Stomach virus

If you came to our house right now you would never know that less than 24 hours ago Hannah was throwing up in the truck and running to the bathroom every few minutes! She only vomited twice but she said that whenever she laid down it felt like it was coming up so she kept getting up and running to the bathroom. I think the last time I got up it was like 3am. I went to bed super early (like 9pm). The kids were already in bed but I had let Hannah get back up and sit on the couch since she felt like she needed to throw up while she was laying down. Brad helped her in the bathroom for the first time ever! Love him! So when he came to bed at 1 (we slept in super late that morning since the kids were at mamaw's) and Hannah came in like 2 minutes later, I told him to go to bed and I'd get up with her from then on. I'm glad she only got up a handful of times after that. So daddy stayed home with her this morning and Ryan and I went to church. This is Ryan's second week in SS. At first we says he doesn't want to do anything but once we get into the lesson he cooperates. I loved having him alone in class. We took our time and I could focus completely on him. He did so well on our papers too. He was able to circle the right things but his coloring needs a lot of help!! =) I think it is pretty typical of boys to just scribble and get it done as fast as they can, tho. When we got home I asked him who keeps us safe and he said "the good guys!" Also, the tile in the kitchen is coming along nicely! I think our kitchen will be back in commission by Mon evening (Brad isn't going out of town till Tues but might be gone till Sat!!) I heard that the mall has a new place with all those inflatables so we might go there one evening. Hannah got green at school the entire month of Feb (that means she didn't get in trouble for talking or not doing what she is told or whatever) so I want to do something fun with her.

Quiet Saturday

Right now I am home alone...and I'm lovin it!! So I'm just doing last minute SS stuff and laundry. I have started taking Ryan to Sunday School with Hannah and I so I am going back to the basics! I don't like that for Hannah's sake because she already knows the famiiar Bible stories and the next few months might be a little boring for her but I can't leave Ryan in the nursery forever! Last week was the first week I took him to SS and he did pretty well. He doesn't like coloring but he listened to the Bible story and he likes crafts. He has a lot to learn still about what is expected of him. He doesn't like to stay in his seat or focus on one thing for too long. So I'm glad it is me who gets to break him in. He'll still have to go in the nursery for Sunday night and Wed for awhile. I want to focus on one class at a time!

The kids spent the night at mamaw's last night. Brad and I went to a movie and out to eat and had some errands to run. Thanks to speedway for paying for our applebees! We knew there was a chance for snow and we were thinking about picking the kids up after the movie. When we went in, it was snowing alittle but nothing was sticking. When we came out, the ground and all the cars were covered! For those of you who are familiar with the Cross Lanes walmart and know how you can go all the way around walmart in a circle to get off the hill, that entire circle and all the way to the interstate was cars sitting in traffic! There were lines in the parking lots waiting to get out onto the main drag. It was horrible! The roads were very slick up there. So we didn't get the kids! They usually get more snow than us just because of the higher elevation.

Brad started putting the wood floor down in the kitchen yesterday morning. We had one box of wood left from when we first put the wood floors down (right after Hannah was born) that was hidden in the building that Brad wanted to use and we bought another box to go with it. Well, the new wood and old wood wouldn't join together right. Brad was having so much trouble getting it together that about a third of the way thru, he gave up and just ripped it all up!! So we are sstarting over with tile. So the kitchen might not be done for another week! It has been one major thing after the other in that room and it is soooo small! How can so much trouble come from such a small area?! Plus, we took the wall paper down so we have to paint again. Hopefully we can get away with just painting around the top where the border was. Brad wants to put another border up but I don't. We'll see.

Brad is going to Indiana this week. I don't think he is even done with the job in Lewisburg (where he has been putting 2 elevators in a building for the past 3 or so months) but they need him to do something in IN. Then after that I think he said he might have to go to Louisville and then Cols. Jess J, funny how we just talked about wishing he would to to Cols so we could all go! But it will be before school is out so we wouldn't be able to come too. I am so thankful that he has a job. I know there are so many out there who are suffering right now. And I am even more thankful that he works so hard so I can stay home.

Why am I still awake?!?!

Since I haven't been feeling great this week I have been taking naps when Ryan does. Tonight is the first night I just don't feel tired! I think the naps are catching up with me.

I have still been having a lot of neck pain that runs all the way up the back of my head and along my jawline. My throat was hurting severly whenever I would swallow but it is much better now, with only a little pain.

I am thinking we will have another 2hr delay tomorrow. I can't decied yet if I should I should risk not setting the alarm!!

I was reading the farmer's almanac today to try to figure out when spring was finally going to show up. If I remember correctly, it said we could have snow into March and that spring would be drier than normal and summer would be cooler than normal. That's all I can remember right off.

Ryan has made some major improvements with his coughing at night since I started using the inhaler. Every once in a while he'll have a coughing spell but no where near as consistent as before. Thank God!! I hope he grows out of this.

In church tonight we talked about how to manage anger in a Biblical way. It was actually pretty interesting.

Ok, I think I'll quit now. All this rambling is making me tired!!

Psalms 139:13-15 ESV

First of all let me just say I am using the ESV b/c it is the only Bible in reach and I did not want to get up to get my Bible!! Don't go ape on me for that one, please!!

I started doing my own Bible study and the book is called "God's Portrait of a Beautiful Woman" by Dorothy Davis. These verses were some of the first I read this evening.

"For you formed my inward parts: you knitted me together in my mother's womb. I praise you for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works, my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intracitley woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there were none of them.

I just love that God had all my days planned out for me before I was even born!! Just chew on that for awhile.

Monday, Monday....

Today I took Ryan to the dr for his coughing. Instead of getting the nebulizer like all the other times, the dr decided we should get an inhaler. That way we can have it on hand whenever we need it. So....Ryan and I did a few things and then went to the pharmacy to get all the meds. They gave me the antibiotic but said the ins wasn't wanting to pay for the inhaler so they were sending more paperwork to the dr to be filled out to get more info about it. They wanted me to call them in the evening to see what they found out. So I was instantly irritated that we pay sooooo much for our ins every month and they refuse to pay for everything possible! For those of you who have heard this already today, SORRY!! =) I was just fed up so, of course, I cried all the way home b/c my son needs these meds and the ins won't pay for them. But there are tons of people out there who chose not to work and get everything handed to them. The pharmacy couldn't tell me how much it would cost me just to pay it so I was thinking like hundreds of dollars! Then I talked to my lovely sister who made me feel better. I called the pharmacy back at 2 and they hadn't heard anything from the ins. Called back again at 5 and it still hadn't been approved! While the lady was trying to get me a price because I had to have the inhaler no matter what, she said they were getting a fax from the dr for a cheaper prescription so she told me to call her back in like half an hour. Ughhh! So I called back later and guess how much the stuff was going to cost us without ins?!?!?!?! $27!!!!!!!!! All that mess over that little money! Would it have hurt for the ins to pay that? I just don't get it. So I was pretty worked up and angry with the ins company over very little! It took us awhile to figure out what we were supposed to do with it. But Ryan did it pretty well so I think this inhaler will be a lot better than the nebulizer! That's all for now!

do I need "me time" or "God time"?

I was reading on a friend's sister's blog earlier and came across this link called "A High and Noble Calling; What about time for myself." Sadly, I was immediately interested because of the "time for myself" part. After reading what this woman had wrote on her blog, I was feeling rather conviced about my actions as a mother. I couldn't figure out how to get a link on my page so I just copy and pasted it onto mine.

"Just this week as I was putting away some towels in the bathroom, I sat on the floor for a moment thinking “I am tired, and I need a break! I need some time to myself!”. Winters are long. We are cooped up in the house a lot, and I lack two sets of grandparents who partially retire to the warmer weather for the winter. How I miss those helping hands!
But is “me time” something we should desire as mothers, and is it even Scriptural to do so?
It is difficult to drown out the voices of popular woman’s magazines, those in talk shows like Dr. Phil and Oprah who are constantly telling women they need to “stop serving everyone else and take time for themselves”.
In the trenches of motherhood, there is real exhaustion, real frustration and a real need to renew, refresh and recuperate. While I cannot find a Scripture that says “A mother should have daily time to herself, to do as she wishes. The mouth of the Lord has spoken.” (and isn’t because I haven’t looked =) ), but we do have an example of how to live by observing how Jesus lived. Did Jesus need and take time to himself every once in a while?
First off, whenever I am screaming inside “ I just want some time to myself” I have to realize that this thought is rooted in selfishness. I never read about Jesus telling those who needed him that he needed to get away so he could hang out at the marketplace and check out the goods. However, we do see Jesus stepping away from the crowds and even calling His disciples to do so to refresh their spirits. And here I think lies the difference in a woman seeking to “get away from her duties for a while” versus a woman who is spiritually, emotionally and physically exhausted and needs to be refreshed through seeking God.
If you are vying for some me time (and if your honest with yourself, who isn’t?), I believe it is wise to check your heart on the matter. Is your need because you feel you deserve some time to yourself? Or is it because you need to invest in some time to pray and get refreshed in God so that you can be a better wife and mother when you return? Because that little thing called me time, it can breed itself and become addicting. It can manifest your selfish heart into a mother who is daily annoyed at her children and husband for needing her. And that is dangerous.
When Jesus did step a way from the crowds, what did he do with his time? He set time aside to become more intimate with the Father, through prayer and fasting. He did it so that He could better serve those who needed Him by gaining intimate fellowship with the Father, relying on Him to equip and empower Him in fulfilling His calling.
If you are really feeling burdened and overwhelmed with your duties as a wife and mother, scheduling time away isn’t a sin, nor is itbad, nor does it make you a bad person. It’s ok to need a break. But consider what you do with that time. Are you feeding your flesh or nurturing your spirit?
Next week I plan on sharing some more thoughts on this matter and give you some ideas for refreshing and renewing your spirit so that your “me” time is God honoring and productive! Stay tuned…..
In the meantime, what do you do about this me time matter? Do you take time to yourself? If you do or don’t I would love to hear your thoughts on why or why not?"

Often times I can't wait for naptime so I can get on facebook or check my email or whatever and in the evenings I can't wait for bedtime so I can watch my show that is on that night or just relax and enjoy the quiet. I should be spending that quiet time along with my Saviour, the one who gave His life for us. The one who loves us no matter what we do and is always willing to forgive us. I look forward to going back to her blog and seeing what else the Lord leads her to write about. I just found it very eye-opening and am feeling encouraged to delve (sp?) deeper into the Word.

blah....

We had a good weekend. We went to the Newport Aquarium. It was sooooo crowded. I wouldn't recc going on a Sat!! There are pics on facebook. Hannah started complaining about her ears hurting and had not been feeling well for some time so she was kinda grouchy. Except when it came to swimming!! They had a blast. Then when we went home, my sister, Jessica and Michael came up because we all were going to be off on Monday. They brought their little puppy. She's a cutie. I think Jess is going to have her hands full this summer when she has that baby! Sammy did not want anything to do with her. I was surprised how much she avoided that puppy but Patches loved her! They spent the night and left a little earlier than planned today because of the snow. Hannah was still complaining about her ears hurting so I took her to the dr. Turns out she has a sinus infection so she is on antibiotics now for the next 10 days. Brad ended up not going out of town today. But I think he isgoing tomorrow. Hannah probably won't have school tomorrow. We haven't had as much snow as all the people around us but we've been missing enough school! They have already pushed school back to the 7th of June. Brad's step sister had a baby today. Cameron Wayne. 6lb 14oz. He's cute.

more pictures, less typing!

the first stage in my hair experiment, drying while playing twister

hair turned out horrible!! Looks like I went back to the 80's!

snack time after naptime (even tho neither of them slept)

we made valentine cards for daddy

my little boy.

Today was a long day. Since Hannah didn't have school today I tried to keep them busy. These pics are only some of the things we did! I didn't take pics while we were playing kick ball in the hallway, we went to the store to get milk and eat McD's for supper to waste some time, we went next door to visit g-ma for awhile, I've got 3 loads of laundry on bed waiting to be folded that I washed today, we cleaned up Ryan's room but then played cars and messed it back up, and I can't remember anything else!! I have a feeling tomorrow is going to be another snow day. But Brad comes home tomorrow evening! The kids and I were planning a trip to NC this weekend since Hannah doesn't have school on Monday but dad is sick and the weather is supposed to be rotten all weekend so we are canceling it. I am bummed out about that. I am sick and tired of snow too! I can't wait to go to the beach this summer.

2 days down, 2 more to go!

Well, 2 days without Brad are done, only 2 more to go! Hannah didn't have school today. She probably won't again tomorrow. It snowed a couple inches during the night and rained ALL day. Patches was scheduled for her yearly check up and shots this morning. I called and moved it to later in the morning and the roads were fine at 11 when we were on them. The kids played very well together, as usual. After they ate lunch and took naps we went next door to Brad's g-ma's for awhile. She told me that her son, Uncle Frankie, was planning on spending the night tonight because the roads are supposed to be bad and he lives out in the hills. She was wondering what she was going to fix him for supper. I offered to bring over what leftovers from our chicken alfredo I had after we ate. She said that would be fine. Then while I was fixing that, I thot of the manwich I made last night. SO I called and asked her if she wanted me to bring some of that over too. She said that would be fine too so I took both those over. Then alittle later, I got the kids some of that nasty fat free no sugar added ice cream and then I decided to call her and ask if she wanted some of that too! So I took that over. I didn't like it well enough to eat again. I bot a bag of peanut m&m's today so I will probably eat most of those instead, or at least some of them!! Now the kids are in bed and I am watching biggest loser. See ya tomorrow!

long day.....

Today has definately been a Monday! Ryan and I had to go run some errands and go to walmart (of course). We also went to Elder Beerman and I got 3 more outfits for little Sawyer for cheap. I might have to go back because I didn't realize they would be so cheap! I spent $11 on them. That's pretty good for elder beerman! Anyway, so we came home and Ryan took a nap. While he slept I swept and mopped and cleaned the kitchen. Then we went and got Hannah from school. Hannah had to clean her room and I had to find 100 of an item for her to take to school tomorrow for the 100th day of school. I guess they are going to be talking aobut it all day and counting to 100. So I thought I could come up with 100 barbie shoes but I think I ended up with 55 so I changed it to barbie accessories and threw in some other misc stuff. I just hope she doesn't loose it all! We played with Ryan's diego train for awhile then it was time to start supper. I checked Ryan's temp several times today. He just felt warm all afternoon. It was always normal. But them he started saying "I don't feel better." I asked him what hurt and he said his forehead so I gave him some tylenol. He started acting real whiny and I could tell he didn't feel good. So I made manwich (one of Hannah's favorite meals) for supper and Ryan refused to eat. I made him sit with us while we ate. I figured he would break down and eat after awhile but he never did. So I hope he doesn't wake up in the middle of the night wanting to eat! That might be part of him not feeling well, maybe his stomach hurts too. He was yawning like crazy all evening, even after taking a good nap this afternoon. He didn't have any problems going to sleep. Also, I bot some ice cream while we were at walmart today. I've been wanting some good strawberry ice cream. When I took the first bite, something didn't taste quite right. I looked at the box and it was FAT FREE, NO SUGAR ADDED!! Who wants ice cream that is actually good for them?! Not me! I was so upset. It didn't taste great but I ate it anyway. When I let the dogs out after they ate supper, Patch ran away again. That stupid dog! I said I wasn't going to go after her, she could come home on her own. But after like half an hour I was imagining her getting hit by a car or freezing to death so I went after her. I drove everywhere. I didn't find her and it was dark by the time I got home so I just gave up and put it on facebook for all my Buffalo peeps to look out for her. Then she came home like 10 minutes later! Tomorrow I have to take her to the vet for her yearly stuff. I was trying to figure out how old she is now. Remember, I got her as an adult from the first vet I worked at. And the people who brought her in to be euthanised found her as a stray so they didn't know anything about her. I am guessing she's about 10 now. It's hard to believe she's getting so old. Time to start that senior bloodwork and stuff! So I think that about wraps up al lthe bad stuff that has happened to me today.

On a better note, Brad called me this morning and told me the big boss was in town today and told him he is getting a $2/hour raise!! I asked Brad what the catch is. Seems like they should be wanting something else from him but i guess not! Thank the Lord for his provisions.

Sunday Shutdown...

Once again, the weekend had come and gone. I am thankful that the Lord saw fit to let me live a few more days. I know that I shouldn't be so attached to this world but I have to be selfish and ask that He keeps me around (and all of us, for that matter) to see my kids grow up for awhile longer. I want to experience everything with them; school, work, friends, salvation, jobs, marriage, kids. I want to be here to help them, guide them, love them, protect them. Sometimes I feel like I am being selfish to want to bring another baby into this evil world. I don't want to think about the hard times my kids are going to have to go thru but I know they are coming. The world is going farther and farther away from God. With all the rain and snow we have been having, Hannah and I were talking about how God promised to never flood the world again. I began explaining that he meant covering the entire world with water, not this localized flooding we have in our yard! But then I began thinking about how the next time it iwll be destroyed by fire. I didn't tell her that b/c I don't want to traumatize her! But I certainly don't want her being around for that either!! Anyway, sorry I've started out on such a sour note. That's just some of what I've been thinking about!

Brad is trying to convince me we need a puppy, not a baby! I have already said I don't want any more dogs for awhile after Sammy and Patch die. I need a break. Hannah wants to sell them away and get a puppy. Ryan doesn't want to get rid of them but he wants a puppy. We aren't seriously thinking about getting another dog, that's just one conversation we had this weekend.

I'm becoming pesimistic about our dream of selling this house any time soon. The properties we really like out Custard are priced too high for us with the plan we have to either build a house or get one of those modular homes that are built somewhere else and brought to you. (Kinda like a doublewide only better) They want $20,000 for the 5 acres. $35,000 for the 8 acres. The thing is that I want to get a house that Brad and I can live in forever. So that by the time he can retire, our house is paid for. Now, I know that all these things are according to God's will for us. I'm not saying, this is what I want and this is what will happen. We want God's will but I think we still need to plan ahead and prepare for our future. So our other thought is to get the property and a doublewide, which is cheaper but still nice enough to live in for several years and save money and build in a few years. Then we run into the whole thing of starting over with the house payments whenever we decide we can build. Also, a huge factor is selling our house! Nat and Cheryl really want to move back up and they are interested in our house, if they do end up moving. I'm not holding my breath on that but it would be the perfect senario for us both! Nat said he is going to be calling the bank this week to see what they can get approved for. Or we can just stay here for several more years, which is seeming like the best thing to do.

I'm just feeling kinda bummed tonight, if you can't tell. I really want God to, just once, say in an audible voice exactly what he wants us to do. Something, anything to point us in the right direction. But since that isn't likely to happen, we'll just keep on praying, keep on working, keep on truckin and when one door shuts, we'll try another door. Thanks for listening to me tonight!

I just want to start out by saying thank you God for giving another day with my kids. Another day to be alive and healthy and glorify God. I fall short constantly and he is always there to pick me back up. He is so good. Even if I had no money, no family, no healthy, he would still be so good! The past two days have been pretty non-eventful for us. We have only left the house to get Hannah to and from school. Brad didn't go out of town but he has worked late every night. Yesterday I spent the morning giving the dogs a bath, cleaning up the laundry room, washing their blankets, doing other laundry, dishes, and I think that's it. Yesterday was Brad's g-ma's birthday. She turned 67. So we went over there for awhile, gave her our cards. She told me that a house that belonged to her and her husband who has been dead for several years now is going to be selling this weekend and she is supposed to get like $25,000 from it! I am so happy for her. She won't have to worry about much anymore. I told her we were going to take her out to eat for her b-day but she could take us out after this weekend! Then we had church last night. Today I did more laundry, cleaned out my truck and swept it out, let Ryan ride his bike, cleaned up in the livingroom and not much else. I have had a headache most of the day so I haven't done much. I did manage to play playdoh with the kids for awhile. Now I am getting ready to read some books and send them to bed. Hopefully Brad will call soon and let me know he's on his way home. Oh yeah, and we got a check for $400 from our ins company for being claim free for three years! The letter said we would continue to get a check every year until we file a claim! That will be good. So I think we are going to relpace the awning on the camper that was ripped off while we were at the beach in that bad storm.

Doin the hotdog ho-down!!

Brad surprised me yesterday by calling me while he was working to tell me he wasn't going out of town. He might still have to go later this week but we won't know till it happens! So I have the laptop. It hasn't been much different because he has worked late both nights. But at least he is in bed with me at night! Last night was a ladies meeting. We decided this year to get out into the community more so we have been talking about different ways we can volunteer. So far we are having a food/cleaning supply drive and we are asking the church to save their box tops for the elementary school. We also decided to buy some fleece material and have the church kids help make blankets for the shut ins. Which brings me to today. Emily and I (the pastor's wife) went and bought the fabric today and went to the mall. Then we ate lunch while we were out. Ryan wanted a hot dog but when the lady came and took our order I ordered grilled cheese. So I promised him we'd have hot dogs for supper. My stomach can not handle hot dogs anymore. I don't know what I get, maybe indigestion or something, but I feel so gross after eating them. Just thinking about it right now makes me want to vomit! Usually if I take a rolaid or drink some mylanta or whatever it is beforehand I can ward off most of the discomfort but not tonight! I've been burping that hot dog since I ate it! But anyway, so Ryan kept asking Miss Emily if she was coming back to our house to play. So she did and when I went to pick up Hannah from school I dropped her off at home. So I was standing outside the school waiting for Hannah to come out to me and she never did. All the other kids were coming and going....no Hannah! Then one of the teachers at the door reminded me that today was the Good News Club so she was with them. I had totally forgot about it. I didn't realize they would send her just because we went last month but oh well. So Ryan and I went down to the cafeteria where all the kids were. Ryan was being a grouch because he didn't get a nap since Emily was there playing. So they ate their snack and then went into the gym and played a few games and then the guest speaker, a local pastor, talked to the kids. I was kinda nervous about that because I know he isn't baptist (at least I dont' think he is) but what he talked about was right on what we believe. They practiced a Bible verse, sang some songs. He read Eph 2:8 "For by grace are you saved thru faith, that not of yourselves, it is a gift of God." He talked about how salvation is a gift from God, we can't do anything to earn it or get it on our own. Stuff like that. I was very comfortable with what he was saying until it came time for the invitation. That's when I started getting nervous because I knew that Hannah was going to try to go forward or whatever. So they did the whole every head bowed and eyes closed and he asked the kids who want to accept Jesus to raise their hands and of course like half the group raised their hands, including Hannah! I didn't know what to do after that! They all lined up and he took them into a different room, I guess to talk about it more. I pulled Hannah aside and asked her if she knew why they were leaving or what they were doing. She said no, she just wanted to go with them! So I told her she wasn't going. She clearly didn't understand and I tried to talk to her more about it in the car and she just didn't get it. So at first I said we might not be going back to the good news club because I didn't like the way they did the invitation but she started crying so I decided going back wouldn't be a bad idea, I just told her not to raise her hand during the invitaion. I have been very impressed with the whole program overall. Anyway, that whole part was more for mom than anyone because I want to know what she thinks about the whole thing. I'm sure we'll keep going back but I'll probably stay every time so I can monitor what is being said. So we ate supper, took a bath, Hannah read to me and Iread to them and they are in bed now. Brad still isn't home. Tonight is biggest loser and I have leftover pretzel salad that is calling my name! =)