Heirs of The Promise

40% off at Yoyo.com...today only!

2011-11-28T12:20:00.002-05:00

Go to yoyo.com to get 40% off any one item today only. I was able to snag a Radio Flyer Classic Walker (reg $99.99) for $51.00 with free shipping! It was already 15% off and then they gave me 40% off of that. The deal wouldn't work for me at first cause it said you can't use it on sale items, but I noticed other sale items did accept the discount. So I gave them a call and their customer service was outstanding! The rep was friendly, undertstanding and helpful. You don't see that much these days....don't get me started with Fisher Price and Pottery Barn's Customer Service. She credited the discount to my account and I was able to purchase it. I wouldn't have been able to get it otherwise!

Cash Giveaway at Vision Forum!!!

2011-11-28T12:14:00.002-05:00

Go check out this giveaway on Vision Forum and be entered to win $100, $200 or $300!!! Who couldn't use that? They sell great Christian Books and other items!

Hurry on over cause it ends on December 3rd.

Gearing Up to Blog More

2011-06-06T09:40:00.004-04:00

I have been on a blog break since doing more facebooking. I've decided to try and pick it back up so that I can share more than just little facebook postings. I have cleaned house on our blog and removed links and added a few on the right. You will see that I now have couponing sites listed. I am trying to get more seasoned in couponing. I have never been able to achieve what you see on tv, not that I want to be that coupon crazy! :)

I hope to eventually get to do a few giveaway and just have fun blogging! Stay tuned...

YAY...Free Friday this weekend at Baby Be Blessed on Facebook!!!

2011-05-15T14:59:00.004-04:00

Baby Be Blessed is giving away a $56 gift certificate! Head on over to Baby Be Blessed's Facebook page and scroll down to the Giveaway post. Like their page and become a follower of their blog then comment on the link and tell them you are a follower.

Extra entries for blogging, tweeting or facebook posting. :)

Lots of Changes Going on Here!

2010-08-18T18:17:00.002-04:00

Well it has been a LONG time since I have blogged. We have been busy with the summer which started out with a trip to the beach and shortly there after we found out.....*drum roll*.....we are expecting baby #3!!! Those of you who follow our lives know that we have been trying and praying and hoping for another little one for some time now. I am 14 weeks today and officially in the 2nd trimester so we are looking forward to me getting some energy back and losing the nausea! I am due (if all medical advise is correct) Feb. 16th. The boys are excited, but since they can't feel the baby move in Mommy's belly I think it is hard for them to grasp the concept. This time around we are getting many questions, which have been able to give short vague answers to satisfy their curosity...let's hope it stays that way for awhile longer.

Joseph is getting ready to start up in homeschool this year and is very excited about that. After much work deciding on an affordable curriculum for Kindergarten we decided NOT to use one :) We feel that Kindergarten isn't worth hundreds of dollars as all he really needs is phonics, reading and math. I got "100 Easy Lessons" and an extensive Kindergarten Math workbook which should do just fine.

Just wanted to update any followers out there who read our blog and want to know what we are up to.

Dunkin' Donuts Freebie!

2010-04-08T22:53:00.000-04:00

It's Official: Hypothyroidism

2010-01-04T21:45:00.002-05:00

Well I finally got a Dr. to look at my lab results and most importantly, listen to my symptoms. Dr. B without a doubt felt I am struggling with Hypothyroidism. This is good news because it means I can finally get help and try to get healthy. All the other dr.'s have treated the individual symptoms. Hypothyroidism is the cause of my heart palpitations, infertility, hairloss, inability to lose weight, lack of energy, and dry skin that at times has become pretty severe. Since he is in GA he will be emailing me the info on the treatment he has for me. From what he told me when we were there this weekend, I will be taking about 3-4 different meds./supplements. He thought I should see dramatic changes in the first few months. I am just so excited to finally have answers. In the many questions he asked I told him about my recent visit with a Dr. that wanted to put me and Ryan through a number of procedures and testing....even surgery for me. The same Dr. felt my thyroid was borderline and that I should "look into AFTER the surgery". This was a red flag for me and Dr. B even felt that they were just wanting to make money. So that is my update. I am looking forward to updating you all with news that I am on the mend.

More Health Updates

2009-12-09T14:32:00.005-05:00

Last week I got in to see a fertility specialist and for the first time someone listened to each and every problem and asked questions about ever aspect of what I have been dealing with off and on since I was 11. That alone was therapeutic :) They decided it was time to do a laporoscopy to check for endometreosis or any other cause for my problems. I am currently scheduled for Jan. 22, but that could change if they find anything from the tests. And before anyone worries about me going through IVF or fertility meds., no need to be concerned! My main goal and desire is to get diagnosed and then figure out from there what course of treatment we would be comfortable with. With that said, they ran blood work to check my hormone levels and they performed an ultrasound to check for any abnormalities that could be seen on US. They did find a cyst on my right ovary. Basically they will take all the results and of all the tests and somehow see if there is anything they can conclude from those. I also scheduled some insulin tolerance tests to check for any problems there.

After about a week we got a call from the nurse saying they had found all my levels to be fine except for my thyroid (which by the way was tested numerous times two years ago). I am scheduled to go in Monday for further testing of my thyroid. This is a huge relief, believe it or not. Mostly because we are getting somewhere and finding answers that I have wanted for soooo long.

This has been a hard week for my health wise as I have struggled through another monthly visit ;) (if you get my drift). They totally wipe me out and I find myself nearly bed ridden. At times it feels as bad as my labors were, but without the wonderful gift of a new baby :( It has brought me closer to the Lord as I find myself relying on Him more and crying out to Him for relief. It's funny how in the midst of the paid I am sure this is NOT normal and just like laboring a baby I then forget about a week out, how bad it was and I begin to question if I am just being a baby. But at the moment I can confirm that it is real and VERY NOT NORMAL! I even find myself breathing through the pains as if they were contractions :|

So that is the update. There are still a few followers out there who have requested updates and I wanted to share this with you. Hopefully this will help you in your prayers for me, as I need many prayers. Well I need to go lay down I am feeling pretty bad at the moment.

Happy Thanksgiving and Welcome Christmas!

2009-11-25T21:48:00.002-05:00

I have to admit it. I LOVE the holidays. It's the one time of year we get to see everyone and enjoy spending time with family and friends so much! Right now I am preparing to host my very first Thanksgiving meal and I am doing it all on my own. So far I have three pies done and trying to figure out what to do with the bird. So many ideas...so little time. I got a lot of cleaning done today too in hopes that we can enjoy a wonderful 4-day weekend as a family. Ryan has hardly even had a day off (he worked 19 of 21 days recently!) He has had to unfortunately work more Sunday's since he was called back in August, than he has ever worked since he started with the Co. We are thankful that we are not in last years shoes! I am going to get off and check on my apple pie and wash the boys up. Happy Thanksgiving!

.....And Merry Christmas too :)

Go see this great giveaway!

2009-11-10T23:47:00.002-05:00

I stumbled on a great giveaway a fellow blogger pointed me to. Go on over and check it out!

Another Hard Week

2009-10-27T00:03:00.003-04:00

I have been using the Progesterone cream for the last 3 months now. I have made great improvements while using the cream and doing better than I have done in years! Then this last week came a lot of ups and downs. I began to think I was pregnant, but tested neg. Then as the days have gone by I began to have even more pregnancy symptoms. Still neg! The last test I took I just KNEW would be pos, but no. It's wearing on my emotions. It just so hard to sorta get excited (even talk names) and then hope is dashed away. I don't really know what to do now. Still COULD be preg...what to do? It's just been hard! It's not that I would be mad if I knew for sure I wasn't preg., but I just want a for sure. Just plain HARD!

A Lovely Evening Together

2009-10-19T18:34:00.005-04:00

Well, I might have not been completely accurate in the title. Let's just call it sarcasm :) Ever since moving into our humble home we have had issues with the toilet's plumbing. Problems:

1. Teeny Tiny Toilet that NO adult can sit on comfortably.
2. The toilet is at least 2" away from the wall.
3. Cast Iron Pipes
4. Improper flange...yes I know all about this stuff now!
5. Nearly no wax ring

...thanks to the horrible contractor the owner hired to flip the home.

So with that said...a year or so after moving in we started discovering these issues when we noticed water under the flooring. We patched the problem and really hoped that would be the end of it. Now 3 years later we still have not put tile down on the hardy backer and we started to notice the toilet ran non-stop. Then we discovered the dreaded black mold on top of all our previous work. Sat. Ryan and I went out and found a toilet and Sun. I managed to talk Ryan into installing the new toilet. We quickly got into more than we EVER expected. The bolts were rusted out and once we finally got them loose, I realized we got the wrong toilet. I then found out we had only an hour to get to Home Depot two towns away. Once we got home we ate and got the boys to bed and began scraping up two layers of sub floor. NASTY, NASTY, NASTY!!! EWWWWWWWWWW!!! So gross! We worked until 1am on just the floor. We still do not have a toilet installed and oh yeah...it's a one bath house! Please don't ask about specifics on that!!! I have never been so excited to get a new toilet! Praise God for indoor plumbing!!!

At least we got time together, though we both were sick to our stomachs the whole time :(

Growing, Growing....

2009-10-07T15:21:00.003-04:00

This would be Joseph's growth chart. At five years old he measures for a 7-8 year old boy. Yep, of course I shouldn't be surprised, cause he has been at 75%-100+% ever since he was 3 mos. old. It is just amazing to see it on paper and our Dr. is in awe of it every time! With cousins of mine that measure 6'4" and above it is obviously hereditary. I have actually had people tell me he was tall from all that formula I had to supplement with, just to keep up. Yep people are cruel! If that be the case then I beg the question, why is Thomas on the average size? They both had formula!

Anywho...just thought I'd share. Before long he will have us eaten out of the house and be towering over me. Please don't let it go so fast!

Welcome Fall...

2009-10-06T17:53:00.003-04:00

since you will be around for a few months, I thought I would make you feel welcome with a new look. Also did you notice our new title? Yep, thought I would change it up a bit. The old title never grew on me. This one seems to fit much better!

Recently I discovered a new favorite bible verse:

"He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life." Titus 3:5-7

God's word is so inspiring and uplifting.

Happy Birthday To My Favorite Blonde-Headed Boy!

2009-10-04T22:44:00.007-04:00

I can't believe it...I am officially the mother of a five-year-old boy. At 1:28pm on Oct. 5, 2004 we became the proud and blessed parents of Joseph Allen. He has been about as easy as his delivery was. I only labored with him for about 4 1/2 hours.

Joseph we are so blessed to have the pleasure of raising such a fine young boy. You are very laid back and easy going. You developed a sweet friendship with your favorite stuffed animal, "bear-bear". In fact, I bought a 2nd just in case "bear-bear #1" didn't hold up. You make friends easily, but are VERY cautious in everything you do (especially around water more than 1ft deep). You like to giggle a lot which then turns to hiccups. Your best bud is your brother Thomas, though you are sometimes worst enemies. You don't get upset too easily, but when you do you let everyone know. You have a gentle spirit and love animals and babies. You used to not let Mommy give you kisses, but you finally realized that kisses are okay from Mommy :). You are my favorite shopping buddy and enjoy going out just about anywhere! We often get some of the best questions from you about God and you are quickly learning the teachings. We just started school this year (a year early). When you try hard you do very well, but sometimes you get easily discouraged. Your favorite school is Sunday School and you are making many friends there. I enjoy hearing your prayers and am often surprised by what is on your heart.

Happy 5th Birthday Joseph Allen! What a blessing these 5 years have been!!!

2009-09-28T19:26:00.002-04:00

An unusual post...well at least for me. You see I typically do not post about faith matters because, well I just don't. Ryan and I have dove into the study of covenant theology for the past two years. It all started because Ryan's Brother's family are Presbyterians and as we got together little things would come up as we spoke about the Lord. We didn't really understand how to defend ourselves as Baptists if we didn't understand Presbyterians. So we started studying to find out why they believed what they believed and we were almost certain that we would find a great defense for ourselves as Baptists. We thought there would be scripture that would give us one of those "ah-ha" moments. Well actually the opposite happened. We were unable to defend ourselves with the scriptures (as Baptists) and began to see the bible in a different way. Baptist typically separate the bible out, Old and New. Well we began to see the relationship between the two books and how the new was just a continuation of the old. Many things changed, but NOTHING was taken away without something replacing it. We eventually decided to start our search for a reformed Presbyterian Church which brought us to Covenant Presbyterian Church of Oak Ridge. We have gleaned so much from the pastor, people and Sunday schools.

Right now the boys are officially in separate aged classes. Each week they tell us lessons they learned, songs they sung and projects they made. They ALWAYS come home with a project of some sort.

Ryan and I are taking the new members class and have enjoyed learning about the national church, the individual church and their doctrine and theology. This past week we really dove into covenant theology (well I did...Ryan had to do mandatory overtime :( ). It was just such a great lesson and I learned and took LOTS of notes that I shared with Ryan.

An overview of what we have learned of covenant theology is:

1. We believe the church is made up of the believers and their household (including all children in the home). (Gen. 17:9, Jer 3:39, IS 55:1-5, Acts 2:38-39)

2. We believe that the covenant expanded into one another.
(Adamic Covenant, Noahic Covenant, Mosaic Covenant, Abrahamic Covenant & Christ Covenant--Most people admit they see how the first 4 expanded into one another, but draw a line after Abraham, separating that covenant from the last.)

3. We believe the household should be baptised one time only. God keeps his promise whether you make a promise to him before you become a believer or not. Infants are to be baptised because they are part of the household, just as infant boys were circumcised in the Abrahamic Covenant. The sign changed but the meaning did not, just as Christ death replaced animal sacrifice, baptism replaced circumcision.

4. We do not believe that baptism saves a person, but that it is a sign of what God promised to his people...not just to the Israelites.

5. We believe that in the OT circumcision signified membership in the church and in the NT Baptism signies church membership. Consider Ishmael and Esau. (Acts 2:39, 16:14-15)

6. We believe that "sign" means:

Engagement to Christ (Rom 6:1-5)
Symbolical of washing away sins (Acts 2:38-39, 22:16, Titus 3:5)
Regeneration by the Holy Spirit(Titus 3:5)
Relationship to the Church (Matt 28:19-20)

In side notes, the word covenant is used 300+ times in the bible. By baptising our children we signify that we believe God holds to His covenants/promises to His people that one day our children may be followers of Him. If we don't believe in covenant, then we don't believe our children are God's people. God classifies His people two ways, 1) the wicked that He hates and 2) His people He loves. Teaching our children songs such as "Jesus Loves Me" and scripture like the Lord's prayer would be a lie if we didn't believe covenant theology. Jesus does not love the lost or presumed lost and the lost do not consider God their Father in Heaven.

These are just a few of our points and things we have learned. It is very expansive and has taken us nearly 2 years to get where we are and we still have a long was of learning more about this topic. Just wanted to share with those who DO read this (which I am sure are very few) what we believe and why we believe it.

My Health Update:

2009-09-01T22:24:00.006-04:00

Well it has been awhile since my last post about my diagnosis of Adenomyosis and I thought I would give update. I started out doing a detox to clean out excesive estrogen so that the progesterone would absorb better. I started the natural progesterone cream this past week and right away it started to work. I had a few things that concerned me and I emailed the company and was surprised to hear from the owner right away and told to call him. We discussed my issues today and he tells me that all my symptoms are a sign that I am an extreme case of estrogen dominance. From his knowledge and belief he thinks he gave me special instructions to do over the next 2 months (and even told me to call him back in a few weeks). He thinks that with this treatment I will be able to more easily lose weight and get my cycles more regulated. Then maybe we will be able to conceive :) A friend of mine who also struggles with infertility explained it well this week. Everytime a friend finds our they're expecting or has a baby it is so exciting, yet it make us ponder our own infertility and reminds us of our discontentment. So that is the latest and hopefully I spared you any gruesome details ;)

"The Government Can"

2009-08-25T19:19:00.003-04:00

Make sure to pause my playlist on the bottom right before watching this video.

GA Aquarium Date

2009-08-10T23:48:00.007-04:00

While we were recently down in GA, Ryan arranged for his sister to watch the boys while he took me out to the GA Aquarium and lunch afterwards. We really had a great time (even though we both talked about how much we missed the boys being there). I was really impressed with the aquarium and how hands on they were. I was a little dissappointed that you had to pay for th Titanic exhibit and a few others, but there was still plenty to see. We then we took a walk through the Olympic Park and over to the CNN building (no we are not CNN fans!), but thought it would still be neat to see if we could watch the news live (which we couldn't). I then managed to literally "blow out my flip-flop" on the brick walkway of the park. For lunch I chose an old fav. of ours called "Wok & Chopstix". As you guessed it is a chinese resturant. It is always so quant and quiet along with clean and fresh food. We enjoyed EVERY bite! Here are our pics:

I found NEMO!

Coral Reef Aquarium...I like how you can see Ryan's reflection :)

Da...Dum, Da..Dum, Da Dum, Da Dum.....SHARK!

Grouper

Jellyfish

One of the HUGE Whale Sharks

Beluga Whale

My favorite: Sea Otters! They are like toddlers. They played with toys and instead of using the "tools" they were supplied, to crack open their food, they use the window :)

I promise, this is a Sea Dragon, not Sea Weed

The Anemone, Sea Urchin & Starfish touch pool

River Otters

Poisonous Frogs

Sting Ray & Shark touch pool

Drum Roll Please....dddddddd.....

2009-07-21T14:27:00.004-04:00

UPDATE:

Ryan got the call at the end of last week to ask him to come back to JTEKT. He went in for drug testing Monday and has a training day this Thursday (30th). They called him yesterday to see if he wanted to start early, but he is still working out his notice with Broadview. We are so excited and thankful.

At the end of last week I also started noticing an itchy rash showing up on my arms, face and around my eye. Friday I went to the Dr. as my eye was swelling and found out it was poison ivy that I came in contact with Monday while dong some yard work. THey gave me a steroid shot and some meds and the next morning my eye had swelled completely shut! The Dr. advised me to go to the ER where they gave me another steroid shot and a stronger oral steroid to take for twice as long. My eye is much better (nearly 100%), but my arms are killing me with constant itching!!! Thankfully I am on the mend though! We found out through this, how much we are thankful to go back onto JTEKT's insurance as the ER trip would have been $50 cheaper on their insurance.

Well although I would love to be announcing a new addition to our family, at the moment we are not expecting. Our great news? Ryan received a call this AM from JTEKT (his old, much better paying and better insured job) and they have picked up business again. They have called back the groups laidoff right after him (who have higher seniority) and Ryan's group would be next, PLUS, Ryan is at the top of the group, so he will definitely be the next called back and I quote, "before the end of the year."! When Ryan told me I questioned if he was just pulling my leg again as we tend to play little jokes on one another, but he assured me it was not a joke and then I broke into tears. Seriously, tears! So pretty much any day now we could get that call. Ryan hasn't really felt in place a Broadview (formerly BRINKS) and I asked him if he will be sad to leave and he excitedly said, "NO!" Though I think his body will remind him that he has been sitting at a desk for several months when he does return to JTEKT. :) To give everyone an idea of the difference this will make in our pockets, his checks from BRINKS are 1/2 of what they were from JTEKT. We have been thankful to have the job at Broadview as it has sustained us, but we have struggled to make ends meet. We are praising God for all he has done and is doing and the many things we have learned about ourselves in the last few months and years.

He Peed!

2009-07-17T19:14:00.007-04:00

This summer has been all about growing up for Thomas! He gave up the paci a few weeks ago. Actually he had a bad habit of hiding them from us and then eventually forgot where he hid them. I know this picture is totally inappropriate, but I have learned to make a big deal over their achievements as it makes them proud of it and they want to do it more. Thomas took awhile just to get him to pee on the potty. He would hold it for nearly the whole day and wait till I put a diaper on him to go. Finally he gave it a good try. He was pretty excited for what he had done, but even more so when he saw how excited I got for him.

The 4th Parade

2009-07-17T15:14:00.005-04:00

Finally we were up early enough to make it to a parade before it started! In parades past we don't realize there is a parade until we hear the sirens of the police cars and firetruck as they run down the street that runs behind our house. We made it out there this year, bed heads and all and got lots of yummy candy!

Yay, Mom got us dressed in like 2 mins and threw us in this wagon so we can go to the parade! Like our bed-heads?

Killing time and up to something?

Here Mommy, for you!

Me too!

Such a sweet bouquet

Joseph discovered this year that if you wave they see you and in turn they throw you candy.

Thomas will pick up on that later :)

My favorite part is always the dozens of horses that trot on through. And I particularly think this covered wagon is rather neat!

The fruits of Joseph's labor and Thomas' taking advantage of Joseph's labor ;)

HUGE GIVEAWAYS AT MOM CENTRAL!

2009-07-07T13:59:00.009-04:00

Check out Mom Central for lots of great giveaways. You just register for their site and leave a comment for each giveaway. Plus you can do extras for more entries! Here's a list of the giveaways:

WEEK 4:

Win a Play-Doh Spaghetti Factory (Open to US) Enter by August 7

Win Wisk High Efficiency Detergent (Open to US and Canada) Enter by August 7

Win a Laugh and Learn DVD Set (Open to US) Enter by August 7

Win a PBS Family DVD Set (Open to US and Canada) Enter by August 7

Win a Snack Caddy (Open to US and Canada) Enter by August 7

WEEK 3:

Win an At-home Tetherball System from Lifetime Products (Open to US) Enter by July 31

Win a $100 Gift Certificate to Alice.com (Open to US and Canada) Enter by July 31

Win a Polly Pocket Playset (Open to US and Canada) Enter by July 31

Win a Wateroos Drink Pack for Kids (Open to US) Enter by July 31

Win a Birthday Party Bash for Wii game (Open to US) Enter by July 28

WEEK 2:

Win a Swatch Watch from Jomaship (open to US and Canada) Enter by July 24

Win a Digital Frame from Kodak (Open to US) Enter by July 24

Win Crayola Play Sand (Open to US) Enter by July 24

Win a Clipo Hippo from Playskool (Open to US) Enter by July 24

WEEK 1:

Win a pair of Crocs kids' sneakers (open to US) Enter by July 10

Win a Hoover Vaccum (open to US) Enter by July 17

Win a 20th Anniverary Super Soaker (open to US and Canada) Enter by July 17

Win a free game from GameHouse.com (open to US and Canada) Enter by July 17

Win a box of Crystal Light (open to US and Canada) Enter by July 17

Win a pair of new Simple Shoes for toddlers (open to US) Enter by July 17

Plus each week they will add more items!

More News and Prayers Needed

2009-07-02T14:29:00.002-04:00

I just found out yesterday that my mom (Beth) is scheduled for her tummy tuck on the 13th of July. Thankfully the Lord worked it out that it is on Ryan's day off so I can be there to help. It is a four hour surgery that is very invasive and she will then go home an hour later. My sister and I will be taking care of her at her home. Pray for a safe surgery and easy-speedy recovery for her. Pray for the family as we care for her. Thanks in advance for all your prayers.

2009-07-01T14:33:00.003-04:00

Yep it's me...posting on my blog between all the busy-ness. What have we been up to? Well My mom had a hard first night in the hospital, but made rapid improvement the next day, to the point that she got to go home that day ( a day early! ). She has done well and has been working hard to get her iron levels back up to normal. I think she is getting bored though. She has the will and energy to do things, but pays for it the next day.

I have also spent time installing curtains all around the house. Finally after 4 years! I have also gotten all our cats/kittens (5) spayed and neutered so we are officially over that fun.

Also, I do ask for prayers for my sister as the Dr.'s have found pre-cancerous cells on her cervix. She will soon have a procedure done that will scrape off layers until they get it all. Pray that it will work and they can, in fact, get it all. Pray for strength for her in this time, that she can find hope in Christ through this trial.

Ryan and I have started going through a little book called The Visionary Marriage. We have read completely through it once and (as the book instructs) are going to go back through the five points in detail. Let me go ahead and say, it was an eye opener! I recommend this book to all married and soon-to-be married couples. It's just a great book to go over the details that get missed after awhile. And if you want it, I know the author! In fact, he married us!!!

As far as my adenomyosis goes, I have been taking a xenoestrogen detox and have noticed some difference on it. The real test will be when I start using the Progesterone. In a few more weeks I can do that.

And because no post is exciting without pictures, I am including the shots I got of the boys at the splash pad and at home depot.

Coveted Prayers

2009-06-17T18:55:00.005-04:00

Another UPDATE:
Well I am now nestled into the recliner in my mom's hospital room. Tonight is my night to stay with her and help care for her through the night. It is so wonderful to be able to serve my mother for a change. She has been extremely groggy from the morphine and anesthesia. She has also acquired some significant nausea. Thankfully the new round of nurses is much better than the first and very helpful in getting us what we need, which is a blessing! It will be a restless night I am sure, but somehow I enjoy this time with her in her time of need. I don't even mind the lack of sleep. Thank you all for your prayers and comfort.

UPDATE:
Mom is in surgery as I type. She got the news before surgery that they will be unable to do the elective plastic surgery because her blood counts were so low from all the problems she has had the past couple of weeks and months. She was very disappointed, but handled it with grace. It should take about an hour and then she will recover in the hospital for 2 days. I am staying with her tonight and Tiffany tomorrow. Please pray that her blood counts would improve and her pain would be minimal as it is still major surgery.

Please be praying for my mom. She is going in for a planned hysterectomy tomorrow that is pretty invasive due to her fibroids and cysts. In addition she is having plastic surgery to remove lots of unwanted skin from losing a lot of weight. All that makes it a 5 hour surgery!!! My sister, Dad and I will be up there (and not quite sure if my brother will be up there too). She is more than ready as her problems have worsened as the weeks have drawn closer. I think the thing we are all most nervous about is the recovery. It is one of the most painful recoveries from what we hear. Please pray for the Dr.s' that the Lord would grant them wisdom and steady hands. That the nurses would be gentle and kind as they tend to her needs. That the family can be of help to her and care for her as she has faithfully cared for us over the years. Thank you in advance for your prayers! They are coveted.

Getting the Best To Say the Least!

2009-06-05T14:59:00.005-04:00

Ok, I have to admit, I really like the style and quality of the Pottery Barn Brand. There are not many of their items I don't like and I have yet to find any of their items with poor quality. That being said, we just can't afford it. Here are my tips on scouting out good deals and these are also ways you may be able to save on other great brands!

1. I skim through ebay nearly every day for deals and cheap used or new items, usually for specific items. Here's the hint. Change up your search words, ie: Pottery Barn Valance is sometimes misspelled by the sellers as Pottery Barn Valence! These actually end up being easy items to snag, because most people won't misspell the word in their search. Also someone may use different title words for the same thing, ie: Pillow Cover or Pillow Sham.

2. This is BIG! I just discovered this huge way to save, today! I had been searching for just the right chair cushions for our dining room chairs and wouldn't you know it the ones I like are made by Pottery Barn! Soooo, I saw that they were on clearance on their site for $15 each which is probably not bad for them, but add on tax and shipping and wowzer! That's $70+ for four cushions. So I gave their company a call to check on the shipping rates and see about giving me a cheaper rate and wouldn't you know it the customer service rep said that today they were giving those same cushions to their customers who call in, for 1/2 of the clearance price, PLUS FREE SHIPPING!!! Can you believe it!? Talk about cheap, I couldn't find these used for that cheap! The Rep. told me that they have deals you wouldn't believe for call-in customers.

So before ordering online, give the company a ring and see if they will work with you on the price. No matter who it is :)

HOPE!

2009-05-28T17:12:00.005-04:00

Well I finally had my annual checkup, which I have been waiting for since the beginning of the year to talk with my Dr. about my ongoings and all the recent developments. I found out that everything looks...well...normal! However, my Dr. diagnosed me with Adenomyosis (still having trouble spelling that out). It's basically endometreosis of the uterus. Cure? He told me a hysterectomy. Should it cause my infertility? He says no.

So I decided to research the condition myself and found this out:

1. It does cause infertility
2. There is a form of natural treatment

This is wonderful news. In reading the research on it, it all started to make sense. All these symptoms I have had that we thought weren't related, in fact are! Symptoms of adenomyosis are:

1. Infertility
2. High estrogen
2. Low Progesterone which inhibits ovulation
3. thyroid symptoms like: hair loss, weight gain, difficulty loosing weight, lack of energy (even though the thyroid tests normal!)
4. PAINFUL Cramps all the time
5. Pelvic Discomfort
6. Breast Tenderness
7. LONG menses
8. irregular menses

Many of these symptoms kept making me think I was pregnant every month.

Basically what happens is I develop high amounts of estrogen from xenoestrogens ("foreign" estrogen) in my environment. This causes the progesterone to go down and inhibits the body from ovulating. So no matter how hard we try...no baby :( This also messes with the other hormones and chemicals in the body. Because of all these things my endometrium tissue cells have embedded into the muscle of the uterus and causes severe pain during menses and even throughout the month. I hoping to be able to detox my body of all the excess estrogen and then start using a NATURAL progesterone to get everything where it should be. It is hard to believe that I found all this out in a matter of minutes and my Dr. told me the only treatment was a hysterectomy. Stay tuned to see how it all goes :)

Want a kitty?

2009-05-26T16:17:00.007-04:00

Well we are more than ready to find a home for one or two of the kittens we have left. They are both female and we can get them "fixed" and vaccinated for $11 each if you would like. We did manage to find a home for two boy kittens with some dear friends, but unfortunately a mean ole tomcat got a hold of them :( Our friends felt so bad. We would like to find homes that the kittens would be allowed indoors at least overnight, especially since they are still so young and vulnerable.

We have put an official end to the problem of over population (at least at our house)as we "fixed" our two adult cats today. It's so funny to see them so calm and quiet. And boy were they hungry when they came home!

Here are their photo opps:

Kitty #1 has the neatest coloring. Grey back, black face, white paws and whiskers :)
She is very feisty and playful and puts up well with kids.

Kitty#2 is solid grey with medium to long hair. She is very sweet and calm. She will play and get into things, but prefers to be cuddled. She does put up with the boys handling her, but I can tell she doesn't prefer them messing with her.

Coupon Giveaway Over At Rochele's!

2009-05-21T10:41:00.001-04:00

Go on over here at check out this great coupon giveaway!

A Hard Week

2009-05-19T12:59:00.004-04:00

It has been a rough 7 days for me and I am glad things are getting better. I am still ever struggling (beyond the normal) with my female stuff and got bad enough to call my doc as I was under tremendous pain to the point that it took Lortab and Ibprofen to get it under control. Of course they decided I needed a pregnancy test and to no shock of ours it was negative. After almost two years of this I no longer expect a positive result. I am not sure if that is good or bad, but I guess a part of me has come to terms with the fact that I may never have a little one again. Thankfully my checkup is real soon so I will get to talk some more with the doc about it and hopefully he won't suggest a fertility specialist again, but try to figure it out for himself. On top of all that chaos I had to have my tooth crowned which was basically a lot of grinding, sanding, stabbing, filling my mouth full of caulk-like substances and druelling on myself :( What did I get out of it? A horrible looking temporary crown on my front tooth. Seriously I feel like I have a snaggle tooth! In 2 1/2 weeks I get a lovely looking tooth that I am assured will look even better than my original tooth. Thankfully I have a great dentist who doesn't mind the fact that I am a big baby when it comes to getting shots in my mouth. So that was my seven days. Thankfully I am feeling better and hoping it will stay that way so I can catch up on housework and maybe rip up some carpet while Ryan is at work. There's hardwood under these nasty carpets!

Rosetta Stone Giveaway!

2009-05-13T13:17:00.001-04:00

My friend Jennifer is having a giveaway for Rosetta Stone and this is what she has to say:

Rosetta Stone is the fastest way to learn a language and has been the #1 foreign language curriculum among homeschoolers for a while — and you can WIN the *all new* version 3 Rosetta Stone Homeschool LATIN program… FOR FREE! This is the first year you can get Latin in the brand new Version III update.

This is a $259 program (and believe me it’s worth every penny!)
This is a computer based curriculum and Rosetta Stone will also include a headset with microphone, and a supplementary “Audio Companion” CD so you can practice lessons in the car, on the go, or where-ever! Students participate in life-like conversations and actually produce language to advance through the program. Rosetta Stone incorporates listening, reading, grammar, vocabulary and writing along with speaking and pronunciation lessons. For parents, the new Parent Administrative Tools are integrated into the program to allow parents to easily enroll up to ten students in any of 12 predetermined lesson plans, monitor student progress, grade completed work (the program grades the work automatically as the students progress- I love that!), and you can view and print reports for transcripts. Homeschooling a lot of kids at your house? This program is designed to enroll and track up to ten students (five users on two computers) and will work for nearly all ages — from beginning readers up to college students.

To win this most excellent Latin program copy these paragraphs and post them in (or as) your next blog post, and/OR link to the contest from your facebook page and/OR email the information to your homeschool support group – Then go to the original page http://Jeneralities.com and leave a comment saying that you’ve posted about, or have linked to, the contest. Please make sure the link works to get back to the original contest page when you post.

Sounds great huh?!

A Mom's Week

2009-05-11T15:57:00.002-04:00

We had a busy weekend. Friday just happened to be my grocery day and we tried to fit in as much as we could into my day with the van. We decided it is time to give two of the kittens to some friends of ours, as they are now into EVERYTHING! So I loaded them up on our way to drop off Ryan. We stopped on by our friends, Gabe and Brandy for what was suppose to be a quick lunch and donating the kitties to them. Well you now how it goes when you have good friends, a shot time turns into several hours of fellowshipping and eating good homemade food. And when I say homemade I mean they even raise their own eggs and grind their own wheat! After leaving there I got a portion of my shopping done and then it was already time to pick up Ryan from work. While in Knoxville, we decided to stop by and get my craigslist mother's day gift that Ryan and the boys wanted to get me. I got a huge creative memories tote bag FULL of albums, cutters, papers, pens and more from a lady who didn't want them anymore. I talked her down to $50 from $100 which in my opinion is a steal for everything I got. Not to mention there were a few items I will sell on EBay and possibly make back the full price! Ryan laughed when I told him that and said, "you are definitely not like the normal woman who would request jewelry and such."

As for Saturday, Ryan's Co. Picnic was at Dollywood and I managed to talk him in to getting season passes at a huge discount since our tickets were free and then we just pay the remainder to upgrade them. He's so great to put up with me! I am excited to get to go more since we will not have any type of vacation this year. I forgot to take my camera, so sorry no pics of our fun there. But, I am so proud of Joseph who rode the carousel, flying bees, pigs and ducks! He is getting much more brave. The highlight as usual was the ride on the read coal train through the smokies. I promise it is a real, full size train! Rider beware though. You get a light sprinkling of coal dust all over you.

Sunday we enjoyed the day over at Mom and Dad's after we got out of church. Just a relaxing, non-rainy day.

Prayer Need

2009-05-02T13:39:00.005-04:00

UPDATE: Thank you for you thoughts and prayers in these times for my Mom. After a much longer wait than expected, we got the news that the test was clear. NO CANCER! Praise be to God. What a huge weight that was lifted.

My dear mother, who is near and dear to me has had a lot of health dealings the last several years. After many years of dealing with fibroid tumors in her uterus, her Dr. has decided they need to go. She is scheduled for a full hysterectomy this summer. As the weeks pass by she has noticed more problems arising and her Dr. decided to test her for uterine cancer. We are all staying positive about it and patiently (as we can) waiting for the results of the biopsy. I request prayers for:

-her, that the test would come back clear (Lord willing) and she we stay on schedule for her previous plans for surgery.
-that the Lord would continue to help her as she has recently quit smoking and it would help to improve her health
-for the family that we could be an encouragement and help to her in her time of need.
-that the Lord would give us all peace in His will

Thank you!

Thanks Rochelle!

2009-05-02T00:13:00.001-04:00

I have been wanting to have a spiffy template for my blog for some time now and thanks to Rochelle who pointed out where I could get a FREE one, I now am the proud owner of one :)

Oh Warm Weather, You Are A Wonderful Welcome!

2009-04-30T09:10:00.005-04:00

This past weekend was gorgeous here in East TN and we enjoyed soaking in each minute of it. Saturday we grabbed some food and had ourselves a picnic at our favorite park. We played on all the playground equipment, the sandbox, and on the soccer field. We discovered that Thomas has a love for bugs as he took to a caterpillar he found. The caterpillar didn't even mind Thomas' oreo face. The boys didn't take to well to kicking the soccer ball around. They were very frustrated that it took them more than one kick to get the ball in the net while Mommy and Daddy gave one big kick. We tried encouraging them to keep trying, but they gave up almost from the start. I did manage to get some shots of the boys even through their frustration, as moms do best. I hope that they can learn to persevere through struggles and be content with their abilities or hardships. For now I want them to enjoy just being kids and enjoying these sweet times. I managed to leave sun burnt (is this really the month of April?), but it wasn't too bad and finally my white legs look less ghostly. What is one thing I learned? Ryan doesn't like it when I kick he ball and it hits him in the face/neck, oops!

Thomas cheers on "Team Joseph & Thomas", he yells!

2009-04-24T11:17:00.002-04:00

I am loving this weather. It is so nice to be able to open the windows and it seems to make the house seem so much bigger, brighter and sweeter smelling. I have been struggling with lack of energy lately though. I wake up exhausted and ready for a nap despite the fact that we are going to be a lot earlier and I've been trying to be more active. I don't know what it is, but I am ready for it to go. Anyone else deal with this same thing?

Hittin' Pins

2009-04-20T10:40:00.005-04:00

My oldest nephew, Ethan, turned the big 10 over the weekend and we joined the festivities at Family Bowl in Knoxville. I did learn several things through the fun.

1. ALWAYS bring a pair of socks for everyone when going to the bowling alley. We were wearing sandals and I had brought socks for the boys, but not myself, ewww!

2. Wii bowling is a poor representation of my skills. Wii bowling I am nearly a pro, real bowling I stink and hate to say it, but I love the gutter guards :)

3. My boys who act crazy at home and dance 24/7 (it seems) will not dance in public and instead stand there starring at the other children acting crazy.

4. You should always take one parent per child. I fore-went this rule and paid the stressful price and caught Joseph dancing all the way down in front of everyones lanes and Thomas was awefully interested in the bowling balls in the return caddy.

5. Kids will play for hours with glow sticks, so there is no need to spend the money on them to bowl.

6. Never pick your own bowling ball and always steal someone elses.

7. Don't expect to get good pictures in a dark bowling alley with strobe lights and disco balls.

8. I stink at real bowling, did I say that already? If so, I need to make that clear.

9. People (like my brother and sister-in-law) who hold babies while bowling should be considered cheaters, because the baby acts as a counterweight and they do much better.

10. Cut your nails very short before you bowl to prevent your nail from being ripped off your finger, believe me, trim those nails!

11. Help your children, under five, roll the ball hard enough to avoid the ball getting stuck nearly half a dozen times.

Here's the picture of our fun at the bowling alley. I really did have a great time and love doing these new things with the boys.

What I Hear From the Top Bunk

2009-04-14T13:22:00.002-04:00

Joseph: "Here lay down and put this over your belly."
Thomas: "okay"
Joseph: "Ok, now we'll just pull the blanket down, like this...and...here's your baby!"

Oh my goodness, I think these boys have learned quite a bit about having babies from observing the cat. We may have an OBGYN in the making :)

Spring Brings New Life

2009-04-13T13:00:00.004-04:00

Lady is now a tired mama of 5 kitties. She had them a couple of weeks ago ranging in every color in the gray spectrum. In about four weeks they will be up for grabs to a good home(s). Joseph takes after me, Daddy says, as he is often found sitting and watching them nurse and petting them every now and then. Unlike Daddy, Joseph watched nearly the whole birth process and was very interested with the whole thing. Who says you can't teach biology at home or to four-year-old's for that matter. Thankfully he hasn't wondered how those kitties got in the cats belly :) Here's their day beau:

As always, we will probably keep one of these cuties and this one is so far our pick. Joseph wants to name him, "Joseph", lol.

Celebrating My Husband Being Another Year Older

2009-04-13T10:57:00.007-04:00

Ryan turns 32 on the 15th and with his CRAZY schedule starting his newjob (yay!)along with school, we thought best to have the festivities over the weekend. I try to make something special on birthday's and let the birthday person choose their cake (even though I realllllly wanted to make a cheesecake, yum). Ryan choose a meatloaf and I decided to make my first ever twice baked potatoes...more yum and FRESH green beans. It was a delicious meal. I really like the recipe I have for rice and cheese stuffed meatloaf. I don't know why everyone makes so much fun of meatloaf, it is so yummy. He choose a chocolate cake with white icing, not bad when betty crocker lends a hand. We also enjoyed the opening of presents, presents and more presents (which were shorts, pajama pants, burts bees shaving stuff, mouse pads (one of which looks like a mini projector screen--its for a laptop and retracts for portability) and a lantern. Boy was it a fun day.

Another of Gina's Great Giveaways!

2009-04-09T10:35:00.002-04:00

A fellow blogger friend is havinga giveaway for DVD from The History Channel. If you are interested in these great DVDs go on over and check it out

2009-04-06T19:43:00.002-04:00

The past two months we have had the opportunity to travel down to GA to visit Ryan's side of the family. It seems in these times (after being in the family for more than 5 years) that Ryan's brother's wife, Teresa, and I have grown closer. There is a uniqueness in being wives of brothers that has brought us together. As many people may know, marriage is difficult and add to that, that Ryan is from a divorced family...well that has been more difficult than I ever imagined. I never expected the many trials that come divorce and even more shocked how they follow through into adulthood and NEVER go away. Anywho, back to Teresa, well she is one of the more God-centered women I know. She never judged me for my difficulties with breastfeeding as many other women have. She never judged me for wearing makeup when other women do. She never judged me for my lack of knowledge of the scriptures. She never judged me for for being me. She has always been accepting of me and even more so understanding. It was such a sweet time sharing together (even tears at times) during this last trip down there. I love the fact that we can be honest with one another and not fear offending one another. I love the fact that she doesn't hold things against me, cause I know there has been plenty she could :) And what makes it all so great...she is 16 years older than me...which means she's been there done that. She's learned from many more experiences than I have and can share with me her life lessons. We also came to the realization that our husbands (being brothers 11 years apart) are alike in many ways and some of their traits have been a result of the divorce. You see, Ryan was 5 when his parents divorced and John would have been 16. Because of the age differences during the divorce, Ryan and his brother were sort of separated as his brother went to live with their Dad for a short while. Although separated they both have similarities in how they were affected--this was Teresa and I's realization this past visit as I shared my heart and she shared her past. I am so thankful to have someone I can talk to about my struggles without it turning to gossip or disrespecting our husbands. What a blessing she has been to me.

Great Giveaway Over at Gina's Blog

2009-04-02T23:55:00.002-04:00

A blog friend is giving away the Exergen Temperal Thermometer. Go check it out!

The Good and the Bad News

2009-03-31T11:43:00.002-04:00

First of all, the good news is....drum roll, please....Ryan got a job! He interviewed, assessed, assessed some more and had his final interview today that came with a job offer, yay! Now for the bad news. He will be taking a significant pay decrease and the insurance is twice as much as we did have (like more than $5 less an hour). I know, I know...we are to be thankful for the position and opportunity to work, but we do have to think hard and long about several things. 1) Will the schedule work with his schooling?, 2)Can we afford the insurance and still pay our bills?, 3)Can we afford the decrease in pay from his last job. Let me remind everyone that until the end of May his old company is paying for his insurance in full and we are getting unemployment, so it's not like we are comparing no income to having income. It is somewhat like a gamble. Do we take the job and make it work or take a gamble and continue to look for work as we take in unemployment and free insurance? Well Ryan is on his way home and I am sure we will be talking long and hard about it. Along with praying :) We were hoping for something a little more clear cut as to whether it would be a fit, but no such case. The job is at BRINKS home security working in their customer call center. Also no more having saturdays off :( He will be working tues-sat. I will miss the saturdays off as that is usually when we have family parties/get togethers/events and such. So sorry the news wasn't a grand slam of happiness, but with our economy right now, that's about as good as it gets out there.

Praying for my niece

2009-03-25T22:57:00.002-04:00

Many of you may know much of this, but thought I'd pass on the ongoings here. Cheyney went in Monday for a tonsillectomy at the Children's Surgery center. The surgery went well and she was home around 12-1pm that day. However, she had difficulty keeping food/drinks/medicine down the past couple of days and with that she has gotten dehydrated, lethargic, in much pain, and low blood counts. She was admitted today to stay overnight for observation in hopes they can get IV fluids and solids in her. I just spoke to Tiffany(my sister), who says Cheyney hasn't improved much and is still in much pain. We are praying that she will get over this hurdle quickly and make it back home to recover and get back to playing.

The Fruit of Homeschooling

2009-03-22T14:50:00.003-04:00

Here is a great article that I stumbled on through a friend. At times I wonder and admittably get anxious when I think to the future with our homeschooling. It is easy to let in the world's views and get discouraged. This article was written by a homeschool young lady who is now 20 and graduated from "homeschooling", but admits she is never done learning. This is the hope I have for our boys.

Introducing Chef Thomas!

2009-03-20T23:08:00.004-04:00

I have learned that when I am making a meal and the boys are acting wild and even fighting that it helps to call them in to help me in the kitchen. However, it usually creates more fighting as they fight over who does what with Mommy and so on. I finally had a peaceful wonderful time that I have been hoping for just cooking with my children. How did I pull it off? I invited one to help and if the other wanted to be in there, they could only watch. And hopefully we can take turns with it. Thomas was my cook tonight as we were making Loaded Potato Soup...mmm...just seeing the words makes my mouth water. It was so cute to see him stir that big 'ol pot as I added the ingredients. Every time I added something he said, "oh, thanks Mommy!" and stirred some more. He hung on till the end and really enjoyed seeing it come together and loved smelling it. Almost every meal Ryan thanks me for the meal and the boys follow. Well for the first time both me AND Thomas were thanked for the meal, and he thought that was pretty neat! I can't wait for our next cooking class :)

CHEF THOMAS

"Mmmm, smells good Mommy!"

I Was Suckered...

2009-03-18T20:15:00.003-04:00

Well not really! We have the greatest dentist in the world, at least we like him! Even though, nearly every time I have a cleaning, I find out I need yet another filling. Well this last cleaning I found out that a tooth that I "killed" when I was 8 is in need of a root canal before it gets bad. I also found out that I need yet another filling. So we went ahead and scheduled the filling first. As I went in today to get the filling Dr. Lambert got word of Ryan's layoff and the fact that we have insurance just until the end of May. With that knowledge he decided we better go ahead and do the root canal as he has to do it in steps over a period of several weeks :( I was less than thrilled, but agreed to let the torture begin. As he prepared to stab me with the longest needle in the world I asked about nitrous and if I would be allowed any. He was so kind to give me some, but I began feeling light headed and decided to fore go it. So on with the torture. After the never ending stabbing into my gums he gave me time to ponder and let my jaw feel like it was a mile from my head. As I sat there I felt myself tremble with the thought of what it may be like. So I decided to pray for the Lord's strength and mercy and that he would ease my pain and anxiousness. Dr. Lambert came in and began the process of drilling, filing, roto rooting...hehe, rinsing, more filing and roto rooting, rinsing and then packing and closing off the hole. And guess what...not one ounce of pain or discomfort. I just felt the vibration, but no pain or even pressure. I am thankful now that the worst part is over and can't wait to see what my teeth will look like once I get the crown. No more yellow tooth that always stands out in every picture :)

Thomas' 3rd Birthday Was a Charm!

2009-03-18T19:41:00.004-04:00

Thomas turned three years old on the 12th. We've always done birthday here at home or at the park, but decided we would like to do a little more this time. Since Thomas loves the water so much I searched around for an indoor pool that was cheap and would allow us to do a party with our family as guests. Finally I found a local hotel that was gracious enough to let us do it and all we had to do was get a room for one night, which I consider a bargain compared to other birthday venues. We all had a blast, but I am certain that Thomas got the most out of it. He would repeatedly jump in the pool, swim to the steps, get out and do it all again. He also got a thrill out of being thrown up in the air as high as possible and crashing into the water. I again kept of the tradition of making the cake and again enjoyed it. This was by far my easiest and probably my favorite.

Joseph's fear of the water is all but improving. He refused to get in and I eventually forced him to get wet. Aren't Mom's great?

Thomas in constant action; made it hard to get a still picture.

The adults get away from the crowd as they soak in the hot tub.

My brother, Brandon with his youngest, Hayden...how sweet!

Birthday Boy!!!

Daddy takes over for Mommy as he holds onto Joseph. Joseph actually told me he didn't love me because I made him get in the water. FYI: The water was only 3 ft. deep at that end and he is nearly 4 ft. tall.

The adults had there fill, but the kids just can't get enough :)

It actually looked a little cuter than the picture shows. I used graham cracker crumbs for sand that goofy ran around on, fruit roll ups for seaweed and a surfboard that donald road on, gummy lifesavers for..well..lifesavers :), gummy sharks and sprinkle fish.

Thomas gets a little help blowing out all those candles, thanks Mamu!!!

Little Hayden thinks the wrapping is the best part!

First of all...

2009-03-05T21:56:00.002-05:00

Thank you all for your prayers and well wishes with Ryan's recent interview. We are praising the Lord for revealing His will to us. Ryan got the email today that told him he did not get the position. We were a little dismayed because it would have been a great job, but we are hopeful that the Lord has a wonderful plan for us. We may have a bumpy ride in getting to see His will, but none the less, it will be worth it. Please continue to keep us in your prayers in these times.

Pray for Ryan

2009-03-03T14:19:00.003-05:00

Just a quick update on Ryan's job search. He has an interview, as I type, with US Cellular in Knoxville. This would be a great job opportunity for him. It is close to where we would like to move back to. The benefits start day one and from what we hear from other employees, the coverage is great. They also cover tuition 100%. The way he got this interview was nothing less than providential. The job would be a great fit for Ryan as it is in their customer service call center. Please pray for our hearts to be searching the Lord's will. We hope this is where the Lord would have us and hope he will make a good impression on Brandy the interviewer. Thanks, got to go, I am finally getting some of my cleaning done.

Some Interesting Views

2009-03-03T11:30:00.002-05:00

I had ran across a tag that involved interviewing my boys. At four and almost three I knew it would be trying and most interesting to see what their minds pick up on. Here goes! Joseph's is the first response and Thomas' is the second response.

1. What is something mom always says to you?
J “um, um, um…I can’t tell.”
T “ummmm, I can’t tell.”

2. What makes mom happy?
J “to say sorry to you”
T “I can’t tell, I need my new book, I need it.”

3. What makes mom sad?
J “I don’t know, hmm, swing toys like that, that makes you sad.”
T “uh, mad.”

4. How does your mom make you laugh?
J “um..to tickle.”
T “um, I can’t tell.”

5. What was your mom like as a child?
J “um, um, I can’t member”
T “uhhhm, um a girl.”

6. How old is your mom?
J “uhhhm, did you got a birthday…I can’t member, it’s hard to member”
T “ummm, I can’t tell.”

7. How tall is your mom?
J “um, BIG!”
T “ummm, um, a measuring tape.”

8. What is her favorite thing to do?
J “um, um, uh, I can’t say.”
T ”um, your computer.”

9. What does your mom do when you're not around?
J “uh, ummm” (by this point he gave up.)
T “ummm, I can’t tell, I have a paci in my mouth.”

10. If your mom becomes famous, what will it be for?
J “um, um”
T “um, I can’t tell.”

11. What is your mom really good at?
J “um, playing.”
T “ummm, COOK!”

12. What is your mom not very good at?
J “um, not doing cooking”
T “umm, I can’t tell.”

13. What does your mom do for a job?
J “ummm, at um, your working at, um, you work at home.”
T “ummm”

14.What is your mom's favorite food?
J “um, um fries.”
T “ummm, eggs.”

15. What makes you proud of your mom?
J “um, ummmm, um, proud of Mommy to do anything.”
T “umm, I can’t tell.”

16. If your mom were a cartoon character, who would she be?
J “uhhh, um, um, how ‘bout, how ‘bout…hmmm, an ambulance from cartoons?”
T “umm, hmm.”

17. What do you and your mom do together?
J “um, share.”
T “umm, I can’t say it.”

18. How are you and your mom the same?
J “umm, umm, how ‘bout…our nose the same.”
T “um, sing.”

19. How are you and your mom different?
J “I was different like me, cause…I watch tv all day.”
T “I can’t tell.”

20. How do you know your mom loves you?
J “um, because I was loving you to be a superhero.”
T (spinning in circles he says)”um, I can’t tell.”

21. What does your mom like most about your dad?
J “uhhh, how bout you like Daddy playin and when you go get Daddy.”
T “um I can’t tell”

22. Where is your mom's favorite place to go?
J “ummm, a store.”
T “um, to the park!”

Thomas 1st Tooth Cleaning Was A Blast!

2009-02-25T22:08:00.005-05:00

Today I had to get my 6 month cleaning and decided to take Thomas in with me for his first cleaning. I was a little sceptical as to how well he would do. As we were on our way out the door Joseph thought it helpful to tell Thomas the there is a t.v. in the Dentists office (as if that was all we were going for :) I find it very helpful to treat it like it's no big deal, like we're just going to the store. I will say though, that Thomas enjoys all his Dr.'s visits and has even been known to not even whimper through shots. Tough guy you say? No not really, he can get pretty upset over little bumps and bruises. Also, to add, it may have helped that I always take the boys to my teeth cleanings and have fond memories of Thomas as an infant, resting happily on my lap while I was getting my teeth poked and prodded. So today, they called us back and he walked right in front of me with no hesitation, plopped up in that big 'ole chair and went right along with everything. I had expected that they do the usual first visit routine of counting and flossing his teeth and calling it a day. But nope, Mrs. Annette did it all! And my favorite part was when they were sitting the chair upright and Thomas remained still until his body weight slid him down the chair. He even got to get the run of the place while I got my teeth looked at. How did mine go? Well, I nearly cried when they told me that a tooth that has been dead since...uh...3rd grade, is due for a root canal to save it. What happened in third grade? The county decided to repave our neighborhood streets and after pouring the gravel, they decided to stop there. I was riding a friends bike that was way too small for me and hit a larger rock just as I was turning into their driveway. I then proceeded to flip completely over the handle bars and my top lip landed firmly onto the corner of their cement driveway. It was pretty gruesome. Needless to say it was only a week or so later that the county decided they needed to finish the job (boy is my Dad convincing!). Here are the pictures of Thomas' fun day at the Dentist:

This was his demeanor through the whole thing.

Mrs. Annette is Dr. Lambert's sister. We live in such a small town that they both live just a block away from our house. She has been a great friend and hygienist :)

Dr. Lambert checkin' out all those little teeth. Lookin' Good!!!

It's moments like these that remind me that they are growing up so fast. I can't believe I don't have my little babies anymore!

The Dream to Clean

2009-02-23T13:00:00.003-05:00

Ever since I have had a house and husband of my own I have nearly everyday dreamed and envisioned Ryan coming home to a immaculate house and having everything in its place. Come on, admit it, I'm not the only one to dream up such nonsense. I know that this can't been done day after day, but I hope to at least have my home guest ready. So that on a whim I can call up a dear friend and say hey, come on over for a meal. Well, I have never managed to make that dream reality, at least not completely. I usually only get it partially done and get too worn out to go on. The only times I have managed to get my house in such order are when I have stayed up nearly and sometimes all night to get it done. Well I am hoping that in posting this, I will have motivation to do it. That's right You all get to hold me accountable as to whether or not I fulfilled my word. There seems to be no better time than during the spring cleaning. And who knows maybe my efforts will help pull in some warmer temperatures into our area. I can't take much more of these beautifully sunny days that are miserably cold. That's just not nice. So please, hold me accountable!

Update...not so up.

2009-02-19T16:20:00.003-05:00

Well I just got the call from Ryan. His last day before the layoff is next Thursday. I thought I was taking it all pretty well and trusting in the Lord, but somehow it all just hit me. Wow! I don't know if I was hanging on to the hope that maybe they would decide he is just too good an employee to let go or something like that, LOL. I also kinda thought he would have had a lot more offers, but still not one interview. Let me tell you all, it is bad out there. I am amazed at how devoted and hardworking Ryan is with his job search. After working 8 hours, he comes home around midnight and will be up till at least 3 am searching over the internet and sending out resumes. He can't even find jobs making half of what he used to. We loose our vision benefits by the end of the month, but thankfully get to keep our health and dental benefits for three months. I've rushed to make all the Dr.'s appointments to make sure everyone has their bodies, eyes and teeth checked out before the insurance elapses. Most all the Dr.'s have been flexible and understanding. Unfortunately our general Dr. will be gone nearly the whole month of April on a mission trip so we will have to wait till he gets back to get Thomas in for his 3 year old check up. Please pray for us and the Lord's provision for our home. As Christians there is often the misconception that we are strong enough to handle anything, but the truth is we have struggles and heartaches just like the rest. Will we let it consume us? Well I hope not. I hope that even in our despair we will look to the Lord. Could we have planned better for this? Probably not. We actually had savings when we got married, but it was washed out when we were both laid off, got pregnant and totaled our only reliable car in the first two months of marriage. From then on we began paying debt and rebuilding everything. We were actually just beginning to get a foothold when all this came about. It's easy to say, quit spending, but we still need food, clothing and shelter. My husband even is astonished at how thrifty I can be. I have never met a Goodwill or sales rack that weren't my friend :). I know we will get through all this and one day look back at this tiny glimpse of time and think, man that was nothing, but for now while we are going through it, it hurts. Hurt is good though, because it means we are living. It is only the dead who don't feel hurt.

Going Outback and Back-Home for Valentine's Day

2009-02-15T02:20:00.006-05:00

Well actually it was more the day before Valentine's Day, but who's counting. It has again been forever (like more than 6 months) since Ryan and I have had a night out without the kiddies in tow and I don't care what anyone else says, sometimes we parents need a night to remember that we are married and have a lot to share with one another. I coaxed my parents into taking the boys for the night on Friday just so we didn't have to eat and rush back to get them. We couldn't get into some of the nicer venues, but settled happily for Outback Steakhouse. We both enjoyed a nice steak dinner. Even though we were at a busy restraunt, it seemed so quiet and still to not have two little ones to entertain and feed. We even took advantage of the time and did a little shopping and also picked up a nice bottle of wine and a box of chocolates and then headed home. It's funny that although we enjoyed our night out we were almost sad that our little boys were not to be found sleeping still in their own beds. We find that these alone times are not only good for our marriage, but also for reminding us how dear our children are to us. It was such a joyful reunion as we walked in to my parent's house to pick up the kiddies and Joseph was ready to come home (of course as soon as we got home he told us he wants to spend the night again at Mamu and Papu's real soon :) ). It was such a great time with the man I married and vowed to spend the rest of my life with through the good and the BAD!

This Is What We Expected

2009-02-09T10:12:00.002-05:00

The day after we found out about Ryan's upcoming layoff I texted my brother to tell him the news. His response, "so did I"! Yep you heard it. They both found out the same day that they were being laid off. My brother has a Bachelor's Degree in something computers so he shouldn't have too hard a time finding work. We all knew this year would be rough and really God has been good even through all of these trials. Ryan and I are somewhat relieved that he is getting laid off because we know that all those who aren't laid off face a bumpy road ahead with a company not doing so well. It is a little disappointed that they are going to be bringing them back to 40 hrs., but we just have to look ahead for what the Lord has in store. As of right now Ryan has not been called for one interview and he was shocked. I explained that it's not him it's that fact that there are so many people looking for work. We'll keep plugging away and hope for some improvement.

Kremey and Krispy...Yum Yum!

2009-02-07T22:21:00.006-05:00

We took our boys to Krispy Kreme (one of our favorite past time hang outs) and got to enjoy our donuts while watching more being made. Of course Daddy finishes his first and begins begging for bites of everyone elses donuts. Second best thing to the donuts were the nifty little hats the boys got.

The ultimate guy spot!

Joseph chose the first donut he saw, lemon creme filled.

Thomas chose sprinkles after Mommy and Daddy talked him out of anything filled. His name is To-mess after all :)

Joseph checking out the process and hoping he can hand pick one coming off the line.

This is the after-affects of all that yummy Krispy Kreme:

So would you hire this man?...I'm pretty sure he will work for donuts :)

In Need of Prayers

2009-02-03T18:37:00.002-05:00

Well it wasn't that many posts ago that I was wondering what the year would bring with all the economic hardships. I thought things would drag on the way they were for awhile, but again I didn't know God's plan. Ryan's work has announced a layoff of 150 workers. Ryan is number 70-something unless they have enough volunteers or early retirements. It is looking like Ryan will be in the cut and we will know for sure on the 16th and from there the layoff will happen 2-4 weeks later. This is a testing time for us. We kind of have experience with this sort of thing, so there is one side of me that knows we can get through it, but there is still the sinful worrying side that wonders how? In the meantime we have to put our trust upon the Lord and wait for Him. Please pray for us as we are weak and in the flesh. I know these things can put strains on marriages and can be a way for the devil to drive a wedge between us. Please pray that, that won't happen and the Lord will use this for His good. I will keep you all posted on what happens (unless we have to cut out the internet). We will contirue to lift up our friends and family who are experiencing the same struggles.

OOOOOOWWWWWWIIIIIIIIEEEEE!

2009-01-26T18:00:00.003-05:00

It was a normal Sunday of rushing around and getting everyone ready. Boys were clean, clothed and shooed (similar to shoeing a horse). Ryan was dressed and just about done making the perfect cup of coffee and snatching up a breakfast bar from the pantry. I am in our bedroom finishing up getting ready. Just as I was doing one of the easiest of my tasks, it happened! I had one heel on and as I hovered over the other one, like a flamingo, my shooed foot gave out and I came down with one solid bang followed by screams and dying cow noises. I had nearly knocked the breath out of myself and my back felt like it was compressed 5 inches shorter. The worst though was the throbbing pain from my left ankle. I thought for sure I broke something. My great husband rushed in as soon as he could but not as soon as he would have liked. All I could do is scream and yell and moan...OOOOOWWWWW....OOOOHHHHH.....OOOOOWWWWW! It was the most horrible pain I have ever felt and out of my dozen or so ankle giveouts, this was by far the worst! I laid there until my back pain subsided to make sure nothing broke and then I hobbled up to the bed to tend to my ankle. The pain stabilized somewhat through the day, but we decided to get it checked out early this morning. NO BREAKS!!! Praise God!!! Just a horribly bad sprain and if I keep it up I will more than likely face physical therapy. My ankles are like toothpicks in comparison to my upper body, so they just giveout at any given time, I MEAN, ANY GIVEN TIME!!! We unfortunately missed church again, but worshipped in Mommy and Daddy's bed :) The brace the Dr. suggested has helped greatly and almost makes my ankle feel normal. He reminded me however, that it takes a sprain 6 weeks to heel no matter how good it starts to feel.

Finally posting about Christmas!

2009-01-24T12:17:00.009-05:00

I was going through the pictures on my computer and trying to figure out what I can and can't delete and why all my pictures dates are so off. I guess my camera went insane with the new year and decided it was again 2007...huh? Anywho, I ran across some great pics of Ryan's family and mine who I rarely have pictures of and thought I'd share in our crazy weekend end that started off will illnesses and ended that way too!

Christmas Eve with the Hixson's (Megan's Family)

At first glance, one's impression of this picture is that we were playing cherades and mom was up, but nope...she's just enthusiatically talking with her hands!

My brother's daughter, Riley checks out what Joseph got.

Mom and Dad opening the gift that their three children pulled off. We got together all 8 grandchildren and had their picture made and framed it for our parents. I did not expect my mom to cry, but then again it's mom.

Christmas Morning at our house!

This was our first year of doing stockings. We don't celebrate Santa, but liked the concept of getting little nick-naks and candy. In years past I used gift bags and cans, but we decided that stockings would be just fine for us. I found some great ones from Pottery barn on Ebay and got iron-on embroidered name tags.
They were a hit! I should tell you though, that the name tags didn't come till after Christmas so for the mean time we were Quinn, Kathy and some other name :)

We got the boys a nice easel that I found on craigslist really cheap. The picture wouldn't stay turned for me so please don't hurt your necks :) The boys really like it and it is saving my walls. Now I have to get these walls painted, hopefully come tax return season.

Ryan liked his new P.J. pants, but felt a large was too big so exchanged them for a medium only to find out he needed the large for length.

The boys received an overly generous amount of gift money from grandparents and great-grandparents and they got a jungle among many other things.

Ryan was thrilled with his Tractor Supply water bottle and enjoyed it for a few weeks until it fell and cracked :(

Joseph enjoying searching through his stocking of goodies!

Done with the craziness I start the clean-up to prepare for my parent's coming over in a couple of hours. See the names on the stockings...hehehehe!

And the boys enjoy all their new toys!

Mom and Dad arrived and so did more presents! Wow, are we spoiled! A suprise for me was a neat Hawkeye memorabilia book that my parents gave me. This book was newly released and was written by my aunt's long time boyfriend, Mike, who had asked my Dad for feedback and input throughout he whole book. He even mentioned my Dad in the book as part of the History of Iowa Football. NEAT!

More fun with Mamu and Papu, they are affectionately called.

The Day After Christmas with the Reed's!

We finally got to meet the new addition to the family. Savannah, Ryan's great-niece! Yes we are officially great aunt and uncle :) Ryan's nephew is serving in Afghanistan, and Cindy decided to make the long trip from TX to GA for Christmas. We enjoyed seeing them and holding Savannah for the first time.

Dad and five kiddos that range in age from 19 to 42! Wowzer! From Left to Right and in order of age: John, Kerry, Ryan, Stephanie & Jennifer

Those crazy Reed girls can't hold still for one picture!

Um...I think this qualifies as snow!?

2009-01-21T14:45:00.003-05:00

Well we finally got a "real" snow that stuck and almost covered everything. [Enter laughs from all our family in Iowa and New York]. One would think that living this close to the mountains we would have more snow than this, but we are practically in a hole and the only places that get a good snow is the plateau to our west and the mountains to our east. This was Thomas first sight and feel of snow at nearly three years old. We had to rush out early and play fast, as the snow was melting fast! The highlight was throwing snowballs at Daddy, who was staked out inside and kept peeking out the window :) It was just enough to get a taste; sure hope we get some more before the end of winter.

A Gift from a Daughter and a Father to a Mother and a Daughter

2009-01-15T21:45:00.005-05:00

My mom's father past away about a month before our wedding. He suffered a stroke and died just over a week later. I was given many of his old clothes for any crafts or projects. As he was an Iowa Hawkeye fan, he had many Iowa sweatshirts. My parent's are still Iowa fans even after 25 years of living in TN. I have wanted for several years to make a quilt with all those sweatshirts and finally got the nerve up to give it a try. It is far from perfect and just maybe the last quilt I EVER make. I found some really cute Iowa argyle fleece for the backing. After many months of work I finished just days before christmas. The tag read: To a Mother and a Daughter, From a Daughter and a Father. Even though she had no clue of my project, she was in tears before she even opened it. She was very confused by the tag and kept thinking she was reading it wrong without her glasses on. Here is the outcome:

This was special to make this for my mom. Grandpa's smell was still in the sweatshirts and it was neat to remember him as I made it. There are still coffee stains and collar stains from his oily skin. I am so glad to give something to my mom that brings good memories of her father after having bad memories of watching him in the hospital.

The Reed's Gettin' Down for Christmas!

2008-12-23T16:23:00.003-05:00

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

A friend and fellow blogger had done this on her blog and I couldn't resist!

AAAAHHHH, So Much Better!

2008-12-20T10:49:00.002-05:00

Wow, what a good night's rest can do. My neck is feeling 80% better. I'm still trying to be ginger with it, but a far cry from yesterday! Grandma came out of surgery well. The Dr. said it was a really bad break. It took them a couple of hours to set in a rod and pins. She is in much more pain, especially when they get her up to walk. I couldn't believe it either that they would get her up to walk with no cast, nothing. I'm sure she uses a walker, but wow, walk on a broken leg. She is really down about the whole thing especially when there are no visitors. I hate to say it, but I dread calling her cause I know she will a)talk for an hour or two, b)she'll again ask about the boys and what preschool they are in, to which I will reply that we are homeschooling, to which she will reply with disgust. With that said, I know I should call her, but I am waiting for the time and courage to do so. I did send flowers and an email to her though. I couldn't believe it. You can send emails to patients now. The hospital prints them out onto cards or something and gives them to the patient, how cool! Best part is, the service was free!!! Well, I am going to get more cleaning done.

Cleaning with a Crick in my Neck

2008-12-19T16:19:00.002-05:00

I absolutely hate it when I wake up with a sore elbow or knee. Even more so when I wake up with a crick in my neck. Since Ryan is working 1st shift till Christmas I am able to get a lot more housework done, but boy is it tough with a sore neck. Even worse is when I forget that it is sore and I turn it just a little too far and get a stabbing pain shooting down my spine! OWWWWW! I can't wait to go to bed and wake up to a better feeling neck. That usually does the trick for me. I am getting a lot done though. A little bit in each room. The boys have clean beds, I have a clean bed, almost all the laundry is DONE, almost all the dishes are DONE, most of the toys are picked (still a few stragglers), and I have a my decorations up. Left on the list is the bathroom, vacuuming, picking up all the stuff & putting away all that laundry. I can't wait to start the weekend off with a clean home! Gabe and Brandi if you are reading this, we'd love to have you over anytime!!! Let me know when you have a meal open :)

Urgent Prayer!

2008-12-18T15:11:00.002-05:00

My grandmother (Grandma Cheyney) who lives in Washington, IA, fell yesterday in the McDonald's parking lot around 8pm. She was transported in ambulance to the local hospital. They discovered that she had broken her leg bone near the hip and it was a bad break. She was in a tremendous amount of pain! They then transported her further to Iowa City, IA's Mercy Hospital where she was doped up on morphine till this mornings surgery. She should be out of surgery now, but I haven't heard yet how it went. She is nearly 85 and was, till yesterday working fulltime at the local walmart. The family has erged her to retire, but she wouldn't. I think this will force her to. She will probably spend some time in Iowa City recovering and then be transported to a nursing home in her area that has a rehabilitation wing. Ryan is off till the 12th of January and my mom wants to go up to see her mom. We are looking into the possibility of taking her up there and staying a few days. Please pray for my grandmother's quick healing. It is very difficult for bones to mend at her age and condition. Also pray that she would have peace with the situation as she will not be home for Christmas.

Still Hope

2008-12-18T14:30:00.002-05:00

Since yesterdays news from my dr., it got me thinking of a lot of questions. What if my progesterone is low, but I am still pregnant? What if my progesterone levels were tested too early? And so many more. So I got to googling. Coem to find out there are many women who have gotten the near same results and wound up pregnant, much to the astonishment of their dr.s. So we still have hope that maybe, just maybe we might have conceived and the dates are just a little off. I guess we will see. I have already had early pregnancy signs, but not sure if it;s all just mental. I will be keeping a relaxed eye on everything and try to be patient and see what next week brings. I will be able to test then. It's all in God and only he knows truly what my body is doing or not doing for that matter :)

Seeing God's will revealed for now

2008-12-17T14:57:00.003-05:00

Well I got some rather disappointing news that was rather hard to take today. In fact the news was so disappointing that my doctor called me to give me the news. My progesterone levels are horribly low, near non-existent. Which mean, I more than likely didn't ovulate, which means I am more than likely not pregnant. This was the second and final round of clomid that I decided to take. This last round gave me dizziness, headaches and moderate depression for about 3-4 days. Dr. McCollum seemed stunned and amazed that the medicine didn't at least get my progesterone up. The next step would be infertility doctors, but I am ruling that out for now. It must not be in God's will for us to have children via biological right now. And as far as adoption, we are very open to it, but don't have the time, money or energy to go through such an exhausting trial as adoption is. It's too bad it takes so much to adopt a child. It is all very hard to swallow and I will admit that it is difficult to rejoice in the will of God right now. I write this in tears because my heart so longs to carry a child and hold a newborn again. I see this as an opportunity to enjoy what we have and get a lot of things sorted, organized, worked out and dealt with. It also a time to rejoice that we were given two great boys! We are so thankful that we let go and let God immediately after we got married for if not, we may not have had these children. God is so good. Please pray for me, that my heart would be softened and I would turn to God and rejoice right now.

Oh the woes of a housewife/mom...

2008-12-12T19:11:00.003-05:00

I am finding out this year more than ever how hard it is to clean, decorate & organize with two young ones running about messing up my work. Whew. I love to have pretty candy out in candy dishes, but can't leave it unattended for fear I will find my boys with candy rings around their mouth and an empty dish beside them. I'm disappointed how hard it is to find spiced gum drops in holiday colors and whopper snowballs. These were always the candies of choice when I was growing up. I am happily surprised that there has been no peeking of the gifts or early unwrapping! I'm still behind getting my outside decorations up. I will eventually. Christmas Eve counts right!

The last several years my mom has had a shadow box coffee table that she puts a snow village in in the winter (sometimes the village stays up well into summer :) I'm going somewhere with this. My dad found an identical table at their neighbors garage sale several years back and put it aside. I finally have room for it, so I'm the fortunate owner of such a lovely table. I then found a set of snow village houses at goodwill for a cheap price. I now get to pass on the tradition of the snow village. To me it's basically an adult version of a doll house. I loved playing with dollhouses when I was little.

We also did out Christmas tree shopping last weekend which went something like this: 1st stop, Home Depot, who only carried Frazier Furs. Next stop a well needed dinner after missing lunch. Now that we were all happy again we went on to search for our tree. A couple of lots also only had Fraziers :( . Alas, Lowe's across town had some Douglas Furs. By now it was 8 pm and the boys fell asleep. So...I ran in and practically got the first one I saw (in the dark) that was tall enough and snatched it up. Once home I realized the bottom is rather bare and it's not as fresh as I would have liked. But, oh well, it adds character and I'm not going to be like my mom who actually bought a tree, got it home, put it in the stand and decided it wasn't quite right. She loaded that thing back onto the car and RETURNED it to the store! I try as much as possible to not be a perfectionist, but it's hard when I married a perfectionist.

In other news: I've been feeling particularly yucky this week. I sure hope this clomid stuff works cause this is the last time I'm using it. He upped it and boy did I notice. I had about 2-3 days of depression like no other while I was taking it. Thankfully that was went away once I took the five days worth. I'll test again next week to see if it helped me to do the "O" word, but I won't find out if I'm preggers or not till hopefully the 23rd. I'm seriously thinking of surprising Ryan Christmas morning if I find out it is positive! Thankfully he doesn't follow my blog religiously so I think I can slip this one by him :) On the other hand, I'm finally keeping up with everything on the calendar so he is more in tuned to where I'm at, which means he'll probably be asking questions. Well enough rambling got to get some stuff done.

What do ya think?...

2008-12-12T19:04:00.001-05:00

Does this color look good on me or does it wash me out? You like! I thought it is a little more in season.

A Wonderful Anniversary!

2008-12-05T16:28:00.006-05:00

Five years ago tomorrow, which again falls on the SEC Championship, I married the love of my life. It has taken me five years to be able to admittably say that. We had a lot of struggles those first 5 years but it finally seems that we know enough about each other to get along. In all actuality we learned more about ourselves and our own sin than the other persons. In our first two months of marriage Ryan got laid off, I found out we were expecting, I got in a accident which totaled our good car, we were left with a car with no AC and 300,000 miles on it, and I got fir..I mean laid off :) . Whew! It was a rough ride and yet I am so thankful that the Lord put us through such trials. We never got that honeymoon period where everything was lollipops and roses. Nope we had all our cards laid out on the table from the beginning and boy did we have some ugly hands of cards. Our marriage has been tested in ways I never knew of before. With all that said, I am so excited that we have made it these five years. I look forward to the next five and whatever it brings (hopefully more little ones :) Happy 5th Anniversary Honey!

I don't often like pictures of myself, but this one is wonderful of Ryan and I :)

Proof--Our Invite

Okay, to explain the weird hand thing, I went to go hold Ryan's hand and he missed my hand and barely held the tippy top of my fingers and the picture was shot :|

This is from our honeymoon to the arctic zone in Destin, FL. Seriously we should have brought some Fur Parkas and the sand mights as well been snow.

This is the summer after we got engaged and Ryan said "hey, you wanna got to the beach tomorrow", and I said "WHAT!?", and he said "ya, my aunt and uncle live in NC and the coast is only a couple of hours from there, we'll go for the day and come back the next day". That was the longest trip for an hour of fun on the beach.

My Beloved Grinch

2008-12-04T19:55:00.005-05:00

This is so funny I had to share. I constantly tease Ryan about being a grinch at christmas time. He doesn't go for all the tree, lights, presents, and holly jolly like I do. It took two years to talk him into getting a tree. His heart is growing towards it though :) . This is where the funny comes in. I had gone to the store one morning and tuned into some holiday tunes on the radio since Ryan was not with me. When Ryan started the van to go to work the Grinch song came right on on cue. And no I didn't call the radio station and synchronize it, though I do go to great lengths at times to tease him.

Official Tag

2008-11-25T01:07:00.003-05:00

Coincidentally, the same day I posted my unofficial tag post I was tagged on Gina's blog. So to be fair I will do this tag too. Here goes:

Four Jobs That I've Had:

Babysitter for next door neighbor and a couple of others
Kroger (worked in almost every dept.)
Walgreens Cosmetic and Photo Dept.
Knoxville Pediatrics as a Nurses Assistant

Four Movies I Can Watch Anytime:

We don't celebrate santa, but growing up my family did and I still enjoy Santa Claus the Movie :)
The Love Comes Softly Movie Series
Willy Wonka (old school)
Anything with Julie Roberts or Tom Hanks

Four Places I've Lived:

Iowa City, IA
Jackson,TN
Knoxville, TN
Loudon, TN

Four TV Shows I Love:

Little House on the Praire
Office (probably not the best, but I've had similar coworkers)
Dancing with the Stars
The Biggest Loser (I so want to be on there)

Four Places I've Vacationed:

Panama City Beach, FL
Destin, FL
Litchfield Beach, SC
DC

Four Novels I Have Enjoyed ReReading:

Novels must be fancy for books...?

The Bible
Shepherding a Childs Heart
No Even a Hint
I Kissed Dating Goodbye

Four Websites I Visit Often:

EBAY, EBAY, EBAY
PayPal (to get my earnings from EBAY)
Craigslist (to spend the money I earn on EBAY)
Target (for their coupons)

Four Places I'd Like To Be Right Now:

Hawaii
Disney World
Australia
I'll settle for my bed
(one of my places should really be heaven, though I know I don't long for it enough)

My First Ever Tag--Without Officially Being Tagged

2008-11-24T20:09:00.005-05:00

I've always seen on my fellow bloggers blogs these things called tags. You answer these random questions that are usually on varying topics. I've never had anyone tag me I guess (I'm not sure how they do it). I've never ventured into doing these "tags". A fellow blogger-friend did a tag about her husband and I thought it would be a great opportunity to venture into the world of tagging. So here goes:

1. He's sitting in front of the TV, what is on the screen? CSPAN, news, sports (mainly football) or crimetime type shows.

2. You're out to eat; what kind of dressing does he get on his salad? Usually ranch but sometimes honey mustard or italian. He doesn't like a whole lot, whereas I load it on.

3. What's one food he doesn't like? Pepper Jellyn & Gulash are pretty much the only things I have found that the leftovers don't get eaten. He'll eat anything, though you wouldn't know it by his 160# frame.

4. You go out to the bar. What does he order? We don't drink too often, but I would say he would get a coors lite.

5. Where did he go to high school? Farragut High School, Knoxville, TN.

6. What size shoe does he wear? oh, please don't go there. He buys shoes either too small or too big, wears them a few times and then I sell them on EBAY. I would guess an 11.

7. If he was to collect anything, what would it be? He doesn't collect ANYTHING. He throws everything away. Though, he does have like three rolls worth of pictures of commercial airplanes from his times as a ramp/ticket counter agent that he won't part with, which I scrapbooked for him.

8. What is his favorite type of sandwich? Ham & Swiss Loaded with Veggies

9. What would he eat every day if he could? My Loaded Potato Soup

10. What is his favorite cereal? Raisin Bran Crunch, Raisin Bran Crunch, get the man some Raisin Bran Crunch!

11. What would he never wear? I'm with Marsha, Pink or anything close even many pastels.

12. What is his favorite sports team? I converted him to Tennesee from Georgia, though he is also starting to add on the Iowa Hawkeyes which are also my team.

13. Who did he vote for? Ron Paul! Yep, you better believe it. We wrote in ol' Ron Paul.

14. Who is his best friend? His brother!!! Though he really doesn't spend as much time as he would like with him since they are in GA. We do everything together and Ryan is happiest with that.

15. What is something you do that he wishes you wouldn't do? Call him a grouch or pour cold water on him in the shower, which after awhile you can pull warm water on him and it gets the same reaction psychologically. He also hates cuddling or putting my cold feet on him.

16. How many states has he lived in? Three: NY,GA,TN,GA,TN

17. What is his heritage? ????? All his family is from NY. His mom would say they are Irish and his Dad would say english, german. We don't really know.

18. You bake him a cake for his birthday; what would it be? Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Velvet Frosting

19. Did he play sports in high school? No, though he did play for years for AYSO, but not during High School.

20. What could he spend hours doing? Watching airplanes land or take off and riding in them.

21. What's something cool about him? hmmmmmmm...cool?...hmmmmmm, well what I find to be "cool" about my husband is he sacrifices a lot to provide for his family. He is currently working full-time in a factory. He left his former job as a ground crew/ticket agent for United to make more money for our growing family. And every time we go by the local airport, he slows to a crawl on the busy highway just so he can see the planes take-off and land :). He also would never hold back having more children if I am desiring more. He has deep convictions and is stronger at turning to God and having family prayer times. Honestly, I have had MANY times that I have grudgingly had prayer times with the family, instead of being delighted in them as he is.

So for some victims:
First Fruits Farm NE
The Clan McLeod
Jeneric Jeneralities
Smoky Mountain Christian Living

Fixing a Bland Blog

2008-11-19T14:52:00.002-05:00

I have always felt like our blog is well...a little bland. Well if you are in the same spot as me I have a solution :) The Clan McLeod is hosting a give away for a free custom blog design by Judi at Doodlebug Designs. Come on over here to her blog to see all her fabulous designs and choose your fav. Then go on over here and follow the rules. I sure hope I win, or else you will have to continue to view my boring ol' blog.

Our Lil' Singing Preacher Man

2008-11-17T23:10:00.004-05:00

Joseph has ALWAYS sat through church. He never liked nursery at church and was so good and quiet that we enjoyed having him in church with us. We've had many people tell us that children won't get anything out of the service because they won't understand it. I tend to disagree and think the preaching has rubbed off a little too much onto Joseph. Periodically we will catch Joseph "preaching" or "singing" to either us, Thomas or a line of stuffed animals. It's always hard to get a picture or video in the moment, because as soon as he hears the camera turn on he gets shy. I managed to discreetly get him on film. He thinks it all up on his own. The plant stand he fashioned into a pulpit and he collected all the bibles, hymnals & christian books he could find. This is one of the more subdued moments as he usually gets pretty fired up or gets going on the guitar. Also notice his feet in the video as he is wearing my heels I had left at the door :) Oh boy, being a mom is sure entertaining!

My BFF Is Expecting Baby #1

2008-11-13T20:47:00.004-05:00

I'm so excited. For those of my readers (probably not that many of you) that don't know, I grew up half of my life in Jackson,TN, a sprawling little town in West TN. In middle school I met a wonderful young lady who quickly became my best friend. I admired her love for the Lord and learned a lot from her friendship. She's an only child and her grandparent's lived in my neighborhood, so she rode the bus home with me to my neighborhood everyday. I even got to go with her to a youth event at her church. At the end of my 7th grade year my family abruptly moved to Knoxville,TN. We kept in touch (she, better than I) as I would receive letters and even little presents from time to time. Slowly we lost touch. It had been since our freshman year since I had heard from her when her picture popped up in a search for her on Facebook. We reunited via the internet and it seems like we never lost touch. Crazy as it is, she married the same year as Ryan and I did. Sadly her father, whom she was very close to, past away just weeks before her wedding. All that said, she is probably one of my dearest friends and I just found out SHE'S EXPECTING!!!!! Yep, she and her hubby Gabe are expecting their first child, how wonderful. I am just so thrilled for them. As a mom of two I think back on when Ryan and I had Joseph and how new and wonderful it all was, just to be repeated with the joyous bith of Thomas. Congrats Alex and Gabe!!!

This is our 7th grade year pictures. Like my tapestry vest and big bangs, thanks mom!

This is one of our school dances. All the girls I hung around with. Weren't we fashionable. I think I wore my brothers shirt, weird!

In our Social Studies class working on our China Palace Contest Project (which we won!)

Remembering and Celebrating Christian

2008-11-12T14:23:00.006-05:00

I met a fellow blogger several months back. I found out about the Drews through one of the most difficult of circumstances. Late summer this family was stricken with the lose of their 3 year old son, Christian as he went to be with the Lord. In seeing videos and pictures he reminds me of both of my boys. He has the personality of Thomas and resembles Joseph. Christian's 4th Birthday is today and he has something, no one else on this earth gets on their birthday; he is celebrating his 4th birthday with Jesus. My what a birthday that must be. We all should be longing for heaven, in all its greatness. It's overwhelming to think of leaving this earth to be with Christ. I am filled with a mixture of emotions. On one side I don't want to leave those I love here on this earth and on the other hand I long to be in a sin-free, struggle-free place as heaven. It's also the fear of the unknowns. But with it all said, I know when that day comes I will have no grief, sadness, hurt, or sorrow because I will be complete in Christ. I will be in full knowledge and that brings me unending comfort. In celebration of Chirstian I vow today to hold my boys longer, enjoy the hard stuff, cherish the little things and hug them more. I long to be patient, long-suffering, gracious, merciful...I long to be Christ-like. Happy 4th Birthday Christian, a.k.a "Dozer". Please pray for the Drews that the Lord would see them through this day of tears, joy, love & laughter as they remember their littlest man :)

Sickness, School & CLOMID?!

2008-11-10T23:55:00.005-05:00

Well I was turning around for the better until I finished my antibiotics and it is all coming right back. That's the last time I use Omnicef, it always seems to do this for me. I dread what is probably the inevitable, another sinus surgery :( .

Ryan's hashing out school as he nears the end of his third quarter. I don't know if I should be excited or scared as the classes seem to get harder and harder. And so far it's looking like he'll have all Saturday classes next quarter, from 9-5pm with a 30 min. break, yikes :O

Ryan and I have been trying for a third child and anytime I see my mom and comment that I'm tired, or not feeling well, her eyes bug out of her head. She'd love it if we'd wait awhile, like maybe when Joseph's in high school ;), but we're really desiring a teeny tiny little one to add to our family. I miss having a baby around the home. How you can tell the older children, "shhhh, the baby's sleeping" and they actually quiet down! Of course it is all God's will and that is what we long for, baby or no baby, just fulfilling God's will. I've been reluctant to mention what I am about to mention, because it is a rather opinionated topic and being that I am rather emotional about the topic, I've put it off. We have many family members who do not support our having children and even more who would not be thrilled to find out that we are diligently trying (if that's the right word). We are slowly coming to realize that it is our decision to make as a married couple. No one elses. Ultimately God knows and wills it. So that is why I have decided to post about all this. I've struggled ever since having Thomas with a lot of irregularity with my cycles and hormones. I've been off and on several medicines to fix the problem, but found out just recently that I have virtually no progesterone and not even ovulating ( and suspect that I haven't been for some time, hence the irregularity. SOOOOOO, my wonderful OBGYN of 11 years put me on progesterone and CLOMID!!!!! First of all, I am on the lowest dose possible and second of all the chance of multiples is 8% (for me probably more like 50% since there are 4 sets of twins in my family :). So imagine how excited my mom is with all that news! She took it better than my sister though, who was near panic and insisted on telling me over and over of the risk of multiples. Now, because my mom works at the pharmacy I go to, she gives me the bug eyes every visit (as to ask, "are you pregnant?!"). The verdict is still out as to whether or not the clomid has worked, but I do go this week to test my progesterone levels and see if they are back where they need to be.

Mom's Sick But We Got Some Cool New Old Bunk Beds!

2008-10-30T16:47:00.007-04:00

What a week! I got hit with the yuck bug otherwise known as a sinus infection. I always seem to struggle with allergies here in East TN, and have been with the season change for the last couple of months. (when I was 18 I had sinus surgery which helped for a couple of years) It all hit me Tues. and just worsened throughout the day to cap of the day with a migraine that induced, well you get the picture. Anyways, Ryan was in for it when he came home from work around midnight to a messy house and a woozy wife. Thankfully I got some antibiotics the next morning and the Lord is slowly healing me as everything is seeming to move south :P

Before all this happened we were in deep search for semi-nice used bunk beds for the boys as their crib/toddler beds were recalled. So I've been an ebayer awhile and thought maybe good ol' ebay would come to my rescue, but there were NONE in our area. Ryan kept trying to find one around Atlanta so we could find a really good excuse to visit family and Chalcedon, but nope, no good deals. Finally I decided to reluctantly turn to craigslist. After several days I was disappointed how much people were holding onto their stuff, and then wham. After looking every hour to see if new beds were added, one popped up. A nice family out in Kingston, TN practically gave them away (with mattresses)to us real cheap. And they are so nice! Boy are we blessed! The funny part is, the man told us later that when I got off the phone with him he thought that I responed quickly and was puzzled why it went within seconds of him posting it. Then as he waited for us to pick them up he got four more calls--I bet those people are disappointed! :( We ALL stayed up past midnight getting these beds put together. I also found these nice quilts on craigslist. The lady sold me 5 identical twin quilts for $45, another steal! I'm going to take one of the quilts and make shams, valance and possibly a couple of toy bags for the end of their beds.

It's a bitter sweet to not have any cribs in our house after ,more than fours years of having at least one up (but two cribs for over 2 years)! I would love to have a crib filled with a little baby, but it's just not been God's will for our family. I am so glad to see the boys growing from toddlers to kids, but also so sad to see them starting to leave toddlerhood :(

Ron Paul Same Today as 1988

2008-10-30T02:00:00.004-04:00

Another cool giveaway!

2008-10-23T01:47:00.002-04:00

A fellow blogger friend, whom I've grown very fond of due to all her fabulous giveaways, is having another great giveaway. She is giving away a product called, Soda-Club. You make and mix your own sodas, isn't that cool! Go on over here to her site and check it all out!

Our Views on the Economic Crisis

2008-10-15T16:01:00.002-04:00

I am sure we are not the only couple who frequently discuss these economic hardships. It is a near daily accurrance because it affects everything we do. Every two weeks we get Ryan's paycheck and are reminded of the problems our leaders have got us in. When we mail postage at the post office we are amazed. When we get that dreaded utility bill in the winter, we are frustrated. When we buy ANYTHING, we are down right angry! It might seem small that Ryan's work has asked them to take off 8 unpaid days to benefit the company, but that is compounded with the fact that there is NO overtime available. The plant has nearly cut out a whole shift, which nearly affected Ryan. I am sick of everyone blaming it on the mortgage loans. Sure there were way to many loans given to people that could not afford them. But, we neglect to realize that anyone who got a lone 3-4 years ago or more was to expecting the outrageous gas prices. Ryan and I are now regreting buying a house with gas heat. Thankfully everything else is electric. These gas prices have doubled. Therefore our grocery bills, utility bills, and all other spending took a major hit. I know Ryan is making more than he did 3 years ago and we are still straped due to the prices. What frustrates us so much is that the prices are quickly dwindling down as our country has finally hit a breaking point. We can't help but think these oil executives have a hand in all this. I am sure there are plenty of families who would still be living in the comfort of their own homes had these gas prices not sky rocketed. With all that said, we know that the Lord will provide for all our needs and really we don't deserve such lavish lives. I will say it has made us more witty when it comes to trying to make do. But I hate to think that we are just wasting our money so the suit wearing executives can have their summer homes and indoor basketball courts.

A Pilgrim's Progress Giveaway!!!

2008-10-15T09:29:00.002-04:00

Click on this button above to learn more about how to enter in this GREAT giveaway. I'm entering myself as I have heard great things about the book and am eager to see what all the fuss is about!

Birthday--BOY?!!!!

2008-10-06T18:47:00.010-04:00

Our little toddler is growing up and is officially a little boy and not a toddler. I can't believe he is four now. Joseph turned four on Sunday. We celebrated his birthday with our little family on Saturday with the usual food, cake, ice cream & a couple of presents. The Mooses and Pop & Mimi sent him balloons and boy was he excited when a man brought them to the door just for him! Papu will be proud that he chose football themed sprinkles on his cake. He was so excited to get a red apron, matching chefs hat & rolling pin all of his own (and thanks to a fellow blogger it was FREE!). There is always a fight over Mommy's one extra apron and it usual ends in Thomas wearing a dishtowel. We still have a few more presents to open at his big party, but I find it very interesting that he was so content with the few presents he already received. He knows that there are more presents wrapped, but doesn't really care to much about them. We will do his big party with family and friends on the 18th at a nearby park. Where has the time gone? To make it harder he is humongous for his age, Dr. Green is amazed too! Bless his heart his body is growing faster than his brain can catch up and he seems so awkward when he runs. The little 7lb.9oz., 19 1/4 in. baby went from 50% to 100+% very quickly and continues to stay there. He is now past my waist in height and isn't slowing down, as some said he would. I am also encouraged that Dr. Green doesn't put a lot of weight on his learning level, as he is behind in some areas due to regressing with a younger brother and Joseph always seems behind around other people due to his shyness. We spent his birthDAY at some friends, The Wilkersons, for some fellowship and fun. Oh how the boys love playing over there with the freedoms and dirt and all those kids! It's sad to say I am not used to my kids having all those freedoms to run off in the woods and just be boys, but it just can't be done here in this little city. But enough of my rambling, my first born little toe-headed boy is growing up before our eyes! It has been a great four years and I couldn't imagine life without him!

Kids Really Do Say The Darndest Things--So We're Learning!

2008-10-05T23:02:00.002-04:00

The other day Ryan took off work to catch up on school work and take us out to brunch at Cracker Barrel--One of our fav's. As we waddled out with full bellies we noticed a couple parked beside our van getting off their motorcycle. Joseph was gazing at the big shiney Harley, as any boy would and I commented to him that it was like his Uncle John's motorcycle. Without hesitation he commented back, "yeah, and I have a tricycle!" I followed with, "yep Joseph, you do have a tricycle don't you." The couple of course got a great tickle out of it and the husband agreed with me that children are so simple minded ;)

Just Our Chaos!!!

2008-09-29T19:06:00.004-04:00

Well blogging may have slowed down, but our lives have not. I've just been so busy for the blog world as I am slowly cleaning out our house with a perpetual yard sale in the cyber world. That's right I am a self-proclaimed EBAYer. You name it, I've probably sold it. The funny thing, is that 99.9% of everything I have sold is USED!!!! I use up as much of it as I like and then sell it. Sometimes I even sell it for more than I bought it for! Unfortunatley though, it has a habit of taking over our time, house & energy. I have slowed down somewhat, but do it more in spurts rather than constantly. Praise the Lord for providing via EBAY for Dr.'s visits, groceries, clothes, and the dreaded gas "crisis". Basically it picks up for the shortages Ryan is going through at work.

We are also organizing the donations for Ryan's nephew in Afghanistan and have the 7 boxes stacked and ready to go, awaiting the expensive postage as we can afford it. So that is also taking up our dining room. Our ding room should now be labeled: dining room/office/library/post office box! That's how you do it in a small house--"multi task"!

Lately the boys are into being "Daddies". They also think up people they can marry and although there are some cute girls I wouldn't mind them thinking of, Joseph comes up with Daddy as his prospect for marriage. :/ I have to admit that I think Ryan's a good catch, but nope there are just too many reasons for Daddy being an impossible prospect! Joseph like to think up names for the baby dolls we have scattered through the house and I think he gets his inspiration from the bible

Kalia is naked baby #1
naked baby #2 has an even more interesting name, but he forgot it :)

We also have crazy kittens running around, climbing, scratching, escaping & screaming!!!! They drive Ryan nuts the most, but are slowly working on my nerves. They still nurse on momma cat although they are almost her size. I find it hilarious when they lay over her from behind to nurse :\

On top of all that small stuff, Ryan and I are learning & embrassing the covenant theology which can be so overwhelming, learning so much and interpreting what the bible teaches.

There's also a few more things that we are busy with, but I will leave that for a future post, so come back and see what else we have going on!!! Ya'll come back now ya here!

Here are the pictures of chaos:

Sadly this is just ONE of our many ebay/misson afghanistan piles :(

Thomas came up to me tonight to introduce me to his new baby (not new--was mine). They say you turn out the way you are raised, well notice Thomas' baby is also missing clothes.

Here's Joseph's peanut butter smile!

No need for words!

Women Are Equipped--Does Not Mean They Are Called

2008-09-17T19:36:00.002-04:00

Okay! This is going to be a sore topic and very unpopular, well at least my views which are God's. We all know and are slowly seeing all the blog postings about this coming election, especially since John McCain ruffled feathers and chose Palin, a female. First of all let me say that I am thankful to be a woman and I believe we are a pretty nifty group, we women. Women are usually multi-taskers. We women can nurse a baby, eat our lunch, take a phone call and instruct the older kids all without skipping a beat. God has blessed many women with great qualities and many have used their qualities to do great things for our nation. With all that said, God's word is clear that women have distinct roles, just as men do.(Proverbs 31:10-31) If you are gifted in a particular area that doesn't always mean God calls you to use that gift. Young wives are called to be in the home raising the children and tending to/helping their husbands. When our children are young there is so much to be done. To think that a woman can "have it all" may be true, but her family suffers for her gain. By the way, there are many things that many men may be gifted in that God does not want them to persue, like staying home with the children or being a passive/submissive husband.(Ephesians 5:22-33) There are even issues of a women/men deciding that God didn't make them right and they mam their bodies into what they think they should be. In one such case a woman made herself physically into a man and artificially impregnated herself.(1Corinthians 6:12-20) Just because she and the other woman were blessed with a baby does not mean that God allowed this unholy union! God does not tolerate homosexuality in any form!!! Be careful not to add or take away from the bible. There are things in the bible that were not ordained by God and yet society accepted it. If we truly have our faith in Christ and profess Him as our God, then we have to be living by His word and not twisting it to what we want it to say for our culture. God will rebuke those who do this. When you read God's word you have to realize what was societal norm (and sometimes against God) and what was God's will/commandment to His people. The issue of Deborah in the bible was a time when Israel had no men that would step up and lead their country (Judges 4-5). Deborah was elected to the position and God punished Israel. We have plenty of men willing for the position as commander in chief. One in particular who holds Godly values, like giving power to the people, lowering taxes, pro-life starting at conception, separating church and state, freedom to home school and the list goes on. This man is Ron Paul. He was unpopular on all the major networks. He didn't receive all the donations and publicity, but he continues to fight for we the people of our nation. I have heard many republicans who do not like their choice, and yet they are going to go to the poles and vote in someone who is better than the alternative. People do not know that we have the power to write-in our vote. That if enough people right in Ron Paul he can win the presidency. Do not think that you are throwing away your vote and increasing O'Bama's chances. We will one day have to give an account for ALL of our actions. God will not accept excuses. It is better to not vote at all than to vote for someone who does not hold Godly values. Please feel free to comment, but know that I moderate, so ugly words and rudeness will not make the cut! Thanks for reading.

I'm Alive and Blogging!

2008-09-16T15:44:00.005-04:00

To all of those who keeping checking on my blog and wonder if I fell of the face of the earth, well here I am. All my spare time has been wrapped up in a little thing called EBAY! With the rising gas prices and Ryan's work cutting back, well EBAY has been a huge blessing. To all of those who wonder, "can you really make anything on EBAY?" well yes you can. The more time you put in the more you get back. It does take time to enter in everything and then keep watch for messages from customers and mail out the stuff. Not to mention setting up PayPal and EBAY memberships. Once you get started though, it's fairly smooth sailing. EBAY & PayPal track things and do most of the work for you. The hardest part is not spending all your earnnings on new stuff! I would give a link to my EBAY page, but I'm afraid you maight find a gift or something you gave me! It ahs been a great decluttering tool and I'd rather do EBAY than sit outside and sell a couple items in a yard sale.

Also I recently had the pleasure of guessing Skeet's Tuesday Teaser which put me in a drawing, which I won!!! Skeet live in the great state of HAWAII and used the help of a hative at Starbuck's to draw the name. Yay a Starbuck's gift card, I wonder who will get that, (Ahem, Ryan!) :)

The boys are definetly alive, and kicking and screaming! They are a handful as usual, but I wouldn't trade it for the world. Ryan and I got to drop them off with the some friends, Gabe and Brandi and go to one of my old friends' weddings. We had a good time but had to leave just before the dance floor opened. I don't know whether to be glad or sad :/ Get this, the happy couple was gifted TWO WEEKS in HAWAII--Hey maybe Skeet will see them there!

Sunday we had a church fellowship picnic so here is some pic from our time:

Ryan and the Boys checking out the huge bamboo patch at the park

More checking it out

Thomas charges!

And gets out of there quick. He is so active it wears me out thinking about it.

Congrats to Ryan For Highest Honors!

2008-08-23T10:19:00.001-04:00

Just wanted to spread the news of Ryan's accomplishments thus far. He currently has a 4.0 and received highest honors for his grades at ITT. He had a lot more work this past quarter and didn't receive as much help from me, although I did quite a bit of cheering and encouraging to stick it out. Way to go Ryan!

Mustard Seeds has a Charm Giveaway!

2008-08-22T14:52:00.004-04:00

Go on over to Christina's blog and check out how to get in on this giveaway! Just click on Mustard Seeds above to find out more.

Here's What Five Weeks Does to Growing Kittens

2008-08-17T18:15:00.004-04:00

The kittens have reached the stage where they are oh so cute, and yet oh so much trouble!!! They are getting into EVERYTHING and praticing their dueling skills with anyone and anything. The picture above is our favorite time as they do absolutely nothing. That usually lasts all of 20-30 mins. or until Thomas locates their where-abouts and snatches them up, tormenting them. I figure the kittens will either be really tame or really mischevious due to all the boys put them through. I am actually amazed they have lived through these five weeks. We found out that one is a girl who is very uptight and nervous and the other is a boy who is laid back and carefree. We are getting so attached that it will actually be hard to let the girl go as we are giving her to the Igarashi's from church. But, she will have a great home/farm and I know she will be well loved by all those kiddies and goats ;)

Update on Collections for John McDonald's Troop

2008-08-17T17:15:00.003-04:00

We are thrilled by all the responses and donations we have received from family, friends & strangers. We have had one monetary donation of $25 and I was able to get some clearance outfits for the baby along with some nice body soap/lotion for Cindy. I also have been working on John's box and have it 3/4 of the way full with books, games, snacks, candy, & personal hygiene items. Ryan and I recently took care of the nursery at church and got all the little ones to color up some pages I made to send to the troop. All of that was right in the beginning and then it kind of trickled off, but we were pleasantly surprised and blessed to find some items in the collection box at church. I have had a few people promise monetary gifts and items that we are waiting for before we send the boxes out, the boxes are flat rate after all.

Here are the pictures of our progress:

Here is the progress on the box for Spc. John McDonald in Afghanistan

Here is the progress on the box for John's Wife and Baby in Texas

Urgent needs for our troops!

2008-08-01T16:50:00.003-04:00

After posting my previous post I felt a desire to help these soldiers in anyway I could here in the states, especially after speaking to John’s mother, Teresa. John had the luxury of calling his wife, Cindy & daughter, Savannah this past Sunday and give updates. The situation out there is dyer. With no running water this means to restroom facilities. They have no way to wash their hands or bath for that matter. There are about 20 men total in his troop and they are finding shelter in a shack made of 2x4’s and a tin roof on the side of a mountain. The average temperature is 130 degrees. They have no electricity and no means to call/email home, except for every 2-3 mos. when the government provides them with a special military satellite phone. Currently they have not built their guard tower so his job in tales keeping watch while sitting in a hummer. He works three hours on three hours off, rotating shifts. When they first arrived to their location they thought they were under attack, but it ended up being off in the distance. They have not experienced any attacks since then. They have been told that he will have leave to come home in Nov. or Dec. but often times plans change. His total deployment time with be 12-15 mos.

Back home his wife and 3mo. Old daughter are keeping their spirits up, but weary at times. She has befriended to other military wives, whose husband are in the same troop. She decided not to come back to TN or GA to stay with family because she didn’t feel right to be here without John.

My reason in writing you this letter is to explain their circumstance and ask that if it is on your heart to do so, that you would help out with their many needs. The needs are varied and you can really give as much or as little as you please. Please do not feel obligated to do so, as we believe you should only participate in this act of giving if the Lord presses it upon you and so provides the means for you to do so. My desire is to pull enough items and financial resources together to possibly send enough for all 20 troop members. Also, I would like to put together an additional box of items for Cindy and baby Savannah (so as to not forget the sacrifice they are making too). Many items are specific due to information from the soldiers.

Food:
Beef Jerky (Slim Jims, etc. with no cheese)
Non perishables (no cans)
Twizzlers, Tootsie Rolls, Suckers, hard candy, Gum
Kool-Aid, Crystal Light, Gatorade (the small dry pouches you add to water)
Nuts/seeds
Instant coffee
Granola bars, cereal bars
Pretzels, Cheetos, Fritos, Chex Mix
Easy Mac, Ramen, Soup mixes
Cookie packs & cracker packs
Condiments, spices, sugar, dry creamer, lemon juice (in packets)

Hygiene:
Hand Wipes (individually wrapped)
Hand Sanitizer
Chap Stick (squeeze tubes so it doesn’t melt)
Instant cold packs (that activate when squeezed)
Finger tip tooth brushes that are disposable
Toothpaste
Mouth wash
Liquid soap, shampoo, conditioner in small bottles
Q-tips
Foot Powder
Razors (disposable)
Shaving soap or cream (no cans)
Travel toilet tissue
Kleenex pouches
Deodorant – unscented
Sunblock
Bug Spray
Shoe Insoles

Misc.
Writing materials
Envelopes, paper, pens, mechanical pencils
One-time use cameras
Hand written letters, cards to boost their spirits
Crossword/puzzle books
Bibles (new or used in good condition, no writing in them)
Godly Books (small)
Tylenol, IB Profen packets/samples
Small toys (Frisbees, balls, hackey sacks
Playing cards, UNO, Yo-yo’s
Travel sized laundry detergent
Flash lights that are friction generated (not battery)

Cindy & baby:
Calling cards-to call family
Nice bath soaps, lotions
Candles
Small things that women like
Handwritten cards, letter to boost her spirits
One-time use cameras
Godly books
Small baby toys (3m. & up)
Baby items
Gift cards
Stationary

*Since this is going out worldwide I ask that you make monetary donations if you do not live in the East TN area (email me at rprmsr@hotmail.com to see about sending the donation). If you do live in this are please contact me to let me know where to pick up the items from you (contact me before you make purchases to make sure you are not to far out to pick up the items). If you do not have the time to buy the items listed you may also give monetarily. Money will be used to buy these items and also for the postage. I have gotten free flat-rate shipping boxes from the USPS and it costs $10.95 per box to ship, no matter the weight, so I will be using every square inch of the boxes. I will be mailing them out to John and he will distribute them among the troop. I will send them out as soon as I have enough items and money to do so. I encourage the children to get involved and make little crafts to send the men. If you have any questions please contact me at church or home (865)657-9543 or rprmsr@gmail.com . I appreciate in advance your considering what the Lord would have you and your families to do. May God be glorified as we meet the needs of these soldiers. Most importantly than giving is praying for these soldiers and their families through this time.

Thank You,
Megan

Urgent and Continual Prayer Request

2008-07-31T15:05:00.004-04:00

Ryan's brother's step-son, John McDonald, was deployed to Afganistan on July 3, 2008. This is his second deployment (previously in Iraq). He is now an Army Specialist and they have changed his job to, Security as a Guard Tower Sniper & a Checkpoint Guard. This is one of the most dangerous positions to be in. To make matters worse, he was not sent to the area they had originally told him. He is now in a 100+ degree desolate area with no running water or electricity and his only means of communication is USPS(mail). He leaves a wife and 3 mo. old daughter back in Nolanville, TX. She has family in GA and TN but decided to stay in TX. Ryan's brother, John Reed, Jr., has asked for anyone who has a church prayer list, to please place this family on such list. Also, I encourage anyone who feels a desire to send letters or care packages please let me know, I can give you their addresses or send it out to them myself. I know both John & Cindy need encouragement in this difficult time.

Dollywood Adventures!

2008-07-23T12:00:00.003-04:00

We got in another visit to Dollywood this past week. With Ryan off all week it was a nice break from our cabin fever. The nice thing about season passes is, we can come in later and not kill ourselves trying to ride everything. We had a day full of veggies, heat, water, rides, heat & water. The veggitales were at the park and got to enjoy a live show in the AC of their theatre. Hopefully we can go back before Zaboomafoo leaves.

Joseph & Daddy pose by the Dollywood Express that we got to ride.

Thomas & Daddy pose too!

Here the train engineer is loading up the coal in the fire to prepare for the ride ahead. The last two times we rode we sat in the first car and since it's an open car, we ended up with coal dust all over us. It's also very loud up there.

There was a sandcastle making exhibit. There was actually a person there making this castle as we watched. And believe it or not this was 100% sand & water. Incredible!

Joseph finally got up enough guts to ride these cute little duckies after seeing Thomas go alone. Joseph, Joseph, Joseph...What are we going to do with you?!

Here are the boys at the Beaver Creek area of the park. It's a great place for little ones ( and Mommys ;) to cool of in the running water. Both boys managed to break the no running law and both left with bumps on their heads to prove it.

Here Ryan and Joseph rode together on the 50s style Rockin' Roadway. Ryan was sure glad he didn't get the pink, purple or aqua car.

Thomas drives Mommy around on the Rockin' Roadway. AAAAHHH!

The Kitties are Here, Jen!

2008-07-13T23:03:00.006-04:00

Yesterday evening "Lady" went into labor with her kitties. She insisted I stay and mid-wife the whole thing as she followed me anytime I left her. So for 3-4 hours straight she labored and birthed three cute grey kitties as I assisted. I know I must sound like some crazy animal lover who thinks cats are human, but really they pretty much do the same thing we human-women do. I have to give it to them for birthing multiples and some other gory stuff they have to do that I won't mention. She's been a good mommy cat and doesn't get to bothered when we handle them. At one point I was handling a kitted who started to scream and "Lady" gave me a genlte nip as to tell me, "I really don't mind you holding them, but I think I should take over now." Unfortunately the first one was still-born even after my attempts to revive it. I think she just labored to long with it as it was the largest of the three. Here are the pics.:

This was kitty #1 who didn't make it

This is kitty #2 who is the laid back of the two.

Joseph was excited at the chance to hold this wiggly kitty as Mommy-Cat birthed #3 (He was also hyped up from all the chocolate ice cream Daddy gave him)

Kitty #3(left)who is feisty and a little more slender. He gave me a scare as he struggled to breath at first. Good Mommy-Cat nurses one baby while cleaning up the other.

By the way there are plenty more yucky pictures if anyone is teaching biology! ;)

My Crazy 24+hrs. with Four Kiddies In Tow

2008-07-13T21:43:00.006-04:00

(Quentin's hiding inside the yellow sleeping bag as Thomas pounces him)

My sister called about a week in advance and was desperate for someone to watch her kiddies, Quentin-7 & Cheyney-5. I gladly accepted and got out the pool for the first time this summer (I'm kinda lazy about outdoor stuff this year). It took me more than an hour to pull out the pool, blow it up, fill it with water and swim toys & catch my breath! It took the kids 20 mins. to have their fill and muck up the water with grass clippings, oh well! We also made fourth-of-july cookies and went to the local park. They are two good kids and were eager to help for the most part, as much as kids can be I think. Thomas was actually the most difficult to deal with as he learns how to share his toys. So please, we invite all to come over with your kiddies so Thomas can learn how to play with others. The great thing was that I caught myself telling Ryan, "This isn't so bad, I think we could handle four kids." So praise the Lord for showing us he will always give us everything we need to care for our children or future children. Above are the pics of our outdoor fun & the 2 hour long going to bed process(whew, they wore me out getting them to go to sleep):