You are so welcome! Hope this helps you too!
Monday, July 28, 2014
OTC Med Tip for Mama
This cold has hit me like a ton of bricks and it's been almost three days in, and I can think now. Once I got on my Mucinex PE regimen (with iuprofen,) I could hear my own voice through the phlem in my sinuses. Taking the otc pills at the correct time was a feat, but I devised a trick. I wrote the times I needed to take the pills on the paper back of the meds for the rest of the day. See the picture, my next three 4 hour doses are to be taken at 12, 4 and 8. Such a menial thing, but a huge factor in getting those hammers to stop drumming in my head!
I don't have to think about it anymore, it's written down. I won't lose the paper I wrote it on. Just thought you'd like a helpful tip for those days you aren't 100% and it hurts to try to calculate doses and times.
You are so welcome! Hope this helps you too!
You are so welcome! Hope this helps you too!
Friday, July 18, 2014
Memorable Mother Daughter Getaway - part 5
Back at the old school house room, Emily and I took turns getting refreshed and dressed. We rested under the fans spinning the conditioned air around us, as we sat on leather couches facing each other. We let our hunger grow before driving 10 minutes to downtown Gruene. Hopefully we could find parking and a table at the Gristmill Restaurant on a Sunday afternoon to eat some grub.
The hostess seated us right away on a wooden table with wooden benches overlooking the tree lined bank of the Guadalupe River. It was a wonderful setting! We had dabbled shade from and umbrellas protecting us from the afternoon sun, but the temperature was rising and our appetites were fading. We drank water and ate their famous onion rings until our food arrived. Fried food didn't settle so well on a hot day, so we ordered dessert to go, German chocolate cake and Jack Daniels Pecan pie. We would eat it later in the a/c, since the restaurant was not air conditioned. How did the wait staff work in the heat of the summer? Our server, Katie, said she drank a gallon of water a day. I believe it! We promised each other to bring Daddy when it was cooler weather, he'd like the setting, vibe and the food.
When we got back to the bed and breakfast, we caught the ending ceremony of the FIFA World Cup. It tok us a while to figure out which team was celebrating. Then they announced Germany won! What a coincidence, we were staying in an old German settlement. How perfect!
Once we were comfy and cool again, we devoured our delicious desserts and watched the big screen tv located on the stage floor in the old classroom. The modern media tool seemed incongruent with the 1800s style school room and blackboard that filled the wall behind it. I sat there imagining the stories of the children and teachers who spent their days reading an writing in that very room so many years ago.
It was getting late, so we settled in for the night. Full, rested, happy. Looking forward to breakfast and visiting with Margy and the other guests...
We walked right into the stone house and found a family of three with a high school daughter in the morning, along with Margy and her cooks. The food was waiting for us. We had cheesy eggs, bacon, fruit, including half a mango with blackberries, toast and jam, juice and coffee. As we sat, Margy introduced us to the family who were regular visitors. We got to know them and visited for quite a while, enjoying the Houston family's stories and Margy's tales of the old days. It felt like a home away from home. It was lovely for me and Em sat quietly listening as she nibbled more bacon and eggs brought out fresh when we asked for more.
Emily and I were about to leave to pack and Margy invited us to see her room in the stone house. She showed us her private quarters and let us into her heart a little more. What a treasure she was, she made me miss my parent and grandparents!! Our trip was winding down on a very sweet note!
We will definitely be back to find respite at the Kuebler Waldrip Haus!
The hostess seated us right away on a wooden table with wooden benches overlooking the tree lined bank of the Guadalupe River. It was a wonderful setting! We had dabbled shade from and umbrellas protecting us from the afternoon sun, but the temperature was rising and our appetites were fading. We drank water and ate their famous onion rings until our food arrived. Fried food didn't settle so well on a hot day, so we ordered dessert to go, German chocolate cake and Jack Daniels Pecan pie. We would eat it later in the a/c, since the restaurant was not air conditioned. How did the wait staff work in the heat of the summer? Our server, Katie, said she drank a gallon of water a day. I believe it! We promised each other to bring Daddy when it was cooler weather, he'd like the setting, vibe and the food.
Once we were comfy and cool again, we devoured our delicious desserts and watched the big screen tv located on the stage floor in the old classroom. The modern media tool seemed incongruent with the 1800s style school room and blackboard that filled the wall behind it. I sat there imagining the stories of the children and teachers who spent their days reading an writing in that very room so many years ago.
It was getting late, so we settled in for the night. Full, rested, happy. Looking forward to breakfast and visiting with Margy and the other guests...
We walked right into the stone house and found a family of three with a high school daughter in the morning, along with Margy and her cooks. The food was waiting for us. We had cheesy eggs, bacon, fruit, including half a mango with blackberries, toast and jam, juice and coffee. As we sat, Margy introduced us to the family who were regular visitors. We got to know them and visited for quite a while, enjoying the Houston family's stories and Margy's tales of the old days. It felt like a home away from home. It was lovely for me and Em sat quietly listening as she nibbled more bacon and eggs brought out fresh when we asked for more.
Emily and I were about to leave to pack and Margy invited us to see her room in the stone house. She showed us her private quarters and let us into her heart a little more. What a treasure she was, she made me miss my parent and grandparents!! Our trip was winding down on a very sweet note!
We will definitely be back to find respite at the Kuebler Waldrip Haus!
Thursday, July 17, 2014
Memorable Mother Daughter Getaway - part 4
Falling alseep in an unfamiliar place with strange sounds is difficult, unless you are really tired. Being in the Texas heat will wear you out! Emily and I slept in the school house where 6 ceiling fans blew cool air over us. When the light started to pour in through the windows above the wooden shutters of the old school house, my first thought was "breakfast!"
We got dressed an headed over to the rock house, where three cooks worked in the kitchen. The aroma in the house was divine! Ham, yeast rolls, cinnamon, coffee smells filled our senses. We sat at a table with three other people, since the other dining tables were full of happy chatting travelers. That's when we met Margy Waldrip.
A former Spanish school teacher and Texas history lover, Margy opened her home and her heart to all who stay at her B&B. She's hosted thousands of people in her home over 27 years. Many guests come back year after year. She began by renting her own bedroom out and sleeping on the couch. Now the Haus has 11 quaint rooms within 3 separate buildings on 43 acres. Margy sat and had breakfast with the guests and spoke of the history of her Haus and listened to our travel adventures. She is 74 and her mind is as sharp as a tack. She is a sweet grandmotherly figure who makes sure you get all the food and coffee you want and that your stay is comfortable.
After breakfast, Emily and I donned our bathing suits and headed to rent tubes on the Comal River. We drove 15 minutest to New Braunfels where there is a tube rental station at every stop. We got our tubes and were shuttled down to the water. There are sidewalks with stair entrances along the river. We chose to stay with the family group of 6 who rode the shuttle with us. It was a mom and dad and 4 young boys. They had tubed this area a couple of days earlier and would show us the ropes, since it was our first time.
We hopped on our tubes and were floating along happily. Little did we know that tragedy would soon strike! Matt and Ben, the oldest two boys of the family group, warned us about the chute coming up. It was where the path of water narrowed and quickened as it shot you to the lower level of the river. They went ahead as Emily and I prepared ourselves and our belongings. I had the cooler tube tied onto my tube and she rode solo. I grabbed the bag of snacks, which were not zipped tight. We had rode tubes through chutes many times at the water park, so we figured this was easy! Until we got caught in the whirlpool on the next level. We tried to get back into the current but ended up exiting the water and re-entering it. It was a disaster!
It took about 15 minutes to get out and back into the water, I was sure our adopted group was long gone down the river. But, the two oldest boys, Matt and Ben had stopped and helped us catch up. These two 11 year old boys were lifesavers! So courteous and mannerly. Ben was out of his tube more than in it assisting and swimming. Matt enjoyed chatting with us as we floated on the cool water. soon we found ourselves just moving along without much work as the sun warmed us for almost an hour. Then it was time for a snack. We shared our snacks with our group, the baby loved the mega stuffed Oreos and butter snap pretzels. It was fun to watch his excitement over the treats as he sat on his dad's lap in their tube. Another 45 minutes went by and we drank most of our thermoses of water and reapplied our sunscreen. Then it was time to exit the river and shuttle back to our cars. Good bye new friends...
I did it! I finally fulfilled a promise to take Emily tubing on the river. Now it was time to get cleaned up and eat at the Gristmill...
We got dressed an headed over to the rock house, where three cooks worked in the kitchen. The aroma in the house was divine! Ham, yeast rolls, cinnamon, coffee smells filled our senses. We sat at a table with three other people, since the other dining tables were full of happy chatting travelers. That's when we met Margy Waldrip.
A former Spanish school teacher and Texas history lover, Margy opened her home and her heart to all who stay at her B&B. She's hosted thousands of people in her home over 27 years. Many guests come back year after year. She began by renting her own bedroom out and sleeping on the couch. Now the Haus has 11 quaint rooms within 3 separate buildings on 43 acres. Margy sat and had breakfast with the guests and spoke of the history of her Haus and listened to our travel adventures. She is 74 and her mind is as sharp as a tack. She is a sweet grandmotherly figure who makes sure you get all the food and coffee you want and that your stay is comfortable.
After breakfast, Emily and I donned our bathing suits and headed to rent tubes on the Comal River. We drove 15 minutest to New Braunfels where there is a tube rental station at every stop. We got our tubes and were shuttled down to the water. There are sidewalks with stair entrances along the river. We chose to stay with the family group of 6 who rode the shuttle with us. It was a mom and dad and 4 young boys. They had tubed this area a couple of days earlier and would show us the ropes, since it was our first time.
We hopped on our tubes and were floating along happily. Little did we know that tragedy would soon strike! Matt and Ben, the oldest two boys of the family group, warned us about the chute coming up. It was where the path of water narrowed and quickened as it shot you to the lower level of the river. They went ahead as Emily and I prepared ourselves and our belongings. I had the cooler tube tied onto my tube and she rode solo. I grabbed the bag of snacks, which were not zipped tight. We had rode tubes through chutes many times at the water park, so we figured this was easy! Until we got caught in the whirlpool on the next level. We tried to get back into the current but ended up exiting the water and re-entering it. It was a disaster!
I did it! I finally fulfilled a promise to take Emily tubing on the river. Now it was time to get cleaned up and eat at the Gristmill...
Wednesday, July 16, 2014
Memorable Mother Daughter Getaway - part 3
Well, that was a bit stressful, but after finding the right road, we could continue following the written instuctions to the Kuebler Waldrip Haus. The excitement was mounting!
While I knew what the property looked like on the website, Emily hadn't seen any pictures. The further we drove out of the city, the calmer she became. Her comments about loving the country made my heart smile, since I grew up in the country.
After driving down a white rock driveway past one building, we pulled up to the stone house. We walked into an established home after reading the "come in" message on the door. We found Darryl Kuebler who showed us around. He gave us our key and we headed to the Danville Schoolroom for a quick tour. The room is an amazing 863 sq ft one room school room purchased at auction in 1990 by Margaret Waldrip. It was moved 12 miles to the property and retains the original wood ceiling, walls and floor. It was a wonderful setting for our girl's retreat. The atmosphere was palpable, and it took me back to the old days when school children of all ages learned together.
Darryl left and we unloaded our belongings, grabbed the fishing gear and headed to the pond at the entrance of the properties, so I could teach Em to fish. It was a 3 minute walk across the yard and down the rock road. We put our chairs in the shade and took the tags off the new pole. Soon I was baiting the wriggly worms on the hook and Emily grossing out. After a quick lesson, she was casting her line into the pond. I didn't tell her that it had been years and years since I had fished. I was a confident teacher, hoping the whole event would be a success for her sake. The heat was the worst part, but we knew we needed to be out in it for her physical training for color guard camp. She was smiling, casting, and reeling for a short time, then she caught her first few fish and made sure I took pictures. It was blazing hot, but the fish were biting and I made good on a promise.
She kept thanking me for taking her fishing. She had so much fun! More than one goal was accomplished in that hour. She learned the equipment, technique and reward of catching fish. She trained her body to withstand the evening heat a bit more. She practiced her thankfulness and I gladly received it.
It was time to get cleaned up and head to a restaurant, which we did. The Gristmill was less than 10 minutes away and I had a confident navigator to help me get there. The small historic district was lined with cars and there were people walking everywhere like the county fair, so we drove on past. We were getting hungry and just wanted to find a cool place to eat, so she used her phone and called out restaurants as we drove towards New Braunfels and through town until I settled on Schlotsky's. We ate our sandwiches in the air conditioning, which tasted so good to two hungry fisherwomen.
My trained navigator called out directions and I drove slowly through the country at dusk avoiding a few deer and got us back to the B&B, where we explored our giant room and settled in for the night. We would try the Gristmill Restaurant again the next day after tubing in the morning. Hopefully one of their ten dining areas would have a table for us in the early afternoon.
Good night...
While I knew what the property looked like on the website, Emily hadn't seen any pictures. The further we drove out of the city, the calmer she became. Her comments about loving the country made my heart smile, since I grew up in the country.
After driving down a white rock driveway past one building, we pulled up to the stone house. We walked into an established home after reading the "come in" message on the door. We found Darryl Kuebler who showed us around. He gave us our key and we headed to the Danville Schoolroom for a quick tour. The room is an amazing 863 sq ft one room school room purchased at auction in 1990 by Margaret Waldrip. It was moved 12 miles to the property and retains the original wood ceiling, walls and floor. It was a wonderful setting for our girl's retreat. The atmosphere was palpable, and it took me back to the old days when school children of all ages learned together.
It was time to get cleaned up and head to a restaurant, which we did. The Gristmill was less than 10 minutes away and I had a confident navigator to help me get there. The small historic district was lined with cars and there were people walking everywhere like the county fair, so we drove on past. We were getting hungry and just wanted to find a cool place to eat, so she used her phone and called out restaurants as we drove towards New Braunfels and through town until I settled on Schlotsky's. We ate our sandwiches in the air conditioning, which tasted so good to two hungry fisherwomen.
My trained navigator called out directions and I drove slowly through the country at dusk avoiding a few deer and got us back to the B&B, where we explored our giant room and settled in for the night. We would try the Gristmill Restaurant again the next day after tubing in the morning. Hopefully one of their ten dining areas would have a table for us in the early afternoon.
Good night...
Tuesday, July 15, 2014
Memorable Mother Daughter Getaway - part 2
While the plans of our getaway came together very well we had a couple of days to wait to actually make the memorable trip. While I am usually the first in our household to plan, prepare and pack; I was excited to see Emily had packed and was ready for the trip before me. It was a sign of a well-needed vacation.
Her dad and I have been verbally prepping her for the early mornings, physically taxing and heat exhausting schedule she is about to begin. To tell you the truth, I think it's overwhelming her and she is scared. I would be too if I had spent the school last year getting up at 9:00 am, doing my work at home and setting my own pace. She is aware that high school starts at 8:30 and she'll have two extra curricular practice/performance schedules to juggle on top of 8 periods of learning. I'm tired already just thinking about it for her!
It's important to make memories with a teenager before it's too late. So, when the day came, we were off. Once we had lunch with Dad, and I got my ducks in a row, we said good bye to him and were off on our Mother Daughter Getaway adventure. It was going to be a fun vacation without Dad because he had to work on Monday and we like to do things our way. Boy howdy! The butting of heads began before we were out of our neighborhood.
We like to listen to music in our family. We also like to control the music that plays in the car. Afterall, the music sets the tone for the trip! But, I had to remind Emily that I am in charge of changing songs unless I give her the choice of song from the music we both listen to on our iPhones. It took a couple of tries, but she got the message that mom is the boss. And we were at peace again.
We were off on our bed and breakfast, fishing, tubing, shopping adventure! But we had to stop and get fishing gear. Our first stop was Cabela's. Our second lesson was asking for help. We found an employee in the fishing department and he hooked us up! Get it! Once everything was in our cart and he gave us simple directions for fishing and handed me the worms, we were walking to the checkouts and Emily commented on how efficient it is when we ask for help. I was so proud she got this right away! We had a female bonding moment over a snarky comment by my teen about how men don't ask for help followed by some laughter.
In the car, I dubbed her as the navigator, and I asked Emily to read and summarize the directions I printed from the website for the Kuebler Waldrip Haus. We talked through it together as the car idled in the Cabela's parking lot. I helped her abbreviate it her notes so it was easier to read. I love those teachable moments. I live for them!
We ran into some trouble when Hwy 46 was the only sign and we were looking for Loop 337, so we continued on past the stop sign and Emily typed Loop 337 into her phone app. She was stressed I kept going and didn't stop but when she was able to get me to the road we were looking for, she was fine. She had to think quickly and direct me to the right road from our current location. She did well under pressure and even though she didn't like it. I took that opportunity to praise her for her quick work and told her I react the same way under pressure. I told her she would get better at learning to deal with pressure, because there will be many more stressful moments in her life.
That led to a conversation about my over-reacting to things and then stressing her out. And we were sharing and talking and bonding some more.
We had a little further to go...
Her dad and I have been verbally prepping her for the early mornings, physically taxing and heat exhausting schedule she is about to begin. To tell you the truth, I think it's overwhelming her and she is scared. I would be too if I had spent the school last year getting up at 9:00 am, doing my work at home and setting my own pace. She is aware that high school starts at 8:30 and she'll have two extra curricular practice/performance schedules to juggle on top of 8 periods of learning. I'm tired already just thinking about it for her!
It's important to make memories with a teenager before it's too late. So, when the day came, we were off. Once we had lunch with Dad, and I got my ducks in a row, we said good bye to him and were off on our Mother Daughter Getaway adventure. It was going to be a fun vacation without Dad because he had to work on Monday and we like to do things our way. Boy howdy! The butting of heads began before we were out of our neighborhood.
We like to listen to music in our family. We also like to control the music that plays in the car. Afterall, the music sets the tone for the trip! But, I had to remind Emily that I am in charge of changing songs unless I give her the choice of song from the music we both listen to on our iPhones. It took a couple of tries, but she got the message that mom is the boss. And we were at peace again.
We were off on our bed and breakfast, fishing, tubing, shopping adventure! But we had to stop and get fishing gear. Our first stop was Cabela's. Our second lesson was asking for help. We found an employee in the fishing department and he hooked us up! Get it! Once everything was in our cart and he gave us simple directions for fishing and handed me the worms, we were walking to the checkouts and Emily commented on how efficient it is when we ask for help. I was so proud she got this right away! We had a female bonding moment over a snarky comment by my teen about how men don't ask for help followed by some laughter.
In the car, I dubbed her as the navigator, and I asked Emily to read and summarize the directions I printed from the website for the Kuebler Waldrip Haus. We talked through it together as the car idled in the Cabela's parking lot. I helped her abbreviate it her notes so it was easier to read. I love those teachable moments. I live for them!
We ran into some trouble when Hwy 46 was the only sign and we were looking for Loop 337, so we continued on past the stop sign and Emily typed Loop 337 into her phone app. She was stressed I kept going and didn't stop but when she was able to get me to the road we were looking for, she was fine. She had to think quickly and direct me to the right road from our current location. She did well under pressure and even though she didn't like it. I took that opportunity to praise her for her quick work and told her I react the same way under pressure. I told her she would get better at learning to deal with pressure, because there will be many more stressful moments in her life.
That led to a conversation about my over-reacting to things and then stressing her out. And we were sharing and talking and bonding some more.
We had a little further to go...
Monday, July 14, 2014
Planning a Memorable Mother Daughter Getaway
It was a last minute decision, but one I will never regret. I wanted to make plans for my 14 year old freshman and I to get away for a weekend, since she won't have a free weekend for a very long time. She's getting involved in color guard and lacrosse in high school, so weekends will be a thing of the past for us. We spent the past homeschool year and most of the summer together and needed something fun to do.
First I had to find a place to stay, then I needed to find things to do. I didn't want to go too far, but create a memorable and relaxing time. It took me a few hours searching online, but God gave me the one! Emily had never been to a bed and breakfast, so I made plans for us to stay at at the Kuebler Waldrip Haus (http://www.kueblerwaldrip.com/) in New Braunfels. We got the last room they had for two nights on a Saturday and Sunday. It was rural, which was appealing to the relaxing part of my goal, and I saw they had a fully stocked pond. I knew she wanted to learn how to fish so that would be one thing we could do fun together.
We could do many other things in the New Braunfels area, outside of San Antonio. Emily had always wanted to go tubing on the Comal, but we had always spent our time at Schlitterbahn, the world's best waterpark, instead. So, I planned to take her tubing on the Comal River, the "longest shortest river in the world." It was a good choice over the Guadalupe River since it stays about 72 degrees year round and has a more family friendly feel.
My plans had to include a nice restaurant. I'd always wanted to eat at the Gristmill Restauant in the historic district of Gruene. We'd never made it there knowing they didn't have A/C. One of my side goals on this trip was to help Emily acclimate to the heat for upcoming guard camp and marching band camp. Wow, my plans were coming together nicely (patting myself on the back.)
On our trip down IH -35, we could stop at the outlet mall , which we rarely visited, and do another one of her favorite things, shop! So, we had a place to stay with breakfast built in, a restaurant I'd been wanting to go to and a few first time activities, so my planning was done.
Almost...
First I had to find a place to stay, then I needed to find things to do. I didn't want to go too far, but create a memorable and relaxing time. It took me a few hours searching online, but God gave me the one! Emily had never been to a bed and breakfast, so I made plans for us to stay at at the Kuebler Waldrip Haus (http://www.kueblerwaldrip.com/) in New Braunfels. We got the last room they had for two nights on a Saturday and Sunday. It was rural, which was appealing to the relaxing part of my goal, and I saw they had a fully stocked pond. I knew she wanted to learn how to fish so that would be one thing we could do fun together.
We could do many other things in the New Braunfels area, outside of San Antonio. Emily had always wanted to go tubing on the Comal, but we had always spent our time at Schlitterbahn, the world's best waterpark, instead. So, I planned to take her tubing on the Comal River, the "longest shortest river in the world." It was a good choice over the Guadalupe River since it stays about 72 degrees year round and has a more family friendly feel.
My plans had to include a nice restaurant. I'd always wanted to eat at the Gristmill Restauant in the historic district of Gruene. We'd never made it there knowing they didn't have A/C. One of my side goals on this trip was to help Emily acclimate to the heat for upcoming guard camp and marching band camp. Wow, my plans were coming together nicely (patting myself on the back.)
On our trip down IH -35, we could stop at the outlet mall , which we rarely visited, and do another one of her favorite things, shop! So, we had a place to stay with breakfast built in, a restaurant I'd been wanting to go to and a few first time activities, so my planning was done.
Almost...
Saturday, July 5, 2014
Media Guru in the Making
As a volunteer social media specialist at my church, I know a little about the topic. I'm a regular facebooker and the Pinterest queen, and I occasionally tweet. But, admittedly, I am a novice at the whole blogging process and am learning as I go. As I research Christian women's blogs, the new world of blogging opens up to me, and I realize there is so much to learn about this media.
A lot of blogger's make money, have giveaways, have sponsors, display advertisements, have linky parties, share posts by other bloggers. There is daily blog maintenance, which includes pinning a post, sharing posts on google +, facebook, twitter and instagram. One can track pageviews, subscribers, and followers.
What topics should we write about? Who is our audience? Should we include pictures? Do we need catch words and phrases to promote our blog? The more I read online, the more questions I have. Of course, it is normal to be overwhelmed when learning something new. Some days the reading leads to more learning, and other days are a loss with only more questions. I have to be careful not to get lost in the computer tunnel and say hello and feed my family, let the dogs out, and such.
With time and reading skills, anyone can be a self-taught social media guru. With the search engines and generous people sharing their information and tips online daily, the information needed is out there. I look forward to continuing my online education on how to blog effectively. I am so glad it's not up to me to find words, thoughts, ideas, and content. I am just the deliverer in this position, and I work for a godly women with great writing skills.
I look forward to traveling this learning journey and using it to minister to others with a terrific church leader, Kat Cannon. If you want to read some of her stuff you can go to R.E.A.L. Women's Rants and Raves. You may just find her blog on Pinterest or Facebook. That, my friend, is progress and didn't just happen. You are invited to read my stuff too, and I hope to use my new found skills to better my blog also.
May you be inspired, and all tips, comments and advice is welcomed!
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