April In The Burbs

 I had this vintage velvet clown painting posted on the Facebook marketplace for a while and received a message from a someone asking about buying it recently. I picked up on the cheap at a local Goodwill several years ago and probably paid $5 for it, so not much. I had it up in our bathroom for a long time. I moved it to store in my closet, then I tried to put it up in our “school” room gallery, but Dot was decidedly against it. She really didn’t dig this 🤡, so I decided to take it down and list it on the marketplace. The woman who messaged me about it, mentioned to me that she was so excited to see this pop up on her screen. Apparently, her dad collected clowns and he passed away in 2011. I told her to come get the painting, there’s no need to pay me for it. Giving her a smile and making her day a little brighter is payment enough for me. (I was taught by my Pawpaw and my mom to always pay it forward when I can in life.) It just feels good to do the right thing, and the $10 I was se

Dot's emergency kit. Anyone who's been around Dot for any time, namely caretakers and close friends and family, have been taught how to see the signs when she goes into adrenal crisis. Knowing these signs and symptoms and being familiar with them is literally the main difference between helping Dot live through a medical crisis, or not. Knowing what you're looking for and how to respond medically, you'll always be successful at being on the frontline of her health and wellbeing.  An adrenal crisis, also known as an adrenal insufficiency or Addisonian crisis, is a life-threatening condition that occurs when the adrenal glands, which are small glands located on top of the kidneys, do not produce enough hormones. The adrenal glands produce hormones such as cortisol and aldosterone, which are essential for maintaining the body's normal functions, such as regulating blood pressure and glucose levels, and responding to stress. Signs and symptoms of an adrenal crisis may i

 It looks like he’ll be hanging around awhile, so I figured that Beatty needed a more proper introduction. The first thing on Dot's Wish List from Santa was a 'Pink Goldfish'. I was a little hesitant to fulfill this wish for her, as I had accidentally killed about 7 of my own personal goldfish a couple of years ago - and thus gave up trying to keep fish for a while.  Then came along this request.  I was worried about a live animal coming from Santa - what entails getting a fish from a magical being? Would Dot assume that the fish couldn't die because of WHOM it came from? These were mainly my own fears and probably something that would have never even occurred to her - but still. What if something happened to the main thing she wanted and got from Santa?  I talked to my co-parent about my concerns, and we settled on getting her the tank and supplies from us, but letting Dot pick out her own fish at the store. This way should our fish friend not last a super long time, I

  Slumber parties on the weekends at our house, basically started when the pandemic did.  It was just a little something fun their Dad thought of to help with the lockdown boredom and all of the changes that happened around that time for the world.  It was a little something for them to look forward to every week and it quickly became a 2 year tradition so far. 😬😅 Tonight is my night to hang out with them and Dot asked if we could draw together, so you know I had to show them my most favorite Crayola crayon trick!  Notice my impeccable cursive penmanship skillz! ✍🏻 I hope they remember spending time at the table working on all sorts of crafts and fun projects when they’re adults.  It makes my heart so happy that they love spending time with their old Mama! 👵🏻💖 ____________ All photos and opinions are my own. This post was not sponsored in any way and all products used were paid for by myself for personal use.