How did you Spend your Extra Hour?

How did you spend your extra hour?

Well, I was awakened by another Hot Flash! I looked at the clock & it was about 3:40. Of course then my brain started waking up wondering if it was 3:40 AM Daylight Savings Time or Standard Time. You see we have a new clock & it is suppose to change the time automatically! SWEET! Well until I was sure of what time it was I had to get up and check the time. Well now my body is completely awake & I had to get started. (I would have tossed & turned & then Bryan would not have gotten any rest.)

This is what I did with my extra hour(s):

Got on Facebook & remained everyone to change the batteries in their smoke/Co2 alarms if they have not done it this year. Be sure to test once a month.
Ran 6-7 errands.
Did one Geo Caching. This one was FUN!
Put out Thanksgiving Decorations.
Found a Brylee Bottle from last weekend so that took some cleaning.
Since Brylee had a cold I took & cleaned everything in her bed & wiped it down really good. (Yes, she is sharing her cold with me.)
Re-arranged the front porch decorations.
Had to water all the outdoor pots by carrying out water from the inside of the house to the yard. I could not get to the outside faucet due to repairs being done on the house. (That blog to come soon)
Watered the indoor plants.
Spot cleaned the couch & the carpets.
Wrapped a few Christmas Gifts.
Picked up the yard a little from all the work being done on the house, so it could be mowed.
Took a nap. (remember I had been going since 3:40AM)

Now don't get me wrong I also had to do my normal weekend chores. You know the ones; washing, ironing, sweeping, vacuuming, cat litter boxes, etc. Read the newspaper. Made a couple of phone calls.

So as you can see my brain wondering what time was it, gave me more than 1 hour, it gave me what? 3-4 extra hours to do things around the house. Believe me this is not all I did but I did not want to bore you too much!!!

So how did you spend your extra hour???

Mileena

Before I tell you of the visit with sweet Mileena I wanted to brag on my nephew & niece, Jeremy & Monica. After years of trying for a small blessing they have a beautiful little one, Mileena,a MIRACLE BABY! Monica had to go on complete bed rest for 50 plus days to keep Mileena safe until she would be strong enough enter this world. Thankfully Jeremy & Monica understood what they had to do for this little blessing. Monica's Baby Shower was even held at the hospital. It took a lot of planning but the shower was wonderful! If I remember there were 3 or 4 shifts of guest that weekend to shower Monica with gifts & love. The room was decorated in butterflies & so many gifts. Very well planned.


Well Jennifer, Cary, Brylee & I finally were able to go & visit this sweet little angel. We took dad out to lunch before he went to work so we could see him. Mom followed us over to Jeremy & Monica so she could see how big Mileena had gotten. Of course as soon as I could get my hands on Mileena I had her. I heard Brylee in the background crying but knew her mom & dad had her so I did not pay too much attention. Well I looked up to check on Brylee & realizes she was not real happy that her TMA was holding another baby! I gave Mileena another couple of squeezes & gave her to her great grandmother (mom), & took Brylee. While looking & admiring Mileena I realize that Brylee was no longer a baby, she was now a crawler/toddler.



Monica was so sweet, she got out a few toys for Brylee to play with. We had a wonderful time visiting.




Monica put Mileena into an Halloween shirt & we took a few pictures of Brylee & Mileena. This is Mileena 1st holiday & Brylee's last 1st holiday. We tried to take pictures of Brylee kissing Mileena. It is a little blurry but you get the picture.

I enjoyed visiting with everyone & seeing Mileena. I hope to get a chance to do it again soon.

Congratulations Monica & Jeremy! Welcome Mileena! Love, hugs & kisses to all!!

Halloween 2010

HAPPY HALLOWEEN EVERYONE!!
What a fun evening with friends & family. We all got together about 5:30 & I think & hope had a great time, I know I did! A few of us dressed up. We enjoyed mummy dogs, chips & cupcakes. We played a couple of games; CREEPY (Spoons) & some played Apples to Apples. We visited & enjoyed the younger children playing together. Brylee was so excited to be playing with other children. Evan (3) & Ashton (4) were so good with her. You could hear her squeals of joy over all the talking in the other room! Thank You Evan & Ashton for letting her join you.

We decorated pumpkins!!! We had teams of 2-3 for each pumpkin. Everyone would have won 1st place if I was judging (and could vote more than once) We had misc items you could choose from to decorate your pumpkins. Curling ribbon. Pom-poms. Scary Piece (Mr Potato Head parts but Halloween) Markers. Everyone was so creative!

We already have an ideas for next years decorating contest so we hope to see you then!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

Happy Birthday Jarvis FunHouse!

Who would have thought that when we signed the contract 28 years ago we would still be calling you "HOME".

To some you are just a house but to us & many others you are "HOME". A place that has been part of our lives for years. A place that we can feel safe. A place to gather together with friends & family and feel welcomed. Oh the FUN, laughter, tears & memories you hold for each of us.

If anyone that is reading this blog has a favorite memory to share please do, we would love to hear your favorite memory.

Tiny Room

There is an e-mail that I love. It is called the Tiny Room in Heaven or something similar to this .It talks about an new angel making the tour of Heaven & when they come to one room it is very small & only 1 angel is working in it. When the new arrival ask what room this is the Other Angel answers, This is the room Thanks Yous are received. It makes me think every time I read it. It is so true I'm always asking God for something, but how many times do I say, " THANK YOU"? After reading this I decided I would make it my mission to say "Thank You" every chance am given. Not just for the prayers he answered for me but for the every day blessings. My family. The warm bed I wake up to. The roof over my head. For me not burning my forehead with the curling iron that morning! You get the point.

So I hope that all the "Thank Yous" I say to God for the prayers & daily blessings he gives me he will need to add one more angel to the room.

So if we all said, "Thank You" for answered prayers & everyday blessings maybe, do you think God will have to add on to the tiny room? I'm doing my share are you??

November Goal

Another reason I maybe doing a lot of reflecting is because I'm trying to discontinue my HRT. Since a doctor told me I needed to be off by the age of 55 then why not at 53? With the possibility going off my High Blood Pressure medicines in November what a way to celebrate & be off all prescriptions!

After reading everything about HRT I have decided to do it slowly by cutting the dosage down slowly a little more every 2-3 wks. Believe me HRT is my happy pill & when mama is happy everyone is happy! A lot of doctors recommend cold turkey but I will not subject my family to that! Believe me I know my limits & so do they. When I told Jennifer what I was doing she said she understood & she had Brylee as a shield. THAT IS NOT PLAYING FAIR!

I'm not sure this was a good time to do this. Between home & work there are a lot of emotions. Home is fine, just a lot of changes. Work well we all have our challenges. I did tell a couple of co-workers about decreasing the HRT so they could help me stay in check & not get to grumpy. One recently commented I was not my usual out going, hyper self. Well I will use this to my advantage to mask the possible real reason. I love my job! I love almost everyone there but it only takes 1 person to ruin it for everyone! Remember 1 person. I'm I that person? Are you that person in your work place?

So at this time until all the emotions are in check I will look for my happy place. It might be remembering the weekend FUN! Planning a game night. What can I do to make someone else day special. Saying extra prayers. Just some way to make the day better & brighter.

Yes sometimes reflecting on yourself will guide you in directions you did not think of. Over all I'm really harder on myself than I should be. Over all I'm not as selfish as I think. I'm very thoughtful of everyone around me & I try to take care of everyone else. As I have said Brylee is my STOP button. Now I need to focus on what I can change about me to be a better TMA & a great influence to Brylee.

Thank you God for my Wonderful life & everyone in it!

Stick & Stones

Stones may break my bones but, words will never hurt me. You know every time I think of that saying I think a child or a parent made that up to take away the sting of the hurt they felt when someone said something to hurt their feelings. Yes, WORDS hurt! I know each of us do it. We call names or say hateful things.Yes, we call someone names while out driving and someone does something stupid, like run a red light when yours is green. Or is cutting in & out of traffic. I will give you the name calling as long as your windows are up. You do not make certain jesters or you don’t do anything stupid yourself. Why? Because they do not hear you.You are able to vent & life goes on. No hurt feelings.Is it necessary to call someone you care about or love,names? Or say hateful words, we generally do this when we are angry or mad. How does it make you feel when you are called a name? How do you think the person feels being called names? When I have called someone a name or said something that hurt their feeling it weighs on my conscience for hours & sometimes days.I even get madder at myself the longer I think about it because what I did is unforgettable by my standards & as a Christian. I know that it is according to the person that I have been rude to, they may let it roll off their back or they are hurt & will not say anything.But was it really necessary? How does this affect our relationship.These are just a few questions I ask myself over,& over & over.
So the next time you are about to call someone a name or say something that could really hurt STOP. Don’t do it. I’m learning to bite my tongue or ways to rephrase what I want to say or I just walk away.
I guess as I get older, I'm learning to pick my battles & there are not as many. So remember sticks & stone may break your bones but,WORDS really hurt! Question, ever wonder how God feels when his name is used in vain?

His Not Heavy He's My Brother!

Many of you know I'm blessed with several siblings. It is according to how you look at the families to say am either the oldest or in the middle. At this posting am the OLDEST. I can say I love all of them equally. They each have a special place in my heart.

I'm the oldest at this posting because my oldest brother passed away some years back. I wish I could tell him today how much I loved him & admired him. I always loved telling people about my Big Brother. Love & Miss you Gene.
Toney is 3 years younger than me. Growing up people thought we were twins! Some of the stories I could tell. Toney now lives in South Carolina, with his wife Angie , Stepson Josh & grandson Laythan. Let me tell you Laythan adores his Papa Tex! He is really a great outstanding man in his community. Again his greatest joy in life is the grand baby. (Sound familiar?) Toney is Toney. He speaks his mind. He earns his pay. If you need a helping hand he is there! I'm very proud of you Toney.
Richard was born when I was 9 years old. So as you can see Toney & I had a strong relationship growing up. Richard was Daddy's buddy. He also made me walk miles & miles up & down the street to either wait on daddy to come down the road so he could "drive" home with him or me walk him until he fell asleep in the evening! Richard & Kim have a wonderful son named Richard Ashton Martin. Most of you know Ashton was diagnosed with Cancer a day before his first birthday. Richard is also a very hard worker & he works when he can get the hours so Kim can stay at home with Ashton. Richard is also the shortest of all my brothers, still taller than me . He is also I think the body builder of all of us. Don't get me wrong Gene, Toney & I have the Martin arms but he has the over all muscle/toning. Do not punch Richard in the stomach...you will be hitting a brick wall! Keep his family in your prayers as they continue work through all that life throws his way.

Bill is my youngest brother. We are 14 years apart but at this time in life the closest. Bill & I enjoy picking on each other. Bill is more like an older brother to Jennifer than an Uncle. Bill & I can talk about everything. Best conversations are our yards! We bounce ideas off each other. We talk hours about nothing. Best of all we pick on each other.

As you might imagine I feel very lucky to have so many brothers. They would do just about anything for me. I love each & everyone of them & Am proud to say...
They're not Heavy.... They're my BROTHERS!!!!

Brylee's Eyes

I know many of you might be wondering why I have Brylee's eyes as the picture for this series. Well, My blue-eyed Sunshine is the one that started all this thinking. As I said before she sees everything so differently than we do. It's all New! It's Amazing! Isn't that the way we should feel everyday? OK I got off track again! Brylee likes to bump heads. rub noses, try her best to kiss you, slobber & all.

One day while playing this game I realized that she was looking into my eyes. Not in playing but LOOKING deep into my eyes. It was like she was looking at my soul. Was she just playing? Was she really looking as deep into my eyes as I thought? or was she the eyes of GOD? This of course started me thinking, again. (I have friends that say I over analyze things, and this would be one of the times.) What did Brylee see when she looked inside? Did she see the love I have for her? Did she see the child in me? Did she see a caring person? Does she see how much I love GOD? What did she see?

Well of course that got me to thinking again. What changes do I need to make in my life to be a better person in this world? A good example for Brylee? I need to be a better Christian. I need to set good examples. I need to show Brylee how to help & take care of others. I need to be sure I keep GOD first in my life!

Phases

As all of you know I'm now a grandmother & am loving every minute of it! Brylee is the sweetest baby & one of the reasons for this series of blog. I have always tried to look at both sides of things. There are two sides to every story. Some would say I look at things though Rose colored glasses. I ask, WWJD . I remember the Golden Rule. Make sure there are not three fingers pointing back at me when am pointing a finger at others. The one my Granddaddy Hodges always said, "If you can't say something nice don't say anything." Boy those words seem to come across my mind a lot lately.

Brylee loves seeing herself in mirrors. I'm not sure she realize it is her or if she thinks it's another baby. I love the happy sounds she makes while talking to her reflection. The kisses she gives the reflection.The, I want to hug you but can't seem to get my arms around you. Then she sees us in the mirror then she looks over at us like wow two of you too?? or when she sees someone walking away, then watches them in the mirror,then looks back again. What is she thinking?? At this time in life everything is good. She likes the person she sees in the mirror. Do I like the person I see? The point is the mirror has 2 reflections & so does life. When we look into the mirror what do we see? Like a couple of postings before I can see the good me & the ugly me.

So when am listening to excuses, reasons, complaint, a suggestion, I always try & I hope go with the positive/good side of it. When I need to solve a difficult problem I ask how would I feel with an answer or action like that? Why because I hope that others will do it for me. I guess in so many ways I wish people would look at things a little more positivity all the time. YES! it is hard to do daily with some of our jobs. We have someone telling us what they think we want to hear instead of what we need to be told. Or their past actions we know they are not going to be completely honest with us. It is hard. I'm around people that think of only themselves daily. Once in a while I'm put into a situation that they will ask me for my opinion on something about themselves. BOY, that is when it gets tough. Oh, how I have to chose my words SO carefully. But again I go through all my little phases I have adopted in life & think positive. Yes, there are times I wish I could just walk away. This is when I say a silent prayer and ask Jesus to help me with the answer. Some times I'm amazed at what comes out of my mouth, but I know it is not me but my prayer(s) being answered.

I hope my actions & word reflect , The Golden Rule. or WWJD. or Not have me pointing 3 fingers back at myself when I have to point a finger at someone. I hope I can shut my mouth & walk away when I I don't have anything positive or good to say. I hope that these phases that I have relied on through out my life will continue to guide me as a positive person. So I'm asking myself each day, each time I have to look within myself, which side of the mirror I'm I reflecting? The Good? or The Bad??

Making a Difference

Making a difference.......I'm a mom, wife, grandmother, daughter, etc... we all know all that. I work a full time job. (Thank You God!) I try to check in on all my family & friends as I can by a quick visit or a phone call, or Facebook. Remember I'm T-Ma & I love spending time with Brylee & Chester. I'm a mom & a wife. I also help out when I can with the Lewisville Fire Department as Petunia. Then of course there are the errands that have to be run. The chores around the house that needs to be taken care of. Do not get me wrong Bryan is right there to help! Let's not forget working in the yard. (That is the time I do a lot of talking with God. ) But as a women do you feel you just don't have enough time in the day, week, month or year to get it all done!?!?
Wrong!!! It is amazing when I'm trying to make a difference. Helping out family and/or friends. Causes or Events. Just dropping what I'm doing to sit & listen to someones concerns. GOD slows down time! I get everything done on my list or it was not that important any way. So the next time you are feeling stretched beyond your ability STOP & re- focus.Take care of your love ones & everyone around you and GOD will take care of YOU!

Mirror, Mirror on the Wall

Mirror, mirror on the wall.... I do a lot of thinking in the mornings while getting dressed. It can be from planning out my day to what happened over the weekend. Many thoughts come across my mind. How many of us look into the mirror to see that we have one more wrinkle, another gray hair. Oh man I really need to get some sleep! I need to lose weight!
Do you ever reflect from there? Do you ask yourself questions like "How could I have said something to a love one a little nicer?" or "How can I make someone else's day?" Do you have a concern in life that you talk with God at that time? Sound crazy? It's not. You see when I need answers I think them through & while standing in front of a mirror I see my reactions to my answer. If it is a nice Yes,that's it! A big smile, eyes wide open you feel happy. If the answer is selfish, mean or not nice I see a frown, more wrinkles, someone very ugly. Someone that I would not like to encounter. Then my thought goes to: is this what God is seeing at this time? So of course I re-group and come up with another answer. Now it might not be at that time but I will ponder on it again either while driving to work or during the day. Why? because I did not like the person in the mirror & I don't think God did either. So remember your body language & expressions speak louder than words. Yes I sometimes just go in & get dressed, thinking of everything I should do for the day. I notice that I do a lot more reflecting on the days I get up on the wrong side of the bed. The reflection in the mirror helps me to realize that is NOT how I want to be all day. Yes I need to solve the problem or work around it but there is no need for the person in the mirror to follow me around all day because I know deep down I will hurt someones feelings. And I never want that! So remember we have control of our attitude, our behavior, Just let the reflection in the mirror help you. Just ask "do I want to be around that person?" if the answer is NO then no one else would want to be around you. I keep that in mind & decided on doing something nice for someone or something. Believe me that takes things to a whole new level! It's a win, win kind of day! If my co-workers only knew what type of day they almost had!! :)

Spending Time Together!

Bryan & I recently decided to just spend time together. After an errand we decided to go to Grapevine Mills for lunch & to see a movie. We were able to see Despicable Me in 3D. Cute movie. While we were waiting for the movie we thought we would call Jennifer & ask her to bring Brylee up for a surprise after the movie. So after another errand we met back up at the mall. The surprise was the Carousel for Brylee to have her first horsey ride. She was not really sure at first but took it all in. After she got off we decided to get an ice cream. That is where all the fun begin! Bryan & I got an soft ice cream cone. Bryan shared with Brylee & let me tell you it got MESSY!!!!! After we got Brylee & Bryan cleaned up we walked Jenn & Brylee back to the car. After doing a walk around the mall we headed to pick up Bryan's car . What a wonderful day.....we need to do it again soon.

The Greatest Show On Earth

It's Circus Time! This year we got to go to the circus as ourselves. Because the circus was holding auditions for clowns, they were not able to hold the Clown Collage. Not to worry we still had a good time. We met our friends, Jeff, Regina, Melissa & Jon there & all sit together.

We found a little place to eat.

Then Bryan, Jennifer, & Cary went Geocaching. Yes they logged a find! Actually the weather was nice for all the walking we did before we went inside.

As we went in we saw some of our friends that we have worked with before at the circus & The Red Nose Run. It was fun to see their faces when they found out we were Ashes & Petunia! We showed them the newest member of the family & I introduced her as Peanut. They said that was a perfect clown name. Since Brylee, aka: Peanut was tired & had fallen asleep, I chose to just find our seats & Bryan went to see if he could say hello to any of the clowns.

This years theme was ZING, ZANG, ZOOM! It was not as large as the circus in the past but you know it was pretty good! It reminded me of a circus of long ago. Well with all the noise, Brylee woke up to see the Elephants, dogs & horses, then back to sleep she went. Towards the end of the show she started waking up again & was able to meet one of the clowns. He did not have his wig/hat on but was still in make-up & she was cool with that. Remember Brylee has not seen us in make-up since she was days old.
So now Brylee has been to the Circus & we had another fun fill evening with friends & family!

Reflection in the Mirror!

Reflection in the Mirror!
Since I do not think I have that many followers I've decided to just write down what I'm thinking, or something that made my day go good or bad, JUST RAMBLINGS. My own self help book I mean, blog!
Yes, there will be interesting items to read from time to time. This is to help me reflect on the person I see in the mirror.
A lot of you know what part you play in this wonderful world but do you ever wonder if you are following God's plan for you? Are you doing his work?
Well let me tell you I know my name is Tressia Lynn Martin Jarvis aka: TJ. I know I'm a wife, mom, grandmother, daughter, etc.....What type of person I'm I really? I'm I someone just going through this world without meaning?Am I doing any good? You know I think sometimes I would love to have a "It's a Wonderful Life" moment.. How does my presents effect those around me?
Do I show, I Care? Do I Encourage? Am I there when someone needs me? Do I show God's love to those around me? Do you see someone nice & caring? or mean & evil? Well I hope that these rambling blogs will help me to see who I am and maybe help you with questions that you ask yourself from time to time.
So to keep you from being bored out of your mind I will try to remember to use the picture on this
posting to let you know it is just a blog of reflection.
.Mirror, Mirror on the wall..........