The Return of The Sunday Cake!

Wow!  I haven't made a Sunday Cake since February 19th!  I was so sick for so long and then we had the beach trips and other stuff come up.  We got by with a little help from our friends, though.  :)  Tia sent us cupcakes at the hospital, we bought a cake from the Mennonite bakery and then last weekend was Easter and we had Ami's delicious Devil's Food with Snicker bar cream cheese icing and I remember seeing another cake on the counter, too.  So we've HAD Sunday Cake, just not one I baked.

Larry wanted some kind of cinnamon cake this week so I made a cinnamon streusel coffee cake.  I used brown sugar for my glaze, though, instead of powdered sugar.

He was happy.  :)

No humdrum life

I just love what Larry's done with one of the cabinets in the shop!  He's covered it with pictures, of him, of me, of his family.  I especially love going out there and seeing his mama and daddy.  I told him it's like they're right there with us.

He's put postcards along one wall, too, mostly from the places we've been (we get a magnet, a pin for his hat and postcards everywhere we go!) and I really like this one.  Smart man, that Forrest. 

Judging by these photos, you can see that Larry hasn't led no humdrum life.  And I'm a lucky girl to have shared so much of it with him!

Out of sadness came Banjo

After our wonderful Easter dinner and egg hunt at Mama and Daddy's house Sunday and that incredible surprise I had when Lisa and Bella showed up, on our way home, Larry and I found a beautiful black and white fluffy cat on the side of the road that had obviously been hit by a car.  He (or she, we never found out) was bleeding badly from his eyes, nose and mouth and we knew he was pretty messed up.  We decided we were going to do what we could so Larry scooped him up and put him in the back of the truck and we took off, toward Warner Robins and hopefully a 24-hour emergency vet.  I was so upset and crying that I couldn't type the letters in my phone right so I called Brian to see if he'd help me find a phone number to call.  He did and it just so happened to be the vet that Tabbie Hoffman goes to, Southwood Animal Hospital, and they have after hours, only they weren't the ones on call last weekend.  I called the answering service and had the doctor on call paged.  He called me back within minutes and I told him what we had and he said he'd meet us at the office.  We got there and the poor little thing was bleeding pretty bad and his breathing was labored.  I was just squalling uncontrollably.  We got him inside where the doctor examined him and told us that he had a spinal injury as well as a chest injury and more than likely, something had ruptured his lung(s).  He asked if we wanted him put to sleep.  I asked if there was anything that could be done, can he do surgery, can't he do something??  And he said the cat couldn't be saved.  I said I didn't want him to suffer anymore.  I made a promise to Odie years after he died that if there was ever another time that I was in control of an animal's suffering, I would not let it suffer, I would let the vet put it to sleep.  So that's what we did.  I couldn't (wouldn't) do that with Odie and he suffered.  I will not be that selfish again.  As much as I wanted that little cat to LIVE and come home with us and be Tabbie Hoffman's brother, I knew in my heart that he was too hurt, too broken to fix.

We left then and came home.  I squalled and cried and carried on the rest of that day and night, second guessing our decision, asking myself a hundred "what ifs" with Larry calmly and gently telling me we did what had to be done.  We made the right decision.  I was still tearful at work all day Monday so when I got home, Larry asked me to go with him to look at the dogs at the animal shelter.  We're just looking, he said. 

We got there and went in to see the dogs.  As soon as they saw us, though, they all started jumping up in their cages, barking and waving their paws through the bars as if to say, "Pick me, pick me!  I want a home, too!".  BROKE MY HEART.  I couldn't stand it.  I walked out and left Larry in there with them.  A few minutes later, Larry called me back in there to show me this sweet, quiet little thing who hadn't even barked.  He just stood up in his cage and wagged his tail.  Larry was smitten immediately.  He asked me what I thought about that one and through my tears and snot, I said he was cute.  I really didn't want to make that decision.  But that little puppy tugged at my heart, too.

Larry told the guy we'd take him and as soon as they popped that lock on the cage, that little feller took off like a bullet running down the aisle, sliding on two legs into the lobby, running into the wall as he went.  Larry yelled out, "You made parole, buddy!"  It was hilarious!  First time I'd laughed in over a day. 

Larry did the paperwork while I tried to hold this puppy down.  They put a leash on him but he was hard to hold.  He was SO excited!  They put his Home Again chip in, gave us a bag of food, treats, flea and tick treatment, samples and a teddy bear and we took our baby home.  Well, after we stopped by PetSmart and got him a bed and some toys.

We named him Banjo Kokomo.  I came up with Banjo, Larry added Kokomo, since that's where he was born.  Banjo's name was Jake at the shelter but I've called him that and he doesn't respond to it.  Banjo, however...  :)  I think he likes his name.

He is the sweetest little lovebug.  He'll lick the skin clean off your face if you let him.  

We love you, buddy.  Thank you for drying my tears and making your daddy so happy.  Now if we can just get your brother to come around... 

The Honest Company

A box arrived this morning that made me sooooo excited!  I just recently heard about Jessica Alba's The Honest Company and I couldn't wait to try some of their eco-friendly, organic products.

They sell everything from shampoo to diapers to household cleaners to veggie washes.  All healthy, sustainable and green.

I ordered some cleaning supplies but I will definitely be trying some other stuff, too!  They were delivered this morning while my sweet hubby let me sleep in (day shift is killin' me!) and when I got up and he showed them to me, he had already mopped and cleaned one bathroom.  I told him not to get his feelings hurt but I was going to go right behind him and use my new stuff!

I loved it all.  They all smell good enough to eat and they work really well, too.  If you've never used natural household cleaners, I wish you'd try just one.  You will notice the difference right away.  I've been using Method, Mrs. Meyer's and Seventh Generation as well as good old baking soda and vinegar to clean my house and wash my clothes for years now and I don't sneeze anymore when I'm cleaning my tubs, I don't cough anymore when I'm scrubbing my toilets, my hands don't get red and irritated after washing dishes and my clothes don't make me itch.  

Earth Day is this Tuesday, April 22nd.  Treat yourself and the earth to one natural, plant-based product.  You will never go back, I promise! 

Wired Up!

Larry and I went to Valdosta one afternoon last week to Wiregrass' Wired Up! Festival and we had a blast!  Larry went a semester at Wiregrass before he came home and it was such a great experience for him that he wanted to go back and see his friends and teachers and just be a part of that again. 

Here he is with Wiregrass President, Dr. Tina Anderson.  Such a nice lady!  And she loves her some Larry, too.  She saw him in that crowd, walked up behind him and grabbed his arm.  He made quite the name for himself when he was there and got to know a lot of people.  He was in the Student Leadership Council as well as the Veterans program and he spoke at several functions and even got to be Vince Dooley's guide and bodyguard when Mr. Dooley was there to speak to the students.  I'm very proud of him!
 

They had a zip line there, too, and yep.  He had to do it.  Not me, though.  Somebody had to take pictures, right??  :)

He found his veteran buddy, Paul, to go along with him!

This would have been such a great shot if it hadn't been so blurry!!  All I got of Paul was his legs.  Ha!  They were going so fast!!

A clown made a balloon butterfly for me.  Larry said it looked more like a mosquito.  :)

 

This week

Bad news.  Larry learned that when you're holding a cat and you blow in his face, he will show you a gear you didn't know he had.  Ouch.  As a reward for his scratchin' off like a 1969 AMX on some hot July asphalt while Larry held him, Tabbie Hoffman got a pedicure.

Good news.  After just three weeks, we have grass in our backyard!

Pretty Gerbera daisies in the backyard

Gorgeous hibiscus on the front porch says "hi!"

Larry and I decorated the fence out front

This just cracked me up!  I bought the new happy, dancing bunny on the left and when I went to take a picture of him, Jude was standing there with his arms crossed looking at him like, "Dude, where'd YOU come from and how long you stayin'?"!  Larry swears he didn't do it.  He was just cleaning up and somehow when he put things back on the table, Jude got turned around.  Hilarious!

We're looking forward to a wonderful Easter Sunday!  Sunrise service at church and dinner and an egg hunt in the afternoon.  I hope you all have a beautiful day celebrating the greatest love story ever told!  The story of Jesus and His ultimate sacrifice and that amazing gift of love He gave each and every one of us.  Friday happened, true, but Sunday's coming!

St. Francis gets a makeover!

When my dear neighbor, Skip, passed away nearly seven years ago, his daughter, Shari, became my friend.  She was so thoughtful to share a few of Skip's belongings with me, things I could remember him by.  One of those things was a St. Francis of Assisi bird feeder.

Since St. Francis has been outside in the weather all this time, he was looking a little rough.  

Larry decided he needed a makeover!  We painted him this afternoon and I think he turned out great!

Here he is before, looking all sad and gray.

And here he is now, looking all spiffy and handsome!

 

 His bird seed is gonna bring all the birds to the yard.  :)

What we've been up to

We have been so busy here at the Schneider Condostead!  We are looking forward to May, when we're going to slow waaaaay down and smell the roses (or the daisies or the hibiscuses!).  

Larry restored my old baby chest of drawers.  My daddy cut it down from a chest that my grandparents had when he and Mama were expecting me, 47 years ago.  I used it right on up until about five years ago, when the drawers were just falling apart and I had to store it for Larry to fix.  I always knew he would be here to fix it!  And so he did.

Here's a before, all sanded down and ready to paint.  I wanted it painted exactly how my daddy painted it, white and trimmed in blue. 

And here's the after!  And it's back in use, in our bedroom.

We went to the Cherry Blossom Festival with Ami and Brian a couple of Sundays ago and had so much fun!  Although we have probably had our first and last experience with a food truck.  :)  

A photographer from The Macon Telegraph was there and he asked us if he could take our picture!  We said yes, thinking there was no way we'd ever make the paper.  But we did!  This was in last Monday's Telegraph.

Larry and Ginger Schneider of Warner Robins enjoy their food from the Texas Tacos food truck along Third Street Sunday. JASON VORHEES — jvorhees@macon.com 

Read more here: http://www.macon.com/2014/03/30/3021102/last-day-for-cherry-blossom-fest.html#storylink=cpy

I joked on Facebook that OF COURSE he'd have to use the one he took of me trying to eat my taco in one bite rather than one where I was eating a lime fry.  Ugh.  But still, we were excited to be in the newspaper!

That crowd?  Is why we've probably done our first and last food truck.  And two quesadillas, two tacos and two canned drinks for $29 is another reason.

We bought this beautiful handpainted gourd at the Cherry Blossom Festival and Larry hung it in a backyard tree.  I just love it and can't wait for a birdy to move in!

 
We went bowling at the base's bowling alley, too, and Larry totally mopped the floor up with me.  We grilled hamburgers and hot dogs and fed our Family Promise families at church last night and he played basketball, volleyball, foosball and shot pool with the kids.  There is NO game Larry cannot play and he's so good at everything!






Larry was on spring break from school last week and he laid a walkway for us from the patio out to the shop...

 

Annnnnd you see all those little things on the ground?

 Grass seed! :)

We bought some flowers at Lowe's and I planted purple petunias in a front yard bed and was SO happy to see that my Uncle J.B. (amaryllis) has a little bud!  It didn't bloom at all last year.  I have a pink impatien, orange Gerbera daisies and a gorgeous hibiscus to repot and put out on the patio and after Easter, we're going back for a big flower, veggie and herb trip to Lowe's.  :)  I've put a bloom booster around everything so we should have a beautiful yard this year!

We went up to Forsyth to Cash Liquidations and bought a beautiful lamp and sofa table.  We'd been trying to thrift a sofa table and hadn't been able to find one we liked and we even looked at some brand new ones, although I really didn't want a brand new one.  I wanted one that had been "loved" a little bit.  We rode up to Forsyth one afternoon and found one and a cool boho lamp, too!

This past weekend, we went back to the beach and had a wonderful time!  Saturday was gorgeous, warm, sunny, the water didn't turn our feet blue this time and we actually got to get out in the ocean and enjoy it.  I think Larry enjoyed it a little more than I did.  :)

Our friend, Lissa, told me on Facebook that we were eating life by the second, enjoying every bite.  That's a good way to put it!  We waited a very long time for this life and we are certainly not wasting a minute of it!!

Healing

I wanted to share the sweet cards I got while I was in the hospital and once I was home and recovering.  These cards meant so much to me.  They gave me hope that I absolutely would get better and I would be ME again.  Larry and I spent this weekend at the beach again and I can honestly say I AM BACK.  Breathing that ocean air, tasting that salty water, and hearing the waves crash all night as we slept was just the final little bit of healing I needed.  Beach healing.  That little bit of Epstein-Barr and cytomegalo that was hanging around evaporated as I laughed (and cried) as my beloved enjoyed his first dip in the ocean in nearly 40 years.

Tia Pike sent us a dozen delicious cupcakes with this card.  I teared up immediately when I read it.  This was so sweet and thoughtful!  Hopefully, this coming Sunday, we'll resume Sunday Cake!

I got this one in the mail from Brandy, Mike, Willow, Roan and Baby Laurel Mae.  I absolutely love Brandy's drawing of Tabbie Hoffman!  It looks just like him!!  And, yes, he DID miss me.  He was very clingy for a couple of days.  He wanted to be with his mama.

Here's a picture of us the day I got home.  Those ugly old bruises are all gone now.  And all that fluid is, too!

 

 I even got a sweet card from Willow! 

I got this one from the amazing guys (and girls) I work with!  I am truly blessed to work with folks that I consider my family.  They gave me this card and the envelope was literally stuffed with cash!  That really helped us out while we were living at the hospital. 

Pay no attention to the camera shadow.  :)  This one came from the Keenagers at church.  So sweet to think of me.
 

My sister and best friend, Ami, made this one for me.  She is so talented that everything she touches turns to a thing of beauty.  She can make the most beautiful cards and then take the most amazing pictures of them!  :)  I love you, sissy!

This is the inside.  Larry and I both love Kahlil Gibran and the thing about the bare feet made me cry.  And it made me that much more determined to get better and get my life back.  I didn't want to miss a second of this beautiful spring I waited so long for!
 

Our sweet couple buddies from church gave me this one.  Lisa and Darrell, Lisa and Bryan and Brother Andy and Melody.  Melody brought it to me.  Inside was a very generous gas card!  It was perfect timing, too, because Larry had just run home to check on Tabbie Hoffman and the house for the umpteenth time.  You know, since we were LIVING AT THE HOSPITAL OH MY GOD.
 

These cards helped me get better.  I will treasure them and the love that came with them always.  Thanks, y'all, from the very bottom of my heart.