Validation

I made a few cards recently.....Some don't scan well if they have embellishments that stick out....I guess I have a little blue mark on my scanner - I need to clean that off! :) This one says: Wishing You the Best of Birthdays This one is making use of some awesome, bird-themed stickers I bought. I found some metal hardware to frame this nest sticker, and punched out some tiny letters....The little bird footprints are part of a clear stamp set...

I changed my blog colors, since the other ones were so Christmasy. I almost hated doing it, because it means Christmas is over. I hate taking down decorations, too. I try to leave them up as long as possible. The Christmas decorations are still up in my house. I got a fake tree, so I could put one up right after Thanksgiving, and leave it up after New Year's. I also leave birthday decorations up for awhile, too. Crepe paper, balloons, etc. It stays up until my husband starts asking about taking them down.... I also don't put away my suitcase after a vacation. It stays there, with stuff in it-until, once again, my husband starts asking when I'm going to put it away. I think he's used to me now, and patiently allows a certain window of time for leaving stuff out. I guess I just want to hold on to the happy moments - the experiences, and not admit they're over......

I have to share something new I learned last night at church. Our pastor was gone, and one of our other pastors, Yoel, shared a great message. (We are very blessed to have awesome speakers who can fill in when our main pastor is gone). Yoel was talking about how the Holy Spirit empowers us to live for God. And, one way He does that is empowers us to be "sincere." This is one of the verses shared with that bullet point: "And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment, that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ, being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God." Phil. 1:9-11 (NKJV). The word "sincere" was emphasized by Yoel, and this is what he explained about the word. The word literally means "judged by light." It is a term used in making pottery. In those d...

From the looks of the other blogs I read, there's not a lot being written - especially me! I've been trying not to be on the computer that much, with my family home. All of us are on vacation from work and school, so it's been nice chillin' with everybody. The other day, we went to a museum, which was a nice change, and it got us out of the house. My son has wanted lots of cuddling and game-playing. We've been playing Battleship and Aggravation. I have also built some Lego creations with him. We've watched some family movies like Evan Almighty and Hairspray. The girls got to spend some time with friends in the last couple of days, too. Yesterday, I started getting the "it's almost time to get back into a routine" organization bug. I went through Ben's room, my desk, the office desk, etc. and got rid of a bunch of junk. I made out our family "week at a glance" calendar for the fridge, so we could all get an idea of what our s...

Yesterday, we arrived home after spending one night at my mom's house. It's about a 2.5 hour drive to get there, and a beautiful one. We think we saw a seal swimming next to the bridge, and we saw a bald eagle, too. The Puget Sound region is beautiful, especially now, with the Cascades dusted with snow. We got to see my grandfather who is almost 93! We had four generations sitting around the table eating homemade chicken and noodles. Mmmmmm. My mom made three kinds of pies, and we brought some Christmas cookies. My grandfather talked about his younger days of learning the plumbing business, first working in Seattle, and then starting his own plumbing store/business in Port Angeles, which operated for 23 years. Since his stroke, he has a little bit of speech difficulty, but it certainly doesn't stop him from sharing, which I'm glad. As we were eating, he stopped, and said emphatically, "We are truly blessed." Then, my mom stopped and said how wonderfu...

I have presents under the tree now! I'm so excited. Are you getting excited for Christmas?!?!

I helped in Ben's classroom yesterday. I was so glad to get a chance to come in, because I know it means so much to Ben. First grade is quite different from the first grade I remember! It is quite academic, and those kids were working hard from the morning until I left at lunchtime. She had such control of the classroom, and those kids were amazing at staying on task. She is a very business-like teacher, but would always give an encouraging word to each and every child. I corrected and filed papers, as well as cut out some crowns from construction paper. I just sort of tuned my ears to what was going on in the class while I performed the busy work. I got a kick out of calendar time, when the teacher got out a puppet and used a funny voice. At lunchtime, I took a chair to sit next to Ben. I swear, I had three children talking to me at once the entire time. They wanted to tell me all sorts of things - it was hilarious! I heard about how tall their parents are, about their b...

My husband wanted to by a new stereo for a "joint gift" this Christmas. I bought a Bose stereo online and we received it yesterday. It's cool, because our old one didn't play CD's anymore, and we finally bought a quality stereo (even if it is the bottom of the line one). I'm just not a huge technology girl. I don't have to have the latest and greatest. I would have been happy with another Wal-Mart cheapo stereo, but my husband really wanted it, and I thought he should have something quality to enjoy. Enjoy the "fruit of his labor" and all that....... The thing is-I hate "joint gifts." Dang it - I want presents to open!! I like feeling like a little kid on Christmas morning, being all excited to open presents. My husband said not to get him anything, and he would get me a couple of little things. Whenever my husband says this, I do what he says, and he ends up spending more on me than just "little things." We'll ...

Now, aren't these some good-lookin' kids? These pics were taken the other day to send out with our Christmas letter. Yes, I write one of those annoying Christmas letters every year. I can't help it. I personally enjoy receiving them, thank you very much......It's the highlight of my every day in December - to find cards and pics in the mailbox. Then, we put up all of the pictures we receive on the fridge for a couple of months. I like walking by and thinking of the families, and the memories associated with them... I had a hard time getting my kids to give me smiles instead of goofy faces. Here they are making "Surprise Snowballs." They're a simple dough cookie with surprises inside, like jelly beans and M 'n M's.....Ben even tried getting four jelly beans in one! This is how I found Ben asleep on his bed, after all the festivities. What a loved bear, huh?

I follow politics only a little. I am not a complete political illiterate, but I am certainly not qualified to get into any debates. I do know this. I swear, if Hillary Clinton is somehow, some way, elected as President of the United States, I will not turn on my TV for four years. I could hardly listen to her husband on TV, much less her!! I simply can't fathom that woman as president. The thought disgusts me.

I was shopping today, and thinking about what a sensitive shnoz I have. I mean, I have a very sensitive smeller. There are things in this world that I can smell, that other people probably don't. And, there are things in this world that I wish I couldn't smell. Here are some: 1. People's dirty hair. 2. Dirty, nicotine-laden coat. 3. Asian food breath. 4. Sweaty feet in flip-flops. 5. Morning stink. 6. Rave hairspray 7. Cheap shaving cream 8. Old, wet, leather boots. 9. Elementary school right after lunch was served. 10. Motel carpet. There are some wonderful smells, though. These are some of my fav's: 1. Pavement immediately after it starts raining. 2. A house after someone cooked with garlic. 3. Freshly cut pine lumber. 4. Lavender growing fresh outside. 5. Apple Jolly Rancher 6. Antique wooden furniture. 7. Drakkar cologne. 8. The smell of dirt when pulling weeds. 9. A leather Bible. 10. Presents my grandmother sent me in the mail.

Well, I'm on my Christmas break from school, and guess what happens-I get sick. Great. I was at Wal-Mart re-stocking my empty cupboards, when I started going downhill. I got up to the checkout counter and one of my milk cartons was leaking. The gal wanted me to go back and get a new one, and I said I was really feeling crappy, so I wasn't going to. She asked me if I wanted help out, and I waited on a bench for a very long time. She finally closed up her register, slapped on her jacket, and helped me out herself, she felt so bad for me. Wow. Good customer service at Wal-Mart. That's a first. Anyway, I'm going to have to do some quick catching up on things after laying low for a couple of days. Today, the kids and I are going to make Christmas cookies. Then, maybe I can have those friends over this next week for cookies and lattes. Oh-the cookies. I have this beautiful, cookie cookbook by Better Homes and Gardens. On one side are gorgeous, anytime cookies. ...

I got my official Fall Quarter grades this morning! I got a 4.0 out of Anatomy and Physiology Lecture, and a 4.0 out of the Lab. I got a 3.3 (B+) out of Physics, which is way better than I ever thought I would end up, but for the record, I think I deserve an A-. Anyway, YAY FOR ME! I'm so proud of myself. I worked dang hard.

I am so proud of myself!! As of 11:00 this morning, I have completed all of my final exams! I have worked extremely hard, and here's one of my rewards: This is the top portion of my lab practical that I picked up this morning. YES!! My professor said that I was one of 3 who got 100%!!! Then, he said that I have a 108% out of Anatomy and Physiology Lab!!! Now, that's what I call a payoff. This morning I took my A&P lecture exam. It was tough, but I think I did pretty well. As of the other day, I had a 97% out of the class, but that was before a quiz and the final exam. I'll have to wait until Monday for my final grade. Last night, was the Physics test. That class was pure torture all the way, so boy, did it feel good to finish it!!! I even pleaded my case with the professor about the overall grade I thought I deserved. I won't go into too much boring detail, but I have spent so many hours travelling back and forth to get help (during the professor's ...

OK. Real quick. Every day except Tuesday this week I've had a test. I nailed my lab practical today. YES! Tomorrow is my last Physics exam. Not super high hopes there. Then, Friday is my big A&P final! I think I will do well. I try not to have too much confidence - just study my butt off and trust God for the rest. Then, thank Him for the good grades. :) Amanda is driving now! She went on her first solo drive this morning to her "devos" group at Starbucks. The Lord's going to be hearing lots of quickie prayers from me every time she goes out the door. Melanie is at her first gymnastics meet tonight. Her dad went to see her. She is doing a beam routine. With Ben in AWANA on the same night as her meets, Joe and I are going to tag team it if it's an away meet (like tonight). I'm kind of sad to miss the first one, though. :( Ben is going to be tested for the "highly capable" program in our school district. His teacher wanted me to ...

I had something happen yesterday that I was especially brokenhearted about. I just couldn't stop crying about it. My son hugged me at one point. My girls hugged me at other points. My husband hugged me too. My son said that if I drink milk when I'm sad it will help me forget about it. He said that when he was sad on a Monday, he kept drinking milk and on Saturday, he just forgot all about it. I wonder if he made this up on the fly to come up with a way to make me feel better. Or, I also wonder if he chose milk because he was my longest breastfed baby. HAHA! :)

I was just chillin' with my latte and watching a guy catch a fish in a river on TV. Ben was sitting with me, and I said "Doesn't that look so fun to be standing on the river fishing?" He said "Yeah." A couple of seconds later, he said "Wouldn't it be cool if the TV was a portal, and if you saw somewhere you wanted to go, you could just jump in?" I said, "Yeah!" Then, he proceeded to pretend to jump into the fishing show, so I pretended it was him who was catching a fish just then. "Look! Ben got one!" I said. Then, he had to jump back home, so he said, "Pretend you don't see me, K?" And he jumped back home with a whooshing sound (had to have the sound effects, right?)

The other day, Ben said that he has a plan for when he is a Dad. He says that everyday at 4:00, he is going to take his children to the park. He also wonders why there are earthquakes, and what happens to make them. He also wants to know why the people on the other side of the Earth aren't upside-down. And, why doesn't the Earth ever turn (rotate) the other way? How does Santa get in if all the windows and doors are locked? (We don't have a fireplace). If we're out shopping together, and I see something I want to buy for him, I can just buy it, and he will pretend it is a surprise when he opens it on Christmas.

Sometimes I spend time on my blog when I "should" be doing other things. Why do I do that to myself? "Should" on myself. HAHA. I just made that up, and it sounds really funny. "Should" on myself. If you put in another word instead of "should," I think it would mean the same thing, don't you think? Anyway, I should be studying, especially since our lab was cancelled today, and it gives me an extra two hours. Eh. I do have to mention that last night, I got a lot of shopping done. Both at the store, and online. I'm so happy. I feel like I have made some good Christmas progress, and it's not even December yet. I even got in on some free shipping deals. Cool! I even spent some time with the kids, and played a game with my son. :) When I was out shopping, I saw an old friend from my old church. She wasn't super chatty, but seemed more like she was trying to act interested. Oh well. I felt like I was appearing quite unf...

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I have some tests coming up in the homestretch of Fall Quarter. I have an A&P test on Tuesday, which I have been studying hard for this weekend. For some reason, it's hard for me to implant this particular stuff in my head. It's about the nervous system. On December 5th, I have a big lab practical (my last one). I am supposed to know all of the muscles, anatomy of the spinal cord, brain, eye and ear. It's A LOT. I've been working on it for awhile now, but I'm not ready for a test yet. And, of course, there is Physics. One more test in that. I just took one last Tuesday before the Thanksgiving "break." It was terrible. Everyone in the class thought so. This is the dumbest, most frustrating class ever. You can spend HOURS and HOURS working problems out, studying, and then you get to the tests and feel like it was all for nothing. I HATE it. I also HATE that I have to spend all this time studying, and miss my kids. If I had known what thes...

You Should Be an Artist You are incredibly creative, spontaneous, and unique. No one can guess what you're going to do next, but it's usually something amazing. You can't deal with routine, rules, or structure. You're easily bored. As long as you are able to innovate and break the rules, you are extremely successful. You do best when you: - Can work by yourself - Can express your personality in your work You would also be a good journalist or actor. What Should You Be When You Grow Up?

I have something to say that I did a good job of not admitting to anyone last night, in case I "ruined" anything for anyone (because I probably would have cried). This was the worst Thanksgiving I have ever had. There. We went to our movie, which was fun. That was fine. We saw Bee Movie. Then, we went over to Old Country Buffet. We waited for quite awhile, which is what I expected (maybe an hour?). But, I had never been to OCB before. I am not trying to be rude when I say this, but if we were wanting to go to a soup kitchen, redneck convention and a nursing home at the same time, we would have visited OCB. There's just no other way to describe the scene. Once we got our table, we sat next to this family who had probably picked up their grandparents from the nursing home (which is a sweet thought), and were feeding them in their wheelchairs. We got our food from the buffet, and finally sat down. Then, the elderly woman started making these gutteral, phlegm-produ...

You Belong in Paris Stylish and expressive, you were meant for Paris. The art, the fashion, the wine! Whether you're enjoying the cafe life or a beautiful park... You'll love living in the most chic place on earth. What City Do You Belong In?

It's been interesting to talk with people about their Thanksgiving plans. This one gal I spoke with is hanging out with family outdoors in tents, smoking their turkeys and drinking beers. Another guy said they deep fry their turkey. Another soaks their turkey in brine overnight and cooks it. Us? We're going to Old Country Buffet, baby!! We've talked about it in the past, and this year we're doin' it. I hope there's not a long wait, but I don't care. If I was cooking, I would have sore feet from walking/standing in my kitchen for hours. And, I'm sure we won't be waiting THAT long. The only thing I will probably miss is the leftovers we eat off of for the next few days after Thanksgiving. It's kind of fun, and the food always tastes so good the second and third time around. It is our tradition to see a movie as a family, too, so we're going to see "Bee Movie." I'm looking forward to being with my husband and my kids afte...

As you probably have seen, I include a link to the yet-to-be-published book "Mad Church Disease." This book is being written by Anne Jackson. I found her blog (see "Flower Dust"link below), and I wanted to mention it, as something cool to check out. She is an awesome, hip, Christian writer, who is honest and cutting edge. She talks about church, women's sexuality and her colorful past. I highly recommend reading her stuff.....

Yeah. So, here's a few: 1. Ben was dared to cut his hair with his scissors at school. He did it. He cut a hunk out of the very front. And, I never even noticed. I had seen Ben when he got home from school, and for a few hours before I went to class, but I never noticed it. Joe had him confess to me when I got home from class that night. Apparently, Joe noticed it and Ben initially lied to him about it. Then, he fessed up and Joe made him tell me when I got home. It was hard not to laugh. 2. A couple of weeks ago, I was the first car to arrive on the scene of an accident. The two cars involved were sitting in the middling of the road. As I attempted to squeeze by, I rolled down my window to ask the gal inside if she was OK, and if she had called 911 yet. She was upset, and I noticed her two little ones in the backseat crying. Once I saw her kids, I had no choice. I had to stop. I pulled over to a safe spot, and ran back to the mom. I called 911 and helped her...

Got my A&P test back today. 94% BABY!! I was one of 8 A's out of the whole class!! I went into that thing studied up and prayed up, so I give credit to God for helping me recall everything I needed to. He was so with me - I could feel it strong during the test. "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me!"

This morning, I went over to another community college for a "Cadaver Lab" in association with my Anatomy and Physiology class. There were four students and the teacher during our time slot. We donned our gloves, and were asked to unwrap the shroud from the body, as well as pull the skin (already cut) back. As we were shown various parts, focusing on muscles, we were able to feel the different tissues. The cadaver was female, and her face was covered with an orange plastic covering. It sort of shaded her face, but you could still look closely and make out her facial features. She even had painted fingernails! I was excited to see the cadaver, but got a slight twinge of nervousness, as we lifted back the shroud. The only thing that bothered me was the odor. When we first lifted off the shroud, the smell of formaldehyde was quite strong. I tried to not think about it too much, but it was so strong, I could have possibly gagged. I talked myself out of that, and contin...

Concert pics are so hard to get with the poor lighting, but the girl on the left is our Melanie at her junior high Fall Concert last week. She plays the violin! Amanda also had a Fall Concert at her high school. She played a solo part for one of the pieces the orchestra played. If I can figure out how to upload videos, I'll post her solo. She also performed her first concert for the youth symphony a couple of weeks ago. It was a costume concert, and they played all movie music! SO cool. Ben was so eager to carve his pumpkin this year! Here he is scooping out the guts (which didn't smell very good, by the way). I think this pumpkin was on it's way to being rotten. This Halloween happened to be AWANA night, and they had a carnival-type party I took Benny to. He wore the costume pictured below. The carnival was such fun for Ben. I had signed up to bring a cake for the "cake walk," so Ben had asked me questions about what a cake walk is. So, the moment t...

OK. I just got home from taking my big A&P test (I nailed it - thank you very much!), so NOW I can do my "Seven Things." 1. I love watching "House on the Prairie." I can't believe it is still on TV, and if it happens to be on, I am glued. I love to hate Nellie Olson, love to watch Charles sensitive fathering and love the meaningful storylines. I also love, love, LOVE "Bonanza." 2. My maternal grandfather's family lineage can be traced back to the pioneer families of the Mormon church (I have seen the family's name in the actual Mormon history books). This grandfather is still considered a "Jack Mormon." My paternal grandparents were Christian Scientists. With this background, I praise God that He took me by the hand and led me to the TRUTH. 3. I once choked on a Gobstopper when I was 13, as my father had just left the house (I would have been home alone). He happened to come back, and performed the Heimlich on me. ...

I have apparently been tagged by a friend in a game of blog-tag. Since I must get to my homework/studying, I will post my "seven things about me" on Wednesday or Thursday! Stay tuned!

I just bought tickets for my girls and me to see To Kill A Mockingbird. I'm so happy I have that to look forward to. I am so swamped this week with studying. A&P test on Wednesday, Physics test on Thursday and A&P Lab Practical next Tuesday!! AAAAAA!! Anyway, going to this play will be a welcome break for all of us girls. When I was in high school, I played Mrs. Dubose (the cranky, old neighbor of Scout). When I auditioned for the part, I did a cold reading, and I used this great, old lady voice. Everybody laughed, and loved it. So, I got the part! On stage, I had my own little "house" (the front of it, anyway). It had a little, front porch with flower boxes and a front door with a big oval window. I think the whole cast had a hard time when they started tearing it down after the play.......Oh yeah - the guy who played Boo Radley "lived" next to me, and during one of the performances backstage, he mooned me!! HAHA! We had so much fun. It was ...

I was reading a blog friend's blog, and I wanted to share some information I shared with her. I have not purchased these books myself, but I have read a couple. If you don't know how to talk to your kids about sex, this might be a place to start. There is a pack of books you can buy, which has one book for each age group (from very young children to teens). The books have wonderful illustrations in honest, age-appropriate language. I found them on www.familylife.com, which by the way, is a wonderful site for parenting resources. Here is the title and authors of the books: God's Design For Sex Pack by Stan and Brenna Jones and Carolyn Nystrom. I hope you find this helpful!

We're kind of getting in a flow around my house. Our flood restoration is pretty much behind us, school is on a roll and schedules are meshing. I've tried to make little adjustments to our lives, so things run smoothly. Things like creating specific days Ben can play with friends, instead of kids ringing the doorbell at any moment, or Ben begging to go play at someone else's house. I guess I'm not one of those moms who has a "revolving door" to the neighborhood. It's too chaotic. With the dog barking, Ben and everyone else needing to do homework, it just doesn't work in our house. So, Ben now has his certain days he can play with friends. It's made a big difference. We can focus on his AWANA verses together, do homework and just plain catch up with each other. I created a check-off chart for one of my daughters in order to keep her on track with her responsibilities. It's extra effort for me to hold her accountable, but the payoff wil...

Amanda is at her Homecoming dance as I speak, but I thought I would post a few pics before I crack open my A&P books. She went with a good friend named Colin, along with a group of friends. They went out to a nice restaurant beforehand, and are probably now dancing the "Soldier Boy" at their school. Amanda had a little trouble with her hair before Colin came to pick her up. She had borrowed this crimper thing from a friend, but it just made her look like major bedhead. So, as you can see, we straightened it. Then, we curled all of her ends to make it look different than "everyday hair." I did her make-up for her, so it too, wouldn't look like "everyday" make-up. I think she looks pretty cute! Her buddy, Colin is a great kid who is a senior. They go to church and small groups together. He is serious about studying acting, and is already auditioning for colleges. Recently, he attended a Shakespearean festival. Amanda was very excited to g...

A roofer guy came out yesterday, and thinks that perhaps the "valleys" in our roofline was where the water was coming from. He noticed that the shingles' "dog ears" were not properly cut, so he cut them. He think this will solve the problem, because the water will not be wicking under the roof. If not, they're going to redo the valley-parts of the roof (which shouldn't have to be done since it's only 8 years old). Anyway, he wouldn't let us pay him, which was really cool of him. I guess we'll see if the problem is fixed when it rains next..... I won't have much time for blogging, because right now I'm supposed to be learning all of the bones in the body. That might sound simple, but did you know that just one bone can have like 20-30 markings on it? Yeah. That's what I have to know. Every bump, every hole, every line, every curvature, EVERYTHING for each bone. And some of the names have 3-4 words in them! So, if you don...

I could use some encouragement. Between the house stuff, family stuff and school pressures, I need some good "Word Food" to keep me going. Would you ask the Lord to bring to your mind a verse to share with me?

This is not a joke. Joe woke up to dripping from our bedroom ceiling this afternoon. Our roof is leaking.

Would you like to read something other than mundane updates about my house? :) Melanie is going to try out for the high school gymnastics team, and she is very excited. I'm excited for her to have a niche like that. As a 9th grader, she still attends junior high, but can be in high school sports..... Amanda got a part in her high school's winter play. This is going to be interesting, coordinating her college schedule with this play....We think she's ready to take her driver's test now, which will be VERY helpful! Right now, I spend a lot of time shuttling her back and forth to school (since she does college and high school at the same time). She is doing really well, by the way! Benny is doing very well in school, too. He's an excellent reader, and I'm trying to foster that more. He is thriving in AWANA, and wears his little vest proudly. He has earned his patch, a crown and two jewels. :) I love listening to him say his verses, and see how enthusiast...

My house. It smells new now. Joe finished painting the repaired drywall today, and you wouldn't even be able to tell that it had been torn off. His last task is to reinstall crown moulding on that wall. We will be having our downstairs carpeting cleaned on Friday, and we're officially DONE with our water damage restoration ordeal. Our insurance company covered all the water damage done to the specific areas of the house. This did not cover the carpeting in two bedrooms, but we did it all anyway. We also had our third bathroom floor replaced to match the other ones, which was not covered, either. And, actually, there was a small bit of water damage to that flooring as well from a tiny separation in the old vinyl, so it was probably a good thing we ripped that up. They actually had to cut out a piece of that underlayment. Anyway, my task now is to tally up everything we spent and see it we spent what they gave us. If we did, we can claim a little more money, which woul...

I have been immersed in studying these last couple of weeks. Physics has been a real challenge for me. We got to our second chapter, and it's a bunch of story problems dealing with one-dimensional kinematics. We had to learn how to find out the given information and decide what information we're supposed to find, using four kinematics equations. If what I just said just flew right over your head, don't worry. That's what it's been doing to me!! I've cried to my teacher, cried to another student and threw an adult temper tantrum with my husband over it. I was sure that I was stupid, would never pass the class, and never become a sonographer. Finally, though, I found an older gentleman in the college's tutoring center named Doug. I am convinced that Doug is an angel sent by God. (hee hee) He sat with me for two stinkin' hours, slowly working me through a couple of problems to help me discover how I needed to think and handle these problems. So...

Our new carpet is in! The last three days have proven to be a true upheaval of our lives. My attempt at diverting a nasty cold failed, as I helped my husband move furniture and our other belongings from room to room. I am totally sick now. The carpet guy did three areas at a time in the process of two days. Every room in the house was temporary storage for other rooms. Crazy. Anyway, my pretty Frise carpet is completely installed. Now, we start putting rooms back together. Joe is putting back baseboards today, as well as touching up paint and re-installing doors. He still has to finish the drywall repair and crown moulding job, and after that I can have my downstairs carpet cleaned. Inch by inch.... I had my hair colored the other day. This lady comes to my house and does a full foil for sixty bucks. Anyway, she related a piece of advice I thought was pretty good and I wanted to pass it on! Here it is: if your child doesn't want to eat their dinner, tell them, if th...

Here's the house update as of today: New vinyl installed in all 3 bathrooms 3 new toilets installed Drywall 1/2 done Carpet installed this weekend?? How are my college classes? Physics: totally lost-was in tears yesterday Anatomy & Physiology: it rocks How was my small group? I was sick, tired and stressed. I didn't go. And the fam? Getting over colds; doing great in school; happy; playing and working hard; waiting for a clean house again.....

Mmmm...I just polished off the last of several chocolate-covered gummy bears. Who would not love these? The chocolate starts melting in your mouth immediately, while you get the pleasure of chewing the gummy part. Mmmmm... I'm feeling rather good about myself right now! I got 22 out of 24 on my first Anatomy/Physiology quiz!! I have been a studying FOOL in this class, so the payoff feels GOOOD!! Physics is weird. I wasn't sure how much of the textbook I was actually supposed to read, but it seems like I need to be reading it well, because the last lecture was like listening to someone speak Chinese, and hoping I would catch on to something soon....I hope this gets better....I really don't want another class where it's a struggle the entire time.... I went out to lunch with a good friend yesterday. Maybe you've heard me talk about my lamb-now-sheep friend....She's doing well, but struggling with health and faith issues. She thinks she needs more faith for...

I am excited to let you know that since I quit ingesting artificial sweeteners, and started taking B-Complex, extra B6 and Fish Oil tablets, I feel like a new woman!! I feel like I can think more clearly, concentrate better and I have more energy. I am also careful to make sure I do not skip meals, and eat healthy snacks in between, like cheese or seedy trail mix. I'm still making my latte in the morning (WITH caffeine!), but no other caffeine during the day. I am noticing that I get up in the morning more easily than before, and I don't seem to take an energy dip in the afternoon. My next step is to add Vitamin C to my regimen to help protect me against all of the gick I will be exposed to at school. And then, I will probably add Calcium and Magnesium after that. I don't think I really have time for exercise, although I might try to see how often I could sneak out for a half hour walk around the neighborhood. So much of my extra time is consumed with studying right n...

Here's how our house is coming: flooring contractor: hired vinyl for 3 bathrooms: ordered upstairs carpet: Friese carpet ordered drywall repair: Joe has it half-way done crown moulding: purchased plumbing: 3 new toilets purchased checks from insurance company: hopefully on their way Next steps: finish drywall, texture and paint paint and install crown moulding have vinyl installed install toilets touch-up wall paint in damaged areas move furniture out of upstairs have carpet installed replace all removed baseboard mouldings have downstairs carpet cleaned

Well, I guess I will have another week to get ready to be in a small group. I emailed the leader, and she said that the group starts NEXT Friday. She also said that we will be doing SOAP's. SOAP's are a method of daily devotions that our church uses in small groups and what-not. It follows a daily Bible reading plan, where you read through the Bible in one year. Then, there is a journaling process, where you do each letter of the acronym SOAP. S= Scripture (write a verse in your journal that stuck out in the scripture reading for the day) O=Observation(write down what you see in the scripture) A=Application(write how you will be different today because of what you have just read) P=Prayer(Write out a prayer based on the devotion) All of this can be recorded in a "Life Journal" created by Pastor Wayne Cordeiro that you can buy, or any kind of journal you want. The Life Journal itself is very organized, and you can even create a table of contents of the titles of ...

I can't write much, because I have some studying to do before I hit my wall and have to go to bed. But, I was thinking the other day, that even as much as I needed to leave my old church, I really miss some stuff. I miss that I knew the names and faces of a few hundred people. I miss the familiarity of the faces. Maybe even the quick, superficial conversations once a week. I really felt this tonight at AWANA when I got to talking with a couple of gals from my old church. I kinda miss these people. I mean, man, it's not like I stopped LIKING people just because I left! Maybe some stopped liking me, (HAHA!) but I still feel exactly the same....... Maybe these thoughts are a sign that I'm ready to join this small group at my new church. It starts this Friday morning. I'm not intimidated by being in a small group or Bible study. I never have been. But, I'm afraid of this not working. I'm afraid of finding out it's a bunch of churchy women playing t...

I've been pretty much studying my butt off since school started, trying to stay on top of things with interruptions from dealing with our insurance claim from the flood. We are now getting money to replace our carpeting upstairs! Yay! Joe and I are going to work our money so we can replace all three bathroom vinyl also. So, we will pretty much have all new flooring throughout our house. Our downstairs carpeting is only 2 years old, and so is the kitchen floor......It's just going to be very interesting how we are going to get all of our furniture out, so the new carpet can come in.....I told Joe he needs to basically schedule any work to be done on his days off, because I have a flood of my own - a flood of studying.....

I'm still in the land of the living. As of today, that is. So far, two bathroom floors are torn up, a large portion of the downstairs sheetrock is removed and upstairs carpet is ripped up. Each team that comes over to check drying progress, has a different opinion about our kitchen floor, but today, Joe and I made a command decision to not have it removed. We are negotiating having our upstairs carpet completely replaced. One team said it was salvageable, but the other team says it's not. As difficult and inconvenient as it is going to be, we would rather have it replaced. We are also going to pay the difference, and have our third bath flooring replaced to match the others. We are also wondering if we should replace our cheesy toilets. The guy that came today, said that he sees a lot of water damage in new construction, because of the cheap toilets they put in. He recommended either replacing all of the "guts" of each toilet, or just getting new ones. I...

My anxiety level is through the roof right now. Last night, for whatever reason, our second bathroom toilet overflowed. This morning, I awoke to a half inch of water covering the bathroom, and wet carpet extending out into the hallway, and into the entrances of two bedrooms. The water had also taken the path of least resistance and traveled downstairs, where I found more wet carpet, and dripping coming from the beautiful crown moulding my husband installed in my front room. There was also a wet spot on the ceiling a few feet away from the dripping. Amanda and I mopped up the water in the bathroom, and started walking on towels spread over the carpet. I got out my carpet cleaner, and attempted to suck out more water. I dumped and dumped that thing, and the carpet was still absolutely, squishing wet like wet sod. The dripping downstairs stopped. I won't go into too much detail from here, except to say that we are now dealing with our insurance company to take care of the probl...

Next weekend at my church, there is going to be what is called a "Small Groups Showcase," where all the new small groups are advertised. This will begin the new season of groups, and I am going to join one! I am hoping for an early Friday morning group of women. I am ready to be a group member and get to know some women. It will be weird not to be the leader. Usually, once I step out at a church, I end up leading something. That's why I haven't stepped out since we started attending the church over a year ago. My plan is to be very quiet and try to drink in what happens. I hope to get to know some women and not reveal my past involvements. I don't want people to know how I have served in the past, and peg me for something. I want God to lead me where He wants me to go, not someone else or even myself. I want to grow in the Lord, learn from others and make friends. Gain support and encouragement. I need to start feeling a part of this place where I ke...

Ben is in the next room taking a bath. He was playing with this Legos, when he wanted to know if Legos can get wet. Then, he asked if he could take a bath. I thought that would be a good idea, as I had noticed some dirt under those fingernails (it never seems to come all the way out in the shower). Anyway, he was noisily playing and talking in there when I hear this long, loud, bubbly fart. I yelled, "OH, Ben!" He laughs. Then I said, "Are you making a jacuzzi?" Laughter again, "Yeah!"

I've been taking a Vitamin B Complex, a little extra Vitamin B6 and fish oil for about a week now. I'm not sure if I have noticed any differences, but I think I have to give it more time. The fish oil, I had to back off of for a day, because it was upsetting my stomach. It says on the bottle, that I have to take it with food, and that's for sure. After another week or so, I'm going to add Vitamin C. I think every week, I'm going to add something else, until I am taking all of the supplements I want to try. I'm doing all of this to see if it will help some of what I call "fuzz brain." It's this feeling that I can't quite think very well, and it seems to me, that if this fuzz would just lift off my brain, I could concentrate. I'm sure this is related to my burnout, and is possibly related to adrenal fatigue. I just hate this feeling of not being 100%. I need to be 100% to do well in school, and I'm concerned about that. I am ...