Hello friends – welcome back to our continued tour of Jonesboro, Georgia in Gone With the Wind. Today, let’s talk about some of the gorgeous homes in downtown Jonesboro.
This is the Ashley Oaks Mansion that was built in 1879 by Leander Hutchenson. Ashley Oaks is built from over over 1 million hand made bricks. Each exterior home wall is 12 inches thick and each of the four large rooms downstairs stand on its own independent foundation. I guess they are right in the saying, “They don’t make things like they use to.” And Leander Hutchenson – he was actually the Sheriff of Clayton County several different times throughout the years: 01/18/1860 – 02/02/1862; 09/07/1868 – 02/06/1871; 01/31/1877 – 01/07/1879; 01/08/1887 – 01/08/1891; and 01/06/1893 – 10/17/1896. Wouldn’t it be interesting to see someone in politics take office this many times these days?
This house is the Crockett-Blalock house that was originally built in 1879. It has been under reconstruction over the years with rooms added on and now is currently a Wells Fargo bank. The home originally though belonged to Mrs. Hanes. Mrs. Hanes was a tough lady. In the middle of the Battle of Jonesboro taking place outside her doors and windows, Mrs. Hanes was giving birth to her baby.
And her husband was Alfred Blalock. Now Alfred was a prominent heart surgeon and was the first to ever do open heart surgery. But we found out something more about Alfred Blalock that mom found fascinating. Alfred Blalock was also the developer of plasma for the treatment of shock. Isn’t that totally awesome?
And you know what they say about growing up on the wrong side of the tracks. Does that really take place? The tracks run straight down Jonesboro. So, depending on who you ask they will tell you which side is the right side – snorts.
But don’t worry because all streets lead you back to Gone With the Wind. And in the end, I guess you can say in some ways that Scarlett and Rhett will always be linked together..if only in street signs 🙂
My friends, I hope that you enjoyed our tour of Jonesboro, Georgia. Stay tuned next week to find out what additional trouble the foursome (Mom, Dad, Bill and Jean) get into.
Welcome my friends to our weekly issue of Journey with Friends. This is a time that we come together for support, for encouragement, for fellowship – all with one single goal in mind – to live better. Welcome to our journey to share our goals and our accomplishments and our disappointments and frustrations.
Together we can do this!
Hello friends!! How did your week go? Last week, I made some decisions. Some of them were harder to decide but I’m standing firm with them for now.
First Decision – the plasma clinic. Lately I can’t get my pulse under 100. I have an accelerated heart beat to begin with and every time I go to the clinic it’s a stressful situation to get that number down. And with the other excitement happening here at the Hotel Thompson at the end of the month, I just know that the number is not going down anytime soon. Therefore, I am halting my donations for now. I’m proud in the fact that I have made 38 plasma donations and I’m hoping that has touched people in need. Later once I can get my pulse rate down, I may revisit the plasma clinic. But for now, I feel relieved for taking a break.
Second Decision – I *have* to do better with this way of eating. I’ve been playing with it for months now and I keep making excuses. It’s always going to be this or that with mountains and valleys to overcome. I need to start learning how to let go of stress and handle it better. So, deep breaths, today is a new day. I’m going to really, really try to do better – especially in the next couple of weeks. Then our guests arrive and I will probably take that week off and then start afresh again.
Sometimes we have to step back and reevaluate ourselves and this has been one of those times. I’ve noticed that I’ve had to much on my plate for a while and I kept thinking I could handle it all. Guess what. I’m not Super Woman… I wish I had her body though – LOL. But as women in general, I think we all think we can handle everything. But after a while, everything catches up with you. So I am making a commitment to be better to myself. I need to take time for me and listen to my body before it starts shutting down.
So what about you my friends. Ever felt this way? I would love to hear about it ((HUGS)) ♥
Welcome my friends to our weekly issue of Journey with Friends. This is a time that we come together for support, for encouragement, for fellowship – all with one single goal in mind – to live better. Welcome to our journey to share our goals and our accomplishments and our disappointments and frustrations.
Together we can do this!
Hello my friends. How was your week? Mine is still having mountains and valleys but seems to be getting better. I’m still going to the plasma clinic twice a week. Sometimes it’s a fight to get passed through. Some days either my iron is too low or my pulse rate is too high. Then when I don’t pass, I have to go back the next day to try all over again. Some peeps say, “Why keep going then if you are having such a hard time?” You know however it puts me out, can you imagine the other end of the spectrum in the aspect of the people my plasma might be helping? I stick with that philosophy every time I have a day that I get dismissed and can’t give. I need to hang in there to help others. ♥
And computer people – there is a special place in hell for them. I’m still having issues at work on certain programs. Anyone want to come over and kick their butts for me?
And I leave you this morning with my husband. Yes, you can start laughing and rolling your eyes now. Enjoy my friends and have a fantastic week!
Welcome my friends to our weekly issue of Journey with Friends. This is a time that we come together for support, for encouragement, for fellowship – all with one single goal in mind – to live better. Welcome to our journey to share our goals and our accomplishments and our disappointments and frustrations.
Together we can do this!
Hello my friends – welcome to another week of Journey with Friends. This past week was S.T.R.E.S.S.F.U.L! Does that tell you anything? LOL. It all started with mom’s work – the computers went down Monday – what a way to start the week huh? Have you ever realized how much we rely on computers in the work place? The computers were down all.week.long. And get this – they are still down. There is only so much filing and paperwork that you can work on until you have to have the computer. I mean we have turned into a society based around the machine.
I also went to the plasma clinic last week a couple of times. The first time I was turned away because my iron levels were too low. The second time I was fine. I have noticed that with the added stress of work, my pulse rate has slowly began going back up again. Do you have any suggestions to help me with the stress? I know it’s easy to say, “Don’t let it get to you.” But really, you know our bodies do what they want to do.
So my friends here we are with the start of a new week – how was your week? I was up a couple of pounds but I’m okay – I blame it on the stress. What do you think? And I don’t weigh at home anymore. Going to the plasma clinic, I have to weigh there twice a week so I stay on top of these things.
Welcome my friends to our weekly issue of Journey with Friends. This is a time that we come together for support, for encouragement, for fellowship – all with one single goal in mind – to live better. Welcome to our journey to share our goals and our accomplishments and our disappointments and frustrations.
Together we can do this!
Another week down my friends – how are you doing? This week I have maintained my current weight loss so I’m feeling good about that. The scales are at least in my favor – hip hooray! I’m still not feeling 100% from the flu. It’s so strange. There are days that I feel totally awesome and then the next day it’s like WOW – I feel so tired and drained. My iron levels are low so I think that accounts for some of it. I’m trying to eat stuff these days to help out with my iron.
I did get back to the plasma clinic this past week. Can you believe I have made 28 donations now to help out others? It’s such a small gesture on my part and I really hope that it helps. My pulse rate is staying within range so that’s a plus. And this time of the year at the clinic, the lines are so short! Do you remember me telling you about having to weight 3-4 hours just to donate? These days, I’m in and out usually within an hour.
Hope your week went fabulous my friends. Remember – stick with whatever plan you are doing – we are all here to help each other out – hugs!
My sweet friends at Nikitaland have started this monthly issue of Pay It Forward. We asked for you to keep this in mind all month and to share things here today on what you have been able to do. Paying it forward is not for bragging purposes – it’s an attempt to show how many different things we can do to pay it forward – lots of them don’t even include money. Gestures that we take for granted may be a God send to another person.
You know my mom has been going to the plasma clinic now for several months. There is a nurse there named Val that mom has just fallen in love with. No matter how busy her day, she has a smile to open the sky and always a kind word. Last week, it was birthday. Mom surprised her with a small gift of appreciation – something she could share with her family. I hope it brought a smile to everyone like she always brings a smile to my mom’s face.
And speaking of the plasma clinic – mom has made her 20th donation this past week as well. When she started, she made a personal commitment to herself to do 20 donations. There have been up and down times – times she has wanted to quit – but she kept on to meet her goal. I’m not sure how many people mom has touched with her donations but we are proud of her here at the Hotel Thompson. And you know what, she is trying to do 20 more. At that end of 40, she will reevaluate how she feels.
My buddy Nikitaland made up a good deeds sheet. You can get it here. You can print it, hang it on your fridge and just jot some things down that you do during the month. That way at our next meet up, you can share what you have done to PAY ITFORWARD.
AND if you are interested in getting some Pay it Forward bracelets, check out Nikitaland’s post here for ordering information. Believe me friends – WE CAN ALL MAKE A DIFFERENCE!
Next meet up will be March 2nd – mark your calendars!
Mom has gotten a lot of questions asked here in blogville, Facebook and by email about why she is donating plasma and how they do it. I thought I would give mom the blog and let her explain everything.. it really is exciting when you think about it. Take it away mom!
Personally, I’ve been wanting to give plasma for a very long time. It helps a lot of different people with an assortment of medical problems. I’ve even seen a commercial on television lately about plasma helping people with arthritis.
Once you decide that you want to donate plasma, you have to go through enrollment. They will go over a series of medical questions with you, you will watch a video, you will then do a medical enrollment, take vitals and lastly you will be seen by an on-site nurse. If you make it through all of the criteria, then you are ready for a donation. After the initial enrollment, each time you donate you will have your vitals taken before donating. There are certain guidelines that you have to pass each time you donate. For instance, blood pressure, temperature and pulse rate have to be within range. Every time you go, you will have your weigh checked and you will also have your finger pricked so they can test your red blood cell count and your protein levels – which also have to be within range.
Once you pass all of above, then your next stop is the donor room. Depending on how many nurses they have on staff that day depends on how many ‘beds’ they have open at one time. A good bed to nurse ration is 12 beds. And they tell you standing in line, for every 12-15 people ahead of you it could be one hour worth of wait. So it’s not a quick thing. I have waited 3-4 hours at a time. But to me, giving plasma is worth the small price of inconvenience that I have to pay for waiting.
Giving blood plasma is a process called plasmapheresis. Say that real quick huh? You are hooked up to an IV in one of your arms. Does it hurt? I’ve had so many people ask me this. The needle is bigger than when you are having a blood test. Some nurses are also better than others – just like the doctors office. I’ve had some nurses do it and I don’t feel a thing. I’ve had other nurses do it where I cringe my eyes and try to breathe through the pain. And then people ask if it’s painful why do you do it? And I have to tell them that the little bit of uncomfortable pain that I might feel fleetingly is *nothing* compared to the people that it helps. I have to keep thinking of the bigger picture – people that are in need.
Once you are hooked up the IV, your blood is pumped out into this machine and goes into the bottle (which is the middle part of the picture). The plasma is stripped from your blood and placed into a container. The blood is then recirculated back into your body during a process they call the return. Now how long does it take? Well, depending on how much water you have drank throughout the past couple of days it can take anywhere between 35-90 minutes. Personally, it takes me around 30-35 minutes if nothing goes wrong.
If you see the bottle in this picture, it shows you the amount that you are donating. Plasma comes in all different colors – it can be bright red, pink, green or a tinge of white/red – all depending on the medicines that you take. Mine comes out a greenish/white. Over the Christmas holidays, I had a guy ask me why my color was green. Without missing a beat, I told him that my father was an Elf. Snorts – we all had a good laugh about that.
You can donate twice in a 7 day period. By the time you read this posting, I will have made my 17 donation! My personal goal was to donate 20 – so I’m almost there. I’ve had ups and downs during the process. One time, they couldn’t get my blood that was pumped out to return and I lost blood during the donation. Of course, I’ve been bruised at the IV site – it happens. I’ve had times that my iron was too low to give that day. I’ve had multiple problems with my pulse rate. The rate has to be 100 or less. I’ve had to sit out for 15 minutes to try the pulse again and there have also been times I couldn’t make it that day because of my pulse.
*Pictures are off the internet at various web sites to share how the process works.
My sweet friends at Nikitaland have started this monthly issue of Pay It Forward. We asked for you to keep this in mind all month and to share things here today on what you have been able to do. Paying it forward is not for bragging purposes – it’s an attempt to show how many different things we can do to pay it forward – lots of them don’t even include money. Gestures that we take for granted may be a God send to another person.
What have you done this past month to pay it forward? Here’s what mom/dad have done so far.
One night, mom/dad went to a local restaurant called Cracker Barrel. They were having dinner, it was kind of crowded and this guy got seated between mom/dad and another couple. You could tell that he was a homeless man. He ordered two glasses of water and a coffee. He was content with just sitting there, enjoying the heat from the fireplace and drinking his coffee. He spoke to everyone that made contact with him – and was such a very pleasant gentleman. He wasn’t asking for anything from anyone except for conversation. Before mom/dad could buy him dinner, the other couple offered and did. Mom went up to the register and also bought him a gift card to use at the restaurant so he could also come back for another dinner without having to pay.
Mom is also still continuing with her donations of plasma. She has now made 13 donations and is getting closer to her commitment of 20. Some people ask does it hurt. There are times when you can’t even feel the needle and there are other times that you feel it and continue to feel it until the donation is done. Mom says that it doesn’t matter because what pain she does experience is nothing compared to the help it offers others.
My buddy Nikitaland made up a good deeds sheet. You can get it here. You can print it, hang it on your fridge and just jot some things down that you do during the month. That way at our next meet up, you can share what you have done to PAY ITFORWARD.
AND if you are interested in getting some Pay it Forward bracelets, check out Nikitaland’s post here for ordering information. Believe me friends – WE CAN ALL MAKE A DIFFERENCE!
Next meet up will be February 3rd – mark your calendars!
Oh my friends – the overwhelming support that you have all shown me this past week has been so totally awesome! I have been blown away by the suggestions, the wonderful comments and the encouragement. I just know I can do this now. And did you notice my blog heading, “Journey with Friends“? It has been suggested that not only can this be a place for “ME”, it can be a place for others as well that are going down this path of better health. Some place where we can all meet up once a week for encouragement and strength. Please feel free to share any of your wisdom – great recipes, motto’s, encouragement, ideas, suggestions and/or your weight loss stories and goals. Together we can do this!
I’ve read all of your comments and taken your suggestions my friends. This week and next, I’m trying to float through and be nice to me. I’m not further stressing myself at a time that is already stressful in itself to handle. Now after Christmas, it will be time to buckle down and be serious. And don’t think I’m throwing all caution to the wind. I’m not. I’m still being watchful of what I eat and trying to walk more where and when I can.
I’m still doing my plasma donations. Thursday nights are usually no problems. This past Thursday night I had another problem besides the pulse of course. My iron was too low so I couldn’t give. Sigh – it’s okay though. I’ve been feeling kind of ‘low’ so I didn’t go Saturday either. I will try to pick up again this week.
And I’m still waiting for my VIP card that I earned so that I can go to the front of the line when it’s busy – hopefully that will work in keeping my pulse down. I hope to get it this week – I ordered it 11/30/2015.
How are you doing my friends? Are you surviving the holidays as well? Hugs to you!
Miniature pot bellied pig and friends - Bacon, Houdini, Hemi and all of the Rock Clan with Journalist Rocky the Squirrel all out looking for adventures from the Hotel Thompson.
. Going to the plasma clinic, I have to weigh there twice a week so I stay on top of these things.
Okay Friends – Here We Go!
Piglove 