3 little Miracles

3 little Miracles

Wednesday, September 30, 2009

What is your favorite thing about Fall?? asks Kelly from Kelly's Korner

What is your favorite thing about Fall?? asks Kelly from Kelly's Korner oh WOW what don't I like would be easier ;-) Fall is literally my favorite time of year, I love the feel, the look, the decor, the smells in the air, I could go on and on.  BUT I think Kelly want's us to be more specific and so here is just a few of the things I love about fall.




Fall Decor


Curling up with Hot Chocolate and a good book

Fall Leaves . . . reminds me of growing up in Connecticut


Fall outfits for the Boys

Today was wonderful because it was perfect fall weather. Open up the windows, and let the cool weather come into the house while curling up on the sofa (or in my own bed if the boys will let me) and take a cozy nap under my favorite quilt . . . . that is a perfect fall afternoon. 

I am not as ready for the fall as I normally would be.  I haven't bought my mums and pumpkins, but I think I am waiting for our weekend trip to the zoo so that we can get pumpkins from a real pumpkin patch.  BUT I did get to kick off one of my favorite fall traditions for the first time this year with my boys . . . .watching the Wizard of Oz on TV.  I mean come on, how many of us remember watching the Wizard of Oz on TV when we were kids, and for most of us woman we dreamt of one day watching this fantastic movie with our own children with hot cider, popcorn, and warm cookies.  OH how perfect of a fall night is that.



So the question is . . .. What is YOUR favorite thing about fall?

Wish List Wednesday



I haven't posted one of these Wish List Wednesdays in a little while, but I am actually in the frame of mind for some wishes ;-)  I don't know what it is about fall, but it is when I want to meander the aisle's at Target, Pier 1 Imports, TJ Max, Tuesday Mornings, and flip through the Pottery Barn catalog (because I don't have a store near me to meander through) and find new fall yummy decor for my home.

To start with I have been eyeing this rug for a while at Pottery Barn.  I have already matched the carpet sample and it is PERFECT for the colors in my living room and I am SOOO ready to buy this rug especially because its reduced right now.


I am also really wanting to get some barstools for my raised counter (this of couse could be a disaster with my two boys who LOVE to climb but OH WELL).  There is something about this style that I really like, for sure I don't want a stool with a twisting seat, I want it to be fixed and backless so I don't have to move it a dozen times depending on which way I want to face. So here is the cute adorable ones I like that are again from Pottery Barn.


With it being the beginnin of fall I have been craving hot drinks and hot sandwiches and that brings me to my next wish.  I have really been wanting this panini press from Williams Sanoma.


AND FINALLY but far from least, I am wanting to take a fall trip to New York and see WICKED.  I haven't been to a musical in so long I can't even tell you and yet I LOVE musicals, it is a passion my mother passed on to me and will always be a part of my relationship with Mom.  It would be so wonderful to take a weekend trip with my parents and my husband and have a fantastic time taking in the show, to die for food, and exploring the sights and sounds of the streets in New York.  Please can I have a fully paid weekend to a great New York City hotel, tickets to Wicked, and yummy food ;-)


Tuesday, September 29, 2009

MOM = Front line of defense

The other day I went to pick up the boys from preschool as I always do, but for the first time this preschool year I walked in and knew right away that it was not going to be a good report.  As I approached my oldest sons room I saw him being lead away from the room by the teachers assistant.  I quietly followed to see where G. was taking him because the directors office was in the opposite direction and the direction she was taking him was away from the preschool area of the building.  Ms. G. quietly lead Davey to the pastors secretaries office where she made had him sit down in the chair next to her desk.  After a few moments G. noticed me standing in the hallway outside and came out to tell me that it had not been a "good day" Davey had to be taken from the classroom 3 times because he wasn't following directions or was being a disturbance and she commented that his cough didn't seem to be getting better.

So I took a deep breath and explained that right now Davey is on 4 x daily breathing treatments and the side effect of one of the medications is hyper activity.  I told her that this in no way excuses his poor choices in the classroom, but it does provide a reason for the change in his behavior.  I told G. and Ms. M (his teacher) that I would check into other medication options and talk to Davey about his choices even though he may not feel at his best. 

Today Davey had a followup appointment and I expressed a concern to the NP.J about the side effect of hyper activity.  When Davey was just a few months old his breathing issues caused us to have to begin using xopenex/pulmicort breathing treatments and the doctor warned us back then that more then likely Davey's breathing issues would only worsen. Back when Davey was just 4 months old Dr.R told us that Davey's narrow airways would more then likely mean asthma as he got older and of course inhalers when he was was old enough to manage them.  The side effect of hyper activity was never an issue before because we could manage his behavior at home, BUT when the side effects begin to effect his behavior at school it is a whole new problem.  Xopenex in children causes a feeling of no wanting to sit still, or as other patients have described it, like ants where crawling all over your skin.  So one could imagine that for a 4 year old boy that means circle time, reading time, sitting still at a table MIGHT be a little difficult. 

Unfortunately, NP.J told me that we didn't have any other medication options but did suggest that we put Davey on 3 days of steroids to push him over the hump of his current medical crisis.  NP.J, my husband, and I are all afraid of how Davey will handle the current flu/swine flu season because Davey is the very HIGH RISK kind of patient that is in danger. 

What is a normal cold for other kids is an attack to Davey's ability to take a breath.  When he catches a cold his airway turns into a narrow straw and his caughing often leads to throwing up.  I can not take Davey off these medications right now, because they are the only things protecting Davey and I have to put his medical care before his issues at school.  

SOOO MOM is Davey's front line of defense (as I should be) and I will defend his right (and ours) for him to remain in his classroom and for the teachers to help us work through his current medical crisis.  I will not pull Davey from the preschool when he is not a risk to the other kids, if anything they are more of a danger to him because of the germs they bring into the classroom.  I also refuse to keep him home because I am paying $140 a month for him to be there and he isn't contagious.  I will continue to be his frontline of defense until the day I die and I guess this is the first big stand I am going to have to wager . . . . . . a battle for his health and for his preschool education this year.

Saturday, September 26, 2009

That is when we DANCED!

Imagine you and the Lord Jesus are walking down the road together. For much of the way, the Lord's footprints go along steadily, consistently, rarely varying the pace.
But your footprints are a disorganized stream of zigzags, starts, stops, turnarounds, circles, departures, and returns.
For much of the way, it seems to go like this, but gradually your footprints come more in line with the Lord's, soon paralleling, His consistently.
You and Jesus are walking as true friends!
Perfect, but then an interesting thing happens: Your footprints that once etched the sand next to Jesus' are now walking precisely in His steps.
Inside His larger footprints are your smaller ones, you and Jesus are becoming one.
This goes on for many miles, but gradually you notice another change. The footprints inside the large footprints seem to grow larger.
Eventually they disappear altogether. There is only one set of footprints. They have become one.
This goes on for a long time, but suddenly the second set of footprints is back. This time it seems even worse! Zigzags all over the place. Stops. Starts. Gashes in the sand. A variable mess of prints.
You are amazed and shocked.
Your dream ends. Now you pray:
'Lord, I understand the first scene, with zigzags and fits. I was a new Christian; I was just learning. But You walked on through the storm and helped me learn to walk with You.'
'That is correct.'
'And when the smaller footprints were inside of Yours, I was actually learning to walk in Your steps, following You very closely.'
'Very good ... You have understood everything so far.'
When the smaller footprints grew and filled in Yours, I suppose that I was becoming like You in every way.'
'Precisely.'
'So, Lord, was there a regression or something? The footprints separated, and this time it was worse than at first.'
There is a pause as the Lord answers, with a smile in His voice.
'You didn't know? 




It was then that we danced

Friday, September 25, 2009

Show us Your Life - Desserts

It is Show us Your Life - Desserts today over at Kelly's Korner. Last week was Go to Dinner Recipes, and I got so many yummy dinner ideas that I knew I had to go back and get some dessert ideas this week and share a few of my favorites as well.

I am a Paula Deen fan and I get her magazine so I have a recipe box filled with some of my favorite Paula Deen desserts that I make for special occasions, for church events, and sometimes just because I am in the mood to get in the kitchen and stir something up. This past week I actually made two of my PD favorites, one for Wednesday Night Supper at Church and one just because I was in the mood for at treat.


As always - find the schedule and past installments of Show Us Your Life Friday at http://www.kellyskornershowusyourlife.blogspot.com/
Here are my two favorite dessert recipes

German Chocolate Ooey-Gooey Butter Cake
(we call them brownies)

1 (18.25 oz.) box German chocolate cake mix
1 cup butter, melted and divided
1 large egg
1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese, softened
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 (16 oz.) box confectioners' sugar
1 cup sweetened flaked coconut
12 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 13x9x2 inch baking pan
In a large bowl, combine cake mix, 1/2 cup melted butter, and 1 egg. Beat at low speed with an electric mixer until combined. Press evenly into bottom of prepared pan: set aside.


In a large bowl, beat cream cheese at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Beat in remaining 2 eggs and vanilla. Gradually beat in confectioners' sugar until smooth. Add remaining melted butter, beating at low speed until combined. Stir in coconut and pecans. Pour over cake mix layer, spreading evenly. Bake for 45 minutes (the center should remain slightly gooey). Remove from oven; let cool completely before cutting into squares.






THESE ARE SOOOOOO YUMMY while warm with a tall glass of milk!!!!
Almond-Crusted Butter Cake

1 ½ cups plus 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
½ cup slivered almonds
1 (16 oz.) box confectioners’ sugar
6 large eggs
2 tsps vanilla extract
½ tsp almond extract
½ tsp salt
2 ¾ cups sifted cake flour

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread 3 tablespoons softened butter over bottom and sides of bundt cake pan. Sprinkle sides of pan with silvered almonds; set aside.

In a large bowl, beat 1 ½ cups butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Gradually beat in confectioners’ sugar until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla extract, almond extract, and salt. Gradually beat in flour until combined. Spoon batter into prepared pan and bake for 1 hour, or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes. Remove from pan, and let cool completely on wire rack.



Hope you enjoy both of the delicious recipes I am #178

God Bless you and your kitchen ;-)

Monday, September 21, 2009

Friend Makin Monday


This is such a fantastic way to get to know each other, so take the time to copy this list of 50 things that give you some insight into me and make your own list and leave me a link to your list in my comments. (Previous Friend Makin Monday post on September 7th)
 1. What time did you get up this morning? 5:15am
2. How do you like your steak? Medium Well
3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema? Ice Age 3
4. What is your favorite TV show? Drop Dead Diva
5. If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be?
Maryland near Erin or Arkansas with Rachael or North Carolina with my family or Ireland in a place of our own :-) can't make everyone happy
6. What did you have for breakfast? Sadly two McD's breakfast burrito's and a DC.
7. What is your favorite cuisine? Chinese, Italian, and Southern Style
8. What foods do you dislike? Sushi, eggplant
9. Favorite Place to Eat? Kabuto's
10. Favorite salad dressing? Ranch
11.What kind of vehicle do you drive? 2006 Honda Odysee
12. Your favorite thing to wear? Workout clothes and dresses
13. Where would you visit if you had the chance? Ireland, England, Italy, France, Mexico
14. Cup 1/2 empty or 1/2 full? I am ashamed to admit, but I am mostly a cup 1/2 empty kind a person
15. Where would you want to retire? Arkansas near my crazy girl Rachael, she would keep me laughing in my old age.
16. Favorite time of day? late night after kids are in bed
17. Where were you born? Vallejio, CA
18. What is your favorite sport to watch? None of them
19. Wha are you reading? Crazy Love
20. What time is it right now? 10:56PM
21. What are you doing right now besides blogging?  Watching HGTV
22. Bird watcher? like to watch the humming birds outside mom's dinning room window
23. Are you a morning person or a night person? Night
24. Do you have any pets? 2 cats, 1 dog, 1 fish
25. Any new and exciting news you'd like to share? Nope
26. What did you want to be when you were little? a ballarina
27. What is your best childhood memory? sitting with Poppy on the log over the stream and singing "Love will keep us together" and making plans to live next door to each other and raise our kids together.
28. Are you a cat or dog person? both
29. First website you got to when you log on? Southern Living at HOME
30. Always wear your seat belt? ALWAYS
31. Been in a car accident? Yes.
32. Any pet peeves? oh yeah . . . but don't really want to go there
33. Favorite Pizza Toppings? Mushrooms, chicken, canadian bacon, WHITE pizza
34. Favorite Flower? Hydrangia, Tulips, Sweet Peas
35. Favorite ice cream? Chocolate Penut Butter and Pralines N Cream from Baskin Robbins
36. Favorite fast food restaurant? BoJo's
37. How many times did you fail your driver's test? ZERO
38. From whom did you get your last email? my friend Margie B.
39. Which store would you choose to max out your credit card? its a toss between JJill for me OR OR Pottery Barn for the house.
40. Do anything spontaneous lately? Nope not with 2 boys
41. Like your job? Love being a MOM its the best job
42. Broccoli? um ok I will have some with a side of melted cheese
43. What was your favorite vacation? Adirondacks/Canada and England with my family as a kid.
44. Last person you went out to dinner with? David
45. What are you listening to right now? Will & Grace (I switched channels)
46. What is your favorite color? Pink and Green
47. How many tattoos do you have? ZERO
48. How many are you tagging for this quiz? whoever wants to play
49. What time did you finish this quiz? 11:11PM
50. Coffee Drinker? Nope

Nightstand of Books

I love to read BUT the side effect of that is a night stand FULL of books waiting for me to get to them. Books are like new friends waiting for their chance to introduce themselves and tell you the story of their lives. What I mostly like to read are works of fiction the charters‘, the places, the emotions that the author takes me as a reader is wonderful almost every time. Right now I am reading two books at the same time ;-) Crazy Love by Frances Chan and My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult.

I am reading Crazy Love as part of the Bloom blog book club and I am loving the interaction with other readers on the ning site talking about how Chan is drawing us through his in-depth look at the magnitude of God's love challenging the reader to really look at how to make our walk with the Father more consistent and more pure. We are only into chapter two but it really is an amazing read and I hope that others might be inspired to read it.

My Sister's Keeper is a hard story to read and I am only a few chapters into it. I can not imagine facing the illness of my child and searching for anyway possible for them to survive the disease that attacks their body. I would hope I would heavily lean in faith on the Father, but also trust that HE alone gave the skills to the medical field and that modern medicine would help my child in the fight of their life. I don’t know that I could make the choice that the mother and father in this book did, but I can’t stand in judgment of that because I have not and I pray I will not, ever be placed in that position. The story to unfold is obviously what the side effect of those choice did to the daughter they had to save their ill daughter and on the son lost in dealing with the first daughters disease. I know it will more then likely be a emotional roller coaster and I can’t wait to read more (when my boys give me time).

As for the other books on my list I am somehow a little obsessed with Tori Spelling, strange but she is my guilty pleasure to follow on Tori & Dean Home Sweet Hollywood and in her books. Guilty as charged! I also have 3 books from my favorite fictional author’s, Dawn’s Light by Blackstock, Nicholas Sparks newest book The Last Song, and The Ravenscar Dynasty by Barbara Taylor Bradford (last 2 not pictured because they were on their way from Amazon). Finally, I have a book by Charles Martin that my mom loved and wants me to read and I almost always have one of my design reference books in the stack so I can get inspired once in a while.

Sometimes I race through my reading stack like a starving man, and others times my reading stack seems to get out of control and my time to read through my new friends is few and far between. I seem to be going through the later right now.

I love my friends and many of them stay with me to be read over and over again. So my question to you is, what friends are on your night stand?

Thursday, September 17, 2009

Pride comes before the fall OR in this case the SCRAPE OFF

Well you know what they say, Pride cometh before the fall or in this case today before the scrape off of all my work today.  I made this post today on my facebook because I was so proud of my work and also because I had finally gotten back to MY bathroom project.

FB post - "Got the first upper 3 feet of bathroom wall mudded today. It has taken me a little bit to get back to the project, but finally felt a tiny bit of energy to work on it. Trying to keep hubby out of the project because he works all day and I don't want him to feel he has to come home and work, BUT . . . . . . . I might change my mind since this is taking me so long ;-) LOL"

When my husband got home I sent him into the bathroom to see what I had accomplished.  Right away he said I had put it on too thick but that I did a good job, it would just take a lot more sanding to even out the wall before painting.  As I am talking to him, he once again says I put it on really thick. My response was "its MADE THAT WAY".  He says "No you should have skim coated it more instead of spreading it on so thick."  So I told him to give it a try, I give him the wall spatula and he goes to spread it on and see that I am right.  As he is giving it a try I get the container to check the directions for the setup time, only to discover what I had never read before and OBVIOUSLY neither had he.  In big letters it says STUCCO PATCH.  UGH!  WRONG STUFF!!!!
In fairness to my husband (who is feeling very bad that he got the wrong stuff) the day we picked up the materials for the bathroom, was the day that Jonathan disappeared from our cart at Lowes and we were frantic with fear.  So all of my work got scrapped off the wall and tossed into the trash and I will have to do it all again after spending more money to buy the RIGHT STUFF.
Soo all we can do now is laugh otherwise I probably will cry LOL 

Out like a light zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

It only takes Davey a few moments of laying still on the sofa and suddenly he is asleep, he does this almost every night. One minute is his moving around like he has ants in his pants and then zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz ;-) out like a light no matter where he is or what position he is in.

Day 6 of a Migraine, is it the mini????

DAY 6 of a migraine!!!!! David seems to think its the mini laptop bothering my eyes. I asked him if this means its ok for me to go out and buy a BIG laptop ;-) IN all seriousness he MAY be right, but I hate to give up my computer time and my mobility, its what I do when the kids are otherwise engaged in something and my housework is under control, its part of ME time.

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

BIGGEST LOSER Season 8

For those who have been reading my blog, you know that I am on a new journey to remold myself physically.  I have been working all summer to begin a new exercise routine to lose weight and with the boys back in school I have been successful in establishing a 3 day a week 2 1/2 hour workout schedule.  BUT the show that inspired me to make some changes is back again for season 8, The BIGGEST Loser.  I am on this journey because I feel that God is calling me to make some changes for me, my health, my boys, and for a healthy pregnancy with baby #3 (no I am not pregnant yet, but we hope to be sometime soon).




Tonight one contestent really touched my heart with her story and her reason for being on Biggest Loser.  Abby is a teacher in Texas and in October 2006 she experienced a terrible loss, she lost her entire family at one time.  Abby's whole family, her beloved husband, 5½ year-old daughter and 2½ week-old son in a fatal car crash, as Abby said tonight "in one moment I lost everything and every ROLE that was important to me."  She has been searching for a way to finally get back to a "normal" life and feels this will happen when she loses the weight.   But it was Abby's words in the show tonight that stuck with me "By the grace of God I wasn't in the van, I have to believe that I am here for something bigger"

I can't imagine saying "by the grace of God I wasn't with them", this is one of those moments I think I wouldn't have the strength to move on.  I would want to scream "GOD WHY couldn't I have been there with my family, why couldn't I die with my family???" I pray I never have to face a loss like that, but I hope and pray that if I ever do that I can show the kind of grace and strengh in Jesus that I have seen lately in ladies I have had the privilage to meet, read, or see their stories.  Abby is saying "BY THE GRACE of God I wasn't . . .  I am here for something bigger"  I pray that God blesses her faith that He has something bigger for her and she can honor her families memory and the Father by moving forward into God's bigger plan for her life.

I look forward to watching her journey this season.

Life right now with 2 little Boys and 1 Wonderful man of God!


(My B-in-L C with MY MEN in the kayak's off our river wall)

NO day makes it without some sort of incident or moment of small stress BUT I am happy in my life with David and the boys. I often feel like I am failing to display the love of Christ that my Father in heaven would have me to share with Davey and JonJon but I am doing the best that I can at this time. I feel like my biggest challenge is being patient enough to see the special moments that happen as something to smile at later and no big deal now rather then a huge upset now and a frustrating mess to cleanup later.

Davey is now 4 years old and beginning to understand more of what we expect from him but still trying desperately to challenge our authority at every step that he can. HE has such a sweet angelic face and so often times you don’t think he is capable of the trouble that he can find. Davey has beautiful thick blond curls that always seem to be out of control on top of his head. His eyes are dark and always inquisitive as to how something works but almost always smiling. I could look at this eyes forever and be drawn into the deep pools of innocence that they claim only to find the truth lurking behind in the cogs of his ever spinning mind. And his smile is so big and he has these two deep dimples that show up when his smile is at its biggest. Oh how I love his smile! Davey started preschool when he was 2 at FUMP and he flourished in his vocabulary and skills under the watchful and loving care of Ms. Debbie #1, she seemed to have a soft spot of his energy and curiosity and helped to direct him in a positive way. She was always encouraging me to use Davey’s energy toward arts and crafts which even at 2 years old he seemed to really be drawn to. This past year Davey was in Ms. Debbie #2’s preschool class, it was a smaller class of just 6 kids including Davey and through this setting Davey was been guided into understanding classroom rules, respect of your friends in play, knowing his full alphabet and letter recognition, and counting from 1-10. I expect that we will continue to find Davey having a engineering style brain searching for how something works and taking things apart to figure it out. HE is very quick to pick up on what the rules are or how something is to be done but loves to push the envelope of those rules and guidelines as much as he can. There isn’t a button he is afraid to push, pull, twist, or open to find out what it is or how it works. Hopefully by us placing him in God’s hands he will cultivate these skills into a bright and caring young man.

Jonathan is now 2 years old and is so much more active then Davey ever was. JonJon as we like to call him, can’t seem to sit still for very long unless he is not feeling his very best. There are moments where he will briefly crawl up beside me on the sofa or reach up his little arms for me to pick him up and he will lay his head on my shoulder but these moments pass way to quickly. From the moment I could feel him moving within me I knew he was going to be more active then Davey. At those moments when he was kicking inside me and poking every vital organ he could get his heal into, I would lay my hand on my belly and pray for God to calm his spirit and help him to understand my loving authority. OH he understands my loving authority alright . . . . . . and he smiles at my words and does what he wants anyway. Timeouts and spankings don’t seem to have any sort of long term effect on his poor choices. One of his favorite things to do that drives me insane and he has gotten many TO's or S's over, is tearing all of the cushions off of the sofa and throwing them into the floor. And boy howdy is he a quick little sucker, because if he gets even a smidgen of a head start on you he will run for his room and dirt dive under Davey’s bed where we can’t reach him. Jon has been showing us signs for a long time now that he would figure out how to get out of the crib because at night when we would do our bedtime routine and read to the boys, Jon would perch on the top rail of his bed and look at the book like a bird looking down from its nest (he is in a toddler bed now), The amazing thing is that despite all of his abounding energy and how much it wears me out, I can’t help but smile and think of how adorable he is. I can’t wait for this coming year to see how much he will change and develop his skills at preschool. Davey changed so much that first year that he attended FUMP and I know that Jonathan will be the same way because he is so quick to pick up on things and shows great understanding of what we say to him. Jonathan is just as beautiful in person and spirit as his brother Davey. I know it isn’t right to call a young man “beautiful” but I can’t help it, handsome just doesn’t seem to be descriptive enough. Jonathan also has blond hair, but his is a little more sandy colored then Davey’s and is as straight as it can be and very thin in texture. IN the face he looks just like his brother only his dimple is in the middle of his chin. Both of my boys will likely grow up to be lady killers and I will have lots of girls hanging around the house when they are in their teens.

David and I have been married for 8 years now and we have had a lot of ups and downs in our lives. I know that many days David has no idea what to do with my mood swings or how he should respond. IN fact we were having a talk about this just the other day and he said he was afraid to use the words that he wants in those moments because he didn’t want to hurt my feelings. Although I am grateful for him wanting to spare my feelings, I worry that he is holding back his thoughts and one day they will all explode out of him and he will be referencing something that I did 3 years earlier in our marriage. I told him I would rather he find a way to express himself in the moment rather then build up a laundry list of my “wrongs” that will only compound any issues we may or may not have in later years of our marriage. I think the worst part of our marriage from the start was and has been that David and I are terrible with money.  I keep praying that we will be blessed financially to get out from under our debt all at one time and have a fresh start, but why would God entrust us with such a blessing when we can’t take care of the financial gifts we have been given already. For the first 2 years of our marriage we lived in David’s 1964 Fleetwood trailer, it was fine for us and a good cleaning, painting, and remodel of the kitchen helped to make it more comfortable in those first few years. But, we knew from the start that it would not be a great place to bring babies and OH how I wanted a baby right from the start.  God took care of that problem in late 2003 when our little home got hit pretty bad during a late season hurricane and the damage was more then we could afford to fix and so we moved into my parents unfinished basement in November.  Using my design skills (my degrees were finally going to get used LOL) I designed a floor plan and we began construction the next spring.  Halfway through construction we found out we had finally gotten pregnant, and literally layed the final flooring (me on my hands and knees) two weeks before Davey was due.

We will be celebrating six years of living here this coming November.  It really has been a perfect situaton for us and my parents.  We have been here during some of their medical battles over the past (almost) 6 years and my boys have been able to grow up with daily interaction with their grandparents.  The way the house is set up is perfect, we have our own half of the house with a seperate entrance and a fenced off playard for the boys, and they have the whole upper level.  There is an indoor staircase that connects us which we finished off this past year with brick pavers on the wall and it is totally gourgeous, but there is a door at the top and bottom of the stairs for total privacy.   So many say they could never live with their parents again, but for us it works.  Do we dream of having our own home? YES!!! Oops did I sceam that? :-) But we feel this is where God wants us to be right now, and when the time is right HE alone will open the door for us to move on.  However for now, the nightly dinners as a 3 generation family around the table, is wonderful. 

Monday, September 14, 2009

Kelly's Korner: POST #1000

Kelly's Korner: POST #1000 the REST of the story about the dress. Oh how good God is and proves over and over that HE KNOWS us before we were even knit together in our mother's womb.

Sunday, September 13, 2009

Bloom - read, discuss, grow


Chapter One of Crazy Love from angie smith on Vimeo.

How do you consistently remind yourself of God?


I constantly remind myself by having a prayer list in a place I see it several times throughout my day and along side it I have a few of my favorite scriptures that I read along with the prayer needs.  These scriptures help to remind me of God's love, mercy, and compassion in answering those prayer needs.

I also help to manage the prayer warrior email chain for my church and I keep prayer list for women fighting infertility on my blog, so that I am constantly having a visual list of praise and prayer needs in front of me (I am on my computer often ;-) )

What attribute of God is hardest for you to grasp?

The attribute's of God that I struggle with sometimes is ALL POWERFUL and JUST & FAIR. It is moments when I have a friend or know of someone through a blog that prayed for years to concieve a child and they loose that sweet angel before they even have a chance to hold them, or they live such a short time after being born.  I want to cry out, if Your so POWERFUL, why didn't you heal that baby?  OR how is it JUST & FAIR that the whole family dies in a car accident but the drunk driver walks away unhurt.  BUT I know that my God is a God of mercy and love and He sees a whole scope of life that I can't even begin to comprehend.
What struck you in this week's reading?


I actually was impacted very quickly by a statement Mr. Chan made at the very beginning of the book in the preface on page 20 ". . . . . . . how we've missed who we are supposed to be, and sad when I think about how we're missing out on all tha God wants for the people He loved enought to die for."
 
That alone is overwhelming to think of sometimes, that God has SOOOOO much more for me if I would only allow Him FREE reign in my life.
 
I hope you will join us if you have not already joined the Bloom book club.  Just run out quick to your local bookstore and pick up a copy of Francis Chan's Crazy Love and step into the pages that will help you have a greater understanding and growth in your personal walk with God.  We are moving into chapter 2 this week, so you still have plenty of time to join the fun.  Click on the link to the left of my page and join in.

Saturday, September 12, 2009

Praying for Victory over Infertility one more Time - Dreaming in PINK

This evening I was reading Kelly's blog post Gulf Shores Part 2 of 2 over at Kelly's Korner and she had this adorable picture of Harper in this beautiful pink and white monogrammed dress.  However it was the paragraph after the picture that caught my attention and truly made me cry in remembrance of the journey I went through the 3 years prior to getting pregnant with our first son Davey and the journey we are preparing to try one last time in January.

"I love this dress! I will go ahead and tell you that I bought this dress a good year before I ever got pregnant - maybe even 2 years. I just prayed and knew somehow that God was going to give me a daughter. This is the dress that on the lowest of days of infertility - I would go in the nursery closet and get it out and look at it and imagine a little baby girl wearing it. We prayed together as a family on the beach after taking these pictures and I was crying thinking of all those sad days when I wanted a child so bad and all those scary days when Harper was first born - and here we were ......taking family pictures on the beach with a baby more beautiful than I could have imagined wearing that little dress. I just want to tell you if you are waiting - please don't let go of that hope!"

I did the same thing, I knew in my heart that God was going to bless us and so I had a very large collection of baby clothes.  I was always picking up these adorable outfits when I found them on sale in both girls and boys and when we found out we were pregnant with a son I carefully packed away my dreams of a girl for another time.  Then two years later after going through the same process to try and get pregnant my husband and I both cried at the news that we were once again pregnant with a boy.  It isn't that we didn't feel blessed to be pregnant again, it's just that getting pregnant was so difficult on my body that we truly prayed for a girl so that we would not feel a desire to try one last time and put my body through that again.  Believe me I would not trade Jon for anything, I love my son dearly and the joy he gives me is unmeasurable, but I still dream of a girl to complete our family.
 
So here we are on the threshold of trying one more time and I started once again working on my yummy collection of baby girl clothes and this most gorgeous handmade blanket that I hope to decorate a little girls nursery around.  I can only pray that these items will join the small collection I have already tucked away, if not then God will show me the right mother-to-be who needs a baby girls adorable wardrobe. (sorry first one is a bad picture)
 
I know that so many woman, many of whom I have met through blogs or know in person, who are at the beginnig of the infertility battle.  I feel terrible that I am speaking of our worries over trying for baby #3, but we have truly prayed over this for a long while, ever since Jonathan was layed in my arms after recovery.  And whether your battling infertilty for your first child or your fourth, the battle is still difficult and sometimes heartbreaking.  Over the past two years God clearly has been speaking to our hearts and we knew that it wasn't the right time, but His whispers to our hearts continue to grow louder and we know that it is the time to begin the journey again.  We know that He alone will give me the strength to make it through the shots and what they do to me.
So if your reading this, let me know your on the journey and I will pray for you daily, I know the battle you and your husband are going through and I know that God will bless you (and maybe in unexpected ways).

"The LORD bless you and keep you;
the LORD make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you;
the LORD turn His face toward you and give you peace."
Numbers 6:24-26

Prayer for HIS touch today!

Heavenly Father, I know that you are the ultimate healer, the one and only true God of love and mercy. I covet your touch today Father, please heal me of this migraine so that I can use this day wisely. I pray Lord that with your healing touch I can accomplish the work around the house that needs to be done and spend time with the boys outside playing. I know if it is Your desire it will be done. Thank you Father for your mercy today.


Behold, I will bring it health and healing; I will heal them and reveal to them the abundance of peace and truth. Jeremiah 33:6

Friday, September 11, 2009

Remebering 9/11


It is hard to believe that it has been 8 years since the tradgey that took place in our nation's capital and New York City on September 11, 2001.  Can you remember where you were and what you were doing? 

My husband and I were both home from work that day and enjoying the wonderful fall like weather we were having while we ate our breakfast and watched the Today show. It was during the broadcast that they interrupted to talk about a terrible accident that had happened, a plane had crashed into the World Trade Center tower #1.  It wasn 't until the second plane came into view as it approached tower #2 that they began to speculate that the accident may actually have been an act of terrorism.  As the broadcast continued, I just remember sitting there and crying for the loss of life on that terrible morning.



Please take a moment today to honor those who lost their lives that day, for their loved ones, and for the men and woman who are serving our nation to protect us from terrorism.  No matter your political beliefs we should all be getting on our knees to lift those who are still mourning their loved ones lost 8 years ago today to the Heavenly Father and asking for His hand of protection on our military around the world.

Show us your Life - Favorite Go To dinner recipe



Today over at Kelly's Korner the Show us Your Life activity for today is our FAVORITE Go-To Recipe.  Unfortunately Kelly hasn't been able to post because she has been out of town, but this is a scheduled activity and I love doing these.   So mine is Chicken Casserole!  I love making this dish because it is so simple and it freezes wonderfully.  I ALWAYS make a double batch and put one back in the freezer to have for another family meal or to grab quick for a friend who needs a meal.




Preheat oven to 350 degrees

  • Boil 4 chicken boneless chicken breasts, chill, then shred (a quicker method is to use 2 large cans of chicken meat packed in water). 


*Benefit to boiling is that you can add some vegetables and make chicken stalk from the water to set back in your fridge for other recipes.

  • Cook 1 cup of Rice in 2 cups of chicken broth

**Mix cooked rice with the following ingredients

  • 1 can CM. Mushroom soup (I love mushrooms so I buy another can of mushrooms drain and chop them up fine to add extra)
  • 1 can CM. Chicken soup
  • 1 cup of Mayo (I prefer Duke's Mayo, do NOT use Miracle Whip)
  • 1 cup chicken broth
  • 1/2 tablespoon of lemon juice
  • Salt & Pepper to taste (I also like to add a dash of Emril's seasoning)
  • Spread into casserole dish and bake for 15-20 minutes

YUM! YUM!  Add some hot rolls and a side dish of veggie's and you have a great meal.


Bone Appétit!

50th POST and a WHOLE NEW LOOK ;-)

I am so excitd to be making my 50th post on my new madeover blog page.  Danielle over at the Design Girl did a beautiful job in creating a space that is totally me for my Mom journals.  I really battled with what kind of look to go for, something designed around a boy theme or something totally me with my favorite colors of pink and green.  Danielle helped to guide me all the way through the design process and really encouraged me to make this my own little space.

As I said earlier Danielle is vey talented, understanding, and supportive throughout the design process and helps to direct choices that will really make the blog page standout and personal when it is finished.  The other thing that I LOVE about the design girl, is that she is very resonable in her prices and really has a menu of choices that can be molded to any budget whether you want to make basic changes or go ALL THE WAY ;-)

Highly reccomend Danielle and her long list of options to makeover your blog page.  Visit her at

Thursday, September 10, 2009

New look coming soon ;)

I am sitting on pins and needles, Danielle over at the Design Girl keeps teasing me with glimpses of my blog makeover which should be done very soon.  I love her blog designs, and I love how patient and kind she is during the design process.

Blogging has become such a large part of my daily life.  I enjoy using this space as a place to write little stories of what the boys are up to, venting about something that is bothering me, expressing my dreams, and connecting with other mom's for fantastic ideas for kids and home. 

I think it is wonderful that the timing of my blog makeover is right around the time that my 50th post will be going up.  It will be so cool if Daneille finishes my makeover in perfect timing for my 50th post to happen on the day she sets me up with my adorable blog design.
Oh la la I am going to be blog styling soon!!!!!




Daily laying it at the Master's feet!

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

Wordless Wednesday


Daily laying it at the Master's feet!

1st Day of Preschool

This is the boys first day of preschool,it is Davey's final year of preschool and Jonathan's first.  Davey was so excited to get back to his school friends and Jon very quickly caught onto his energy.  Of course the main thing on Jon's mind was wearing his new backpack and he sure did look cute with it on.

First day was a little frustrating for me because the preschool did two things different this year.  1.)  The made the first day a 1/2 day so instead of being there from 8:30 - 12:00, I had to go back to pick them up at 10:30.  They said they were doing this so the kids could adjust to being at school.  To me they can't adjust if it isn't how it will normally be.  2.)  They allowed parents to hang out today if they wanted to, which again to me makes things a little crazy, especially in Davey's class.  Davey is in a class of 18 kids, add to that the parents who decided to stay behind and the room was crowded, loud, and hot.

SO, I left for my workout even though Davey looked very unhappy with the situation and cried all the way to the gym as I prayed that the Father would bless their time at school.  I was crying for two different reasons, 1st being that the drop off didn't go as smooth as I had hoped and 2nd was that because of my stress over the craziness I missed connecting with Davey in his classroom before I left.  My sweet husband looked in his rearview mirror and saw that I was crying and sent me a text of LOVE before I hit the gym, he is wonderful.

BUT despite what craziness the drop off looked like, both of the boys had a great first day.  However, when I asked Davey about his day at school the first thing out of his mouth was "too many people".  Poor boy, quiet a shock to his little sensitive system when he was in a class of 6 last year.  I trust that my two little men will grow in maturity and knowledge of God this school year (they are at a Christian preschool) and I will daily pray for their school year that they will find joy in their instructions, play, and friends.

Daily laying it at the Master's feet!

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

Jonathan's Mud Hole

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Daily laying it at the Master's feet!

Monday, September 7, 2009

Tryon Palace visit Continued




Daily laying it at the Master's feet!

Historical visit but TYPICAL boys ;-)

My husband and I wanted to take advantage of his full weekend off and the FREE day at the Tryon Palace to take the boys and take pictures of the family in the beautiful gardens. Like normal for me I had a vision of a peaceful walk through the gardens and adorable pictures of the boys and us together. BUT our visit to the Tryon Palace took a very wet turn within 10 minutes of being on the well manicured grounds.

Davey discovers his sandals make great boats . . . . .


It also makes a great place to soak his feet (much to my surprise) . . . . .

So a walk in the water was obviously next on his mind (note to self NEVER turn your back on a little boy who has already stuck his feet in the fountain he WILL go further). But at this point what was I to do (my husband wasn't near by to help me stop him he was keeping up with Jon) Davey was already wet, so why not catch this spontaneous moment with the camera. I have to give it to him though, after getting wet up to the waist (wet jeans are never fun to wear), he stayed happy and we had a great visit to the rest of the gardens.