See Miracles In Life Everyday-Smile

                                                                  Keep on smilin' through the rain, laughin' at the pain
                                                         Just flowin' with the changes, till the sun comes out again
                                                             Keep on smilin' through the rain, laughin at the pain
                                                             Just flowin' with the changes, and singin' this refrain

Saturday Morning

Saturday=Sleeping in even just a little! Lay in bed, drink coffee, read or maybe watch a little something on the television. In other words, wake up at our own pace day. Well, sleep in worked out, but the rest was not meant to be! I opened my eyes at around 9 AM, thought WHAT IS THAT SMELL, and bolted out of the bed. The kitchen and living room were filled with smoke! I shouted for Randy...who must have already bolted from the bed too, because he was behind me in a flash. We could barely see the anything, but I made my way to the back door, as he made his way to the kitchen. The microwave was on fire!

It didn't take us long to figure out that Mr. Matthew had decided to make his own breakfast. He took a hot pocket out of the freezer, and popped it in the microwave. I am not sure if he removed the wrapper, not do I have any idea how long it had been cooking. Apparently it must have been a long time, as he obviously got bored and went on back to his room. The microwave got so hot that the breaker flipped, which made the it stop running thank goodness. The fire melted the door. On the inside, the hotpocket looked like a piece of charcoal, and was still glowing. We got the smoke out of the house as fast as we could, but I can still smell it.

We were fortunate in many ways. Things could have definitely turned out another way Saturday Morning. None of our fire alarms went off. They are tested every month...and even tested normal that day. I am not sure why they didn't work, but we have new alarms now. We have a new heavy duty microwave, with a child lock. We have removed the knobs on the stove. Funny, we try so hard to encourage Matthew to do as many things as he is able independently and when he does...it scares the hell out of us.

Fussy Wimp-Whiny Crybaby!

That would be me! I mean is there anything lower than a fussy wimp-whiny crybaby? Because that is exactly what I am right now. My sinuses are blocked, I have bronchitis, it hurts to cough, and tonight my ear has started throbbing. I have not had an earache in years. I don't get sick often, but when I do, I am the biggest baby!

“If you treat a sick child like an adult and a sick adult like a child, everything usually works out pretty well” ~ Ruth Carlisle

A Greene Family Update

Well, this week we are preparing for the Caleb's prom. I went with him to get Shay's corsage. yesterday was his last practice with the youth symphony. One more month and our Caleb will be a High School graduate! I can hardly believe how fast time is moving.It seems like just yesterday we were sitting in the NICU wishing we could take him home with us. Or dancing around the living room in his "Barney WONDERware" and his blue Binky in his mouth. Sorry son...your friends most likely won't be reading this...and if they do....trust me.. I feel certain they wore Barney WONDERware too.

Gianna has not felt good. Her allergies are really flared up...and she is cutting more teeth. I remember my kids hurting when they cut their teeth...but this sweet baby has really suffered. She has been wanting me to sit and hold her...which is not like her at all. So I know she is feeling poorly. I don't mind just sitting and holding her....watching her shows, and reading books. Spring has been rough on quite a few family members.

Shelby has been staying after school to catch up and stay on top of her school work. Still struggling with the ADD and Dyslexia...but is hanging in there. She has been helping our new neighbors with their laundry. And of course...time giggling at Randall on the phone. She is showing such maturity this year and I am very proud of her. She turned 16 on the 23rd of March and just the other day mentioned driving. Her brothers immediately said NO! Lord give me strength! I don't think our Shelby is quite ready to drive yet. The truth is more like WE are not ready for Shelby to drive! Soon sweetie.

Stephen gets himself up every morning and goes to college. When he is not at school...he is at work. What precious little time he has left...he sleeps, bathes, eats and starts the day all over. He had the whole day off on Sunday and he took his brother and sister to see a movie. He still plays in the College band and just recently accepted a position to play Bassoon in a community players musical. He is thinking of possibly moving into a dorm next semester...which we are not totally against...it probably would be a good experience for him. But, Randy and I silently hope he will continue to live at home. Hey...home is free and I know he is fed and rested. I can't help it...I am still his mommy.

Life for Mr. Matthew is pretty much same ol' same ol'....just the way he likes it. A couple of times a week we try change his routine up just a little. Like by taking him to a movie, or a short walk at the park. He will oblige...but he lets us know clearly that this not what we normally do. He has this thing about getting into the chairs. The fact that it folds makes him nervous. We hold it down for him, he screams as his sits....and then we are fine. Lately he has been going through his chatty phase. Don't get me wrong...he is always pretty verbal....but it is a language that is all his own. Most of the time we can figure out what he is trying to say....Sometimes he says something as clear as a bell....but sometimes we still struggle to understand.

Work is finally slowing down for Randy. Tax season is always quite hectic. But with the warmer weather and the extra daylight we are out in the evening piddling around the yard. Randy has so many things he wants to do outside. Currently he is planning to build a new shop and a green house for me. I mostly want a place to put my plants in case next winter is like this last one. The crazy freezes we had killed quite a bit of our pretty stuff. I am not sure why but it seems everyone has a yard FULL off weeds this year. So he spent half the evening spraying them...and the other half throwing the tennis ball for a certain Labrador.

As for Monica....My photography class was pushed to the end of May...which is no doubt for the best...but I am so ready to get started. I am still keeping Gianna everyday. We spend almost every morning outside playing in the yard. She plays in the butterfly garden and has no clue that she is helping me develop the art of photography. She also has no clue how much joy she brings to my life. I am doing very well. Like everyone else, I have ups and downs, But, I have remained faithful to the promise that I made to myself. Ridding my heart of burdens, letting go of hurts of the past...and focusing only on what and those who bring joy. Though I admit, sometimes that is easier said than done.... I have learned that when I focus on the gifts in my life, I see blessings everywhere.

It's The Little Things...

It's spring fever. That is what the name of it is. And when you've got it, you want - oh, you don't quite know what it is you do want, but it just fairly makes your heart ache, you want it so! ~Mark Twain
Oh my goodness gracious, do I feel lazy! This comes over me about this time every year. The kids are out of school for Spring Break and our life finally slows down a bit. I do miss my girl Gianna...but for now the quiet is nice.

Saturday, Randy and the kids cleaned the yard...while I relaxed out on the deck. HEY! Someone has to be the supervisor! The sun felt wonderful! I just propped my little feet up, closed my eyes and soaked up the warmth of the sun and the fresh air. It was a glorious day! Mowing was not an easy task...it has rained so much this winter and the ground is still quite soft....but the yard looks so much better and I am happy to report...I am beginning to see some green grass peeking up through all the brown.

Well...that is not all I did. I also got my camera out and took a few pictures of my family working in the yard, the beautiful blooms that are bursting out on every tree limb and of course...the adorable black lab playing fetch. He has been waiting for someone to throw that ball for weeks! I was all going well for him...until he decided to attack the weed eater. The weed eater didn't get him...but he broke his toenail when he was dancing around it. "Tiny Tim" will milk that injury for every drop of pity he can get.... for days!


On Sunday...the rain showers returned and we stayed in bed all day long. We watched a few movies a few crime shows and snacked in between naps. Isn't it amazing how the littlest things mean so much. Some take off for great places like Fort Lauderdale, Disney for Spring Break...but we are just enjoying the fact that there is no rush and we can sleep late! AH SPRING!


If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant; if we did not sometimes taste of adversity, prosperity would not be so welcome. ~Anne Bradstreet

Forgive & Forget

"I can forgive, but I cannot forget, is only another way of saying, I will not forgive. Forgiveness ought to be like a cancelled note - torn in two, and burned up, so that it never can be shown against one. "~ Henry Ward Beecher

But I that is not always how it works...

Just because I tell you that I am sorry...doesn't mean that you will accept my apology. Just because you accept my apology... doesn't mean that you will forgive me. Just because you forgive me... doesn't mean that you will forget.

I can say that I am sorry and I can mean it sincerely...but I can not make you believe that it is genuine. If it is your choice to not believe in me...then I guess I have no other choice but to accept.

I will forgive myself for allowing this hurt control me...and for hurting others out of my pain. I choose to no longer punish or to be angry with myself and I promise to move forward and make a positive difference in the future.

"Forgiving ourselves does not let us off the hook, it does not justify what we have done, and it is not a sign of weakness. Forgiveness is a choice that takes courage and strength."

Happy Monday!

I Feel Great! No more sore throat...and my knee is improving more and more each day! I had a wonderful weekend with my husband and children. Everyone pitched in and we got the housework done in no time at all...and we even got both dogs bathed.

My adorable Cockatiel Pete is not only enjoying a squeaky clean cage...but new toys! His mate died suddenly last month...and he has been..actually..we all have been quite saddened by the loss of Ollie. We were worried for awhile that his grieving heart might take him away too. It does my heart good to see him over there dancing on his perch..and tossing his little ball around.



Oh yes...hot digitty dog she made his day! When he see's someone turn on the hose...he goes crazy with excitement. Before she gives him a bath...they always play. He runs, leaps and barks at the stream of water. Sometimes she will put the hose up in the tree and he just plays all by himself. Unfortunately I missed playtime...but I did manage to get a few shots of his bath. He's not really very fond of that part...but he sure feels great after! He needed a bath so badly...I am glad it warmed up enough that we could bath him outside. He has a beautiful thick, shiny coat, but sheds worse than any dog I have ever had. The brush she is using is awesome! It is a Kong Zoom Groom and it can be used to scrub as well as everyday brushing. Very easy to clean and gets the loose hair off. It must feel really good because he relaxes and falls asleep while we are grooming him.

Since my family has taken such good care of me and I had not personally cooked in more than a week...I thought it would be nice to make something yummy for them. But it would have to be something easy. So, I had some leftover chicken in the refrigerator...and I remembered a recipe my friend Jan-Jan's Sushi Bar had shared right after Thanksgiving. Enchilada Casserole--A seriously simple and delicious way to use up leftover turkey...or in this case...chicken. As you can see even the finicky one's ate two plates! I also took advantage of Jan's Pimento Cheese recipe...which made my man very happy.


I thought my little dumplin would be back today. She stayed with her Great Granny (my mother) all last week while I recovered. But for some reason she is running a high temperature...so her mommy/my Niece is taking the day off and they will pay a visit to the pediatrician later this afternoon. Other than fever she has a bit of a stuffy nose...but no other symptoms so far. We know she isn't feeling good though because rather than being her active, busy self...she wants her mommy to hold her...and that is just not like our girl.
Hopefully the doctor will get her started on some antibiotics...and she will be back here tomorrow....and if by chance she still just wants to be held...I can think of nothing else I would rather do.

The sun is shining and it's a beautiful day here in Southeast,Texas. What ever your day looks like...I sure hope you are making the most of it.

My Girl--G

As the new school year approached last August I hoped and prayed that my niece (a school teacher) would ask me to watch her precious 13 month old baby. She had already arranged for a sitter for her first year. But due to a sudden death in the sitters family as well as a pregnancy...she was no longer able to babysit. Thank goodness the school year was over at that point. I jumped at the chance to put my offer out there to keep the baby. With my own children getting older (three in high school and one in college) I was truly enjoying the freedom I had waited so long for...or was I? Something was missing.

Well, my niece did call and she did ask...and of course I said YES. So now, I get to watch this little sweetie grow and develop everyday, and so much more than I even imagined....I got a little buddy.

Our First Day Together

Gianna had a rough start at birth. First of all...my niece had a long and difficult labor. She is a very thin, with a very tiny frame and Gianna was nearly 9lbs. In my opinion...the baby probably should have been taken by C-section. Minutes after Gianna was born she stopped breathing. The doctors soon realized that she was showing obvious signs of APNEA and she spent about a week in the NICU. The nurses nicknamed her "the screamer"...no explanation necessary. When she woke...everyone in the nursery scrambled to calm her and that did not change one bit after she went home.


Gianna was born in July..so my niece was able to spend a good amount of time at home with her before having to return to work. She went home on a APNEA monitor...and although I didn't know it at the time...it was truly an intense time for their little family. Gianna didn't sleep much at night and she cried quite a bit. Not to mention the APNEA machine going off. It was even harder once my niece went back to work. She teaches kindergarten....21- 5 year old's on two hours of sleep = incredibly exhausted!


When my niece was off from work in the evenings...she grabbed as much rest as she could get because there would not be much sleep during the night. Gianna is my brothers grand child and he loved to tease my niece by calling Gianna "bubble baby" because she was shielded from too many guests...this was largely due to Gianna's APNEA and the fear of her getting sick...and I believe it had a lot to do fatigue. Other than the sitter who was trained in CPR while she worked...no one really kept the baby. As the mother of a child with special needs...I understand that...I just preferred to just do it all myself rather than worry about him with someone else.


Things got better as time went on...the APNEA disappeared and we all were able to visit her more often. She amazed everyone...because even though she had been shielded...she was very outgoing. From the moment the child could sit up on her own she was curious about everything and usually taking it apart. She began standing at 6 months and by 8 months she was taking steps. At 9 months she was walking everywhere and into everything. She did not want to be held and as my niece says ..."she was quite intense". The doctor calls her the "Classic Strong Willed Child". I suppose she is...but I would rather call her a determined or independent child. I also find her exceptionally bright and as long as I keep her challenged and busy...she is quite delightful, funny and very sweet. She is also in the "parroting stage" so we are all watching the words we use in her presence.



So by the time her first birthday rolled around in July...and I had put in my offer to keep her once school started...my niece was seriously asking me if I was certain that I was up to the challenge. I knew in my heart that I would be good for Gianna...what I did not know at the time...is how good she would be for me.

While we try to teach children all about life,
Children teach us what life is all about.
~Angela Schwindt