November 30, 2025

 I have been gone awhile...

Stitching Progress

I have #4-12 finished.  I have actually started 1-3, but haven't had much stitching time lately. I am now hoping to finish mid December.

Interesting Fact

Hurricane season "25 is officially over and left us with a very unique season. I will share what I mean in the two pictures of information.

No landfalling hurricane to the United States since 2015, but even crazier is...

We haven't had one here in the Gulf...especially along the northern Gulf Coast.

Crazy, but I will take it!

Life Lately

We have spent a good portion of our evenings in November at Fall Baseball aka "Fall Ball" and then Flag Football.

The last Thursday before Thanksgiving week was Palmer's last game and Tucker had a flag football game. Tyler had to go out of town so Jeff and I helped Lindsay out. We stopped and bought them food to eat at the ballpark because they would hardly have time to go home and change before the first game.

While Lindsay walked back and forth between the 2 fields, I took Palmer and Jeff took Tucker. Palmer was so excited to get his little medal and have pizza.

Tucker had a great play which as Jeff said, if there was an ESPN for flag football for kids, Tucker would have made the highlight reel. Lindsay, Palmer, and I arrived at his field just in time to see his side going crazy and congratulating him. He came from across the field to the other side and dove to get the flag from the opposing team and then slid on out of bounds. He saved the touchdown and they won the game. He was beyond excited.

What I did notice, but thought maybe he had eaten snacks was that he didn't eat. Tucker loves food and rarely ever turns anything down especially Chik Fila because he does not get it often.

At 9:30 that night Lindsay found out why when he threw up. That was the beginning of that wing of our family having perhaps the worst stomach bug in the history of stomach bugs. It went through them and the both ends lasted for a full 48 hours and then just incredible lethargy. I began to wonder if they would even have Thanksgiving.

It was a school holiday week, but trust me none of them had a holiday. 

We did manage to NOT get it, but we have other things of concern which I will save for last.

We had to cancel family photographs, but we all were together for Thanksgiving.

Jeff ordered a craft project for the kiddos to make. Tie dye t-shirts by spraying them with paint.

They poured macaroni on and then used the paint to spray the color to them.

Even little Valerie got one made by her Mama.

Thanksgiving is always a great day. It never fails that I start to wonder if I should have decorated for Christmas before Thanksgiving like everyone else in the world seems to be doing or at least social media would have you think. I really don't care what others do, but I like keeping things like I had them growing up. 

I ignored the crowd and as always when the meal is served and I sit down to rest I am glad I waited. 

I have been decorating since Friday morning. I did buy my tree on Tuesday because the best tree stand arrived, but it just sat in water until Friday.

-----

All last week I wore an Auburn shirt...

I know it sounds crazy, but the last few years have not been for the faint of heart for us Auburn folks. If you grew up in Alabama as I did, you know it is just a wee bit different. I completely set myself up for heartbreak. I thought maybe just maybe since it was a home game and at Jordan Hare (remember Coach Saban says the stadium is haunted) that just maybe we could pull off a win. 

Like I said I set myself up for disappointment. I got up every day last week and donned an Auburn shirt. I have an entire wardrobe of Auburn attire. I even slept in an Auburn shirt each night. I was giving them all the juice from afar to pull out a miracle. HA!

I got up yesterday and put on my Iron Bowl traditional orange and navy stripes, tiger socks and Auburn Sorelli. I pulled out the stops.

I said I would take the loss if we just stayed in the game until the end. Oh! I should have never voiced those words. More yardage on offense but lots of mistakes left me undone and saying I am never watching college football again. 

I will. I do hate what has happened to it lately. I have no idea what I think about the coaching hire, but it is time to get on board anyway.

So, War Eagle!

And now on to the reason for no words from me for a while.

Lindsay's sickness of course caused her surgery to be postponed. That is twice that has happened. Nothing you can do but go with it. It is now scheduled for December 9th.

The even tougher stuff. Jeff has another bladder tumor. I just could not write ---

Surgery is in the morning in Pensacola. 

The tumor is in the same location as the last one. Even though the biopsy was clear, the doctor said a cell could have remained. It is small so the surgery should be much quicker and less invasive as the last one. Thankful for those cystoscopies every 3 months.

Cherish the good moments with your family. We did get the pictures taken Friday. Haven't seen them yet, but glad we were able to get them.

Mom slid down in the shower today. She is more and more feeble daily and while her mind is good enough to get the important things done, I will say it is slipping too. She will tell a story and it is a new story made with things from at lest 3 real events. She just combines them in to a new story. It all sounds good and logical, but wow is all I can say.

I can tell you all of that wears on me. Just haven't felt like communicating. Sometimes you just need to be quiet and let God hold you which HE DOES.

One day at a time. 

Don't know when I will be back. (sounds like song lyrics- I know you oldies are humming it now)

To Christmas and the birth of our Savior,

Sandy