H54F (yeah acronym that!)

Another week has slipped by and I'm just like....WINE GIVE ME WINE!  Oh well here's five random things from this week that I have loved, not loved, and decided upon.  Oh and an extra number six too!




1.  New Glasses!

My sweet girl entered the world of spectacle donning last weekend.  She was so excited to get her glasses last weekend.  I must admit the vision issue is a gene from her mama.  Here's praying and hoping her eyes do no end up as bad as her mama's :(  #cokebottlesforrealyall

2.  Therapy for me....

I have a secret.  I love refinishing furniture.  My husband and I have these old 1970's crap nighstands.  I hated them with a passion.  Last weekend I took it upon myself to finally refinish them (I've only been saying I would for about seven months).  Knowing that good weather is quickly fleeting I grabbed my sanding supplies and paint and went to work!  I'm very happy that I could use leftover materials from last year's unhappy event to make these babies look so much better!  I only spent $14 on new hardware.  #yeahididthat

3.  I froze in summer.



Really.  Monday was still the summer season and this girl froze her tail off.  It was about 67 degrees and I was in a hoodie.  I better adjust.  #floridaineedyou

4.  Awesome Wednesday!



My daughter and I had a lovely afternoon, just the two of us, on Wednesday.  It was her early release from school so we ventured to Target and spent well over 90 minutes in that piece.  I think we looked at everything in the store and bought some fun Halloween/Fall stuff from the dollar bin.  She was so fun to be with!  Yes, she's growing up and that is tough but this trip was excellent and one I've been thinking about all week.  We wrapped up our girl's afternoon with a trip to Sweet Frogs and met my second bestie Jen.  She happened to bring a long her boyfriend's daughter and I'm happy to report she and my little lady hit it off phenomenally!  For mom friends you know that is a huge score! #mommyhoodrocks

5.  Time Management 101.



I feel like I need that course again.  The past two weeks have had me out of sorts.  This week I was ready to bawl my eyes out.  I decided it is time to readjust my schedule and that means the blog is going to 3 days a week posting.  Wait, no maybe 4 but not six anymore.  I love blogging and find it to be a great outlet for me.  However, life is saying to get the scissors out and start trimming some things.  I plan to keep my Let's Eat posts going, Wednesday's NC posts, and of course these High Five posts going. #aintnobodygottimetogocrazy

6.  One to grow on :)



Today is my Aunt Sue's birthday.  I've sung her praises before on the blog but she deserves them again and again.  Words cannot express how valuable she is to our family and everyone who knows her.  She is a truly selfless soul who gives and gives.  My kids and myself love her to pieces and we want her to have a wonderful birthday!
On Sunday my grandma will turn 89 years old.  Though she battles Alz/Dementia this is also a celebration.  We love her so much and she means the world to all of us (even if we are strangers now).  In honor of her birthday I am posting the link to the End Alzheimer's Walk I am participating in.  In her honor of the honor/memory of someone you love consider a gift $5, $8, $20 it does not matter!  Let's End Alzheimer's so that the future will be clear and full of beautiful memories!

#endalz

Here's that link.

September Is....

The month of fading...



My tan is fading away.  I don't get to be by the water as much as I did in July.  Now you can see my pastiness returning with great fervor.  This year I have vowed to keep some Jergen's Healthy Glow by the shower to maintain some type of skin color.

My highlights are fading away.  Well, they aren't fading away but they are on their proverbial last leg.  If I don't go see my girl before the end of October the grey will be having a huge party on my head and the blonde will be in a bad shade of hombre.

The daylight is fading away.  I noticed last week that the sun was all tucked away by 8:15PM instead of 9:15PM.  This is one of the hardest changes for me to grasp when summer fades into fall.  I like my long days with hours of sunshine.  They make me very happy.  This year I'll adjust by finding some new shows on Netflix to watch.  I'll look forward to them at nine when the kids are tucked in.

September is also the month that puts a spotlight on fading memories and minds and mental function.



It is World Alzheimer's Awareness Month.

The month we go purple around the globe and hear more stories of the the tragic condition that is Alzheimer's/Dementia.

Some of us see it first hand - like I have shared with you about my Mom-o.

This month she will turn eighty-nine years old.  Her dementia battle will turn six this year.  I know that sometimes it is hard to wonder why someone is so baffled by dementia with an elderly loved one.  I've heard people say - "Its part of getting old."  I grin a little because it really isn't part of getting old and that statement is foolish.

Early On Set Alzheimer's is real.

When you are under sixty-five years of age you still have the chance of developing this disease.  How old are you?  You aren't protected.



250,000 people are diagnosed or living with early on set Alzheimer's Disease right now in the United States.  That is a whole population who are not "old".  They are in their 30s, 40s, and 50s.

Can you imagine the pain that is associated with being a parent to a school age kid and slowly forgetting your mom/dad role, their schedule, their birthday, their name, their face?

Let's be real here.  Can you fathom not being around for that college graduation?  Never getting to go to a wedding dress fitting?  Because your mind was stripped of you by fifty-five?



We have to commit to stop thinking this disease is an "old person" disease.

There is no cure for Alz/Dementia.  I know Facebook fools you every day with headlines that make it sound like the missing link has been found and a medication is coming to the pharmacy.  Sadly guys, it isn't true.  If it were I'd be writing to celebrate the healing of my Mom-o's mind and how we whipped this disease.  There would be a big party going on had the cure been found.

May I let you in on a secret though?

The link to the cure of this disease....is in you and I.

The scientists, doctors, and researchers can use our help to make progress in finding medication to treat this disease.  The only issue is they need money to continue their work.  Science is not free.  To end Alzheimer's we have to support the scientific community who work day in and day out to cure this disease.

I'm challenging you to give a little something.  It may be $5 or $50 - the amount doesn't matter!  Any sum of money of can go towards helping the research be completed to get us that much 
closer to a cure.

Please donate to my Walk to End Alzheimer's Team:  Ruth's Hope.  This is my first year participating and I set my bar extremely low.  I would love to have some support from you - in honor or memory of someone you have lost to this disease or in hopes that it never ever affects you or your loved ones.



If you're local and will join my walking team please send me an email!  I would love to have you walk with me on the morning of October 31st!  We can raise awareness and money together for this cause - and have a lot of fun.

Who knows we might just help someone....

The Struggle Is {Alzheimer's} Post Notes

I'm closing up this season's Alzheimer's Posts on a note of please help.



Help end this disease which cannot be prevented or cured.

No one should have to lose who they are in their golden years of life.

Not one human being deserves to be stripped of everything - dignity, memories, respect - because of a destructive disease.

My prayer is that I never not know my children or grandchildren when I am in my final years of life here on this earth.

That prayer is for you as well.

Together we can help.



I'm still working on building my team for Alzheimer's Advocacy and Fundraising.  You don't have to be local to help.  You can live in Timbucktoo and still be a critical piece of the puzzle.

Join the fight because the truth is....it can be us one day.

Click here to talk to your congress person

Click here to donate a financial contribution

Click here to be a champion for the cause

I will be starting my fundraising this summer.  Want to help me out?  Email me your contact by utilizing the contact me on the side bar of this blog.

We can change the future together.





**Graphics courtesy of alz.org**