Dear God.....

Thank you

Nuff said........

A Bullet Kinda Night.........

1. Jophie has been trying out all colors of the rainbow for the past few days starting with a bit green under the gills leading up to a lovely shade of Dusky blue then altering shades of white and red. He's also been testing his monitor alarms evidentally to make sure it will in fact record heart rates well into the 100's and Sats low enough to keep the best Limbo player on their toes. Ahhh fun Times!
2. Beat my grass into submission it also beat me to a pulp. Hope I can move tomorrow
3. Swam with the girlies Friday(Only 3rd time this summer cause its been so rainy/cold...It's gonna be a looooooooong winter)
4. Finally managed to get Pictures of girlies in graduation Gowns/Caps and for the first time ever I screwed up the pictures royally. I barely salvaged one. UGH
5. Girlies all start School Monday
6. Crazy people grabbed man walking on road/dragged him to cemetary up the road/doused him with "something" then set him on fire. Had to be lifeflighted. 2nd/3rd degree burns. Lovely neighborhood we live in(So I thought)
7. Crazy looney bird neighbor was finally evicted for good(At least I don't have to worry bout that mess now)
8. Without going into detail....I've Spent the last couple weeks running my tail off and sitting/sitting/sitting in this office or that office signing this paper and that paper which in the long run was worth it but sure didn't help me worry any less. (Nothin' like flyin' by the seat of your pants)
9. Finally got paid(I think I can breath now.....For at least a couple more weeks)
10. Snagged some tasty summer harvest and have been eating my fill
11. Need to get things moving along on the Fundraiser(Someone please kick me in the tail K?)
12. Summer is leaving and I feel I've missed seeing a long lost friend. Gonna enjoy what bits of sunshine I can snag before it truly is winter
13. Cleaned/Treated Pool(It's a lovely Aqua Hue)
14. Thank you Charles ;)
15. Watchin' my favorite thing Football!(TONS of pre-season games)
16. Neighbor knocked on door late tonight which of course scared me(Was Seeking dirt on the earlier fire accident or rather asking if Katy our resident watch dog had any dirt)
17. Neighbor then calls at 11:30 p.m. tonight which scared me again(She was just offering up the tid bits of dirt that she and hubby went and gathered up on earlier fire accident)
18. New nurse then calls at 12:30 a.m. scaring me yet again(My phone never rings folks but Saturday and tonight it's been like Grand Central Station round here)
19. New nurse was sick and says can't work and also "Quits"(Devasted is an understatement)
20. Me thinks God wants me to remain a hermit
21. Me thinks I'm never dreaming of possibly doing something enjoyable ever again
22. "Crying Uncle"
23. I think I need one of my friends tonight. Ativan or Benadryl? What say you?

Good night my friends.......

Trina and Jophie

Remembering the Sunshine..........

Because this summer I'm pretty certain it's left Ohio to spend its vacation on some remote island FULL OF SUNSHINE no doubt......

I do vaguely remember it's existance....

And just to celebrate what used to be and to give me some healthy reminders of what is hopefully to come let's plaster this Amazon Jungle Rainforest with some Sunshine!!

Here....


And here......


OK so it wasn't so sunny on this day but what a great time he had looking at the world without those shades....

Had to work slowly to get those shades off....


Ta Da! No Shades and I'm still cool!




Now thats what I call some sunshine!










Seeee even Jophie is excited......


Who wouldn't after drinking up a yummy cupfull of this?


Now how's that for bringing some sunshine to our Amazon Jungle??!
I'm not sure what's brighter the actual sunshine or Jophies smiles! :0)

For now I'm gonna bask in the glow coming off this page from Jophies smile and thank God just one more time that he's been able to actually "go out" and enjoy the sunshine rather than just see glimpses of it peeking through his bed railings.

Walking in his SONshine and praying for some SUNshine.....
Trina and Jophie

"SPRINKLED" with Love...............

And it's days like this that keep me going .....

Mix in a whole lotta sunshine......


Then add.....

1. One little boy



2. One bath chair



3. One pair of shark swim trunks



4. One pair of cool shades



5. Two feet with very hot piggies



6. One big smile

Stir Gently.......

Next add ONE magic ball....



Wave your hand.....Say the magic words then sling one cup of magic "sprinkle" dust through the air!......




If mixed correctly you will see lots of this......


And This...


A whole lotta this......




Plenty of taste testing to see if we got it "just right".....




Set Timer for hot sunshine degrees and bake for 1 hour at which time you'll start seeing one little boy getting very very sleepy..

Going....

Going....


Gone....


Funny how this......


Can create so much of this.....


Especially when this AND this said otherwise.....

It was a very dark and scary time.....

Yet here we are over a year later and Jophie is doing the very thing he loves best..

Playing in water!

YIELDS: One funfilled hour with said small boy fully enjoying some sprinkler fun!

Thank you Little Tykes(On sale for $11.00 by the way)


NOTE: This is not a paid advertisement

Trina and Jophie

Roid Rage Patrol............

And so the next steroid reduction begins.......

I reduced Jophies 9 p.m. dose from 15 mg down to 12.5 mg.....In theory this should be a small enough reduction so as not to cause too many problems/complications.

In theory....

In true Jophie form these small calculated reductions almost always bring out the Roid Raging Monster in full force......Typcially we see signs of it ugly head poking ever so slightly out of its deep dark cave around the 24 hour mark......

Just in case this momma is spit shining her armor cause I'm gonna slay me some Roid Dragons!

For now the little prince is sleeping soundly and because this momma has mastered stealth mode he is completely oblivious to the missing 2.5 mg of powdery hormone gold otherwise known as Cortef....

Still no word on Jophies A. Subsidy course this is not from lack of trying....

I am persistant and I do question with boldness.....
I am not afraid to ask for the truth.
In fact I demand it......

When a deer is hit on the road we have the decency to put it out of its misery. Do we not?

We deserve no less.....Agree?

Either you toss us a tourniquet or amputate it makes no matter to me. What does matter is that you must stop the gushing blood that continues to flow aimlessly to the ground....

The truth please......That's all I'm asking

See I even have manners ;)

When the dawn breaks I'll once again begin my dialing quest in hopes of reaching the living breathing person who quite possibly holds the answer to this long awaited question.....

Is Jophie included in your budget?

And, in the event there are any prominent eyeballs peeking in on us I'd like to remind yo to look very closely at who you are hurting.....

You see this smiling face?


How bout this one?


Or maybe this one? He sees angels you know.......



Honestly, I could care less about me but.....


Your messin' with my baby and this momma bear is startin' to growl.....


I'm just sayin'...........

Walking in his SONshine
Trina and Jophie

I'm pooooped..........

Tired
Tuckered
Beat............

Mentally and Physically

You get the idea........

We've had sooo much rain lately that it's been next to impossible to get the grass cut. It seriously had turned into a jungle......Today I managed to wrangle that jungle into submission. It only too 4 1/2 hours. Usually it takes me about 1 1/2 hours which gives you an idea of how out of control that mess was........I'm sooo glad to have that taken care of. At least I can mark one thing off my list.....

There's so much going on that I honestly have no clue where to even begin or end. I'm having trouble wrapping my brain around some things let alone actually yanking it from my brain to here...

We still haven't gotten paid....I was supposed to have heard something today but was unable to get in touch with the person who "supposedly" has that information. I'll try again tomorrow.

Have I mentioned lately how much our government sucks right now? Maybe its only been the walls who've been hearing my ranting and raving? No matter it's still a mess and we're right in the thick of it all.....

I'm not comfortable just yet with telling all but soon if things turn out as we fear this momma is gonna be spewing like Old faithful!

I'm eating bacon by the way......Random

Random is my life lately....I'm seriously all over the board. Good luck following me....LOL

Jophie is doing well.......All smiles as usual with only a few of his normal little "blips" along the way..... Soon we have to do another steroid reduction. I dread it like always and have been putting it off...Bad Momma...I just hate hate seeing that Roid Rage! It's evil I tell ya just plain evil but, we have to muddle through the madness to get to the good on the other side......It's so worth it :0)

Jophie hasn't had much outdoor time bacause of our funky weather. We're hoping that's gonna change soon. We have a Little Tykes sprinkler ball we are dying to let him try. Water is such a "no no" but he loves it so much and I think we've covered all the bases to prevent anything from going wrong. Now bring on the sunshine!

Jophie hangin' out under our little shade tree......


Look how relaxed he is....


He loved it under that shade tree. You'd be surprised how tiny that thing is if you could actually see it in real life. It sure gives a lot of shade though! He could have stayed out longer but it was time for Lora to leave.

Jophies 4th annual Fall Fundraiser is coming up. I'm really excited about the whole thing as it's completely different than what we normally do.

We are having a Hog Roast/Fun day! It's set tentatively for Sept. 19th. The venue is pretty certain but we are just waiting on a verbal on that one. I'm working on the flier but still need that venue before they can go to print.

So far we have The Hog Man who will be roasting the hog and making all the food. The Hog has been donated. We have inflatables donated. We have tables/chairs donated. We have Port-a-Potties donated and you know you gotta have those! :0) We have a ginormous tent donated. We have 2 sheet cakes donated. We have one "very well known" place donating but I can't say what that is just yet.

There is also going to be Horse shoe and Corn Hole Tournements. A softball game. Games for the little ones/Face painting as well as the inflatables. Lots of yummy food! Pulled Pork Sandwiches/Brown/White Beans/Cornbread/Hot dogs & Sauce/Pop/Sno-Cones/Cake/Cupcakes along with other deserts. We hope to have balloons but we're still working on that one. Anyone locally have connections that could help there?

We also need themed baskets for auction/raffle. Lots of them. So far we have one from England coming(Thanks Tia!) One coming from Texas(Thanks Naomi!) One more I can't mention just yet. The good thing is we have several weeks to gather these as well as the other needed items.

We're waiting on phone calls back on a few things and have a bazillion more to make. Lora and I are going to sit down tomorrow and make our lists. "DONE" and "NEEDS DONE" and/or "Waiting to hear back"

We are going to need help as in "bodies" to help with the games/Inflatables/organization ect...You get the idea. I'll be able to take some pictures but Jophies nurses and I will be all swapping off taking care of him throughout the day/evening so someone taking pictures would be ever so helpful.

If you would like to help be it here locally, from afar, Providing a themed basket, Donating a desert, Donating any of the items we are still needing(I will post that list as soon as we get it organized), Any connections you may have to help with needed items/donationse ect.....Please just toss me an email at booboo2003@roadrunner.com or for those who have my number just phone me. I am quite busy with Jophie so I will be adding contact info of others who are close to us and will be helping.

One thing to keep in mind. If you are local and plan to help or stop by please do keep in mind that Jophie is VERY IMMUNE COMPROMISED and visitors are VERY limited. Visitors with ANY COLD SYMPTOMS or illness at all are NOT permitted to come in. I'm sorry if this sounds harsh but Jophies life depends on me following these very strict guidlines.

Did I mention the best part yet? The whole Hog Roast/Fun Day Benefit is FREEEEEE!

Yep! You read that right its FREEEEE! We will be taking donations at the entrance so all donations are appreciated but no worries if you are unable to donate. You just come right on in and have fun! :0)

One more thing to talk about.....

I have a few "new" things to add to Jophies donation section as well as a "Jophies Closet". (More on that later.)

For now I have these......

Blankie Buddies...Holiday Themed for starters

Pumpkin..


Kitty..


These are infant/toddler size at around 10 inches perfect to snuggle with and small enough to drag along in the carseat. I am working on a larger size for the school age child. The twins are 7 and actually loved them and would have taken them home in a heartbeat if given the chance.

If you are interested the infant/toddler blankie buddies are $12.00 Each plus shipping. You can use the donation button in the side bar. Please include "Blankie Buddie" as well as which one you would like with your order.

A quick thank you to those who have purchased cookbooks and a special thank you to Louise. You know what its for and although Thank you seems so inadequate it's truly from my heart. I'd like to thank all the "Little Elves" who seem to be leaving elf prints all over my house. Me thinks they are working overtime as Christmas is still a ways off ;) More to come on the "little Elves" saga.. :0)

Id like to also thank all my friends and family who have prayed for us and just offered a shoulder during these trials. Please do continue as it's still a very scary and uncertain time. I try not to dwell too much on it but reality tends to slap you square in the face totally ruining my Narnia vacation. Yep! I do often look in the closet for Narnia! :0)

And with that this momma needs to go. Lots to still do before my head can even think about hitting the pillow....

Trina and Jophie

Can't Sleep...........

Mind is racing.......Rest for this weary body just won't come

Still Here.........Barely

Seems a bullet kinda post is in order......

1. Upgraded Norton to 360(Can I just say its evil?) Crashed my computer big time and only after I ripped that thing from my computer have I been able to get back to a somewhat normal web surfing existance.
2. Jophies doing well aside from his normal "ups and downs" and steroid monster withdrawls.
3. Rain did finally let up for a time then back again with a vengence flooding us the last 2 times.
4. We've had quite a few storms with one causing a tree to fall on my house! (No real damage and once again local volunteer fire fighters came to Jophie and my rescue!) :0)
5. It's been unseasonably chilly for our area this time of year....Very nice evenings in the 50's and 60's. Great for weenie roasts but not so great for day time swimming. Pool temps have been pretty chilly. Hoping for he sunshine to bring those temps back up soon before summers gone!
6. Puppy sat for the Payne Gang while they vacationed. Have some adorable pics of Jophie and the puppy but will have to be another day.
7. Tons of pics to post but yet again will have to wait till another day when I have more time.
8. Hired a new nurse FINALLY! She's wonderful and a perfect fit. More on her later.
9. State Budget cuts have finally bit into us. As of the phone call I placed yesterday we will not be getting paid for July and no idea when if ever again. I'm to call back first part of August to see if they know what the budget is even going to be. This is NOT our dept. of Job and Familes causing this but rather OUR GOVERNMENT. In fact try wrapping your brain around this. Dept. of Job and Family workers have been asked to work for FREE for an indefinite amount of time. Yep! you read it correctly and you know what? They ARE in fact working FOR FREE because they don't want to abandon any clients who might possibly be without food or shelter. There are even daycare workers that work through the Dept. and Job and Families who are also agreeing to work for FREE just so the childrens parents don't lose what jobs they have. All I can say is God bless them and God help us all.
10. Still going round and round with wheelchair dude about Jophies wheelchair that we began working on when he was 14 1/2! He's 16 now folks and coming out of this chair! Grrrrrrrr!
11. No surprise here but more items have been cut and or limited by Medicaid. Great! More to pay out of pocket with our income that we are not getting.
12. Just to clarify...As of June we were still getting a partial check for Jophie. The other portion there are no funds to cover it. Come August we "may or may not be getting the State portion and more than likely will not be getting the county portion"
13. Working on Fall/Halloween Kooky hats. Will be posting those soon in Jophies fundraising section as well something new and adorable! Gonna make you wait on that ;)
14. Cookbooks are still available as well as Loving Jophie wristbands. We have a decent stock left of both which can also be found in his fundraising section.
15. Gearing up and planning for Jophies 4th annual Fall Fundraiser which as you now know is needed more than ever this year.
16. Still needing new wheels to transport Jophie. Again let me clarify. We are not looking for new but rather a wreck to be fixed up or a decent used vehicle.
17. Managed to get Jophie out in the warm sunshine today. Lora and I tackled that mop on his head along with a mani and peti. Yep! He got the works! He lasted outside on the deck for an hour which is great for Jophie these days ;)
18. Lots going on coupled with lots of stress.......
19. Lots of prayer needed

Be back soon......

Hanging by our toenails ;)

Trina and Jophie

My Sneaky little boy..........

This alone would have been enough...

Dear Mommy,
I know I have been keeping you busy. It makes me tired just watching you take care of me. It's almost Mothers day and I have been sneaking around a bit while you were napping. When you get time you need to check the mailbox. It isn't much (I don't have any way of making much money here in the house,) but its something to show you I appreciate what you do.
Love,
Jophie

Jophie strategically placed this in our comments section :0)

Sneaky little fella eh?

Imagine my curiousity and especially having to wait to daylight cause this momma sure wasn't looking in no mailbox (in the dark where snakes are surely lurking ALL BY MYSELF up by the road)!

NOPE! Not this big chicken momma! haha

Today I did however go take a peek to see just what my little guy had been up to at which point I found these...

They were tucked neatly in my mailbox and waiting ever so patiently to be rescued from their dark hiding place.......

Aren't they beautiful? Jophie knows his momma loves flowers and just how happy they make her ;)

He does however have a partner in crime :0)

A VERY sneaky partner in crime who seems to sneak around during holidays like Christmas and birthdays and even "just becuase" holidays. They make a great team really. Both are rotten and sneaky! ;)

And for all those who have emailed and asked "Who is this person named Anonymous"??

It would be none other than my dear friend Katy

At least I "think" its Katy :0)

Thank you Katy and Jophie!

Your sneaky little surprises continue to warm my heart and bring a smile to my face and on this Mothers Day I've had an extra skip in my step along with a big ole smile! :0)

I've managed a little bit of this....

Enjoyed a whole lot of this...

And this.....Oh yea! My grass still looks like its been cut! ;)

Realize I need gravel BAD when I snapped this.....

And now I'm off to do a bit of this......


While Jophie Does a whole lotta this.....

It's hard work planning special surpises for mommies ya know ;0)

Dear Jophie....
I'm so very blessed that God has allowed me to be your mommy and I'm especially honored that he entrusted you in my care. I LOVE being your mommy and wouldn't trade it for anything! :0)

I love you so much my sweet little Jophie!

And to my mom...Showin' off her farmers tan last Mothers Day :0)

I love you with all my heart. I'm sorry I wasn't able to spend the day with you. I hope you realize it was not possible. I will be out to spend a special day with you just as soon as Lora is back from vacation! :0)

Sooo Patient...........

My little guy that is..........

Sleeping soundly oblivious to the nourishment hitting his little tummy......

Waiting ever so patiently for me to finish what Tammy and I started earlier today.

His hair has been cut
His hair has been washed
He's being fed and has been medicated for now.....

He still needs to be bathed
He needs dressed
His teeth need brushed
He needs shaved
His bed needs sheets

I have all these things lying out and ready yet my little guys snoring away :0)

It is raining STILL which does tend to me him sleeeeepy! It makes me sleep too. We neeeeeed some saratonin! Bring on the sunshine! :0)

Tammy left for the day around 2. We have no nursing this weekend aside from Tammy slipping in for a quick trach change prolly sometime Saturday. Lora won't be back from vacation till the 18th.

Next week is sooo busy with Tammys schedule because of end of the school activities so she will be limited as to how much she can help. We will be uncovered for 2 days for sure. I'm thinking this momma is gonna be one tired pup come the 18th! :0)

I'm hoping this weekend proves to be productive as I have Sooo many things to do.

Laundry is coming to life and creeping into other rooms of the house
My bathroom needs cleaned
My bedroom needs cleaned
Living room/Jophies room needs cleaned and disinfected
Patterns need cut out and final design drafts need to be completed for ALL 3 outfits

At least the grass is cut and the dishes are done and Jophie is well! :0)

We continue with the steroid reduction. The last drop was on the 18th of April. I just lowered him by another 1/4 today. Now we wait for 2 weeks to see how he does.

Busy as a Beaver........

Just a quick bullet post........

1. Finished the twins Spring outfits. Can't wait to take pictures of them wearing them. For now this will have to do.



2. Finished the twins Beach/Pool pants for their birthday. They won't take them off! LOL Pics of the girlies in them will also have to wait.
   


3. Baby Kooky hat finished and delivered. It was darling and ever so small. I can't wait to see that teeny little squishy cute baby in it!
   



4. Couple alterations finished and one to go!



5. Working on 2 costumes for he twins as I type. They are hilarious! Sugar Rush Girl and Static Electra! Sorry no pics of these just yet.



6. 3 more orders for Boutique sets and one of those is for a little squeeezy boy! Yay! It's been so long since I've made for the teeny little boy. Thanks Tia ;)



7. Twins birthday party was Saturday and was sooo much fun! The girlies think it was the best they ever had. I have tons of pics to share from that but on a different post when I have more time.



8. Lora is on vacation and won't be back till the 18th! Eeek! Tammy is filling in as much as she can but next week is the worst week ever with end of the school events happening! Pray we survive and her too! LOL



9. I finally got paid and my bills are caught up for this month! Thank you Father!



10. Jophie is all smiles and continues to magically deposit surprises for us on his own! Yay Jophie! It's the blenderized food no doubt ;)



11. Jophies steroid reduction from the 18th went well. Now trying to decide which dose to lower next and WHEN. I know when but I'm stalling cause I KNOW he's gonna have trouble with this drop.



12. One more alteration to do. It really needs to be finished tonight too. Hmmm



13. Grass is cut and it bout whipped me! Don't know how I managed to squeeze it in between all this rain but I managed!



14. Jophies hair needs cut next! BAD



15. I need to go finish!

Everyone have a wonderful Thursday!

Trina and Jophie

Sean.........

Remembering you on this day my little brother.......

It's hard to believe it's been 6 years......
It only seems like yesterday...

Sean died in a car accident. The damage my little brother sustained in this accident was horrific. My parents witnessed it first hand. They were nearly first on the scene. They watched in horror standing helplessly as the scene unfolded before their eyes....

Hoping
Praying

That help would come....

No Jaws of life were to be found (in the vicinity)
The scanner was all a' buzz begging for a helicopter that would never arrive

State Highway Patrol did arrive and what they discovered seemed as chilling if not more than what was right before them.....

In the midst of this madness it was discovered that both my brother and his best friend had been robbed. While they were dying. While they were trapped. "That Person" who WAS first on the scene instead of calling 911 was robbing my brother and his friend. Cutting their wallets that were attached to chains from their injured and dying bodies.

17 miles North of town...

It was just too far with very little local resources available....

I don't think it would have mattered

Seans injuries really were Horrific

His best friends were too who by the way was engaged to be married upon his return home from his visit with Sean.

My parents will never be the same because of what they saw..
That horrific scene will forever be etched in their minds...

For the Record..

Sean WAS buckled in and only traveling roughly 30 mph and even as safe as that seems...This crash was deadly. I used to work on the squad and I can tell you from personal experience that it doesn't take a high speed crash for it to be deadly.

Sean was the sweetest little brother. He was a darling little baby with the cutest blond curls which my dad hated by the way :0)

As a toddler he was mischeveous, cute as a bugs ear and rotten to the core! He muddled his way through that awkward stage boys go through and grew into a very handsome young man.

His compassion for the weak, wounded or the least of these was unmeasurable. Sean was the MOST caring/loving person. His generosity was next to none offering anything he had even if it was his last and sometimes it WAS his last. He had very little often wearing raggedy clothes and going without food so his children would not.

He was well known for taking in homeless friends and other peoples unwanted children. He was raising his little girl alone because abandoned her as well as her 2children that were not even his biologically not to mention the "other men" she had on the side. Needless to say the children were devasted and left with nobody.

He loved Jophie...

He loved his children...

ALOT

I can still see his smile and can almost feel him squeezing me tight. Sean always gave me the BEST bear hugs and back rubs ever! I miss you so much and can hardly wait to see you again.

Remember the River is where we said we'd meet..

SO until then....

I love you buddy and Jophie and I will meet ya by the River!

Love,
Trina and Jophie