03.29.2009 Sunday Night Stuff...i should b sleeping!

Ok, shhhh, don't tell hubby. I should be sleeping, it's almost, well, Monday! I wanted to post real quick to say all is well in camera land-i should have pics to post soon. But to be honest, my heart is heavy. One of the blogs i follow (McMamma) last updated Stellan is not doing so well and his SVT is not subsiding. Another blog i follow lnked me to another family who is trapped in another state so far from home & their other little one due to pre-term complications and she is barely as far along as my own sis was. And as i sit and marvel at my little niece and all her baby tricks -oh but wait-there was supposed to be 2 nieces, i can't help but feel a bit melancholy. It's gonna be a long night with God i am sure of it. Oh, but i am sure he never tires of hearing from me and my A.D.D. conversations. But there was a good (and rather pointed) sermon today at church about just that. What kinds of conversations/prayers (and how often) are we having with God and are we doing Gods will and living out his plan for us? Sometimes i am just not sure if I am doing His will and heading down the right path or trying too hard to be OF this world and making my own path. And since i think that way i must really not be doing His will for me, right? I constantly wonder why i am not using "my gifts" for His glory. How do i? How to i get plugged in to the right place to use my gifts? Some days i am not even sure what they are any more. Depression and it's many manifestations only serve to leave me more confused..as if i lose little peices of me each day, and i wake up one day going "where am I? What happened to ME? This is not who i am, nor who i wanted to be! How do i get back to ME?" Other days i absolutely know. So what's a girl to do? I PRAY. I pray and i know. I know my purpose, i know HIS will, i know i move on and keep showing my kids HIS love and HIS grace and HIS plan for each of us. And everytime my little warriors pray for someone they don't even know...well then i feel i must be doing at least 1 thing right. So this post is for Stellan, and for Gaines, and for all the families that are hurting right now. Let me, and my family intercede on your behalf, and pray the fervent prayers. Sit back and know that God is the one in control, and our destiny is decided. That all we go through is simply Gods will for us. I know it doesn't always make the hard stuff easier to go through...but those standing on solid ground with God in their hearts can get through anything. And tonite, I will PRAY!

03.25.2009 A Quick Update

Not much time for blogging, so far this week i have had Bible Study on Monday, and a marathon school board meeting that lasted until almost 10pm last night. 2 late nights in a row, plus still experiencing side effects from my prescription reaction, it has been no fun. (nothing major, they just changed brands of the meds i take every day and i got the hives which have made me a crazy itchy mad woman for like over a week!)

Anyway, don't want to leave anyone hanging...so...YES...i got the job. I start next week, or as soon as we can get desk, computer, and stuff in place. I am over the moon excited. It's just...well if i have to work it's better i don't do it with my husband! For so many reasons! And hey i got 3 shirts yesterday on super clearance at Shopko (while i was already in Msla for Bubba's dentist appointment) for 90% OFF !!! Oh yeah-regular 24.99 was 2.49! I paid less than $8.00 for 3 cute new tops. Kind of blew it though when i bought the necklace for $18.00 but accessories are a must have for any wardrobe right? Well anyway, that's the latest and greatest here.
Hope all is well where you are! God Bless!

03.20.2009 An Amazing God

What a day. It began as any other day, run here or there getting kiddos off to school, stop by the store for stuff for a school project. Drag my butt to the office. 9:30am, get to office, message there to call someone, in urgent need of my assistance! What kind of assistance? Ugh, really? I'm not supposed to start work till 10 today...and i thought it was going to be a great day!

At 2:00 this same day, I am sitting in a job interview being offered a dream job (flexible around whatever hours i want to work/my kids schedules) for really good pay (especially in this economy) -well it's based on my productivity but i have a proven track record in this kind of environment! Hallelujah. Just when I think the bank is going to own my house..a door opens. An opportunity. Thank you dear Lord for all you do for me. Can I get an AMEN?!!

I won't know for sure until Monday most likely...and they still have to get me a desk, set up my office, etc...but it looks extremely promising. Not as good as staying home with my kids full-time...but i will do whatever i have to so we can dig our way out of this hole.

More positive news is that I'm either very fortunate to have my meds really working...or it's because it is starting to feel like SPRING around here (some days)...but i am really not feeling as much in despair these days. I owe that first and foremost to God, my loving family, and to my blog world friends who encourage me and let me see into their lives. So i know i am not alone. I am not the only one going through this or that. I am so very Thankful.

I am thankful for the use of my hands and eyes- and to use this computer =)
I am thankful for my health and that of my children (it's been over a year since Bubba has been in the Hospital, praise to you Lord!)
I am thankful i still (for now) have a roof over my head and enough money for groceries.
I am thankful for my friends, who lift me up and encourage me
I am thankful for Christian education and the blessings it provides my family
I am thankful for sunshine
I am thankful for God's word and how he knows my needs before i ask, and is my Number One Provider.

Stay Tuned....i think this story will have a happy ending.

03.18.2009 The Little Man is Turning 5

Where DOES the time go? It's impossible! Stop the spinning clock and let me get off this ride...my BABY is turning 5. Age 5 folks!!!!! Next thing you know he'll be bringing friends over and playing video games till all hours of the night..oh wait..that's my other one-the firstborn. Back to Bubba.


Bubba, my sweet, affectionate, go with the flow, lovable bear of a boy is 5 today. *sniffle* Just the other night i scooped him up in my arms and held him "like a baby", i sniffed his head (oh the smell of Johnsons Baby Shampoo!) and i realized 2 things.....
1.) He's not gonna let me do that for much longer
2.) Someday (real soon) he is gonna be just plain ol' too heavy and big for me to cradle in my arms *sigh*


(Bubba Age 2)

Since he is most definately the last of my breeding efforts (much to the chagrin of my husband) there is some sadness when the realization sets in that i no longer have a baby. With a boy like Bubba I just yearn for him to stay his cute, small, loveable self for like EVER! I love him more than i could even imagine was possible. He's my snuggle buddy.


(Bubba Age 3 - before one of his many surgeries)

Don't get me wrong, i love ALL my children - each one in their own special way. E for his happy self, he was so EASY, never gave me problems, dressed himself, obeyed, potty trained early, no major bumps through the teenage years...ideal child. Ms. Independent (sis) is more of the I can do everything myself including pick out my clothes and dress myself at age 2, smart as a whip and reading at 4, sassy, shoe diva, spirited spunky one!

But there is a special bond mommy and Bubba share and i guess it's cuz he's the baby. But something tells me even if he was in the middle we would still share the same connection. And the best part is, he has an equally strong bond with Daddy. There's just something about his nature..He is just "BUBBA".


(Bubba Age 4)

I am often asked why he has that knickname, he is small-ish, not "hefty" by any means...why Bubba? It just is. When he was small he was 10lbs with this huge head and it kinda stuck. These days it still sticks but it's more about his easy going nature. He's always been, and will forever be our Bubba. If you have known him for any length of time and have ever had the opportunity to get some "Bubba Love" you will know what i mean. He's never met a new person he didn't have a hug or warm smile for. And every time he see's you he can't wait to shower you with the Bubba Lovin'. He's got the big eyes with the great lashes and they just absolutely MELT me.

So no matter how big he gets, i hope to always share the special bond with him. I hope he never gets to old to hug his momma. I hope when he is 8 or 10 or 12 that i can still hug him in public and he can love me back.


(Bubba age 4 1/2)











So tonite, we celebrate his coming of age -the ripe ol' age of 5. I'll post pics later tonite of the festivities...i think there are some Legos in his future =)

Just afew of some Happy moments from this evening!!!




(Bubba opens the SpongeBob Lego's from G MA & Auntie Lynette-BIG hit!)


Some of the completed projects! Sis had to be in the picture-after all-she put together the Krusty Krab Restaurant!


Uncle Lloyd & Darla we are ALL enjoying playing with the shoot'em arcade animals,LOL *note the cat, she kept trying to PAW the moving targets*

03.16.2009 NOT ME MONDAY!

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.


Ok, so for another edition of "Not Me Monday" i can be brutally honest about the following;

I did not on Saturday claim to be at a Bible Study Luncheon just so i could have some girlfriend time at a Mary Kay Makeover. (There was lunch, and discussion about Mondays bible study) No not me, that would be BAD.

I did not let the kids eat cereal for dinner last night, after a late lunch when mommy was just too tired to fix dinner, that would be totally wrong, so i absolutely DID NOT do that.

I did not let the alarm go off OVER and OVER this morning, knowing full well Sis would be late for school...no not me...i would NEVER!

What did you "NOT" do? Head on over to McMama's Blog and grab the Not Me Monday button and tell us your story!

03.15.2009 Sunday Glorious Sunday

Did i mention that i love Sunday? It is my 3rd favorite day of the week...Thursday being my favorite cuz of TV, Friday being the next bcuz the week is over and it usually involves Family Movie Night in the Theater Room. But Sunday...well it is special for so many reasons. Lately bcuz D has been coming to church with us faithfully every weekend. I also usually get some laundry done and fix Sunday Dinner. Get this....today i took a NAP! Seriously! I don't even remember the last time i got a nap. Today it was a nearly 4 hour nap - scary. I did not hear 1 word from my boisterous children, and i was told they were extremely loud as usual, and played right in the living room where i slept. Glorious sleep with my favorite pillow and blankie =) I stayed up way too late last night doing laundry among other things we made a nice homemade lunch then i layed against D on the couch-and since Golf was on-what else is a girl to do?! SLEEP. Glorious sleep....Now lets hope i can sleep tonite!

On the other front, there was house progress. Crud i forgot to take a "before" pic of the garage, but WOW. 2 Cars can park in there now (it's a 4 car garage), and you can walk from cars to house, so we made progress! It was really windy Saturday so we only got 1/2 done, but it is progress. Yee-Haw.

Hope everyone had a productive, or relaxing weekend. I had both =)

The 50 Degree Rule - Funny Family Stuff

Now let me explain. I do not profess or even pretend to be an outdoor girl! Those who like backpacking, picnicing, hiking, etc. good for you! I am just not one of ya'll. I'll take 6 back to back DVR'd episodes of Grey Anatomy or Dog Whisperer and some Girl Scout Samoas on my couch thank you!...oh but i digress....back to the topic at hand.
The 50 degree rule came about last Spring (if you can call it spring in a place where it actually can SNOW in June) born of desperation! You see 'Sis'...my daughter...ever the adventurer (NOT!) had been itchin to ride her scooter (or her older brothers scooter) or that cute pink princess bike with the training wheels still on it that had been catching dust in the garage all fall/winter long. Since there was no SNOW and not a cloud in the sky (at that moment) she decides she wants to play outside.
Now when i was a little girl we actually played outside. With friends. In the yard/bushes/mud/sprinklers/whatever. But it's a different kind of life for this girl. Since we live, admittedly, in the sticks she can't just go a ridin on her bike. Or run down to her friends house (as her closest friend is 2.2 miles away--oh SO FAR). She also does not enjoy general play in our beautiful fenced in front yard (*note to self* next house needs no front yard) because, quite frankly, their might be BEES. Oh gezzads..not bees!!! So "outside play" involves riding in circles or up and down our long driveway on some wheeled item. But it gets worse you see..she won't do it alone! Now, she does have Bubba-the younger brother-who LOVES all things outdoors (must be from his Father's side) but he's not good enough. She wants mommy to "watch" which entails me standing outside freezing, doing nothing, while she rides around and around. (Times like that i wish i had a laptop) That is what she considers outside play. Did i mention i am NOT an OUTDOOR girl? Shocker. Here's my dilemma. You see, i think outside play is essential for growing kids. I just think it should be INDEPENDENT outside play, with momma watching from the window you know, and peeking a look outside every once in a while. (Kinda like i frequently do when i hear screaming and yelling while said children are supposedly watching their favorite episode of Spongebob down the hall and I'm trying to Blog or catch up on emails.) And whats worse, on this particular Spring day lst year - though sunny - it was approximately 30 degrees outside with a slight breeze. Umm, No Thank You!
What to do, what to do?! Well, thinking fast, as i am accustomed to with small children i advised her that the appropriate degree weather for playing outside is 50 degrees. Why 50? Well at the time, it was because it seemed like it would be a month before it would hit 50 (hehehe) and also because if i have to stand out there doing nothing for 2 hours it better at least have a hint of warm.
Thus the 50 degree rule was born, and used to this day. Sadly, Thursday afternoon she wanted to go out and play, and it was impressively warm at 48 degrees. Especially since she had learned right as fall set in how to finally ride her bike without the training wheels and was just jonesing to take it for a quick spin to see if she still "had it". "Nope kiddo sorry" i reply, "It's not 50!" I know, i know, go ahead and say it, bad mommy. But that's easy for you sitting there in warm sunny places like California where it is rarely as cold as 50 degrees any darn time of the year. For me, i have a few weeks left before the outdoor trauma begins. And hey, i can always pray for snow!
Personally, i am thinking of relaxing the rule when she is ready to do said outdoor activities without a chaperone. But even Bubba is on board with the rule, as 5 minutes out there and his "hands and nose are froze" he tells me. So geesh, lighten up, I'm not that bad...just trying to keep the kids from hypothermia here!



**btw, both our vehicles have the thermometer temp sensors so my children can check each day on our way home from school "what degrees" it is. If you are ever so lucky as to be in the car..it is a normal question from the back seat**

03.13.2009 Friday the 13th - A Look Back

Nothing is more frightening than Home Improvements around these parts. As we are about to embark on some more Home Improvement Drama in an effort to get our house listed on the market AGAIN (....please pray for me, for my sanity.......) I thought we could all take a trip down memory lane together and see some of my older posts about said home improvements and the way we roll here in Montana. Don't be drinking anything while reading, as said beverages just might be spewed in a fit of laughter...or worse shot from your nose while rolling on the floor laughing at my pain. Drum Roll please.........
The SAGA of the bathroom and other ramblings are here and here and finally how about this post? Mind you, if you paid REAL close attention you noticed that it started WAY BACK in January and still in October we were putting finishing touches. What is also NOT mentioned in the last post is that after staying up till 2am to finish the Master Bath painting before the relatives arrived-my lovely husband then decided to take a shower a mere 4hrs later. Anyone who has EVER painted knows that is a no-no. I now have to RE PAINT said bathroom because the still wet paint got fogged up and started dripping off the ceilings and walls! UGHHHH. Now the new deadline is March 29th so the house can be re-listed by April 1st or somewhere around there. Frighteneing, frightening indeed. Have a good weekend people...me?...well I'll be making my lists and throwing down a game plan for the newest renovations complete with before and after photos. I bet you are just hanging on the edge of your seat huh? Well I guess that's after you've cleaned up the drink you've spit and dusted yourself off from the floor (...hey...don't say i didn't warn ya'll!)

03.13.2009 5 Things Friday

Here is a list of my 5 ALL TIME FAVORITE childrens books - Great for bedtime reading or just snuggling up with your kiddo over a book





1. God Gave us You-Lisa Tawn Bergren

2. Green Eggs and Ham - Dr. Seuss

3. Guess How Much I Love You - Sam McBratney

4. All the Ways I Love You - Dorothea DePrisco Wang

5. ANYTHING by Eric Carle ---our Fav's are "The Very" series (Very Hungry Caterpillar, Very Busy Spider, Very Quiet Cricket, Very Lonely Firefly) and Brown Bear, Brown Bear -or- Panda Bear, Panda Bear

03.12.2009 Some Bloggie Changes

Ok family, here's the scoop. Been trying to switch over to a newer/fancier blog but with finances being tight it just hasn't happened yet. It has been "in the works" for some time now! As i could wait no longer, I changed some of my blog (duh! Really?!) Hope the new colors don't kill your eyes. Do ya like the new Blog header? I think it's perfect. Since i can't finance the other changes for a bit, we will just have to roll with this. It's hard to be such a dedicated stalker and have such a crappy blog. hahaha. Again, I guess as sis has so eloquently pointed out..if i didn't spend hours a day stalking other blogs i would have time for my own. So short of putting up a big ol' UNDER CONSTRUCTION banner, we will just work with the bright colors for now! No new photos SORRY! Can't find the camera charger...who knew it needed batteries to upload photos, hmmmf! D corrupted my card i think trying it in like 3 different readers. No luck. Well it's a Grey's Anatomy night so no time for blogging...i did however have both kiddos fed, and in the bath before 7- with no help as he is working late as usual! Small victories are exciting. See you tomorrow for 5 things Friday!

03.11.2009 TAG! 25 Simple Pleasures (and other random things)

Here goes, if you are reading this, it's now your turn to do the same! TAG! YOU ARE IT!!!

Quiet time all alone

A good book and time to read it

Alone, prayer time in my car

Watching sleeping children

A loving sunuggle from my dog

Warm towels fresh from the dryer

Rocky Road Ice Cream

Summer drives with the windows rolled down

Derell home for dinner

A great photograph (smiling or sleeping children)

Movies in the theater roon with the whole family

Incoming texts "just because"

Children's prayers before meals/bedtime

The smell of Lemon Lysol

Sunday family dinners

Country Dancing!

My children laughing together

Saturday Mornings with ALL of us snuggled up in bed

Bible Study

Garlic Chicken Artichoke Pizza

A call from my sis

A new haircut/color

Story time before bed

Greys Anatomy

A clean house !

So that was all i had for today. It's SOMETHING so give me a little credit. Also, i am having tech difficulties with my camera so forgive me, I'll be up & running in no time.

Pray for my mom who is having surgery today, and that her recovery will be quick and pain free if that is possible.

I CAN'T WAIT for our new Bible Study that starts next Monday! Woo-Hoo!