From the Front Porch
Happy Thursday from the front porch, you guys! How was your week? We hope you’re well on your way to having an “eggsciting” April and that your week has been all that you’ve needed it to be.
If you’ve been following along for any length of time, you’ve probably already figured out I can be kind of wordy. I almost always have an answer or an opinion or an idea for the most random things at any given time.
But I can honestly say that when my baby sister called Friday around lunch to tell me our parents were headed in an ambulance to the hospital because my Dad was having a heart attack – I was all but rendered speechless.
My first thought was of the day I was “helping” him repair the screen on our playhouse and he cut his leg open with a rotary tool. Even though blood was clearly running down his leg, he calmly asked me to go inside the house, grab some towels and one of my Mom’s belts.
I was too nervous to look for the belt, so I brought a pair of my Mom’s pantyhose instead. As he was fashioning his tourniquet, Mr. No Nonsense looked at me and said, “There’s not that much left to finish here, we can knock this out in no time.”
So, there I was hanging out with my bleeding battle buddy, diy-ing long before I knew it was going to be a thing, finishing up the last seam on the screen of our playhouse like it was a non-event at the ripe old age of 10.
It wasn’t until I caught my sister say, “CoCo, you heard what I said, right? I’ll let you know more as soon as I get to the hospital.”
Less than 30 minutes later she called back to say my Dad was getting a stent and having a few things repaired. All things considered though he was going to be ok.
It’s hard to believe almost two years to the week, we were in a similar situation although there was no stent involved that time. It was also during the Spring One Room Challenge when the stress of my grandparent’s death had all but enveloped our family. We rallied in the following weeks that time and he believes we’ll be able to rally again this time too.
But I don’t know. We’ve never attempted a comeback from this far behind, ever.
Obviously, my Dad’s health is front and center in my mind. Not only that two members of Team Crowned Goat are currently wearing braces and on crutches from knee and ankle surgeries so then there’s that.
It’s really not looking good to be honest.
Still, we know that miracles happen every day.
All I can say for sure right now is that we’ll be moving forward at a much slower pace though whether we finish the ORC or not. Thanks so much for keeping us in your prayers as we navigate all the changes.
Watching this week…
As you guys know, I don’t really watch very much TV but after coming home from the hospital one day I just needed to veg out so I watchedThe Kindness Diaries on Netflix and it was exactly what I needed to lift my spirits. I highly recommend it!
Scenes from our week…
I meant to share this peek at the celebration moment my Mom surprised us with after finishing the lanai makeover at Bliss Barracks at the end of March.
I met S for dinner the other night to celebrate getting our taxes finished and stopped by the garden center. All the spring plants and flowers have arrived in our area and it’s such a colorful sight. We’re giving S a garden themed birthday party this weekend which should be a lot of fun.
I’ve been so focused on Easter and the ORC I haven’t been out shopping very much lately. The last time I ran into Hobby Lobby though I saw this crazy business. While I appreciate being able to shop early sometimes, I just want to say, “For the love, let me enjoy the warmth of Spring for 5 minutes!” ?
A few of our favorite posts from around the web this week…
*Lake house living is no joke, especially in a house like this one from Atlanta Homes Magazine.
*The 40 Most Beautiful Countries in the World
*If you need me, I’ll be hanging out here .
*Eloquence is a new to me company, have you guys ever heard of it? I seriously got lost on their website for an hour. Their furniture is stunning!
*Monty Don’s April Gardening Tips
*A gentle reminder on Feeling Grateful for the Small Things
*This post on serving sizes was helpful and eye opening all at the same time.
*Sign me up for this Lowcountry farmhouse any day of the week!
Quote of the week & Free Printable…
On the Menu this Week…
**(Just as a sweet reminder the person that makes the menu doesn’t eat beef or pork so keep that in mind when you see this feature each week, wink wink)**
*Week of April 15 – April 21
Monday–Satay Chicken Noodle Salad
Tuesday– Baja Fish Tacos
Wednesday – Strawberry Arugula Salad with Spring Herbs & Goat Cheese
Thursday– Creamy Spinach Stuffed Salmon
Friday–Grilled Chicken and Pasta Salad with Lemon Herb Vinaigrette
Saturday–White Bean Soup with Kale and Wild Rice
Sunday– Use these recipes to plan your Easter lunch and dinner menu
Sweet Treat to Try this Week…
This Easter Egg Nest Cake is almost too pretty to eat!
Here are a few Earth Day inspired finds we spotted on Amazon this week…
**(Affiliate links have been provided for your convenience. You can read our full disclosure policy here)
If you’ve missed anything on the blog lately, here’s a peek at what we’ve been up to…
Spring One Room Challenge: French Country Desk Makeover
52 Weeks to a Simplified & Organized Home Challenge
If you’re part of our 52 Weeks to a Simplified and Organized Home Challenge, we’re completing Week 15, Laundry Room and looking forward to working on Week 16, the Entry.
I hope you all have a peace filled and happy weekend. This weekend is a big birthday weekend for us as we’ll be traveling to celebrate my nephew’s birthday on Saturday and then hosting S’s garden themed birthday party on Sunday. There’s going to be a lot of family togetherness which is a good thing so we can keep an eye on my Dad. I hear he’s already getting tired of eating salads ?
Just a bit of housekeeping before I go, the next two weeks will both be short weeks on the blog as we take a bit of a break for the Easter holiday. I’ll see you here next Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday and the following week on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. After that we’ll resume our regular posting schedule.
Whatever you have planned I hope it’s something you’re excited about too. I can’t wait to see you back here next week. Until next time, I’ll see you on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest.
Many blessings,
CoCo
Sorry to hear about your Dad, Coco, it seems like your family is close. I know it must have been a scary time. I’ll be keeping you guys in my prayers. Enjoy your birthday weekend
Thanks so much, Sarah, I really appreciate your sweet words. Hugs, CoCo
So sorry to hear about your dad Coco! Hope he is up and about before too long! Bless your heart, I will be praying for you all! Thank you so much for your sweet words of encouragement. The quote from Harper Lee really hits home for me, thank you for sharing! Hope you all have a great birthday weekend! Hugs!
I appreciate it, Benita, it’s definitely been an interesting week. I think they caught everything early enough that he will make a full recovery. He’s very stubborn, so of course, he acting like it’s “business as usual” so we’ll see. He has a hard time slowing down when he’s focused and I can definitely relate:) Hope your weekend is a fun one! Hugs, CoCo
Oh, CoCo…I’m so sorry to hear about your dad! It sounds like they treated him quickly and he’ll be okay! I’m praying for a quick and total recovery!
Life just turns quickly sometimes…a roller coaster! xoxo
Oh my gosh, Linda, you are so right. I was literally painting the bedroom for the One Room Challenge after having spoken to my Dad about making a bed crown not even 12 hours earlier and he was totally fine. We are so thankful they got him in surgery quickly because he is expected to make a full recovery. Our only problem now is reminding him to slow down. Hopefully, his cardiac rehab will help with some of that 🙂 Thanks so much for your prayers, CoCo
Oh, CoCo, I”m so sorry to hear about your dad. I hope he recovers quickly. If I lived closer, I’d come over and do the ORC with you. <3
Thank you, Stacy! I swear the weirdest stuff happens during the ORC. I would say it was cursed had I not seen so many miracles happen during the ORC too. We’re hoping he makes a full recovery and will be feeling like himself very soon. Cheering you on as you complete your laundry room and office. I’m so excited for you! Hugs, CoCo
I’m really sorry to hear about your Dad. I hope he’s on the mend soon and makes a full recovery. It feels like you guys are always doing projects together so I know this must be a shock for the challenge timeline. I didn’t think you guys would come back from S’s injuries but you did. Cheers to making it happen if you can and making your Dad a priority if you can’t. Keep us posted. We’re thinking of you.
I really appreciate your kind words, Bonnie, thank you. You are right if we’re not working on projects at my house, we’re working on projects at my parents house or my sister’s houses. We’re always diying something. I didn’t think we would be able to come back from S’s injuries either but we did. And there’s always a chance we’ll come back from my Dad’s heart attack too. I’m going to keep working on this project until we get it finished no matter what. Hugs, CoCo
Oh my goodness CoCo! This must have been so scary for you and your family. Hopefully your dad will heed the doctors advice and change up his stress and presumably his diet…all easier said than done LOL . Much love to you and your sweet family. You will be in our prayers.
He lives a pretty sweet life so I’m sure it’s not stress related but as you know he loves meat and potatoes and hates most vegetables. Also, bacon…need I say more. Thankfully, he’ll be starting cardiac rehab soon and has already made some changes to his diet. I also hear he will be using the lap pool at the clubhouse more frequently now and getting used to kale 🙂 Thanks for the prayers, hugs, CoCo
Hi CoCo! I’m late reading this post but I wanted to say how sorry I am to hear of your fathers health issues! I know this must be a very stressful time for you and your family. I just want you to know your Dad is in my thoughts and prayers. I know you’ve signed up for the ORC, but sometimes life throws you a curve ball and no one’s going to hold it against you if you and team Crowned Goat don’t make the Exact deadline. I certainly won’t! There are more important things in life, like your Dads well being. So take your time, don’t sweat it and it’ll get done when it gets done. Stay strong and hang in there! Have a great Friday! ?
Thank you for your sweet and encouraging words, Shelia. I appreciate them so much. I think all of Team Goat is with you, we’ll do anything and everything we need to do to keep my Dad healthy. Thankfully they got him medical care and in surgery in time. He’ll definitely have to make some changes and go to cardiac rehab but we expect him to make a full recovery. I’m headed down to see him this weekend and he swears we can rally. He’s pretty stubborn once he has his mind made up so we’ll see 🙂 Sending you hugs for a happy weekend, CoCo