Roses and Rubies

Just a few days away...

2009-11-22T21:48:00.002-06:00

Thanksgiving is just a few days away. A day of giving thanks for all that the Lord has blessed us with this year. I haven't said anything here but I suppose I should...I signed up for a 2 mile race that day. I am rather nervous yet excited. My family is proud of me and will be waiting for me at the end with camera in hand. The weather report, however, is not looking too friendly. It is saying low 40's with possible flurries. I am praying that the weather forecasters are wrong.

School is going okay. Doing great in my Sociology class but struggling with the advanced A&P. Semester is almost over and I am very happy about that.

I hope you all are doing well and that the Lord has blessed you with good health.

Busy, busy, busy!

2009-10-29T15:47:00.002-05:00

Busy is the word of the day. I haven't updated because I have been busy as a bee.

Running 1 mile now...yay me! I have a new goal of running a 5k this spring with a friend of mine. Never thought running would become addictive for me, but it has. I am thoroughly enjoying it. I just wish the weather would cooperate more. It has not been the fall I am used to. Rain and chilly make for a skip from Summer (which I am still waiting for) and straight to the beginning of Winter. Where did fall go? The leaves are supposed to crunch beneath my feet when I run, not be soggy and floppy.

Week 1 finished!

2009-09-20T10:23:00.002-05:00

I finished week one of my running regime. It got easier but now I have come down with a bug of some sort and my lungs are feeling weird. Tomorrow I start week two and I am optimistic.

Day 1

2009-09-14T09:24:00.002-05:00

So I have decided to take up running. I tried it once before but let my ambitious self get ahead of my body and my knees let me know it. So in an effort to get myself down to a healthy weight I am trying again. This time with the help of my mp3 player and a download I got from Amazon. The download was cheap and is exactly what I wanted. I don't want to be constantly checking a watch, pedometer or whatever to see when to walk or run. So this is perfect. Some guy is telling me when to start and stop and the running doesn't seem as long as when I did it myself (but I know it is).

So Day 1...so far so good. I think I can handle this 3 days a week as suggested. It says by the end of week 4 I will be able to run 1 mile. One mile?! That seems so far right now but someday that will seem easy. I'm all set. I am ready. Now I will just wait to tell my hubby that I am really running instead of walking (I usually walk 6 miles about 3x a week). I want to surprise him with my accomplishment.

Other than that I would say life in general is also good. I started my fall semester last week. I am taking Advanced A&P as well as Sociology. I think my Soc class will be a hoot! My A&P will be a bit more time consuming and require a bit more mind power. I can do it! I have a friend in class with me and I am sure we can help each other with our strengths and weakness in this course.

Well I have to run (not literally) so I will see you all next post! Have a great day!

Time flies by...

2009-07-20T20:21:00.002-05:00

Oh boy have I neglected this. April? Are you kidding me?! Okay this means I must catch up on all the stuff that has happened since my last post. Here goes...

My professor graded my paper (finally) and I received an A! My final grades for the semester were a B in Anatomy and a B in Developmental Psych. I am pleased. Next semester is going to be Advanced Anatomy and Sociology. I will once again strive for A's.

I made an attempt to go to church. Again it was the preplanned series thing. Where's the fire? Where is the conviction? Where is the being led by the Spirit? Don't get me wrong. This is not a "dead" church. There is speaking in tongues w/translations which shows me the Spirit is there. But why be so scripted in your sermons? Why let man dictate what is said instead of God?

Since I am not taking classes this Summer I have been spending a lot of time with the kids and doing some yardwork. Now the most yardwork I have done in years is walk through it. Now I have taken on the task of mowing, watering, fertilizing and all that fun stuff. I have also planted some ornamental grasses alongside the house. There is more planned for me to plant. Hubby has some ideas of other things that could be planted. I also dug 4 tree rings and mulched them.

That is all for the moment. I need to get back to housekeeping.

New day, new challenges.

2009-04-20T11:41:00.003-05:00

So I am doing my best at being patient while I wait for the results of the psych exam I submitted last week. She said she would grade and return the test immediately because of what happened last semester. So far nothing. I sent it to her via email on last Monday. I have every confidence I made an A but I would really like the confirmation of that fact.

Okay so I admit I haven't stepped foot into the church since last year. When this was mentioned to a friend recently another "friend" (more like acquaintance) decided it was the perfect time to interject her opinion. Now I grew up in church so I do know the importance of going but I also know that you don't need a building to praise and worship the Lord. The sermons at the church have been seemingly scripted so to speak. I like to hear sermons that God lays on the pastors heart and not so much the "series" of this and that constantly. So instead of going to church we have been watching (as a family) Joel Osteen on Sunday mornings. If our church had Sunday evening services that would make a whole lot of difference too. Anyway this "friend" decided to preach at me about the importance of going to church. Now this person is very opinionated and outspoken. This person also has the tendency to be a little self absorbed. So I just let her say what she felt she needed to and then finished my conversation with my friend.

There are plenty of reasons people avoid Christ and going to church. From what I have seen and experienced, a lot has to do with the people who call themselves Christians. Now there are people like myself who are Christians but don't push it down everyone's throat. To me that is a bit too much. I lead by example. As my parents always said "Your walk walks and your talk talks but your walk talks louder than your talk talks". It's like feeding a baby. Have you ever noticed if you try to force feed a baby they reject the food? But if you watch and wait you can feed the baby when they signal they are ready. The same goes with us. Cramming God down someones throat will only backfire and they will reject it but if you lead by example and are patient, the time will be known to you when they are ready to eat. Okay that is my rant for today.

Today I would like to tell everyone that I am thankful for another beautiful day to be with my family.

Recently...

2009-04-16T18:06:00.002-05:00

So I have been preoccupied with the goings on of life. Here I have all these high hopes that I will keep up with this and several other things and yet somehow time slips by and I don't do it. So I guess today will be a day for rambling on and on and a few updates too if you're lucky.

Allergy season is a pain in the head. Literally! It is a no win situation with me. One medicine gives me headaches, another makes me loopy and tired, and others just don't work. So I have chosen to not use any medications. I took some stuff a few weeks ago and didn't know it was going to make me sleepy on a day I had 2, yes 2, important exams! BIG MISTAKE!!! I slept my way through most of them and was miserable. I managed to pull a B on both but I will NEVER do that again. I will suffer before I go through loopy, sleepy me again. Thus I am now a sniffling, sneezing, watery-eyed thing trying to pass myself off as being okay and not miserable. *sigh* Like I said, no win here.

Well the Psychology test that I supposedly failed last semester wasn't really my fault. Turns out (just as I suspected) that the instructor gave me the wrong test. She was kind enough to let me retake the exam this past weekend. This one made a whole lot more sense and was a world easier. Now I am just on pins and needles to find out what my grade is. Sometime I am not very patient and this is one of them.

I am doing okay in my current Developmental Psychology class. The first test was hard but the second one I Aced! Now there is a 3rd one next week that I will be spending my weekend studying for. The kids get a kick out of mommy studying just like they do. Teach by example I say. They have seen me do well and they have seen me flop. I think it is good for them to see that I am just as hard on myself as I am on them. I love my kiddos!

I am also currently taking an Anatomy and Physiology course. Oh boy! This one wouldn't be so bad but I find the instructor kinda jumps around a lot. Nice guy but I am having a difficult time really learning. I am pulling a B but I know I have worked my tail off for it.

In the fall I will be taking Sociology and Advanced A & P. I am praying now for those to go well. I work my tail off to get the best grades I can and it can't hurt to start praying now for favor.

One thing that bothers me is some of the people I have met in my classes and their study skills. My philosophy is that you will get out of a course what you put into it. If you don't show up for class you shouldn't expect to get good grades. If you wait until the night before, you shouldn't expect to do well on the test. I just don't get it. The young ones I can understand them with their young mistakes but some of these women are just that, women. They are in their late 20's or 30's and really should know better. Then they go on to complain about the grades they are getting. I do my best to set a good example and try to help them out with study skills and pointers but I can only do so much. I have waited so long to go back to school and don't want to screw it up. Yes it is hard but it can be done. Enough before I go on and on.

Otherwise life is pretty good. God is providing. OOOH...I forgot to mention Daisy. Daisy is a duck that has decided to make her home/nest under our globe arbor vitae out front. I don't see her but I know she is there. So I decided to name her and for now she can be rent free. Hehe! Can't wait to see little Daisyettes and Donalds running around soon.

I noticed a new thing where people can follow a blog. Now that is cool! I have a follower! I don't know her yet but plan on reading her blog to get to know her. Wanna be my follower Flannie? ROFL!

The torture continues!

2009-01-09T13:47:00.003-06:00

This is the much discussed element of torture. I spent 40 minutes on this thing this morning and went 10.24 miles total. I am sticking to the 40 minutes every other day. So far this is working. I don't know what the weight loss is for the week but still would like to go with the 2 lbs. a week.

So He has opened up His storehouses again. It is looking like a snowglobe outside. Did I mention I am not a big fan of winter?

A new adventure begins!

2009-01-08T16:51:00.003-06:00

Okay so I have joined Mulitmom in her get healthy and blogging adventure. Since Thanksgiving I have successfully lost 5 lbs. Yipee! While everyone else gains during the holidays I have lost. My hubby and I have purchased a schwinn airdyne for Christmas. I use that torture device every other day for 40 min. in the morning. I would do every day but so far I am fine and honestly would be afraid of burnout if I did every day. So I have a goal to lose another 10 by Valentine's day. That is 2 lb. a week and very reasonable. So here we go folks. Stay tuned for the roller coaster ride that is my life. Hehe!

My Chemistry Prayers Were Answered!

2008-12-17T19:20:00.002-06:00

I found out today that I passed Chemistry with a B just like I thought I would yesterday!!! Wahoooooo! There is still a whole ordeal going on with the psych test. Hopefully things will work out. Hopefully and prayerfully in my favor.

Bittersweet

2008-12-16T13:36:00.002-06:00

Well my semester is officially over. It has been a bittersweet journey. I had an online course that the whole grade was based on one test. Welp...I flunked it. I go in tomorrow to talk to the instructor. I did everything right but stink at testing apparantly. So now I must retake this course. I found it boring and interesting at the same time. Odd but true. So that is the bitter. The sweet is I believe I have passed my chem course with a B. I will know by the end of the day today. This is the sweet. I am confident in the test I took today for that course. I don't think I have ever prayed so much over a test in my life. Wait...the psych test that I flunked. Yep prayed earnestly before, during, and after both tests. Let's hope this one doesn't turn out like the other. I don't know if I can take another hit like that. It is hard to come from being on the Dean's list to this.

Next semester? Let's see...I will be mastering the classes of Anatomy and Physiology (one class) and Developmental Psychology. Let the praying begin!!! I will, as usual, put my everything into these classes. I take this stuff seriously. I am not in it to just get by. I want to do well.

So on to other topics I suppose. Hmmm...winter. It is also kinda bittersweet. I really do not like the cold. Not one bit. But with it comes some of the nicest things. To get out of this funk maybe I should list my top 10 likes and dislikes about winter. Let's take a lookee loo!

LIKES
10. It doesn't last all year!
9. I can wear some really snuggly sweaters.
8. There are plenty of opportunities to take cool snow pictures.
7. Spring is even closer than it was before (this is nice because after a while you get tired of wearing those sweaters).
6. Comfort foods.
5. The twinkle of snow is kinda pretty.
4. Christmas lights.
3. The fact I don't have to wear a bathing suit! Woohoo!
2. The quality time I get to spend with my husband. Yipeee!
1. The birth of our Saviour Jesus!

DISLIKES
10. It's cold.
9. The ice.
8. The dirt and salt that gets on everything!
7. It's cold.
6. I hate wearing the heavy parka.
5. The lack of sunshine.
4. It's cold.
3. Dry air.
2. It drags on for months and months.
1. Did I mention it's cold?!

Is it really that time again?

2008-08-04T20:38:00.002-05:00

It appears that it is almost school time again. Wasn't it just a week or so ago I was saying that summer was going by too quickly? Now it is going even quicker! It is less than a month that not only do the kids start but I start back as well. So much I wanted to do this summer and it all seems to have to be crammed into one month. Nothing major, just little things like the zoo, more beach trips and various other summer like things. I suppose that I will be happy to see cooler weather. After all my favorite season is fall. I just wish that it lasted longer. Oh well. I think I am going to head over to Mountain Mama's blog and peek around. Have a fun time!

2008-07-18T10:39:00.002-05:00

Yes I know I said I would keep this updated a lot more often and that I have failed to do so. Quite honestly I don't even know if anyone reads this anymore. I know I have one reader who is a wonderful woman (Mountain Mama) and who always has the nicest things to say. But I will still ramble on as if there were a whole bunch of people out there who still read this.

So far summer has been busy and I really wish it would slow down a bit. I am doing my best to make sure the kids have a good summer and that we all enjoy the hot weather the best way we can. So some days are beach days (not enough though), some are indoor days (either too hot or raining), some are errand days, some are backyard days, and hopefully we will have a zoo day and other surprise days.

School is a coming. Sooner than I'd like. I keep seeing the back to school stuff and I am so not ready to deal with that yet. All of us start back in September. I have only registered for 2 classes so that I don't put too much on my plate. Hopefully this fall semester goes as good as the spring one did.

Okay I think that is all I have in me to write at the moment. Have a blessed summer!

My Vacation.

2008-06-03T11:46:00.002-05:00

For those who want to know how my vacation went, read on. For those who don't, STOP READING NOW!

Overall I would say the vacation went well. I have come back tired but it is a good tired. The kind where a few nights in your own bed will be all you need. The weather was good on all but one day and even when it rained we made the most of it.

Where did we go? We went so far north that there was no more of the great U.S.of A. to see. We stayed on a small lake in a modern cabin. By modern I mean it had 3 bedrooms, 1 1/2 bath, loft, kitchen (fridge, stove, sink, and pots and pans) and they newly added a microwave. But they do not have televisions, clocks, radios, or any modern stuff like that.

What did we do? Well the little ones (8 & 10) did a lot of playing outside in the sand and stuff. I'm not sure what they did really. They played until they were told to come inside. I do know that they had fun. They went fishing a little. We gave them a bobber and they each caught some bluegills. The oldest of my offspring (13) did a lot of fishing. He didn't catch anything until the last day. Then he caught a 17 inch northern pike. He was so excited. He thought he was going to come home having caught nothing. Other than that he played outside with the little ones some. As for us adults we relaxed. I did some fishing, helped the little ones fish, took pictures, and sometimes just sat around and did nothing. Hubby also did some fishing both off the docks (like the rest of us) and a little in the rowboat (provided by the lodge). He tried taking the oldest out with him in the boat a couple of times. Well needless to say, the two of them in a boat don't mix. Too much testosterone in one boat. As a family we would go out daily for a drive into some of the nearby towns and grab lunch. We also went for a hike in the woods which I have no idea how long it was. One night we even made a campfire and it lasted through the rain!

The bad stuff? Well the mosquito were ravenous and decided to feast on us. I received some nice bites right on my face (one even on the edge of the lip). OW!! There were also some nasty flies that seemed to be everywhere. Yes we did use spray but that didn't work. We all look like we were test subjects on a mosquito farm. Oh...I almost forgot. TICKS!! We were test subjects at a tick farm as well.

Unforgetable moments? Oh there are so many. The bug bites will certainly be on our minds for the near future. The smell of my hair the day after the campfire (I never knew hair could hold so much smoke scent!). My husband getting the nickname of "turtle killer" due to the fact he didn't see a small turtle in the road and accidentally ran it over (a sound I will never forget). My oldest son's first freshwater fish. It was certainly a priceless moment. My poor daughter recovering from her first encounter with a tick (after removing all of them from the clothes there was still one left on her back that needed to be carefully removed from her skin). My youngest son earning the nickname "skeeter" (they followed him everywhere!). But I guess what I will remember the most is really the whole trip. It was wonderful.

My Condolences.

2008-05-22T17:24:00.002-05:00

One of my alltime favorite Christian singers is Steven Curtis Chapman. His music has blessed me for what seems like a lifetime. I was first introduced to his music at a youth camp called Centrifuge and the song The Great Adventure. Yesterday Steven and his family lost someone precious to them. Steven and Mary Beth's adopted daughter Maria has gone to be with the Lord. My heart ached when I heard the news. Please lift this family up in prayer. You can find their story here.

It's party time!!

2008-05-17T09:29:00.002-05:00

This semester is officially over and I have managed to squeak out a 4.0 gpa! I am so excited. I have never had a 4.0 so this is a first for me. Okay I just thought I'd share that little bit of info. Enjoy your day. :D

Pull up a seat. It's gonna be a long one.

2008-05-14T19:52:00.002-05:00

It has been a long time since I last posted something. For this I apologize. So if you are ready for a nice long read that may or may not bore the snot outta you, continue on.

As most of you know last July I was diagnosed with Hashimoto's. At the time my TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone) was a little over 7. The range for normal is .3 to 3.0. My endocronologist told me our goal was to get it to 1.0 or slightly lower. Well as of this week we have completed that goal. I am now officially at .75. I am feeling better as far as this goes. I will be returning to this doc in 3 months to check and make sure I am still at or close to this number. I am so excited that I have reached this point. I am told it could take several months after you get to this point for your body to fully feel better and to notice some positive changes. I would think so! This poor body has taken almost a year to get here. Every couple months I would go in for a blood test, wait a day, get the results, and then be prescribed a higher dosage of Synthroid. So the fact I am at this goal is a relief for me.

I think I mentioned that back in February of this year I had been diagnosed with PCOS with Insulin Resistance. Well the first month on the medication (Metformin ER) I was so very nausous. Even the thought of food made my stomach churn. It has gotten better. I was told to follow an eating plan (South Beach phase 2) to help with the weight and that would help the meds do what they are supposed to do. Okay so I haven't been able to do that. I am currently experimenting with different foods to see what my body likes and dislikes. This can be an unpleasant thing. Some foods have you in the restroom within an hour or so. I try to do all my experimenting at home. Now I love salads. Absolutely love them. But I have found out that I can not eat the big ones like I used to. Too much roughage. I have also lost the ability to enjoy some of my faves like pizza, some pastas, and fast food. So it may be a while before I will be able to figure out all of the food stuff. I admit at first I tried it full force. All that did was discourage me and quite honestly made me mad. So this way I learn what my body likes. Every body is different.

In this journey with all of this I have also learned the importance of taking vitamins. When taking the Metformin, your body doesn't absorb enough b vitamins. This then makes me tired. So lately I have been feeling really tired. When it dawned on me the problem I started taking more vitamins. Not just b but all of them. This has started to make a difference. It is so important for all of us to make sure we get the right amount of vitamins and minerals every day.

School is finally over for the semester. Now I am just waiting for the instructors to grace me with the grades. I am confident I have made an A in all three classes. For the fall I have chosen chemistry and psychology. I hope they go as smoothly as these 3 have. I have found out that just because I used to stink at something doesn't mean I stink at it now. That being said, there is a reason why I didn't take chem in high school. I stunk at science type stuff. Ha! And here I am going to be a nurse. Yeah! That's a surprise to me too.

Okay now that you are almost asleep I will stop. I don't want to be responsible for any of you banging your heads cuz you're nodding off. I will do my best to post more often and hopefully not just about my medical woes.

Doing Better

2008-03-15T08:55:00.002-05:00

Well the cold has officially been kicked. Finally! But at the same time I had started a new medication for the P.C.O.S. named Metformin. This stuff made me really nausous. Thankfully today I feel much better and the nausea seems to be gone. I am so glad that this seems to be helping me feel better.

School is still going good. Currently I am on spring break. Oh boy! For me this means I have a week to catch up on some studying and some research work. I remember spring break as a kid meant time to not worry about school and just have fun and sometimes a vacation if your parents so felt the urge. Well apparantly when you get older and go to school all that fun just goes out the window. Oh well. It is nice not having to go to class for a week.

Mountain Mama thank you for all your kind words. You have no idea what they truly mean. You are such a wonderfully sweet woman.

Yes I am still here.

2008-03-06T16:24:00.002-06:00

So much time has gone by since I last posted. OOPS!

Well so far school is going pretty well. I am getting an A in my math class, a who knows what in my medical terminology class, and a guess what your grade is in my written communication class. The last two are kind of hard to figure since the instructors have given assignments and haven't really given a grade on some of it. So I plug along and do my best. I have learned my lesson though. I can only take 2 classes at a time. Three just seems to put too much stress on me.

Home life is okay. Somebody gave me a nasty cold and it is kicking my behind. I don't like to take cold medicine because it makes me drowsy and I am tired enough as it is.

Recently I was diagnosed with P.C.O.S. on top of already having Hashimoto's. I have been on a roller coaster ride trying to get all of my medications adjusted so that I can feel better. I have a good endocrinologist who is helping me with this. I was told to go eat a low carb diet. Well diet isn't the term I suppose I want to use. It is a way of eating for life. He suggested that I do South Beach phase 2. So there goes all of my yummy cookies, cakes, pastas, and a lot of other things that I have grown to enjoy eating. But for my health I will do it. One of the symptoms of these is being tired. Hence why I don't like to take cold medicine. How nice it will be when one day I can make it through the day without wanting to take a nap every 10 minutes. But I know God is in control so I don't worry. I just plug along.

Ahhh....plugging along. Anybody want a nasty cold? I am giving it away for free. Just kidding. I wouldn't wish this on anyone.

I cut back on work. I now only work on Saturdays. I couldn't hack 2 days of work, 2 days of actual classes, plus housework, homework, and taking care of my lovely family. It was just too much. Thankfully I have a wonderful boss and she completely understands.

Is it spring yet? Seriously I cannot wait for this winter to be over. I am so very sick and tired of it. I haven't bothered to clean my car in several months because I know the minute I do it will look the same way in a day or so. I don't know if I have said this before but winter is my least favorite season. I don't like the cold. So please spring, come quick!!!

And so a new chapter begins.

2008-01-17T09:59:00.000-06:00

Today I start my first class. A little bit nervous but I am sure I'll be fine. I have 3 courses this semester. I have a college math course (have I said that I am terrible at higher levels of math and that I hate it?), a written communication class (can anyone say EASY!?), and medical terminology (which I think I will truly enjoy). The bad news is I am told I will have to take chemistry next because I didn't take it in high school. I don't look forward to this one. I don't know how long it is going to take to finish all courses in this nursing program. Thankfully I can take it at my own pace.

Gobble, Gobble!

2007-11-21T19:36:00.000-06:00

So it is that time of year where we all sit down to a meal with family and give thanks. This is something we should do more often than once a year. A tradition around our table is each of us goes around and tells what we are thankful for. This is also something I think we should do more often. I personally am thankful for the Lord's perfect timing. This year has brought a whole lot of things my way and none of them were expected but yet they were all timed perfectly by the Father. We only think about being thankful once a year? C'mon! Every day before we lay our heads down for the much needed rest, do we say thanks? Do we tell the Master how thankful we are for all the blessings He gave us? For the overlooked miracles? I admit I may not always do this but I am certainly trying. I do my best to wake up every morning and thank the Creator for the gift of a new day and end my evenings thanking Him for the day again. So today I am thankful for the following reasons (in no particular order)

My husband. We may not always see eye to eye or even be on the same page, but, he is the most wonderful man in the world. The Lord has truly blessed me with such an amazing man. It is a miracle to find someone to share the rest of your life with. Think about it...one...just for me...perfectly picked by my loving Father who knows my needs and wants. The perfect man for me. Yep that's my husband.

My 3 precious children. They may test my patience and I may be called "the worst mom ever" sometimes, but, they are the most loving and precious people in the world. Children are miracles no matter how you look at it. They started so microscopically yet they are people! How creative is He who made them. Their quirks, strengths, weaknesses, and their personality. Each one individual. He gave these 3 perfectly created humans to my husband and I. How blessed am I? Very!

The health of my family and myself. We are whole. Just because I was diagnosed with Hashimoto's doesn't mean I am not a whole healthy person. The perfect timing of God lead me to be diagnosed in time to get started on meds so that when I start taking my college courses in January my mind is clear and not foggy and I can have better memory. We are all healthy. That is a blessing in and of itself.

Our new home, my immediate and extended family, my friends, a new day to spend with those I love, and above all else I am thankful for that Baby who was born all those years ago who would grow to be a man who would die for me and my sins.

What are you thankful for today?

Pear tree in fall

2007-11-04T14:58:00.001-06:00

Here is a picture of our ornamental pear tree so far this fall. That's not our house in the photo. Isn't she a beauty? For her first fall with us I am happy to see her behaving like she should. Our redbud on the other hand hasn't had leaves since the first month or so. I hope to have beautiful spring photos of each of them.

It's update time!

2007-11-02T16:18:00.000-05:00

Okay so it has been a while since I have written anything on here. Yes I am still alive and here. So since I am here I suppose you expect me to update huh? Okay you don't have to twist my arm! Geesh! lol

So my hubby enjoyed his trip I gave him. He said it was exactly what he needed. He took a few pictures to show me what it was like. Once he knew where he was going he didn't stop talking about it. He still hasn't! I am glad I was able to give him something he not only needed but wanted. He says he will have to do that once a year. I explained to him that I'm not going to be the one to foot the bill though. He makes a lot more than I do.

As for me I have been diagnosed with Hashimoto's disease. This is an auto-immune disease in which your body attacks your thyroid as if it is not supposed to be there. At first it bothered me and I had a hard time dealing with it. Mainly because the thought of this body that God gave me wasn't supposed to attack itself. But through prayers of many of my online friends and those in my family I have told, I am okay with it. Right now my endocronologist is closely monitoring my dosage of Synthroid to make sure I get a dose that will work for me. He is slowly upping the dose every 3 months. He says this gives my body time to adjust to and react to the new dosage. I am slowly getting less forgetful, becoming less fatigued, getting a clearer mind, and just basically getting better. I have a whole lot of symptoms that I didn't think were symptoms until I read about it. There is a family history of thyroid disorders but I am the first to be diagnosed with Hashimoto's. But no big deal. I have God on my side and so I have nothing to worry about.

I begin taking classes in January to start my way to become a nurse. I am taking the pre-requisite courses a little at a time. I am in no hurry and thankfully this college nearby let's you learn at your own pace. Perfect for this stay at home mom who also has a part time job (until shopping season begins in a few weeks then it is closer to full time) and a new home to deal with. I am excited about this new adventure.

So I guess that is all for now. I will try to be a little more frequent in my posts.

Surprise?

2007-09-12T20:17:00.000-05:00

I am thinking of getting my husband a 3 night getaway for himself for an anniversary gift. I am really nervous about this because I have never done anything like this before. The getaway would be to a place that we have been to before many times and it would give him time to get away to go do some hunting. I just don't know if this is something I should realy do or just a bad idea. If anyone has any input now is the time please. I am getting the pricing together and so far I am saving $100 from normal rates. Which is a lot! I can work the extra hours while the kids are in school and can pay for it myself so that is not an issue. I guess I am just mostly nervous. I am terrible at keeping these kinds of secrets and my hubby is rather picky about stuff so ....I guess you can see why I am nervous. I have been wanting to do something like this for him for a while but never had the guts or the money to do it. This year I have the ability to make the necessary money to pay for his trip and all. *sigh* Am I wrong to be nervous? Would any of you men please speak up?

Enough already!!!

2007-08-22T19:24:00.000-05:00

Geesh! I am getting so sick and tired of all these E.D. commercials! I have 3 kids and no matter what we watch the television is bombarded with them. We are watching a wholesome game of football on Monday night and here it comes.....the inevitable E.D. commercial. Try explaining this to your 7 year old daughter what erectile dysfunction is. Come on already!!!!! Enough with this! Who cares if you are having problems?! You have obviously seen enough commercials by now to know to talk to your doctor so why do the drug companies insist on bombarding us with these commercials? Excuse my rant. It just makes me soooooo very mad. I can't go and watch something family without one of these commercials on. Even the news shows. Come on already. I am not being biased either. I am not fond of all the female monthly product commercials either. I understand the reason behind advertising but there are some things that shouldn't be advertised.

Creepy Critter!!

2007-08-06T20:49:00.001-05:00

Above is the critter himself. Don't know what he is but I'm not too fond of him. Below is this creepy critter next to a quarter. Don't care what he is and hope to never see him again. He's free to a good home!!! If you can find him you can keep him!!! *shudders* ooohhhh he's creepy!

Fuzzy stuff

2007-08-05T16:58:00.000-05:00

Lookee what I found on the underleaf of my crimson king. This fuzzy little guy was trying to get some much needed shade on a hot summer day. Can't say I blame him either. He sure was hard to get a clear picture of. Even though it was really hot we had some wind too. So I ended up holding the leaf still and looking up from the bottom. I came back later to see if he was still there and he wasn't. I was hoping to find him but he apparantly had other ideas.

The tree pics

2007-08-05T12:51:00.000-05:00

Here are a few of my trees. The first is my pear tree before it was planted and the second is my redbud. Can't get a pic of the crimson king just yet without capturing info (lisence plates, cars with phone #'s, etc.) on it. I like to remain unlocated if you could say that.

My trees.

2007-08-02T20:59:00.000-05:00

Well we had our trees planted on Tuesday. They arent the flowering crabs but we like them just the same. We have a Crimson King maple tree out front, an Ornamental Pear tree in one corner of our backyard, and a Redbud tree in the other corner of the backyard. I am rather excited to see their fall colors and certainly their spring flowers. I might take some pix and show them to all of you. Silly like a kid is how I felt when I saw them planting them.

Flowering crab trees

2007-07-16T13:45:00.000-05:00

I may be planting 3 flowering crab trees in my yard. I'd post a picture of one but there are so many that I can't decide on which photo to link to. A friend of ours has 3 that are 10-12 years old that we intend on planting soon. I am so excited! My aunt is worried that my neighbors (I have one kiddie corner in the back and another on one side) might not like my trees due to the shedding of the flowers and the fruit. We were told by our friend that these don't bear fruit. I don't know if that is possible but that is what he says. Well I did a quick search just now and apparantly there are some that don't bear fruit. They are called Spring Snow. I shall check this out further. They sure are pretty. Once we get them in I will take a few pics to share. But I just thought I'd share this good news.

Busy as a Bee!

2007-07-11T11:17:00.000-05:00

Now that we have been in the house for a month things are slowing down a bit but I am still busy as a bee. Between helping my mother in law get everything in order to move into an apt. nearby (and a nice one at that), keeping up with my house (as far as getting it put together just the way we want it), cleaning my house, keeping the kids somewhat entertained, working and just doing the regular things you could say I am one busy little bee. It's all good though. I'm not complaining. The Lord has truly blessed us and I am so grateful.

I came to the realization that fall is coming upon us soon. YAY!! It is my favorite season. What brought this realization on? The fact that places are starting to put out some fall type stuff. Now if we could just get through summer.

So I suppose this is all for now. I am hoping to get back to this more often. Maybe with real content! lol

I've got grass!!!

2007-06-18T21:33:00.000-05:00

It has taken a little over a week of watering seeds day and evening and we finally have grass! Not a lot but we have some. I am praying for rain. I have sunburnt my shoulders from being out early in the morning watering. Okay I know this isn't the best post but I am excited! It may sound so little of a thing but I just wanted to share. Blessings to all.

All moved in!!!

2007-06-04T16:43:00.000-05:00

Well we moved into our new house on Thursday morning. It was a somewhat trouble free transition. We currently live in a fish bowl due to our blinds not getting here until Wednesday or Thursday. I LOVE my new house! The kids love it too. They are excited at all the room they have to play. Which means more room to cause trouble but that is just a fact of life. We have a nice yard (once they put our grass seed in). The only major hiccup was our new furniture not arriving on time (2 days late!). I am finally starting to feel a little rested. I never knew buying and moving into a new house could be so tiring and stressful. But overall we are truly blessed. The Lord blessed us with a nice house in a nice neighborhood. There are a lot of nice things about this house. So anyway...just thought I'd give a quick update. I hope to be blogging more soon.

Mother's Day!

2007-05-13T17:48:00.000-05:00

First of all I would like to say "HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!" to all you mommies or mommies to be out there.

So far today has been pretty good. The day started with me waking up early (5:30) to the sound of the kids having a good time in their room talking and giggling. After hubby got up things got a little better. From him and the kids I received a bottle of Jessica Mclintock perfume (smells like lilies!). I love the smell! Then the kids each gave me a card. My oldest gave me a vase he made in school, my middle one gave me some candy he bought at the store yesterday (they didn't make anything at school) and my youngest gave me a place mat with her picture on it and a coupon for a local restaurant. I then went and picked up my MIL and we took her out for lunch then brought her back here for a while. I drove her past our new house (yes we finally got one and I love it!) and asked her opinion of the color. She says it looks light gray and my husband says it is a green. Oh well! It doesn't matter. Now my husband is taking his mommy home and I am here listening to the kids brush their teeth and sing. Overall it has been a pretty good day. I hope all of you had a wonderful day as well.

Homemade Rainforest

2007-04-13T18:29:00.000-05:00

My daughter has a project due on Monday about a creature in the rainforest. She chose poison dart frogs. So today we sat down and put this together. Mommy did all the hot glue type stuff (which is most of it) and she did the strategic placing of the frog stickers and the yellow frog in the log and the bug stickers. It was rather easy to do and she is so proud of it. It is amazing what you can do with toilet paper tubes, a paper towel tube, a frozen pizza cardboard thing, hot glue, crayons, stickers and some fake plants from the local hobby store.

And the Search Continues!

2007-04-13T12:40:00.000-05:00

We put an offer in on the house and they didn't take it. We offered what it was worth and they told us it was insulting. So our search continues. The house had no upgrades or anything that makes it worth what they were asking. So the walking shoes go back on. For those of you who have been praying for us I thank you so very much. *hugs*

Spring Break

2007-04-11T12:59:00.000-05:00

Since when does Spring break come with snow? Between kids who are itching to go outside but can't because of the nasty weather and all the house hunting this Spring break stinks! My poor kids are being drug around from house to house and now it is snowing. Have I told you that I hate winter weather? If not I am saying it now. I HATE WINTER WEATHER!!!! I can't let the kids outside to play because my neighbors (those who have dogs) refuse to clean up after their doggie poo. So they are stuck inside. I may need that wig earlier than I originally thought. On the brighter side I think we have narrowed the house search down to one but then hubby asked me to see if there were any others in a specific neighborhood. I contacted our realtor and she is going to look into it for me. We had it narrowed to 2 this morning but we found out the house we were thinking of sold but there was a similar one in another neighborhood. We decided against that one because it was too close to the train tracks. So I may know by next week where we will be moving to. That makes me happy.

Anyone got a wig?

2007-04-02T17:56:00.000-05:00

Does anyone know where I can find an excellent quality wig? I am going to need one soon if we don't find a house! This home search is causing me to go out of my mind. I know it is in God's hands but I am getting a little impatient. I called and scheduled the mover so that we at least have the mover for the day we are supposed to move out. Where are we going? I dunno. Most days I have a peace about the situation knowing that God will provide us the right house in the right location for the right price. Then there are times like right now. I am so frustrated and irritated that we don't know were we are going to be 2 months from now. I am always organized and prepared but this time it is completely out of my hands and my control. That is fine most days. I know...let go and let God. Sometimes that is so much easier said than done.

Daddy

2007-03-08T17:23:00.000-06:00

On St. Patricks day this handsome young man would've turned 63. This is my daddy. He died in 1986 of suicide. This is my favorite picture of him. I sure do miss him. Sometimes I wonder what it would've been like to know him as an adult. No this is not a pity party but I wanted to share with all of you this handsome man. I have no idea what that thing is he is on but he sure thinks it's cool so apparantly it was.

A Humble Request

2007-03-07T21:03:00.000-06:00

We found out on Monday that our apt. manager has decided not to renew our lease. We have lived here for 4 years and have payed in full on time. We feel that this is a personal thing (we complain more than she would like about things that need to be dealt with on the property). So this means we have to move. We are going this week to speak with somebody about a mortgage and purchasing a new home. My humble request is prayer for us during this process. That the Lord will put the right people in the right place and direct us to the right home for us.

Stolen from Flannel

2007-02-05T10:08:00.001-06:00

I'm dubya!

You Are Most Like George W. Bush

So what if you're not exactly popular? You still rule the free world.And while you may be quite conservative now, you knew how to party back in the day!

What Modern US President Are You Most Like?

Forbidden Fruit

2007-01-19T18:54:00.000-06:00

I was sitting here earlier and a thought caught my mind and hasn't let go. Eve and the forbidden fruit. In Genesis 3:6 it states:

"When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it."

Now the common portrayal of the forbidden fruit is depicted as an apple. What if it was more like a pineapple? Stick with me here.

Apples are easy to eat. You just wipe them off and they are ready to go. So if Eve ate something similar to an apple the choice to eat the fruit took minimal effort on her part. She just took a bite. Some sin today is like that. Easy to swallow and taking minimal effort.

Pineapples are not as easy to eat. You have to take your time and energy to get to the fruit of the thing. You have to actually think about it and concentrate on it.

So what if the forbidden fruit was something like a pineapple. Let's say it was. She would have to be constantly thinking about the fact she was preparing this forbidden fruit and that she was going against God's wishes. For Adam it is still easy to eat because she just hands the fruit to him. She was willingly and knowingly going against God and it wasn't bothering her (nothing in this verse suggests that she showed any emotion when partaking of the fruit).

So some of our sins are like the apple. Easy to swallow and take minimal effort and easily accessible. Some on the other hand take effort. We know it is wrong but we knowingly partake in it even if it isn't easy. Why? Why is it easier to think Eve ate an apple than a pineapple? With the apple there was little time to back out but with a pineapple there is plenty of time to back out and change your mind. Isn't it a little possible to think that maybe the forbidden fruit wasn't an apple type fruit (easily eaten) but maybe a pineapple type (more difficult to get to the actual fruit)? Some may not get what I am saying here but to me it makes sense. Please let me hear your comments on this.

Happy New Year!!!!

2006-12-31T18:42:00.000-06:00

The title says it all....HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Early openings!

2006-12-24T16:19:00.000-06:00

So we opened a few gifts today (makes it easier for my mother in law to deal with tomorrow). We will open the rest tomorrow. So one of my biggest scores this year was this vacuum from my hubby and kids. As you can see I already used it. I COULDN'T HELP IT! My parents bought us a second digital camera cuz hubby uses the other for work mostly. I am going crazy with picture taking. We didn't need the second one (and I told them that when they asked about it) but they got it anyway. The children are having a blast. We were blessed this year and were able to afford some nicer things for the kids. I pray that all of you will be blessed this Christmas season and in the year to come.

'Tis the season

2006-12-24T06:51:00.000-06:00

christmas images

Merry Christmas everyone! May the Lord bless you this Christmas season and in the year to come. Have a safe and happy one! *hugs*

Frozen to death.

2006-12-12T16:40:00.001-06:00

Well the bat type resident is frozen to death. He fell off the window today. Saw him fall off and not fly away. Poor critter.

An idea stolen from Mountain Mama.

2006-12-11T13:46:00.000-06:00

So one of my favorite ladies on the net (Mountain Mama) had a wonderful idea so I decided to copy her. Here are a few of my favorite Christmas decorations.

This picture is of a little church that you put a tealight inside and it lights up real pretty.
Ahhh...3 for 1. The top is an ornament my husband bought a few years ago, the cardinal is one he bought this year and the glass one is one I bought last year. Each year we get an ornament for the tree and these are some of my favorites other than those made by the children.
Awww! Our first tree ornament! I think it is adorable.
This cute little acorn opens up. I keep hoping one of these days I will open it and there will actually be something in there. HEY! A girl can hope can't she?

Our little friend.

2006-12-02T08:28:00.000-06:00

I believe our little friend on the window is a little brown bat. His body is about 3-4 inches. I thought he might be an Indiana bat but they are only 2 inches or less. He will probably be there until it warms up. The kids know not to disturb him while he sleeps. The picture below is one I found searching the net for little brown bats.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

2006-12-01T15:21:00.000-06:00

And to think....it's not even winter yet! I woke up to this lovely weather this morning. Everything is all clear now and starting to melt a little. My kids were so happy that they got a snow day.

The kids woke up to this little critter this morning. He is still alive but probably cold. We open the window every once in a while to let some warmth out. We have no other way to help him. Poor thing.

Thanksgiving

2006-11-20T18:30:00.000-06:00

This is a picture of me and my grandmother (now deceased) on Thanksgiving many years ago.

Five things I am thankful for:

1.My Saviour
2.My husband
3.My children
4.All the new friends I have made on and off line
5.Turkey dinner!

Missing you!

2006-11-11T13:10:00.000-06:00

So yesterday was Granparents day at my 2 youngests' school. We have no grandparents close by so they were kinda screwed. My son looks at me on the way to school and says it is all my fault because I moved to "insert my location here" and that he was upset with me for this. We have been invited to go "home" for Thanksgiving but my hubby has work and stuff. So we can't go. This makes me really sad. I miss my family like crazy! So if you have family nearby, treasure them. I mean really appreciate it for all it's worth. Both the good and the bad. Your reality may be my dream and my reality may be yours. Now go give them all a big hug!

Seglem or Herr

2006-11-03T17:08:00.000-06:00

I was wondering if anyone out there recognized anyone in this picture? It is a family photo and I only know 2 people in here and they are my grandparents (the newlyweds in the front row). So if anyone out there knows anyone in this photo please leave me a comment. Thank you.

Halloween

2006-10-25T17:50:00.000-05:00

I know a lot of people celebrate it but in my house we have chosen not to. It happens to be the birthday of one of my son's. That is not the reason we do not celebrate Halloween. As I have explained it to my children...it doesn't celebrate God or love or anything good. Just look at the decorations. Symbols of death and fear. The teachers are always understanding about this and I am thankful for that. I just wish that when we are out somewhere and somebody asks my kids what they are going to be for Halloween and we kindly explain to them we don't celebrate it that people wouldn't look at me as if I were insane or part of some cult. When I was growing up and I lived with my father and step-mother they celebrated Halloween and of course I got dressed up in some silly and some uncomfortable costumes. When I got older (think early teens) and was given by God another set of parents to have guardianship of me, they did not celebrate Halloween. I have chosen to follow in that and pray that my children understand the reasons why we have chosen to not celebrate this day. My family is of course understanding but my husbands family has a harder time understanding it. My mother in law has always insisted that it is not a bad day and that it's roots are in something good. It doesn't matter if that is true or not. I am not going to celebrate a day of fear. I have been freed of fear by the strypes of the Lamb. So every year I have to ask her not to get the chilren Halloween stuff and every year I hear the story of how it started out as a day for saints or something like that. I promise people...I am not insane or in a cult so you can quit looking at me that way. Is it really so rare that people don't celebrate Halloween? I know I have ranted on again but I just wanted to put this out there.

Let Heaven and Earth rejoice!!

2006-10-06T18:04:00.000-05:00

My 3rd grade son led 4 of his classmates in the sinners prayer today at school! I could learn a thing or two from my lovely little one!

Mixup!

2006-10-06T17:55:00.000-05:00

So I found out that my youngest needs glasses. So I took her over to get her eyes checked. She really wanted glasses so of course she tried really hard to need them. The doc said she needed glasses for reading. So I say okay and wait 10 days for the glasses to come in. I get there and they say she needs to wear them all the time. WHAT?! So after talking to them she got to see a different doc only to find out that the original prescription was wrong and she has astygmatism and will need to wear these glasses all the time. So here I am frustrated as can be that something as important as her eyes were misdiagnosed. This prescription is correct we had it double checked.

Another new addition!

2006-09-15T19:13:00.000-05:00

Welcome to my new niece Sydney (I think that's how it's being spelled)! She was born this morning to my younger sister and both are happy and healthy.

An introduction.

2006-09-15T19:07:00.000-05:00

This is my nephew Wiley. I thought I had introduced him to you but looking around it appears I did not. He was born on July 20th to my little brother and his wife. Welcome Wiley! Isn't he a cutie pie? I haven't seen him in person due to geographical issues but I still hold a special place in my heart for him.

The Importance of Your Mouth/Tongue

2006-09-12T09:44:00.000-05:00

As taken from the NIV.
Proverbs 10:11
The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life, but violence overwhelms the mouth of the wicked.
Proverbs 10:19 When words are many, sin is not absent, but he who holds his tongue is wise.
Proverbs 12:18 Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.
Proverbs 12:19 Truthful lips endure forever, but a lying tongue lasts only a moment.
Proverbs 13:3 He who guards his lips guards his life, but he who speaks rashly will come to ruin.
Proverbs 16:24 Pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.
Proverbs 17:28 Even a fool is thought wise if he keeps silent, and discerning if he holds his tongue.
Proverbs 18:21 The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.

These are just a few of the scriptures I have found relating to this subject and there are many more. We normally think of our mouth/tongue for just eating and drinking. But here we see that the mouth/tongue does more. What you say or don't say has a huge impact not just on those around you but you yourself as well. The following scripture even shows that when we come before God we should choose our words carefully.

Ecclesiastes 5:1-7
Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. Go near to listen rather than to offer the sacrifice of fools, who do not know that they do wrong. Do not be quick with your mouth, do not be hasty in your heart to utter anything before God. God is in heaven and you are on earth, so let your words be few. As a dream comes when there are many cares, so the speech of a fool where there are many words. When you make a vow to God, do not delay in fulfilling it. He has no pleasure in fools; fulfill your vow.It is better not to vow than to make a vow and not fulfill it. Do not let your mouth lead you into sin. And do not protest to the temple messenger, "My vow was a mistake." Why should God be angry at what you say and destroy the work of your hands?Much dreaming and many words are meaningless. Therefore stand in awe of God.

I could go on and on about this. I didn't even list all the scriptures (which I was really thinking of doing). I just pray that you take what is here to heart.

DMV sucks!

2006-09-01T10:12:00.000-05:00

So I had to go renew my drivers license today. The last picture I had was okay. This one not okay! The lady says stand over here and the minute I looked up...SNAP! The picture was taken! UGH! As in UGLY! Do they try to give you a bad picture? Do they have contests to see who can take the most ugly pictures? What a way to start your birthday, at the DMV taking the worst picture in the world. I think that is the end of my ranting for the day. Maybe later I will have something worthwhile to say.

What?!

2006-08-20T09:39:00.000-05:00

I was surfing around this morning and found this article. I thought of Alyfireman and how dangerous his job must really be.

Cat in tree leads to shots fired.

You have got to be kidding me!

One more picture.

2006-08-18T16:12:00.000-05:00

Look closely because that is the only picture you will ever see with me in it. I am the one in the white shirt and the green shirted fella is my son.

Some pics from a recent trip.

2006-08-18T15:38:00.000-05:00

We recently went on a trip and my hubby took some nice nature photos that I thought I would share with you. Enjoy! :D

Rude?

2006-07-21T18:40:00.000-05:00

Out of respect for others I am always on time or a little early (5-10 minutes at the most). Maybe I am just a freak but to me being on time = respect. I find it disrespectful when people are always late. I have a friend who is always, and I mean always, late. She will call 10 minutes before she is supposed to be here and say she is just now leaving. She lives 25 minutes away. Which means she will be here in 35 minutes. At first I ignored it but it has become an ongoing problem. Today we had a certain amount of time we could spend with the kids at the zoo. Her lateness caused a ripple effect in the day. We spent less time enjoying ourselves (it takes 30 min. to get to zoo;had to leave by 1 p.m. so she could make it to pick up her hubby at 2; left 1 1/2 hours to see zoo and feed kids) and more time driving. Like I said...maybe I am a freak about this but I found it rude. I understand that it happens sometimes. Every time though?! I know some people are just late people. So in saying that wouldn't it have been responsible (knowing there is a time constraint) to show up on time? For those of you who fall into the late category I think 5-10 minutes is okay but anything more is kinda rude. The later than the 10 minute mark, I find it more disrespectful. So calling a few minutes before you are supposed to be there and saying you are just now leaving and live a bit away is quite rude and disrespectful. If you are already most of the way there and call is not as disrespectful. It at least shows you at least tried to get there on time. Like I said...maybe I'm a freak about this. Am I overreacting? I don't think I am. But if I am I'm sure one of you will let me know.

Good Morning!

2006-07-19T08:12:00.000-05:00

Good Morning friends and neighbors! I just thought I would say good morning. That is all. Have a wonderful day!

Support? Hah!

2006-07-14T08:07:00.000-05:00

Okay I have spent the last 2 days dealing with my computer support and several other people all because something was accidentally deleted which then caused a nasty chain reaction. I am not quite sure they should call these places "support" when all they do is take forever to get to a person and when you do you get somebody who you can barely understand. And what is with this "press this" a bazillion times?

Guess who?

2006-07-11T15:56:00.000-05:00

Can anyone guess who this lovely little one is? If you guessed Emma you are correct. My beautiful niece that you all saw last year in the incubator. As you can see she is doing wonderfully well. I cannot find the picture of her that you first saw. I haven't met her yet (circumstances beyond my control) but that doesn't mean I can't oogle over her.

Angelina Jolie on CNN

2006-06-21T21:05:00.000-05:00

I don't know how many of you watched this last night. I am not one who watches CNN but this caught my eye. She was talking of the children in places like Cambodia and the horrible lives they live. After watching things like this I cry and want to go adopt every kid in these places. So much more needs to be done for these little ones. Prayer seems not nearly enough sometimes. I am wondering what can we do to help these kids? What can we do to help make the lives of women and children in places like this better? I have such a passion for children that it breaks my heart to hear of the horrible things that happen to these children. Children don't deserve to be raped, tortured, mutilated, malnourished, and without proper medicines.

I can't stop watching!!!

2006-06-02T18:38:00.000-05:00

Joe has turned me into an addict! I clicked this link and clicked Animal Cam and now I can't stop watching to see what may show up. I honestly have other things I need to do but keep staring at my screen.

More Pictures!

2006-06-02T18:12:00.000-05:00

Mountain Mama has inspired me with all of the pictures she has taken. So that being said I have some more pictures of the sky that I would like to share with you.

Crown him with many crowns! As you can tell this one reminds me of a crown.

The last two have such beautiful colors!

Some pictures I took.

2006-05-27T20:09:00.000-05:00

I took these pictures the other night. I am so amazed by the beauty the Lord creates with clouds and light.

The drain.

2006-04-23T17:53:00.000-05:00

Well I cleaned up the mess that was left in my kitchen. I called the emergency maint. number and spoke to the guy on call. He said that there was nothing he could do until Monday. I understood and finished cleaning up. Yesterday morning I decided to do some laundry. Shouldn't cause any problems right? Wrong! I watched the drain start to come up as the washer emptied. So again I call the guy on call (I work with him here so he was a little more patient with me than I would expect him to be with somebody else.) and waited and waited and waited for a return call. Finally he came out yesterday afternoon and snaked the pipe. Come to find out that it was because of my garbage disposal. Somebody is putting stuff through without grinding it up and something slimey is going down it too. I don't put grease down it for fear of the stench so I don't know what the slimey stuff was. It is all fixed now. Mountain Mama was right about the conspiracy among our appliances. So with this in mind I am awaiting the next revolt.

A whole lotta nothing.

2006-04-21T17:55:00.000-05:00

The topic says it all. You cannot say you were not warned. So if you have been having trouble sleeping lately, read on. On the other hand if you are having trouble staying awake you are best to stop reading now.

My daughter has decided to get her ears pierced. So I took her a couple of days ago. The price of getting two small holes put into your ears by some stranger has gone up. Granted the actual piercing is free but when you get to the counter to pay and the bill is $36.00 plus tax it makes you wonder. She is not having trouble sleeping it is the in and out motion when you put the solution on that bothers her. But overall she is extremely happy with the results.

So today I was talking with my boss and a topic I didn't expect to come up did. She said "You're a Christian, right?" . To which I replied " Yes I am.". Her "What church do you go to?". Me "(insert name of my church here)". Her "Do they let you read your Bible there?" This I thought was a strange question but I went on and told her of course. The reasoning behind this question was that she likes to read her Bible and wants to start attending a church that preaches the Bible and lets the congregation read theirs. She is not fond of the preachers that yell which is good. Ours speaks to us on a normal person level with some added humor to keep us interested. So I invited her to our church. What was nice was that she knew I was a Christian without me being pushy or anything like that. She knew just by me being me. That was such a wonderful thing to discover.

Why do I like blogging? This is a question that came to mind today. I think it has something to do with me being able to say whatever I want and not have people criticize me or act weird to me the next time they see me.

Oh my gosh!!!!! As I was sitting here writing this awful smell comes from my kitchen...my drain in the closet backed up completly into my kitchen, goose poop and all! UGH! Why? Now I am angry. I shouldn't type anymore when I am angry. I'll write some more later.

My tank.

2006-04-14T09:08:00.000-05:00

This is a picture if the fish tank you all have heard so much about. The red one in front is Bullet, the silver on on the top is Arrowette, the silver one on the bottom is Arrow, the red one hiding is Bella, and Otto was in the plant somewhere.

This picture is of Catgirl our catfish. I was lucky to get a picture of her because she is always in her cave under the rocks.

Balancing Act Part 3

2006-04-04T16:47:00.000-05:00

Okay so now the work and home thing is balanced it is time to balance personal life type things. This can become quite tricky. Let's see I have to get just the right balance of mom, wife, Daughter of the King, self, friend, and a few other things. I suppose it is like baking a cake or making a nice dinner. You must get the right kinds of ingredients and the right amounts in order for everything to turn out right. Food analogies...aren't they great?! So much can be compared to food. If any of you have any helpful suggestions on how to balance certain aspects of your life I am more than willing to listen.

Oh! I almost forgot. I am sure you have noticed my links have shrinked dramatically. I would like to visit more people and I was just starting to do that when things change. So...hopefully I will get around to looking at a few more people than I already do and if I like them I will add them here. It's just easier for me to find them if I put them here.

Of colds,allergies and other odds and ends.

2006-04-04T16:31:00.000-05:00

So I recovered nicely from that 24 hour flu I had only to get a nasty cold which disappeared in time for those nasty seasonal allergies. Why? Why must I get these nasty allergies every Spring? UGH!

Soon enough the kids will be out for the Summer. I am not prepared for the truth that I will be the mother of a son in Junior High ( a.k.a. Middle School). I am too young, or at least I feel that way, to have a child going into the 6th grade. The years flew by so quickly. I have so much yet to teach him that I fear that if the next 6 school years go by as fast as the last 6, I will not have the time to teach him all he needs to know to go out into the cruel world all by himself. He has a heart for the military. He has since as far back as I can remember. He has known for quite some time that he wants to be a military man. The next 6 years will be crucial in teaching him so many things he will need to know and things he thinks he doesn't need to know. I pray that I will instill in him all he needs to be a God-fearing/loving man.

My daughter's handiwork.

2006-03-25T12:25:00.000-06:00

My daughter had to make something out of wood for a project for school. While daddy nailed it together and mommy spray painted it white and hot glued the "diamonds" on she did the rest. I tried not to do too much of it for her. She chose where to put the "diamonds" and did all the pink and purple and the stenciling. Once she brings it back from school we will hang it up in her room. It sure is a girly birdfeeder. lol

A realization!

2006-03-25T12:11:00.000-06:00

Upon visiting a friends blog I came to the realization that I have been blogging for a year this month. The actual day has passed but I am still in the right month. Wow! Time sure does fly. I went back and read some of my posts and enjoyed several of them and forgot I had written others. I should look back more often.

A very merry Friday!

2006-03-24T17:50:00.000-06:00

A certain someone is having a birthday today. May your day be filled with many blessings! *huggles*

Todays Blessing

2006-03-12T15:05:00.000-06:00

I really enjoyed this mornings service. It was a true blessing. During worship I was so in HIS presence. Hubby had other obligations this morning so it was just the kids and I. They have their own wonderful service and we have ours. Today I was able to completely emerse myself in the Lord. With hubby there I always feel hindered. I don't know why but I do. Even though I enjoyed myself today I feel the message (Wise Words) was something he should've been there for too. The thing the pastor said that just stuck with me was "Use your words to bring life." . So many times we don't always say things that bring glory to God. I took notes so that if hubby wants to know what the sermon was on he could go over them. I took down only scriptures so that he can get out of it what the Lord wants him to not what I got out of it. I know that the message itself is one I already know but it was a nice reminder that was well needed. Below are the scriptures the pastor used (I'm using NIV). I hope they are a blessing to you as they were for me.

Proverbs 11:12
A man who lacks judgment derides his neighbor, but a man of understanding holds his tongue.

Proverbs 15:1
A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.

Proverbs 15:4
The tongue that brings healing is a tree of life, but a deceitful tongue crushes the spirit.

Proverbs 17:28
Even a fool is thought wise if he keeps silent, and discerning if he holds his tongue.

Proverbs 18:8
The words of a gossip are like choice morsels; they go down to a man's inmost parts.

Proverbs 18:21
The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.

Proverbs 25:11-12
(11)A word aptly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.
(12)Like an earring of gold or an ornament of fine gold is a wise man's rebuke to a listening ear.

Proverbs 26:17
Like one who seizes a dog by the ears is a passer-by who meddles in a quarrel not his own.

Proverbs 26:28
A lying tongue hates those it hurts, and a flattering mouth works ruin.

Proverbs 27:6
Wounds from a friend can be trusted but an enemy multiplies kisses.

Ahhhhh....I love Proverbs!

Huh?

2006-03-12T14:37:00.000-06:00

Check this out! I thought it was a cool picture and found out what it was exactly (it was on my picture of the day thingy). It's funny to see something that is that small in your body that looks kinda cool.

A little fun.

2006-03-11T09:13:00.000-06:00

Your Eyes Should Be Violet

Your eyes reflect: Mystery and allure
What's hidden behind your eyes: A quiet passion

What Color Should Your Eyes Be?

Your Candy Heart Says "Hug Me"

A total sweetheart, you always have a lot of love to give out.Your heart is open to where ever love takes you!
Your ideal Valentine's Day date: a surprise romantic evening that you've planned out
Your flirting style: lots of listening and talking
What turns you off: fighting and conflict
Why you're hot: you're fearless about falling in love

What Does Your Candy Heart Say?

Snickers

Nutty and gooey - you always satisfy.

What Kind of Candy Are You?

Yucky!

2006-03-11T08:04:00.000-06:00

Ugh! My whole family has been struck with a 24 hour flu bug. My oldest son got it on Wednesday and the rest of us ended up getting it Thursday night. My poor eldest. He was used like a slave. Get this please, can you do that please, I need help. This morning we are all feeling better. Taste buds still a little weird and stomachs not up to eating much, but better. I got to school on Thursday afternoon just to recieve a call from the school saying my daughter is in the office with a tummy ache. So I go in and get her and we wait for the boys. We get home and she didn't even make it to the door. So I go out to the store (I was waiting for a carpet shampooer to clean the hallway leading to our apt.) to pick up some necessary items and walk in the door to my husband sweating terribly sitting in the bathroom. So now the shampooer has arrived and I go clean up the mess and ask my youngest son to help so that the older one can be there for dad and sister. Guess what? Yep! We just made it back into the apt. before he got sick. I managed to keep it at bay until about midnight. Boy was it a rough 24 hours. It wouldn't have been so bad if it had been one at a time. But when mommy is down for the count and daddy is too it makes it hard to take care of the two sick kids.

Well I found that I have a passion for battered women and children. This weeks lesson helped me realize that. I also have a passion for kids in general. If I could I would have a whole bunch of kids. Yes give birth and all. But hubby doesn't want any more right now. I saw a lady on t.v. once who now has 16 children. She is braver than I in the fact that she homeschools them. I would have a hard time with doing that. I tend to want to do it for my kids. I tried once. Didn't do so well. Now I just have to find a way to use my passion. My heart just aches for the abused. Especially the kids.

We have added a new fish to the tank. His name is Otto. He is an ottosomethingorother that eats only algae. So far he is doing a fine job. He has managed to clean the algae off the side of the tank and the fake plant real well. They said that when he gets older he will not turn into a carnivore like the chinese algae eater we had. Thank goodness!

A praise!!!

2006-03-04T15:22:00.000-06:00

Just the other day my two boys accepted Christ! I just wanted to share that little tidbit. My boys are re-born!

No passion?

2006-02-28T16:39:00.000-06:00

So in Bible study we are using the book Pathway to Purpose for Women and today we were studying passions. Healthy passions and unhealthy passions. I came to the conclusion that I have no passions. Nothing that really makes me want to jump out of bed in the morning and get excited about it. Nothing that I am truly passionate about. We all go through dry spells. But come on! No passion?! Nothing?! I guess right now is one major dry spell. Life is kinda blah. Before I had kids and was married I had so many things that I was passionate about. Now there are things I like to do but nothing that ignites a true passion in me. So what do I do? I suppose the only thing to do is fully submit to God's will. As Psalm 37:4 states "Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart". I see this in two ways. First I see it that He gives you desires (puts them in your heart). Second He then gives you those desires (fulfills them). So if I want something to be passionate about that the Lord can use I must first delight myself in Him. I must fully surrender to Him. When I fully submit to Him I can delight in Him. So now to surrender to Him. That is so much easier said than done. Stay tuned. This is sure to be an interesting journey.

Season Shock!

2006-02-19T18:55:00.000-06:00

I know that the calender says it is Winter but it hasn't felt like it until recently. I am certainly no fan of this season. So I sit here patiently waiting for Spring. Winter can be pretty at times but the temperature that goes with it isn't as pretty. I suppose it is just like life. We all have seasons in our life we may not like but are necessary.

Well there will be a few more nieces or nephews in the family this year. My brother and his wife are expecting in July (their first) and my sister is expecting in September. I am so happy for them. My brother is also taking his bar exam this week. I am so proud of him. So if you stop by before Tues. and Wed. please say a prayer for him. He is rather nervous.

While I am on the topic of children I would like to tell you something about one of my sons. He is a brave soul. Why? He is boldly taking his Bible to school to read when he has free time. So far he has not had any problems with this. I so admire his boldness in the Lord. If only we could all have that. Just think of the outcome if we all were like that. Fearless. Would you take the Bible with you or would you be too afraid of what people would think of you? I personally keep a small Bible with me. I recieved it as a gift from my husband the weekend we got pregnant with this son. I keep it with me in my car but I must admit I don't take it out that often.

Some enjoyable reading.

2006-02-16T16:27:00.000-06:00

Joe has a couple of posts that I just got a kick out of. If you are a parent (or not) you might enjoy it.

So little to say today.

2006-02-04T11:59:00.000-06:00

Not much going on lately. I am expecting a couple of new babies in our family. Both my sister and sister in law are pregnant. So I'm happy for them. As you may have noticed I changed the colors around here. I was getting tired of the old dark one. I hope you like it. I think it is easier to read. Well that is about all. Like the title said "so little to say today". Hopefully I can come up with something worthwhile soon.

Balancing Act Part 2

2006-01-13T16:41:00.000-06:00

Well I quit my job at the store. I got a better offer from somewhere else. It allows me complete freedom and I can be there for my kids if they are home or become sick. So all this week has been a trasitional week. Boy has it made me tired. But all is going good now.

We started another semester of Bible study. Our leader will be teaching out of the Pathways to Purpose for Women book. It looks like it is going to be a good one. She is such a wonderful woman. Our leader that is.

I am so sorry I haven't had the chance to come by and visit all of your blogs lately. Now that I have complete and total freedom with my time I hope to catch up on all my reading.

Happy New Year!!

2006-01-01T11:54:00.000-06:00

Happy New Year! May the Lord fill your year with blessings and good memories. *hugs*

The Grinch Who Stole My Christmas

2005-12-26T16:52:00.000-06:00

My holiday weekend was crazy hectic. Thursday I went into work (originally had this day off) because they thought it was going to be busy. NOT! So Friday morning I did all of my grocery shopping and got a call asking me to come in at 1 instead of at 4 (I was working a shift for a girl who is pregnant and was temporarily hospitalized. She is fine now.). Went in and the last 2 hours were completely dead. By this time I am completely exhausted. Saturday morning comes and the spouse and kids (who woke up way too early) want the traditional breakfast casserole. So I made it and continued about the day. Hubby was kinda grouchy. Still exhausted I go to bed Sat. night on new sheets that felt like they belonged in a hotel. Not really comfy at all. Had a bad nights sleep and woke up Sunday looking forward to the candlelight service at church. Fought with 6 year old daughter the whole service. She wouldn't stop hopping from lap to lap. By now I am still tired and am trying to keep it all together. Made a big dinner for all of us and continued to watch football. My hubby was relatively nice for this part. Then today came. My MIL came over and "the grinch" appeared. My poor MIL. My hubby was so grouchy he ruined the whole day. *Sigh* So between my grinch and not getting enough rest my Christmas weekend wasn't what it could've been. Highlights? My family enjoyed all the material things they got and even thanked me for all my effort over the weekend. I kept the true meaning of CHRISTmas in my heart. The weather was more to my liking than normal. I recieved a few cards from unexpected people. Lowlights? I knew every gift under the tree. Not a single surprise for me. I was tired most of the time (and am now as I write this) so I was not able to fully enjoy everything. Somebody got candle wax on my nice wool coat. So in all this you are wondering who the "grinch" was that stole my Christmas is aren't you? It was me. I have such a servants heart and I love to give that I just kept giving of myself and didn't stop to breathe and rest. I need to learn how to pace myself. And to be honest I probably would've done more if I had the chance. I hope all of you had a good weekend and I pray that you all will be blessed in the year to come.

Merry Christmas!

2005-12-24T09:25:00.000-06:00

Wishing all of you a Merry Christmas! May the Lord bless you this Christmas season and in the year to come. Hugs for all!!!

Balancing Act

2005-12-01T20:35:00.000-06:00

Creating a proper balance in my life has been a challenge. To try to get the proper balance between kids, spouse, work, God, and some recreational activities has been a learning experience for me. I started a job full time and it tilted my scales away from my precious children. So by backing off to part time I now have a good balance between work and family. Before I had no recreational time for myself and spent all my time at home wondering what it would be like to "have a life". I have gotten involved with a Bible Study and occasionally help out with some projects around the church. So after many trials and errors I think I may have it. My next challenge is learning to say no to people.

Finally got my decorations up. I thought I would never get to them. Had a situation with the tree lights though. Man can they be a bugger to figure out. If half of a row on a pre-lit tree isn't working boy does it become hard to find the problem and the solution. After an hour of both my and my husband looking at it and trying to figure it out we found out simple solutions. One was a wire was kinked and the other was a bulb was broken. My hands look like I have a cat. You know the scratches that they can leave on your hands when they are little and playing? I have similar ones on my hands.

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

2005-11-24T12:16:00.000-06:00

Happy Thanksgiving to all!! I have been neglecting this thing for a while now and am sorry. But in the meantime life has gone very fast. The job is going well. Hubby has a new job too. Got a new fish. Replaced some that were terrorizing the others. We replaced two with one black angel fish. We named her Max. My thought process on naming it Max. Black angel fish=dark angel(the show)=Max. Well I am done taking up your time. Have a good Thanksgiving.

My 2 cents

2005-10-29T21:12:00.000-05:00

Flannel Avenger has the next in the Bible study up. Also check out Alyfireman. Who is Jesus? We tend to think of Jesus as loving. Yes Jesus was loving but He is God.God isn't always nice. Remember the flood? God is a just God but that doesn't mean politically correct. One of the wonderful things about Him is He is unchanging. He doesn't care about being all "p.c.". You always know what He expects of you. He wrote it in a book (the Bible) so that there would be no doubt. If He says no, He means no. No reasoning, bargaining, pleading, or trying to sway Him one way or another. Who is Jesus? He is. The important thing is He is unchanging, all powerful, all knowing, and everywhere. Forgive me but my mind is drawn to Jesus in his last days. He wept, He hurt, He felt. I think of how His feet must have hurt from walking all the time. How betrayed he probably felt. God as Jesus suffered. Not just physically but I think also emotionally. So if you ask who was Jesus as a human all I can offer you is He felt as a human but had the mind of God.

My question is what do you think about Him being all powerful, all knowing and everywhere?

What A Week!!!

2005-10-22T15:43:00.000-05:00

Boy has this week gone by really fast! I went to Bible Study on Tuesday (which I am really enjoying by the way) and heard about a job at an outlet store nearby. So I figured I would stop in and put in an application on Wednesday. Well Wednesday morning is when it all went up in the air. I went in (before hubby and I went out for an anniversary lunch) to apply for the job. They hired me on the spot starting the next day (Thursday). So I started on Thursday and worked yesterday too and again tomorrow. I hadn't planned on being thrust back into the workforce so quickly. I thought I would have a week to get home stuff situated. NOPE! So that is how everything got thrown up into the air. Ahhh....to sit and relax. Needless to say I am juggling my new job, home duties, and another job of cleaning my apt. building. Then, as if it couldn't get more hectic, the apt. people called me and asked me if I could also clean the clubhouse. Well they apply a certain amount of $ to my rent so I would be stupid to say no. So I said yes. I start that on Monday. Now it is gonna take a few weeks to get everything under control and situated. So if you don't see me around here much in the next few days that is why. I hope all of you are doing well and are enjoying the beauty of Autumn.

Not much to say.

2005-10-17T10:58:00.000-05:00

Well I know it has been a while. I don't really have much to say. I am enjoying seeing the seasonal color changes though. Hopefully soon I will have more to say. Maybe even something worthwhile. lol

Early morning thoughts

2005-10-08T06:34:00.000-05:00

I am not usually up this early so I figured it would be a good time to come here and babble a little.

My son did excellent with his oral surgery. Not only was it pain free for the little guy but it was also cheaper than expected for me. He is such a brave little one. We have definitely had the favor of the Lord on this issue. There was only one problem after the surgery. He couldn't keep anything down until mid to late morning the next day. Now he eats more than ever! It is cute to see him do his tongue exercises. He has to stick it out as far as he can and up as far as he can. So we walk around the house sticking our tongues out at him to remind him to stick his out and up.

All of the fish are doing well. I found out something last night. That freezing a fish is not the most humane way to put them down. Now I am feeling a little guilty and heartbroken. My husband was doing a search on the proper water temp for our fish and came across some breeders that say how to put your fish to sleep if need be. Their suggestions?

1. Decapitate them. (Nope..Not me...Couldn't do it!)

2.Inject them with a certain solution into the belly. (Now where am I gonna get the needle or the solution?)

3.Put them in a glass with water and vodka. It makes them go to sleep in a more humane manner. (Hmmm....seems doable.)

Then they went on to say if you cannot do any of these to take the fish to the local university and they can study the disease of the fish or whatever. That is the last thing I would want to do. I am trying to put the poor fish out of its misery and they want to keep him alive and study him and take him apart and such. So now I know what to do if I ever need to put a fish to sleep again.

On a more personal note the Lord has really been dealing with me and my self image issues and some other issues I didn't even know I had. And also for the past two weeks in a row someone from my past has been brought into my present. Two weeks ago I was putting my groceries away and reflecting on the mornings women's bible study and the Lord told me to call my biological mother. Well after a few minutes of trying to get out of it I finally obeyed. I called her later that evening and was pleasantly surprised. She had changed some from the women I used to know. Which is a good thing. Next came a few days ago. My half sister from my dads last marriage contacted me through Classmates. Now the way she described herself makes my husband not want anything to do with her. She has some tattoos and a few piercings. But I feel like she was brought back into my life for a reason. For all I know I may be the only Christian she may know. I have to show her the love of Jesus. He didn't turn people away. He welcomes them in. Now I may not be able to welcome her into my home but I will certainly love her. It's not her fault we were not able to grow up together.

Huge, creepy, nasty, spider!

2005-09-24T12:18:00.000-05:00

As I was sleeping last night I felt something on my face. That is not unusual since I have long hair and it lands in my face a lot. So I brush it off my face. A few seconds later my husband brushes something off his face. Yet another second or two later I brush same something off my arm. Being a little freaked out I turned on the light. There on the middle of my side of the bed was a Huge, Creepy, Nasty, spider. Hubby killed it but *shudders* I was creeped out. I was so creeped out I had a hard time sleeping. Now every time something touches me ever so lightly I get creeped out thinking it is another spider. Mind you that this is no ordinary spider. Not the kind you see in the house. It is one of those big ones you see in the woods that you run the other way from.

So now I have told all of that I will also tell you a little more about my week. My grandpa died on Wed. night, my mother in law needs a second MRI to determine if the thing they found is a aneurism or not, and I have enjoyed my time spent with the ladies at church. We made apple pies for today's craft/bake sale. I went this morning and bought a couple of those pies and some zucchini bread, a bunch of cookies, and a church cookbook.

So much in one week. Maybe this afternoon I will get a nap.

Tongue-tie

2005-09-24T12:09:00.000-05:00

It was brought to my attention yesterday that my son has this birth defect. He is almost 8. Why wasn't it noticed when he was younger? It would've helped him in eating when he was an infant. I am quite upset (especially at myself) that it wasn't noticed until now. What is it you ask? It is where that thing that connects our tongues to the bottom of your mouth is too short and the person cannot move their tongue in a normal fashion. It can cause speech issues (which is how I found out through his speech teacher), it can cause difficulty in breastfeeding (he had this), and can cause social issues as well. If it had been caught when he was an infant it would've been an easy procedure and we would have had insurance coverage. Now it needs to be done under general as an outpatient and all without us having insurance. Apparantly they go in and cut this thing and stitch it so that he can freely move his tongue. It is a hereditary birth thing so now I know how he got it. It must have come from my hubby's side. He's adopted. So can you please keep us in your prayers as we figure out how to pay for this and to find a doctor that we can trust. My son isn't worried about it at all.

The latest in the tank

2005-09-24T11:54:00.000-05:00

Well last week was a buzz of fish frenzy in our house. Mr. Bubbles is gone and we had to replace him with new fish. Ping and Catgirl are still in there. (Monday)We started out by getting two Serpae tetras (Bella and Bullet) and two tiger barbs. One of the barbs got kinda mean and nasty so he was terminated. So we got a danio golden zebra tetra (Princess) to replace it.(Tuesday) Then the other barb decided he wanted to be nasty and was terminated. So we replaced it with a red-eyed tetra (Arrow). (By now you can tell which ones my boys named and which ones my and my daughter named.) Now Wednesday comes and the kids got out of school at noon. Guess what? At 11:00 Princess dies and I need to take her back to the pet store. They tell me they need a seperate sample of the water in order to either give me a new fish or my money back. So it is now 11:30 and I head back to the store with the water sample. It is high in nitrates so he tells me he will replace Princess but when I get home I need to do a 25% water change. So now I have 15 minutes to do the water change and get to the school to pick up kids. I successfully did this and my daughter is none the wiser. Princess is now fine. Yes it is still Princess because my daughter is clueless. So all is finally well in the tank.