Guest Writer Liam...Our trip to St. Joseph, MO

 Happy Sunday All! Today I have decided to add a guest writer to my blog. Liam (my 8 year old son) has taken an interest in my blog and we have even read some older posts and have really enjoyed it. I hope that you will enjoy this post as well. 

Today is Sunday. What do people do on Sunday when their football team is on a bye week? We clean. We craft. We read. We write. We sleep. Most importantly, we love each other. The holidays are approaching quickly and with my new job it has made it possible for me to have a lot of time to spend with my family (minus the dead heads in Maryville, MO) 😆 Last year I didn't cook for Thanksgiving because my depression was horrible and it's the holiday that reminds me of my Mama the most. This year, I'm excited. I want to cook. I want to see my family. (all of them) 😆😆😆😆😆

Last Friday was Friday the 13th and Liam and I drove to St. Joseph, MO after I got off work to do some shopping and to eat. Below is Liam's story....

Hey guys! I am Liam. I am so excited to be on this Blogger post and read aloud what this story has and hopefully we get a lot of views!

Mom had stopped at Taco Bell before picking me up and we both got a Baja Blast!! When we were at the Shell's gas station, I went ahead and bought myself a little package of Lays BBQ chips. Once we arrived in St. Joe, I was so excited because we saw the technology company Altec. 

First we went to Wal-Mart. Wow! Wal-Mart was so crowded and every single parking spot there was at least one car. In some parking spaces there were two cars. They got into an EXTREME wreck and had to go to B&B Automotive. 

Once, I was in a car wreck. We were going to Burger King after school. We had just hit the car wash and then...THE OWNER OF THE CAR WASH MADE US GET INTO A BIG WRECK IN THE DITCH!!! In August of that year, my cousin Tylor is a lawyer so he sued the owner of the car wash and he paid for all of my Dad's bills. 

Back at Wal-Mart....we picked up a Christmas tree with bells 💓💙(the colors of the bells were red and blue).

Then we went to Hobby Lobby which is combined with Big Lots, Ross and Dollar General. When we were at Hobby Lobby, we went ahead and bought a BIG "Thankful" sign in cursive made out of wood. It is surprising that we now use lasers to cut out wood in the shape of "Thankful" in wood in cursive. 

We also picked up 3 little snowmen and a big snowman comparable in size to a printer. The big snowman is very furry. Two things that are furrier are our cats  Niko and Cali. Also, he plays the saxophone!!! He plays "Have yourself a Merry little Christmas". Even Kenny G plays that!!!!

Then, we went to Texas Roadhouse. The line was very long and I mean VERY long. We had to wait 15-25 minutes just to get inside the building! Once we get inside, our waiter had a very funny name. It was something like Talon or something. He was very nice and he entertained me A LOT! He could do many accents but I could do even more. For our appetizer, we got a blooming onion but at Texas Roadhouse they call it a cactus blossom. Mama wanted a fried pickle but we ordered the blooming onion instead. Then we also got for drinks some strawberry lemonade and Dr. Pepper. Mama even ordered Mr. Pibb. Then, right before we got our food, we had 3 rolls with flavored butter. Then, Mama ordered a salad. I ordered chicken strips with french fries and honey mustard. By the way, Mama also ordered steaks  cooked medium rare and we also asked our waiter about Gordon Ramsey and why he is so mean to people. He should be nicer to people. I even watched a little bit of Kitchen Nightmares his TV show. Then, I finally got my chicken strips with honey mustard and Mom got her steaks. Then, once we were done and EVERYONE was there because they were so packed even more than Wal-Mart. We had to go all the way out, more near Five Guys than Texas Roadhouse. I even told the waiter that the food was sooooo good...even better than Applebees!!!! Five Guys and their logo at night showed up as Guys and Five G.

Then we left and as soon as we got onto I-35, I was getting kind of scared because the night was Friday the 13th and all and I thought Jason was going to come out and destroy the car and kill me. Then as soon as we got home, I was relieved. Mama had to go to the bathroom really bad...so she did. We have a restroom upstairs and downstairs. 

We hid our Christmas presents from Dad. Mama even got a Purple Rain shirt. 

The next morning, me and Mom went to Wal-Mart and Dollar Tree. Once again Wal-Mart was absolutely packed and I mean ABSOLUTELY packed! Once we arrived at Dollar Tree we got some red bags, Flippin Flarp and even a fat zebra. I absolutely cracked up the cashier and she was cracking up as we left the building. 

Bye guys! Thanks for reading our blogger post! I hope you enjoyed it!

Liam Austin Whitham (in case you don't know...that's my full name)

JWC

Once upon a time, I taught myself to sew. I then, created my own business. JWC was established in 2015 after Duane had been diagnosed with stage III Esophageal Cancer. He was sick alot, and slept a lot and after losing my mother the year before with the possibilty of losing my husband the year after....I needed something to keep my mind busy! The business took right off. I was always busy and kept my mind right. After about a year I think, I did not love this anymore. In fact, I hated it. I eventually took down my site and didn't touch the machine for about a year. After that, it was solely projects for my own family. I was just burnt out BAD!

In 2019 I bought a Cricut. I had wanted one for a long time. I had been watching YouTube videos to learn how to make t-shirts. After learning how easy this was, I made every t-shirt I could think of! 

Within a couple months, I had tossed around the idea of buying a turner and maybe try my hand at making tumblers. Again, back to YouTube and with the help of some Facebook groups, I LOVED it. I'm not gonna say I was even remotely good at it at first but after practicing a lot, I decided to bring JWC back to life. 

Business has never been overwhelming but has been steady and I truly enjoy it. I will admit, there are those cups that I want to kick straight to hell because the epoxy doesn't set right, alcohol inks don't settle the way I want, or my very favorite....glitter specs on a MAN cup!!! Ugh!

I've stuck with it almost 2 years now and business has been really good. Not the....I'm a millionaire kinda business but I try to keep my prices low. I make very little profit but I'm learning and who the hell wants to pay $50 for a cup??? Not me! Well unless it had Harry Style's authentic signature on it...then I MAY consider. 

Follow my links and place your order today! I will ship to anywhere in the US for a flat rate of $8. 

It's only been 3 years....

This am started with me making a very lengthy Facebook post. As I sat there and typed, I thought to myself, like I have a lot recently...I LOVE to write. I have had a couple different blogs but have always given up on them. Today I decided...I'm going to find that old account and start blogging again! Not for anyone else but for ME! I journal almost everyday but I KNOW there are people that do enjoy my ramblings because let's face it...I'M FUNNY! 😂😂😂

So what has happened the last 3 years??? Well...a little of this, a little of that. Some good and a lot of bad. 

Let's start with the good. 

Liam just had his 8th birthday! He is getting so big and I mean REALLY big. Last week, I had to go out and buy him a completely new wardrobe. New coat, jacket, shoes, pants, shirts, underwear...you name it. This is partly because he is a boy and partly because he has been quarantined since April of this year. We chose virtual learning for 2nd grade. I work almost every day so when I come home...I'm tired. Long story short...he gets very little exercise!! We are still trying to work up a fitness plan but its November now. I too, am to blame because the last 3 years I have been very depressed. (We will get to that soon) 

I honestly don't speak to my older children very often. Kate moved in with Andy and Megan earlier this year and has struggled with depression herself. 

Those that have never suffered from major depression will never comprehend how hard it is for 2 depressed people to have any kind of relationship that doesn't suffer just a little because of the disease. Some of our conversations have left me in tears. Some because I want to help her, some because I know I haven't been a good example/role model for her. 

With Andy it's just different. I think we have a good relationship. He has his own life now and seems to be doing rather well. We talk seldom but when we do, it's never ever negative. Those of you that knew Andy at age 12-19 and prayed for us....God bless you my child!  

Duane hit his 5 year cancer free mark this month!!! 

I'm not going to lie. Marriage is tough. We argue almost every day. Usually about money or this stupid cat we have that he will not let me get rid of. (Cali) I really can't put my finger on it. I just can't stand her! 

Now...the dark part. At the end of 2017, I had lost a bunch of weight, did some things I'm not proud of because for the first time in my life, I felt pretty good about ME. Learned a lot of lessons that year. In 2018, the depression hit. The I'm a horrible human being. I serve no purpose. I want to die....kind. More than ever, I missed Mom. I needed her. She wasn't there. I ended up getting fired from Pine View. I had worked at Pine View for 10 years off and on. Still to this day, I consider them family. (Well most of them). My DON and Administrator brought pizza to my house to talk and show concern as they knew I was going down the drain. (How many of your employers would have done the same?)

I ended up checking myself into mental health for a week. After a couple days, I felt so much better. I remembered who I was supposed to be. It didn't last long. In March of 2018, I uprooted my whole family and moved to Cameron. Why? I don't really know. I was running away. I had to. Cameron has been a great blessing and we love it here!! 

The work stuff. I can't even count how many jobs I went through in the last 3 years but its been in excess of 10. Some I didn't even stay a week. Some were really good places to work but I would always find 1 thing that made me prefer to stay home in bed.

My primary doctor has been great but let's face it....I need a psychiatrist. I can't afford one. Because I'm a nurse, I think I get treated a little better as I have a very good understanding of drugs. We have tried many. None of them have worked. I do find that sleep plays a HUGE role in my mood. I swore off night shift and have been working in private duty nursing off and on all year. I think maybe I was just burnt out from the nursing homes. I guess after 25 years...that makes sense.

My new job is great! I have 1 person to take care of. I work 7a-3p 4 days a week...20 miles from home and pay is pretty good! 

Having said all that...I still struggle to get to work. Why? I do very little while I'm here. For God's sake I have written this entire post while my kid has been asleep! I'm starting to accept that this may just be me now. 🥺