J.J. Devine's Blog, page 27

Last day of September...

Good morning, everyone!!!

​The daughter and I took the night off from cleaning/restoring last night. She had to take the granddaughters to Cheer practice for a few hours and I had to be up way early this morning, so, it was just best to give us a day off.

​We have a football game today :) Bug's team plays at 1 p.m. Then we have plans to do a bit more work and also start making applesauce and apple butter :)

​Today and tomorrow I do books at work and now that the wild weekend is over my schedule goes to a more normal schedule. :) I like routine so this will definitely help me get back to normal :)

​Hubby and I may sneak away for a few days of camping this week, but no firm plans have been made just yet, we'll have to wait and see what the weather will be like and also see what schedules look like in the days ahead.

​I do love fall camping :)

​I feel like we've had a productive week, but I sure did need that extra sleep last night. I hit the sack around 7 and slept pretty good until hubby called me at 2 a.m. I have to say that man takes care of me :)

​I bought my first pumpkin roll this past week. I do adore those things :) This one though didn't seem to have as much cream cheese frosting in it, it tasted more like a vanilla icing with just a hint of cream cheese. So I guess I'll just have to get another one someplace else ;)

​This is that time of year, ya know. Pumpkin everything :) Even my youngest son who was born in November loves his pumpkin pies (as long as mom makes them homemade) :) I'm not a huge pumpkin fan but I do love those pumpkin rolls and have to have them at least a couple of times during the season.

​October is upon us and with it comes four birthdays right in a row. My oldest son and his little family all have birthdays in October. So it is a busy month to say the least. In a few short weeks they will begin and will go through until the end of the month. It is crazy how that worked out :)

​Well I guess I should quit rambling and get ready to hit the shower. There is a lot to do this morning and hopefully no mishaps along the way :) Wish me luck...

​Everyone have a lovely day!!!

Blessings to all!!!






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It's been a long week...but a productive week...

Good morning, everyone!!!

​It has been one busy week for sure. Work, then home to work at the daughter's house until late in the evening.

​We've been helping her get things organized and back together after a bad break up. We started outdoors, getting the yard and shed in order. Then yesterday we started working on the inside and hauling off a few things.

​She told me she felt liberated getting rid of things and going room by room returning things back to the way she wants them. Tossing things out she's wanted gone for a long time. And just being able to breathe more peacefully.

​Sometimes we just have to find the time to figure ourselves out. I've always said deep cleaning is a perfect method in which to find yourself. I've watched her go from being completely drained of all energy to an excited woman pushing the mark each day to restore the order back to her life on so many levels.

​We've found solutions to pet peeves. We've discussed her plans. I've seen her laugh for the first time in years. I've seen her children thrive as they work side by side with us to reorganize their lives.

​I told her from the beginning, we will take things one day at a time. We'll make a game plan for each day, and we will meet our goals each day. We won't be doing everything at once, but take our time and do each thing as it comes.

​So we've organized rooms, one at a time. We've mowed, raked, burned, and planted. We've set out to turn things around for her.

​She had gotten to the point where she couldn't even get up and go to work on a daily basis. If you know my daughter, then you know that's NOT her. She's a workaholic like her parents. She's gone to work every day this week, then came home, worked around the house, and also ensured each child still managed to do their after school activities. Even on the day that both had something going on at the same time.

​Like I told her, things will work themselves out. We just take it one step at a time and see where each day takes us.

​This is like anything in life. No matter the issue, we must first breathe through it, then make a game plan. Once the game plan has been activated, do what you can, and be happy about the progress and don't berate yourself for what is still left to do. See the progress for what it is, little steps toward a bigger picture.

​Soon she'll have her house back in order the way she wants it. She's already opened back up her dining room that had been used as a temporary bedroom. We shoved that hutch back along the wall she once had it on, giving her back her 'circle' living space. :) She loves houses where you can go around it in a circle. Where you can go from one room one way then find yourself back in that room from a different direction. It's part of what helps her balance herself.

​There is nothing better than seeing the transformation of someone. How just a little bit of giving of yourself can make a big difference. This is what makes a lack of sleep worth it.

On Saturday my granddaughter and daughter will be helping me make apple butter and applesauce. It should be an interesting experience to say the least :)

Everyone have a lovely day!!!

Blessings to all!!!





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A little bit can go a long way...

Good morning, everyone!!!

​With so much going on around us this has been one of those weeks where I've met myself coming and going. At the end of this post I will be sharing the words of my husband's brother, a survivor of the Hurricane Maria. His words put everything into perspective for me and he's absolutely right.

​There are times in life where this world slows us down, stops us in our tracks, and makes us take a breath. With so much hate spewing all the time these days, well, it is just good to see life from a different angle once in awhile.

​I've watched my own daughter go from looking as if she was knocking on death's door to a vibrant young woman once again. We don't realize just how much the attitudes of others can bring us down, ruin our health, and suck 'living' right out of us.

​In just a few short days I've seen an amazing transformation. She has gone from looking like she had no idea where she would get the energy to even take her next step, to working along side me to put her life back into the order she'd dreamed of so long ago.

​Sometimes it only takes a little bit of your time to help someone else find their way back to who they are or what they want to be in this life.

​On 9/11 all those years ago, I still remember how people in neighborhoods band together to discuss the future. I remember how people band together to work day and night to rescue any survivors.

​I remember the small hurricane my children and I went through in Florida. How the next morning after the storm had passed all the neighbors were out and about, checking the damage to our neighborhood. We walked the streets together, then worked together to clean up the mess.

​After any tragedy, you can find this. People together, working side by side, no thought to the insanity of the world around them, but more so a thankfulness filling the air that says, "We've survived this, we can rebuild our life once again."

​Maybe not all in this world sees such inner beauty of this world. Maybe this is just small town USA where you find this kind of joining together. I don't know. If so, then this is definitely another reason I adore small town USA. Because this is the way it should be in this life.

​Giving a little bit of yourself can definitely go a long way in this life. Maybe, letting go of expectations and freeing yourself of what you believe 'should' happen, is the only way to live each day.

​Sometimes we just have to do what is right in the moment. Don't look to the future farther than to plan for the next day and if those plans for one reason or another get changed up, then adjust your attitude and your plans.

​I had friends or family in the paths of the last three hurricanes. I've watched them come out of this stronger and ready to take on the tasks of rebuilding their lives. It would have been easier, I'm sure, to just throw in the towel, say I can't do this, and walk away. But that's not what strong people do.

​I've sat back and watched the divide of this Country grow to proportions of a magnitude that is truly disheartening. When you boil away all the petty stuff, well, what you are left with is people have forgotten what it is like to truly stand with your neighbor.

​Then you add in all these tragedies, hurricanes, fires, and the like. What is it really doing? It is bringing people face to face with one another once again. Retraining people to work together, to put aside differences, to work hand in hand to rebuild their lives. There is no room in their worlds right now to stop and think, is this person beside me supposed to be my enemy?

​Life has a way of making us stop and smell the roses so to speak. If we are heading in a direction that we shouldn't be, then it stops us in our tracks to give us the time and energy to see what truly matters in our world. Reminding us that we are only human and there are forces in this world greater than ourselves.

​One thing is for certain, I've seen it over and over in my 50+ years. No matter the tragedy, we will rise again. How we rise is our choice...

Everyone have a lovely day!!!

Blessings to all!!!

This was written by my husband's brother who lives in Puerto Rico. Copied from my brother George Konig: Calm down. We'll have time to waste again. We can waste water, run at full speed burning gasoline without need. We will have the opportunity to eat everything that poisons us daily. And we will be able to return very soon to our phones that prove to be smarter than us. Maria just stopped us to teach us to be people again. In the hope of cooling the atmosphere and making us remember what really matters. Today I have seen civility, camaraderie and conversations. Also frustration, weariness and desolation. We've cleaned houses of those we see every day and we don't know. We make long lines for gas, for the banks and for the supplies we need so much. We'll make a line for the water and for the aid that corresponds and what's coming to us. The Hurricane cleans but it doesn't destroy. That's the lesson of all of this. Family, friends, neighbors, community and homeland. In that order, brother. The rest... the jungle...






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That was one wild ride...

Good morning, everyone!!!

Whew...

​I am still alive to write this blog. Not sure how, but I am. It's only taken a few days of recovery to get this blog up :)

​Every year these festivals get bigger and bigger. The pictures don't even do justice to the crowds we experienced this year. I've never seen anything like it. Our cooler shelves were almost completely empty (and we prepare for this for a month prior). Let's just say at one of the calls I received from the store where I needed to go up there, I had to have police direct traffic and people to get me out of my parking space.

​Deliveries are starting to come in this week to replenish our shelves. The plumber had to install a new toilet in our bathroom. And the store is finally beginning to get put back together LOL.

​I still haven't caught up on my sleep. But that's my own fault. I've been helping the daughter get some major things done around her place the last few days.

​Life is crazy sometimes and sometimes we just need to go with the insanity and make life work :)

​This time of year and this festival time always reminds me that anything in life can happen in the blink of an eye. Just breathing and finding the courage to keep going is what it is all about.

​I sign on to my newsfeed each morning and some days things are fine. Other days I just shut it off or unfollow feeds. I'm so tired of seeing all the disrespect flying around on the worldwide web. They say people have become braver because they don't have to see faces anymore when giving an opinion. I can see how this is true. Sure, everyone is entitled to an opinion, but the attacks on opinions different than your own is truly disheartening. People have just become overly argumentative anymore, and I just hate seeing that.

​When you debate face to face and give each other a chance to share their opinions, things in life change. Because when you have to really listen versus "Oh I don't like that so I won't read it" you find a chance to learn and grow. But if you never give yourself the opportunity to not only share but to really listen to others and yourself, you stay in one place.

​Arguing continuously puts out so much negativity into the world. Sure, it can be sugar-coated as 'your' opinion, but one thing about opinions, they really do no good without backing them with actions, not actions in the forms of facebook or twitter posts, but true actions such as day to day living.

​I'm surrounded by people all the time. This weekend I was surrounded by people from all over. I can honestly say we have some REAL issues in this world today and those issues go much deeper than who is President or what someone is saying on facebook.

​We're losing entire generations to drugs. You say, oh come on, that's not true. When you have elderly people asking you where the bathroom is only for them to come out looking as messed up as the teenager everyone knows is doing drugs, then yes, there is a major problem. We've had to have a plumber work on our toilet at our store a few different times because public restrooms are a favorite place for people to grab their high.

​It is a shame when you see someone you don't recognize because when you knew them last they looked completely different before the drugs.

​We have a problem. A major problem. How can we ask people to respect things or people around them when they don't respect themselves. They can't find self-worth within them.

​People look to movies stars, athletes, and the like for role models. Then you hear on the news this star or that athlete is being busted for drugs or the like. Maybe, just maybe, we need to look to ourselves for our roles models instead of the fantasy world these other forms of life give us.

​Find our own dreams to live out. Find our true convictions within ourselves versus all the whining over who hurt my feelings today.

​Sadly, in the 'real' world feelings will be hurt. It has been a fact of life for centuries and will be a fact of life long after we are gone. What happened to learning coping mechanisms instead of justifying bad behavior? It saddens me to see so many even my own age acting like children. They could put that energy into real issues, child abuse, domestic violence, the war on drugs, education of children, and maybe just maybe teach our future generations how to become productive adults.

​If we as adults keep acting no better than a child who needs a time out, how can we effectively teach our children to grow up to become well adjusted adults? Just a thought...

​Everyone have a lovely day!!!

Blessings to all!!!





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Romance Writers Weekly presents...

Welcome back to Romance Writers Weekly!!!

​This week's topic is a fun one :) Leslie Hachtel
​has asked us to name our favorite season and show pictures. Doesn't that sound fun since Fall has only just arrived???

​I'm an all seasons kind of girl myself, so instead of choosing just one I will share with you what I enjoy about all the seasons :)
Fall:

​It is colored leaves, pumpkins, slightly cooler weather. I love camping this time of year next to water. The fall leaves look amazing reflecting off a lake or river in the sunlight.

​It's that time of year when I dig out the jeans and sweatshirts once again and enjoy being outdoors when I can for that last bit of outdoor fun before the winter months come.

Of course this is also the season where children carve pumpkins and go out on the streets dressed in costume to enjoy sweet treats :)

​It's also the time when apples come into season and I make apple butter and applesauce :)
Ahhhh, winter. This season doesn't get enough credit because just as it begins we are in the midst of the holiday rush. Christmas, then New Year's, then Valentine's Day, then of course, St. Patty's Day. It's as if this season is full of holidays.

​It's not just the holiday season I like about this time of the year. I love the way the snow glistens in the sunlight or moonlight like diamonds across the land. I love trees covered in snow. Each branch defined with the white and almost black against the landscape.

​Sure, it's cold outside most winter months, sometimes bitter cold. But what better season to curl up with a good book, a cup of hot tea or coffee, adorned in pjs...  Spring...

​This is the time of year when the world around us begins to come back to life. As with fall, it is a very colorful time in our lives.

​Where fall has yellows, oranges, reds, and browns. Spring has all those colors too but also shares more prominent colors of pinks, lavenders, and white.

​As the world awakens around me so does my inner desires to venture back into the outdoors. This is planting season. The time in life when we start looking toward the warmer months of summer and prepare the camper for adventures to come.

​I love getting outside and working with the fresh soil after being cooped up inside most of the winter months.
Summer, oh Summer...

​This is the time of year where adventures are abound and no one knows what we'll get into first :)

​We do a great deal of camping, which we love. We enjoy finding new places to camp and finding new favorite places to go.

​This is the time hubby and I like to plan fun things to do with the grandchildren. This past summer was a trip to Jellystone Park in Bloomington, Indiana.

​There's swimming, long walks, campfires, smores, cooking outdoors, and yes, eating outdoors. There is getting together with family and friends. There's festivals and fairs.

​Summer is just an exciting time but can also be an exhausting time.
That's it for me...

​Let's hop on over and see what Jenna Da Sie has in store for us, shall we???

​Remember the hop doesn't officially begin until 2 p.m. EST so the others may not have their blog ready quite yet. I encourage you to come back and check out their answers once everyone goes live!!! 



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Whew that was a long day...

Good morning, everyone!!!

​We made it through Friday with only a few mishaps. We started running out of bagged ice by 10 a.m. yesterday morning, so yep, we were on the phone to see when our delivery would be there. Ended up needing to have two deliveries yesterday on bagged ice. While the driver was there his truck caught on fire. Just the refrigeration unit but hey the smoke that came out of there filled the streets.

​I also had a woman call me on her phone from our gas pumps, then demand I turn the gas pump on for her. LOL. People make me smile. I told her the same thing I just told her over the intercom, "We are prepay or pay at the pump only." Sorry folks, but even if we did still offer this service at our store (which we haven't since June of this year) this weekend we would NOT offer this service no matter what. Just common sense folks. Of course she wasn't happy with my answer and got in her car and drove away. I do hope she found a gas station somewhere that would turn on their pumps for her and I hope she didn't run out of gas before she got there.

​You see a two minute drive in our area right now takes anywhere from ten minutes to a half hour this weekend. It doesn't really matter what time of day or night you try to go. Yes, small town USA just got super busy for a few days and we may be small town USA but we are not idiots around here.

​I no sooner laid my head on the pillow last night to get to bed early, when I received a text from one of the workers that our ATM was out of money. So, this old girl climbed out of bed, ran up to the store, opened the safe and ATM and filled the ATM. So I didn't get as much sleep as I wanted to :( but it's all good, this only happens once a year :)

​After work I helped the daughter get stuff ready for a yard sale today. She wanted to have one but Bug was supposed to have a game today. They ended up canceling the game (smart move) so she went ahead with her plans on the rummage sale, sadly, that meant we needed to get things ready and she and I both worked yesterday. We took two truck loads of stuff from my house to hers before I finally gave out. The son and daughter-in-law were supposed to be bringing more items over last evening and they still had sis's shed and house stuff to bring out. I really hope she does well with it :)

​I told her I would come down and hang out after I revived from peopling a few minutes. The grandchildren are doing a lemonaide stand and selling bottled water and cookies :)

​Sis and the kids walked up town with me last evening long enough to grab a new t-shirt from Ride and Leather for me to wear today at work. I also noticed The Guardians of Children had a booth set up!!! I love these people. They are amazing. If you are unfamiliar with them check them out, they do fantastic work!!! I also put up a couple of videos on my facebook page so check them out and do what you can to support these amazing people!!!

​Well I guess I should get this old body ready for another day of chaos :) Don't get me wrong I love this kind of chaos :)

Everyone have a lovely day!!!

Blessings to all!!!




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Let the fun begin...

Good morning, everyone!!!

​Well I'm rested up and ready for this to begin. After yesterday's excursions I was a bit too tired to go walking, so we didn't venture out last evening. But for the next two days I'll be right in the heart of the happenings in our area.

​If you like old cars, motorcycles, fair food, vendor booths, and great music, well come on over our way and check out the sights. In Jonesboro alone I've heard there are 52 vendor booths this year and tons more over in Gas City and Fairmount.

​The people of Circle K here in Jonesboro are as ready as we'll ever be :) I keep telling our new people, just breathe and keep going.

​Hubby and I had the plugs and wires changed on the truck yesterday. We were gone from 8:30 a.m. until 5 p.m. yesterday. I wasn't able to find my favorite brand of jeans in black. But I will keep checking, surely with Halloween coming they will eventually get them into the stores. Sure, I could go online and grab a pair, which may be the only option I have left, but I am not giving up hope just yet of finding them locally.

​We stopped at the orchard and picked up my first batch of apples :) So Sunday will be apple day!!! Applesauce and Apple Butter will be made in this household that day. Then canned and ready for the charity drive come October :)

​This morning I am sitting out on my porch enjoying the peace and quiet before this day gets insanely crazy. I can hear the roar of engines but not as many as there will be in just a few short hours. Our schools have been let out for the day for good reason. Because getting children to and from will be very difficult today. With cars cruising the main strip and people trying to get from here to there. Yes, it will be a busy weekend for sure.

​I'll try to keep you updated on the festivities over the following days and maybe even grab a pic or two :) That is if there is time to do anything besides wait on customers and restock product :) But I do plan to walk the strip after work or at the very least this evening.

​Hubby leaves out this morning/afternoon for his run. So I will get back to my writing this weekend as well. I'm somewhat looking forward to getting my schedule back to normal and having my entire weekend off once again so I can get some major work done in the writing field.

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​  We will be publishing the third volume of the Crossroads Romance Writers anthology in a few short weeks. I am getting excited to share the amazing stories with you!!!

Well I should get off of here and prepare for this day.

Everyone have a lovely day!!!

Blessings to all!!!




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Just being...

Good morning, everyone!!!

​Yesterday was that day where I did a bit of housekeeping today is the day where if I can get by with it I'm doing very little :)

That's just how this day needs to roll :)

​Hubby and I actually had a nice day all in all. We went to his doctor, which is a true gem. Then we stopped in on a little farmer stand and picked up some fresh green beans, cherry tomatoes, and an acorn squash :) Grabbed a bit of breakfast/lunch, then headed home to get some things done around the house. I have a list a mile long of the things I want to do around the house before winter hits, but those are going to wait until my next day off :) Such as boxes to be gone through and a few items organized before the up and coming colder months. However, I don't want to waste the last few weeks of warm weather doing such things, there will be plenty of colder wet days to do that sort of thing ahead.

​Last evening we had dinner again with the daughter and grandchildren after Bug's football practice. Then hubby and I went out for ice cream :) Something we hadn't done all summer so better get it in while the ice cream shop is still open, right?!?

​Today, we take the truck for plugs and wires. That appointment is pretty early this morning, 9:15 a.m., so we need to leave here in about an hour. Neither one of us knew what he was thinking when he made that appointment. Pretty damn early for a day off don't you think??? Oh well, at least it will be done and we have the rest of the day to do what we want to do :)

​Today, I just want to do me/us. I don't want to have any other plans other that what we have going on at this moment and just see what the day brings. The next few days are going to be pretty demanding so I just feel like a day like this is in order before we push the mark forward. I am determined to make this a good day :)

​Well I guess I should hit the shower and get ready to start this morning.

Everyone have a lovely day!!!

Blessings to all!!!




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My weekend is here!!!

Good morning, everyone!!!

​Yeah I know it is my sleep in day and by all rights I did sleep in, 7:30 a.m. is sleeping in for this old lady :)

​My nine day stretch has come to an end and now I'm resting up for the 'real' weekend ahead. The crazy, busy, insane weekend that lies ahead.

​I'm pretty sure we're ready. You can't move in either back room and the cooler is a bit more crowded than normal, BUT, we're ready :)

​Today, hubby has a doctor appointment, so that is our game plan for the day, go to his doctor appointment :) Then I need to come home and vacuum, do up last night's supper dishes (yes, the only dishwasher this house has is me), and do laundry. I also need to go pick up something for dinner this evening, because I only planned meals through yesterday.

​I made fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and gravy last evening and asked the daughter and grandchildren over for dinner. It was funny, Bug walked in the door and said I smell KFC in here LOL. He's so funny...

​Yeah, that is going to be a big clean up today, but by the time I was finished last evening I was just too tired to do much else.

​So my first day off is definitely a working day off. But that's okay, I don't mind doing a bit of housework. It only takes a few minutes to get this stuff done.

​The daughter is having a rummage sale this weekend, so I am sending some things down for her to sell. I have to go through a few things and get those ready to take to her house today as well.

​Tomorrow morning, early, we have to take my truck over to Kokomo to get the plugs and wires changed. So hubby and I will be running around Kokomo for a few hours killing time. I'm hoping to find a few more pairs of black jeans over there. Keep your fingers crossed.

​Well I guess there really isn't much else going on around here and I should start getting ready to head out to the doctor with hubby.

​Everyone have a lovely day!!!

Blessings to all!!!



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Romance Writers Weekly presents...

Welcome back to Romance Writers Weekly. This week's topic should be a fun one. Brenda Margriet  has asked us to share a bit of ourselves with you this week. Her challenge to us is simply this:

​Everyone has good days where everything goes as expected. But bad days, well, they make the best stories. She wants us to tell you a story about a day where everything went horribly awry, but now makes us laugh.

​Hopefully you stopped by via A.S. Fenichel's page if you're starting here, make sure you go all the way through the hop to read some fun stories. I've been thinking about this topic for days now and for the life of me I can't seem to pick anything in particular. Even now as I'm writing this those bad days elude me.

​No, my life isn't perfect, far from it. However, year's ago I was determined that even on my worst ever days I made myself find something good in that day and dwell on that.

​So let's see... a bad day that went horribly wrong that I laugh about now...

​Back in the day when I had children living at home, there was always something going on. I raised a strong willed daughter who was determined to do what she wanted no matter the cost.

​When she was 14 she had a boyfriend a bit older than she was. I knew him to be a player and if you know me at all I am not one to tolerate players. The crappy thing was he was every bit as strong willed and determined as she was.

​I worked at the nursery behind our house back then. My daughter would watch our youngest children while I was working. The rule being no boys at the house while I was at work. That shouldn't be too difficult to enforce seeing as I could see our house from the nursery, right?

​Well, I would come home to find tire tracks in our front yard where someone had parked. She'd threaten the boys into secrecy, of course, and even though I knew that young man had been at my house, I couldn't prove it completely.

​So, of course I would express both to my daughter and her boyfriend, he was NOT to be at my house when I was working or gone. Of course, both would agree. Which got my gander up because I knew they were lying.

​One afternoon, we had all planned to go somewhere after work. The rule still stood, he was not to come over until I was home. A half hour before I was to get off work, I saw his car pull up in my driveway, park, and him get out. My boss knew I was pissed and hollered for her son, but it was too late, I was already on my way up to my house.

​By the time they got there I was on tiptoes in front of this young man who was over six foot tall, shaking my finger, and giving him what for before throwing him out of my house for good.

​My boss was in a panic, because she just knew that boy was going to hit me. Me, well, I didn't care, I was just being the typical momma bear protecting my own even from themselves.

​Today, well, that boy has a great deal of respect for this old momma bear, something I can officially say, he doesn't have very often for many. When I think of what I must have looked like, standing there in front of him, giving him an ear full, shaking my finger, and telling him to get the hell out, well, it is pretty comical to picture.

​Sometimes you just have to do what you have to do. That was one of those times I wasn't sure I'd live through, but I did :) and so did my daughter, that young man, and all those around us.

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Let's hop on over and see what Leslie Hachtel has in store for us, shall we...