What Makes Me Smile...

For some reason, Hunter has not been able to sleep a whole night in his own bed. He will come into our room and try to get into our bed, and one of us will pick him up and take him back to his own bed, tuck him in, kiss him, and come back to our own bed. Three or ten thousand times a night. Every night.

Last week, grandma and grandpa spent the night, and Hunter was so excited, that he couldn't fall asleep. So, we told him he could fall asleep in our bed and we would take him to his bed once he was asleep. The lights were off. The room was quiet ... all but the hum of my husband's cpap machine and the fan. The three of us were lying in bed quietly, trying to fall asleep. Hunter's little body was pushed up tightly next to me.

Out of the blue, I felt this tender, butterfly touch on my shoulder. Hunter was rubbing my shoulder lightly, and he whispered in my ear... "yuv you, mommy ... yuv you."

It melted my heart. I whispered back, "thank you, honey... I love you too!"

Then, I could feel him toss and turn as he found a comfortable position, and all of a sudden, there were two little feet in my face, and Hunter saying... "Kiss piggies mommy! Kiss piggies!"

Ahhhh ... it's the sweet moments that bring a smile to my face.

I thought it was diaper rash ... PROMISE!!!

And THIS, friends... is where I'm presented with the Best Mom in the UNIVERSE award. NOT!

So... last week, we found out Hunter has strep. In his fanny. Yup -- you read right. His fanny. Who woulda thunk???? Seriously -- NOT ME!!!

Anyway, poor baby has been complaining that his fanny was either itching or hurting him for close to a month, if not more. In fact, we thought it was his diaper causing the redness (I don't know... maybe it was giving him a wedgie or something -- I told you -- mom of the universe, so leave me alone, already!), so we moved him into larger diapers (note to husband: yes, honey, that's how long he's had this). We had been applying Desitin, because we thought it was a rash ... and not on the "cheeks," mind you... elsewhere... and I won't get into details. Oh, okay. I will. He was bright red, constantly itching, complaining that his fanny hurt, and I saw a small flap of ... skin... hanging out, so naturally, my first thoughts were that my child is a freak has hemorrhoids, because we are trying to potty train, and he loves to sit on the toilet and strain... and strain... and strain. Even when he doesn't have to do anything.

So after some debate, I decided to take him to the doctor. The doctor said his skin was demarcated (a bit separated, hence the flap I mentioned) and ... weepy. Imagine my surprise when he said he wanted to swab for strep type-A ... and not in the throat, mind you. My reaction was, "STREP!?! In his FANNY??? You think his fanny is weepy, just wait until you swab him." My sense of humor was lost on this young doctor who was out to change the world... one fanny at a time.

I think it's "officially" called: Perianal Streptococcal Dermatitis ... or more commonly known as: strep bu++ (sorry, I just HATE using that word, but it is what it is). Hunter is now on antibiotics. Oral and topical. Three times a day for ten days. And the more I Google it, the more freaked out I get at what could have been if we had left it unchecked.

Anyway, I can NOT for the life of me figure out how Hunt got this... other than in one article it said something about communal bathing, and I'm wondering if sharing a pool with other kids might have done it. Another article said you can get it from the inside out... Not sure what THAT means.

In any case... wash your hands, people! A LOT! And if your child develops an odd rash with a few odd pimples here and there, and if it itches and hurts, and if it is really red... well, you get the picture... just go see a doctor, even if you DO think you're crying wolf. And, keep sores and cuts clean because strep can get in there too, and then you have a whole mess of new problems.

Oh, the indignation.

And just so you know I'm not alone in this... here are a few other bloggers that have had the same problem with their child... and note: some of these are not "family friendly"* or Christian* blogs...

*Edited to add: I am referring specifically to the community message board

Kami's Khlopchyk
Autism Speaks Community Message Board (AMAZING what a Google search will find!)
Faith Kids Online

All righty then.

Updated to add: Any time I come near him with his medicine he immediately says: "I feah bettah mommy, I feah bettah." So cute... BUT ... when I tell him I need to change his diaper ... he has a melt down. So sad!! Breaks my heart.

Finding a new doctor and fun stuff we're doing over the summer...

I received an excellent comment from Jen at A Good Cup of Coffee on my post about Hand-Foot-Mouth, and I thought I'd share it, because it dawned on me that if Jen had these questions, then maybe MORE OF YOU did too!

"You know I have had a disappointing 2 years with Miller and Madison's pediatrician. Actually his staff too. But I'm chicken to change. His group is some of the best in Western Ky and it scares me to venture out. How did you do it? So what do you have planned with Hunter this summer for fun? I need ideas....I so hope he feels better by the weekend."

Oh, this will be a doozy of a post. Sorry for the length. Okay -- the way I see it... this is a three-part question.

The first question is one that I also wondered about, struggled with, and dragged my feet on, despite my husband's "ready for action" attitude. You see, I also felt scared to "venture out" because I am a first-time mom, and didn't have the first clue about picking a good pediatrician. So, I asked a neighbor (who is a nurse, but in a different county), and she recommended Ped #1 because she had a "good experience" with one of the doctors on staff 6 years ago (that should have been my warning bell -- too long of a time frame had passed). We went there for two years, and in those two years, they "missed" countless ear infections, PNEUMONIA, and misdiagnosed his cystic hygroma, which was ultimately removed by the chief surgeon at Children's Hospital.

Needless to say, this was very frustrating, because as a parent, you only want the best for your child! And of course, that would include the doctor that will be treating your child in both emergent and non-emergent situations!

Now, you should probably understand that I have severe "loyalty issues," meaning that I will stay loyal to someone/something, almost to a point of obsession ... er, I mean ... even if I've been burned. Which is precisely what was happening here. But folks, you DO NOT mess with my kid. All loyalties fly OUT THE WINDOW when you mess with his health. Can I get an AMEN?

So, I began asking around again. I spoke with my sweet friend (her husband is "A Wretched Sinner" - Dude, you GOTTA post again, okay?). As I've mentioned before, they have three children, and one of them has down's syndrome. He has had numerous emergent needs, including heart surgery. Both parents are devoted to their children, and wonderful parents, and I respected their opinion, because I knew they loved their kids just as much as I love Hunter, and have had major "experiences" with pediatricians and specialists. She told me about Ped #2.

Then, I asked my Pastorman's wife -- not because I felt she had a direct line to God or anything like that (ehem), but because she works in the Pediatric Ward at the hospital in our city, and is familiar with numerous pediatrician's "bed-side manners" as well as clinical expertise, she recommended the same pediatrician my sweet friend recommended.

Finally, in a casual conversation with another friend of mine at church over one of Hunter's ear infections (and my frustration over the doctors), she mentioned that her sister-in-law used a GREAT doctor in my city, and I should check them out... the doctor was... are you ready for this? The same as the last two friends suggested. AND, as if that isn't enough confirmation, I was talking about this with a co-worker of mine, and she said that she used to be in that very practice until they changed their insurances, and she LOVED them. That confirmed it in my heart that I HAD to change over. Seriously. I need a brick to hit me upside my head as confirmation.

With my mind fully loaded with information (which in itself can be a very dangerous weapon), I set off to change doctors, only to run smack dab into a cement wall. They didn't accept our insurance. This was a problem. But thankfully, my husband's open enrollment was in November, so we went ahead with Hunter's surgery under the old insurance, and changed insurances so that we could get in with the new pediatricians in January.

And then... I did it. I made the phone call in February (after I received my new cards) to our insurance company and made the change. Then, I called the old ped office and asked them to make copies of all his charts (which, shamefully, I haven't picked up yet). He is now seeing new doctors, and so far, I've had good experiences with them. They and their staff have great bedside manners.

So, Jen -- and everyone else frustrated with your pediatrician -- it doesn't matter if they are the best in Western KY, or in the biggest metropolitan city. If you are unhappy with the care your children are getting, then you need to change. That is, in a sense, your "momma flag" going up. LISTEN TO IT... it "KNOWS!"

My suggestion for anyone that is looking for a change in any medical practice is that you begin by asking your friends that actually work in the medical field. Radiologists, nurses, even receptionists at a medical practice -- they will have an idea of the good and bad things with local doctors. Then, I recommend calling the appropriate department at the hospital or emergency clinic closest to you (or just visit) and ask for suggestions from the nurses. They work closely with doctors, and will be able to tell you who has the best bed-side manner, who has good staff, and will be able to recommend someone to you.

Or you can call my Pastorman's wife.

No, don't do that.

I hope those tips help.

The next question Jen asked was, "So what do you have planned with Hunter this summer for fun?" Oh, my ... this is a HARD question. We both have boys in the same age range, but Jen has a daughter who is several years older, so the age span is far greater, and a bit more difficult to work with.

First of all, I am not a stay-at-home mom. This actually makes it a lot easier for me, because I only have to fill weekends, whereas a SAHM has 7 days a week to fill. Ugh.

Anyway, some of the things that I have planned to do (not all of them have been cleared by my husband yet) are as follows:

1) Visit the local Aquatic Garden -- they have cool fountains that Hunter is enamored with, a lot of wild life, birds, turtles, and such -- and they have tanks and tanks of beautiful fish. He can run wild and work off a lot of energy, and we can enjoy a picnic lunch.
2) Visit the local Zoo -- we have a small zoo close to us, but we are fortunate to have the National Zoo within driving (or metro) distance. This will be saved for a cooler weekend.
3) Visit the local Railroad Museum. I can't wait to do this. Hunter LOVES trains, so I think he'll really enjoy this road trip.
4) Go for long walks on the toe path along the canal (Potomac River). Pull out a fishing pole and have at it. Picnic lunch would be most appropriate.
5) Go for a long weekend (or two) to the beach.
6) Visit the local Amish Market and Farmer's Markets.
8) Visit a local Children's Museum that has a manor house, gardens, a blacksmith shop, carriage collection, log cabin, and an ice house.
9) Go to a concert at our outdoor theater, and enjoy a fun picnic dinner.
10) Visit the Renaissance Festival.
11) Attend the local Fair (ours comes in the fall).
12) Take Hunter to a place close to my in-laws house that has buildings in miniature for children to tour (can't remember the name) -- they have a miniature hospital, fire station, police station, etc.
13) Visit the Science Center (not free)
14) Visit the Aquarium (not free)
15) Visit the local hobby shop. They have an indoor race track for remote control cars, and have races on weekends. They also have a great area set up with three large tables for toy trains, and Hunter loves to sit there and play.
16) Go fishing and for boat rides with Daddy
17) Visit some large Museums, monuments and parks in Washington, D.C. (mostly free)
18) Visit Lancaster and walk around the big Amish market
19) Bake with Hunter
20) Pick fruit at a pick-your-own farm, and make and can jams, freeze fruits, and make yummy desserts and popsicles.

That should keep us very busy for the most part. Many states (like Kentucky) have awesome state parks -- seriously awesome state parks with a lot of fun things to do. You can even stay at their on-site lodging or cabins for very little, which would make for a nice and long weekend vacation. Try googling your city and/or state to see what you can do for free or cheaply.

ALSO ... you can go to Rocks in my Dryer next Wednesday. Shannon is hosting a "Mom, I'm Bored" edition of Works for me Wednesday, and will have a lot of participation. Guaranteed.

The last "question" was... "I so hope he feels better by the weekend." Me too, Jen... me too!

Hand-Foot-Mouth

Can I get an Amen?

Oh, wait. Sorry -- that was out of context.

Usually, if someone were playing a word-association game with me, and presented me with the words Hand-Foot-Mouth, the first things that would come to mind would be: Praise God in worship and honor him with our mouths shouting out his glory, with our hands lifted up in praise, and our feet dancing in his presence.

But today? I would say: Blisters in mouth and down throat, bumps on hands, and on feet too. Some red bumps creeping up legs and arms, and some on f@nny, too. And THAT'S not FUNNY. Bumps turn into blisters. High fevers, long naps, interrupted sleep at night, screams from pain in mouth.

It has been a long weekend. Over the last two weeks, Hunter hadn't been "acting right" and in the last week he had some odd bumps pop up on his face. He has pretty smooth, white skin, and to see bumps that turn into blisters concerned me. My first thoughts were chicken pocks. I took him to the doctor Thursday evening, and two more times in a ROW before we finally got a diagnosis... Hand-Foot-Mouth Disease. And sadly, there's NOTHING more they can do about it than Tylenol or Motrin. It just has to run its course.

Poor baby! He complained that his head hurt, his ears hurt, his neck hurt, his mouth hurt, his f@nny hurt... he was "sick and hurtling." But praise God, he's feeling better today. 3-1/2 days of high fevers, and they finally broke on Monday. The doctor said he wouldn't be contagious any more after going 24 hours without a fever, but he's still not himself so he stayed home yesterday and today. Tomorrow, he goes to day care, and I know he'll have a great time with all the kids, but I'll miss not being at home cuddling with him.

On another note, its kind of nice to know Hunter's pediatrician's office has 4 locations, and is open every day of the year except for Christmas. Sunday's too (which is one of the days we took him in)! We just changed over to them after a disappointing 2 years with another pediatrician, so its nice to know I can get him in at almost any time.

Well, hope you all had a better Memorial Day than I did. My parents were here visiting from North Carolina, and my Dad rode in the Rolling Thunder parade in D.C. -- I was so proud of him.

I'll be catching up with your blogs and my emails in the next few days.

Hugs!

I am SOOOO real... it HURTS!

I'm getting ready to be totally real with you -- lest you think I'm perfect, organized, and ... well ... perfect.

This past Sunday, a friend of mine confessed to me after church that she felt so much pressure to be a superduperdeeorganized mom like many of the blogs portray. She felt like she wasn't being all she could be and basically, measured short.

I'll take a few seconds to allow you to get passed the fact that I actually do have friends in real-life.

Anyway, I empathized with her, because I know of what she complaineth (I mean... confesseth), because I've been there too. Let me give you some background on her life ...

She is a SAHM with three kids (one is a special needs child) all under the age of 5. She homeschools her oldest. Her home is clean and organized, her children are well loved and cared for, and she is involved in church. Folks, as you can see... her hands are full!! She is indeed, superwoman.

Now -- admittedly, there ARE people that have the gift of organization, have the same or similar type of family life, and are able to stay on top of everything. I know there are. My mom is a great example -- she has always had the gift of organization, and she can take chaos and turn it into order. Laura is another great example of that. And while she is super organized, she's a very encouraging, and supportive person, and she is so helpful in motivating people to tackle tough jobs. She does it with a spirit of love and gentleness and is TOTALLY non judgmental and completely Christ-like. Her skill of organization is a gift... and I'm willing to bet she has areas of weakness she would readily share.

I, however, am NOT one of those organized people that can look at a pile of mess and make a wall of organization out of it. I would LOVE to be, and my friend admitted the same thing, but sadly, I doubt I'll ever be. I look at a mess, and get totally overwhelmed. TOTALLY. I don't even know how to begin tackling stuff like that -- it takes me a while to work up to it and to come up with a game plan. Just so you know -- Laura has personally been a great help in this front. She always has awesome tips on her blog, and she's just an email away. It is so good to know that there is support and encouragement out there.

But it dawned on me that if two of us were voicing our desire to be something we're not, then there must be many out there! So, here's my advice to you (which I shared with my friend):

"God desires us to be orderly, clean people. When there is chaos in our lives, it becomes more difficult for us to focus ourselves on Him, or even to HEAR Him or communicate with Him. Its true. Chaos equals distraction. Trust me. So, while I wish I had an organizational chromosome,
I don't, and many other women don't either.

It is important that we strive to be the women God made us, honing our gifts for HIS glory, but maintaining a semblance of order in our homes."

And you can quote me on this!!

Now, I'm not giving you a green light to be filthy people -- heaven's no -- but there are some common sense things we need in our homes that I've learned by both my parents, and organizing friends like Laura and Barbara (praise God for women like them!!!):

1. A place for everything, and everything in its place
2. Cleanliness
3. Orderly living
4. LESS is more
   

Notice, I did not say perfectly organized, and I'm sure Laura would agree. Further, I told my friend that what gifts God has given some, he hasn't given all (if that makes any sense with my poor grammatical structure). I truly think God has given some people the gift of being super organized to help motivate people like me -- and in turn, God has given me gifts that they lack in that allows me to compliment them. Sadly, though -- despite Laura's best efforts to encourage me, I did not get this done in time for her Monthly Organizing Roundup. I just couldn't bring myself to take pictures of my room and closet, let alone ... SHARE them with anyone! Oh, the shame.

Having said that... my parents are on their way from North Carolina for a week-long visit... can you guess where I'm going with this?

RIGHT!! I cleaned and organized! It took me 5 hours to clean out and organize my closet. And, NO, I did NOT take pictures -- war are totally NOT doing a tour of homes right now! My bedroom was so disgusting, my bathroom even worse. My husband scrubbed our bathroom while I waded through hip-high piles of clothing, etc. I took out all my winter stuff, put in my spring and summer clothes, got rid of two bags worth of old clothing and shoes, and everything is beautifully folded, color coded and lined up. There's a place for everything. My room is tidy and the carpet was steam cleaned by my father-in-law. My mother-in-law helped by folding laundry for me, and watched Hunter for us. We spent about 5 more hours cleaning and putting in order the rest of the house with the exception of two rooms -- my living room, which has all my yard sale stuff, and our den, which is pretty much a storage room right now. My father-in-law steam cleaned our family room carpet too. Oh, how the black water did flow. Who knew apple juice and a dog could cause so many stains?

When we finally collapsed in bed late last night, I sighed heavily and said, "well, at least we've got another year." To which he said, "another year for what?" And I replied, "another year before we have to clean again." OH I JEST. Actually, I told him that even though my back was killllllling me, it felt like a huge weight had been lifted from my chest. My home is clean, my room is clean-ish, and I feel much better now. There was just no excuse for the chaotic state I had allowed our home to get into. I'm on a roll now, ladies! My next goals: removing clutter, simplifying our lives, getting rid of knick-knacks. I'm half way there.

The moral of this whole convoluted story? If I have a place for things, and put things away where they belong, I won't have this massive headache of a deep clean to do, and I wont have to sacrifice over 10 hours of my life to cleaning in one crazy marathon. Of course, this is the fourth time in 10 months that we've steam cleaned our carpet...

You can go HERE to see other people's messy closets...

Bike Day

Today is Ride Your Bike to Work day... I don't own a bike, although I would really love to... anyway, I had polished my son's battery-operated John Deere Front-end Loader to drive to work today, but it was raining cats and dogs, and I'm pretty sure Hunter wouldn't want his "tracky" to get wet... AT ALL. So I had to climb into my big-ol SUV and have at it. Fortunately, I only live 8 miles from my job, so I only burned about $3.80 in gas ... but along with that, I failed to do my part to support healthy alternatives to drive-alone commutes, but rather ... contributed to traffic congestion and poor air quality.

Sorry.

In other news, Hunter almost choked last week on ... are you ready for this??? HIS PACIFIER.

Yes, he's 2yr-7mo old... and YES he still took a pacifier at nap and bed time -- so sue me. Evidently he was seriously sucking his pacifier during nap time at the day care provider's home, and bit off the very tip of it. It lodged in his throat and he began choking. Praise God she noticed, and having worked as a geriatric nurse for numerous years prior to becoming a mom, and having been a daycare provider for over 30 years, she knew what to do, acted quickly, and turned him face down on her knee and pounded him on the back two times.

The piece of pacifier dislodged, and all was well. A sleepy Hunter looked up at her, bewildered and "injured" and said (sadly with puppy-dog eyes): "Hey! You hit me!" To which she replied: "You're daggone right I hit you, and I'll hit you again if you choke on me like that again!" Needless to say, he was pretty traumatized, and didn't want to talk about it for days ... poor thing.

So, of course, being the stellar parents that we are, we decided to take advantage of this frightening situation and prey on our child's emotions by telling him that he couldn't have his pacifier any more because we loved him so much, and we didn't want him to choke again. Folks -- THAT'S effective parenting, in fact, it is parenting at its very finest... but hey -- it worked! He only asked for it a couple times over the weekend, and not much throughout the week, but trauma really does wean a child off of something you don't want them to have ... although, I don't recommend you "cause" a child to go through trauma -- just take advantage of it.

Next up: Self-combustible Pampers -- Diapers that self-combust when child urinates in them -- a new tool that aids a parent in potty training.

Trauma, I tell you -- trauma.

Finally, I'm furiously working on a special project -- a ministry that we're starting off at church, and I'm reading books, creating a blog, organizing my thoughts, coming up with a structure, starting lessons ... there's a whole lot of excitement going on over here as I begin forming my 'game plan' and God has certainly been busy sending confirmations my way! He is so good!! Now, if my wonderful sister-in-law would just break down and accept the fact that God has spoken to me about her being a co-leader ... and just GET ON WITH IT... sheesh! then we could really get rolling!

Okay -- I'm off to get busy at work (read: look busy while fiddle-f@rting around) -- oh, stop -- I know as a Christian I'm supposed to give my job my all, and when I actually have work, I do -- but right now, we don't have any work -- I'm an estimator and there are no jobs to estimate yet (June is going to be busy, though) -- so I'm fully and perfectly within an acceptable mode of operation -- internet surfing and ministry planning -- and if you really want to get right down to it, you should probably be cleaning toilets or scrubbing floors, or doing laundry instead of reading blogs-- wink, wink! -- but I'd rather have you here).

Y'all have a WONDERFUL weekend! Hugs and smooches!

Menu Plan Monday

Laura and I'm an Organizing Junkie hosts the weekly edition of Menu Plan Monday -- make sure you check out her website! She's amazing...

Whew! This has been such a busy weekend, that I haven't had a moment to breath, let alone plan a menu! And, do you THINK I even got one thing cleaned this weekend? Ummm ... No. Well, I actually did dust off my mantle, so technically, that's one thing. So, off the top of my head, here's what we'll have based on what's in my pantry and refrigerator or freezer:

Tonight for sure: Unknown -- flying by the seat of our pants because we have our Financial Peace class tonight and I'm swamped at work. Maybe... Spaghetti and Meat Sauce???
Tacos (carried over from last week)
Chicken and Rice
Dinner for a dollar at church
Terriaki chicken and noodles
Pasta Alfredo with chicken and roasted broccoli

I thought I'd leave you with a picture of Hunter... many people think I'm exaggerating when I say that my little mischievous "superman" is quite a handful... and when I tell them that sometimes he climbs into the refrigerator, they don't believe me. So I thought I'd share the proof. My niece "M" said: "What a little Dennis the menace he's become" -- which had me laughing and thinking to myself... "That's a perfect nickname for him!" Of course, we'd have to keep "superman" so it would have to be something like, "superdennisthemenisman." Sorry it's a bad picture, but I grabbed the closest camera on hand (my cell phone)... but you'll get the idea.

He's going for the apple juice in this picture!

Fabulous Father Friday

Notes from my Nest has tagged me to participate in Fabulous Father Friday -- and since my husband happens to be a Fabulous Father -- I thought I'd play along!

Here are the rules: Write your own post with your own FFF musings. You may write about the father of your children, your own father, or any other beloved father figure in your life, past or present. Your post may take the form of a random assortment of thoughts, an appropriate photo, a poem, a letter to the person (your husband for example), a funny story, or a unique tradition that you (or your kids) have with this person. If you are writing a post on your own blog, please mention Fabulous Father Friday in your post and post a link back to Notes from my Nest's FFF post and then enter your link into Mr. Linky at the bottom of her post.

You will often see Hunter and my husband together pal-ing around. Hunter adores his Daddy, and wants to help him any way he can -- and even though at times, Hunter's "help" can get in the way, my husband always lets him feel like he is involved. My husband is a hands-on Daddy who will not hesitate to bathe, dress, feed, or care for Hunter in any way necessary. We both work full-time jobs, and even though he is tired when he comes home from work, he picks Hunter up from daycare, plays with him, fixes dinner, and does much of the work around the house. He is so patient with Hunter, and is so loving and gentle. He even disciplines in a loving manner -- even though he doesn't always "feel" loving or gentle because Hunter has pushed every limit possible. I admire the way my husband constantly puts his own needs aside for the needs of his family, and love the way he'll get on the floor and play with Hunter. He is an awesome, God-fearing, Bible-loving, Godly father, and I am so blessed that he is the father of my child! My husband once heard on a family talk show that rules without relationships lead to rebellion, and it is evident to anyone who knows him that he is actively pursuing a close relationship with Hunter. I love you, honey!!

I know I don't share many pictures of him, because I want to respect his privacy, but here is a picture where it shows him "in action" with Hunter, while protecting his privacy (this was a hard one to find!).

Menu Plan Monday

For today's Post on Gentleness, go HERE.

Money is WAY tight, because I was off from work for 6 days without pay when I had Pneumonia a few weeks ago. That paycheck just hit us, so my wonderful in-laws helped us out with some groceries. Another way God has provided for us!! thank goodness, Laura and I'm an Organizing Junkie hosts the weekly edition of Menu Plan Monday to help keep me accountable! This week, she has a list of recipe sites that allow you to enter in a list of ingredients you have on hand in order to get a list of corresponding recipes. She also has most of her menu plans linked to the recipes. Go check her out!!

Anyway, for the next two weeks, or menu will be simple, yet hopefully filling and nourishing. The following is a list of meals I have planned for this week (not in any particular order). One thing I noticed... I have found it easier for me to just make a list of meals, and then pick which meal I think is appropriate for the day.

Tonight for sure: Crockpot Creamed Chicken* with Sherry over Rice, with sweet peas
Tacos
One-skillet Tamale Pie (ground beef) with salad
Grilled marinated Chicken with Parmesan Rice, and brussel sprouts
Spaghetti and Meat Sauce with salad
Dinner out one night for my brother-in-law's birthday

*Crockpot Creamed Chicken

6-8 Boneless Chicken Breasts
1 large can Cream of Mushroom Soup
8 ounces Sour Cream
1 can sliced mushrooms (or about 1/2 cup sliced fresh mushrooms)
1/4 cup Sherry or white wine
Garlic Powder and Season Salt

Sprinkle the chicken breasts with garlic powder and season salt. Set aside. In the crock pot, mix the cream of mushroom soup, sour cream and sherry (or wine) until smooth. Add the mushrooms (with their juice) and stir. Add the chicken, and coat with the mixture. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. Serve over steamed rice with a side of sweet peas or salad (or both!).

And ... Just for Susanne:

Parmesan Rice

2 Cups rice
4 Cups water
1 Tablespoon salt
2 Tablespoon butter
4 Tablespoon heavy cream
1/4-1/2 Cup Parmesan cheese, grated
Freshly chopped Italian Parsley

Place rice, water, and salt in pot with tight fitting lid. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until rice is done, about 20 minutes. To hot rice, add butter, cream, and Parmesan cheese. Toss to mix and coat thoroughly. Toss in parsley. Serve hot.

Variations: You can add the juice of one lemon and lemon zest, or you can add a handful of frozen peas and maybe some chopped ham.

Gently Chatting... and other stuff

How has your week of gentleness gone? Any testimonies you want to share in the comment section? Tomorrow, I'll try to get a moment to highlight a great and powerful comment Koryn from Mother's Precious Gems (I think that's the right link) left in one of my posts this past week about being gentle to your kids.

Okay -- so last night, my husband and I lay in bed... he was surfing the internet, checking out all his cool little fishing spots (he calls them forums... I call them glorified blogs). I was just chilling out, enjoying the quietness (except for Hunter crying out "MommyDaddyMommy!" from his room every 2 minutes). The TV was off, and it was relatively quiet.... and once Hunter actually fell asleep, my husband turned off the computer, and all the lights. We just lay there chit-chatting for a good long time about various things going on. Then we said good night, and I rolled over to go to sleep. He reached out and touched my shoulder and told me he enjoyed the time we had to just chat.

Wow. At first, I though he was being sarcastic, and I got all defensive (that happens a lot with me!) but he reassured me that he was being sincere in his comment. It left me thinking... we all need to make time to chat with our spouses.

Just chat.

That's all.

Just the two of you.

No competition from kids, TVs, phones, computers, or anything else.

It's so simple, that it's silly, isn't it?

Seriously -- when I mentioned on my post yesterday that we (me and my husband) get so consumed in the day's BUSY-ness, I really meant it. We miss out on sweet moments of down time with each other, as in -- just the two of us -- and we forget what "chatting" is all about! It was so nice. No TV, no computer, no lights. Just gently chatting with each other.

On another note, I have a real problem with my tongue and my attitude. Oh, and my patience level -- can't forget that one. If I'm not careful, it can really affect my gentleness with my husband, or with Hunter. I know. You're shocked. Me too. But I wanted to get real with you, because blogs can sometimes leave the impression that the author is perfect, and their home is all rosy and cheery, and ... well ... perfect. But trust me when I say, Casa Sunshine is far from perfection, and so am I!!

Anyway -- the problem is, when I'm feeling excessively tired, emotional, stressed, or out of sorts (which shockingly seems to be almost every single day lately), I tend to respond to my husband in snippy, snide, impatient, and at times, explosive ways. I HATE it when he or anyone else does that to me, so what should make me think he particularly enjoys it when I respond to him like that? See?? Like I've said before, I am FAR from an expert when it comes to marriages -- that's just further proof. Proof that I have a lot to work on.

Yes, I feel as though my husband and I have a great relationship, with a lot of love and mutual respect. And, yes, we bicker and argue (because one of us [ehem -- that would be me] has a terrible need to be right all the time), but in the end, we love each other dearly. We do treat each other tenderly and gently, but there is always room for work in any marriage, and it seems to me that right when I'm feeling "comfortable," and like everything is just falling into place and clicking together like clock work in our relationship, BLAM. The enemy slams us with something that causes disharmony in our relationship. And sadly, it's usually when I'm feeling excessively tired, emotional, stressed, or out of sorts. I need to overcome my weakness in reacting with my emotions, and begin reacting with my mind and the spiritual strengths I know I have.

Speaking of spiritual strengths... one of my own personal goals that I carry in my heart (which NOW, the cat is out of the bag, and my husband will know), is that I want to always encourage my husband and help him to be spiritually set on fire... which, as anyone who has been married in like -- forever -- will agree that after a while, the spark can fizzle out! But I can reignite it! And so can you. How? By maintaining my own spiritual fire... and maintaining and growing my own relationship with the Lord. Then... I can work on my husband's spiritual fire by praying for him and simply encouraging him.

I can NOT change or strengthen my husband's spiritual fire with my own strength, resources or powers... just like YOU can't change your husband, either. But God can, and if I place him in God's hands daily, God will change him. Then, he'll begin to see my own enthusiasm and feed off of it. I've done it and I've seen it happen!! Nagging wont change his spiritual growth (trust me on that one girls ... been there, done that). "Discreet suggestions" wont change his spiritual growth. Forcing his hand wont change his spiritual growth. Prayer will. And just so that the men that are reading this know... it works both ways. You can do the same in your relationship with your wife!

Yeah -- off my soap box now. Chances are, after all my posts this week, the enemy will attack our little family this weekend and I'll be eating all of my words... again.

On a side note... can I get your-all's (technical word) opinion on something?

It really bothers me when I see a disrespectful, demeaning, wife (who is a Christian and in a Christian relationship) mow all over her husband, whether in public or in their home, and/or tear their husband down. It also bothers me when they remove the "spiritual head of the household" title from their husband by micro-managing everything in their homes and not allowing their husband to be in charge of anything (whether he does it well or not). It also bothers me when the same Christian wives will say that it's just the way they are, like it or leave it...

It almost leaves me feeling like they are "cutting God's feet off" -- yeah, I know that sounds weird, but if as a Christian, we're called to pattern our lives after Christ... to change our attitudes and behaviors that are not Christ-like by allowing the Holy Spirit to clean our house -- but instead say "that's just the way I am, like it or leave it" -- it feels like we're saying, "God, that's just the way I am, and I don't want you to have control of my life" or possibly, "God, that's just the way I am, and you or anyone else can't do anything about it"-- in essence, cutting God's feet off -- rejecting the gifts the Holy Spirit has waiting for us -- rejecting the beautiful person God can form us to be!

I know it took me a good 7-8 years of marriage before I took that same attitude and threw it out the spiritual window and let God in to clean house. And even now, after 18 years of marriage (in June), I'm still finding that I have to let God in to clean house! Yes, it may be for different attitudes or yuckiness than when we first got married, but I find it's a constant, and evolving process that has to be turned over completely to God. And it's not just in a marriage either. It's in our daily lives and attitudes that I find we need constant spiritual re-adjusting and fine tuning

Does that make any sense? What are your thoughts on that?

WFMW: Instantly Numbing Earache Pain Relief

Remember two weeks ago when I mentioned a little teaser about a magical ear drop that totally numbs ear pain for 6 hours? I'll repeat myself... a magical ear drop that TOTALLY NUMBS EAR PAIN FOR 6 (SIX) BLESSED HOURS of sweet relief for your child?

Well, as you all may remember, my family has been slammed sideways with illness over the last three months. My poor little baby has had 2 ear infections, the flu, the stomach virus ... twice ... the flu again, or a cold... on, and on, and on. Not to mention the adults that live in the house, too.

A friend of mine from church ... we'll call her Angel Friend, because she uses the perfume Angel, and it smells so good (I walk behind her sniffing the air she leaves in her wake) -- anyway, Angel Friend happened to ask me how Hunter was feeling, and I told her the battles we've had with his ears. She happened to mention to me that her kids swim, and her doctor prescribed an ear drop for her son for whenever he gets swimmers ear that numbs the ear for 6 hours.

Wait, WHAT???? What did she say? Six hours of blessed numbness?

Yes. That's what she said! Fortunately, the following Sunday, she brought me the empty prescription box, and it's a good thing, because that very night, Hunter woke up screaming with another painful ear infection. I called the doctor at midnight-and-a-half hours, and asked her to call our 24-hour pharmacy and prescribe it for Hunter. She acted as if she had never heard of the drops, but I insisted she prescribe it. Hunter wouldn't let me touch his face, let alone place a warm compress on it, it was that bad. After a few mishaps (one including a parked police man taking radar), I finally got it, dropped it in his ear, and ... within 5 minutes, IT WORKED.

The magical drop? Quick ... go get a pen and paper to write this down. It's THAT important ... I'll wait...

The drops are called: A/B-Otic Drops. The prescription contains: Antipyrine, which is a pain reliever, and Benzocaine, which is a blessed numbing medicine. It is a thick drop the consistency of a heavy oil or lubricant, and one or two drops is all you need. Antipyrine and Benzocaine are used to treat pain, and swelling caused by ear infections. Magical, I tell you!

To be honest, Hunter's Pediatrician has always told us that there is "noting that can be done for the pain other than Motrin or Tylenol." That's just not true, and it is one of the reasons we CHANGED Peds this past month... a child shouldn't have to suffer such severe pain if there is something out there that brings true relief.

So please... do three things: 1) write down the name of this prescription; 2) tuck it away next to the number of your Pediatrician; 3) include the number of a near by 24-hour pharmacy in the event you need it.

Thank you Angel Friend ... for caring enough to ask how my son is doing, and caring enough to share your tried and true mom advice... You rock!

A Week of Gentleness -- Starting with our Kids

Wow -- you all have left such great comments on my post yesterday about Gentleness in the blogsphere ... in fact ... all over the place.

Michele from Homeschool Housewife made an excellent point that I'd like to focus on today:

"I think that the hardest thing for me is to stay calm, stay kind, keep looking for joy in life if those around me are grumpy and critical. But I also notice that when I am stressed out and grumpy and critical, the tone of voice my children use is worse."

If I understand her comment correctly ... meaning that when we get grumpy, or critical, and when the tone in our voice changes, so does our children's tone of voice.

I can totally relate. I have long been a proponent of speaking gently to our children. Even before I had a child, I would try to encourage moms around me to speak gently to their children. That is... until I had my own willful, determined child (I've been told that John the Baptist was quite willful, determined, and a difficult child so there is hope). He has challenged every belief I have about speaking gently to children, and he may have broken me on more occasions than I care to admit. But my husband made a wise observation recently...

He noticed that when we raise our voices at Hunter or speak harshly to him, Hunter reacts in much the same way. Did you catch that? Hunter reacts in much the same way. Literally, he screams back at us and gets overly excited. I know -- we're rocket scientists.

Is that how I want my child to become accustomed to interacting with others? Do I want my child to remember me as a screaming, neurotic momma? No. In fact, I don't think any parent wants that. If my assumption is correct, I think that most parents want their children to grow up being able to handle stressful situations in a calm manner, with all their faculties in order (unlike how I tend to react on a daily basis). But you know what? Children learn from example. They learn from the people that interact with them day in and day out. As parents, we are the ones that "set the bar" for their expected behavior. Not only are they observing how we treat them, but they are also observing and learning from how we treat our spouse (more on that later on in the week)! If we loose our tempers easily and frequently with our spouses, and we interact in an un-gentle manner with each other, they pick up on that!

I think it would be a fair statement to say the gentleness is a form of loving someone, and when we speak harshly, aggressively, or when we are critical or cruel, we are not acting in a loving or gentle manner. When we treat others with gentleness, it shows them that we value and respect them, and shows them that we care enough to control ourselves and our reactions. I'll be the first one to admit that I am not always gentle with either my child or my husband. It is something I will have to work on daily.

Having said that, will it be easy for me to change the bad habits I've established? No way... It's going to be difficult for me to begin speaking to them gently (read: with a sane head, not excited, not yelling, and not hyperventilating -- in other words, with my faculties in order). Is it possible? Absolutely. If I have turned control of my life over to the Holy Spirit, all things are possible. In fact, it is one of the gifts of the Spirit... and it takes incredible, and true humility to acquire it.

Consider this scripture:

"What do you prefer? Shall I come to you with a whip, or in love and with a gentle spirit?" 1 Corinthians 4:21 (NIV)

Check it out in The Message translation...

"So how should I prepare to come to you? As a severe disciplinarian who makes you toe the mark? Or as a good friend and counselor who wants to share heart-to-heart with you? You decide." 1 Corinthians 4:21 (The Message)

Ouch! Paul, Paul, Paul ... He was dealing with difficult people. He loved them, but he knew they needed discipline --- not unlike us with our children. Do we go to our children and correct them in a gentle and loving spirit or do we crack the whip?. Is it beneficial to speak gently to our family? You bet. I'm convinced that if I do, my child will learn that he is valued as a human being and that I love him beyond measure; he will learn how to interact with others in a kind and gentle manner; and he will learn critical communication skills that will benefit him as he gets older.

Is it to late to start? No... it's never to late to start. Try it out this week and see what happens.

Now... does anyone have any ideas on how I can capture Hunter's attention in a gentle manner before he unlocks and opens the front door and runs out into the street? Again???


Updated to add -- A bit of business: if you are a blogger who has at least 50 unique visitors a month, you can claim your FREE copy of Empty and Beautiful by Matt Maher right here -- but you need to hurry because there are only 100 free copies available!

What you DON'T want to happen to you...

This is a post about things that you DON'T want to happen to you when your child wakes up in the middle of the night with a wild ear ache, screaming that won't stop, pain that is intolerable, and a fever that is spiking.

1. You don't want to go in a frantic search of your bottle of Similasan Homeopathic Ear Drops, only to NOT be able to find them. Don't worry. At this point, they won't work.

2. You call the doctor and explain what is happening and that Tylenol and Motrin aren't helping. You explain that a friend of yours shared with you about a magical ear drop that totally numbs ear pain for 6 hours... SIX HOURS. The doctor feigns ignorance. You do NOT want that to happen when you are listening to your baby scream in pain. All your dignity will vanish and you will become irritable, short tempered, and mean with the doctor... and you will begin to repeat yourself over and over again... very loudly, and very slowly... as if they can't understand you.

3. Doctor finally promises to call in prescription. You give doctor 10 minutes, call pharmacy to confirm prescription is there, and jump into your car to go get it. You do NOT want to see that police car parked in a dark driveway with all of its lights turned off.

4. You do NOT want to see that nice policeman's lights suddenly flick on as you pass them. No, you do NOT.

5. You do NOT want the nice policeman to walk up to your window in the wee hours in the morning when your child is in a crazed screaming frenzy due to pain, and you are the only link preventing his relief. And when the nice policeman asks you if you realize that he clocked you going 41 in a 30 mph zone, you DO NOT want to start crying and telling him how sorry you are, but you're on your way to the 24-hour pharmacy to pick up a pain prescription for your child who is screaming in pain at home. Because he will still ask you for your drivers license.

6. As it turns out, you DO want to start crying. Crying helps. Nice policeman asks how old your precious baby is, you report that he is 29 months old, and he hands you back your drivers license and tells you to proceed with caution. You do NOT, however, want him to get back into his own car and follow you the entire way to the pharmacy, because hands down--you WILL be a nervous wreck of a creature the entire way there.

7. You do NOT want to get up to the counter to find out that your "I have no idea what you're talking about" pediatrician did not give the pharmacist instructions on how to use the medicine. Further, you do NOT want to know that the pharmacist can not find instructions in any of their mediciney-prescriptiony books.

Evidently, the doctor assumed I knew how to use it. So, we went with my friends instructions on the box she had given me, cut it back a wee bit, and prayed for the Lord's protection. And pain relief.

It worked. Praise God!

This happened to me two weeks ago. It was Hunter's second ear infection in as little as 15 days, and it was a short 4 days prior to my own hacking illness. Pleasure for all, I tell you.

Ever feel so sick you could die?

Just when you don't think things could get worse... they do. Which proves that it really doesn't pay to think.

Recap -- Husband: Flu and bad cough. Son: the dawning of the stomach virus and another ear infection (which would make it three in 35 days) or the flu. Me: Walking pneumonia. In other words, death warmed over. No. Not warmed over. Chilled. Very chilled. Or hot and sweaty. I really wish the owner of the fevers would make up their mind.

Anyway, my husband spent the entire weekend taking care of Hunter, which was a huge feat, because he was pretty sick, too. I drove myself to the Urgent Care on Sat morning, only to be told there was an hour wait. Feeling too weak and fainty-like, I turned around and went home. I went back at 5:30, thinking that since they close at 6:00, maybe I can get in and get out. I prayed the whole time that God would clear the path... and literally... I'm not kidding... I cried when I pulled into the parking lot and only saw 2 cars. Tears of joy, my friends. REAL tears.

So "in and out" came true, and the doctor sent me home with a prescription for an antibiotic and... zyrtec. Yeah. You read right. Zyrtec. That night, and the following couple of nights, my chills racked the bed, I went through 4 soaking wringing shirts alternating with my heating pad, down blanket and a heavy wool blanket. My nose was completely blocked -- impacted, if you would -- with a constant drip. Nice image, huh? I bet you didn't realize just how important it is to have a little bit of air in your nose when you swallow, cough, talk, etc. Monday rolled around, and after coughing blood up for two days, I saw my real doctor... who, after giving me a breathing test, informed me that the results showed that I had an obstruction in my breathing pattern, and he told me I had walking pneumonia, and sent me off with an inhaler, cough syrup with codeine, steroidal nose spray, and a script for a chest x-ray (which, fortunately, was negative, and ruled out full-blown pneumonia).

Now. Let's go back to the previous prescription for Zyrtec, which for those of you who are wondering... is an allergy medicine. Let me say that slowly... a.n. A.L.L.E.R.G.Y. m.e.d.i.c.i.n.e.

Can someone please explain what sense it makes to prescribe an allergy medicine to a woman so close to death? Seriously... WHAT SENSE DOES THAT MAKE???

Now that I've expended all my energy typing this and need another nap, I just wanted to tell you that we're okay... thanks to my awesome husband who is waiting on me hand and foot while recovering from his own bout of the flu and taking care of an overly active 2 year old at the same time, my wonderful sister-in-law (Auntie Sunshine) who took Hunter home to her home for the night Sunday night, and watched him Monday so my husband could recover a bit (as I lay limp on the bed), and my awesome in-laws who are watching him today because he stayed home sick. I'm exhausted just thinking about all they have done to clean and organize my home in the last two hours, and word can not even begin to express my thanks to them.

Finally, thank you all for your prayers and thoughts! I really appreciate them!

Must go and get medicine into Hunter--his fever is almost 103 degrees. Prayers. Lots of them.

Menu Plan Monday (Better LATE then NEVER!)

Laura over at I'm an Organizing Junkie hosts the weekly Menu Plan Monday, so hop on over and check out the over 200 entries.

Now, here's the deal for this week at Casa Sunshine ... It's not so sunny. I'm sick with bronchitis and an upper resperatory infection, while continuing to go to work. Hunter is sick with a bad ear infection and gunk in his nose ... and he was up all night IN PAIN ... and Daddy??? Well, poor guy -- he's just trying to keep up with everything in the house, stay up all night tending to a sick mommy and little superman (who was screaming his H.E.A.D. off last night with ear pain), and still waking up at 4:30-to-early-in-the-morning to go to work. Talk about Superman ... he's your guy!

So, basically, we did a quick and dirty and cheap menu yesterday, because no one has time to cook, nor do we feel like cooking. AT ALL. So some things are yummy, and some are kind of "ehhh" -- everyone's been there, right? So here it is in all its glory, but not in any particular order:

1) Franks & Beans
2) Tuna Casserole with Salad
3) Beef Pastitsio Casserole with roasted broccoli
4) Homemade Chili
5) All Day Sunday Chicken Stew (Crock Pot recipe from my new** Taste of Home magazine -- my eyeballs hurt to much to find the recipe on their site, but it looks yummy in the picture in my new magazine**, so I'll try to post it when I've had more than 1.5 hours of sleep)
6) Wednesday night dinner for a dollar at church (if we're feeling up to it)
7) Delivery Pizza (NOT DiGiorno, because that would still be cooking)

**On another note, a friend of mine from blogland (so as not to embarrass her -- I won't mention her name or blog unless she says I can -- but she knows who she is) renewed her subscription to a Taste of Home magazine, and [gasp] got me a free subscription! I can't tell you how stinking delighted I am! It arrived Saturday, and I'm loving it! Thank you special friend! I truly, TRULY appreciate it!!!

Okay -- I'm off to rest my eyeballs. Y'all have a good week, ya hear?

Organizing my Kitchen...

...was well overdue!



But thanks to Laura at I'm an Organizing Junkie, I have gotten a jump start at it! I organized three cabinets, and this weekend, I'm planning on organizing the pantry and my cookbooks.

I have before and after pictures to share, too. They are blurry, but ... I still wanted to share them, because I have a friend out there (or two, or sixty) that mentioned at one time that she felt like she couldn't "measure up" to many of the bloggers out there that looked like they had their personal lives in 100% order. The thought of that just makes me snort. Loudly. Because I can't measure up either. So, I wanted to show y'all that not everyone has their homes in 100% perfect order. Please hide the children's eyes so they aren't frightened. Just kidding. Sort of.

Speaking of organizing, Laura does a fantabulous job at making you feel like a "normal person" and really encourages you to just roll your sleeves up and dig in and start to organize a wee bit here, and a wee bit there... I highly encourage you to join her monthly organizing challenge, and start with a little bit here, a little bit there... and soon ... you'll be caught up! (Just wait until you see pictures of my bedroom!!!! it's such a mess with piles everywhere!)

The first cabinet I cleaned out still had baby formula, bottles, and baby food in it. Hunter's 2 years old, and hasn't eaten that stuff for almost 18 months -- pitiful. In fact, most of it expired in 2006!!! I had snacks piled in, baking dishes shoved in, vases, and a ton of other stuff in there. I placed all the snacks in a large plastic container, and stacked all the serving dishes and pie plates. I know it still looks crowded, but it's not. It is much, MUCH better.

The second cabinet I cleaned out was my container cabinet. They were all just shoved in there, and the lids were too. It was a terrible mess. I took an old plastic Longaberger protector (pretty big) that was chipped, and re-purposed it for most of my lids. The, I stacked all "like" containers together (round with round, square with square). Then, the top shelf had some mugs that were just shoved in, so I organized them. Again, it still looks crazy, but it is much, much better now.

Finally, I organized the cabinet that contains some other baking dishes. Again... things were just thrown in. Are you sensing a theme here? Throw it in, close the door, and forgetaboutit. Sad, but true. Now the dishes are all stacked neatly. Please ignore the sagging shelf. That's a project for another day. I also took all of my kitchenaid attachments out of this cabinet, and placed them all in a wire basket in the first cabinet (since I had more room once I tossed expired baby food!).

So there you have it. My life -- a chaotic mess! Sorry the pictures are so bad... dark, blurry, yucky.




























































More AFTER pictures:

WFMW: The BEST Kids Bible EVER

Works for me Wednesday is hosted by the ever-so-exhausted Shannon from Rocks in my Dryer... click on over to check out hundreds of other great tips!

Okay -- I may be alone in this, but... my two year old's span of attention is that of a gnat. Yes, he is a very active, on-the-go boy, who is, after all... Superman. So, getting him to sit down and read books is hard ... but do-able ... if it captures his attention. Especially if he can FIND STUFF on the pages (sort of like ... where's Waldo).

I have tried several kids Bibles, but they are either over his head, or I get bored with them (I know I'm reading to HUNTER, but if I GET BORED, think how HE gets?!). At two, I think a lot has to do with the pictures... but I have found one totally incredible Bible that TOTALLY works for us! It has such a fun, "rhymie" style that I can really act out for Hunter with drama in my voice... and seriously... if you know me, then you know I'm all about DRAMA! I think Superman takes after his momma.

Anyhoo -- a friend of mine asked me for suggestions for a good Bible for her daughter about eight months ago, and I never got back to her. This weekend, she's having a birthday party for her daughter, and while I was out shopping for a gift for the party, and getting totally discouraged with all the "I'm a Hotty" outfits for little 4 year olds, it dawned on me... I should get her that Bible! She'll love it! And guess what??? So will you...

Well, that's enough suspense ... the Bible is called Growing Readers Phonics Bible. It is perfect for ages 3 through 8 (or higher). Each chapter focuses on a phonetic sound like er, ou and ow, th, etc. The pictures are bright and colorful, and the Bible includes stories from Genesis through Revelation! How often do you see that?!? By the way... this is the Bible I used to read most of the stories for our Jesse Tree at Christmas time.

Right now, it is $13.99 at Christianbooks.com (or $14.24 at Amazon.com)

Here are pictures and excerpts from the first chapter that I got from Christianbook.com:





So... that's what Works for Me...

Have a great day!

What say you????

Ya know... sometimes, you roll the dice and come up with NOTHING.

I have no idea what that means... other than, I am empty of anything witty, funny, clever, or important to discuss or bring to your attention. Except for all the lovely Spring designs I have rolling around in my head for my jewelry website! I am not a complicated person -- I'm very simple, really ... and therefore, so are my designs for this Spring! I can't wait to introduce them... in a couple of months!!!

Oh, yeah ... look at that... I do have something to share...

I've been in a "walking boot cast" (looks like this) for about 6 or 7 weeks now, and I think it's simply comical that this past Sunday, people still came up to me saying, "oh, my! what did you do to yourself!" My answer... "I tore some ligaments in my ankle... in December." In fact, people that I see every single day at work still ask me that question (as in... this very morning).

I guess my funny limp has become the norm in other people's eyes. Go figure!

In any case... here's a question I'll pose to you...

Have you ever found yourself going back to a blog... as if you were addicted to it ... but didn't really like it? What's up with that??

What say you???

Which one of US acted like THAT?

That's all I really want to know. Because ... you know the saying ... "what goes around, comes around", right? How about this one "how you treated your parents will be how your child treats you" or "how you acted as a child will be how your child acts."

Well, I can confirm without one seconds hesitation that I was a perfect child in every way; not easily excited, angered, or frustrated; able to entertain my self for hours on end with a good book; never flung myself from any piece of furniture; NEVER climbed any walls... A social butterfly, YES... but not a misfit. Oh, yeah ... there was one incident where I threw a butter knife at my sister and it stuck into the drywall. Ummmm, and the other incident where I threw a hand-held mirror at her and it broke in half. But those are minor, very unimportant and incidental things that happened in my vast lifetime, and I'm sure there weren't any other examples like that which I participated in.