Friday, October 31, 2008

McCain or Obama --Update.

I early VOTED yesterday! :) Be proud, I type before you an offical voter of McCain's!

I also met this very interesting guy while standing in-line. He sold his business and moved here from Florida a few years ago and has since started working for an Electrical company while opening his own on-line Travel Agency! He seemed like such a nice person -thought I would give him a plug... Mike Sapp with www.BigDreamsVacations.com.

Ps: H A P P Y H A L L O W E E N !!!

Cookies

This year, for Christmas (I know it's a little early), I was thinking of baking some cookies to go along with my gifts for daycare and my SSC (cute, thoughtful but yet inexpensive)... You know those big, thick decorated cookies you get at Starbucks for $5 each...? I would like to make those. I think they are sugar cookies but am not sure. I also have no clue how to get them so thick or how to get the icing hard so it won't rub off on the wrapping! Any suggestions for all the above???

I'm NOT a baker by any means so I need a little help... What are your thoughts or suggestions? Should I just stick to the Pillsbury cookies? Is it even worth the trouble of baking? I would have to do a trail bake beforehand -just to see if it's even something I could do -- ugg.

Oh, the troubles I face! :) Any suggestions would be welcomed.

Thursday, October 30, 2008

Romans 14:1-4

NIV:
Accept him whose faith is weak, without passing judgment on disputable matters. 2One man's faith allows him to eat everything, but another man, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables. 3The man who eats everything must not look down on him who does not, and the man who does not eat everything must not condemn the man who does, for God has accepted him. 4Who are you to judge someone else's servant? To his own master he stands or falls. And he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand.

The Message:
Welcome with open arms fellow believers who don't see things the way you do. And don't jump all over them every time they do or say something you don't agree with—even when it seems that they are strong on opinions but weak in the faith department. Remember, they have their own history to deal with. Treat them gently.
2-4For instance, a person who has been around for a while might well be convinced that he can eat anything on the table, while another, with a different background, might assume he should only be a vegetarian and eat accordingly. But since both are guests at Christ's table, wouldn't it be terribly rude if they fell to criticizing what the other ate or didn't eat? God, after all, invited them both to the table. Do you have any business crossing people off the guest list or interfering with God's welcome? If there are corrections to be made or manners to be learned, God can handle that without your help.


Ok, today I am finishing up on Romans and this chapter stuck out. I am sooooo guilty of this! Its scary to see this written in the Bible. It's such an important matter, one I am guilty of taking lightly. But its also reassuring to see it written in the Bible because that means there is hope and mercy waiting for me... I promise to do better on this issue! :)

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Boo! at the Zoo

10.28.08
We went to Boo! at the Zoo last night. I was a little worried that Sophie wouldn't have a good time. I mean, when we go to the grocery store and pass through the Halloween section, it scares the bagibies out of her and the tickets for Boo! at the Zoo are not cheap ($12 for anyone over age 2 and $4 for 2 and under). But we had such a great time! (check back for pictures)

We met with Aunt Pattie at Chili's, had some dinner and then headed over to the Zoo at about 5:45pm. OMG! The car line (to get into the parking lot) was sooooo long but once we got in, the line for tickets was almost non-existent. :) We brought along Sophie's waggon -which I wouldn't do again. It was too big with so many little one's around -it just got in the way more then not.

The coolest thing, I thought, were the ticket stubs (I know!). They had a perforated edge with smaller tickets stubs (6 each). You turned those in to get a small handful of candy and each candy stop had different types of candy! Towards the end of our trip a lady and her child were on their way out and handed us some additional candy stubs, which I gladly accepted. We used 2 of the 6 and then handed off the other 3 to another family. We ended up with 2 full bags of candy!

The animals weren't out much after dark but the Zoo made up for it with all the other activities they had for the kids. They had this one area with a bounce house, bobbing for monsters, ghost tossing, a monster stage and all sorts of other things. I think we made it as far as the Penguins and then turned back around. We stayed about 2 hours, but we were all tired upon leaving!

All-in-all, I think we all had a great time and I certainly wouldn't mind returning next year.

PS: Don't forget to dress the kiddo's up! I didn't dress Sophie up b/c I thought it was suppose to be cold but 90% of the other kids were and they were SOOOO cute. Next year!

Monday, October 27, 2008

Arbonne party -you're invited!

My good friend Lydia hosted an Arbonne party a couple of weeks ago; I had so much fun that I agreed to host a party myself... Guess what? You're invited too!

Join us for a journey into a season of wonder and wishes, courtesy of the Arbonne holiday line. Revelry or relaxation, dazzling the town or dimming the lights, a gift to yourself or a perfect something for others; wherever your fantasies lead, Arbonne's holiday delights will take you.

It will be hosted at my house on 11/15/08 at 9:30 am. Breakfast items will be served, so come hungry! Please email, or leave a comment on this page, if you plan to join us.

Oh, and did I mention that my little one will be there too. Yep, as you know our "sitter" moved back home about a week ago! :) --> Scratch this. Lydia is babysitting Sophie that day. :)

An Ode to my sister...

Sometimes, in life you run into an extraordinary person...One who changes you. And sometimes if you are lucky, they change you in more ways than one. I am one of the lucky ones -I have my "extraordinary person" on speed dial, my sister!!

My sister put it best when she said "When you sit on the floor and see the back side of someone’s cross stitch - it looks such a mess. This is our lives. But, when you turn it over - you can see the beautiful plan and design, you now can understand all the colors..."

My sister has woven many wonderful colors into my life. Our childhood wasn’t perfect (eh, whose is?) but there are many parts of it I wouldn’t trade for anything in the world! And the shared happy memories with her are one of those parts. She’s my sister, my friend, my hero, my inspiration.

My ode is to you, Julie, and everything you are and stand for. I thank you for your kindness, your care, your concern, and especially for your love. You are everything anyone could ask for in a sister. Thanks for being mine!

Note: I have many extraordinary people in my life and maybe one day I will write an Ode to them as well, but today is a dedication to my sister... :)

Anyone need a POP!

Have you ever had problems with your bones? My suggestion... don't go see a chiropractor! No, just kidding. I've been seeing one for about a week now and have already noticed some improvements!!

At first when my wrist starting hurting (about a year ago) I sot help from my medical doctor - who after doing some sort of pushing and pulling exam, decided it was the start of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. She prescribed some anti-inflammatory medicine and told me to wear a wrist guard. Well after a few weeks, the pain was still there and instead of taking an x-ray to further see what was wrong, she then decided is was a pulled muscle from holding my daughter too much!! Either way, after a few more weeks of working with her I decided to stop everything all together. My wrist never got better; I only started protecting it -which I've since learned was not a good thing.

The pain was mild for a while but eventually grew into a burning sensation and hurt all the time. Now I have no medical insurance (I know!) so Mom suggested I seek help from a chiropractor... He x-ray'd, took measurements, we chatted -an overall exam really and came back with -I have a few bones out of join in my wrist/hand area (There are about 7 bones in that area and I have 3 out). He hopes to have it fixed within 6 visits, + some awful medicine!

By the way -just because your doctor said you should take this medicine, doesn't mean you should. And just because he said those "Symptom’s" weren't from the medicine, doesn't mean they aren't! I was taking "Optimal Acute" to help aid in the recovery of my wrist but was having horrible side effects, so I looked it up online and found I might be allergic to a derivative of Pineapple! Anyway, he said I was the only patient, out of about 70 who he's prescribed this to, that has had any complaints! Go figure. Anyways, we've now changed to something else (Optimal Chronic) and I haven't had any of the side effects since! Yea!

So far I've seen him 3 times and I've already noticed some improvement. No, it's not completely better and yes, it still hurts -but nothing like it was! I hope within the next few visits to notice some great improvements!

Seems like no matter how many times you visit a Chiropractor, your are never done!

Friday, October 24, 2008

Today is a day of Updates...

Vesicoureteral Reflux
I've chatted with Natalie a quick minute an she said Anne did great! The surgery went well -they were even home the next night! They told me that we would be in the hospital for 2-3 days, then home 2 wks form daycare. Nat said by the next day Anne was moving-n-groven like nothing had happened. How impressive is that!

Praise to God!

McCain or Obama OK, after some careful thinking... I choose not to vote! No, just kidding. I'm still up in the air really. They both have some good points about them and neither is really a very good candidate -why can't we just have someone honest, with a little integrity! Ugg. As Lydia said, You have to choose the lesser of the two evils... Truth be told, I will probably vote McCain, though I have a feeling he won't be winning this race. :(

Decision 2008!
Have I mentioned that Mom has decided to move home... temporarily at least. Well she did! She left Tuesday, finally. She was hoping to leave Monday night (around dinner) but she was waiting to hear from her BF as to when they would be leaving CA (remember he is a truck driver). Mom was planning to pick him up along the way so "they" could drive home together! I know, you don't have to say it! Ugg. Oh well. She's home now but I haven't really talked with her much. I suppose she is pretty busy visiting - I know I would be. :)

It's nice to go home (Wisconsin). The feeling is so different then here. I don't quite know how to explain it -it's just a nice warm feeling you get! I guess kind of a sigh of relief maybe.

Thursday, October 16, 2008

Vesicoureteral Reflux

This is something that my daughter, Sophia, has been diagnosed with earlier this year and they've now recognized it to be hereditary -which is kind of scary because I would like to have more children. Even Sophia will have to watch for this in her children!

Description:
When the ureters enter the bladder, they travel through the wall of the bladder for a distance in such a way that they create a tunnel so that a flap-like valve is created inside the bladder. This valve prevents urine from backing-up into the ureters and kidneys.
In some children, the valves may be abnormal or the ureters in the bladder may not travel long enough in the bladder wall, which can cause vesicoureteral reflux. Vesicoureteral reflux is a condition that allows urine to go back up into the ureters and kidneys causing repeated urinary tract infections. The reflux of urine exposes the ureters and kidney to infection from bacteria and high-pressure, which is generated by the bladder during urination. If left untreated, urinary infections can cause kidney damage and renal scarring with the loss of potential growth of the kidney and high blood pressure later in life

Anyway, God must have been watching out for me because shortly after this diagnoses while I was visiting my sisters church, a friend spoke up and mentioned that her cousin's daughter (Annie) also has this! I was so excited to know I had a friend, one who DOES know what I'm feeling and what I'm about to face. Someone I could talk too.

Annie is 9 mos old and has had VUR all her life. She has 2 ureters on the side that is messed up- one ureter has the reflux and the other doesn't. She's been on the antibiotics route for sometime, with no real success. However they were scheduled for reconstructive surgery as of Oct 8th. The idea is that they can go in a much smaller incision, take the bad ureter and implant it into the good ureter and all is right int he world again! I haven't talked with Natalie, Annie's mom, yet to find out how things went but I know God was watching over their family and will continue to do so day, after day. :)

Please pray for Ben and Natalie Colby and baby Annie!

McCain or Obama

Has anyone made up their mind yet, or is it just me who is completely lost?

Following the debates is very difficult for me. Seems like they talk in circles, never really answering any actual questions and never providing a solution to the already existing problem. Seems like they just want more money, to raise taxes and decrease benefits... keep the rich, rich and the poor, poor.

I like things about each candidate, but I couldn't tell you one thing about either side! How does that work!?!? Maybe what I should really do is make a Pros vs. Cons list for each one. But have you been to their websites? They aren't clean cut sites. There again, everything is in circles and who knows what they plan to cut out once elected! I mean really, you don't think they will be able to pull off everything they claim -right?!?! Ugg.

It would be nice to find a neutral site that would outline what each candidate stands for, what they hope to accomplish or do away with... Can anyone offer a good site to go to?

Decision 2008!

My mom has made a decision! I know, it's exciting!! She's decided to move back to Wisconsin -temporarily that is.

My family has a dairy farm back home and my Uncle Mike wants to get out of the business. He has decided to try Truck Driving and will be attending school in Nov-Dec. and has asked mom if she would come back to help around the farm while he is gone, paying her of course. My only problem with this is this is where Donnie (the boyfriend) happens to also be. He seems like a nice guy; very caring, very helpful (at times) and is willing to put up with my mom... But, as mom has pointed out before, too many times he’s said he would do something and not follow through, he’s a bit of a hoarder when it comes to reading material –which drives mom crazy and the fight –a lot. And while it may feel good to return to someplace you are comfortable with, it may not always be the best place for you and I only hope she realizes this before it’s too late.

So the important thing to remember here is… She is all grown up and is capable of making grown up decisions –on her own. I am not her mother, though it may feel like it at times. She is capable of doing this! :)

And on the sixth...



So, here's the deal:
Open your pictures folder
Go to the SIXTH folder
Go to the SIXTH picturePublish it to a NEW POST and tell the story of the photo.

Here's my post. This is Sophie just after eating dinner of some sort. She must have really enjoyed herself! She is coming at me with a washer cloth to clean 'my' face. What a sweetie.

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Turns out, she was the weakest link

As most of you know, my mom moved down here about 3 months ago. She was living in Wisconsin (Home for us) with her boyfriend and things weren't moving along as she had hoped, so she decided it was time for a change -which is something my mom is good at doing! She's been at my house since and hasn't really been looking for a job -I suppose in hopes that this drastic move would have been the push her bf needed, kind of like a slap in the face in a really scary movie like you see.

I should stop here and clarify -when I say 'move forward' I don't mean to marriage, I mean move forward in getting a truck driving job together. I don't fully understand the whole story just that they never planed to get married, only to peruse a life together. Mom has always, from what my sister tells me at least, wanted to be a truck driver. Her bf is currently a TD and they had a plan to drive over the road as a team. So she took a course and has had her license for quite some time now. Meanwhile, he was supposed to be looking for a job for them together... Needless to say, that didn't happen and here she is!

Something happened about 2 weeks ago and she started looking for a job. Today she had a 4 day job interview with SWFT. I know, 4 days! Today was day 1 and they were supposed to be going over the basics. She was soooo nervous about the driving portion of the test because she hasn’t had a chance really to put her new found knowledge to use yet and I would imagine it’s not like riding a bike -you do forget! Anyway, she passed the driving portion just fine but failed to be able to push 100 lbs and since she couldn't push 100 lbs, they’ve sent her home. Turns out, she was the weakest link! Like I told her, at least now we know what needs to be worked on… Instead of pulling Sophie around in the laundry basket at night, she needs to be pushing her! :)

The day after...

As you know, the last couple of days I've been helping my boss clean out his house --Today, I feel like a train ran over my body, backed-up and drove off again! My legs, my arms, my chest, even my hair all hurt -in some form or fashion! Though, this could just be a side affect from the Flu shot I received over the weekend too. Ugg.

Pray I make it to the store for some good ol' Thera-Flu (with Lemon)!

On a happier note, Mom left last night for her 4 day Job Interview. Yeay. She was a bit nervous last night, but I think she will do great and they will offer her a job. That will definitely lift her spirits.

Friday, October 10, 2008

Ok, so I might have...

Ok, so I might have lied a little when I said "don't get your hopes up for my Blog"... Turns out I really kind of enjoy this non-communicative talking! Moreover, endless ramblings of one's own thoughts! :)

So yesterday, and today, I have been helping my boss' wife un-clutter their home. Actually, I really don't mind it all that much. It gets me out of the office, with a little exercise on the side! Today, my mom will be joining us for the fun. Their house is about 5200 sq ft and with 4 (mostly) grown children, 2 dogs and a fish... they have a lot of stuff to un-clutter. OMG, a lot of stuff!

They are avid readers; so far we have been able to donate about 2 boxes, have collected about 3 boxes for Half-Price Books and have packed away another 2 or 3 boxes to be kept. Please don't get me wrong -when I say they are avid readers, I mean -after all this packing, they still have another 3-5 very full built-in book cases!! Yikes!

Today, I think we will be mostly cleaning and throwing things away. But One man's trash, is another man's treasures and I'm sure I will find lots of things to be donated! So far I have 3 very full bags to be donated! Yea for World Relief!

Happy shopping for all!

Thursday, October 9, 2008

Today!

Today! The word "today" is more then just a word really; its a conversation starter, its an entry way into someone life, its a beginning -or an end I suppose... but for me, Today! is a beginning. Today I want to live like never before; Today I have lots of energy and I want to jump on the couch; Today I feel like loving the world; Today I feel more blessed then any other Today... Today! What a great word anda great way to feel. Now, if I could only figure out how to feel this way every day. :)


I hope your Today! is just as great as mine.

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

First blog

Hello blogging world!! This would be my first official blog! Yeah. Though, don't get your hopes up as I don't know how much blogging I plan to do... It's not that I'm busy at the office or that I don't enjoy talking about my life -it's just something new to get into the habit of doing and let's face it, if I was good at new habits I would have ... (fill in the blanks) by now! :)


So, I suppose since this is my first blog I should probably chat a little about myself... So here goes: I am a new found Christian -that is, I was found in 2006! I have a great circle of friends, both new and old, I belong to a wonderful church and my family is very accepting and understanding of my new choices.



I hope to continue down my new pathway of life, not only to further my knowledge of Jesus but to raise my family with my new beliefs and appreciations of same.