Na-Na's Cozy Kitchen

My Three Dads

2011-06-18T20:47:00.000-07:00

Wow!

It has been a really, REALLY long time since I've blogged. However, tonight lots of different emotions are coming over me as I think about tomorrow, Father's Day, so I thought that writing about them would help me sort them out and to feel a bit more grounded. So, here goes nothing. Heck, I'm not even sure that I know where to start so I'll just jump in feet first!!

Let me see...in my life I have had three fathers! Yes, you heard me right. Three. Yes, I will be happy to explain.

First, of course, there is my biological father. His name is Chuck. He and my mom divorced when I was eight years old. Their marriage wasn't good at all, even at eight years old I knew that. In a nutshell, he drank entirely too much and and his idea of contributing to a family was to be the bread winner. After they divorced, we lived with my mom and were supposed to visit him every other weekend. Somehow, he sobered up and our new life seemed to start off as good as it possibly could have. However, after a short time he became involved with a woman who would become his wife. Her name is Rita. She is his wife; not my stepmother. To say I have bad feelings towards her would be the largest understatement ever in the history of the world. She is a mean, selfish, evil, hate filled, awful person. He somehow fell under her spell and sat back and allowed her and her children from a previous marriage slow but surely destroy the relationship I had with my father. She made the time we did spend at their house a complete living hell. He seemingly allowed this behavior and basically seemed to choose his new family over me and my twin sister. Although, looking back, I know it wasn't intentional. Back then, there wasn't much talk of blended families and there surely wasn't anyone around offering people help on how to handle blended families. He was newly remarried and I am sure he didn't want to rock the boat, so being passive must have seemed to him to be the easiest road to take. We all just do the best we can at any given moment to get by. Anyway, he was, for the most part, absent from my life as I went through my teenage years and my twenties. I would get token phone calls from him on my birthday and on Christmas which made me happy. During every call he would say that he was sorry, that he missed me, and he would promise me that he would some how make things better, that he would somehow make up to me all of the hurt he had caused, that he wanted to see me, that he loved me. Being young and naive, of course I believed him. Unfortunately, he never kept or followed through on his promises and the scab would be peeled away from the old wound and the pain would resurface all over again. At some point though, I think it was after I started having children, I realized like most children do, that even with all of the crap that had happened between me and my father - he was my dad and somehow I still loved him and wanted, even NEEDED, some sort of relationship with him. I am now 40 and I can say that we have clumsily forged a relationship and see each other a couple of times a year. It was awkward at first, but has gotten so much better. I would even say it is comfortable and pleasant. I enjoy being with him and spending time with my aunts, uncles and cousins on his side of the family. I will say that our relationship does not include his wife. I will never allow her to poison my world again. Ever. After lots of tears, honest talks, soul searching, praying and some hugs along the way, the hurt is finally gone and forgiveness has taken place. I am no longer mad and bitter towards him. He has A LOT of regrets about the things that happened all of those years ago and about the time we missed. Honestly, so do I. Today, I believe with all of my heart that he loves me the best way he knows how and you know what, that is ok. I love him too.

Enter my Daddy. His name is Ralph and he has a bigger heart that many people I know. He and my mom met shortly after her divorce from my biological father, Chuck. I am pretty sure I was nine years old when they got married. He is what a daddy should be. He loved me and my sister from the very beginning. As we were growing up, he treated us like princesses. He is the one who helped take care of us when we were sick. He is the one who held us when our hearts were broken. He is the one who comforted us when loved ones passed away. He is the one who walked us down the aisle on our wedding day. He is the one who tried his best to make our every hope, wish and dream come true. He is the one who met nervous boyfriends. He defended us when we needed it. He scolded us too when we needed it. He always wanted to legally adopt us. However, Chuck (my biological father) would never allow it. When we were close to turning 18, my mom and dad set the wheels in motion starting the adoption process. As 18 year olds, we were legally adults and didn't need our biological father's permission to be adopted any longer. So, on the day of our 18th birthday, we went to the lawyers office, signed all of the legal documents and our "step dad" because our legal father... our daddy. He always had been, the only difference now was that it was legal and official. Unfortunately, when I was about 25, my parents divorced. Even though I was an adult, it rocked my world. It was rocked further when my daddy remarried. He married someone that I never would have chosen for him. She seems to be very materialistic and she definitely has a lot of insecurities about his relationship with me and my sister. He is not allowed to come to my house as my mom lives directly behind us. She has, in my opinion, intentionally caused some problems with my relationship with my daddy and again, he has allowed it. In a weird twist of fate though, given what I have been through with my biological father's wife, I refuse to allow his wife to ruin this relationship. I try my hardest to make the best of it and to be accepting of her and her ways. The relationship I have with my daddy is different now than it used to be, but he is my daddy and I love him with all of my heart and I know he loves me. He always has and he always will. I am working on not being bitter about the path this relationship has taken. It isn't easy, but I am trying. My mom reminds me that the bad things that sometimes happen now with him and his wife do not make null and void all of the years he spent pouring his love, time, attention and devotion into me and my sister. She is right. He was, and still is in his own way, the most amazing daddy a girl could have asked for.

::::wiping tears from my eyes and taking a deep breath:::: Man, this is tough!!!!

Next, there is my stepdad. His name was Cass, but we all called him "Pops." He was amazing! I am trying to remember exactly when my mom and him met. It was either in late 1997 or early in 1998. They were married in December 1998, in the most beautiful wedding ceremony I have ever seen. Lane was born a month after they were married and you have never in your life seen a grown man more in love with his grandchild. Or a baby more in love with his grandfather. He taught Lane to crawl. He fed him new foods. He changed diapers. He played with him. He went with me to some of Lane's doctor visits. He walked the floor with Lane when Lane had colic to give me a break. He was so kind, so very generous, so full of life, so loving, so funny and just a bright light shining in all of our worlds. He was crazy, crazy protective of me. I was going through a very difficult period in my own life at that time and Pops was like a knight in shining armor to me. I will always be eternally grateful for him and his love. The time we had with Pops was cut entirely too short. A few months after he and my mom were married, he was diagnosed with cancer and went home to heaven in July of 2000. During the months he was sick, I did things to help take care of him that I never dreamed I could do...but that is what happens when you love someone. I wanted to do anything I could to help him. Sometimes in life, things happen that we will never understand this side of heaven. One of those things for me is trying to understand why God gave Pops to us for such a brief time and then called him home so fast. I also know that thanks to God's promise to us, we WILL be reunited with Pops in heaven one day. The time we had with my Pops were filled with more love and happiness than some people have in a lifetime. And, while the pain of losing him never goes away, I don't regret loving him the way I did, still do and always will.

So, there you have it. The story of my three fathers. It has been a long, sometimes very very painful journey but journey has also been filled with lots of love and happiness. I am blessed to have had all three of these men in my life. I have learned very valuable, life changing, life impacting, important lessons from each one of them. These are lessons that I try daily to pass along to my own children. All of these things have molded me into the person I am today. God put each one of these men in my life for a reason. I trust my Heavenly Father above all others. I am still trying to learn lessons from these three relationships. They are all so different and my relationship with each of them was/is so different. Finally, I can openly say that yes, I have three dads. And, for the first time in 40 years, as crazy as it may sound...I am totally, completely, 100% ok with that.

Happy Father's Day to ALL of my dads.

How Do You Know???

2009-05-03T14:42:00.000-07:00

Have you ever felt like you have a decision to make? Like you need to figure out which direction you need to go?

Well, that's how I'm feeling about my "church life". I absolutely, without a doubt, with ever fiber of my being - love my church, HPC. I love my pastor(s). I love the work that our church does. I love the heart of our church. I love the passion of our church. I love that our church truly is - a healing place for a hurting world.

We have been going to church there for about 5 years now. For months...ok, maybe even a couple of years - I quietly sat "on the side" lines wanting to connect with the people there, but was clueless about how to do it. It took me a long time, but as crazy as it sounds, I finally connected with a couple of people through blogging and now, through Facebook. I've even joined a life group, led my my amazing friend Summer! She is an AMAZING person and I am SO very blessed to have met her and to call her friend.

But see, I have come to realize that being a part of this amazing church...well, it's not all about me. (Imagine that!) It's not all about me going to church each week to recharge my battery for the coming week. It's not all about me going to church to worship the God that I love so much. It's not me going to church to see my friends. It's not all about me going to church to listen to Pastor Dino preach his heart out, make me laugh, then to make me say "Amen!" outloud during service. It's not all about just making me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Now, mind you, there is nothing at all wrong with those things I just mentioned. It is ok for ALL of those things to happen, and I think that those things do bring happiness to God. But, the bottom line is... It's not JUST all about me.

So, here I am. I believe with all that I am that each and every of us are called by God to DO SOMETHING. To get out of our comfort zones, and to truly BE the hands and feet of Jesus. But, what in the world is MY calling?? How do you figure that out? How do you know that you are doing what HE wants you to do, rather that doing what YOU want you to do????

See, I love, love, love worship. I love it with ALL of my heart. Music and song have always been a very powerful tool for me. A few weeks ago, at HP Women, the whole session was worship. We sang out hearts out to HIM for probably an hour and a half. It was an amazing night and I was sad to see it end! For as long as I can remember, I have loved to sing. In high school, I sang in several different choirs and, to be honest, I was pretty good at it... even won several awards and medals. But, that was years ago! LOL!

Anyway, the reason for my saying all of that is this: I would LOVE to join the incredible choir at HPC. But, is that me wanting to do that because it's what I want...for me?? Or is it what God is calling me to do... for Him????

Or, is it possible that He wants me to try to join the choir AND to also get down in the trenches and work hard for Him too?? My friends from church are all involved in different outreaches where they get to love on and try to bring Jesus to people that so desperately NEED HIM. They get in the trenches. They get down and dirty for Him. But, my calling might not be the same as their calling. See, how do I know??? By the way, this last paragraph just came to me as I am typing.

Over and over and over in my head and heart, I keep hearing: "DISCERNMENT. DISCERNMENT. DISCERNMENT. Ask for it and I will gladly give it to you, and then you must use it." Yes Father, I'm asking for it.

Whatever I do, I want to bring Him glory. He deserves it... ALL of it. After all... It's all about Him... not me.

Testing, testing...Anyone Out There??

2009-04-30T05:08:00.000-07:00

I've been doing some thinking and I've decided to give this blog thing another try. I have also decided to not make it a private blog any more. This is MY place to openly talk about my life and if there are random people who don't like what I have to say, so be it. Oh, and just for clarification... that is not meant in a mean, ugly or judgemental way at all.

Anyway...there are some thoughts bouncing around in my head as we speak. I'm hoping to get them in some sort of order so that I can post them, LOL!! My brain works faster than my fingers sometimes, but not always :-)

Life has been GREAT lately! The boys are doing awesome, just growing up right in front of my eyes. Mike is doing great too...just working a lot and helping to run sound at church most weekends. Oh, and in January, I was blessed to find a part time job and I'm loving it!!

More to come soon!!!

Words

2009-01-31T08:42:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago or maybe a month or so ago, I blogged about a situation that happened regarding my at home babysitting job. Like most people do, I was venting in the middle of a situation as it unfolded, except I was venting on MY blog.

Well, on Jan.29th, some ANONYMOUS person decided to visit my blog and leave a comment on just that particular blog post. (I have since deleted the comment.) Of ALL of the positive blog posts on my site, someone picks that post to comment on. Strange. My first thought was that one of the "friends" that I referenced in that blog post had somehow found my blog and that it was one of them who left the comment. Now, I don't really think that is true because I've seen them since the 29th and they acted just fine towards me. So, apparently the comment was left by some random, hate filled stranger. A stranger who knows NOTHING about me, my life, my past, my struggles, my values, my, friends or my faith. I will pray that God touches this person's heart and that this person will make a decision to start treating people with love and kindness, rather than with hate and meanness.

The comment was judgemental, scathing and demeaning...not nice at all. As most of you know, talking about my feelings is something that I am really not too good at and I am trying really hard to open up and not stick my head in the sand any more. Needless to say, that comment left me very upset. It made me question everything I know to be true about myself and I'm just not up for that. Mind games are something that I detest.

It is hard enough for me to open up about my feelings, much less worry about some stranger attacking me for them. That is why I have decided to change my blog to "private." My blog is MY safe place to talk about my life, my family, my issues, my struggles and my successes. I thought about just deleting my blog all together, but that would be counter productive for myself. I have some really GREAT friends in the blog world and I refuse to give some stranger that much power.

Oh, and about the previous blog post and my babysitting job ending... it seems that as always, God knew just what he was doing. He is amazing ... I really can see His hand in so many areas of my life.

I "coincidentally" ran into a high school friend on Facebook who was looking to hire someone for part time office work at the company where he is General Manager. Yep, you guessed it... he hired ME. I now work part time, 9-1, each day. It's 20 hours a week and I am making close to the same as I was babysitting. The job does have the potential to grow into more hours as well. It is also about 5 minutes from my house. Can you say PERFECT???! :-)

And, the relationship with my friends seems to be somewhat patched up. It was very awkward at first, and Mary didn't come around us for a long time. Her husband said it was becuase she didn't know what to say so she was just avoiding it all together. I know her pretty well, and that is exactly how she handles difficult things that she is faced with in life. Looking back, it's easier to not be angry about the whole thing. None of us are perfect and we all make mistakes and sometimes do what we feel like we have to do. So, thankfully, our friendship seems to be on the mend. Will it ever get back to where it was? I'm not sure, but I think I would like for it to. They have been really good friends of all of ours for a long time.

So, there you have it... welcome to my "private blog!" LOL

Honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

2009-01-19T08:04:00.001-08:00

Let's all take a moment today to remember and to be grateful for Martin Luther King, Jr. Without him, his passion and his dream... God only knows where we would be today. I thank God today that He sent His servant, Dr. Martin Luther King Junior, to live on this earth with us, if only for a brief time. The time that he spent here did more for the human race than most people can wrap their minds around.

Dr. King was a man of rare greatnesss and he truly deserves respect and honor from each of us. He paved the road for race relations to get to where they are today. Are race relations perfect today? Of course not. But, they are much better than they used to be.

Had I been alive back in the days of Dr. King, I would have been proudly marching right along with him. Racism, in any form, sickens me to the very core of my soul.

Dr. King literally gave his life for a dream that he had, a hope for all of us, ... a dream, a hope, a cause that was so much bigger than just himself.

From his 1963 speech, delivered to a civil rights rally on the Mall in Washington, King said: "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character."

Amen, Dr.King. AMEN!!!

Thank you, Dr.King, from the bottom of my heart.

10 Years Ago Today

2009-01-14T06:00:00.000-08:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LANE!!

NOW...

Wow. My oldest son, my baby boy - Lane - turns 10 years old today. It seems like he was just born last week. What is it about your first born that is just...well... a little different somehow. Lane is an amazing little boy and he will always have a special place in my heart. I am so blessed to have him as my son.

10 years ago today - I saw my first born child and my life changed (for the better) forever.

10 years ago today - I discovered a love that I didn't know existed

10 years ago today - I realized that I loved someone else more than I loved myself

10 years ago today - I was given a gift from God that I will treasure forever

10 years ago today - I looked into his eyes and knew that I would do whatever it took to take care of him

10 years ago today - I discovered maternal instinct and true, unconditional love

10 years ago today - Lane and I started a journey together that has not always been easy, but taught us that we always had (and always will have) each other

10 years ago today - my heart skipped a beat and my eyes filled with tears when a nurse handed my beautiful son to me

10 years ago today - I fell totally and completely in love with my oldest son, Lane.

AND THEN

I LOVE YOU SO MUCH!

Happy Birthday Elvis!

2009-01-08T06:13:00.000-08:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ELVIS!!

Today is Elvis Presley's birthday. He would have been 74 years old today. Wow. Is it just me, or is it impossible to imagine Elvis being 74???

My sister and I grew up listening to his music. Our mom is, simply put, an Elvis fanatic. Apparently, it's genetic because I am STILL a huge Elvis fan!! I absolutely LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Elvis. His music is like nothing else I have ever heard. Elvis Presley and his music are woven into my childhood memories like a silver, sparkling web. My mom likes to tell people that my sister and I were rocked to "Love Me Tender" rather than "Rock-A-Bye-Baby!!"

One of my favorite childhood memories is from when I was about 5 years old. My mom, the saint that she is, took my sister and I to an Elvis concert in Baton Rouge!!!!!!!!! Before the concert began, I can remember her FIRMLY telling us that there would be no bathroom trips during the concert, no going to get a drink or anything else during the concert. No problem, Mom!!! The excitement of the concert and seeing Elvis with my own eyes and hearing his voice live is something I will always remember! What an incredible show!!!!

Honestly, I'd be hard pressed to believe that there is any other musician around today who has as much raw, pure vocal talent as Elvis had. He truly had a gift and his music touched so many people's lives. His music has influenced so many of today's singers. Not to mention the fact that the man was HOT.

I mean H-O-T!! I still get the "giggly teenage girl" feeling when I watch him on TV, DVD, etc. Man oh man!!!!!!!!!

We have quite a collection of Elvis music around here, and even my boys love to listen to it!! Third generation Elvis fans!!! (See, I told you it is genetic!)

Happy Birthday Elvis!! You may be gone, but you are certainly NOT forgotten.

Spontaneous Naps!

2009-01-05T06:29:00.001-08:00

Mr.Sandman visited my house TWICE last week during the day!! Each of my kids fell asleep in the same overstuffed chair a day apart. Lane NEVER takes naps and Ryan doesn't like to take naps much anymore either.

Two days in a row I noticed that it got quiet in our house (that's a BAD sign around here!) so I took a peek and one day Ryan was snoozing away. The next day, it was Lane's turn. What the heck?!?! It must be that chair...it's so big and very, very comfy!

'Tis the season to wear your kids out :-)

Aren't they CUTE?!?!? They are always cute, but when they are sleeping there is a innocence I see in their faces that just melts my heart. I love my boys!

Looking back before looking forward...

2008-12-30T08:06:00.001-08:00

How does this happen?? I mean, really. It seems like we were just welcoming in 2008. I blinked, and now 2009 is just two days away. My mom always told me that the older you get, the faster time seems to pass. She was right!

Overall, 2008 has been a great year for my family... and for me personally. Of course, it had it's ups and downs...but overall it's been good.

Good things that have happened this year (in no particular order):

- became an aunt/Nanny for the 3rd time!! Yeaaaa for Baby James!! I love him so much!!

- reconnected with my bestest friend, Dawn !!

- worked really hard on and have gotten better at opening up. Still have a long way to go, but I'm making progress! It's not always easy, but I don't want to spend my life being an ostrich!

- grown stronger in my faith and become more active in our church

- helped with Hurricane Gustav relief efforts

- grown even closer to my wonderful husband!

- in August Mike got a new, better paying job

- made some new friendships (Summer & Carole)

- learned to be more patient with my children, Lane & Ryan. They are the loves of my life and I thank God for both of them.

- the relationship with me & my daughter has grown from parent/child to parent/young adult. She is awesome and I am so proud of her!! We have come a LONG way this year.

- been there for my mom when she needed me. She is an amazingly strong woman and I am blessed that she is my mom!

- been able to spend more time with my sister and her boys (they are like my other 2 sons!) since she isn't working anymore!! Lauren is my other half, seriously, I would be lost without her!

- learned that even when things/situations don't look good ... to have a deep faith that God is in control and that it will work out according to His plan, not mine.

- through a lot of letter writing, a few phone calls, and (so far) one (going again in January) visit, developed a great relationship with my friend, Dawn's, son, JP. He has always had a special place in my heart and I'll always be there for him!

- started blogging and I love it! Made some really good friends in the "blog world!!"

- reconnected with some real life friends:

Chelle, Kim & Joe

- took a "not-so-popular-in-Louisiana" position in the 2008 Presidential Election.

- witnessed and prayed for my friend,

Carole's, amazing journey of faith and determination to adopt and bring home her beautiful son from Africa!! What an experience for her entire family! I can't wait to meet "A"!

- learned to not be a "lazy" friend. Friendships don't just happen by themselves and they are too important to ignore.

- reconnected with some of my friends from high school! (Ack, my 20 year reunion is in a few months!)

- learned to be thankful, really thankful, for the blessings that me & my family have been given. Blessings, no matter how big or small, are all around all of us. We just have to open our eyes and SEE them.

I hope and pray that each of you has a wonderful, safe, Happy New Year!!

2009 is going to be a GREAT year! I just know it!!

Recent Developments & Changes

2008-12-27T07:08:00.000-08:00

WARNING: This will probably be a long, rambling post. I am mostly venting and trying to not be an ostrich any more!

Ok, I am going through something not-so-great right now and have debated back and forth with myself over whether to blog about it or not. Obviously since I'm typing this and you are now reading it, I've decided to go ahead and blog about it. I do not want to continue my ostrich pattern any longer and hopefully I will get some good advice on how to handle this sticky situation.

This story can be a little confusing and somewhat complicated so just bear with me...

Ok, as most of you know my JOB is babysitting children in my home. The money I make from doing this is in no way "extra" money for us. It is used as actual income and goes towards paying the mortgage and our monthly bills.... just like most anyone's paycheck does. It is money that we count on to make ends meet each and every month.

When this job started almost a year and a half ago... my "friend" & neighbor (Mary) approached me about babysitting her 3 kids. I had started working in November 2006 and it lasted only 6 months because I wasn't making enough money to justify the expenses that we incurred so that I could work, daycare, gas, clothes, lunches, etc. Plus, our youngest son Ryan was not handling daycare well at all - to put it mildly. So, she knew we were struggling financially.

It just so happened that Mary's mother (who happens to live across the street from me) had been babysitting her kids and had recently decided that she was not going to continue to babysit any longer. So, Mary came to me to see if I would be interested in babysitting her kids instead of me trying to find another job outside of my home. I had been praying for an answer to our financial problems, and this seemed to be it!! It seemed to be the perfect solution to both of our problems.

Mary's best friend, Michelle, also happened to need a babysitter for her little girl too. I also happen to know Michelle through Mary. So, Michelle approached me and asked if I would be interested in babysitting her daughter as well. Of course, I accepted the offer.

So, that's how it went for an entire year. It was very hectic and stressful ... but I did everything I was asked to do and then some. I kept the kids when I was sick, when my kids were sick, when the kids I babysat were sick, etc.

This year, right before school started, Mary's mother decided she wanted to babysit Mary's 3 kids again. Now, don't get me wrong, I love Mary's mom...but she isn't always dependable to say the least. There is SO much drama with her, it's unreal...but she has a good heart. Anyway.... when Eric (Mary's husband) found out that his mother-in-law wanted to keep the kids again, he was a bit uneasy about it. He was afraid that she would just decide one day out of the blue that she was done babysitting, or that some "health" issue would come up for either her or the grandpa and that on any given day she wouldn't be available for the day, several days or weeks to babysit. Which would mean that Mary & Eric would be stuck without childcare for their 3 kids, which would be a huge problem for anyone.

So, Eric, (who is a lawyer) came over one evening and asked me if I would be the grandma's backup if he committed to me that he would still pay me the same amount each weekly to keep me on "retainer" so to speak. He said that this arrangement would last through the end of the summer of 2009. I felt a little odd about taking money from my friends and not really doing anything... but he assured me that this is what they wanted to do and that it was a small price to pay for security and stability for childcare. So, I accepted their offer. This was right before school started this year.

And, just like Eric thought would happen, there have been several times since school started that the grandma couldn't keep the kids, so I was there to do it. No problem... I held up my end of the deal consistently. In fact, there have been times when their 3 kids just showed up at my front door in the morning without anyone letting me know in advance that I would need to keep them that day.

In the beginning of this arrangement, Mary or Eric would come over and give me a check on time. Lately though, I have had to walk over to their house and ASK for my paycheck. Doing that makes me feel extremely uncomfortable and I've told them that I hate ASKING for it. They have always told me not to feel like that, that they just get busy and forget.

As of Friday, they had not paid me for the past TWO weeks. Finally, I decided to walk over there yesterday and tell them that I need it. Our mortgage payment is due on Jan.1st. So, I get there and Mary is at work. No problem, I'll just talk to Eric. I ask for the check for the two weeks. He says that he doesn't have the checkbook that Mary has it with her at work. (I did eventually get paid for the previous two weeks today - Saturday.) I take a deep breath and ask if everything is ok, and ask if this arrangement is something they want to continue to do because I'm getting a strange feeling about things.

Eric then drops a bombshell.

See, Mary & Eric are planning to take their family to Disney World in February, which I already knew. He then tells me that the law firm he works for has always given their employees a BIG Christmas bonus each year. It turns out that a couple of weeks ago, Mary & Eric had to pay for their trip to get whatever price it was that they were quoted. Well, at that point, Eric had not yet received his bonus. So, he called his mom & stepdad and they agreed to CHARGE their trip to mom & stepdad's credit card. Yes, you heard me. They charged over $3000 to someone else's credit card without having the money to pay them back. Well, guess what happens next?!?! That's right.... turns out that Eric's firm had a change of heart this year and they are not given their employees a bonus at all.

Long story short, Mary & Eric have decided that one place they can cut their monthly expenses is to cut me off. The arrangement that THEY offered to me and that I counted on for income is over. They will use the money they used to pay me to pay his mother back. But wait, it gets even better.

Michelle is also losing her job due to the company that she works for centralizing their sales force to Oklahoma. Her last day of employment is Jan.23rd. Michelle is a single mom with no family in the immediate area. Claire (Michelle's daughter) goes to a private Kindergarten and one of my duties included taking her to and from school. When Michelle found out a few months ago that she was losing her job, she asked if once she finds another job would I please continue to be Claire's babysitter. Of course, I said I would. Problem is now I won't be able to do that since the amount Michelle pays me isn't enough to make ends meet for my family. So, that leaves Michelle up a creek for a babysitter as well. Mary & Eric have agreed to pay me through Jan.23rd.

With all that said...as Jan.23rd...I will no longer be babysitting kids. Unemployed. And, with the kind of "job" I had, I'm not even eligible for unemployment benefits until I can find a new job. This means that I MUST find a job (quickly!) and go back to work outside of the house which means that I may have to put Ryan in daycare and maybe Lane in a before & after school program at a daycare as well.

Needless to say, I am not happy at all. I feel like I was used, betrayed, lied to and taken advantage of. Mike often asks me why I don't have many "girlfriends" that I am really close to...this is a perfect example of why. My close inner circle consists of my sister, my mom, my daughter,my friend Dawn, and my friend Polly (who happens to be Mary's sister!) and that is just fine with me. For years, I considered Mary to be a really good friend of mine. Now, not so much. Lane and Mary's oldest son are best friends, I am close friends with Polly (Mary's sister!), our mothers are friends. Our families are very much intertwined. I am really hurt that they chose to do this.

All of this is happening so that Mary can take her family to Disney World. Eric told me that he asked Mary about cancelling the trip and getting a refund. She told him no that if they did they would lose a $500 deposit and she WANTS to go. Mary was born with a silver spoon in her mouth and I now realize that she wants what she wants when she wants it and will do whatever it takes to make it happen. In my book, this is not how you treat your friends.

So, if anyone in the Baton Rouge/Gonzales/Prairieville area knows of any job openings... please let me know. I would greatly appreciate it.

I fully believe that God has a plan for ALL of us and while I may be surprised by this recent turn of events, He is not. I may not understand His plan, but I have faith in Him and in His plan for me and my family. I have faith that I will find another job and that my family will be ok. Please keep us in your prayers!!

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-24T06:38:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas to each and every one of you!

I hope that each one of you and your families have a wonderful Christmas filled with love, happiness and peace. Enjoy the time you spend with your families and friends. The best gift we can give each other is our time, our love and kindness.

Let's not forget what Christmas is really about. Yes, it is about a gift...but not the gift you can buy at WalMart or at the Mall.

It is about the ultimate gift that God gave to the people He loves SO very much (us)... His one and only Son. He gave us that gift because of who He is... not who we are or because of something that we have done.

I pray that everyone has a safe and Christmas filled with God's grace and love!

Happy 4th Birthday Ryan!!

2008-12-23T05:31:00.001-08:00

Yesterday, Dec.22nd, my baby turned 4. Yes, my baby boy is now 4 years old. I can't believe it! Where has the time gone?

It was 4 years ago yesterday that I held him for the first time and looked into his beautiful eyes.

It was 4 years ago yesterday that the image of his precious face was engrained into my memory for the rest of my life.

It was 4 years ago yesterday that I heard his cry for the first time and for the first of many times, I was able to calm him, soothe him and quiet him.

It was 4 years ago yesterday that I totally and completely fell in love with my youngest son, Ryan.

My prayer for you is that you will have a long, HAPPY life covered by God's grace and love for you. I pray that you will always be as sweet, as loving, as smart, as happy and as kind are you are today. My hopes and dreams for you far surpass anything I could ever possibly put into words.

Now...

And then.

Happy Birthday Ryan, my baby boy. I love you SO very much!

Today's Encouraging Word

2008-12-19T06:09:00.000-08:00

Every day I get an email from the AWESOME Christian Radio Station, KLOVE. Todays was great so I wanted to share it. It just seems to fit right now in this season of, what has so sadly become, so very materialistic for so many people. A lot of people lose sight of what Christmas is all about and get lost in the madness of "Gimme Gimme Gimme."

There are a lot of families that for whatever reasons just CAN'T (or maybe won't) get their kids all of the newest, fanciest, most expensive gifts. I am one of those "can't" parents, and if I am going to be completely honest, I admit that it is something that I do struggle with. I have to remind myself sometimes... ok, OFTEN, that big, fancy, expensive gifts are not what Christmas is all about. The greatest gift we have ever received did not cost a dime, although the ultimate price was paid for it. It is so important that we teach this to our children... and also remind ourselves of this as parents.

"A peaceful heart leads to a healthy body; jealousy is like cancer in the bones."

Proverbs 14:30 NLT

Is It Just Me???

2008-12-18T13:46:00.000-08:00

Or, is anyone else having a panic attack over the fact that there is only one week left until Christmas. Yep, that's right... ONE WEEK!!!

It's crazy. It seriously seems like Thanksgiving was just last week. I mean, I knew Christmas was coming - just like it does every year. But somehow, it is HERE all of a sudden!! How does that happen??

I still have a good bit of stuff to get done before the big day. I spent the better part of yesterday and today shopping, and I'm just about finished. Just 3 people left, I think. God help me to not forget anyone!! Mike's work Christmas party is tomorrow night. And we still have to go see Santa, finish shopping, make goodies, wrap presents, clean the house, go grocery shopping, etc. Help!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! LOL!!!!

Plus, Lane is in the Christmas program this weekend at church! They will be performing at all 4 services. And guess what?! Lane was given a small speaking part in the program!! I am SO excited and so very, very proud of him!! He is very excited about it too, and he just loves being part of the Kids Worship Team.

Ok, so I'm going to go try to calm myself down so I don't end up in a total and complete panic. I'm taking a deep breath and counting to about a billion. I'll also be chanting the title of Pastor Dino's current series at church: Simple Christmas. Simple Christmas. Simple Christmas...

50 Random Things

2008-12-17T05:44:00.000-08:00

50 random things about you!

I got this from my friend, Dawn's, blog! If you read this, FILL IT OUT! Learn 50 things about your friends, and let them learn 50 things about you!

It's fun...I promise!

1. Do you like cheese? Yes

2. Have you ever smoked? Only a couple of times trying to be cool- yuck!

3. Do you own a gun? Nope. Guns make me nervous!

4. Do you like listening to Christmas music? Yep.

5. Do you get nervous before doctor appointments? Only when they make me get on the scale!

6. What do you think of hot dogs? Yummy with chili.

7. Favorite Christmas song? Joy To The World! & What Child Is This?

8. What do you prefer to drink in the morning? It's a one-two punch. First, coffee then switch to diet coke!

9. Can you do push ups? This is a joke, right?

10. Who is your favorite Grey's Anatomy Character? I don't watch it much...but McDreamy is easy on the eyes.

11. What's your favorite piece of jewelry? My wedding rings

12. Favorite hobby? Computer Time!

13. Do you eat "exotic" foods? Uhhhh define "exotic!"

14. Do you have A.D.D.? Not officially, but I swear I have "adult onset ADD" if there is such a thing!

15. What one trait do you hate about yourself? Nervousness & my tendency to worry (oops, that was 2!)

16. Middle Name? Marie

17. Name 3 thoughts at this exact moment? Need caffiene! My list of things to do today, and this is fun!

18. Name 3 things you bought yesterday? Egg Nog for hubby & Ryan, Diet Coke & Bubble bath

19. Name 3 drinks you regularly drink: Diet Coke, Green Tea & water

20. Current worry right now? My best friend's son, JP, & trying to get everything done before Christmas!

21. Current hate? Hmmmmm...nothing really.

22. Favorite place to be? Home & with family/friends! I love being at HPC too!

23. How did you bring in the New Year? At our neighbor's house for a party and fireworks! Fun!!

24. Where would you like to go? Africa

25. Name three people who will complete this? I have no idea!

26. Do you own flip flops? Well yeah... duhhh!!

27. What shirt are you wearing? Mickey Mouse T-shirt

28. Do you like sleeping on satin sheets? Nope

29. Can you whistle? Not so much.

30. Favorite color? Purple & red

31. Would you be a pirate? No way!

32. What songs do you sing in the shower? None, but I sing like crazy in the car!

33. Favorite girl's name? Grace

34. Favorite boy's name? Daniel (Daniel is Lane's first name!) & Ryan

35. What's in your pocket right now? They're empty...other than some fuzzies!

36. Last thing that made you laugh? A letter from JP and my kids!

37. Best bed sheets as a child? White sheets with little pink flowers.

38. Worst injury you've ever had? Broken rib...ouch!

39. Do you love where you live? Yep!!!

40. How many TVs do you have in your house? 3

41. Who is your loudest friend? Mary

42. How many dogs do you have? None. We're cat people!

43. Does someone have a crush on you? I doubt it!

44. Hmmm.. there's not a 44.

45. What is your favorite book? Danielle Steele, John Grisham & Nicholas Sparks. And of course, the Bible.

46. What is your favorite candy? Anything CHOCOLATE! I especially like Reese's, the sweet & salty thing just works for me :-)

47. Do you know all the words to the Fresh Prince theme song? Most, but not all.

48. What song do you want played at your funeral? I Can Only Imagine, Blessed Be Your Name & The Blessing

49. What were you doing 12 AM last night? Snoozing...

50. What was the first thing you thought of when you woke up? Uggghhhhhhhhhhh it's time to get up already?? I need coffee!

Ok, that was really fun!! Take a minute and fill it out... I can't wait to read yours!

I'm Baaaacccckkkkkk!

2008-12-16T05:53:00.000-08:00

I'm back!!!

After taking a leave of absence from blogging, I am returning to the "Blog World" today. For some reason, I was really "feeling" the blog thing anymore. Why? I'm not sure. Maybe I felt like I didn't really have much to share or much that seemed "important." It seemed like for a while, I was in a funk. I HATE it when that happens.

See, it seems that when I get stressed out, overwhelmed, worried or upset...I act like an ostrich and stick my head in the sand and withdraw from people. I've been that way for most of my adult life. I'm sure it is a result of going through some rough things in life and is some kind of messed up defense mechanism. However, it is something that I truly do not like about myself. So, I am working really hard on changing that.

Thank God my sister, Lauren, and my friend, Dawn, refuse to let me get away with it and they have been known to pull my head out of the sand for me! LOL!!

A couple of weeks ago they (Lauren & Dawn) asked about my blog and said that my last post was about Hurricane Ike approaching and that it looked like (from the blog) that I got washed away by the storm and never came back!! Oops!! Obviously, that did not happen - THANK GOD!

Life is too good, and too short for me to act like an ostrich. Like Pastor Mike says, "I'm too blessed to be depressed!" I have been blessed in so many ways that I can't even count the blessings... it's time that I start acting like it!

So... yes, I am back. Thank you Lauren, Dawn, Summer and Carole for checking on me and for being my FRIENDS!!

Hurricane Ike and Rattled Nerves!

2008-09-12T17:56:00.000-07:00

So, here comes Hurricane Ike.

It is not heading directly towards Louisiana, but we are under a tropical storm warning and are feeling the winds already. It's strange how we know it isn't making a direct hit here, but we are scared none the less.

My nerves are just about shot. My friend Summer blogged about how the people here in South Louisiana are feeling right now. She somehow put my feelings into words. We are all a bit on edge around here today and tonight.

Tonight, I will pray for the people of Texas and southwest Louisiana. I pray that the storm weakens at landfall, and that there are no more lives lost to that monster of a storm. May God keep everyone safe.

Pictures from our house... post Gustav!

2008-09-10T09:51:00.000-07:00

Anyone for a round of "dot-to-dot" is welcome to come over and play on our roof!
And here is our roof modeling the latest in fashion roofing wear... a beautiful tarp!

This is a leaf on a banana tree. My mom loves to garden and the patio between our houses looks like... or LOOKED like... a small piece of a tropical island. This is what a banana leaf should look like if it doesn't have to withstand 90 mph winds with higher gusts. Notice how large this one leaf is and how it is all in one piece.

This is what our banana trees and their leaves look like now. Notice how the look like they have been run through an industrial sized shredder!!! Yikes!!

Here we have.... shingles. Uggghhhhhhhhh torn up shingles that were strewn all over our yard during Hurrican Gustav. My friend Polly who lives two houses down said she saw shingles from our house flying all the way to her house. Crazy!!! This is just one of the many, many piles of shingles we collected the day after Gustav.

Back to School Post Gustav... and... IKE

2008-09-09T05:59:00.000-07:00

Well, today most of the kids in our parish are heading back to school. Lane wasn't excited, lol! It will be their first day at school since Hurricane Gustav blew through our state, leaving a path of destruction behind it.

I'm not sure if things at school will be normal for the kids today or not. Based on our school board's website, I have a couple of concerns. Nothing major, but for example, it seems that lunches provided by the school system (that we PAY for) in the cafeteria will be a bit strange for a while. From the website, "There will be no breakfast available all week and meals ready to eat and water have been ordered for lunch. Parents of students on any type of special diet (i.e. diabetic, milk allergy, nut allergy, etc.) are asked to send lunch with your student to school until further notice." I called school yesterday to try to find out what exactly was meant by 'meals ready to eat' meant. I am wondering if they are referring to the MRE's that are being distributed by that National Guard. I truly believe that our school system is doing the best it can right now. But, is it just me, or does that seem like an odd thing to feed school children for lunch?? However, given all we have had to deal with this past week, that is minor. Guess it's just another part of the adventure that we have been on for over a week now :-)

Anyway, the person that I talked to at school wasn't sure either...so to be on the safe side, I sent Lane's lunch with him to school today until we can find out what is going on. He was happy about that! He brought a ham sandwich, cool ranch doritos, peanut butter cookies and a gatorade... Lane is a happy boy :-)

By the grace of God, it appears that Louisiana is being spared from Hurricane Ike. We've been watching it for days now, and according to all of the information I can find, it seems that Ike will be heading to either Texas or Northern Mexico. It was hard to know what to pray for regarding Ike. Given the destruction and suffering we have endured here in Louisiana, I wanted to pray that Ike didn't come here. At the same time though, it wasn't fair of me to pray for it to go somewhere else causing pain and suffering for people elsewhere. What I came up with was this: pray for it to dissipate and just go away all together. Crazy sounding, I know. But, I truly believe that there is nothing to big for God to handle :-) Now, my prayers are for the people of where ever this storm goes. Still keeping an eye on it though, just in case ;-)

Anyway, it looks like Louisiana dodged the bullet (Ike) this time. These are stressful months for people who live in the southern parts of southern states or right on the coastlines. This year's hurricane season can not end soon enough!!!

Pictures from Hurricane Gustav

2008-09-08T05:30:00.000-07:00

Mike and my brother in law adding a new accessory to our house... a tarp!!! We had some pretty bad roof damage. The insurance accessor came out yesterday and said we will need a whole new roof. Just great.

This is a huge tree that USED to be at the end of my sister's street. Thank God it fell backwards and not frontwards onto the house at the end of the street. Although, that white SUV was in it's path and got crushed. My sister and her family moved to a new house two days before Gustav made landfall.

This is the one that really breaks my heart. That house belongs to some friends of ours. A gigantic tree fell through their house and basically cut it in half. This is about 2 miles from our house. Our friends had a lot of their family from Houma staying with them at the time. A couple of them were injured, but their injuries will heal. Unfortunately, our friends lost EVERYTHING. They worked hard their whole lives and now all that they worked so hard for is gome. My heart breaks for them. Please keep them in your prayers. Thank God they are alive.
This is a convenient store close to our house. The huge covering from the gas pumps was literally blown off in one whole piece. Just look what 90 mile an hour wind can do. We had gusts way higher than that though. Scary!!
After 4 days of no electricity and heat that was almost unbearable, we heard that a Smoothie King nearby had somehow opened for business. I think they were operating off of a massive generator. Of course, we loaded up in the car and headed over there immediately! I swear, this was without a doubt the BEST smoothie I have ever had in my life. Ice cold and so refreshing! THANK YOU SMOOTHIE KING for a brief reprieve from the parched feeling :-)

Now, on a more serious note.... thank you to everyone for your prayers. They helped more than you know. We are still in the recovery phase and so many people are STILL without power, even today, a week after the storm made landfall. The people of this area are amazing... their sheer determination and concern for others is amazing to see.

Dear God,

2008-09-06T05:42:00.001-07:00

Please... do not let Hurricane Ike head towards Louisiana. We can not handle another hurricane right now. Please.

Post Gustav ...

2008-09-05T17:15:00.000-07:00

We made it through Hurricane Gustav, and it was nothing nice.

I'll post more about it later, it's been a really long, hard week and I am just exhausted. We are ok... the power at our house came back on (by the grace of God) late Thursday night. However, we are the minority in our parish and in most surrounding parishes.

Our house has some damage but again, THANK GOD, we didn't end up with a tree IN our house like so many people did.

Thank you everyone for your prayers... it means the world to me. I'll post more tomorrow. Be Blessed...

Hurricane Gustav

2008-08-31T18:40:00.001-07:00

We are in the cross-hairs of Hurricane Gustav. Within the past 30 minutes or so, we have started to get some rain and some wind. God willing, we will come out of this without too much damage.

If you don't mind ... please, PLEASE say some extra prayers for everyone in South Louisiana. We could use them right about now. I'll update when I'm able to.

To all of my friends that live here... I will be praying for you and for your families. Take all of the necessary precautions and stay safe. I pray too for all of the families that have had to evacuate from their homes, for the officials that are making the decisions that impact our safety, for anyone and everyone involved with this situation in any way at all with this storm.

Pastor Dino prayed this with us this morning at church and I found it very comforting, so I thought I would share it here.

Psalm 23
A psalm of David.

1 The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.

2 He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters,

3 he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake.

4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.

6 Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

Huh???

2008-08-22T13:22:00.000-07:00

Is this a little odd??

Our across the street neighbor seems a bit anal about his grass. He pays someone to come out weekly and cut their yard... and the people who cut it do a great job!

So, I noticed yesterday that the grass cutting people were out there cutting our neighbors yard. Nothing out of the ordinary.

Today, as I am sitting here typing, I look out of the window and there is our neighbor...cutting his grass... AGAIN!!!

Now. I know with all the rain we have been having lately the grass is growing pretty fast... but not literally overnight!!!!!!

For some reason that is just cracking me up!! Why pay someone to cut the grass, if you are just going to go outside, sweat like a pig and cut it again the very next day?!?!?!?!? LOL!!!!

Crazy Kid... Part 1

2008-08-22T12:53:00.001-07:00

Soooooooooooo what do you think this is???

Give up yet???? You have? Ok then, I'll tell you!

Ryan LOVES his pacifer... or as we call it around here, his "noonie." Lots of kids do, right? Well, Ryan is just a bit different from the average kid. Not only does he have a noonie to suck on... he also has one that he carries around in his hand. He affectionately calls it his "ah-wah noonie." When he was learning to talk, he was trying to say "other" noonie, and it came out sounding like "ah-wah."

As if that isn't strange enough, he likes his "ah-wah" to be sticky and yucky, LOL!! The older and more torn up it is... the better he likes it. Gross, I know!!

Anyway, Wednesday we were getting to go out and about ... I was in my room putting on my makeup when all of a sudden Ryan comes tearing in my room, hysterical!! He said he had torn a piece of his "ah-wah noonie" and stuck it up his nose!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yeah, I kinda freaked out. I looked up his nose, thinking if I could see it at all, I would get my tweezers and pull it out. WRONG!! It was so far up his nose, there was nothing showing at all... not even a little edge of it.

He was so scared and was saying he couldn't breathe!! We were about to head to the doctor's office for help... when I got some tissue and told him to blow his nose as hard as he could. He did as I asked. Nothing. I told him to do it again... but to do it even harder.

He blew and blew... FINALLY the darn thing came out.

We were both so relieved. Once I knew he was ok, I fussed him good!!! I said I was going to throw his "ah-wah" away... which only brought on more hysterics. So, I took it from him and put it high up in a cabinet where he will never be able to get to it.

So, yep you guessed it! That odd looking thing in the above picture is the piece of his "ah-wah" noonie that went nose diving!

Good lord, what was the child thinking?!?!?!! He has never been one to put things in his mouth... much less his nose!! Kids... geeezzzzzzzzzzzzz!! No wonder my hair is turning gray!!!

Better Late Than Never, Right?!!?

2008-08-19T17:08:00.000-07:00

My sweet Lane is now officially a 4th grader!!!!!!! How did that happen?? Where did the past 9 1/2 years go???

Lane went back to school on Aug. 8th!! His first day back at school went really well. Notice the booksack in the picture... it has wheels!! The school board policy states that starting in 4th grade, the kids can use booksacks with wheels, so Lane had to get one! He is pretty excited about it :-) Cute huh?

Lane is going to a new school this year. Thankfully lots of kids from his old school were moved to the new one too, so he knows a lot of kids already. Our parish is busting at the seams so the school board had to have a couple more schools built.

I'm not too sure what I think about the new school... as of now they don't have a playground, they have a library that is still being "worked" on and it has no books in it, they don't have an intercom system or a bell system. Seems to me like they built a big building and stuck a bunch of kids in it!

Anyway... Lane seems to like his teachers. His favorite teacher is Mrs. Teepell, his homeroom teacher and his science teacher, which is awesome because science is his favorite class. She really does seem nice!! This year, since he is in the 4th grade, he has three different teachers and switches classes a couple of times a day. Of course he has homework Monday-Thursday nights but they are nice and don't assign homework to them on Fridays! Thanks teachers :-)

It really doesn't seem possible for Lane to be in 4th grade and it makes me sad. My baby is growing up!

Let's See If This Works For Me!!

2008-08-15T14:23:00.001-07:00

WOOHOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!! It worked!!! I can post pictures!!

My friend, Dawn, came over today to see what was going on with me not being able to post pictures on my blog. Unlike me, she is really good at computer stuff! Apparently, the problem seems to be simple. For some reason, the pictures are just taking wayyyyyy longer than they used to to upload. We think... ok, Dawn thinks, that it would help to resize my pictures before I try to upload them... so I'll try to try that (LOL!) and see if it helps!!

So, for today... the lesson that Dawn taught me was to be patient!! We have been friends for around 12 years or so... I wish she would have taught me patience sooner... LOL!!! Thank you Sista Dawn for your help!! As always, you were a HUGE help!!!!!!!!!

Help!!!!!!!!!!!

2008-08-14T08:00:00.000-07:00

Ok, as some of you know... I really, REALLY stink when it comes to fixing problems with our computer or trying to figure out and fix what is wrong with a computer program.

So, I am asking... begging... for help. I am STILL not able to post pictures on my blog. It is making me extremely cranky, to say the least. However, when I try to use the "blogger help" thingie to try to get help with this problem... I have no luck, AT ALL. Does anyone know how to report a problem to Blogger? Or to find out if a problem has already been reported and when it should be fixed????

Getting REALLY Cranky ...

2008-08-11T07:35:00.000-07:00

I am STILL not able to post pictures. According to "Blogger," this is a known issue and they are working on it. Geeezzzzzzzzzz how long could it possibly take?? I read lots of other peoples blogs and they are posting pictures constantly.

Uggghhhhhhhhhh just my luck...

Problems with Blogger?

2008-08-08T19:21:00.000-07:00

I've been trying to post pictures tonight, and it doesn't seem to be working!! Gggrrrrrrrr it's frustrating me.

Anyway, check back tomorrow for pictures and to hear about Lane's first day of school... it was TODAY!!

The Chapman Family

2008-08-07T20:25:00.000-07:00

As some of you know, back on May 21st tragedy struck the family of Christian musician, Steven Curtis Chapman. Maria Chapman, the youngest of their 6 children was killed in a horrible automobile accident. She was a tender 5 years old. What a beautiful little girl and she was such a light in this wonderful family...

Tonight on CNN's Larry King Show... Steven, MaryBeth and their three oldest children (William Franklin, Caleb, and Emily) appreared on the hour long show. They were asked some really tough, heart-wrenching questions during the show. I sat in utter amazement watching the interview unfold. The complete love, honesty, courage, strength and faith of the entire family was amazing to see and hear. There was also intense pain, but the overwhelming feeling you got from watching them was their faith in our Lord and love for each other. Do they understand why this happened to them? Of course not. But they do know that God has been there with them the entire time and that He has held them through every step of this tragedy. And, the three oldest children are wise beyond their years.

It would have been so easy, and completely understandable, for them to hide away from the rest of the world and not speak publicly about what happened to their family. But, they truly feel like that is not what God wanted for their family...they feel like this tragedy is a way to bring more people closer to God. If they pulled the covers over their heads and never spoke about it, we would never have witnessed such faith in the middle of such a deep, dark valley in all of their lives. In the midst of their grief, they are all still holding on strong to the love of God and to their faith in Him.

I pray that if, God forbid, I ever am in such a horrible, devestating valley, I am able to be half as courageous and faithful as they have been. Thank you Chapman family for sharing yourselves with us. You and your story are completely humbling and inspiring. This family and this tragedy have made a huge impact on me and have touched my heart deeply. They will remain in my prayers for a long, long time...

New Week!

2008-08-05T19:04:00.000-07:00

This week has gotten off to a much better start than the week I had last week... thank goodness!!

This is the last week of summer vacation here. Our kids start back to school this Friday. The school board in all of it's infinite wisdom decided last year to re-district the school zones because of over crowding. Lane has been going to the same school from Kindergarten through 3rd grade. Now this year, thanks to the re-districting, Lane will be attending a brand new school. Which in itself is ok. The only problem I have with it is that his old school was literally, at most, one mile from our house. His new school is at least 5 miles from our house. Not that big of a deal compared to some places, I know. Plus, it's not only Lane that has to go to a new school. Approximately half of the old school's children will be going to the new one, so at least Lane will already have some friends there.

This week has been really nice so far. ALL of the kids that I babysit are on vacations with their families, so it's just me and my boys... which is awesome! Not that we are doing anything really fun or exciting, but its nice for us to be together without the extra kids around. Yesterday we (we= me, Ryan, Lauren, Baby James, and Brandon) went to WalMart to get some last minute things for school and today the same "we" went to the Dollar General for some odds and ends. Lane decided to stay home with his sissy, and Spencer has been at all day band camp at the high school.

Mike is really enjoying his new job. He has been working in the Computer/IT field for over 20 years, so this is WAY different for him... but he seems to really like it!! I've been sitting here tonight making a new bill paying schedule since his paydays will be different now than they were at his old job.

We had a nice weekend... Lane had worship team practice Saturday morning, then we dropped Blondie (aka Jennifer) off at work, then the boys got haircuts, did some stuff around the house, etc. Sunday we got up, went to church (which was awesome!), got home, I put a pot roast on to have for supper, then went shopping with my mom, she was looking for just the right sheets for her bed. I never knew there were so many rules about sheets!! LOL!! We really had fun! Usually she is a basket of nerves in that crazy store, but I managed to keep her laughing and we both had a good time :-)

Hope everyone is having a great week!!!

T.G.I.F

2008-08-01T05:58:00.000-07:00

Yeaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!! It's FRIDAY!! We made it through another week, lol!!

My wonderful hubby started his new job today! He was a bit nervous but excited at the same time. Turns out, he isn't going to start off making the amount of money he thought he would be. It's still a little more than he was making at his previous job, and better but more affordable insurance. After the first 60 days at the new job there will be a salary increase... and then there are supposed to be two more increases coming within the first year. Sooooo... here we go on another of life's adventures :-) We live in South Louisiana and there are lots and lots of plants in this area, but it is hard - almost impossible- for people without "connections" to get hired at one of them. So, we know this is a HUGE blessing and we will be patient while we follow God's time-table and not our own.

Next up... my frustration. This is a sticky situation and I am going to try to not be mean about anyone in my post. Soooooooooo here goes! As you may know, I babysit a "friend" (her name is Michele) of mines daughter, Claire (plus another friends 3 kids) each day while she works. Anyway....... she gives me a hard time if for some reason I can't "work" on any given day for any reason. Like the time my son had to get a root canal or when my sister had her baby. Uggghhhhhhhhhh don't get me started! Anyway... she usually gets here around 6:45 am each morning. So I get up at around 6:30am, yuck!!! Well, she took off work today to help a friend get ready for a party and supposedly I was still going to babysit her daughter. It's 8:10 am and they STILL haven't gotten here... neither have the other three kids. No phone call... just nothing. The mom of the three kids is the one having the party.

Why is it that someone couldn't have had the decency to tell me yesterday that they would be late getting here so that I wouldn't have gotten up at the crack of dawn?????????? (Sorry about that Sista Dawn, lol) With every minute that ticks by, the more cranky I am getting. I can handle a lot of things, but plain old rudenss isn't one of them. Normally, since we are supposed to be friends, I try really hard to keep my mouth shut and just roll with stuff as it happens. But this is just ridiculous to me. Looks like I may have to speak up this time.

Ok, I'm done venting. Well, for now anyway! Thanks for listening!

One of "Those" Days

2008-07-31T19:22:00.000-07:00

Today has been "one of those days" for me. You know the one I'm talking about... the one when if something can go wrong it will. The one where when it rains it pours. I'll spare you any more cliche's ... surely you get the idea.

It started last night, when due to some disappointing news we received during the day, I could not go to sleep. Normally this is NOT a problem for me. However, last night was an entirely different story. Once I laid down, my mind wouldn't turn off and I lay there dwelling on the disappointing news we received during the day. It was after 1:00 am when I finally drifted off to sleep, or maybe I just passed out from exhaustion... who knows. It seemed like 5 minutes and then Mike was there waking me up at 6:35am. I was not amused, to put it mildly. On a good day, me and mornings are not the best of friends. Off to the coffee pot I go...

My sister had to go to the high school today. It was prep day for my oldest nephew, Spencer. He is a freshman this year... I can't even believe it. Anyway, they had to be at school for 7:30am. She had asked me yesterday if I would babysit Baby James while she took Spencer to school. Of course I said yes! He was really good...he only spit up on me twice and then went to sleep! He loves his Nanny!

While they were gone, Lane got stung by either a wasp or a yellow jacket. So, I had to take care of that with some creme and Benedryl.

Once Lauren got back, I decided to go on a wasp hunt. There was a small wasp nest under the edge of the roof by the back door and a HUGE nest under some leaves on a bush by the front door. Now, I am one of those people who doesn't always think that less is better. Especially when it comes to Wasp Spray or Ant Poison!! Soooooooooo I grabbed the wasp spray and headed outside. Of course I started spraying like a mad woman. No kidding, I used no less than half of a new can!!! Well, being the brilliant person that I am... I didn't think to see which way the wind was blowing. And of course I was standing down-wind from the spray. As I was spraying, the wind was blowing it right back on me!!! Yikes!!!!! I ran in the house and jumped in the shower.

Next my sister had to take my other nephew, Brandon, to the middle school for his prep day... which meant that Baby James would be hanging out with me again... cool... no problem. Well, almost no problem. While she was gone, he decided to make a present for me in his diaper. A BIG present which exploded out of the diaper and onto my hand!!!! Ugggghhhhhhhhhhhh!!! Yet another crisis!!! LOL!!!

Next... the kids were playing at a neighbors house when I noticed that the weather was looking really dark and scary outside. Sooooo, off I go to get the kids to come home. I was about 1 minute too late. As I was literally running (which I never do, lol) home the bottom fell out and I was drenched in the down-pour!!

Shortly after that, Lane's cat Bandit comes in and the kids notice that he has some kind of sore in between his shoulder blades on the top of his back. 6 kids melting down all begging me to "do something." Great. I really, truly love Bandit. He is the sweetest, most loving, patient cat ever. I look at it and decide that I should clean it. I get the alcohol and neosporin and go to work. That sweet kitty just sat there and let me tend to his bo-bo. No meowing, no trying to get away, no growling... nothing. I think he will be fine. The fur is gone and you can see his skin. To me it seems like the equivalent to a skinned knee on a human. If it's not better in a day or two, I'm going to take him to the vet.

I come out of the bathroom from taking care of Bandit to find that the little boy I babysit had decided to spray milk out of his sippy cup all over the living room floor... on purpose!!! Let me just say that summer can not be over soon enough.

So, that was my day. I was spit up on, sprayed with wasp poison, pooped on, rained on, played cat vet, and had milk all over my living room floor... all on very little sleep from the night before. Is it bed time yet?????

My FIRST Blogging Award!!!

2008-07-30T09:04:00.000-07:00

Yes, you read that right... I have been awarded the "Brillante Weblog Award" by my friend Dawn!! This is the first award I have received since I started blogging so I am really excited!! Blogging is an awesome way for me to share my life with everyone and at the same time, it serves as a journal/scrapbook of my family's lives for me to have forever. Thank you Dawn for giving me this award!!

So here are the rules...

1. Put the logo on your blog.

2. Add a link to the person who awarded it to you.

3. Nominate at least 7 other blogs.

4. Add links to these blogs on your blog.

5. Leave a message for your nominee on their blog.

The 7 blogs that I am going to recognize are:

1. Carole over at The Wardrobe and The White Tree. Her blog is awesome and she is actually the one who inspired me to start a blog of my own! She has an amazing heart and I really admire her.

2. Summer over at HerstoryGirl. She is a really kind person with a huge heart! She is a wonderful mom, wife and online friend! One day we will actually meet in person, LOL!!

3. Aimee' at Adopted As His Own. I actually went to high school with Aimee' and her brother. We ran into each other at church a couple of years ago. She is an amazing woman... she and her husband have EIGHT (yes, you heard me right EIGHT) beautiful children! Check out her blog for their story!!

4. Nate at Confessions of a CF Husband. You really need to check out his blog. It is just amazing. It's a story of TRUE love, family and faith!

5. Jennifer at The Maggio Family. A f un blog about the in's and out's of day to day family life. Like me, she is a bargain shopper!

6. Oceans5 at {Crazy Life of Mine}. I love this blog! How she manages to be so organized and neat with 3 small kids is amazing to me! Lots of fun and real life!

7. Cindy R. at Me, Myself and MaryKay. Her blog is so friendly and so is she! A great example of how to juggle, and juggle WELL, family life and volunteer work!!

LOL!! You would not believe how long it took me to get this post completed!! I squeezed it in while also babysitting mucho kiddos!! No need to worry, they are all happy, safe and fed!

Thanks again to my friend and "sista," Dawn!! I wanted to put you on my list of winners, but then I didn't think you would want to do the whole thing again on the same day! :-)

The New "MiMi Mobile"

2008-07-26T08:06:00.001-07:00

My mom, we all call her Mimi, got a new car Thursday!!

Her old car was literally falling apart. I'm not kidding!

Some parts of it were being held together with Mighty Putty, LOL!!

She was trying to wait as long as she could to get a new car because with a new car comes a dreaded new car note. Her old car had been paid off for a while. It's hard going from not having a car note to having a car note. But, she finally had to bite the bullet and get a new one. Her old car was just not at all dependable any more. And since she works in Donaldsonville, she really NEEDS a dependable car. Trust me when I tell you that Donaldsonville is NOT a place you would want to be stuck with a broken-down car! Not that I would want to be stuck anywhere with a broken-down car, LOL!

Anyway... CONGRATULATIONS on your new car MiMi!! You deserve a cute, nice new car!

We have used the nickname "The Mimi Mobile" for her car for years now. We call it that because she loves to haul any or all of her grandkids around! They all like to go on "Mimi Excursions!"

Shhhh!! I Won't Tell IF You Don't Tell!!

2008-07-22T10:15:00.001-07:00

Lane and Baby James LOVE to tell secrets, but only to each other!!!

They do it all the time!!

I would LOVE to know what it is that they whisper about!!

Lane must have told Baby James a GOOD one!!

Look at that smile!!!

Weekend Re-Cap

2008-07-22T06:36:00.000-07:00

This is the pastor of our church. His name is Pastor Dino and he is awesome! We have outgrown our current church building and are in the process of building a bigger one! Saturday they invited people to go to the new building and take a look around. It is amazing and so big!!

Here are our boys outside raking the fresh cut hay... I mean GRASS!! Mike cut the grass Saturday afternoon and Sunday afternoon, the boys decided (on their own, I promise!) to go outside and rake it up!! It only lasted a few minutes, but hey, beggars can't be picky!!

Sunday's dinner!!! Yummmyyyyy!!! I cooked this pot roast with potatoes, celery, onions and carrots!! It came out just like my mom's does... which to me means it was a complete success!!! I do have to admit, it was really good!! Thanks Mom for telling me how to cook it!!

My Little Artists

2008-07-21T06:27:00.001-07:00

Abstract Art by: RYAN

"Mommy" by RYAN

(Look, I finally have long,skinny legs!!)

"Kaleidoscope" colored by: LANE

Abstract Art by: Lane

(He drew this himself, then colored it!)

Sweet Lil Feet!

2008-07-21T06:13:00.000-07:00

Is it just me, or do babies have the most precious feet???????? Just look at those chubby, tiny toes!! Normally, I HATE feet... but not when it comes to baby feet :-) I mean, really...just LOOK!!

The adorable little feet in the picture belong to my sweet little nephew, Baby James. He is a "Nanny's Baby!!!" I am Nanny, by the way :-) When he is with me, which is often, I take his socks off and play with and yes, kiss, his sweet little feet!! Call me crazy, but that's just the way I roll, LOL!!

Quick Diet Update ...

2008-07-18T10:53:00.001-07:00

I have now been on the Atkins Diet for 4 days. So far, I have lost 4 pounds. Since I lost 2 1/2 pounds after the first day, I'm a bit disappointed that I've only lost 1/2 a day since then.

Oh well, there is 4 pounds less of me today than there was Sunday!! Mike is still doing the diet as well. Since I lost so much weight on this diet a few years ago... we are gonna stick with it. Maybe I'm just expecting too much, too soon.

For lunch, chicken salad. For supper, Atkins-friendly meatloaf. Thanks Dawn for the recipe!!

P.S. Of course that is ME in the picture!! LOL!!! (I wish!)

Answered Prayer #2

2008-07-18T06:44:00.001-07:00

Ok, I don't want to "count my chickens before they hatch" (geeezzzzzz that sounds SO country, lol) ... but I want to share this with my friends in blogland.

ANSWERED PRAYER #2:

It looks like my wonderful hubby will be starting a new job within a month or so. It kind of just fell into his lap. The crazy thing (ok, one of the crazy things) is that by trade he is a computer fix it peson... he is an IT Technician. But at the new job, he won't be doing that. It looks like he will be a "shipping supervisor" and will be responsible for making sure the product is loaded and shipped properly. There is a new plant being started up in our area, and that is where he will be working. He will be making a good bit more than he is making now, and the benefits there are amazing!!!

I plan to still babysit my friends' kids throughout the coming school year, but when school is out... I'm done!!! This summer having SIX kids all day, 5 days a week has been just about enough to push me over the edge!!

Things are definitely looking up for our family!!!! We just have to be patient and continue to pray that this actually happens the way we have been told it would!

Diet Time!!

2008-07-15T08:30:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I started doing the Atkins diet. It is a high protein, low carb diet. A few years ago me and my friend Dawn gave this diet a try and we were amazed by the results. We both lost weight like crazy!!

Since then, I have had another baby and you know what that does to most women's bodies. Uggghhhhhhh. Ever since I had my oldest son, my weight really fluctuates (I have no idea if I spelled that right!) a lot. I lead a fairly busy hectic life and don't just sit around every day eating bon-bons while watching TV. I chase kids around all day, every day and am constantly on the move. Surely it has something to do with me eating whatever I can grab quickly around the house... and trust me, it's not "health food" by any stretch of the imagination.

Anyway... I decided it was time to quit denying the fact that I desperately need to lose some weight. Since this diet worked so well for me in the past, I decided to give it a try again. My friend Dawn and my dear, sweet Mike are doing it too!! Yesterday morning I weighed and I will just tell you this much... scales are evil, they LIE!! After I came out of shock, I was ready to stick to the diet plan no matter what, which is what I did.

This morning I got up and forced myself to go weigh. Imagime my shock when I saw that in just ONE day, I had lost 2 1/2 pounds!!!!! Yeah, I am pretty fired up!!

Recent Pics!

2008-07-11T13:26:00.000-07:00

It's BATMAN!!!!!!!!! Fooled ya didn't I?? haha! This is Ryan playing dress up as Batman. Maybe he is going to be an actor one day, because he sure gets into character!! When he is dressed like a SuperHero, you have to call him the hero's name in order for him to answer you! Too cute!!

This was July 4th. Here is a picture of me and my twin sister, Lauren. I'm the one holding adorable Baby James!! Isn't he precious?? And yes, we are identical twins :-) We don't normally dress alike but we were both wearing red for the holiday!!

Here is a picture of my special blueberry cake!!! Yummmyyyy!! We all went to a blueberry farm last weekend and hand-picked our own blueberries!! The farm is in Clinton. I'll have to try to remember the name of it. We had a blast picking the berries and the price is an amazingly low $2.00 a gallon. We picked 5 gallons and only paid $10.00!!!!!!!! Let's not talk about the price of the gas it took for us to get there :-)

Lane on July 4th!! Isn't he handsome? :-) They were shooting fireworks so I was watching him pretty close. Like most boys, he is a little daredevil which makes me a nervous wreck! Thankfully, he is really careful with fireworks so I am able to relax A LITTLE!

Here are Lane and a few of his friends the morning of the first day of Vacation Bible School. They had a BLAST!! Not only did they have lots of fun, they learned a lot too! Thank you Pastor Dino and HPC for pouring into our children!!

Really??

2008-07-11T08:20:00.000-07:00

According to my blog, the last time I posted was July 2nd!!!

I'll remedy that little problem today :-)

Summer at our house is a bit out-of-control this year with me babysitting my friends' kids. These days, finding the time to sit, collect my thoughts, and type them out seems to be as hard for me as climbing Mt. Everest would be!! There has been so much going on around here lately... it will take me a couple of posts to catch my couple of readers up to date, LOL!

We had a fun 4th of July (pictures to come soon!) and Lane is going to Vacation Bible School this week at Healing Place. He gets so excited about VBS every year. It is something that he really looks forward to every summer. Our church really pours a lot of time, effort and energy into our youth. They are truly our future.

Ok, time to get ready to pick the kids up from VBS. I'll post more later and will include some recents pics too!!

Answered Prayer!!!

2008-07-02T05:53:00.000-07:00

The beautiful young lady in this picture is our daughter, Jennifer!! Oh, and the handsome young man is her boyfriend, Ryan. Or as we call him around here, "Big Ryan." We have to call him that because our youngest son's name is Ryan too... so we have a "BigRyan" and a "Little Ryan."

Anyway, I digress....

About two months ago, Jennifer decided to take a huge chance and go on an "adventure"... which meant, on a whim, she moved to South Florida. Like most parents, we weren't at all happy with that choice, but we made sure that she knew that we loved her and that we would always ALWAYS be here if she changed her mind and wanted to come home. As a mom, I have a huge tendency to worry and this just about pushed me over the edge. I did all I knew to do...I prayed hard every day that first, God would keep her safe and secondly, that God would have her return home.

Well, at the end of last week... my prayers were answered!!! SHE CAME HOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We missed her more than words can say. She is such a beautiful, sweet, and kind girl. She adds her own special spark of life in our home, in our hearts and in our lives. We love her so much! Her little brothers adore her. She is so sweet, loving and patient with them. Little Ryan follows her around all over the place, and Lane is fiercely protective of her :-)

Now that she is home, it feels like a HUGE missing piece of our family is back, and our family is complete again!! She will turn 21 in August, but she is still my baby girl... and she always will be.

Thank You God for keeping our baby girl safe and for continuing to work in her life, even if she didn't realize You were doing it. Thank You for hearing our prayers, and for bringing her home to us. I realize that things were done according to YOUR time schedule and not ours. You had her come home when YOU knew she was ready, not when WE were ready. Thank You Father for Your never ending love, Your peace and for Your grace. We give all of the glory to You.

Yep, you know I am going to say it ... God is faithful!!!!

Root Canal...

2008-06-19T05:49:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, Lane started complaining of a tooth ache. So, we made him an appointment with his dentist to get it checked out. Now, keep in mind he is only NINE years old. Off to the dentist we go... only to find out that he has an absessed tooth!!! And, not just any tooth either... as luck would have it, it was in a permanent tooth!! He had to take a round of strong antibiotics for 10 days and then his dentist referred us to an Endodontist.

Of course, the endodontist said that poor Lane would have to have a root canal done. Can you believe it?!?!?!! I couldn't. So, yesterday was the big day. The endodontist had prescribed some medicine for Lane to take an hour before the procedure and he had to take it on an empty stomach. The medicine was necessary to help keep Lane from being so nervous and to help keep him calm. Well, let me tell you... it worked.

If you know my Lane... you will know that he is a 100% wide open little boy. He IS the definition of "perpetual motion." He is always busy doing something and will play outside nonstop until we make him come in at dark. He makes me tired just watching him. So, to see him completely chilled out, quiet and still about 30 minutes after taking this medicine was a bit unsettling for me. Although, I must admit, it was a teeny bit amusing at the same time.

We get to the endodontist office right on time and they call him to the back. He was calm, cool, and collected. The procedure took a total of about 2 hours.. and Lane was amazing!!! They sprayed him with some numbing medicine first and then put a numbing gel on his tooth. Once he was numb, they gave him several shots to numb the entire area they were going to work on. He is such a little man! Lane laid there perfectly, never moved, never whined, never grunted, never said ouch, never cried or complained... not even once. I told him later that he handled the root canal process wayyyy better than most adults I know.

The endodontist told us that he would be pretty sore for a few days and to give him children's advil for the pain. Crazy thing is... he hasn't needed it. I keep asking him if his mouth or tooth is hurting at all... he repeatedly tells me NO! In fact, his best friend's birthday was yesterday and we went over there for dinner and cake. They live right next door to us. So, anyway, next thing I know... Lane is in the pool swimming!!!!!!! Needless to say, I almost fainted. Then they asked if Lane could spend the night... and he did!!

Poor kid, he must be sick of me asking him if his tooth hurts. Cause he walked though the door this morning and before he could shut the door, I was asking him, "How is your tooth?? Does it hurt" Lane said, "No ma'am... it doesn't hurt at all." And I was like, "It's not even a little bit sore?? Not even a little??" Lane's response, "Nope, not even a little. And Mom, why do you keep asking me that??" I was like, "Cause it is supposed to be hurting you!!" LOL

Of course I had been doing some serious praying for days that God would be with Lane and carry him through this without any pain or anxiety. God answered my prayers. I'm telling you, God is faithful.

Random Pictures!

2008-06-17T08:15:00.001-07:00

This is Lane sliding down the slide at my dad's pool Sunday. Yes, the little dare-devil went down the slide head first, on his back!! Yikes!! I was scared to watch, but I just HAD to get a picture of him doing that!

These are new pictures of Baby James! He weighed 7lbs 9ozs when he was born... and when they were released from the hospital the second time, he weighed 7lbs 13 ozs. Last Friday, we took him to his pediatrician for his little check up and he weighed in at a whopping 8 lbs 13 ozs!! That baby loves to eat and is already taking 4 ounces of formula at a time!! Good job Baby James!!!

And this would be my silly oldest nephew, Spencer!! Where that plastic eye came from, I have no idea! He has a great sense of humor and is a trip to be around... you just never know what he is going to come up with next!

One last picture of Baby James! Don't worry though, I'll be taking more soon!! He must think the paparrazi is following him around when I am there with all those flashes going off all them time :-)

Happy Father's Day!!

2008-06-15T18:47:00.000-07:00

Happy Father's Day!!!!

Here are the handsome men in my life!! At church this morning, they were taking fun Superman pictures! I always new Mike was MY Superman, now the rest of the world has proof :-) Pastor Dino preached an awesome, right on time message this morning about the need for men to be brave for Christ in today's world!! He definitely had his preach on!
Here they are posing forthe camera after church. I couldn't get Ryan to smile though.
This is a picture taken today of me and my Daddy!! He has been an incredible Daddy to me. He never had any sons, so being a Daddy's girl back then I was the one who would go to the hunting camp with him, 4-wheeler riding with him, and turkey hunting at every grocery store around at Thanksgiving looking for the biggest turkey we could find! LOL! He has taughte me so many of life's valuable lessons - thank you Daddy!! I love you!
Me and Mike (also known as the love of my life) after church today!! I am so blessed to be his wife... and my kids are incredibly blessed to have him as their father. Personally, I believe that if more kids had a daddy like my kids do, the world would be a much better place :-)
And last but not least, here are my guys in the pool at my dad's house!! Aren't they handsome?? I love them all so much!! We have had a GREAT Father's Day!!!

Tim Russert

2008-06-13T12:58:00.000-07:00

There was just "breaking news" on TV ...

BREAKING NEWS
NBC News and MSNBC
updated 17 minutes ago
UpdateTimeStamp('633489827918630000');

WASHINGTON - Tim Russert, NBC News’ Washington bureau chief and the moderator of “Meet the Press,” died Friday after a sudden heart attack at the bureau, NBC News said Friday. He was 58.
Russert was recording voiceovers for Sunday’s “Meet the Press” program when he collapsed, the network said. No details were immediately available.

I am a self-admitted "news junkie." And, I've been especially been addicted to the political news in the past several months watching the Presidental Primaries play out. Tim Russert was an unbelieveably, BRILLANT man. He seemed to have the pulse of the American political world literally beating within him. He was so passionate about our political system, it seemed like he just knew it all so naturally. So many people truly looked to him for guidance and information.

He was tough on all the candidates, but always incredibly fair. One of the things I liked most about him was this: He was absolutely NOT scared to ask the candidates or anyone else the "tough" questions. Of all the "pundits," "moderators," "political experts" out there these days, Tim Russert was my absolute, hands down favorite. He made it so interesting to learn about politics.

The world has lost a one-of-a-kind man. It may sound crazy, but I'm really sad about his passing. I watched him so much on television, it kind of seems like I somehow knew him just a little. Strange huh?

From all that I have heard he was a true family man and loved his family with every ounce of his heart. Please keep his family in your prayers, as the coming hours, days, weeks, months etc will be incredible difficult for them.

Boy meets... basket! OUCH!!

2008-06-12T13:57:00.000-07:00

Rule: No running in the house.

Reason: Someone will get hurt.

How many times have we Moms said this????????

At least 137 times a day in my house.

This is what happens when a 4 1/2 year old (Brennan) and my 3 year old ignore the rules and run in the house anyway. I was in the kitchen unloading the dishwasher... of course, after 26 seconds of me not standing over them they start playing crazy and running around. Just as I got the words, "NO RUNNING!!!" out of my mouth - I hear Ryan crying. The "Mommy, I'm hurt!" cry. So I go to him only to find him laid out on the floor and the laundry basket laying next to him. Mind you, my laundry basket is tall (a little over 2 feet tall), and is made out of really hard plastic. It is pretty durable and not flexible at all. No, I don't generally use laundry baskets as household decortations, but I was doing laundry today (yuck!) and had been sorting clothes in the hallway.

Apparently, Ryan ran (or was pushed while rnnning) smack into my laundry basket and the edge of it made contact with his sweet little face.

Ryan says Brennan pushed him... of course, Brennan denies it. Based on past events, I'm enclined to believe Ryan - and not just because heis my son. Either way, it was an accident, but my little baby boy is going to have a black eye :-(

Happy Birthday Baby!!

2008-06-11T12:58:00.000-07:00

Today is my wonderful hubby's birthday!! He is truly the love of my life and I am so blessed to be married to him!

Happy Birthday Mike ... I love you so much!!!

Introducing Baby James!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2008-06-09T10:00:00.000-07:00

Here he is!!

I'd like to introduce our very own Baby James!!!

He is so absolutely precious... it's crazy!

Welcome to the world Nanny's Baby!

I LOVE YOU SO MUCH!!!

Update on Lauren ...

2008-06-09T05:52:00.000-07:00

Good news!!!

After a week in the hospital, my sister (Lauren) was released from the hospital on Saturday afternoon!! She really had a tough time of it, but she seems to be much happier since she is back home. The doctors released her from the hospital, but she still has an IV for antibiotics and also has a home health nurse coming to her house daily to change the dressing and stuff on her incision and the place on her incision that opened up some due to the staph infection.

She has really been a trooper through this entire ordeal and I couldn't be prouder of her. We have prayed a lot for her and with her. While she has had her hard moments, God's grace and love is evident and has gotten her through this like only He can!!

I'm gonna try and sweet talk her today and beg her to let me post a picture of our sweet little boy, Baby James. She is a little nervous about having his picture posted on the internet, which is understandable. Anyway, Baby James is absolutely amazing. Not only is he precious, he is such a good baby. The entire time they were in the hospital, he was able to stay with his Mommy and he was SO GOOD!! He really didn't cry much and slept most of the time. He slept through the lights, the noise, the nurses coming in and out constantly... you name it, he slept throug it!! What a huge blessing he is :-) Can you tell I'm a proud Nanny???!?!! hehe

Please contine to keep Lauren in your prayers as she is still healing and has a little way to go yet... but she is getting there!!

My Color

2008-06-08T19:09:00.001-07:00

What's Your True Color?

My Result: Yellow

You're yellow, the color of joy and energy — two things you definitely bring to everyone around you. It's hard for anyone to be sad or lonely in your presence; your sunny disposition and cheery outlook just won't allow it. The warmth of your personality shines through in the kindness you show friends and family (and strangers, too). Always ready with a lighthearted joke or heartfelt compliment, you know how to make people feel good about themselves, so they can't get enough of you. Yellow is a warm and inviting color for a warm and inviting person — you!

What are you?
http://web.tickle.com/jumpto?test=colorogt&c=50652

Complications ... Prayer Request

2008-06-04T07:38:00.000-07:00

I've been putting off blogging about this because it just breaks my heart, but here goes ...

My sister, Lauren, has been back in the hospital since Saturday night.

As you may know from previous posts, she had a baby boy on May 27th. She and Baby James were released from the hospital on Friday around lunchtime. Everything seemed to be going fine... she was feeling ok and happy to be home with the baby. Then Friday night she started running a fever. They were told to go back to the Assessment Center at the hospital on Saturday morning. She saw the doctor on call and was told that her incision from her c-section was getting infected. They gave her a prescription for antibiotics and sent her back home. Well, by Saturday night ... her fever was even higher! They called the doctor who told them to go back to the hospital so that she could be re-admitted. Thankfully, they are allowing the baby to "room-in" with her so that she isn't separated from her beautiful baby.

Anyway, today is Wednesday and she is still there. Apparently it's one of those things that has to get worse before it gets better. They doctors have been able to do a culture from some of the icky stuff and are waiting for the results to be final. Based on the preliminary results, it appears to be a bad Staph Infection of some sort. So, for now she is on several different medicines and is doing the best she can,

She is in the hands of a very, very capable doctor. The nurses at the hospital have been wonderful! Right now though, she can't get in and out of the bed too much and when she does, it's pretty painful for her. Plus, Baby James hasn't been re-admitted as a patient so the hospital staff isn't responsible for his care. For now, we are all taking turns staying with her at the hospital to help take care of Baby James and help Lauren with whatever she may need.

Please pray for her. Pray for healing of her physical body and for her to feel God's presence in a very real, strong way. This of course isn't what she envisioned for herself and/or her family. But, our God knows what is going on and He can and will take care of her. We trust in that completely.

One Dollar

2008-05-29T11:53:00.000-07:00

I am borrowing this from my friend, Carole's blog. Thank you Carole for sharing this on your blog. It is really working on my heart right now.

FROM DONALD MILLER, AUTHOR OF "BLUE LIKE JAZZ" WEB SITE:

"I’m happy to be riding my bike across America to raise money for my good friends at Blood:Water Mission and also to raise awareness about the current water crisis in Africa. Your help, both in donations and in showing up for our community rides, goes a very long way in providing hope.

Here are three ways you can contribute:

Use the link HERE and donate to the ride. All of the money you give will go directly to Blood:Water Mission, as each member of the Ride:Well Team has paid for their trip in advance. If you donate on this site, you will also receive the first chapter of my new book “A Million Miles in a Thousand Years.” You’ll be receiving this chapter more than a year before anybody else will be able to read it. One dollar provides clean water for one African for one year, so every small contribution helps.

Join us on one of our community rides! You can ride alongside me and the Ride:Well Team in Dallas, Nashville and Washington D.C. These are fairly short rides that nearly anybody can take part in. Consider getting a group of riders together and joining us. We will be hanging out all day, eating, riding and enjoying each others company. And you’ll be riding for a great cause. Click here to learn more about these community rides..

The most important thing you can do for us is to pray. I’m a firm believer that God listens to our prayers. The most significant contribution you can make to us is to pray for the needs of the people in Africa, but also pray for our safety as we cross the country. Do pray that we find favor with the people we interact with, and that hearts are open to hear about the cause we are riding for.

I do hope to see you out there on the road. If you search around the Ride:Well website, you will find a list of the cities we will be passing through. In many of these cities, we will be presenting at local churches and community groups. If you happen to see your city listed, come out and hear us. We’d love to meet you. Thanks so much for joining us, either physically or in spirit, as we ride across America"

"One dollar provides clean water for one African for one year..."

Wow. I am trying to wrap my mind around that. One dollar. ONE DOLLAR. 100 pennies. 10 dimes. 20 nickels. That is all that stands between clean water, the very thing needed to sustain life, and a beautiful African child of God. That's IT. ONE DOLLAR.

$1.00 = CLEAN water for one African for an entire year

That is an astonishing fact and it is messing with my head and heart. Even as tight as our finances are, how can we NOT spare (at least) ONE DOLLAR?????????

Thank you Carole for posting information like this.

HE'S FINALLY HERE!!!!!!!!!!

2008-05-28T08:51:00.001-07:00

My newest nephew was born yesterday!!! He was scheduled to be born today, but apparently he had other plans :-) He is quite honestly one of the most beautiful babies I have ever seen!! He weighed 7lbs 9.6ozs! We call him "Baby James." I am so in love with him, it's crazy! Hopefully, I'll get the ok within the next week or so to post a picture of him!!

Both Baby James and his mommy, Lauren, are doing well. Not sure just yet when they will be heading home... hospitals/doctors send people home entirely too fast these days if you ask me.

Thank you God for this newest little blessing You have provided to my sister and brother-in-law...and to all the rest of our family. Thank You for a safe delivery and for a beautiful, HEALTHY little boy! We are so incredibly blessed :-)

Awesome Fireworks!

2008-05-25T09:14:00.000-07:00

And, here are some pictures of the Grand Finale'!! Of course, fireworks never photography as beautiful as they are in person, but I tried! HPC really went ALL OUT on the fireworks display last night!! They were stunning!! The kids absolutely LOVED every second of them!! It was worth having to deal with the heat to have such a fun family evening!!

THANK YOU FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART

HPC!!!!!

More Pics from HOT Fun at the HPAC!!

2008-05-25T09:02:00.000-07:00

These first two pictures really tug at my "mommy heart!" Ryan wants so bad to be just like his big brother, "Bubby." At the game yesterday, Lane was in the dugout and Ryan was standing right behind the dugout, and stuck his little hand in there so he could hold hands with his Bubby. Lane is so sweet!! He isn't the kind of kid who get embarrassed by his little brother and is really affectionate and protective (as seen in picture #2) of Ryan. It just melts my heart to watch them together! I am so blessed to have such wonderful, loving children :-)

The second picture is of them standing in line together. They were waiting their turn to get in one of those "jumpy things!" How sweet!

These next two pictures of the boys were taken while they were inside of the jumpy thing!! They had a blast!! Why is it that kids can jump around like that for hours and NEVER run out of energy?!?!!

Hot Fun at the HPAC!

2008-05-25T07:31:00.000-07:00

Here is Lane waiting for his turn at bat at the game Saturday. Notice how wet his head is... that is from sweat!! It was so incredibly HOT at the game!! We were melting!

Here is Lane again. For all of the years he has played baseball, he has always been number 11! Cool huh? For some reason... I just love this picture!

This is Lane with one of his coaches... Coach Paul Roy. He has to be one of the nicest, most caring people I have ever met. You can tell from watching and listening to him that he truly loves the kids and REALLY cares about each one of them individually, both on and off of the baseball field. One of my favorite things he said this year was after a really close game that ended in a tie. We had been down by several runs, and made a huge comeback. Our kids never gave up. After the game, Coach Paul said to the kids, "You honored God with the way you all played ball today." Wow.

Thank you Coach Paul!

This is Lane with Coach Darryl Frank. Coach Darryl is awesome! The faith that he has in the kids is awesome to watch. He makes them feel like there is nothing that they can't do. The kids thrive on his encouragement!! He was truly a leader to our kids, someone they will be able to look up to forever.

Thank you Coach Darryl!

Here is Lane coming off of the field at the Awards Ceremony last night. Each child was given a Gold Medal for their participation and effort during the baseball season.

I really CAN NOT say enough good and positive things about the Sports Program at HPC. I have never seen a group of people who care so much about our precious kids. They are truly doing God's work by ministering to our children in this way. They not only learn baseball, but they also learn about God's love for them. It has been a huge blessing to be part of this team... not just Lane's team (The Mets) but the entire HPC Sports Team. Thank you everyone that makes this happen year after year. You have made a huge impact on our lives!!

Baseball & Fireworks Saturday!

2008-05-24T11:49:00.000-07:00

Well, today is the last game of the baseball season for Lane. His game starts at 3:30 at the HPAC. Looks like it is gonna be a H-O-T one!! Then, this evening they are going to have an End of Season Celebration. The kids will each be receiving a medal and then there will be lots of fun at the HPAC!! Food, inflatables, and fireworks! It should be a great evening! Lane is sad that the season is coming to an end, but he has had a blast playing ball this year. It's been better than any other year he has played, thanks to HPC and UpWard Sports!!!

Heartbreak

2008-05-22T06:34:00.000-07:00

NASHVILLE, Tennessee (AP) -- "The 5-year-old daughter, Maria Sue, of Grammy-winning Christian music star Steven Curtis Chapman was struck and killed Wednesday by a sport utility vehicle driven by her brother, authorities said."

I can not even comprehend what this family is going through in this moment. My heart hurts for this special family. Please pray for all of them. Lift them up in prayer so that they can feel God's presence, strength and peace as they walk through this devestating season. Pray that He holds them and carries them in the coming days, weeks, months and years. Also, please say special prayers for the brother who was driving when this tragic accident occured. I pray that his heart is protected from guilt and anguish. God called her home... just as he will call all of us home one day. I pray that he (and the entire family) will be wrapped in a blanket of God's love and peace.

Sad News ...

2008-05-22T06:21:00.000-07:00

Sad news in our house this morning. I got up and stumbled into the kitchen to make our glorious morning coffee.

Put the coffee filter and coffee in.

Added the water.

Turned it ON.

Waited.

NOTHING.

Our coffee pot has apparently seen it's better days and quit working.

Noooooooooo!! Say it isn't so :-(

You Win a Few... You Lose a Few

2008-05-22T06:06:00.000-07:00

And the winner is ...

DAVID COOK!

Yep, David Cook won the title of American Idol last night. Congratulations to him! He seemed to be completely shocked and overwhelmed by emotion... which made the face that David Archuleta didn't win a lot easier for me to swallow! What a graceful winner he was...a true gentleman!! I do think that David Cook will have great success in the music industry... that boy can sure rock it out!

It seems that every season, or at least 3 seasons that I can think of, when it comes down to the final two... the person I am pulling for doesn't win!! I really wanted Clay Aiken to win over Reuben Studdard... I really, really wanted Blake Lewis to win over Jordin Sparks... and I was pulling for David A. to win over David C. It seems like I am the kiss of death (or loss) for whoever I am pulling for! LOL

Maybe next year, I'll pull for who I DON'T want to win and see what happens! A little reverse psychology never hurt anyone!!

Anyway, congrats to BOTH of the David's! I truly hope we hear more down the road from David Archuleta... I still love his voice!

Battle of the David's...

2008-05-21T07:06:00.000-07:00

David Archuleta

David Cook

So, last night was the final duel on American Idol. I must admit, we watch the show weekly... unless we are at the HPAC for baseball stuff. Anyway, while it hasn't been as addictive this year as it has in the past... it has still been fun to watch. There were some really talented people on this season.

But, from the very beginning I have loved David Archuleta!! He is soooooooooo talented, he has been blessed with an incredible gift. His voice is so strong and pure, he could just about sing ANYTHING and it would sound good. He seems so sweet and humble, I could just hug him!

And, while he may be as "entertaining" as some of the other contestants, he has them beat in the raw talent category. Keep in mind, he is only 17 years old. I think that in time, he will become a true performer ... but for now, all he needs to do is rely on that voice of his. He doesn't need a bunch of flashing lights and screaming guitars to make him sound good or make us listen to him.

David Archuleta was definitely at the top of his game last night!!! Man, he just sang the heck out of all three songs that he performed. He sang with such passion too! Even Simon had nothing but good things to say about his performance last night! Imagine that!!!

I think David Cook is talented too, don't get me wrong. But, he seems to get caught up in the lights and the "show" too much for me. I do enjoy his music, but his voice just isn't as pure and it just doesn't move me like David Archuleta's. But, I do think David Cook did a good job last night too.

So, we shall see what happens!!! Good luck to them both. But... as you can probably tell, I'm hoping that David Archuleta is the next American Idol!

The Last Couple of Weeks

2008-05-19T11:36:00.001-07:00

We've been spending a good bit of time out at the HPAC watching Lane play baseball! Just check out my handsome little ball player :-) These are pictures from their (the Mets) first game... and he hit two doubles and one base hit! GO LANE!!!!!!!! He is a good little athlete and I love watching him out there playing ball, giving it his all. He loves it too... it's nearly impossible to get him to leave sometimes.

Healing Place is awesome for, among about a million other things, being part of UpWard Sports. Thank you Pastor Dino for making this a place where our kids are encouraged to be the best they can be and at the same time, really LEARNING about the game and more importantly about commitment and teamwork!! Our kids truly honor God through this ministry, and we are so excited to be a part of it!!!

Here are Ryan and Claire (one of the kids I babysit) playing in some clover patches in our front yard! I remember doing the same thing when I was a little kid and when I saw them doing, it felt like I was a kid again!! In this crazy life that we all lead, it is so refreshing to remember back to a time when there wasn't so much hustle and bustle going on... a simpler time with way less worries than we have as adults. I love this picture... their innocence tugs at my heart strings.

And here we have what I call the Western Power Ranger... notice the cowboy boots! LOL! Ryan is enthralled with the Power Rangers. Yes, I know that there are better things that he can watch... and he does - TRUST ME! But, we are sure to remind him often that the Power Rangers aren't real and that fighting people is not the way to handle problems. At least in the Power Rangers, the good guy always win instead of the bad guys.

Good vs. Evil... an age old concept and/or struggle.

And, last but not least... let me ask you a question.

WHAT IS YOUR GREATEST FEAR????

My biggest fear, other than something bad happening to my family, is a complete, total and paralyzing fear of SNAKES. In fact, you could say I don't just have a fear ... it's actually more like a full blown phobia. For some reason within the last month or so FOUR of these hideous creatures have appeared on our back patio. Yes, I've come face to face with my biggest fear FOUR times recently. If anyone can determine what kind of snake this is, I would love to find out! Since these monsters have started showing up we, ok not we, MIKE cut back a lot of bushes and things that we had growing around the patio. My mom lives right behind us and is a plant-a-holic so there are plants, bushes and flowers everywhere. And, while it is beautiful to look at, it is also a very inviting environment for these completely unwanted guests. I DETEST SNAKES!!!!! They are sooooooooo scary looking, and I could care less if they are poisonous or nonpoisonous...it really does not matter a bit to me. Snakes always seem to me to be intertwined with evil. Just look at the Bible and the Garden of Eden!! See, there is the proof...they really ARE evil and they represent evil!!!!!!!

I'm SAD...

2008-05-19T06:00:00.000-07:00

Ok, call me a whiny baby but I am SO SAD!! My wonderful, amazing husband is at the airport at this moment waiting for an airplane to whisk him off to Washington, DC. Waaaahhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!! Thank God for cell phones :-)

Mike is going out of town for a some training that is supposedly going to lead to him getting a promotion at work!! He did a couple of classes here locally, but whatever this class is that he has to take now is not offered here. Sooooooooooooo off he goes!

It's the last week of school for Lane, and 2 of the kids I babysit... the other 2 are already out... plus, Lane has a makeup game at the HPAC Tuesday at 6pm ... so things will be a little hectic around here, but hey, for us that is normal! I KNOW I am spoiled because Mike is a huge help around home in the evenings and on the weekends. But, like most Moms I have a super hero cape hanging in the closet so we will be fine!!

And, of course I am a worrier... but I have faith that he will have a SAFE trip. I prayed all the way home from the airport this morning!

Thankfully Mike will be back Friday night, and I will be at the airport to pick him up!! Yeahhhhhhhh!

I Don't Understand ...

2008-05-17T17:56:00.000-07:00

Why can't I find time to blog lately??? It's driving me crazy! Ok, crazier than normal :-) Hmmmmmmm now that I am blogging... what to blog about?? See, I drive myself nuts-o!

A couple of my blog-world friends have done this lately... thanks Carole and Summer!! It's fun so I'm going to borrow it! Thanks again y'all!

I Don't Understand

Why some people let their children play "Grand Theft Auto" and other VERY inappropriate games and/or listen to VERY inappropriate "music"

How anyone could NOT like chocolate or coffee

Why I constantly do laundry and never get it all done

What was so wrong with BIG hair? (picture later!)

Why anyone would not want to go to Healing Place Church

Why some churches put man-made rules in place instead of just doing what the bible says

Why my wonderful husband loves Star Trek

How my kids NEVER EVER run out of energy

Why GREASE is one of my favorite movies EVER

Why I don't have to be hungry to eat french fries

Why some OLD "rockers" don't just retire gracefully

Why we park in the DRIVEway and drive on the PARKway

How people just stand there without singing or clapping during worship

Why kids want to be grown up so fast

Why it seems like Pastor Dino is always directing his sermons directly at ME!

*** Not a complaint at all :-) ***

Why does everything have to cost so much, I mean REALLY

How could a friend of my son's NOT know that Christmas is when we celebrate our Savior,Jesus', birthday... not the birthday of Santa Claus

How people can be selfish

Why I have so many "issues"

Ok, I'll stop for now... but there will probably be more to come later cause I was on a roll!

So, come clean and tell us... what do you not understand??

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!

2008-05-11T18:25:00.000-07:00

Happy Mother's Day!!

Happy Mother's Day to each and every one of you! I wish all of you a wonderful, happy day touched by God's grace. Each of you has a special place in my heart and a special place in this world. Thank you for just being YOU!

My Heart Breaks ...

2008-05-09T06:08:00.000-07:00

AP: Myanmar

In a drastic move, the United Nations stops sending cyclone aid to Myanmar, saying the country's military government has seized aid intended for the victims. More than 1 million people were left homeless by the storm, which also killed at least 23,000 people. Some officials fear that death toll will top 100,000 as entire villages were wiped out.

After reading this, I am left sitting here in utter shock and disbelief. I absolutely, positively CAN NOT wrap my mind around this. There are people suffering horribly over there, probably in ways that we can not even imagine. There are bodies floating around in the water. There are kids alone everywhere walking around starving and looking for their parents. There are sick and severely injured people everywhere. There are hundreds of thousands of people who are now homeless have nothing. The water is contaminated. The list goes on and on..... And now we hear that this country's government is taking the food, medicine, clothes, cleans water and othe supplies/aid that other countries are sending to aid these poor, suffering, and devestated people????????????????

I wish I could say that I am well versed on this country and it's "government," but unfortunately I am not. What I DO KNOW with every fiber of my being is that the people of that country are God's people, just like we are. HE loves them. He loves each and every one of them and I can only imagine how this is breaking His heart. My heart breaks with His.

Because of this corrupt, evil, "government" these innocent people will continue to suffer unnecessarily. Can you imagine watching your child starve? Or watch your child slowly die because of the injuries or illness brought on by that storm... knowing that they could have been helped? Or can you imagine being one of those lost children walking around ALONE in the debris looking for a parent, relative or friend?

My heart is aching for these people as I read more about the situation. My heart is breaking for them. Please pray that these people are released from their suffering. Pray that the hand of God comforts them, and heals them. And, pray that that somehow the hearts of the people in the government over there are opened to the plight and suffering of their own people... and that they allow ALL of the aid to reach the people who so desperately need it. And, please pray that the aid continues to be sent over there, and that the countries who are sending the aid are not deterred by the actions of the government of Myanmar.

Remember, there is nothing, absolutely NOTHING that is too big, or too hard for our God to do.

Rain, Rain Go Away!!

2008-05-03T07:00:00.001-07:00

RAINED OUT!

Our area was pounded by a really nasty line of thunderstorms last night and this morning so all the games at the HPAC have been rained out for today. Lane was all fired up and ready to hit a home run! Oh well, he'll have to do it this coming week at the make-up game.

Instead of being at the ballpark today, we will be at my sister's house helping them get their house ready to be shown. Yes, they put their house on the market to be sold. It's a really cute 3 bedroom garden home in the Dutchtown area. (ppsssttttt... if you know of anyone who may be interested it it, just let me know!)

She loves their house, but they have simply outgrown it. With her being very pregnant and now on bedrest, she can't do much of anything at all. Sooooooooo to the rescue we come!! Hopefully we will be more help than harm... LOL!

Have a great day, try to stay dry and I'll check in later!

The Countdown Has Begun!

2008-05-02T10:41:00.000-07:00

10, 9, 8, 7, ....

As I posted a while back, my twin sister is pregnant with her 3rd son!! She only has about 3-4 weeks to go and I will FINALLY get top hold him and kiss his sweet little face off!! LOL

She has been having a lot of swelling her feet and legs. She barely recognizes her feet anymore! Wednesday she wasn't feeling too hot... nothing in particular, just the end of the pregnancy yuckiness!! So, I went over to her house to see her and I brought her my digital blood pressure cuff... and yep, her blood pressure was higher that it should be. It got a bit higher as the day went on. Thankfully, she had an appointment with her OB/GYN Thursday morning and she has been put on BED REST until the baby gets here. They will now be seeing her weekly and will be keeping a close watch on her and the baby. He also said it is quite possible that the baby will be born earlier than the originally scheduled c-section.

We will be doing anything and everything to help them right now. Her hubby works long hours and she has two other kids to take care of. At least they are a bit older and not so high-maintenance. So I will be busy, busy, busy for the next several weeks, but I wouldn't have it any other way. She is my bestest friend and I love her so much! Plus, I love her boys just like they are my own!

I have to give it to my sister though. She works... I mean WORKED... in a extremely busy doctor's office in Baton Rouge. It is a really hectic and stressful job. She stuck it out through all the morning sickness, tiredness, aches, and blahs that go along with pregnancy! She planned on working right until the end, but the baby, her body and her doctor had other plans! I told her that I hoped this isn't an indication of things to come with this little one... not going with the flow and giving her a hard time...LOL!!!!!!

She should try to enjoy laying around and doing nothing while she can ... cause those days are quickly coming to an end!! They are about to begin one wild and crazy ride. One the little one gets here, lounging and relaxing will be distant memories :-)

Anyway, please pray that her blood pressure can be controlled by bed rest and that they don't have to admit her to the hospital and do the c-section any earlier than planned. Also, pray that she doesn't go completely nuts-o laying in bed and that the baby (and Lauren) continue to be safe and sound!!!

Missing In Action ...

2008-04-29T07:25:00.000-07:00

This is me lately!

Yep, this is me lately ... it feels like I am hanging on by a thread. There has been SO much worry in my life lately, and I admit it ... when I start feeling completely overwhelmed and can't seem to get control on things I do what comes naturally to me. I act like an ostrich and stick my head in the sand. Or maybe I act more like a turtle and pull way into my shell.... or maybe both if that is possible! Either way, those are not the right way to handle stress and anxiety. Thank you Summer for the wake-up call!!

Where to even start??

Without going into a lot of detail on the blog, let's just say that we have having some extremely difficult times with one of our daughters. She is 20 years old and in my (and everyone else's) opinion, has been making some "not-so great" choices in her life. I may not be her biological mother, but I am her mom in every other way imaginable. I love her more than she even realizes. How do you stop someone who is, at the moment, hell bent on going down the wrong road? As hard as it is for me to admit ... I CAN'T. It's so heartbreaking to know that what she is doing isn't right for her and not be able to stop her. All I can do it be open and honest with her, make sure she knows how much we love her, and that we will ALWAYS be here for her. And of course, to remind her too that God is always there for her too ... all she has to do is reach out to Him. It's times like these when I really have to rely on my faith in God and I hate to admit it, but somedays I do a better job with it than others. This is all happening according to His plan and while I may not understand the "why" behind it ... I have to trust Him. I will continue to pray for her every day that she is safe and that she is doing ok... then I HAVE to turn it over to God, and let it go - REALLY let it go. This is way more than Lesley the imperfect human can fix. The bottom line is even though I don't agree with her choices, I love her so very much and will always ALWAYS be here when and/or if she needs me.

Lane is playing baseball at church and is loving every minute of it. He is a really good little ball player and I am so proud of him. Hopefully I'll be able to post some pictures of him in action soon. His coaches, Coach Paul and Coach Darryl, are awesome! Up until this year, Lane played baseball in the Gonzales league and the coaches there are just there to win. At HPC, we have been blessed with coaches that genuinely care about each child and only want them to do their best and to feel good about themselves. Thank you HPC and Upward Sports!!!!!! Unfortunately, Lane has been struggling in math at school lately. And, I'm afraid he inherited my "love" of the subject. He has convinced himself that he can't do it ... that mindset is one that is hard to undo. But, we are working on it and with the grace of God, he will overcome it! Oh, and if anyone out there knows of someone who would be interested in tutoring Lane in math over the summer, please let me know!! He is in the 3rd grade now, and will be in the 4th grade next year.

Our garage sales went pretty well. Yes, I said garage sales. Plural, as in - more than one. LOL! We got rained out on the original Saturday ... so we covered the stuff under our carport with visquine and were gonna do it again the next week, but there was a mix-up with the ad for the paper. So it was actually 2 weeks later that we had the 2nd one. Craziness!!!!!!!!! All together we made a fairly decent amount of money. Not bad for stuff that I would have just thrown away. At this point, every little bit helps.

Let's see what else has been going on.... OHHH yeah.... Mike went to the Men's Conference at church and absolutely loved it. He has also started going to Pastor Dino's prayer breakfast at Frank's on Wednesday mornings. He is also volunteering at the car fix-up this coming weekend too! He has really plugged in with God and church lately and I am so excited about it, I don't think I can put it into words. He is an awesome man, and I love him more than words can say!! I am so blessed.

Well, time to make the dreaded WalMart run ... I'll be back soon!

Oh, and give your kids an extra hug today and make sure they know how much you love them :-)

Be Blessed,

Lesley

Kuddos to American Idol !!!

2008-04-11T06:03:00.000-07:00

OK...I admit it ... we love watching American Idol!

Last night, we turned the TV to Fox Channel 6 at 7:00pm to watch the results show. Ryan Seacrest comes on and shows a recap of "Idol Gives Back," then announces that the remaining 8 singers on the show will now sing "SHOUT TO THE LORD" to open the show!!!!!!!!!!!! Given the state of television these days, I said outloud to my husband, "They can't be getting ready to sing THAT 'Shout To The Lord'!" And to my utter amazement and shock, the American Idol contestants provided their viewers and fans with an incredible version of the Christian Worship song "Shout To The Lord!!!"

I was over the moon with excitement!! In a world where it seems that our God is slowing being "phased out" of anything our children will come into contact with, Fox hit it out of the ballpark by airing this on it's most popular show!!

How many people who may never have had the opportunity to be exposed to Christian music were actually given that chance last night?? How many people now know that there is something else out there to listen to besides some of the garbage that is now called music? I don't have a problem with ALL or even most secular music, but there is just some music out there that I refuse to listen to, or to allow my children to listen to.

So, last week we had the awesome opportunity to hear Dolly Parton sing about "JESUS" and this week we were given the chance to hear an awesome worship song on one of the biggest programs on primetime TV!!!!

These days most television shows just don't mention God... it's a "taboo" subject, or they may risk losing a viewer if they offend them by mentioning God and/or Jesus. Thank you FOX for having the courage to stand up and do the right thing!!! I was already a fan of the show, but now I have brand new respect for the show and the network.

THANK YOU AMERICAN IDOL AND THANK YOU FOX TELEVISION!!!!!!!!! YOU ROCKED IT LAST NIGHT!!!

Happy Anniversary to US!!!

2008-03-27T06:42:00.001-07:00

4 Years!!

I can't believe it!!! Yesterday, March 26, was me and Mike's 4 year wedding anniversary!! Mike and I met and got married within 6 months. Fast? You betcha. The best thing I ever did? YES YES YES!!!!

I know it sounds cliche', but it is so true... when you meet the right person, your soul mate, the person God made for you ... you just know. You know with every fiber of your being. That's is what happened when we met.

Time and love are strange in the way that they relate to each other. In one way, it seems like we just met last week. But, in another way ... it seems like we have always been together. It seems like I can't remember my life before him.

Like all married couples, we have had our share of ups and downs. That's just life. But, we have grown so much closer, more in love and even stronger because of it. He knows me better than anyone and he accepts me just the way I am. And, he is always there for me and he treats me like a queen.

Mike is truly the love of my life and my soul mate. I would say "I do" to him a million times over ... every single day of my life. Mike and I make an incredible team and I love every single minute of being married to him!! I love our life together. I love him and our kids more than you can imagine!

Ok, I'll quit gushing now!! Have a great day!!

Happy Easter!

2008-03-24T09:55:00.000-07:00

Up until recently, Christmas was always my favorite holiday. But, in the last couple of years ... Easter has replaced every other holiday for me. Don't get me wrong, I still love Christmas and all it represents... but Easter just has a special place in my heart and in my life.

Where would we be without the cross?? I can't imagine a life without the promise of God's love, without the sacrafice of Jesus on the cross to save US from our own sins, and without the promise of spending eternity with Him. How unimaginable is that? Jesus - the King of Kings, the only son of God, died for us. You and me. Sinners full of imperfections.

From the time I was a kid up until I was in my early 20's, I went to the Catholic church. I was christened, made my first communion, went to confession, made my confirmation, and was married the first time in the Catholic church. That's a lot of years to go to church and not really get anything out of it. I mean, the tradition and the "ceremony" is beautiful. But, I would go to church and leaving feeling the same as I did the morning before. I was pretty much just going through the motions and not learning and growing in my faith. Lots and lots of Christmas' and Easters came and went without me really FEELING them.

Then I found HPC. I sincerely thank God for bringing me to Healing Place Church, for showing me another way to worship Him, to learn about Him and to love him. And, I thank Him for blessing me, my family, and all of the people of HPC with Pastor Dino. He is amazing and has such a way of really showing us the love of God.

Anyway, after going to HPC for about a year... one day I found myself thinking about the sacrifice Jesus made for us on the cross. And out of nowhere this thought popped in my head: "If I... ME, Lesley... had been the ONLY other person on this earth, would God still have commanded Him to and would Jesus have given his life for me?" He said YES just as clearly as I would talk to you. The peace and overwhelming joy I felt was instantaneous. He said yes. Wow. He loves ME that much. He paid for my sins with His sacred blood. That in itself is pretty amazing since He made me and knows ALL of my sins and imperfections. He loves you that much too.

All you and I have to do is ask Him into our hearts and live for Him. That's it. It's THAT simple. He paid for my sins with His blood. After everything He did for us and all He sacraficed for us ... in the end, it is our turn to say yes.

I say yes, today and every day. Do you?

Craziness & Chaos!!!

2008-03-20T10:14:00.000-07:00

Whew!!!

Ok, here I am sitting down to blog - finally!!! This past week or so has been completely insane!!! We've been working really, REALLY hard on a few things, all the while believing in God for his never-ending grace.

First, we've been trying to get our house refinanced to help lower our monthly expenses. This is my first "real" experience with real estate stuff and it has been extremely nerve-racking for me. I've had to really put my faith into action these last few weeks. Dealing with the mortgage company, the bank and credit stuff is enough to make a person loose their mind QUICKLY!! Anyway, we got all the stuff done and then we knew we would have to have our house appraised... which normally wouldn't be a problem - BUT - as you may know we are in the midst of getting ready for a garage sale!!! My house has been upside down for a couple of weeks. I thought it would be a week or so before the appraisal would happen. WRONG!! They called Mike on Monday afternoon and said they would be sending an appriaser out TUESDAY morning at 10:00AM!!!!!!!! Can you believe it??? I seriously almost passed out!!!!! Needless to say we kicked it into super-high gear cleaning up and organizing the mess for the garage sale. I was pooped out to say the least. So, they guy (who was very nice) came out and did the appraisal and I don't want to jump the gun, but - by the grace of God -it looks like it will be approved and will go through!!! Hopefully we will find out today or tomorrow about the closing date. God is SO incredibly faithful!!

So that was Tuesday.

Ryan had been having a yuck nose and a little cough since Monday. Well, by Tuesday afternoon he was wheezing and coughing really bad. I called and made a doctor appointment for him, it was scheduled for 9:15am on Wednesday. Tuesday night was a nightmare. Lane has baseball at the HPAC and Ryan stayed hom with Mike. Poor little Ryan just continued to cough and wheeze. He coughed and wheezed all night long. I got little or no sleep, which is ok 'cause that's what Moms do!! Thankfully, we have a nebulizer at home because when Lane was little he had asthma. Thank God, Lane seems to have outgrown that. So, I gave Ryan cough medicine and breathing treatments as frequently as possible all night long, but by 6:00am he was even worse. I was about to just take him to the emergency room, then decided that I would just take him to the doctor and be there when they opened. Our pediatrician - Dr. Danny Wood - is the BEST!!! I wouldn't trade him for anything in this world. We got to Dr. Wood's office at about 7:15 and by 7:45, Ryan was in Dr. Wood's very capable hands. Dr. Wood took one look and listen to Ryan and said his chest was "tight as a drum" and that he would start doing breathing treatments right there but if it didn't loosen up, Ryan would have to be admitted to the hospital. Lots of praying. Come to find out, he has bronchitis and asthma. But, three breathing treatments, a set of chest x-rays, an oral steriod and an antibiotic later ... we were on our way HOME!!! Thank you Lord...your love and grace continue to humble me. He is still coughing some and has a little wheeze going on, but he is WAY better. We are still doing treatments at home, and he hates each and every second of them. He screams and cries the entire time. It's heartbreaking, but necessary.

We are still convinced that the devil is attacking us, big time ... but WE will not let him win. Our God is way stronger than he is and our faith and love for our Father is immeasurable. Dumb old devil! He may as well move on 'cause he will never beat us!!!!

I am really looking forward to Easter this year. Probably more this year than any before.....

Oh well...,ore later ... my sick little boy is wanting all of my attention!!

Be Blessed!!

Wish Me LUCK!!!

2008-03-14T09:04:00.000-07:00

Ok ... here goes nothing!! For a while now, I've been wanting to join the HPC Choir. And for more than one reason... ok, ok... I have made up excuses to justify not trying out. Fear? Yep, you got it.

Anyway, in the last couple of months I have felt in my heart that NOW is the time to go for it. Soooooooo, I was on HPC's website this morning and stumbled across the CHOIR AUDITION page. Funny how God does stuff like that!! Anyway, I submitted my registration form for the audition coming up on April 3rd.

I am SO excited ... but, really really nervous at the same time. My heart knows that God is with me, and that he will calm my spirit and my nerves!

Singing by my purple chair during worhip time at church service is one thing - but, it has been a LONG time since I got up in front of someone - ALONE - to sing. Back in the day, I had a really decent voice. God willing, it will still be halfway decent when I try out!!

Wish me luck, and maybe send up a quick prayer that I make it, or at the very least that I don't pass out at the audition! LOL!!

Playing Catch-Up

2008-03-12T06:15:00.000-07:00

Guess whose legs these are? Give up? Ok, they are Mike's legs. Now .. next question. Guess what that red stuff is all over them?? Yep, you got it right ... it's POISON IVY!!!!!!!!! I don't think it shows up too good in the picture, but it looked horrible!! Bright red and all blistery!! My poor baby :-( He had been outside weed-eating on Saturday and then Sunday evening he asked me to come look at his legs. I'm no nurse, but I felt pretty sure that it was poison ivy. Looked it up on the internet and the pictures online looked identical to Mike's legs. So, I gave him some Benedryl and nite-nite he went. It was considerably worse Monday. He hates going to the doctor but I managed to convince him to go to the after hours clinic Monday night. The doctor said it was a classice case of poison ivy, gave him a shot, and two perscriptions... Vistoril for the itching and Prednisone (a steroid) to help speed the healing process. Mike is one of those people that doesn't like to take medicine so these medicines have pretty much knocked him for a loop!!! Thank God his legs look much better now, aren't itching anymore and he only has two pills left to take!!! I pray he never gets that again!

This is Ryan rockin out with his guitar!! He is just adorable when he does that! I wish I had a video of it to post. You'd never guess, but he is singing ONE WAY JESUS at the top of his little lungs. When he is done with that song, we have to clap. The he rocks out again to TAKE IT ALL!!! He says he is "Mr. Jason!!!" He wants to play his guitar and sing on the stage too :-)

We've been cleaing out the attic to get ready for our garage sale. It's amazing how many treasures you will find in your attic. For example ...here is Mr. Lane modeling his pre-school graduation cap and gown for us!! He was so little back then, it makes my heart so melancholy to think about that. Our kids grow so fast - right in front of our eyes!! Our time with them when they are kids passes so fast. Anyway, Lane was barely 5 when he graduated from preschool. Now, he is 9 years old and in the 3rd grade. Lane is a wonderful little boy and I love him so much!! Although I'm sure he'll probably won't be amused that I posted this picture on here!

Things continue to be as hectic as ever around here. We've had a couple of issues with the kiddies I babysit. Nothing that we couldn't handle though. It's a learning experience daily. Plus, our house is upside down as we prepare for the garage sale... and it is really working on my nerves!

Please continue to pray with us and for us about our financal situation as we should hear something this week on if our re-financing the house will go through. God has been with us every step of the way, and we know He will continue to walk us through this journey. He is so faithful!!!

Getting Worried ...

2008-03-05T07:46:00.000-08:00

Ok, I am now officially "worried." As the results of yesterdays primaries and caucuses started trickling in last night, I couldn't even watch and turned the TV to off. So, this morning, I am horrified and sickened to find out that Hillary somehow managed, with her trash talking ads, to actually win Texas and Ohio.

Is there nothing that "woman" won't say or do??? You never know what is going to come out of her mouth, and she wouldn't know the TRUTH if it slapped her in the face. She reminds me of a chameleon... you know, that lizard that changes his colors depending on his environment?? Instead of sticking to her position on the issues all of the time, she changes her position depending on who she happens to be speaking to at that moment. I can't stand the hate tactics and/or the scare tactics that she is using. People who will stoop to whatever means necessary to get their way is horrifying. Is this the person we want to lead the free world?????? To me, that is a terrifying thought.

What in the world is going on?? Haven't people had enough of politics as usual??? I know that I for one certainly have. Let's do a quick recap of the past 20 years:

George Bush --- 1989 - 1993 (4 years)
Bill Clinton --- 1993 - 2001 (8 years)
George W.Bush --- 2001 - 2009 (8 years)

20 years later where are we? Look at where our country is today. Are we better off then we were before 1989?? Absolutely not.

Now, I'm not a college graduate with a bunch of fancy letters or titles behind my name. But I am a fairly intelligent, God fearing woman who takes care of our household daily. My dear sweet hubby pretty much makes the money...I balance the checkbook, pay the bills and do the shopping for groceries, clothes and other necessities.

Having said that, here is how I see it. We went to war with a bunch of misinformation and no exit strategy. We are still at war that I don't think we can "win" because there are no clear cut lines that define a "win." The rest of the world pretty much hates us now, and sees us as an International Bully. Our economy is basically in a recession. I'm no expert in math or whatever it takes to determine an official recession. However, I do know that my grocery money each month goes about half as far as it used to... and our bills for electricity, gas, water etc. continue to get higher and higher and, of course, there isn't any more money coming in to pay them. And, don't even get me started on how the price of gas effects my family's budget. You can only stretch a dollar so far.

Between the Bush and Clinton families, this country of ours has been torn apart in countless ways. Come on people...isn't it time for this insanity to stop????

I will admit that I did vote for Daddy Bush and Bush Jr in the previous elections. But, hindsight is 20/20. I seriously don't think I would do it again. McCain is just another Bush puppet. He is cut from the same cloth as the Bushes. He doesn't seem to care about us "middle class" people, he doesn't seem to have a way to help the less privledged and he seems to be a war monger.

God help us, if it comes down to voting in the general election for McCain or Clinton ... I won't be at all happy about it, but I will vote for McCain. I'd rather vote for a snake, knowing he is a snake... than vote for a snake in disguise.

On the other hand, if it ends up being Obama or McCain this fall, I will happily vote for Obama. At least this man truly believes in what he says and has the courage of his convictions. We need someone in the White House with morals and someone who will TRULY work hard to unite this country and who will try to heal the wounds of the past 20 years.

God help us. And I don't mean that lightly. I truly mean it as a sincere prayer. God help us and help this country.

Trash or Treasure??

2008-02-29T06:50:00.000-08:00

We are in the process of getting ready to have a GARAGE SALE!!
Fun? No.
Worth it? Yes.

Ever heard the saying, "One person's trash is another person's treasure?" This is SO true!!

In November Mike and I with my Mom cleaned out some storage buildings we had. You wouldn't believe the "stuff" that had. So, we had a garage sale...and between us and my Mom we made a total of $800.00 - which we split. And, as mentioned in previous posts, we are - by the grace of God - living paycheck to paycheck. So that was a huge blessing for us, right before Christmas. And, even after the garage sale was over, we still hade oodles and oodles of stuff left... so we donated the remaining stuff to Habitat for Humanity.

So, this time, we are cleaning out the attic, our bedrooms, the kids' toys, and our outside utility room... and are having yet another garage sale. So far, we have lots of toys, clothes, stuffed animals, decorations for the house, some baby stuff, and girly stuff like lotions and jewelry boxes. Pretty much, the usual garage sale stuff. It will be on April 4th & 5th.

It's crazy what people will buy. I don't mean that in a bad way. We are all different, and everyone has different tastes. You really can find good stuff and excellent prices at garage sales! Plus - LIKE ME - most people love a sale, or a bargain!!!! I pretty much refuse to pay full price for most things.

Anyway, that's what I am working on today. Wish me luck!!

Seeing the Light at the End of the Tunnel

2008-02-27T12:57:00.000-08:00

Where to start??

For a while now we have really, REALLY been in a difficult place - financially. We have been praying long and hard for God to show us the way to make things better. All the while, we have been giving what we could in the offering at church. My WONDERFUL hubby would remind me, "We have to step out in faith." And he is so right. (Just as a side note: Pastor Dino's message on giving in the "Everyone" series was - as usual- right on time.)

I look back over the last couple of months and can see His hand in it. For example, (a very small example) ---- Lane LOVES to play baseball, and is pretty good at it too! We had been wanting to sign him up to play Upward Baseball at HPC this year. But when it came time to register, we just did not have the extra money. Then, at the last minute, we were blessed by someone with a gift allowing him to play!! We are so excited... and so, SO incredibly thankful and VERY aware that God made this happen.

Anyway ... without going into a lot of detail, it appears as though God has shown us the way to ease our financial situation. Actually, He pretty much made the way. We aren't there yet, things are still in the works, but for the first time in a while, we can actually see the light at the end of the tunnel. Thank God!!! What a testimony this is becoming!!! Once everything has been finalized and is official... I will blog about the whole story.

Please, please pray with us that things are able to be finalized quickly and without any problems. Yep, you know what I am going to say ... GOD IS SO FAITHFUL!!!

Call Me Crazy

2008-02-26T10:38:00.000-08:00

Within in the past week, Mike and I had to make a decision on whether or not for me to babysit kids in our home over the summer. Of course, I would have my own two boys... plus, 4 others. Yep, that's right ... 6 kids (ages: one 3 yr old, two 4 yr olds, one 7 yr old, and two 9 year olds), 5 days a week, for about 9-10 hours each day.

Mike is supposed to be getting a raise at work, Thank God! We've been knowing about it for a couple of months, but it hasn't happened yet. The original plan was once he got the raise, I would be able to stop babysitting at the end of the school year. BUT ... you know how corporate America is ...the raise still hasn't shown up. So, the raise is coming ... we just don't know when.

Back in June of 2007 when I quit my job outside of the home, I prayed and prayed for God to provide a way for me to make money while staying home with my children. And, HE PROVIDED A WAY!! My neighbor and a friend of hers asked me to babysit their kids. Granted I'm not making A LOT of money, but it's enough to make ends meet each month.

YES ... it is an extremely stressful "job" since... well, their kids are a bit of a handful ... to put it mildly. Don't get me wrong, they are sweet, sweet, adorable kids and I love them ... they are just a little on the rambunctous side.

We are in a pretty difficult time financially speaking. So, to stop the extra money coming in would be plain ole' stupid and in all honesty, me not babysitting right now really isn't even an option.

More importantly, when God answers a prayer ... we should never, ever be picky or try to put strings on it. We should just be thankful. He knows what he is doing. I asked for a way to make extra money. Did I really think I would find an envelope in the mail each month containing a check straight from heaven?? Not at all. He provided the way ... I just have to step up to the plate and do it. My hubby and other family members say ..."how do you do it?" I say ... "how could I not? This is what I prayed for."

AND ... the kids I babysit are kids I truly love, and I really do not want to see them go to a "daycare." So, though I don't have a huge amount of patience (and that is an understatement) this is what I am doing. It pretty ends up being a win/win situation for everyone involved. YES, I will be stressed out ... but who isn't stressed at work? That's why a job is called "work," LOL!!

So, I thank God for providing a way for us. I've said it before, and I will continue to say it ... our God is so incredibly faithful. I pray that I will find a way to learn patience. God does have a sense of humor so maybe this is His way of making me learn patience. Life is good!

2nd Chances

2008-02-25T07:36:00.001-08:00

This weekend we went out to Denham Springs to visit with my Dad and my grandma. She is 93 years old ... and can remember more things from her past than most people can! Still sharp as a tack! I hope and pray to be like that when I am her age! She had 10 kids in 12 years... can you imagine?!?!?! I sure can't! Amazing!

Here are my boys posing with my dad. My parents divorced when I was 8 years old, I think. And, because of some bad stuff that happened in the past we haven't seen him (or his side of the family) much and he has been in and out of our lives. Well, it's time to change that.

The painful things that happened in the past, are just that - THE PAST. Life is entirely too short to hold on to old garbage, old baggage and old hurts. Forgiveness isn't always easy, but it is the RIGHT THING and it is the choice that I am making. God loves us enough to forgive us EVERY DAY, so who am I to not forgive??

So, with the support of my wonderful hubby, my family and God ... I'm ready to move forward and have a good relationship with him. Not to mention the rest of my HUGE family on my dad's side of the family. He is one of 10 kids!!! Needless to say, other than my dad, that means there are lots of aunts and uncles, and countless numbers of cousins to catch up with!!

Diagnosis: High Blood Pressure

2008-02-19T07:22:00.000-08:00

154/96

Ok, it's taken me a week or so to decide to blog about this. For some reason, I just kept putting it off. Denial? Maybe. Fear? Probably.

Apparently, I have high blood pressure... which really, really stinks. I'm only 37 years old. Ever since I delivered our youngest son, my blood pressure has been on a very slow, gradual rise. I'm not one to go to the doctor often, but the few times I have been in the last 3 years, my blood pressure has been getting a little higher each time. There was an unbelieveable amount of stress and anxiety going on in my life at the time, so they just said the higher than normal pressure was just because of the evil STRESS.

So, a couple of weeks ago I was at WalMart and decided to take my blood pressure on that little machine thingie in the pharmacy area. I put my arm in, pressed the button, and waited. Finally, the dreaded numbers appeared on the screen ... 154/96. I wondered what that meant. Thankfully, there was a little chart on the machine. According to that chart, my reading fell into the "stage 2" category. Not good.

My sister is a nurse so I called her. She agreed, not good. Thankfully she works in the same office building as my doctor, so she helped me to get an appointment set up quickly. Thank you Lauren!!!

So, off to the doctor I go... fun, fun. My doctor is wonderful and incredibly thorough. She of course checked my blood pressure and asked a bunch of questions: 1. Do you get headaches? "Yes, lots and lots of headaches." 2. Do you ever feel flushed? "Yes ... most every day, especially in the evenings." 3. Is there a history of high blood pressure in your family? "Not on my mom's side. I'll have to find out about my dad's." (Come to find out, my dad has had high blood pressure for a long time now. Crazy that I didn't know that, but my dad and I have a "strange" relationship, at best.) There I go rambling ... sorry!

Anyway... she perscribed me a medication to take for my blood pressure. I'm to take this "for now" until we complete a whole battery of tests... uggghhhh!! That day at the doctor, they took some blood - I'm thinking the lady was part vampire - to do a bunch of blood work. They also did an EKG. Praise God, all of those came back fine. My cholesterol is good at 152 and everything else they checked was good!

My doctor has also ordered 2 other tests that will check my kidney function and my renal artery function. Sometimes, your renal arteries can become constricted and that can cause high blood pressure. Who knew??

Soooooooooooo as we speak, I'm doing the prep stuff for one of them right now. One of the restrictions for 48 hours before the test and for the duration of the 24 hour test is .... NO CAFFIENE!!! Are you kidding me?? I've now been without caffiene for about 30 hours and besides being pretty cranky and having a killer headache ... I'm ok! LOL Then on Friday morning, I have to go get a sonogram of my kidneys and my renal arteries done. The fun just keeps on!!

Based on the results of all of these tests, she will probably change my medicine around because so far, on the current medicine, my blood pressure has come down, but not enough. And of course, a low sodium diet, regular exercise, and weight loss can't hurt. Uggghhhhh!!!

My wonderful hubby and I have been talking about this alot. We BOTH think that this is an attack of the enemy and we recognize it and will not let him win. The devil can't stand to see healthy, happy people and families who are raising their children in the way of our Lord. So, like the coward he is, he attacks us. Apparently, the devil didn't realize how head-strong and how full of faith I am!!

We have been praying and worshiping God every day. The healing of my body is in His hands, and I know it will happen. Not on my time clock, but on His. I am standing in faith for that. I claim, in the name of our Father, that my body will be healed!!!!!!

If you wouldn't mind, could you please take a minute and send up a prayer for me? Thank you so much...much love to you!

Cody's Baptism

2008-02-18T07:57:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we went down to Metairie to attend Cody's (our grandbaby's) baptism!! Isn't he precious?? I love him to pieces! He is just so cuddly and innocent.

Christina and her husband have decided to raise him in the Catholic church. Little Cody was absolutely perfect ... he slept through the whole thing! He didn't even cry when they poured the water on his head. The priest let us know that the water in the fountain was actually warm, so I'm sure that helped! It is wonderful to see little souls placed in the hands of our Father. What a blessing for the future!

The service was very nice, although we had a hard time convincing Ryan and Lane that we were at church. They are so used to the sounds and activity at HPC, the Catholic church was a big change for them.

I was raised Catholic church too. And, while I can greatly appreciate the ceremony and tradition that is the Catholic religion, and have complete respect for it ... the Catholic church just isn't for me. I remember when I was growing up and we would go to church. It was like I just sat there for an hour or so, going through the motions, but nothing really "touched me." I didn't really get anything out of it. Kind of like an outsider looking in.

About 4 years ago, we found Healing Place Church. Talk about a change from growing up Catholic! Imagine being able to talk, laugh, and celebrate in church and acually getting to know God in a personal way! It was amazing to me and so refreshing! After going to HPC for a few months, I knew I had found my home. At HPC, I feel like I am PART of it... and the passion for our God is amazing. I know that HPC is where I'm meant to be.

I'm pretty open-minded about it though. Every person is different. To me, as long as a person goes to a church where they feel like they belong and are fulfilled after each service, that's when you know you have found the right church for you. God loves us ALL.

Thank you God for blessing our family with Cody and for the opportunity for all of us to come together and present him to You!

Our Valentine's Day!!

2008-02-15T07:23:00.000-08:00

Gotta Luv Chocolate!

I hope everyone had a super special Valentine's Day surrounded by people you love!! We sure did!

A Yummy Dinner!

With a very limited budget and 2 young kids our romantic-out-to-dinner nights just don't happen too often! So, I decided to cook us a special at-home Valentine's dinner! We had steak with sauteed mushrooms, some boiled potatoes with butter, cheese and sour cream and some asparagus! My mom (aka Mimi) was so sweet to let the kids come to her house for supper so Mike and I could have a nice, grown-up dinner for Valentine's Day!! Thank you Mom - you're the best!!!

My dear sweet hubby gave me a beautiful card that brought me to tears! (You know you picked out the right card when it makes the recipient get all teary! lol)

I love you so much Mike! You are the best, most incredible, loving, husband I could ever have hoped for! You are my "rock!"

I thank God every day for you, our kids and for our entire family!!

P.S. Pastor Joel Stockstill buried his lovely wife, Amy, yesterday on Valentine's Day. My heart breaks for him, but I know she is with our God and is healed. He is a man of such incredibly strong faith and his love for his wife should be a lesson to all of us. Please continue to keep him and the rest of their families in your prayers.

Singing for Him

2008-02-15T06:46:00.000-08:00

Ok, here goes nothing! I've felt it in my heart for a long time now to try to join the choir at church. Way back "in the day" I day I had a really decent voice. In high school, I was in a few different choirs and went to several district and state competitions and did quite well. BUT, that was a long, long time ago. Longer ago than I care to admit, lol! Can you say in the 80's?? ugggghhhhhhh Anyway, I still LOVE to sing and hopefully still sound-kinda-sorta- halfway decent.

Sooooooooooo I emailed the music department today to find out how to go about joining the choir at HPC! About 2 years ago, I asked about joining and they sent me a cute little packet in the mail... but that's as far as I got. Maybe I chickened out, maybe I used this-or-that excuse to not do it.... who knows. A lot of things have happened since then, and I am in a much, much better place now than I was then. My faith is a million times stronger, my commitment level is stronger, and I feel it in my heart like crazy that this is what I need to do right now.

And ya know what? Even if my voice doesn't sound like it used to, I don't think God cares, so that means I don't mind either. I think what He cares about is that people want to sing for Him and want to worship Him. That is what is important. It's not about ME or my human voice... it's about Him.

Wish me luck and maybe say a prayer or two!!

Favorite Song

2008-02-13T13:39:00.000-08:00

Tree 63 - Blessed Be Your Name

Blessed be Your name in the land that is plentiful
Where Your streams of abundance flow
Blessed be Your name

And blessed be Your name when I’m found in the desert place
Though I walk through the wilderness
Blessed be your name

Every blessing You pour out
I’ll turn back to praise
And when the darkness closes in Lord Still I will say

Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your name
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your glorious name

Blessed be Your name when the sun’s shining down on me
When the world’s “all as it should be”
Blessed be Your name

And blessed be Your name on the road marked with suffering
Though there’s pain in the offering
Blessed be Your name

You give and take away
You give and take away
My heart will choose to say
Lord, blessed be Your name