this week, but I am looking forward to the weekend!
Tomorrow we're going to visit both sets of parents (and the baby Hayleigh will be there!!).
Saturday, we're going to Byron's family reunion.
And of course, Sunday we'll be celebrating Father's Day!

~ Today we went to my stepson Tyler's baseball game. Shelbie's boyfriend Dusty came with us. The team won, beating a team that was favored to win. Afterward we all went to my MIL's house for a cookout.

~ You wanna know what puts a damper on all of that? On the way home, we stopped at a store and Dusty got out and threw up his dinner. Then, on the way back to the truck, he took his hat off to wipe his forehead and I saw several bald patches. Talk about reality slapping you in the face....
He had chemo this morning. This was, I believe, the fourth time this week. Right now he is doing chemo 4x a week. It's called "Hell Month". Then he enters a maintenance phase. But during this period, his body has NO time to recover from chemo before it's time for another treatment. It's so hard to see a strong, active teenager going through this. He's seventeen. This should be the time of his life, with no major worries, just enjoying the last of his carefree childhood time. But cancer ended that. And it sucks.

~ Anyway...focusing on the positive. He had a good time and has a great attitude and good spirit about all of it.

Hope y'all have a good weekend and a wonderful Father's Day!

Go visit Friday Fragments' summer home at Unknown Mami's place!

My Bargain Garden - SIMC

noreply@blogger.com (Cyndy Bush) — Sun, 09 Jun 2013 21:46:00 +0000

I had a really nice weekend.

Hubby and I did some thrifting on Friday (he is a great thrifter and spotted things that I had walked right by!). But I wanted to do more on Saturday. I asked him if he wanted to go, or if I should ask my mom to go. He was more than happy to take a pass and stay home. So, my mom and I spent the day thrifting, had lunch at Cracker Barrel, then made a stop at Lowe's for plants.

My main goal thrifting this time was to get containers to put plants into. Not planters or pots, just various unique containers that COULD hold plants. And I scored! Pails, dishes, even a big cooking pot.

This will be an ongoing project but I'm very happy with the beginning. I also found two long strands of white Christmas lights, which I've put in the trees around "My Spot", the area where I put my firepit and am fixing up as my little corner of the world.

Then I went to Lowe's and hit up the clearance plant rack. Basically, Lowe's takes the puny, pathetic, 1/3 dead plants, marks them way down and puts them on a rack. They mostly just need a little TLC and they'll thrive. Not only did I get a bunch of clearance plants, I also scored THIS amazing bargain:

Sweet deal!

Doesn't look like much yet,
but now that they're planted and fertilized,
they will flourish.
Watch this spot!

A couple more thrifting finds....
this is stained glass chili peppers.

My kitchen theme is chili peppers,
so it's perfect.

This is a small metal table.
I got it to put outside,
but hubby wants it inside.
I don't know...
I think I'm going to move it outside anyway.

Hope y'all had a good weekend!

P.S. This post was in no way sponsored or compensated by Lowe's. However, Lowe's, if you would LIKE to compensate or sponsor me, hit me up! =D

Uniformed Scrubs - Scrub Top Review and Discount Code!

noreply@blogger.com (Cyndy Bush) — Sat, 08 Jun 2013 04:38:00 +0000

I was contacted not long ago by a company called Uniformed Scrubs and asked if I would like to try out one of their medical scrub tops.
I was happy to do so!

see? that's my happy face.

I received a black scrub top. I told them I wear a size medium, and that is what they sent. I've worn a medium for a long time. I did notice this Size Medium seemed to be a little bigger than usual.
Too big is better than too small, of course, but if you're ordering, you may want to order a size smaller than normal.

Other than that, it's pretty perfect! I love the big deep pockets located in the front, with the opening on TOP. After nearly seven years in health care, I have developed a strong preference for those types of pockets on my nurse scrubs. Side-opening pockets = lost stuff. And pockets = vitally important.

For my readers, Uniformed Scrubs is offering a discount code! Just use the code "trueblue" and you will get a 15% discount until July 31st, 2013!

And you can connect with Uniformed Scrubs via social media for more info :

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/uniformedscrubs
Blog: http://uniformedscrubs.wordpress.com/
Google Plus: https://plus.google.com/102649430487593258176/about

Twitter: @UniformedScrubs
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/uniformedscrubs/

Get Your Frag On

noreply@blogger.com (Cyndy Bush) — Fri, 07 Jun 2013 03:11:00 +0000

Once again, I am EXTREMELY glad that it is Friday. Like, so glad I could kiss the calendar.

School's out for Summer. Happy about that as well!

We had a really good time on Thursday evening. Byron and I and all of my kids went to my parents' house for dinner. My son's friend Nic also came along. AND...my Mother-in-Law came! This was her first time visiting my parents' house. We had BBQ ribs and baked potatoes (cooked by me), yellow and zucchini squash (cooked by Shelbie), and a delicious strawberry dessert (made by my Mama).
I love how my mom and MIL hit it off so well. They are peas in a pod. They even like the same BIZARRE snack - a banana sandwich. WITH MAYONNAISE. *GAG*

Tim's friend Nic and my parents' dog, Ace

I haven't been thrifting in FOREVER and we're planning on going tomorrow. YAY!
Then I get to see my Hayleigh-girl, and Byron and my Dad are planning on going fishing.
That should be....interesting.

OK, sorry for the short frags but I'm dozing off and having dreams of monkeys in hospital beds. I'm not even kidding.

Have a great weekend!

Appreciation - PYHO

noreply@blogger.com (Cyndy Bush) — Thu, 06 Jun 2013 11:54:00 +0000

The feeling of being appreciated is vital to my happiness.

In fact, one of the things that got me through an extremely tough year last year was being appreciated.

My personal life was full of pain, but I worked a job that I loved and was told very frequently, "we VALUE you so much. You are SO appreciated." I heard this from both my employers who signed my paycheck, and the family of my clients, as well as the clients themselves. One of them even hugged me and told me she loved me every day. Oh, how I miss her.

(for those of you who are new, I used to do home health care for elderly clients.)

That environment, I think, was vital to my mental health. It was a beautiful, bright light in a very dark time.

Now I have a different job. I am a nursing assistant at a hospital.

Management has been through a lot of changes since I started, and since I'm on night shift, I don't see management very often anyway. But at this job, I am often shown appreciation from my patients and/or their families. Both by their comments directly to me, as well as written compliments.

Most of the nurses I work with are also very thankful and complimentary.

It's so gratifying to hear.

And now, I am blessed with an abundance of appreciation in my personal life. My husband tells me on a daily basis - often several times a day - how thankful he is for me. For everything I do for him, for being a wonderful wife, and just for being me. I can't tell you how good that feels. As much as I hate the term, I guess you would say, that is my "love language".

I need to be needed. I need acknowledgement, praise, validation. Kind of like a puppy. I am needy, I admit it. Don't judge.

My mother-in-law is also very grateful and doesn't hesitate to say it. She loves for me to come over and cook; she'd rather clean than cook so we have a great system. I cook, then I sit by the pool while she cleans. Love it! She's also thankful that I make her son very happy. That I love him unconditionally, and could see through his tough exterior to the heart of gold underneath.

And of course, my Mama thinks I'm great. She's always been my biggest fan.

Recently, after thinking about how much it means to me to feel appreciated, I was thinking about one of the people in my life whom I greatly appreciate. The lovely woman who does the scheduling at my job, who I consider a co-worker and friend, has been incredibly good to me. She knew, even at my initial interview, that I have kids and very specific scheduling needs. Not only is she great about honoring my requested regular schedule, but she has also been able to make last-minute arrangements for me several times. This has enabled me to be present for the kids' school and other events. She never complains or tells me to suck it up and deal with it. She works with me every time.

So this past week, after a last-minute schedule change so that I could attend Elayna's band concert, I decided to show her my appreciation. I picked up a small floral arrangement and a card (Winnie the Pooh, her favorite). I told her how much it means to me, AND to my family, that she is so accommodating with my wacky scheduling needs. I left it on her desk and when she saw it, she came out and gave me a big hug and thanked me. I told her "I promise I am NOT sucking up! I just want you to know that you are VERY MUCH appreciated."

I think it's important to remember to reciprocate and let people know that we are grateful for their presence in our lives.

What about you.....is feeling appreciated vital to you? Do you make a point to express your gratitude to the people in your life?

Linking up with Shell at Things I Can't Say

(btw-THANK YOU for hosting Shell, I appreciate you!)

Medical Monday (on Wednesday) - What NOT to do.

noreply@blogger.com (Cyndy Bush) — Wed, 05 Jun 2013 07:48:00 +0000

(Because, Ooops. That's why.)

New here? I am a Nurse Tech on the Med/Surg floor of a hospital.

Today I have for you FIVE things that you should NOT do while either you, or your loved one, has been admitted as a patient in a hospital.

1. Do NOT bring your very young child to the hospital to stay with his or her dad. Who is very ill. FOR THE ENTIRE NIGHT. While you go home to sleep.

2. Do NOT let your baby crawl on the hospital floor. OMG. Please. For the love of all that is clean and free of bacteria. AND COOTIES.

3. Do NOT sneak into the bathroom of your hospital room and smoke cigarettes.

4. Do NOT sneak off of the floor, out of the hospital, and into the parking lot next door to smoke cigarettes. With your IV pole and various other medical equipment.

5. If you choose to do that, do NOT tell us, when you get back, that your pain level is a 10.

I have a feeling these "What NOT to do" posts may become a recurring theme. Stay tuned!

Soaking up the Sun - Sunday in my City

noreply@blogger.com (Cyndy Bush) — Mon, 03 Jun 2013 04:12:00 +0000

We have been attending church lately with my Mother-in-Law.

Today was her church's homecoming,

and after church we had Dinner on the Grounds.

I made chocolate delight.....

....and a blackberry cobbler with fresh blackberries that grow wild

here at our home.

Shelbie, my almost-senior-in-high-school

Our puppy, Bo, has gotten big enough to get into the trash can. So I decided to get one with a lid. I wanted a pretty garbage can, which is harder to find than you may think. I finally found this one on Amazon.
It came in pieces, and my daughters LOVE to assemble things like this.
So, here is my PRETTY trash can, assembled by Elayna!

The Great Assembler, ready for a dip in the pool.

We swam and soaked up the sun.

Right after we packed up and left, the rain came

to water

all of my plants and flowers.

Pretty good day!

Hope y'all had a good Sunday.

Summer's Coming: Fragments de Friday Free for All

noreply@blogger.com (Cyndy Bush) — Fri, 31 May 2013 10:51:00 +0000

~ Whew, am I glad it's FRIDAY! This week at work kicked my behind.

~ A friend posted this on his Facebook wall last week, and I found it SO inspiring:

"They can't kill your dreams, so they assassinate your character. Remember, those you don't love you can't hurt you. It feels good to be surrounded by loving friends and family. Everyone isn't so fortunate. #Grateful"

My dreams will NOT be killed!

~ My girls only have three more days of school left. I am very much looking forward to summer! Although, I am slightly in denial that Shelbie will be a SENIOR next year.

~ Is it any wonder that I think my son, Tim, is the coolest ~~kid~~ guy ever? How many 20 year old guys do you know who have tea parties with one-year-olds?

I love their expressions. =)

~ From the "Ya can't make this crap up" files:
I got this email the other day that I just had to share with you all. I didn't respond at first, so she even re-sent it to follow up. Can they possibly be serious?

"Cyndy,
We write articles for KennyMyers.com. I came across your site, and thought your readers might be interested in a new article that we wrote. It's called “10 FAMOUS LAWYERS NAMED KEN YOU MAY DEBATE”, and you can find it here:http://www.kennymyers.com/blah/10-famous-lawyers-named-ken-you-may-debate/. If it is something you find interesting and think your readers would as well, you can possibly consider mentioning it on your site. Please let me know if you have any questions. Thank you for your time and I hope you enjoy the article."

....They didn't even offer compensation for this weirdness.
After the follow up email, I replied very simply.

~ The other day my Mom posted a couple of pictures on Facebook from our wedding "reception" party and I wanted to share them with y'all.

Sigh....I adore him.

Such good memories.

Cake Smash!
I love him like a Fat Mama loves wedding cake.
I still love him just as much as I did on our wedding day!
Which was 2.5 months ago.
Hee hee!

~ Check these out ....

On Sunday I am making my first blackberry cobbler of the season.
We are LOADED with blackberries 'round here! YUM!

Alrighty, my friends!

Keep calm and Frag On,
and have a fantastic weekend!

P.S. Those of you who have had some problems with seeing my photos,
could you please let me know if you can see these?
There are 5 photos total, not including the Frag & Free for All Buttons.
Thanks!

Keepin' It Weird ~SIMC

noreply@blogger.com (Cyndy Bush) — Sun, 26 May 2013 00:39:00 +0000

I worked last night and slept until 4pm today. It is now 8:15 and let me tell you about what I have packed into the last 4 hours.

~ Byron and I went to dinner with my parents. On the way there, on a busy street near UF and the big hospital, Shands, we saw several police cars on the side of the road near an apartment complex. No big deal, they were just rounding up a HUGE, 8-10 foot alligator that was sitting on the sidewalk. Go Gators!

~ We went to Cracker Barrel and I filled my belly with country fried steak, mashed potatoes and gravy, hash brown casserole and green beans. Ok, about 1/3 of a serving of all of it, and the rest is in my refrigerator. PLUS, a few bites of my Mama's dessert: blackberry cobbler and ice cream. OH MAHHH GAWWD.

~ Then we went to The Walmart. We all know that's an adventure any time, but today really topped any prior visit. All we bought was light bulbs and Rain-X, people! This was like a 15 minute trip. And this is what transpired.....

~First we went to the hunting section and saw this:

It was a Redneck Convention. They were waiting for the Ammo shipment to come in. I swear I'm not even kidding. (In their defense, ammo is in very short supply around here. Because obviously, the zombies are coming. Duh.)

~ Then as we're getting into the truck, there was an old lady standing by her car across from us with what appeared to be her grandson. He was kind of douchey, in a pants-on-the-ground kind of way.
The old lady started SOBBING, and we realized her hand was SHUT IN HER DOOR. Before we could react, Douchey Grandson unlocked the door and got her hand out, and then said calmly WITH A SMILE ON HIS FACE: "I think we need to go to the hospital, I can see your bone."

YA THINK?!

~ THEN - because it wasn't over yet - we were leaving and saw this guy standing at the intersection:

Skin-tight shorts and pink shoes. He danced and waved and blew kisses. Free entertainment! Gotta love it.

~ And I haven't even mentioned hubby ALMOST getting a ~~nother~~ seatbelt ticket.
Click it or Ticket, friends, they ain't joking.

Never a dull moment!

Family, Friends and Frags

noreply@blogger.com (Cyndy Bush) — Fri, 24 May 2013 03:23:00 +0000

~ I worked a weird schedule this week. A co-worker asked me to switch a day with her. She is the same one who switched with me in March, enabling me and Byron to run off and get married last-minute, so I was happy to help her out. I worked Monday and Tuesday, was off Wednesday and Thursday, and I work Friday night, then I'm off Saturday and Sunday. It's like having two weekends in one week. Kinda cool!

~ Dusty is Shelbie's boyfriend. He has cancer. His mom is Heather, my friend from high school. I LOVE her. She also drives me crazy. BUT...when she calls and asks me if I can do her a favor and take Dusty to his chemo appointment? I can't say no to that.
It is so surreal to hear her explaining that the length of the appointment depends on his blood counts and whether or not he needs a transfusion....sigh.
He's strong. He can fight this. That's what I keep telling myself.

~ Tonight (Thursday night) we went to my parents' house for dinner. Hayleigh was there and OMG. She is at my FAVORITE AGE (between one and two). She is SO funny, cute, adorable, etc......I just wanna freeze her! She sings, dances, talks, plays, And my kids adore her.

~ This weekend we're going to the Springs to celebrate a friend's birthday and Memorial Day.
I can't wait! I love this time of year.

~ More and more every day, I realize that my husband is the perfect man FOR ME.

Hope y'all have a great weekend!!

Ophidiophobia

noreply@blogger.com (Cyndy Bush) — Mon, 20 May 2013 21:10:00 +0000

Warning: Bad Words. Sorry.

I have a phobia. I've had it since I was very young. I am deathly afraid of snakes.
I think that, as phobias go, it's a pretty reasonable one. It's not, for example, a fear of aluminum foil. (no really, it's a thing. I saw it on Maury.)
Aluminum foil cannot kill you. As far as I know.
Snakes, however, can.
They can also try to kill your dogs. But that is foreshadowing.

I can trace my phobia to its roots. When I was very young, I stepped on a snake. I was innocently walking into my house, minding my own business. And in the brick pad in front of our door, a snake was hiding in the cracks. I stepped on something squishy, looked down, and lost my shit. Instead of running inside, I ran away. I climbed a fence for the first time in my life, perched at the top and screamed for my daddy. Bye-bye, snake.

Nightmares about snakes are a very common occurrence in my life. I don't even like to see a picture of a snake. They just terrify me.

Now, in case you're new here....I live in the woods. I'm talking DEEP in the woods. Very swampy woods. I've lived here since December and until today, I had only seen one snake and it was dead. Fine by me. The only good snake is a dead snake. (I'm truly sorry to any snake lovers. I never asked for this phobia, nor do I control it.)

Even though we live in the middle of nowhere, we walk our dogs, they don't run loose. One of those reasons is because of snakes. So today, I was walking our two big dogs. One on a leash, the other without a leash because he's usually very good about staying close and coming when called.

We had two storms this weekend so the woods are nice and wet and swampy.

So as we're walking down the long, muddy driveway, we encounter a snake. I'm not sure what kind; I'm not a snake expert and I was not exactly in a detached, observational state. I was in more of a FREAKING THE FUCK OUT state. But there's a good chance it was a water moccasin. Very poisonous snakes. (I just bit the bullet and Wikipedia'd it. IT WAS A MOCCASIN. Shoot me now.)

The biggest dog, Patchy, walked RIGHT UP ON IT. I pulled on him and his COLLAR SLID RIGHT OFF OF HIS NECK. And the snake raised its head up in what I assume is an "I'm about to bite you" pose.
I had to get closer to the snake in order to pull Patchy away from it. He finally backed away but Bo was on the OTHER side of the snake, exploring God-knows-what, and totally not listening to my cries for him to COME. Finally, he came and thankfully, didn't notice the snake or get to close to it. He's still a puppy and surely would have explored the neat moving thing in the road.

I raced inside, told Byron what happened, and then absolutely lost my shit. Crying, snot everywhere, a little hyperventilating thrown in for good measure.

I knew it was only a matter of time before I encountered a snake here. In fact, I stupidly thought that maybe after I finally saw one, I would calm down a bit. Maybe the fear of seeing one was the worst part. But what I didn't anticipate was that combined with seeing my first snake here, I would be desperately trying to save my beloved dogs from the snake. It was a horrible combination.

So basically, I told you all of that to ask you this.

1. Do you know of any apartments for rent in the top floor of the highest building on the planet?

2. Is it true that there are no snakes in Ireland? How much is a one-way ticket there?

3. Do you have any phobias? Please share and make me feel a little better.

Sunday Funday ~~ SIMC

noreply@blogger.com (Cyndy Bush) — Mon, 20 May 2013 00:21:00 +0000

We had a super fun weekend.

We went to my Mother-in-Law's house,
and went to church with her on Sunday,
and my Mama came over for a visit on Saturday.
It was a very productive weekend;
we got a lot done BUT had a lot of fun too.

I had my first fire in my new fire pit. Loved it!

It is so relaxing to me to sit by a fire.

My MIL has flowers blooming all over her yard,
in pots and planted in the ground.
It's so pretty.

And these, of course, just pop up wherever they want.

Watch out for Gators!

Elayna has always been scared to go down the slide.
In this picture, she was contemplating the situation.....

And in this one....she finally did it!

This is Elayna with her friend, who spent the night with us Saturday night.
This is the only pic I took of them together.
Lovely shot, no?

I also didn't get any pics of the other kids, who were all there today.
Woops.

And this is our Bo.
I think he's awake but ignoring me.
We washed all of the dogs this weekend,
so they're all fresh and sassy now.

Hope you enjoyed your weekend!

Super Silly Sleepy Fragments

noreply@blogger.com (Cyndy Bush) — Fri, 17 May 2013 03:20:00 +0000

~~ I had a really great week at work. The icing on the cake was, I got my first official written positive feedback from a patient. She is a former ICU nurse from another local hospital. I also happened to walk in and overhear her on the phone telling her husband how awesome I was (in fact, she threatened to fire him as her caretaker and replace him with ME). Sometimes, I love my job!

~~ I worked Wednesday night and stayed up all day today (Thursday). We had errands to run, then I just hung out with the hubby, MIL and the girls. I got silly-tired in the evening. We were all cracking up. I even had my totally NON-giggly husband giggling.
{In fact, I have laughed a LOT this week. I guess I'm just easily amused......}
On the way home, I was just bleary-eyed exhausted.
However, I am currently at the point of Past Tired. I've been up for 31 hours now, and am sitting in my bed on the computer. Please send Mr. Sandman my way.

~~ I am incredibly blessed, and was reminded of that today. I had two people I love dearly, do something for me that showed me how very much they love ME. It was overwhelming. And wonderful.

~~ Y'all, this is dead-on accurate.

~~ And I just plain LOVE this.

~~ My Mama posted this on my Facebook. It reminds me so much of our home. I love it.

~~ My friend is pregnant with her first baby and this is how they announced it to her Mother-in-Law. I LOVE it!!!

Wishing y'all a wonderful weekend!

Mother's Day SIMC

noreply@blogger.com (Cyndy Bush) — Mon, 13 May 2013 02:11:00 +0000

We all gathered at my Mother-in-law's house

to celebrate Mother's Day.

I made lasagna, and we had salad, texas toast

and three yummy desserts;

pineapple upside down cake and

chocolate delight from my mom,

and Shelbie made monkey bread.

Heather & Hayleigh

Heather and Hayleigh,
and behind them,
my mom and sister.
4 generations!

My mom & me

After dinner was eaten and gifts were opened,

we all headed out to the pool.

Hayleigh loved splashing in the water!

Elayna taking a break
(yes, those are my toes.
I mostly soaked up the sun.
The water is still a LITTLE chilly for me!)

Elayna cheesin'

Tim trickling water over Hay-bug's head.
It made her giggle!

The Mamas: mine on the left and Byron's on the right.

MIL has two armadillos living under her deck.
They came out to play today.

MIL's dogs let them know
that they were NOT welcome there.

We all had a lovely Mother's Day.

The card my son gave me got me all choked up.

The gift from my girls will be here later this month.
OH and my wonderful Mother-in-Law
gave me a firepit like hers for my birthday! I LOVE IT.
I was asking where she got hers
and mentioned that I'd always wanted one,
and BAM now I have one!

I'm feeling very blessed!

Hope you all had a wonderful day too.

Rockin' 40

noreply@blogger.com (Cyndy Bush) — Sat, 11 May 2013 21:41:00 +0000

Y'all. I turned 40 today.

Okay, technically not until 10:21pm tonight, as my Mama likes to remind me.

But, today is my 40th birthday.
And I'm having a blast!

30 kicked my ass. I've mentioned that here before. It was a very hard time in my life, and turning 30 in the middle of it was like kicking me while I was down. And then punching me. And then setting me on fire.

But 40? Piece of cake. (literally, my mom is making me a pineapple upside down cake. Yum!)

I think it's primarily because I am happier now. And as most of you know, it's NOT because my life is perfect. There are, without a doubt, things I would love to change about my life.
But happiness does not mean your life is perfect.

This is what happiness is to me -

And by accepting, I personally do not mean accepting that things will be the way they are now, forever. What I mean is accepting things as they are NOW, and working hard to change the things that I want changed.

I am an innately happy person, and I am grateful for the things that I have, instead of always lamenting over the things that I want and DO NOT have. That's just me.

And that will be me, whether I am 30, 40, 80, etc.....

But right now, I am FORTY. And I am ROCKIN' 40!

Happy Mother's Day to all of my Mamasita friends!! xoxo

Pretty Much

noreply@blogger.com (Cyndy Bush) — Fri, 10 May 2013 02:56:00 +0000

** Thank you all for your comments on Shelbie's artwork! I showed them to her and she loved it. =)

** My sweet hubby is taking me away to the beach for my birthday! Y'all - I turn 40 on Saturday! WOOT WOOT It honestly doesn't bother me AT ALL. We have a lot of fun plans and I'm excited! St Augustine - my favorite place on the planet - I can't wait!

** I am so blessed with an AWESOME Mother-in-Law this time around. Not only that, but my parents actually have a relationship with her- so much so, that we are all celebrating Mothers' Day at MIL's house. I'm cooking! This is so much nicer than dividing time or alternating years. It's all one big, happy family!

** Also, I pretty much have the best son on the planet. He is 20 years old but he still tells me he loves me every time we talk on the phone - even when he's at work, surrounded by guys. And he says it FIRST. He is also taking care of our pets while we're away this weekend. He pretty much is awesome. Proud Mama right here!

** So, that's pretty much all I've got. I'm out for the weekend. Wishing you all the best, and a wonderful Mother's Day!

Shelbie's Art

noreply@blogger.com (Cyndy Bush) — Wed, 08 May 2013 02:12:00 +0000

As I mentioned on Friday,

my oldest daughter Shelbie is a talented artist.

She had four of her creations displayed

at her school's art show on Thursday night.

I am in awe of her work.

Watercolors, pastels, stipple art, collages....

they're all amazing.

She has a thing for anchors.
Finally, she created something for HERSELF;
she usually makes things to give other people.

She made this adorable owl for her baby cousin Hayleigh.

I think she's actually going to keep this one!
This is stipple art. It's a rose.

Cutest giraffe EVER.

This one wasn't displayed this year;
she made it for me last year and as you can see,
I had it framed.
It hangs on my bedroom wall.
I love turtles.

This one is also from a previous year.
She made it for her cousin,
who is a US Marine.

Next year she's going to take AP Art. That will be her senior year in high school (gulp! how did THAT happen?). I told her that I hope she always continues with her art. I took art all through school and loved it and did very well. But since school, I haven't done any kind of art, and I really wish I had kept up with it. It's so therapeutic. I hope to get back into it one day. And I hope she never stops!

Linking up with Dude Mom and Seven Clown Circus for WordFUL Wednesdays!

Pop Culture - Old School Blogging

noreply@blogger.com (Cyndy Bush) — Tue, 07 May 2013 04:01:00 +0000

I am loving the Old School Blogging memes. Fun stuff for this Old School Mama!Here's this month's edition...

1. What was one of your favorite shows as a kid? Why?

I would have to say Growing Pains, because Kirk Cameron, that's why. I loooooved him.

2. Which actress(es) do you see on the red carpet and kinda wish you could be for a day (or three)?

I don't watch awards shows. I compare them to watching paint dry; they just don't interest me at all. But I have a total girl crush on Sofia Vergara, and if I couldn't be her, I would have to choose Catherine Zeta-Jones. Brunettes rock!!

drop dead gorgeous.

beautiful.

3. Which actor do you wish you could, um... hang out with? ;)

Bradley Cooper. It's rare that I like the same celebrity that everyone else likes (I am not at all impressed with George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Johnny Depp, nor 90% of the other men y'all ladies swoon over) but I love me some Coop. Oh and I just saw that Hangover 3 will be out soon! I cannot wait!

4. What is one (or two or some) of your favorite movies that you have seen in the last few years?

Well, the Hangover movies, obviously. I love love love Straw Dogs. I also loved the Paranormal Activity movies. (can you tell I don't see movies a lot?)

The last movie I saw was on my first date with Byron. I just asked him and neither of us can remember what movie it was! hahaha

5. Who is one celebrity out there now that you could totally do without? That you wish would just disappear?

Other than the obvious, Paris Hilton and Lindsay Lohan? I'd have to say Ryan Lochte. Dumb as a box of rocks, he is pretty much an embarrassment to humanity, and more importantly, to the University of Florida. (he is a former Gator. Sad, but true.) And I just could not care less what he would 'do'. I think his best bet is to keep quiet and swim.

6. Have you ever met a celebrity? If so, who? What did you say/do when you met them?

I have. I met Tim Tebow when he was still in training for the Florida Gators (where he played college football). My then-husband John is a huge Gator fan and recognized him, even though he'd never played a game with the Gators. He was with three other Gator players. I went up and started talking to them (the ex was too chicken). I chatted with Tebow for a while and then got his autograph, and he took pictures with my ex and two of my kids. We had no idea how famous he would eventually become. One of these days I need to scan those pictures.
I have nothing but respect for Tim Tebow; he is an amazing person. Not to mention SMOKING HOT.

Also, once the season started I went to a game and when he was running into the tunnel, he high-fived me. I haven't washed that hand YET.

I also met Joakim Noah, Al Horford, and some other former UF Basketball player whose name I don't recall. Maybe Taurean Green? They are all now pro players. Horford's mother lived in the same apartment complex I used to live in, and I saw them one day while walking my dog. Noah was petting my dog and I asked him if I could run home and get something for them to autograph. I grabbed one of the ex's hats and ran back. They invited me in and they all signed it for me. I knew right away it was Noah because not only is he literally almost 7 foot tall, he looks like this:

He's hard to miss.

7. Which shows do you look forward to watching every week?

I rarely get to watch shows when they come on because I work nights. But I love Duck Dynasty and I am addicted to most TLC shows. I especially love My Crazy Obsession! And I watch Welcome to Myrtle Manor, too. I have never made a secret of my love for craptastic reality TV! I can't wait for Honey Boo Boo to return.

Her mom reminds me of someone I know.

I can't quite put a finger on who though....

Smexy Mama.

{Join in, it's fun!}

~~Visit The Miss Elaine-ous Life for more Old School Blogging posts~~

Medical Mondays - What I Do.

noreply@blogger.com (Cyndy Bush) — Mon, 06 May 2013 04:01:00 +0000

My first husband's current wife (my children's stepmother) likes to refer to my occupation as "ass-wiper".
Charming, isn't she? She's also going to school to be a NURSE. Shudder.

Anyway. I am a Nurse Tech, or Nursing Assistant, on the Med/Surg floor of a hospital.
When my husband told his nurse friend what I do for a living, his friend immediately said "She works HARD for her money." And I certainly do.

I have so many different duties and responsibilities in my job that neither of you nor I have time for me to list them all. And no two nights are ever the same. But I have never made a secret of the fact that one of my job duties is to help clean incontinent patients. (I refuse to call it "wiping ass", that is SO disrespectful to my patients.)

I also take vital signs, making me the first line of defense to detect if a patient is having any issues. I am an important link in a chain of health care professionals.
I perform blood glucose tests. I hook up telemetry monitors. I connect oxygen tubing. I attach sequential compression devices. I do portable bladder ultrasounds.
Last week I assisted a nurse with an enema and impaction removal. Yep - that's a NURSE JOB.

Some nights I feel like a waitress. Some nights I feel like a therapist.
Some nights I have zero incontinent patients.
Some nights I have three.
But when I think of the comments from ignorant, disrespectful people, it makes me angry. Not for myself - certainly I couldn't care less what someone like that thinks of me.

But I picture my incontinent patients. Usually frail, elderly people. They are helpless and unable to clean themselves. They are embarrassed and uncomfortable in every way. They never asked to be in that position. They deserve someone who respects them, and cares enough to clean them up immediately, quickly yet thoroughly, and in a professional manner, while allowing them to maintain their dignity.

A few weeks ago I had a sweet elderly lady as one of my patients. She tried to make it to the bathroom to void her bladder, but she didn't make it in time. She was so humiliated. She said that was the first time in her life it had ever happened. I helped her clean up, changed her sheets, all the while smiling and chatting with her. She still kept apologizing and was so ashamed, she was literally in tears. I finally took her by the hand and said, "Please, stop apologizing. It happens. If you were feeling well, you wouldn't be in the hospital. I have cleaned up FAR worse than this. It's part of my job. I don't mind at all." And she said to me, "You are a wonderful person. There is a special place in heaven for you."

And I hear that all the time. "Thank you. You are so sweet. Thank you for taking such good care of me." It makes it all worthwhile.

And anyone who refers to that as "ass-wiping" deserves NOT to have a compassionate person to take care of them when they find themselves in the unfortunate position of being helpless and incontinent. They deserve to sit in it for a while.

Not everyone can handle my job - I get that. But I can and I do, and I do it quite well.
Oh and one last thing - if you are a nurse and you have NEVER cleaned up an incontinent patient, PLEASE leave me a comment. I would love to know how you managed to escape a job that every single nurse on the planet does.

Go visit Your Doctor's Wife for more Medical Monday posts.
P.S. It's Nurse's Week! Hug your favorite Nursing Professional!

Family Filled Weekend - Sundays in my City

noreply@blogger.com (Cyndy Bush) — Sun, 05 May 2013 04:40:00 +0000

Today we went to my parents' house for a visit.

Of course, Hayleigh was the Star Attraction.

Concentrating hard on that block.
Or, ignoring her crazy aunt.

She finally graced me with a look
AND an almost-smile.

Hello, I'm just wearing my food.

She's growing up SO fast.

This is Dusty and Shelbie.

You may remember Dusty from previous posts. He is the son of a good friend of my since high school.He and Shelbie dated, then broke up, and are now dating again.Dusty also has cancer. The meds are the reason his cheeks are puffy.He is doing well; he has years of chemo ahead of him, but he's young and strong and his prognosis is good.He did lose his hair, but as you can see it's already grown back!He went to my parents' house with us today. It was fun spending time with him again.Tomorrow, we are going to my Mother-in-Law's houseto hang out with her! I love these Family Filled Weekends.
Hope y'all are having a good weekend!I sure am!

Visit Unknown Mami for more Sundays in my City posts.

Happy Frag-Day

noreply@blogger.com (Cyndy Bush) — Sat, 04 May 2013 01:08:00 +0000

I am so happy that Mrs 4444 is using my button idea! It came to me last Friday as I was composing my fragments and I just thought it was TOO cute.

Remember I told you that I stopped drinking soda? I haven't fallen off the wagon yet - AND I have lost 3 lbs since quitting DIET soda. Go me!

Last night there was a curriculum fair at Elayna's school and an art show at Shelbie's school.
The main draw of the curriculum fair (for the kids, at least) was a teacher/administrator dunking booth. It was rainy and cool and I felt bad for the teachers! But they were good sports.

Both Shelbie and my stepson, Tyler, had art in the show. I am going to do a whole post featuring Shelbie's artwork (she had quite a few pieces, plus I have a framed piece of hers from last year that she gave me) because I am just SO proud of it! But I will share Tyler's two pieces here:

The boy likes fish.

This is my yard right now.

It has rained, and rained, and rained, and RAINED. I am OVER it. Our road is darned near impassible; if we didn't have a four wheel drive, I really don't think we'd make it. Enough already! Mama needs SUNSHINE!

Had we not eloped, we'd have been getting married tomorrow. Here on our property, the aforementioned wetlands. I can't imagine how stressed I would be right now! I'm more happy than ever that we eloped.

Wishing you a wonderful weekend!
Also linking up with Stacy's Friday Free for All!

Home at Last

noreply@blogger.com (Cyndy Bush) — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 12:54:00 +0000

Since the weather warmed up, we have been planting. We planted pear trees, caladium bulbs, heather bushes, purple hearts, and most recently, a jasmine plant.

baby elephant ears
(a.k.a. caladium)
(a.k.a. chlamydia, if you are my husband.)

I still have a list as long as my arm of things I'd like to plant: a dogwood tree, a weeping willow, a gardenia bush, a camellia bush, azaleas, hydrangea, ranunculus....I could go on and on (and on and on.....).

there's no partridge in our pear tree.
to the best of my knowledge.

I love planting and gardening for all of the obvious reasons. It's enjoyable. I find it pretty amazing to plant a bulb in the ground and, just a short time later, have a beautiful plant growing there. I guess I should've paid more attention in science; then maybe I'd understand how the bulb magically knows to start growing once you stick it in a hole and cover it with dirt. Instead, I say "WHAT SORCERY IS THIS?!" and just watch, awestruck at the whole process.

I love the beauty of the colorful plants. I love the smell of fragrant flowers. I love the deer that will eventually come and eat pears from the pear trees.

"Dude, are those pears on that tree? SWEET!"

But there's another reason I love planting HERE, at our home.

It's because I know that I will be here forever to watch these plants grow and bloom, year after year.

I have only been a homeowner one other time in my life. It was when I was a single mom the first time, and I ended up leaving that home after I married John.
With my first husband, we 'rented to own' a few times but never got to the 'own' part.

But now, I am home. We are home. It's not home 'for now', it's home forever.
It's an amazing feeling.

Five acres of creeks, rocks, trees, plants, wildlife, and woods.

Home.

One of my favorite places on this planet.

In the one home that I owned as a single mom, my youngest, Elayna and my Dad planted a cedar tree. Obviously, we left it behind. That was about 6 or 7 years ago, and Elayna still asks about that tree and wants to go by and see it when we're in the area.

Now, finally, we can plant a tree for her here, and know that she can watch it grow. Forever.

And that feels....indescribably good.

P.S. I updated my About Me page.

Go look! =)

Just Call Me Slothy

noreply@blogger.com (Cyndy Bush) — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 22:43:00 +0000

I have been LAZY today.

For example, dinner was Sloppy Joes and Sweet Tea.

So this video is just perfect for today.
It's also HILARIOUS. Please watch.
Most of the offensive language is beeped out.
Most.