CVS

Starting out with 18ecb's & ending with 7.50ECB's here's what I got in three transactions. I payed 4.33 in cash, so that plus the ECB's I used it would have been $14.83 Oop. Pretty good deals! Oh yeah, I got soap & mouthwash for my mom too. I'd already given them to her before I took the picture. What I was most excited about is the soyjoy bars, I have wanted to try them but they're pricey for something I wasn't sure my family would eat. Zeke likes them! It was an awesome deal! $4/4 & you get 4ecbs so they're basically free! We will go back and get the limit on these! Zeke is a picky eater so I was SO surprised that he ate the whole thing. These are actually good for you & have 4g protien & very few calories. We only tried one flavor so I will try the others before buying more of them.

Good News

Our pastor is undergoing some radiation treatments although they have only been calling it a 'pill'. I guess they are trying to down play everything. SO far it has worked. He took the little pill & then on Monday they did a body scan to see where the cancer was. The scan revealed some good news. Originally they had found more spots on his lungs and liver. The scan revealed that they are not cancerous!!!! THANK YOU JESUS for your healing blood! This upcoming Monday he will get the BIG pill that will make him radioactive for several days. He wil have to stay in the hospital for several days until his levels come down enough to be around his family and others. Talk about having time alone with GOD. I know that this is most definetely a test of faith. Even after coming home from the hospital he can't be near children or animal because by being around him they could become sterile! That is super scary to me, that that is what he has to go through to keep living. I have come to hate the word cancer. My grandmother has had it several times. Aubrey's (step) brother died from it, and there are several people in our church who are or have battled cancer within the last year (three besides our pastor). In fact am man we used to go to church with who was just a year older than my dad died last night. I'm so over cancer & ready to tell it to go back to the demon that sent it here!

Hello all, I am doing some work on my blog so I can do get paid for blogging. Things might seem a little out of place. Sorry about that.

life insurance

Thursday~

We met Nathan, Traci & Andrew at the library today. We have three of them in our county and so we went to the one by the YMCA/splashpad. We have never been to this one. IT is very nice with lots of room for the kids. They have a play area set up for the kids. With a puppetshow stand which they loved! Books especially made for small kids which I loved bc Zeke still rips them and the all popular puzzles. I didn't have my camera with me because I knew that keeping up with the two boys would be enough for me to handle! I was right they were busy as bees! Good thing I put Zeke in the stroller or it would have been mass chaos. We let them play a few minutes before loading up again to go across the parking lot to the Y. The weather was cooler than last week so when the breeze would blow everyone wet would get goose bumps. Justus had a rough day but other than that we all enjoyed ourselves. I never did get a pic of Andrew.

Watermelon is yummy!

Justus begged me to eat the last piece of watermlon. This kid is hilarious!

Lunch at the park

We met Staci & the kids at the park today. The weather was absolutely gorgeous! A breeze and lots of sunshine and not to hot either. This entire week is supposed to be milder weather. Sounds great to me & feels even better since we don't have AC in our van right now. The cheapest estimate we've gotten to have it fixed is $800! OH yeah, the inmates of our county were out about working....in the parking lot right next to the park. I was not happy about that. They didn't come close but still I'm thinking there are plenty of other places for community service besides next to a park!

Check out the inmate van in the right corner


In the left corner is the building they were working on the entire time we were there.


Zeke not cooperating with the camera!

The Lovely Inmate Van

GGGGGGGrrrrrrrrrrrr!

Pink eye again!

Tonight was interesting. Aubrey & I get the kids in the van all buckled up and the van won't start. My dad tries to jump the battery and it wasn't working. I was just dreading finding out what could possibly be wrong ; I always expect the worse. So we hear this ticking and it's coming from the fuse box. We take a look and fiddle with it a bit & try to jump it off again. Eventually we got it started. SO then we're trying to decide if we should go to the Y or not. We vote yes! The ticking stopped so we went ahead. No ticking when we get to the Y so we think all is well. So we come back out to go home and the ticking is back. Again, I expect the worse. My dad comes, jumps the van and we head out the parking lot, it cuts off again. No power, no lights, no nothing. Not exactly a good way to try and come home. We finally got in touch with Sam at the ballpark and he headed our way. He suggested that we try to tighten the connectors to the batteries......ALL IS WELL. OK, now that's stupid. I guess any other time we would have tried that first but the ticking threw us off. I sincerly HOPE that that's all it was since a car repair would cancel our trip all together and Sam will be gone for 6 days. I don't want to be homebound that entire time! PS I still don't know what the ticking was but my guess is the it was just trying to connect to the power source.

I started another blog. I plan to keep using both. If you want to read the other one as well let me know & I'll email you. I know that you're ALL wanted to read them both.

What happens when momma sleep til noon.....

Justus wasn't in on this but he sure wanted to be. So instead he settled for a pic with his cousins. Pretty funny. I hope they're washables.

Summer magic

The lightning bugs were out tonight so I took the kids outside for about twenty minutes, they were running around like mad men chasing & catching the bugs. Ezekiel was the least impressed. Jaiden didn't want to hold them but was very interested. I remember chasing them as a kid so it's fun to watch them and listen to them giggle when one tries to fly away & tickles their hand. They're funny when they are looking at the bugs & trying to figure out how the bugs are making light. IT's just one of the things that make summer magic.

Weekend update~

We had a pretty good weekend. Starting with my sister bringing home her 'friend' who stayed at our house for three hours on Friday afternoon. HE was here when none of our husbands were here and Sam was TICKED that my sister would bring someone over that none of us knew. I think the reason that it was such a big deal to him was b/c of the company my sister keeps. Most of her friends are her clubbing buddies/hangout buddies. I would think that this guy would have a job during the middle of the day. Or at night but since he has been to our house both during the day and night I assume that he is like my sister- unemployed. That might be a rash assumption but maybe not. I guess I should just ask. Anyone got an opinion on this? How would you handle this awkward situation??

Friday evening we went to the softball banquet & Sam did the devotion. Short & sweet just the way I like it. What was awesome to me is the amount of girls who played on this team. There were fifteen or so, not really a ton but that is a lot considering that they are all homeschooled. They were all 'normal' contrary to the view that some people have of homeschoolers. This homeschool groups has teams for eight different sports. And there is also another HS association in our county. All this is good info for me since Sam wants me to homeschool Justus which I am seriously considering doing.

On Saturday I washed all our clothes & they have been sitting on the couch ever since. That was only a day ago but the kids have reeked havoc on them today. Procrastionation is not a good thing when it comes to laundry! We also went to a LEE outlet store, my brother Josh got a new job at a warehouse & now he needs winter clothing b/c it's freezing in there. He found a Northface jacket for only $15 pretty dang good but two sizes to big.....they're getting a new shipment soon so he's hoping they will have his size next time.

Today we had grilled pork loin, mashed potatoes, rolls, broccoli & cauliflower. IT was delish! Followed by brownies for dessert. We usually do take-out for Mother's & Father's Day but no one could decide what to get.

And finally~ I went to CVS. I didn't do all that great but I got stuff I needed and walked out with $18 ECB's. Sam was patient with me but it will take a few 'transactions' for me to get into the swing of things. One question though...I"ve heard you guys talk about $4 off 20 & other deals like that...how do you get them? And do you have any tips for the newcomer?

#2

Today is Leah's second birthday. We're not celebrating today because the kids will have their party together. It is also the day that a couple in our church is getting married. And one of the only days this month that there isn't a mandatory church event. I take that back we have prayer at 9am this morning. I will be praying from home Sam can't do that & since there is a wedding and everything is set up prayer will be held outside. How perfectly special. No I am not happy that my husband has to go to the church and pray outside for an hour. That one hour will cost us $4. Enough said.

TGIF

Yea! It's Friday!!!! My sister took her kids to their dads house early today. Is it bad to feel relief??? They really are good kids but three extra kids in your house all day adds a lot of wear & tear on the ears. The funny thing is I wouldn't mind having three or more kids myself.....IF we had our own place. It's HOT & again I wish we had to pool up. It would be so refreshing right now besides running around in the heat or staying in the house.

Tonight Sam is speaking at a softball banquet for our homeschoolers. We have TONS of homeschoolers around here & alot go to our church. They asked us to bring the whole family but I don't think Ezekiel is ready to sit still and quite for that type of thing so he's staying here with Aubrey and Justus will go withus. Plus an 'entertainment' bag...crayons, cars, men, etc.

We wanted to go to a movie this weekend but there isn't alot out that I want to see. Next weekend will be different. Narnia is still in & I haven't seen it yet so that is a possibilty. Other than that there isn't alot going on. We might go out for 'Father's Day' because Sam will be gone to youth camp that day this year. I think that is really wierd but I'm not in charge.

Which brings up another dreaded thing: six days without daddy around while Sam is gone to youth camp. Since we will have the van while he is gone Aubrey & I will GET OUT OF HEAR as much as possible.

Ideas for during the day:

Splash pad (free)
Library (free)
Extreme play ($7 for Justus, $5 for Zeke)
Park (free)
Getting groceries; definetly not free but still a time away from the house!!!!

At night:

Good ole' YMCA ( we usually go three nights a week)
Wed~ Church of course
Emergency sanity trips~ CVS? Walmart??? or Sonic; ours is open late & they have a lit playground for the kids to play on.

Other than hanging out at the house these are the things I will be doing next week so long as Aubrey is up to it & no one is sick!

Day two

Today is the second day of NO school around here. That probably doesn't sound important but believe me it is! Justus can get along with anyone, but when you throw five kids of five different ages together it can get complicated! So during the day when our school ager was gone life was a little more simpler. And no, I'm not blaming him cause he is a really good kid in general. But when you have two big brothers trying to take up for the little brothers, well I tend to get a headache at least once a day!!!! How do I cope? CHOCOLATE & I ran out yesterday. Luckily today was a good day. They all got along for the most part & played in the other room while I did laundry and their mom slept till noon. Not to happy about that one but the day is done and I have survived!!

I really need to get some crafts together so we don't go nutso!

Gotcha!

I just couldn't kill him, we finally caught it & took him outside. We being Sam of course!

Nothing like a baby mouse walking across the floor to wake you up at midnight. I wish I could have gotten a pic but the little booger was to fast. Why can something so disgusting be so cute??? The little creature was so itty bitty. I wonder how many more there are? How many does a momma mouse have at one time???? How do you get rid of them without killing them? I dont want to live with mice in the house but at the same time I don't want to kill them either. Sometimes I'm so weird!

ps My feet are NOT touching the floor!!! GROSS! Cute or not, they're GROSS!!!!

I got sunburn yesterday. How stupid!!!! I lathered down the kids but not myself. What a dork! And no wonder, yesterday it was 99 degrees, tying the record in 1913. I think that today is supposed to me 'cooler'. However, it didn't feel that way when we were outside weeding the garden. My sunburn was burning through my clothes. We didn't stay out very long. I wish we had the pool up! About to pull out the slip n slide & go for a ride myself.

Hot, hot ,hot!

The splash pad at our YMCA. We can go for free since we have an membership!

Zeke

I took Zeke to the doctor on Sunday. His eye kept getting worse & worse. The doctor thinks that he had an allergic reaction to the eye drops he had prescribed for Justus & had told me to use for Zeke if he got pink eye too. We left with an prescription for new eye drops & an antibiotic just in case it was something else going on. This is what his eye looked like before we left. It looks MUCH better now!

Stinky pink eye!

Zeke has pink eye & I"m supposed to do nursery this morning. Someone else will have to do it since we're headed to see the doc & pink eye is too contagious to be working with the kiddos anyways.

On Thursday we took Justus to the doctor for pink eye. It really looked more like allergies but I didn't want to chance it. Even the doctor said that it looked liked allergies but still gave me a prescription for pink eye. It's a good thing he did because it got worse. And Zeke woke up with it this morning! Check out his eye!

I finally got a bathing suit that fits! So very exciting to a person who hates to try on clothes! I actually ordered it from ebay, so I am amazed that it isn't a horrible fit. I am still looking for another one. One that is chlorine resistant so I can wear it at the Y. I'd like to do the water aerobics! We'll see. Gotta run, getting ready to go to the movies. $2 woo-hoo.

Justus can't wait to see this movie!

Dang dogs!

I stepped in dog poop today & slid across the laundry room. I do not even have a dog. GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!

Um, Ebay is addicting!

Since today is Sam's off day we took the boys to the park. We played for a while & then had a picnic lunch. I forgot the camera....tis sad but true. Josh & Aubrey went with us as well. We had a great time. IT was pretty warm but there was a nice breeze to break up the heat.

Then we went to Walmart. On our way there we saw the scene of a bad accident. There were three cars that I could see. The worst one was overturned on its side & smashed in on both sides. I cried when I saw it. I can't imagine someone living through it. The EMT's were using the jaws of life & had a huge bar stuck inside..I'm guessing to stablize it. The car was tore up! The other two car were the ones that hit that one & it looked like they had only minor damage to their cars. We had to take a detour to get to walmart.

Walmart was as fun as ever, taking every last penny that I own & then some. When we came home the boys played out back in the little kiddy pool. We haven't put up our usual pool that is a little bit bigger. Last year it got a hole in the inflatable ring that holds it up. We couldn't find the hole so we had to blow it up every couple of days. ANNOYING!!

After supper we went to the YMCA. And now I'm avoiding bed even though it's calling my name. I did get one or two pics of Zeke playing in the pool so maybe I can post them tommorrow.

Today is June 1st, to me it's now officially summertime. The weather last week was summer weather so I'm thinking we're in for a long hot summer. What fun!

Shout out~

To Staci for getting me out of the house this weekend!!! We went to Kohl's because I had to return some shirts & ended up trying on clothes & laughing at each other. It was nice to gab without interuptions. And take our time looking around the store. After Kohls we headed to the mall since Staci had some Bath & Body Works bucks that were about to expire. Their semi-annual sale starts on Monday.....I usually grab two or three things to stick back since the prices are SO reasonable then. Next we jumped in the car & headed to Chic-Fil-A where we TRIED to redeem coupons that Staci had. The girl must have been new because the coupons threw here for a loop. In fact the lady at B & B had a bit of a hard time as well. Anyways, THANK you Staci! I had an awesome couple of hours! Oh yeah, then today we went yard sale-ing with her sister & Mom. I bought a few things & Stack/mom bought the whole town. JK! They always find good deals. I had a great time breaking my routine of Home, Walmart, church, Home again. Yea!

Sam has another softball game tonight.....another Friday I will sit at home minus daddy. I wish I had my liscense so we could go watch. It's at 9pm. I'm bored already! I've gotta do something, get out of the house someway! IT's been a long week. Memorial Day, my birthday (sick) , then Zeke & Sam got sick, then a softball game & now another one. Grr. I need a break for just a minute or two. Did I mention I need my liscense?

Pardon Me~

So I'm at the YMCA tonight up on the track. This is my favorite place because there are only a few people there. I'm walking on the treadmill and this couple starts walking on the track. At first they are walking hand in hand. Cute but not really why we're here. Then the guy puts his arm around his girlfriend. Not so cute and they are taking up almost the entire track & people have to walk sideways to get by. It was annoying but didn't last very long. Am I just anti-romance or what???? There is a track outside, I think that would have been a great place for a couple to walk.

Sum, Sum, Summertime

Today isn't much of a summer day but the weather is certainly getting warmer! I've been on ebay looking for some clothes for Sam & I. Specifically a bathing suit for me.

The summer calendar is already starting to fill up. Graduates Sunday, Father's Day, Youth Camp, beach trip, birthdays ( we have three so during the summer) Forth of July........

I want to do a special birhtday party for Sam because he turn 30 this year. He wants a 70's, 80's & 90's party. He's such a nut. I know the place & the time but we've got to get money together for deposits. It should be fun!

Zeke is almost two!!!!! It's so sad!!! This age is my favorite though! They learn so quickly and are starting to communicate with you. Their little personalities step it up a notch!

As with the beginning of any season I'm glad that there is a change in the air. It gives me something to look forward to. And lots to be thankful for!

Zeke and Sam are sick now. Poor fellas!

It's my birthday & I'm sick! But we did have a good Memorial weekend. We did the usual cookout thing, homeade ice cream, games & stuff. We had some of our youth kids over. IT was fun, today---not so much!

Memorial Day

Well, the entire world will be here today. Not really but my brother did envite some friends over for our family cookout. They will be here soon so I gotta get ready. We're doing the normal stuff. Hamburgers, hotdogs, watermelon, baked beans, potato salad, and whatever desserts we can scrounge up. My dad will make homemade ice cream-yummy!!!!! There will be twenty six people here instead of the 'normal' 14, pray for me! And for our poor bathroom, with that many people here it's sure to get a workout!

Sunday's are such long days! I guess it's because I'm used to being here all day long that going to church makes it seem like the day lasts forever! Our Pastor is out of town this weekend. They went to see their daughter graduate from Fort Myer MC. SO we had a guest speaker today, they are evangelist so I was just hoping that it would be extra long. Is that bad???? I mean if GOD's spirit is moving I'm not gonna be watching the clock or anything. But sometimes guests take all the time in the world to say it. Anyways, today was great, the message was great, and God was there. ALL those silly thoughts for nothing!

Woo-hoo

Sam is home early!!!!! The weather didn't turn out great for a car wash! Sorry kids aka youth....we're outta here. Going for dinner & a movie with Josh & Aubrey! Normally we only get to do one or the other but since it's so early in the day we will do both. Now to figure out what to watch & where to eat. And clean up real quick before the babysitter gets here! Gotta go! Hope you're having a great weekend!

Tonight Sam has a church event & since there is no childcare I won't be going. SO we must entertain ourselves on a Friday night. What to do??? I think we will work some on Sam's Father's Day card. IT is a BLue's Clue's color by numbers and it has bunches of coloring to do. I got two, one for each of the boys to do because if Zeke 'messes it up' Justus will be extremely upset. SO they each have their own.

Sam will be busy again tommorrow as well doing a car wash to raise money for youth camp. Then I hope we can sneak in dinner and a movie. We'll see how tired he is, it all depends on the weather as to how long they will be out there and how fried crispy he will be. Fun in the sun!

So very sad~

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

ADVERTISEMENT

The girl, Maria, was hit in the driveway of the family's home Wednesday afternoon by a Toyota Land Cruiser driven by her teenage brother, said Laura McPherson, a spokeswoman for the Tennessee Highway Patrol.

The brother, whose name and exact age weren't available, apparently did not see the girl, McPherson said. No charges are expected.

"It looks like a tragic accident," she said.

Several family members witnessed the accident, which happened in Williamson County just south of Nashville. The girl died later at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, hospital spokeswoman Laurie Holloway said.

A publicist for Chapman's charity organization said the family was expected to release a statement later Wednesday night.

Chapman, who is originally from Paducah, Ky., and his wife have promoted international adoption and have three daughters from China, including Maria. They have three biological children.

The singer's Web site says the couple was persuaded by their oldest daughter to adopt a girl from China. The experience led the family to adopt two more children and create Shaohannah's Hope, a foundation and ministry to financially assist thousands of couples in adoption.

The Chapmans did missionary work at Chinese orphanages in 2006 and 2007, according to the Web site.

"After our first trip to China, my wife and I knew our lives were changing — our eyes and hearts were opening to how big God really is, and we have wanted to experience more of that," Chapman says on the Web site.

"We've really wondered whether or not we should just go to China and stay there. But I don't think so. I believe God is saying, 'I want you to go, get your heart broken, your eyes opened, and then take this story back to the church in America and around the world.'"

The 45-year-old singer also has released a book about being a father entitled "Cinderella: The Love of Daddy and his Princess." He has won five Grammy awards and 51 Dove awards from the Gospel Music Association.

(This version CORRECTS 2nd graf to 'spokeswoman')

Email Story

Emergency Phone

For the next week & a half Sam has the church's new emergency cell phone. Everyone in the church has the number. So basically he is on call for a while. I'm not thrilled with this idea! Most people already have his cell phone number because it's in the church directory. So we get calls of all kinds consistently. I guess we don't really have a choice in the matter but I am hoping that people will use common sense and only call in case of emergency. Only time will tell. I also think there should be some compensation for this but that is just wishful thinking. Ministry is a 24/7 life, you can't really turn it off. It's not a 9-5 job. You all can relate. Life doesn't stop just because you need some quiet time or hubby time, or anything else.

Where will it go from here??

Justus has been asking a lot of questions lately. Today is was "do daddies have babies?' I'm thinking 'You're 4, could we save these questions for a few years down the road or at least when daddy is around. I guess it's a result of talking about Aubrey's baby. She got a new due date......the day after Christmas! December could be interesting around here. And apparently my conversations with Justus have been kicked up a notch as well!

Growing up

AWE~ My little guy is growing up. We were trying to do a 'trim' which obviously turned into a full fledged hair cut, I was disappointed because we were going to wait until he turned two. He looks so grow up to me now. It's crazy what a haircut will do. From behind he looks alot like Justus did at that age so I automatically get a trip down memory lane. Bittersweet!
Before


After

No softball tonight!!! We'll be going to the YMCA all together! Justus loves it when daddy comes because Sam makes an extra effort to do something with him. Usually I just drop them off & go do my thing but Sam is there for fun so he takes Justus swimming or they play basketball together or pretend to play raquetball. Justus is hilarious at that!!! Zeke is even worse. But it's all fun when we're all together!!!! The other thing they like to do is play in the game room where there is a pool table, fuseball table & video games! I like it better too when daddy is around, I just feel more secure with hubby in tow!

It's Sunday again....and my week in the nursery this month. I love the nursery!!! I never did before having kids but now I love it!!!!! Babies are such a treasure!!! Such a gift from GOD.

Tonight is also the Daughters Banquet, basically since its Mother's Day month we celebrate moms/daughters and get together for some food and fun. The Men of Honor cook, clean and serve. A special treat for everyone!

Today was supposed to be Sam's only Saturday off in May. Two simple emails changed that...we now have plans for the entire day. Yippee. I love it when people make plans for us! ON the other hand we do have an opportunity to serve & help others so it won't be so bad. One saturday a month, is that to much to ask???? Evidently it is!

On vacation we will go!

We're going to the beach!!!!! YEAH!!!!! We found a place for $250/week, I think it's a good price. Is it? It has three bedrooms, two baths & a sun room. I do wish they had a swimming pool but I'm not complaining at all! We'll go in July for Sam & Ezekiel's birthday! This is our FIRST family vacation. Since we've been married Sam & I have only been on vacation twice. The first time we went to Orlando, that was when we found out for sure that I was pregnant with Justus. Then when right before Ezekiel was born we went to the Biltmore House during their festival of flowers. It's going on right now but we couldn't get away. I still would like to go again! Anyways, from now until it comes I will be watching the mail like a hawk for our stimulus check. If for some odd reason it doesn't come be will have to cut our stay short. Hopefully it will get here soon!

Food for thought...

Sorry the pic is so small but I couldn't get it to work right.

Have you seen?

The commercial where the dad is changing the kid & he pees everywhere? It's pretty funny. At least Sam & I got a good laugh out of it. The kid is peeing like a race horse all over the place on the bed & wall, and he knocks over a picture. It's a huggies commerical & anyways I thought it was funny.

How wierd

After reading this article I just kept thinking how wierd that would be to find out after five years! I think it would be somewhat disturbing as well.

ATHENS, Greece (AP) -- A nine-year-old girl who went to hospital suffering from stomach pains was found to be carrying her embryonic twin, doctors in central Greece said Thursday.

Doctors at Larissa General Hospital examined the girl and surgically removed a growth they later discovered was an embryo about six centimeters (more than two inches) long.

"They could see on the right side that her belly was swollen, but they couldn't suspect that this tumor would hide an embryo," hospital director Iakovos Brouskelis said.

The girl has made a full recovery, he said.

Andreas Markou, head of the hospital's pediatric department, said the embryo was a formed fetus with a head, hair and eyes, but no brain or umbilical cord.

Markou said cases where one of a set of twins absorbs the other in the womb occur in one of 500,000 live births.

The girl's family did not want to be identified, hospital officials said.

Wednesdays CAN be great days of the week. They always pass faster because we have church. SO, we do our regular routine but Zeke goes down for a nap earlier& we get up earlier, and then go to church. We go to church and eat supper and by the time we get back it's usually only an hour or so before bedtime.....I like Wednesdays. It used to be really great-when sam got to go in at noon because he's there until 9:30 or later!!!! Now it's just take it as it is. Whatcha gonna do about it?? (He now has to be in at 9:30 am). IT's a twelve hour day for him but a short day for me...how does that one add up?

Only one month until Leah turns 2!

Jon & Kate Plus 8

I love this show!!!!! Every time I watch it makes me want to be a better mom and have more children! Almost every episode makes me cry and I am always laughing! LOLOLOLOLOLOLOL! And I make Sam watch with me too. They are inspiring!

Mother's Day

It's mommy's day......but I didn't get breakfast in bed or anything. IT's one of the downfalls of ministry life. Daddy still had to be at church by 8am today. Thankfully he is able to take the rest of the day off. So instead of Element (youth) all the students will have the chance to spend time to honor their mom.

The church always gives gifts for mother's day & father's day, this year they were note pads to write your 'honey do' lists on or groceries or just whatever you may need. I will definetly use this gift!!!!!

Pastor Dave

Here are two of the updates that our pastor has sent out in the past couple of days. Basically he had cancer in his thyroid so they it out. And they also found cancer in some of his lymph nodes. It's pretty scary just thinking about it so I know that it's hard to understand when your going through it. The emails sound very upbeat but that is easy to do. It's the night time & 'down time' that the enemy tries to steal, kill & destroy. Please lift up our pastor & his family!!! Pastor Dave, Katrina & thier three girls...Kristen, Jaquelyn, & Kailyn.


Email updates:
To update you, Pastor Dave is still at Rowan, resting now. His surgery was anticipated to last 2+ hours, but the surgeon found "things I didn't like"... he did biopsy after biopsy and found papillary thyroid cancer... and after taking out both sides of his thyroid, he started taking out the lymph nodes on the right side... in a 7-hour surgery. The surgeon then sewed him up and said that the next step is to wait for the pathology report... followed in 6 weeks by a full-body radioactive iodine scan, to find out if there are any "hot spots".

We are relying on the fact that we are not in control... God is always in control... and we have nothing to fear or worry about.


Oh! The doctor did say that there is a 90%+ cure rate for this type of cancer! God is in control!

Church Prayer Warriors,

The doctor just came in and told us the latest news, pathology report, and calcium report. We are passing this along to you at this time, so you can know how to pray...

The pathology report came back that the papillary thyroid cancer is aggressive and is throughout the left side of his neck, in the lymph nodes. He is planning to treat this aggressively, as well, but the current path remains the same as before... follow-up visit with him next week, radioactive iodine body scan in 6 weeks, and then they will decide what the next course of action will be.

The calcium report came back... "normal" is 9... last night his was 8.9, so they drew more blood... this morning it was 8.4, so they drew more blood... this afternoon it was 8.3. The doctor isn't so concerned abut this that he's keeping him in the hospital... but he did say that he's not pleased that the numbers are going down.

HOW TO PRAY?

Strength in body
Peace in mind
Death to cancer
Increase in production of calcium

Nothing is impossible with GOD! ALL THINGS are possible THRU Him.


Ps PD is at home now. Thanks~T

It's cancer but I don't have alot of info right now but I will update again as soon as I know. It's very scary to me! Aubrey & I went to see him today. He didnt look as bad as I had anticipated. But he was extremely exhausted. He didn't do to well with the anesthesia and is having some problems with sleep apnea. I hope they will work it out before he goes home.

We also got to order him some flowers at the flower shop from our youth and singles groups. Spending someone else's money is fun!! Especially when you don't have a set limit. We were frugal but spent a little more than usual. He is our senior pastor after all!

Sam has a softball game tonight too. Yippee!

Our pastor is scheduled for surgery today, they are going in to remove some knots on his throat. They will be checking his tyroid as well. He has had some trouble with his vocal chords & they will be checking for cancer. I hate the word cancer!!!!! It's like a cuss word only worse. People use cuss words all the time but no one wants to use the word cancer unless it's followed by HEALED, remission, or false alarm. Please pray for our pastor!

PD

Please say a prayer for our pastor, his name is David.....PD. He is going for surgery today they will be removing 6cm/mm not sure which of nodules that are located on his neck by his tyroid. This is pretty serious & could be cancer. The nodules are pushing on his vocal cords & are very painful. Several of his family memebers have died from thyroid cancer. Very scary for his family. I think that the church family are just holding their breaths to see what it actually is. The doctors didn't want to waste anymore time doing a biopsy on those nasty spots. I will keep you guys updated on any news. Thanks for praying!!!!

Cinco de Mayo

Does anyone celebrate this holiday??? If I were a partyer or drinker I would b/c the resteraunts & bars sure do have lots of specials during this day. I don't even know what the importance is of cinco de mayo. I should do a little bit of research! We didn't learn about it in school. I think that it's a hispanic holiday so why is it so important....not trying to be disrespectful but I really don't know what it's all about.

Friend Day

I'm excited about today at church, we're doing something special so that the community can get to know our church a little bit better. They're calling it friend day. Appropriately we are all supposed to invite a friend, co-worker, neighbor, etc. We will be doing a parade of ministry, slide show, & a short salvation message that is relevant to the Christian as well. Afterward each 'department' will have a booth set up outside to answer questions, and have information and sign up list for anyone interested. Oh and also gifts as well. I think ours is the best of course. We did tye dyed t-shirts, magnets & sodas/ water bottles....it's supposed to be hot!

Made of Honor

Cute but not great. Anyone else seen it?

And then there were 15

My SIL is pregnant, so there are now fifteen memebers of our house!

You have fun at the...

YMCA! Well I have finally been to the Y. We have had a membership for a year or so but this week is the first time I've been. Terrible I know! Anyways I walked a few miles & got out of the house. It was a nice change of scenery. Up until know I haven't wanted to go but this week I had to get out of the house! So I am sure I will go on a regular basis. And maybe lose some weight if I stick to it.

May first, only twenty six more day until I turn 29. So for just a few months Sam and I will be the same age. How fun. Well, it's softball season so we won't be seeing much of Sam for the next 12 weeks or so. He has a game tonight. Thankfully we'll be headed to the YMCA to release a little energy!

It's the last day of the month and this week has been much less hectic than last week. STill the beginning of the month is just around the corner, in just a few hours. And that means starting all over with the monthly events at church and celebrating birthdays around here and life just in general gets busy. Already the first five days of May have something schedule for daytime and evening. IT's a busy season gearing up for summer, the kids at school are getting antsy & the youth as well. They are so similar to Justus they just want to get outside & play...the warm weather is call I guess.

Poor Miley

I know that most of our kids aren't really to the age of watching/listening to Miley Sirus but I really feel bad for her and all the negative press she is getting. Anyone have an opinion? The picture looks a little risque to me but her parents were there & you never know how someone else is going to represent you!

Nationwide Commercial

Have you seen the Nationwide commercial about kids??? The theme is take your kids to work day, & the mom is a teller at a bank. The kid sees the mom send an envelope from the bank to the customer, mom walks away & the kids starts sending stuff too. Pens, quarters, a sandwich etc. It was Hilarious to me! Anyone else seen it?

Mudbug

Sunday & Monday it rained so water was standing around everywhere. The boys were going nuts being cooped up in the house. Sam took them outside while I finished cleaning up supper dishes. They were wearing their rain boots when they went out. They were filthy by the time we brought them back in the house & went straight to the bath tub. I had to rinse them off before the bath b/c they were so dirty. Justus was so busy running around gettting gross, he loved it! And Zeke was obsessed with stomping in the puddle. It's was fun to watch! And hard to get good pics. They didn't want to stop the fun to take a pic. I got a few good ones.

Update, daddy must have sensed, I mean heard, seen, heard some more my frustration because tonight we're going to see another movie. This is two weekends in a row & much needed me time. Two uninterrupted hours with nothing to do but sit there and enjoy. I will be having raisinettes & popcorn. And having the time of my life (for the moment). Yea Sam!!!! Thanks for being so understanding and working so hard!!! I do appreciate it.

Escape

Tonight Aubrey & I are going to see the movie Fool's Gold at the two dollar movie. We both are feeling the need to escape from the house. We went last week & saw National Treasure 2, it was really good if you like that kind of movie. We think there will be third and will probably go see that too. I like the Indiana Jones movies, Lara Croft, The Mummy all those kinds adventure/treasure hunt kind of stuff. Fool's Gold is of course a different type of movie. ANyways, I gotta go get ready.

ps Remind me to tell you about play dough & finger paint.

This week is one of those that I"d just like to escape to another world. One where my husband could spend the evenings with his family. But it's not to be. This week he has had baseball M& T, church on W. and now tonight thru Sunday he has church events each night followed by another game on Monday. That is a complete week without daddy during the evening. The steam is building up between my ears, it should erupt & come spewing out at any moment. Oh, and not only that but he also has to be at the church for a youth fundraiser from 9-2.

Today is Jaiden's official birthday, so we decided to have another party. With cake again....who doesn't like cake??? If you don't I really don't care it's just one of those dumb things you say. Anyways, it's my turn to cook supper & and I wanted to do a dessert anyways so I'm making a Eclair Cake. YUMMY, I should put it on the Recipe Place. IT has pudding, cool whip, graham crackers & chocolate icing. I got a CARS candle to go on top & scrounged up a few little things to put in a bag so he can open something up on his actual birthday. Celebrating your birthday twice is the way to go! Especially if your young. Next year when I turn 30, I will not NEED to celebrate twice, as I will be thinking of it all year long!

Finally an update~ things are going well for my mom. She works in a New doctors office with only a handful of people & she LOVES it! Thank you Jesus! Things are busy, busy around here. The boys LOVE having thier cousins around, and for the most part it's been a smooth transition. The hardest time is bedtime b/c quarters are cramped everyone TRIES to be respectful & quiet but it's HARD. Supper time is CRAZY but enjoyable. Showers/baths are interesting; especially when we all have to be at the same place, same time like church for example. All in all it works.

It time for bed....I would have done an update sooner but we've been having technical difficulties around here. Talk to you soon!

Tonight at WHWC (our church): Meet the pastor's Wives a Q & A to get to know the pastor's wives. Snacks available, child too.

I can't express just how excited I am about this night that was planned without any consideration on our part.....can you feel the sarcasim.. would it be wrong if I suddenly got sick??

We have some friends who are moving this weekend so today Justus and I went over to help them pack. They have a little boy as well so they entertained each other pretty well. They also have a puppy named scooby. He's a lab who is humongous (sp)? Well, J is pretty rough with the dogs around here, he jumps on them and plays with them. Apparently he did something that either scared scooby or hurt him because the dog reached around and nipped Justus on the throat. YES, I said throat. It scared both Justus & myself. After getting Justus calmed down and talking to him about the way to treat a dog he went on his way and I promptly had myselft a good cry. I knew that he was fine and the puppy only reacted to pain or fear but still it was a huge rush of emotions. In which I always reply with a cry. I think Marie was scared I was mad, in part I was but only by the circumstances. Not really at her dog & definetly not her.

It's girls night, I'm going see a movie. (National Treasure) The boys are staying with daddy. Sammy has redeemed himself. The boys are happy, momma's happy. Now to figure out the checkbook and make sure it's possible. I may be pulling out the quarters, I'm not ashamed. You do what you need to! Have a good weekend everyone!

PAR-TEE Time

Jaiden (nephew) is turning three this month so tonight is party night. It's time for food, fun and cake. And presents of course. It's crazy. We have a six year old, five year old, four year old & now a three year old....in a few more months we'll have two year olds. Stair stepping I guess, so that being said it's time for someone to get pregnant, and I"m not dropping hints. I'd like to have another someday down the road but not at this very minute.

Baseball season has started-yippee. Five nights without daddy instead of three....O the joy!

Retro

So I went back to see what was going on a year ago, this is the closest post to today, things have changed!!!! Zeke is aproaching two instead of one. He can walk & talk now. And believe me he does. Anyways, enjoy the flashback with me.

Tuesday, April 03, 2007

Caught in the act
If Zeke gets quiet you can probably find him by the wood pile. I have to pull him away several times a day. For some reason he thinks it's a great chew toy...GROSS!!!!!!!!!

I must have scared him---he looks terrified.


Mommy means business I better get out of here! Ummm, this is tasty.


OK, ok I'm really leaving this time.


Posted by native-nc at 5:52 AM 5 comments Links to this post

Tommorrow is payday but today is grocery day.....that really doesn't make sense to me. Don't you think that Friday or Monday would be a good day....why wait until Tuesday when the work week had already started. I'm taking back my complaints & am just gonna say thank you that there is a payday so we have what we need....because God is our provider anyways!

Last night we get a call that our pastor hurt his back & can't preach tommorrow. Any guesses as to who gets the honors??? I know you know...it's sammy. I'm glad that Sam got to preach, it's wasn't my turn to nursery so I got to hear him speak. It doesn't happen this way often, Im usually otherwise engaged when it's his time to speak. Of course, it stinks that our pastor is hurt. But I am still excited that I got to support him. Sam could have be nervous, in my opinion but he wasn't....he lives to preach. And can whip something up in the blink of an eye. I think it a gift he's been given.

Tonight we ordered Domino's pizza. My kids can eat at least as much as I can. This is a shocking revealtion consider the fact that they are not anywhere near the dreaded teenage years. In fact Justus ate more than I did & Zeke ate the same amount. And then later they asked for more. I ordered three small pizza's so there were eighteen pieces. There are only four pieces left. Leah ate two but still that's alot of pizza for those little tummies. These little boogers may eat me out of house and home in a few years!

The day is winding down the boys are watching The Incredibles for the umteenth time. We borrowed it from Josh & Aubrey and have had it for months. Maybe we should buy it for ourselves. Bedtime is officially twenty minutes away, I can see a light at the end of the tunnel but not the chore list. The floor really needs to be mopped while they are asleep so I don't get a million disruptions. FUN! Thankfully I like the smell of the cleaner so its' more enjoyable than a chore should be! Thanks swiffer!

Today is the actual first day of the consignment sale but we are headed to Corrins house so the boys can be boys. I think they've had enough of being at church for hours at a time. And Daddy is glad for the break as well. Corrin has three boys 6 & under and they are so much fun. Justus does a victory dance everytime we get together and of course breaks down in tears each time we leave. I love going there too. Corrin is so practical & a very good listener when I need someone to vent to!

It's that time of year again--consignment time. I always sell stuff every year but end up buying way more than I sell! The boys and I will be at the church helping get things set up and making Sam crazy in the process. He'll deal with it but not happily. As for me I love it cause while we're setting up I get to talk with the ladies & learn more about their families and personalities. Plus I find good deals. I consider it a good deal when it looks new but is at a price that I can afford. It's a great deal if I get it for a yard sale price $1 or less. This year we have AC in there. Last year it was busted and miserable, plus our lead lady had the flu at the time...we survived and are doing it again.

Pigging out

If you like garlic, you should not try these things cause you will want to eat the entire box in one sitting. The boys LOVE them as much as I do!!! Refrain yourself! They are reduced fat & man are they good!

Sometimes I crack myself up like tonight when I am backtracking on blogger so I can get paid to blog. Last night I worked on it some. I was in a foul mood & so now anyone who reads it will hear an earful on how irritated I can get with ministry life. I can totally tell the ones that aren't an 'original' blog but are simply a fill in. FUnny huh? So if you are reading this...have at- enjoy me running my mouth for no good reason. The random ones are in April, May & June of this year. YIPPEE for blogger!

Praises!

Momma is at training today & tommorrow! Thank you Jesus! She's got a new job making the same as she was before but with better benefits! God faithfully provides for us!

Usually I have nursery on the first Wednesday and SUnday of each month but this time I am switching with another lady. Breaking my routine is not that great for me because I am likely to forget to do it next week when I am scheduled. In my mind I will have already done it for the month. Good thing I have my trusty pocket calendar that Aubrey gave me for Christmas! It's really cute & saves me lots of headaches when people are asking us what's coming up for youth, & when can we get together and that kind of thing. Guess I should get ready intstead of sitting here. See ya later!

Sam is gone to our sister church. He'll be gone most of the day.....hum, maybe they will get done early. IF they had had childcare I'd be there to but I"m not cause they didn't so we'll be chillin' at home with the kids. ANd having fun with STACI & Mary Kay products.

Staci is coming today to do some Mary Kay stuff. I'm not sure exactly what we're going to do but it will be a great distraction for me while Sam is gone for the day. I'm hoping we do makeovers because I could use a new look. Even though I'm not a makeup person I still want to look nice & not like some momma who doesn't care anymore. I think we'll have a good time. Staci always makes me laugh!! IT'll be fun!

It's couples night at church. I"m not sure we'll make it seeing how Zeke still isn't his usual self. I hate leaving my kids with someone else when they are sick or not feeling well. No one can do it like mommy , ya know what I mean? Sam will be gone again tommorrow for a church function. Another day minus daddy. This is an all day event. He won't be home until after 5pm, that's our whole day. Seeing peoples lives changed makes ministry worth it but some days I'd just trade for a 'normal' life. The thing is I'm not sure that there is a normal anymore. Dads work all kinds of hours so mom's can stay at home with the kids. I am thankful that my husband is willing to do that for our familly!

Headed to the doctors office. Work will have to wait. Sam always goes with us. A lot of that is because I can't drive but it's also because we like to go together for checkups and everything. Hopefully Zekie will get some relief today. It hasn't gotten any better or worse so I just want to get him checked on. I know that he's OK but I want to hear the doctor say it. ps It's allergy related stuff.

My baby is still a sickie, grrrrr. Wouldn't it be cool if it was like the old days when the doctor came to you? Then you wouldn't NEED a liscense like I do right now. Sam is at church getting ready for tonight and I don't want to bother anyone else so I feel kind of stuck. If Zeke is still sick & not on his way to recovery then tommorrow we'll be headed to the dreaded doctors office. I'm praying for healing!!!! Looks like I won't be going to church tonight.

April Fools

Well if I were creative I could make up something and fool you all but since I am just plain ole' me I will simply rejoice that it's payday!!! At the same time Zeke is sick so it's not such an awesome day. But we will cope & do what we need to to make it through today. Hopefully he will be better tommorrow so we can go to church because it's my night to do nursery & if I miss it then I have to make it up later and so I end up missing two Wed. instead of one. I think that there should be six people scheduled for one month that way if someone gets sick it's no biggy you call your back up. And just rotate that way. But anyways I hope Zeke gets better I hate it when my babies dont feel up to par!

Update~

Well, I THINK that we are officially over the stomach bug.....THANK GOD! We had a great Easter & now it's 'business as usual' if there is such a thing. I'm just holding my breath for whatever is next.....and expecting it to be something pleasant for a change!

All in all the ark is pretty full but it hasn't been TERRIBLE as I imagined that it could/might be. The first night was extremely hard for everyone but we're attempting to get into some kind of routine, which means compromise for all of us. Could it be that God is telling me to get over myself....lose myself because there is nothing there that is priceless except what he has placed there?

Seriously, at every stage of my life I have come to realize just how selfish I can be. When I got married I was like 'man, I can be selfish'. So I worked on it. Ha, only to come to the same revelation when I had children. And now here we are at another new stage & I feel the same way~ I've got a long way to go. And looking back I see that I have actually come a long way, so God has been faithful and all my troubles have not been in vain. Sounds a bit like a scripture verse to me.

Thanks to each lady who has read & encouraged me!!!! I totally appreciate it and hope to return the favor someday!!!!!

I'm to tired to write much more but I hope to catch up on blogs sometime this week, and maybe even comment!!!
Love you girlies!!!

Can you believe this???

I am in total disbelief of my present circumstances. Here's the facts plain & simple. There are now 5 dogs, 6 children, & 8 adults living in our house. At least one or more of us have been sick since January. My sister has been out of work for at least six months. My dad lost his job a month or so ago & to top it all off my mom lost her job yesterday. And we started round two of the stomach bug after having an upper respitory infection for two weeks.

Call me crazy, I know all this stuff happens in 'regular' life but I know that our family is under a spiritual attack. And that God is a close as he has ever been, but Geeze Louise.......I'd really like something to go our way sometime soon! Please pray for us.

Momma's Ark Revisited~

A couple of months ago I talked about our crowded little house here. WELL----things haven't gotten any better for my sister. She & her husband are still seperated & will eventually get a divorce unless they let the Lord restore them. She also still has NO job & is currently working on her third eviction notice, that will be served on Friday. The last time GOD did an awesome thing and provided her with the money to catch up on her bills. The next month he used my parents, well actually she used my parents. Anyways, I am a bit frustrated with her right now, so I'm venting to you all. Sorry but tonight at 2:21 you get the brunt of my anger.

Getting more to the point there are serious talks about her moving in here. My family will be most affected by this change since they will be living down here with us in the basement. And the whole basement where we live will have to be re -arranged to make it possible. Good thing my dad doesn't have a steady job or we'd all be busted. Since he is a carpenter/ general contractor he can do most of what is needed. GGGGGGGGGGRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR, God we could use some help right about now!

OK, I know you're probably not getting the sarcasm I'm feeling right now but believe me it's there, I'm still up at 2am for goodness sake! Well anyways, I ask for your prayers cause the boat is about to be rocked again! When all the changes are done we will have at total of five dogs (if she brings her two & this issue is up for debate!), eight adults, and six children in this house. This house with ONE & a half baths, and soon to be five bedrooms. HOLY COW, I"M LOSING IT!!!!!!!!!!!

SO, you can scratch my little comment below that there is nothing going on here. There is MORE than I think I can handle. Truly all I can say is THANK YOU LORD there's a place for us all. And then TRY not to follow it up with a BUT GOD, WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU DOING????

ps Please pray for my dad & sister to find a job. And maybe me as well.

The newest thing~

Ezekiel's new interest is putting on shoes. Not his own but anyone else who leaves their shoes laying around is in danger of missing at least one of them. His favorites are Justus' rainboots because he can easily slip them on. I am looking around for a pair for him.






As for Justus he keeps me laughing like always with his phrases, "You've never ba-seen it" or "Look out da-low". Translation, you've never seen it & look out below. He comes up with all kinds of stuff all on his own and I love it!!!!!

Nothing much is going on here. We took the kids to the park yesterday, it was beautiful! A perfect 72 degrees with a slight wind, makes for a perfect day! Plus they were all good the entire time! Thank you Jesus!

Today it is raining and I have the window open, its a quiet rain that makes me want to take a nap. And we need it to (the rain) . Maybe it will bring about some new spring growth.

Well, I'm off to find something to do before I fall asleep at the wheel....I mean computer. Toodles!

Mr. Personality!!!!

Most of these are of Justus but I had to sneak in at least one of my baby!

Hola!!!!

Hey everyone! Life is busy here. We've had our annual Valentine's banquet that the youth put on. I always do the food & decorations. IT went so good this year, better than ever before! The menu was: Brushetta, salad, Parmesan Chicken Bundles (these were a hit!!), Orzo Primavera (rice w/steamed veggies), Herb & garlic green beans and bread sticks. And cream cheese brownies & fresh strawberries. OMG, I'm getting hungry right now!

We also celebrated Justus' fourth birthday, I didn't get many pictures b/c my memory card didn't have much space left. We had it at a park, perfect for little kids. Eat & play. Just the right balance for me. Justus loved it and I think everyone else did as well!

Talk to you soon!

Funny to me

Ezekiel has been trying to call me mommy lately, but instead he ends up saying 'bobby' or 'Mobby'. He makes me laugh every time.