today's project

So. I know it has been awhile. I changed caseloads at work and I have been quite busy!  

I wanted to show you today's project. I bought these lockers over 20 years ago. I had big plans for them but never completed the job because I didn't know what I was doing. 

 

So I decided to tackle them again. 

I purchased primer and paint this morning. Then I got right to it!

 

Two coats of primer and 3 coats of paint later, I really like the results. Now the paint has to cure for several days. I also have to find the hardware and put it back on.

 I now need to wash myself up and do a  pedi. 

 

 
 
 

 
 

 

I need an ugly cry

I am an ugly crier.  U.G.L.Y  Sometimes when I have a lot of emotions built up in myself, my husband suggests I go have an ugly cry.

I generally like to get into a hot shower and just bawl.

I need an ugly cry right NOW.

Why?  Over the weekend I attended workshop about human trafficking.  This is a form of slavery.  Slavery today involves more humans than it ever has.  Yet, few are talking about it.

The workshop I attended was organized and presented by PATH.

http://pathsaves.org/

Go to the website to find out more.  You can also go to:

http://enditmovement.com/

PATH works to rescue and help women who have been slaves in the sex industry.  The average age of a human being sold and used in the sex industry is 13 in the United States.  This crime knows no gender, race, social economic status, or culture, anyone can be a victim.

I am heartbroken that this occurs in our world.  I have learned that my home state is a hub for trafficking due to our lax state laws (which are being improved) and our interstate system.

What I am happy to report is that I can make a difference, YOU can make a difference, WE can make a difference. I will begin to volunteer at PATH to help improve the life of women coming out of slavery. I can be a friend. I can teach life skills. I can pray.

Learn what you can do:

http://pathsaves.org/volunteer-2/

http://enditmovement.com/learn

Know that you know, what will you do?

Learning the ropes

I am helping a friend out this afternoon and keeping her one year old for several hours. He is a sweetie.

My oldest is pretty obsessed with wanting to be a babysitter. Shel helped change a diaper and we took him on a walk.

My girls introduced tinker toys to him. I closely supervised the playing. 

I am impressed with how well my girls are doing. 

 

 

Out on a ride

We are out for a ride. What fun!!

We are trying to exercise together as a family.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I am not bragging BUT...

I have two super cute and sweet girls. I just love 'em!

This is my younger daughter, GG. She has beautiful auburn hair and is so shy!

This is NA, the big sister! She is a mess! NA has an easy smile and friendly nature.

I am so blessed!

 

 

 

I believe in aliens...

Okay, not really. I don't believe in aliens. But I like using Photobooth on my Mac to make funny pictures.  The sillier, the better.

What's not to love about these?  Aren't they fun?

I even use them in therapy. Taking funny pictures really gets the kiddos talking and laughing.  I love laughing with my therapy clients!

Dear Teenaged Girl in the Green Bikini

Yesterday the hubs and I went to the pool after work. Our girls were spending the night at my in-law's house.  Both of us noticed a teen aged couple in the water and kept an eye on them once we got out and were lounging by the pool.  In my mind I was writing her a letter...

Dear Teen Aged Girl in the Green Bikini,
You are so young.  You have so much time before you have to grow up. Just enjoy being a teenager, right now, at this moment.  

You may not know it now, but the way you are letting that boy treat you is sad.  Inch by inch he is moving his hands closer to your breasts and inner tights, hoping to "accidentally" touch you in a personal area.

Keep those areas personal for as long as possible. Resist the urge to be overly excited about physical touch. I know that is difficult. 

Wait for a boy to become a man before you are swept away by a male's attention. Wait for him to gain some maturity.  Wait to see if that man is after your heart, not just your body.  Wait and be sure he will handle you with care.

As much as women do not want to admit it, we are fragile. It only takes one boy to skew your esteem, your priorities, and your future. Protect yourself and be diligent in keeping yourself guarded. 

One day, the time will be right.  You will find the man who deserves you. He will be the one who is worthy of your love.

Likewise, be sure you are ready for him.  Seek what is noble about life and yourself.  Grow in beauty, first on the inside and then on the outside.

Do not look back on this summer with regret.  Make a good choice.  Love yourself first.  Give yourself the time you need.

Sincerely, 
The 37 year-old in the Tummy Camouflaging Tankini

"Air quotes"

Several years ago I treated a great kid. Due to confidentially issues, I will call him Bob. Bob was one awesome dude. He was fun to treat and his therapy time usually was full of laughter.

He was developmentally delayed and had a speaking voice somewhat like Shaggy's from Scoobie Doo,  expect it was a deep voice. Bob was tall and his limbs were loooooong.

When I was pregnant with my first baby, I had terrible morning sickness all day long. Just the mention of certain foods would make me ill.  Bob knew this.  He also knew that I hate mayo.  He would tell me, "Miss Lindy I know you will get sick so I won't say the m-word."

Bob had a hilarious habit of using air quotes.  You know, when the speaker uses the pointer and index fingers of each hand to make quotation marks in the air.

However, due to Bob's language impairment, he didn't understand how to correctly use them. Here are some of my favorite things he said using air quotes:

How are "you" today Miss Lindy?

I "guess" I will do my work now.

It is "raining" outside!

"Today" is going to be good.

I tried to fix it.  I really did. But his persistent use of air quotes was too great.  I never got that fixed. 

Daddy's girl

I was seriously a daddy's girl. That's me on the left with my Daddy, brother, and sister.  I loved being with my Daddy.  One of his hobbies is doing bodywork on cars.  When I was a kid I remember being right by his side as he worked on cars. He taught me the names of the tools and I would fetch them for him.  We'd make trips to the auto shops.  I loved sitting on those padded bar stools that most auto part stores had.

With time, I learned to apply and sand Bond-O.  That stuff smelled so good to me. My favorite vehicle we worked on was a '57 Chevy truck. He painted it white.  It was beautiful. I remember so many details-the rubber tubes over the chain on the tailgate, the colorful woven fabric for the interior upholstery, and rounded back fenders. He still has that truck.

I am an early riser too.  My Daddy left for work fairly early. I was up before dawn, sometimes before him. I'd watch as he did morning exercises, smoke his first cigarette for the day, and ate breakfast.  He'd kiss me bye as he left the house.

Daddy loved junk.  He took us kids to the junkyard and the dump.  BEST DAY EVER.  Getting to go to the dump was awesome for a kid. We'd find all sorts of treasures, totally confused why people would throw away such valuable things.  We salvaged a see-saw once. Daddy painted it bright red.  Now it sits in our backyard, some 30 years later.

Sadly, my world came crashing down when my parents divorced. I was no longer able to spend as much time with my Daddy.  It broke my heart. It was painful. It was crushing.

As an innocent child, I didn't understand what was happening to my family.  I didn't know why things had to be the way they were.  Daddy was able to stay close for a few years but then was transferred to a town about 2 hours away.  About two weekends a month we spent with him.

Then things changed.

I felt like I was no longer Daddy's little girl.  I guess I wasn't. I hated that feeling. That was one of my most outstanding and comfortable roles in life. My life was less and less apart of his. His was less and less apart of mine. Anger and bitterness nearly ruined any chance for things to improve.

It took years before our relationship improved. And it has.

Now, as the mother of two girls, I watch as they are daddy's girls.  My husband is such a great dad.  He loves his girls so much.  It is pretty much amazing.

My husband is a big and tough dude.  It surprises me how much of a softy he is with his girls.  He can be such a push over for them, easily hypnotised by the batting of their eyes. He melts as the sound of their voices. It is awesome. 

According to him, my daughter will be Baptist nuns and will never go on a date or to prom.  They will never need bras and won't wear lipstick. They will not be allowed to drive. We won't ever be grandparents. I just nod my head like he is so right and wise.  Secretly I am thinking, "Whatever."

You look great darling...

I am a girly girl.  Always have been.  I hope to always be.  Since I was young I can remember only wanting to wear dresses.  They are still one of my favorite things to wear. This does not mean, however, that I am a slave to fashion.  I have worked to understand my body shape and what is flattering on me.  I love color and am brave in wearing it. I pay attention to what colors and which pieces of clothes other comment on when I wear them.

As a kid, I LOVED getting a new dress for Easter!  They were better than getting a new dress for Christmas.  New shoes, a new slip, and new hair ribbons!! 

Fixing my hair and applying my makeup is enjoyable.  I have always experimented with my hair in terms of styles.  Some years ago, my husband asked me to grow it out long.  While it is not my favorite way to have my hair, it delights my husband.  (He has few requests from me, so I am happy to oblige.)  I also like experimenting with my makeup.  Thankfully, my oldest daughter is great at providing honest opinions!

Since I have a chronic and annoying condition, fibromyalgia, I use dressing nicely as a coping mechanism.  The whole process of getting dressed and fixing my hair and makeup really help me put how I feel in perspective or, on really painful days, camouflage how I feel internally. If I look nice, it helps me feel better.  Just the opposite is true too.  If I look crappy, I feel crappy.

I have a few favorite resources for help in dressing and applying makeup.  One is TLC's What Not To Wear.  Fun to watch and tons of lessons to learn. Here's a link to TLC's website for the show.

http://www.tlc.com/tv-shows/what-not-to-wear/photos/what-not-to-wear-style-rules-pictures.htm

The hosts have authored several books that are great too, including the makeup artist.  Here's some links to amazon.com.

http://www.amazon.com/Dress-Your-Best-Complete-Finding/dp/0307236714/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1371934874&sr=8-2&keywords=what+not+to+wear

http://www.amazon.com/Truth-About-Style-Stacy-London/dp/0670026239/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1371934913&sr=8-6&keywords=what+not+to+wear

http://www.amazon.com/Get-Positively-Beautiful-Ultimate-Gorgeous/dp/B005IUVJGQ/ref=la_B001H6IKLM_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1371934963&sr=1-2

I know some people do not share my opinion in how you dress matters.  Nonetheless, I truly believe it does.  Yep, it takes effort, time, attention, and money.  It doesn't have to be expensive, time consuming, or exhausting.  Because you care how you look doesn't mean you are arrogant or proud. I think it speaks volumes in terms of how one esteems oneself.  You don't have to be dressed to the nines.  You can be dresses neatly and well groomed.  You can be considerate and dress accordingly to the situation you are in or the event you are attending.

Some may think I expect everyone dress to my taste and liking. Not true. I love seeing individuality and creativity in how one dresses. I also understand that some people don't care about fashion and prefer to dress simply or have a personal uniform.  I get it.  Being well dressed doesn't mean you are wearing the latest fashion or trends.

House shoes in public?  They are called house shoes for a reason. Flip flops to a professional job? I don't think so.  Bra hanging out of your shirt?  Respect yourself. Jagged and dirty nails?  Did you just finish working in the garden?  Psh.  Please girl.

This message isn't just for the ladies.  Men listen up.  Long nails that would make Flo-Jo jealous?  Get your clippers out.  Pants too short or too long?  You height doesn't change that much over time, although your waistline may.  Chest hair popping out of your shirt?  Tuck in your gold chain and button one or two more buttons. Dude. Come on!

soap box...

I have several things that irk me.  One of those things is people misusing the word "retarded."  Come on folks.  Let's think about this.  Retarded is a technical and clinical term generally used to describe one who has moderately to profoundly impaired cognitive skills.

I have worked with many children and adults who are retarded. How rude and deplorable it is when someone uses the word retarded as an insult.  We don't use other medical terms to degrade or poke fun of others.  As with so many other things, one could do better in using vocabulary words in place of retarded.  To use that word as in insult to someone else is not acceptable.  It is cruel and beyond profoundly ridiculous.

Since most people use retarded as an insult to those cognitively impaired, please think about what you are doing. Break that habit now.  You are being mean plain and simple.

I have some news for ya...you might need to sit down.

I love, love, love my job.  My profession of speech-language pathology is  amazing.  I look forward to going to work E-V-E-R-Y day.

One part of my job is to help families cope.  For some parents, it is understanding the  basics of the child's diagnosis.  Sometimes, I feel like I have to start prepping the hearts of the parents.  To get them ready for what I know they will face in the upcoming days, months, and years.

It is not a task I take lightly. My words have to be carefully chosen. I could say something that gives hope or causes despair.  I may be the recipient of a hurting parent who is struggling with the diagnosis of their child.  It is heavy.  It is sad. It is heartfelt.  I feel so honored to be a part.

But I know that God never makes mistakes when He creates babies.  God pointed me into speech-langauge pathology as a profession.  He uses me to help families.  So honored.

PTL

I have some very exciting and happy news.  But there is a backstory.

My family attends a Baptist church.  We are christians and follow the Baptist teaching on how to become a follower in Christ.  Repent, accept Jesus as your savior, and be baptized.

For several years now, our oldest daughter has asked about being baptized.  We have always put the emphasis on repenting and accepting Jesus as your savior, as we didn't want her to only be enchanted with the baptistry and "getting dunked" at church.

I was waiting for this moment:

The girls and I were in the car at Sonic one day and the oldest, who was about 7 at the time, began asking about being baptized.  We were having a great conversation about salvation and a relationship with God.  I was keeping calm on the outside but knew my ugly cry could come on at any moment with the realization that my girl was on the verge of a huge life changing moment.  I felt like this:

(I truly am an ugly crier.)  When out of nowhere the youngest daughter (who was 5 at the time) asks "Wouldn't it be cool if we had a bunny rabbit?"

Just like that the moment was gone.  The conversation turned on a dime. The topic of having a rabbit overshadowed the readiness of a Savior.  She wasn't ready. 

Over the last year the conversation has come up several times with both girls but neither one seemed sure about making a commitment.  We didn't push.  We just waited for the time to be right, for their hearts to be ready and for them to be called by God.

The younger girl is a morning person.  At 5:30 this morning she climbed into bed with me.  (My husband leaves for work quite early in the morning.) She said she was ready.  We had a serious talk.  We prayed together and she accepted Christ as her savior.  But then she had concern regarding our pastor, Brother Charlie.

"Mom, Brother Charlie says long prayers."

"Yep. Are you worried about him saying a long prayer after your baptized?"

"YES MOM! That is a long time to be under water!"

That poor dear thought she'd be held under water for the duration of the prayer!

After the older one woke up, little sister shared her news.  My oldest daughter came to me and said she was ready too! Together, we discussed what it means to follow Christ and to be baptized.  Happily, we prayed together.

All day long I have been thinking PTL.  Praise the Lord!  I am truly blessed.

Guess what?  No ugly crying!

So blessed

Well folks, they call them like they see them.  Children that is.

Like the time my oldest daughter told me I looked like a clown after applying my makeup with some new techniques.  Busted.

Like the time I wore tennis shoes to work and my youngest asked if I was going to mow the lawn.  Ummm, no?!

Like the time one of my high school therapy kiddos asked me if I wanted a mint. "No thanks."  "Are you sure?"  "Ya.  Do I have bad breath?" "Yep."

Or like when my oldest wrote this blessing down for her grandmother's Thanksgiving wreath.

I am a dog person. Seriously.

I love dogs. All kinds, all breeds, all mutts. We had dogs growing up.  Our first dog was beagle named Frisbee. He was so cute. Our second dog was also a beagle named Babe. He could climb our chain link fence.

In junior and senior high, we had a Pekingese.  He loved charging the vacuum cleaner when someone was cleaning the house. He'd go nuts.  I was playing with him once when I was vacuuming. I totally vacuumed him up!  He had long hair and it got too close. Poor thing got sucked up and gave me a look like "you fool." He stopped charging the vacuum after that.

When my husband and I were freshly engaged, we rescued a Dalmatian-lab mix from a flooded ditch. He was named after the road we found him on, Marche.  Later, after we had our first daughter, she nicked named him Shay Shay.

Shay Shay was so sweet.  Well, expect the time he peed on my mom's leg when she was dropping me off after a shopping trip. He passed due to old age some years ago.

The hubs got me an English bulldog for our first Christmas together after we got married. I had dreamed of a bulldog for a long time. He was named Larynx Vagus. Since I am a speech-language pathologist, I chose an anatomical name. Larynx was later nick named Lear Bear. He was funny and moody. He loved when I was pregnant.  He would push his flat face on my belly and sniff.  When we introduced him to our first newborn, Larynx gave her a good sniff-over. He accidentally tore off her umbilical stump! Lear Bear lived to by a ripe age of 10!

About five years ago, I was going though a very tough personal time.  It was very hard and I was very depressed.  Knowing a lapdog would be helpful, my husband gave me my first dachshund-Soffee.  His full name is Esophagus Cricoid. He is a guardian. He doesn't like men in our home unless it is my husband. 

Pittsburg Steeler, or Steeler for short, joined the family 3 years ago. He was the runt of the litter. Don't tell him how little he is. He is a cutie pie!

This past Christmas, we bought a pup for the girls.  This little guy is Obiwan Kenobi. He is a mess. He prefers being with the other dogs more than with humans.  On our daily walks, he sure struts his stuff.  Like a BOSS.  We tried dressing him in a cute sweater in the winter. He thinks sweaters are for sissies.  He chewed that sucker off.  On Friday he literally chewed the floor off the laundry room, where they stay during the day when we are gone. Little stinker.

Talents and Gifts

I would really love to one day be a back up singer for Athera Franklin or Bonnie Raitt. Not that I can sing well, but I sure could so do some awesome back up singer dance moves.

I have always wanted a natural talent for music.  I just don't really. I often daydream of singing in church or a concert hall.  Or, sometimes in my dreams I am a great musician who can totally bring down the house.  Wouldn't that be nice?  The other night, I played "air flute" for my husband while he listened to Men at Work's "Down Under." It was totally awesome. I imagined I looked just like this, only a feminine version.

Regrettably, music is not a talent.

I took me a long time to acknowledge what my talent is.

Seriously...I can't do that. My talent is being crafty, wicked crafty. I love doing a craft-jewelry, sewing, upholstery work, paintin' stuff, and the likes. It drives my husband INSANE. I have to have some sort of project going on at all times.  So here is a short showcase of some of my crafts (please pardon the iPhone quality pictures):

This is my great-grandparents cane back sofa.  It was in great condition except for the upholstery, which was stained and faded. I found the floral and solid fabric at a crazy place called The Bargain Shack in Poteau, Oklahoma. The ikat  came from an online shop.  My mother and I worked on it for several Saturdays until it was done.  I totally love it!

I have a set of these four chairs I purchased from a yard sale years ago.  They were yellow and looked like newborn poop.  This is the second time I have recovered them. I also painted the frames this yummy chocolate.

This is another piece from my great-grandparents. It was a dresser with a mirror.  The kitchen island we had was bulky and in the way.  My husband I worked on transforming it into an island over the course of about a week's time. We bought a piece of granite to finish it off.  I totally love it! We removed the two upper drawers and knocked out the supports, painted it glossy black, changed out the hardware, put it on casters, and added the molding around the bottom.

My oldest daughter is really crafty too.  I am constantly impressed with her use of materials and what she fashions out of them.  She loves to take something and improve it. She made new furniture for her Barbie house over the Christmas break. Once she made an awesome dog apartment out of boxes for our 3 weenie dogs.  Here is a recent creative embellishment-

I am sure Xavier Roberts would be proud.