I love this picture. It seems so peaceful and beautiful. I'd love to stand on the little bridge and just ponder on what ever comes to mind.

Well, I went and saw my Dr. last Thursday. We talked alot about my many concerns. He checked me for P.A.D. in my legs, and said everything was fine...yay! I was soooo worried. Especially with me having such severe neuropathy in my feet and legs. The neuropathy is in both my hands now-I can't feel things with my finger tips. With neuropathy there's not allot that can be done after it sets in. So I'll just keep doing what I can :). I'm not going to let it ruin my life.

Mark and I talked to Dr. D about getting on disability. Dr. D said there was no problem with that since we know I am unable to work. So now I'm in the process of applying for disability.

My Dr. did write a prescription for meds to help with the neuropathy in my lower parts. He also increased my depression meds and my anxiety meds. So far so good. I feel much calmer and clear headed. But @ times I'm scared it won't last. I like this calmness and not having that doomed or dreaded feeling with me at all times. So right now I am just going to enjoy it :).

I talked with him about my fears of having a heart attack. My dad passed away at age 49 from a massive heart attack. I am 45 and it's been lingering over me and making me fearful for the past 14 yrs. My dad's Mom & Dad died from heart attacks. My Mom's-Mom & Dad died from heart attacks. My Mom had a heart attack 11 yrs ago and survived it :) Thank the LORD. So Dr. D is setting me up an appointment for a chemical stress test. I'm just waiting on them to call me with an appointment.

I did have a full exam by a cardiologist about 8-10 yrs ago. Stress test and echo cardiogram. Everything looked great back then. I am praying I will pass this stress test with flying colors.

Mark and I went to SAMS club yesterday and did our monthly shopping. It was nice to be out and about :). I stuck to our list like a good girl lol....ok 2 cheats-I bought New York style cheese cake & chips for my dip. While there we got all the ingredients so that Mark could make his famous chili :).

Mark makes an amazing pot of home made chili, so we always get the Frito scoops to go along with it. We also add sour cream and Cheddar cheese as a topping to our bowls of chili yum :). Does anyone else eat it this way?

Last night I slow cooked bar B Q pork chops-they just fell off the bone :).

Tonight I am making our daughters favorite meal called Cheesy hash brown casserole. Here is the recipe if you would like to try it out.

Brown 3 lbs of hamburger meat
Drain when meat is fully cooked
Rinse off hamburger meat fat while in the colander.
Put back in the pot and add
2-Taco mixes to the meat
add the amount of water on the taco mix package
Cook on medium heat-till all the water is gone


Ingredients you'll need

2-bags of Ore-Ida Potato's O' Brian cubed hash browns
1-Large can of cream of mushroom soup
2-large bags of mild Cheddar cheese




Get a large bowl to put ingredients in.

Add cooked hamburger meat
both packages of hash browns
pour in the can of cream of mushroom soup
1- Cup of Cheddar cheese
Mix all ingredients well


Take an oblong pan and spray it with Pam
When all ingredients are folded well-spoon it into your pan


Cook on 350 for 30-40 minutes.
5 minutes before the casserole is done-bring it out of the oven and add a layer of Cheddar cheese and cook for the remaining time left.

I also usually cook my garlic cheese biscuits with this meal.

If you decide to try the recipe let me know how you and your family liked it.




Well, I'm off to shower and hit the Library with my sweetie. I swear you could lock me up and have me live in a Library lol. I am a major book worm, so I love going to the Library :).


I wish all of you a beautiful day!

HUGS~Donna

Need To Learn...

How to make a pretty journal page. I see so many beautiful journal pages and wonder how it is done. I am not at all talented when it comes to making my journal pretty. I'd really like some advice and tips on how to make my page pretty. So if anyone out in blogger land can help me, I would really appreciate it.


How was every one's Memorial Day? Ours was pretty nice. We had beautiful weather :-) always a plus. I actually got out of the house and went to a cook out with some close friends. It went better than I expected :-). We hung out with them all afternoon watching old movies. And I didn't have 1 panic or anxiety attack!

There's been nothing on TV lately. They have all showed the cliff hangers for next season, so we have been renting movies.


Movies we've picked out.

1. Doubt (Loved the allegories in it)
2. Bedtime Story (so-so)
3. Hotel For Dogs (cute)
4. The Last Templar (loved this movie)
5. Australia (Loved that movie)
6. Taken (Loved that one)

And a few others that had to much language for me to want to watch.

Brittany our daughter brought home the movie "New In Town." So will watch that tonight.

Mark and a friend of his changed out my computer today. I'm not liking it right now, because we could not transfer 10 years of stuff onto this computer. So I don't have any tags, pictures or my favorite sites right now. It's like starting over again. But my PC was dieing so it had to be done. So I am thankful that I have another computer-I just miss my stuff.

Well, that's as exciting as it's been lol. I look forward to hearing about everyone Else's Memorial Day :-).

Oh-If anyone wants to share some pretty tags w/me you can e-mail me @ ladymagnolia1963@aol.com

HUGS To All~Donna

The Real Me

At this present time I am trying to come up with a title for this post. I hope writing it will give me the right inspiration.

Why a mime mask? Well, for many years now I have suffered from clinical depression, social anxiety disorder, panic & anxiety attacks. I have my ups and down-good days weeks and my bad days and weeks.

This pictured mask is a visual aid for me. I can't tell you how many mask I have but it is numerous.

For me I was afraid to let others know how I was really feeling. At church I wore my mask of happy to see you, glad to be here etc. Inside I was so deeply sad and scared. I was mostly scared that I wouldn't be able to pull it off. I was afraid they would be able to see through my mask, or that I would let it slip how I felt. I became very good after years of practice. Every where I went I had a different mask for different occasions. I did try and show a "few" family members and a close friend years ago what I looked & felt like-it didn't go well. My family was petrified that depression was contagious! Yes, they really believed this. It took them close to 6 months before they would come around. Even when they did, they looked like a slinky cat too afraid to get close or to ask how I was doing. So I learned to put the I'm ok mask on for them, smiling like all was ok. I was laughing on the outside for others and crying on the inside.

My husband is amazing. I have always been able to just be myself around him. He has been by my side every step of the way. Mark truly is my knight in shining armor. Yes, of course there are some chinks in the armor as he is only human. But it's amazing to have that kind of love and support through all of this.

Recently I went through a very bad patch. Mark's has not been a rose garden either. After 7 years with a company he was laid off almost 2 months ago. He loved his job. Since then it seems as if no one is hiring. We get the Sunday paper and look through the classified and I kid you not 98% are for out of state work. Our son Lil Mark has been out of a job for 4 months now. They have 2 babies to worry about! So Lil Mark has gotten very discouraged and depressed. I do try and encourage him but lately it's not enough.

Big Mark is 44 and starting over is scary. We are just 1 family among the millions in the same boat-feeling the same way. Right now we just take it one day at a time-and that's good enough.

I know this is not a happy entry but it's a part of my life and of me. I know there are probably others who feel the same way. I just wanted to post this and let others know that they are not alone.

HUGS to all~Donna

The Story Of The Resurrection As Never Before...

"JESUS WEPT"

Today, on Good Friday, we think about the Cross and the sacrifice paid for our sins; the amazing love that took our place; and the grace we have been given. That kind of sacrifice is almost impossible to imagine. The suffering that took place there, voluntarily for us, is beyond the comprehension of a culture that says “Live for today and for yourself.” At a time when superficial, selfish and exploitative relationships have become the norm for so many people -- as evidenced by all-time-high rates of divorce, domestic abuse, depression and suicide -- we would do well to reflect more often on God’s grace for us. We see a small glimpse of that type of sacrificial love every day in the service of our courageous men and women in uniform, who sacrifice their today's for our tomorrows. We see it in the firefighters and policemen who are trained to risk their lives to save strangers. Through their deeds we see that life truly is precious and worthy of protection, each person made in the image of our Creator. As Christians we believe that Jesus’ death destroyed the barriers between man and God. We believe that He died so that we may be brought close enough to Him to choose Him. Others, however, follow a god who demands that they seek their own death and the deaths of others so that they may receive salvation. What a contrast!
CBN.com - Christian Broadcasting Network

CBN Media Center - Browse. Search. Watch. Share.

A Physician's View of the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ - By Dr. C. Truman Davis - http://www.cbn.com/

About a decade ago, reading Jim Bishop’s The Day Christ Died, I realized that I had for years taken the Crucifixion more or less for granted — that I had grown callous to its horror by a too easy familiarity with the grim details and a too distant friendship with our Lord. It finally occurred to me that, though a physician, I didn’t even know the actual immediate cause of death. The Gospel writers don’t help us much on this point, because crucifixion and scourging were so common during their lifetime that they apparently considered a detailed description unnecessary.

So we have only the concise words of the Evangelists: “Pilate, having scourged Jesus, delivered Him to them to be crucified — and they crucified Him.” I have no competence to discuss the infinite psychic and spiritual suffering of the Incarnate God atoning for the sins of fallen man. But it seemed to me that as a physician I might pursue the physiological and anatomical aspects of our Lord’s passion in some detail.

What did the body of Jesus of Nazareth actually endure during those hours of torture?

This led me first to a study of the practice of crucifixion itself; that is, torture and execution by fixation to a cross. I am indebted to many who have studied this subject in the past, and especially to a contemporary colleague, Dr. Pierre Barbet, a French surgeon who has done exhaustive historical and experimental research and has written extensively on the subject.

Apparently, the first known practice of crucifixion was by the Persians. Alexander and his generals brought it back to the Mediterranean world — to Egypt and to Carthage. The Romans apparently learned the practice from the Carthaginians and (as with almost everything the Romans did) rapidly developed a very high degree of efficiency and skill at it. A number of Roman authors (Livy, Cicer, Tacitus) comment on crucifixion, and several innovations, modifications, and variations are described in the ancient literature. For instance, the upright portion of the cross (or stipes) could have the cross-arm (or patibulum) attached two or three feet below its top in what we commonly think of as the Latin cross. The most common form used in our Lord’s day, however, was the Tau cross, shaped like our T.

In this cross, the patibulum was placed in a notch at the top of the stipes. There is archeological evidence that it was on this type of cross that Jesus was crucified. Without any historical or biblical proof, Medieval and Renaissance painters have given us our picture of Christ carrying the entire cross. But the upright post, or stipes, was generally fixed permanently in the ground at the site of execution and the condemned man was forced to carry the patibulum, weighing about 110 pounds, from the prison to the place of execution.

Many of the painters and most of the sculptors of crucifixion, also show the nails through the palms. Historical Roman accounts and experimental work have established that the nails were driven between the small bones of the wrists (radial and ulna) and not through the palms. Nails driven through the palms will strip out between the fingers when made to support the weight of the human body. The misconception may have come about through a misunderstanding of Jesus’ words to Thomas, “Observe my hands.” Anatomists, both modern and ancient, have always considered the wrist as part of the hand.

A titulus, or small sign, stating the victim’s crime was usually placed on a staff, carried at the front of the procession from the prison, and later nailed to the cross so that it extended above the head. This sign with its staff nailed to the top of the cross would have given it somewhat the characteristic form of the Latin cross.

But, of course, the physical passion of the Christ began in Gethsemane. Of the many aspects of this initial suffering, the one of greatest physiological interest is the bloody sweat. It is interesting that St. Luke, the physician, is the only one to mention this. He says, “And being in agony, He prayed the longer. And His sweat became as drops of blood, trickling down upon the ground.” Every ruse (trick) imaginable has been used by modern scholars to explain away this description, apparently under the mistaken impression that this just doesn’t happen. A great deal of effort could have been saved had the doubters consulted the medical literature. Though very rare, the phenomenon of Hematidrosis, or bloody sweat, is well documented. Under great emotional stress of the kind our Lord suffered, tiny capillaries in the sweat glands can break, thus mixing blood with sweat. This process might well have produced marked weakness and possible shock.

After the arrest in the middle of the night, Jesus was next brought before the Sanhedrin and Caiphus, the High Priest; it is here that the first physical trauma was inflicted. A soldier struck Jesus across the face for remaining silent when questioned by Caiphus. The palace guards then blind-folded Him and mockingly taunted Him to identify them as they each passed by, spat upon Him, and struck Him in the face.

In the early morning, battered and bruised, dehydrated, and exhausted from a sleepless night, Jesus is taken across the Praetorium of the Fortress Antonia, the seat of government of the Procurator of Judea, Pontius Pilate. You are, of course, familiar with Pilate’s action in attempting to pass responsibility to Herod Antipas, the Tetrarch of Judea. Jesus apparently suffered no physical mistreatment at the hands of Herod and was returned to Pilate.

It was then, in response to the cries of the mob, that Pilate ordered Bar-Abbas released and condemned Jesus to scourging and crucifixion. There is much disagreement among authorities about the unusual scourging as a prelude to crucifixion. Most Roman writers from this period do not associate the two. Many scholars believe that Pilate originally ordered Jesus scourged as his full punishment and that the death sentence by crucifixion came only in response to the taunt by the mob that the Procurator was not properly defending Caesar against this pretender who allegedly claimed to be the King of the Jews. Preparations for the scourging were carried out when the Prisoner was stripped of His clothing and His hands tied to a post above His head. It is doubtful the Romans would have made any attempt to follow the Jewish law in this matter, but the Jews had an ancient law prohibiting more than forty lashes. The Roman legionnaire steps forward with the flagrum (or flagellum) in his hand. This is a short whip consisting of several heavy, leather thongs with two small balls of lead attached near the ends of each. The heavy whip is brought down with full force again and again across Jesus’ shoulders, back, and legs.

At first the thongs cut through the skin only. Then, as the blows continue, they cut deeper into the subcutaneous tissues, producing first an oozing of blood from the capillaries and veins of the skin, and finally spurting arterial bleeding from vessels in the underlying muscles. The small balls of lead first produce large, deep bruises which are broken open by subsequent blows. Finally the skin of the back is hanging in long ribbons and the entire area is an unrecognizable mass of torn, bleeding tissue. When it is determined by the centurion in charge that the prisoner is near death, the beating is finally stopped. The half-fainting Jesus is then untied and allowed to slump to the stone pavement, wet with His own blood.

The Roman soldiers see a great joke in this provincial Jew claiming to be king. They throw a robe across His shoulders and place a stick in His hand for a scepter. They still need a crown to make their travesty complete. Flexible branches covered with long thorns (commonly used in bundles for firewood) are plaited into the shape of a crown and this is pressed into His scalp. Again there is copious bleeding, the scalp being one of the most vascular areas of the body.

After mocking Him and striking Him across the face, the soldiers take the stick from His hand and strike Him across the head, driving the thorns deeper into His scalp. Finally, they tire of their sadistic sport and the robe is torn from His back. Already having adhered to the clots of blood and serum in the wounds, its removal causes excruciating pain just as in the careless removal of a surgical bandage, and almost as though He were again being whipped the wounds once more begin to bleed. In deference to Jewish custom, the Romans return His garments. The heavy patibulum of the cross is tied across His shoulders, and the procession of the condemned Christ, two thieves, and the execution detail of Roman soldiers headed by a centurion begins its slow journey along the Via Dolorosa.

In spite of His efforts to walk erect, the weight of the heavy wooden beam, together with the shock produced by copious blood loss, is too much. He stumbles and falls. The rough wood of the beam gouges into the lacerated skin and muscles of the shoulders. He tries to rise, but human muscles have been pushed beyond their endurance. The centurion, anxious to get on with the crucifixion, selects a stalwart North African onlooker, Simon of Cyrene, to carry the cross. Jesus follows, still bleeding and sweating the cold, clammy sweat of shock, until the 650 yard journey from the fortress Antonia to Golgotha is finally completed. Jesus is offered wine mixed with myrrh, a mild analgesic mixture. He refuses to drink. Simon is ordered to place the patibulum on the ground and Jesus quickly thrown backward with His shoulders against the wood. The legionnaire feels for the depression at the front of the wrist. He drives a heavy, square, wrought-iron nail through the wrist and deep into the wood. Quickly, he moves to the other side and repeats the action, being careful not to pull the arms to tightly, but to allow some flexion and movement. The patibulum is then lifted in place at the top of the stipes and the titulus reading, “Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews,” is nailed in place.

The left foot is now pressed backward against the right foot, and with both feet extended, toes down, a nail is driven through the arch of each, leaving the knees moderately flexed. The Victim is now crucified. As He slowly sags down with more weight on the nails in the wrists, excruciating pain shoots along the fingers and up the arms to explode in the brain — the nails in the wrists are putting pressure on the median nerves.

As He pushes Himself upward to avoid this stretching torment, He places His full weight on the nail through His feet. Again there is the searing agony of the nail tearing through the nerves between the metatarsal bones of the feet. At this point, as the arms fatigue, great waves of cramps sweep over the muscles, knotting them in deep, relentless, throbbing pain. With these cramps comes the inability to push Himself upward. Hanging by his arms, the pectoral muscles are paralyzed and the intercostal muscles are unable to act. Air can be drawn into the lungs, but cannot be exhaled. Jesus fights to raise Himself in order to get even one short breath. Finally, carbon dioxide builds up in the lungs and in the blood stream and the cramps partially subside. Spasmodically, he is able to push Himself upward to exhale and bring in the life-giving oxygen.

It was undoubtedly during these periods that He uttered the seven short sentences recorded:

The first, looking down at the Roman soldiers throwing dice for His seamless garment, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.”

The second, to the penitent thief, “Today thou shalt be with me in Paradise.”

The third, looking down at the terrified, grief-stricken adolescent John — the beloved Apostle — he said, “Behold thy mother.” Then, looking to His mother Mary, “Woman behold thy son.”

The fourth cry is from the beginning of the 22nd Psalm, “My God, my God, why has thou forsaken me?”

Jesus experienced hours of limitless pain, cycles of twisting, joint-rending cramps, intermittent partial asphyxiation, searing pain where tissue is torn from His lacerated back as He moves up and down against the rough timber. Then another agony begins -- a terrible crushing pain deep in the chest as the pericardium slowly fills with serum and begins to compress the heart. One remembers again the 22nd Psalm, the 14th verse: “I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint; my heart is like wax; it is melted in the midst of my bowels.”

It is now almost over. The loss of tissue fluids has reached a critical level; the compressed heart is struggling to pump heavy, thick, sluggish blood into the tissue; the tortured lungs are making a frantic effort to gasp in small gulps of air. The markedly dehydrated tissues send their flood of stimuli to the brain. Jesus gasps His fifth cry, “I thirst.” One remembers another verse from the prophetic 22nd Psalm: “My strength is dried up like a potsherd; and my tongue cleaveth to my jaws; and thou has brought me into the dust of death.” A sponge soaked in posca, the cheap, sour wine which is the staple drink of the Roman legionaries, is lifted to His lips. He apparently doesn’t take any of the liquid.

The body of Jesus is now in extremes, and He can feel the chill of death creeping through His tissues. This realization brings out His sixth words, possibly little more than a tortured whisper, “It is finished.” His mission of atonement has completed. Finally He can allow his body to die.

With one last surge of strength, he once again presses His torn feet against the nail, straightens His legs, takes a deeper breath, and utters His seventh and last cry, “Father! Into thy hands I commit my spirit.”

The rest you know. In order that the Sabbath not be profaned, the Jews asked that the condemned men be dispatched and removed from the crosses. The common method of ending a crucifixion was by crurifracture, the breaking of the bones of the legs. This prevented the victim from pushing himself upward; thus the tension could not be relieved from the muscles of the chest and rapid suffocation occurred. The legs of the two thieves were broken, but when the soldiers came to Jesus they saw that this was unnecessary.

Apparently, to make doubly sure of death, the legionnaire drove his lance through the fifth interspace between the ribs, upward through the pericardium and into the heart. The 34th verse of the 19th chapter of the Gospel according to St. John reports: “And immediately there came out blood and water.” That is, there was an escape of water fluid from the sac surrounding the heart, giving postmortem evidence that Our Lord died not the usual crucifixion death by suffocation, but of heart failure (a broken heart) due to shock and constriction of the heart by fluid in the pericardium.

Thus we have had our glimpse — including the medical evidence — of that epitome of evil which man has exhibited toward Man and toward God. It has been a terrible sight, and more than enough to leave us despondent and depressed. How grateful we can be that we have the great sequel in the infinite mercy of God toward man — at once the miracle of the atonement (at one ment) and the expectation of the triumphant Easter morning.

Are you moved by what Jesus did for you on the cross? Do you want to receive the salvation Jesus purchased for you at Calvary with His own blood? Pray this prayer with me:

Dear Lord Jesus,

I know that I am a sinner and need your forgiveness. I believe that You died on the cross for my sins and rose from the grave to give me life. I know You are the only way to God so now I want to quit disobeying You and start living for You. Please forgive me, change my life and show me how to know You. In Jesus' name. Amen.

I am sharing this with you as it was shared by me through Susie's Corner GSusieQ@aol.com

I pray as we all slow down a bit and truly see with clear eyes, all that Jesus did for us.

I wish all of you & your families a wonderful Easter.

Love & HUGS~Donna

Watch Out For Zombies

Watch Out for the Zombies!

We look for light, but there is darkness! For brightness, but we walk in blackness! We grope for the wall like the blind, and we grope as if we had no eyes; we stumble at noonday as at twilight; we are as dead men in desolate places. - Isaiah 59:9b-10. But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them. For we do not preach ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord, and ourselves your bondservants for Jesus’ sake. - 2 Corinthians 4:3-5.But all things that are exposed are made manifest by the light, for whatever makes manifest is light. Therefore He says: "Awake, you who sleep, arise from the dead, and Christ will give you light." - Ephesians 5:13-14.

But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you. - Romans 8:11.

Did you know that it is very likely that there are zombies you will encounter and that you will see walking around you every day? According to Dictionary dot com, one definition of a zombie is "the body of a dead person given the semblance of life, but mute and will-less, by a supernatural force, usually for some evil purpose."

Now that would be somewhat frightening to think that there may be dead people who look like they are alive residing perhaps in the home next to yours. Just how are you to determine when you go to the grocery store which checkout clerk is alive and which one is dead - it is hard to determine just by looking at someone.

In December of 1979 it was published in the Journal of the Tennessee Medical Association that there is a "Walking Zombie Syndrome." The condition was defined as those in which depression and withdrawal lead these individuals to unconsciously believe that they are dead. It is not really all that surprising that when these zombies are told that they unconsciously believe themselves to be dead, they persist in denying it even when their symptoms and behavior affirm the diagnosis. It is strange, but there are apparently thousands, maybe even millions of zombies walking around on the streets every day.

Even more strange than the Tennessee Medical Association’s zombie syndrome is the spiritual fact of the walking dead who are spiritually blinded by the god of this age (i.e. the devil - 2 Corinthians 4:3). Their condition is described very well by the prophet Isaiah "We grope for the wall like the blind, and we grope as if we had no eyes; we stumble at noonday as at twilight; we are as dead men in desolate places."

These walking dead are those who are dead in their trespasses and sins (Ephesians 2:1). In other words; they do not know Jesus Christ as their personal Savior, they have not been born again (John 3:3), and Jesus has not made them alive (Ephesians 2:1). The good news is that there is an effective treatment for the spiritually dead. All that a spiritually dead person needs to do to be made alive and have eternal life is simply to believe upon Jesus Christ as their Savior (John 3:16).

So, if you have a zombie residing next door to you or even in the same home with you, why not tell them the good news?


Copyright © 2009. Ed Wrather. Permission is given for use of the devotionals on a non-profit basis with source credited. The Burning Bush website has been online since January 31, 1998. On June 8, 1998 the email version of the Burning Bush Devotional was first sent.

This was an eye opener for me! I had never looked at it from this perspective. But it makes complete sense. I hope this devotional has been a blessing to all that read it.

HUGS~Donna

What were your favorite places to go~that are not there any more?

I was reading the 25 things that people miss and are no longer around. here is the AOL link below. It brought back a lot of good memories for me. One of my most favorite places as a child to visit, was Sambo's. It was a wonderful restaurant. My sister and I always looked forward to our Saturday family breakfast there at Sambo's. What was your favorite memory or 2 of places no longer around.

If you could please pass this around to your friends as well. I'd like to get a great response to this question. With so much going on with our economy, I thought it would be fun to walk down memory lane for a bit :).

BTW the picture above caught my eye. I love old buildings. This was called.....

Living on the coast in Virginia, we could stop at (Kresges) and get four submarine sandwiches for a dollar. They would last all day!! Buckroe Beach loved Kresges! The chocolate stars at the candy counter!"

Wow I'd love that store too lol. This was a comment left by an AOL user.

Okay here is the AOL link to look at some 25 missed things. Please add yours to the list. This includes everyone. Not just from the U.S. but from all over. Send pictures if you have them. I hope this will be a fun post for everyone. I look forward to reading all of yours as well.

Places We Miss Most - WalletPop

HUGS~Donna

The Visit To The Dentist!

First I'd like to thank you ladies for welcoming me back to blogger. HUGS~to all of you.

Well, lets talk about the dentist. First I have not been to a dentist in Nineteen years. Okay I know y'all sucked all the air out of the room after reading that lol.

For many reasons I didn't go...fear, no insurance, fear..oh I said that twice lol, It's expensive and we never seemed to have the money honestly. My teeth were always very healthy, white no cavities or anything. When I was about 4 years into my diabetes I noticed my teeth were starting to trouble me. I started seeing my teeth break off little pieces at a time. From then on it was little by little, and honestly as long as I had good front teeth I didn't worry.

This past year my teeth rapidly started breaking off and plain just falling out of my mouth! it's a disease your teeth get when you have diabetes, but I cannot remember the name. That's what was happening to me.

So today they did a through oral exam, lots of X-rays, and castings for my upper and lower teeth. I have severe tooth decay in my mouth and gums, most of my bottom teeth we will be able to save and just have a parcel for that. My upper mouth will also have a mini denture or percale as I have 4 that will be taken out, plus the two I'm already missing. They are also going to have to do gum surgery, since the decay is below my teeth line.

Today he put me on heavy antibiotics~as he found that I had a rampant bacterial infection to go along with every thing else. He put me on heavy pain meds till the antibiotic start to work. I had to get a very special kind of tooth paste from them and mouth wash as this along with antibiotics will kill the bacteria infection. The tube of toothpaste which is called "GC MI Paste Plus was $35.00 for a 4 oz tube! I use it twice a day and have to leave the tooth paste on my teeth for 30 minutes each time. The PerioRX mouthwash was $15.00.

The visit today was $420.00. Thanks to our dental plan I only had to pay $86.00!!! LORD was I thankful.

I go back late next week for a re-check to make sure the infection is gone. He will also discuss how many teeth exactly he will be pulling out. They are already making the dentures and partial, so that when he pulls out most of my top teeth in the one visit, he will be able to have my new dentures to put in the same day.

He is an excellent dentist and I will never go any where again. The facility is so clean and sterile. Everyone is wonderful, helpful and polite. The dentist wants as much input as I'm willing to ask when it comes to questions. He told me everything he was going to do before he did it. Wow. Why can't there be more dentist like that? Heck I would have gone long ago. But as I said before raising a family, no insurance and only one of use working we just could never make it work.

So I am so very thankful that with the dental insurance I can actually get help. I tell you truthfully my confidence has been shattered since my teeth just started falling out. I am afraid to smile or talk to someone just in case they may see my teeth or lack of them.

I cannot wait till all the work is done and with confidence I can smile and feel good about it once again.

HUGS~To all,

Donna

Good Morning Everyone

I pray all is well with everyone. I have missed all of you and your journals. I can't believe that I am 4 days shy of not posting for two-months now!

Mark is doing so well with the management of his diabetes. He went back to the Drs. last week and they are going to start him on just oral meds now! No more insulin pens for Mark! I am really praying that the oral diabetic meds will be all that he will ever need. Mark has made great strides to become more educated with diabetes and how to manage it. I'm so proud of him.

I too am off of the insulin! I am very happy about that. We are both eating better and both of us are losing weight.

I am still missing my precious Laci. I seem to think about her allot still. I still have all of her things and the blankie she use to sleep in. Bella our English springer spaniel was Laci's best friend. Bella took it hard after Laci passed on. Now Bella just seems to cling to me strongly. She never wants to leave my side & follows me from room to room. Which I don't mind at all. I just ache that her best furbaby friend is gone.

Abigail~Bella's daughter is more attached to our cats than she was to Laci. But thank goodness Bella has Abigail.

Here in Florida we have had a very unusually cold Winter. Which is rare for us! Normally in January we are walking around in shorts and regular Spring~Summer out fits. Not this year! Everyone has been wearing long johns, coats and double clothing lol. Were such wimps when we actually get really cold weather lol. Bless all of you who have really had it hard this Winter! We have seen a lot of freezing temperatures and very cold days here. I was thrilled with it. I Love Winter time :). But alas by this coming Thursday we will be climbing into the high 70's *sigh.* Before we know it everyone will be hitting the beaches...including me lol.

I am dreadfully going to the dentist today. I have a bad tooth that started acting up last week. I figured if I baby-ed it-it might subside. NOT, over the weekend *of course* it got worse. It started hurting really bad when I tried eating anything hot or cold and even tepid. I started using the liquid anbesol to try and numb it. It worked a little but wore off quickly. Even the Sensodyne tooth paste wasn't helping. By Sunday night it was hurting me to eat even cream of chicken soup. Yesterday I remembered our daughter had brought home one of those miniature bottles of Bacardi Rum! Yep I started using that to take away the pain. Not drinking it lol, but rubbing it on my gums and tooth. It definitely took the edge off and lasted a lot longer than the Anbesol. I was actually able to eat soft foods without the sensitivity pain yay. So as glad as I will be to get out of pain today, I am a scardy cat when it comes to dentist :).

I'll try and post later today about my adventure at the dentist :).

HUGS~to all,

Donna