We have a sweet family in our church who is going through a difficult time. Their third child, Emma, has Batten Disease and is coming to the end of her journey. Please keep this family in your prayers. You can go here and read their story.
Their faith and love of the Lord overwhelms me and is an inspiration. Please take some time to read their story and pray for this incredible family.
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Friday, January 22, 2010
Have I Mentioned How Much I Love this Guy?
Today is nothing special except it is another day that I get to spend with the man of my dreams. He is my better half and my best friend. I'm not going to say much because I could go on for days. I will say that I thank God every day that he brought us together and I love him with all my heart.
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Frugal Lunch Idea
Do your kids beg for Lunchables? Mine does and I cannot stand them. I think they are way overpriced and full of preservatives. Every once in a while, when they are on sale or if I am trying to redeem myself, I will surprise him with one.
To keep him happy in between Lunchable appearances, I make him a "Mama Lunchable" - that's what we call it. Usually, they are the pizza kind. I cut tortillas with a cookie cutter, fill a bag with shredded cheese, turkey pepperoni or sliced meat, and sliced cherry tomatoes. I also add an unusual desert like a piece of candy and some cut veggies with dip. He thinks this is the greatest thing in the world.
I think the total cost is somewhere around a $1 as opposed to almost $4 and they are nutritionally better. I have also recycled the old Lunchable containers and made meat and cracker kits too. Cover with Press n' Seal and you are ready to go.
(Is it just me or does the cold chicken nugget Lunchable look revolting?)
This post is linked to Frugal Fridays.
To keep him happy in between Lunchable appearances, I make him a "Mama Lunchable" - that's what we call it. Usually, they are the pizza kind. I cut tortillas with a cookie cutter, fill a bag with shredded cheese, turkey pepperoni or sliced meat, and sliced cherry tomatoes. I also add an unusual desert like a piece of candy and some cut veggies with dip. He thinks this is the greatest thing in the world.
I think the total cost is somewhere around a $1 as opposed to almost $4 and they are nutritionally better. I have also recycled the old Lunchable containers and made meat and cracker kits too. Cover with Press n' Seal and you are ready to go.
(Is it just me or does the cold chicken nugget Lunchable look revolting?)
This post is linked to Frugal Fridays.
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Spicy Mouth
Wow! Am I glad that last week is over! To top it off, Matt woke up around midnight Saturday with a stomach virus. If your child ever comes to you in the middle of the night and says his mouth is spicy, do not assume he has indigestion and feed him milk. That's what we did.
I did not realize he was sick until I put him back into his bed, he started whining that his bed was wet, and I put my hand in it. Ugh!! I felt so sorry for the little guy. Needless to say, he is much better now.
I am going to keep this post short because I have set a timer to monitor my internet time and I am about to run out. Hope you have a great day.
I did not realize he was sick until I put him back into his bed, he started whining that his bed was wet, and I put my hand in it. Ugh!! I felt so sorry for the little guy. Needless to say, he is much better now.
I am going to keep this post short because I have set a timer to monitor my internet time and I am about to run out. Hope you have a great day.
Friday, January 15, 2010
This Week
This week has actually been pretty emotional for me. I am glad that I had the absurd plumbing issues to bring a bit of humor into my week. As you know, it doesn't take much to send me over the crying edge and this week has been a doozey.
Sunday morning was baby dedication. I think I would have been fine if I could have mentally prepared myself, but I had no clue it was going to take place. I started off OK but the longer the pastor spoke the more I could feel the tears coming. I tried really hard to fight them off and to focus on the meaning and the happy occasion but I couldn't. Finally, I knew it was going to get ugly and I quietly left while the congregation prayed. I hated that. I hated the fact that I could not sit there like a normal person and offer my prayers and support at that time. It was like the wound was fresh and I completely lost control of my emotions. All I knew to do was go into the bathroom, regain my composure, and pray to God for peace and strength.
Tuesday morning started with taking Matt to school. Out of the blue, he says "Mommy, I really really want a baby brother or sister." How do you respond to that? Of course, the tears welled up again and I said that was something we would have to pray about.
On Wednesday I had the HSG test done. I had built this up in my head so much that I was a nervous wreck! Thankfully, it was not near as bad as I had prepared for and the doctor said everything looked fine. After the test, I had to go by my other doctor's office and pick up my records. I decide it would be a good idea to read everything. Of course, it wasn't. I finally get to the page that talks about the details of our miscarriage. So you can imagine how I reacted to reading the information.
Anyways, I'm sorry if this was a depressing post. Reread the last two if you need a good laugh.
Sunday morning was baby dedication. I think I would have been fine if I could have mentally prepared myself, but I had no clue it was going to take place. I started off OK but the longer the pastor spoke the more I could feel the tears coming. I tried really hard to fight them off and to focus on the meaning and the happy occasion but I couldn't. Finally, I knew it was going to get ugly and I quietly left while the congregation prayed. I hated that. I hated the fact that I could not sit there like a normal person and offer my prayers and support at that time. It was like the wound was fresh and I completely lost control of my emotions. All I knew to do was go into the bathroom, regain my composure, and pray to God for peace and strength.
Tuesday morning started with taking Matt to school. Out of the blue, he says "Mommy, I really really want a baby brother or sister." How do you respond to that? Of course, the tears welled up again and I said that was something we would have to pray about.
On Wednesday I had the HSG test done. I had built this up in my head so much that I was a nervous wreck! Thankfully, it was not near as bad as I had prepared for and the doctor said everything looked fine. After the test, I had to go by my other doctor's office and pick up my records. I decide it would be a good idea to read everything. Of course, it wasn't. I finally get to the page that talks about the details of our miscarriage. So you can imagine how I reacted to reading the information.
Anyways, I'm sorry if this was a depressing post. Reread the last two if you need a good laugh.
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
In Case You Were Wondering
Are you wondering how the whole plumbing issue turned out? Did I actually tell the guy the truth?
Yes.
I ate a huge slice of humble pie about two hours ago. (Notice I said two hours and not 24 hours. They ended up coming today instead of yesterday)
Not only did I tell the guy, very hurriedly, what I did when he arrived, but I had to remind him at the end too. When he finished clearing the pipes and I asked what he found, he only said a small clump of roots (uh-oh). So then I am thinking in my head, "Why didn't he find the pad? Do I ask him about it? Don't be stupid Aleesa. Just pretend like it never happened." I decided it wold be even more stupid to not let the guy fix it, so I devised a plan. Before I remind him, I would flush my commode and see how things went.
Not so good, the water was draining slower. I knew I had to say something. Stripping myself of all pride, I remind the guy of what I had done and told him my toilet was not draining properly. Then he asks me about the packaging, color, shape and all that stuff. At this point I'm not really sure what to say. I finally tell him I don't know, I saw something fall out of the trashcan and go down the drain. The end. He goes to take a look and ends up bringing in an auger and clears it out.
The icing on the cake was when I retrieved a garbage sack and held it open for him. That was classy. I have never felt more classy in my entire life. (Of course, at the mention of classy, I am taken back to an Office episode. Anyone else with me?)
So there you go. You are probably wondering how I can type this on the internet for all to see and yet get embarrassed in front of the guy. Let me tell you, there is a difference between typing a blog post and actually looking the guy in the eye and discussing feminine hygiene products.
Yes.
I ate a huge slice of humble pie about two hours ago. (Notice I said two hours and not 24 hours. They ended up coming today instead of yesterday)
Not only did I tell the guy, very hurriedly, what I did when he arrived, but I had to remind him at the end too. When he finished clearing the pipes and I asked what he found, he only said a small clump of roots (uh-oh). So then I am thinking in my head, "Why didn't he find the pad? Do I ask him about it? Don't be stupid Aleesa. Just pretend like it never happened." I decided it wold be even more stupid to not let the guy fix it, so I devised a plan. Before I remind him, I would flush my commode and see how things went.
Not so good, the water was draining slower. I knew I had to say something. Stripping myself of all pride, I remind the guy of what I had done and told him my toilet was not draining properly. Then he asks me about the packaging, color, shape and all that stuff. At this point I'm not really sure what to say. I finally tell him I don't know, I saw something fall out of the trashcan and go down the drain. The end. He goes to take a look and ends up bringing in an auger and clears it out.
The icing on the cake was when I retrieved a garbage sack and held it open for him. That was classy. I have never felt more classy in my entire life. (Of course, at the mention of classy, I am taken back to an Office episode. Anyone else with me?)
So there you go. You are probably wondering how I can type this on the internet for all to see and yet get embarrassed in front of the guy. Let me tell you, there is a difference between typing a blog post and actually looking the guy in the eye and discussing feminine hygiene products.
Monday, January 11, 2010
Would You Rather
Today I wanted to link up with Mck Mama's "Not Me Monday" but guess what?! I am not talented enough to copy and paste html script into my post. Ha! It must run in the genes because my mom has serious tech issues too. I'm sure my brother and sister-in-law are shouting a big "Amen" at that. Sorry mom, you know I love you!
You want to know how my Monday started off? Waking up and not being allowed to drink my hot cup of joe and having to give 15 tubes of blood! Did you read that?! FIFTEEN!!! By the end, the girl was having to thump my arm and wiggle the needle around to finish collecting blood. I have never seen so many tubes of blood in my life.
FIFTEEN!!
I might randomly scream fifteen throughout my post because I am still in shock.
Well, my Monday only got better from there. Wait. Pause. It did get better, I went and had my Monday coffee date with my friend Danielle. Thanks Danielle.
OK, so from that point on, it wasn't so great. FIFTEEN!!! I have to cut my coffee time short because I have to meet the roto-rooter guys who are coming between the hours of 10 and 2. (Guess what, it's 3:45 and they are still not here!!) I bet you are wondering why I am having these guys come to my house. Is the suspense killing you?? We have had three, count them, three sewage backups. Nice huh? But not as nice as 15.
We are not really sure what the problem is but are hoping it is not tree roots. We do not normally flush large things down our pipes (except for toothbrushes) until today. This is where my Monday gets even better. I could not have done what I am about to tell you if I would have tried.
I walked into my bathroom to collect the garbage and saw that the toilet needed to be flushed. In the process of flushing the toilet, I dump the garbage into my larger sack. Well, while the water is going down the drain a random personal object that you are not suppose to flush falls out of the garbage and into the toilet. I watch in horror as it swirls around the bowl and goes down the drain. I do not know much about plumbing, but I know that this is not good.
Now, there are these guys coming to clean our pipes out and you know what they are going to find. I also do not want them to think that this is the cause of the backup. Guess what I have to do when they arrive? Tell them.
Now I am not sure which is worse. FIFTEEN or telling some strange man that I accidentally flushed a pad down the commode.
So ladies, which would you rather do? Have FIFTEEN tubes of blood drawn or tell a stranger that is cleaning out your pipes that you normally do not make a habit of flushing pads down the toilet?
You want to know how my Monday started off? Waking up and not being allowed to drink my hot cup of joe and having to give 15 tubes of blood! Did you read that?! FIFTEEN!!! By the end, the girl was having to thump my arm and wiggle the needle around to finish collecting blood. I have never seen so many tubes of blood in my life.
FIFTEEN!!
I might randomly scream fifteen throughout my post because I am still in shock.
Well, my Monday only got better from there. Wait. Pause. It did get better, I went and had my Monday coffee date with my friend Danielle. Thanks Danielle.
OK, so from that point on, it wasn't so great. FIFTEEN!!! I have to cut my coffee time short because I have to meet the roto-rooter guys who are coming between the hours of 10 and 2. (Guess what, it's 3:45 and they are still not here!!) I bet you are wondering why I am having these guys come to my house. Is the suspense killing you?? We have had three, count them, three sewage backups. Nice huh? But not as nice as 15.
We are not really sure what the problem is but are hoping it is not tree roots. We do not normally flush large things down our pipes (except for toothbrushes) until today. This is where my Monday gets even better. I could not have done what I am about to tell you if I would have tried.
I walked into my bathroom to collect the garbage and saw that the toilet needed to be flushed. In the process of flushing the toilet, I dump the garbage into my larger sack. Well, while the water is going down the drain a random personal object that you are not suppose to flush falls out of the garbage and into the toilet. I watch in horror as it swirls around the bowl and goes down the drain. I do not know much about plumbing, but I know that this is not good.
Now, there are these guys coming to clean our pipes out and you know what they are going to find. I also do not want them to think that this is the cause of the backup. Guess what I have to do when they arrive? Tell them.
Now I am not sure which is worse. FIFTEEN or telling some strange man that I accidentally flushed a pad down the commode.
So ladies, which would you rather do? Have FIFTEEN tubes of blood drawn or tell a stranger that is cleaning out your pipes that you normally do not make a habit of flushing pads down the toilet?
Friday, January 8, 2010
Score!!
Thanks to my friend Danielle's comment, I scored a bunch of cheap books this morning. The only bookstore in our very large town is going out of business and the entire store is 50%-70% off! Matt and I made a trip this morning and here is what we bought:
(I had to take this picture separately because I am going to give it to Matt for a birthday present)
(I had to take this picture separately because I am going to give it to Matt for a birthday present)I spent $47.95 and saved $71.95. The best deal was the Nigella Lawson cookbook that was originally $35 and I got it for $10.50. Actually, I didn't spend anything because I used money from a Christmas return and Matt had $5 which he used to buy the two wind-up space ships and Super Why activity pad.
Update
We met with the fertility specialist on Monday for our first consultation. She looked over my medical history, asked a ton of questions, and then offered her guess as to what is wrong.
She suspects that I might have Polycystic Ovary Syndrome. In a nutshell, PCOS is a hormone problem which can lead to numerous complications. I am scheduled to have a huge blood workup and some other testing over the next few weeks. Once all my results are in, we will have another consultation. There is still the possibility that they might not find anything wrong.
I would greatly appreciate your prayers.
She suspects that I might have Polycystic Ovary Syndrome. In a nutshell, PCOS is a hormone problem which can lead to numerous complications. I am scheduled to have a huge blood workup and some other testing over the next few weeks. Once all my results are in, we will have another consultation. There is still the possibility that they might not find anything wrong.
I would greatly appreciate your prayers.
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Reading Goals
I'm not sure if you ever noticed, but I have a 2009 reading list on the side of my blog. These are all the books that I read (minus cookbooks) the past year. I am very happy that I decided to do this because it reminds me that I did do something "intellectual" the past 12 months. However, after looking at the list, I think I have a serious hang up with food and need some variety. Also, I am still working on 90 Days with a Heart Like His. I think it is more like 180 days ...With that said, I have decided to Book it in 2010 with Life as Mom. Here are my reading goals for the next few months:
- Pride and Prejudice (I love the movie but have never read the book)
- The Hidden Art of Homemaking
- The Complete Tightwad Gazette
- Metamorphosis (technically, I was suppose to read this my senior year of high school but I relied on Mr. Cliff instead)
- Finish 90 Days with a Heart Like His
- The Hiding Place
- The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
- In Defense of Food
I have also placed many hold request at our library for books that will be released the next few months. Have I ever mentioned how wonderful our library is? It is amazing! I think the library is one of my top five happy places. There is something magical about walking amongst all the books and having the opportunity to take anything I like home for free.
Keep an eye out for my 2010 reading list. Currently, I am reading What Southern Women Know about Faith by Ronda Rich. If you are a southern belle at heart, then you will love this book. It will be my first read of 2010.
What are your favorite books? Let me know because I would love some suggestions. Also, do you have any reading goals?
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Like Mother and Father
Matt has recently began playing school. He will gather all his stuffed animals, set them around his easel, and teach them all the things that are "important" to a preschooler. I have noticed that he always has snack time and a birthday party for a student. However, the funniest thing he does is a behavior chart. He will draw a chart on his easel and give checks or smiley faces to his students based on their behavior. Surprisingly, his little class of stuffed animals can act quite naughty.Christmas Pics
Matt had breakfast with Santa at Chick-fil-a. This was one of the best Santa's I have ever met. In this pic, he is showing Matt his set of keys which include his sled, toyshop, and his "magic" key.
Matt and Rich making Santa cookies on Christmas Eve.
Matt's version of Rudolph. 
I loved making these cookies because they were so easy and Matt had a blast decorating them.
These are the tins of cookies we passed out to our neighbors. Each tin included Christmas mice, reindeer poop, Santa cookies, fudge, and Mexican wedding cookies.
Christmas Eve night. I love the expression!
The rest of the pictures were taken Christmas morning. Check out all the expressions!
The calm after the unwrapping storm. 
Christmas pancakes!Hooray, we got our computer back from the shop! I did not think it was possible to survive in today's world without a computer or internet for any length of time, but guess what, you can! It wasn't too bad giving up facebook and all the mindless searching I do but not having email and access to directions and such was hard.
It was kind of ironic that both computers went out at the same time. Richard and I finally decided that God was sending us a clear message about the amount of time we spend on our computer. One of our "resolutions" is to monitor time spent on the computer. It is amazing what you can accomplish without the little black book sitting around calling your name.
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