A Day Out

My friend that makes my curtains informed that an upper end fabric store in the city was having a going out of business sale. All fabric was 75%off. I thought it would be a good idea to get out of the house and check it out today seeing as the store closed for good on Saturday. B/c I thought we were moving over the summer and with our house remodeling job complete, I really did not want to invest money in things such as curtains and pictures. And although very tempted to decorate, there didn't seem to be much sense if we were moving. But, it looks like we are not moving anytime soon, so I figured I was safe to go ahead and make the house look alittle more like a home! Their prices were amazing!! I got over 6yds of fabric for around $12.00. I know it doesn;t sound like alot of fabric , but it really is. Although I did not find all the fabric for the rooms I want to do, I was pleased with what I did find, and the price I paid for it! AND I had alot of time leftover before I had to be home to get the girls off the bus, so I ventured off and found some other things I had been looking for. Its funny how I find things when I am not looking for them versus when I set off on a mission and can;t find what I want. It felt so nice to be able to get out of the house. I really haven't been out and about since before Christmas other than to go to the store, church and work. I don't mind it that way, especially in the winter. I had a nice day getting some fresh air and although it was a cold day the sun felt good too!

Movie Night

This past w/e our family started watching the Pirates of the Caribean trilogy. It was recommended by some friends of ours b/c it was family friendly meaning no sex or bad language. We watched the first one Sat. night and then the second one Sunday night seeing as we didn't have church and the girls had Monday off from school. I rarely take the time to sit and watch movies b/c I am usually preoccupied doing other things or I usually fall asleep and miss most of it. It was nice to be able to watch a movie that we could all enjoy as a family and I made it through both movies w/o falling asleep! A few weeks ago we started watching the Lord of the Rings trilogy with another family at our house. I do not usually watch those kind of movies, but I actually enjoyed it. We still need to see the last two, so Shhh, please don't give the ending away!!

Feeling tired

These past two days I have been feeling so tired. I still have the busiest part of my day left to get through. Jonathon has his early intervention eval tomm am. This is his 2nd eval. I love it when they come b/c I always learn something new. Mackenzie knows that this is coming up, and she has been asking "When are those people coming to train Jonathon?" She makes me laugh everytime she asks about it b/c she says it so innocently.

Back to normal?-Not quite yet!!

Ahhhh....Jonathon had another restless night of sleep. He was up every couple of hrs or so coughing. This would wake him up, and I had to get out of bed probaly a total of 5 times to pick him up and put him back to sleep.Thanksfully he goes back to sleep quite easily. Today I feel like I need a vacation just to catch up on my sleep. Oh well, this too shall pass! The Lord always provides the strength I need to get through the day. I didn't end up needing to take him back to the Dr. yesterday, as he woke up looking so much better, and did not have a fever.

At this time of year, I always feel like getting better organzied concerning paperwork. It's a good time of year to do this b/c this is the same time that I get all our paperwork in order to get our taxes done. I bought I filing cabinet to put in our office. We have a tall filing cabinet out in our garage on the second story that mainly holds all of John's old paperwork from previous jobs that he has done. But we really need something inside that we can get to right more easily, especially when it is this cold. I do actually look forward to this somewhat of a big project, b/c after I get that done, I can move onto my next project of getting ready for vacation in April. I would much rather do this first, but looking forward to doing that motivates me to get the paperwork done!

Still sick

Well, my husband is feeling better today, but the baby is still sick. He seemed ok today, but as usual his temp spiked again around suppertime, and he just looks so sick. I am not used to having a sick child, as my girls really never got as sick as he has been. He had another restless night last night,but John took care of him which was a nice break. He got RSV about a year ago, and I have read that this prediposes him to getting colds and asthma more easily.This all brings back to my mind a situation we had last year. They now have a series of shots that they give to premature babies t prevent RSV. His pediatrician requested that he get this last year when he was 2mos old(you need approval from the ins co.)They denied her request as he did not meet all of the qualifications. He only met one which was that he had older siblings who were in school. If I smoked and took him to daycare, he would have qualified. I felt like I was being punished for staying home with my child, and for not smoking. So, he ended up getting RSV, and I am still alittle bitter about that (thanks BC/BS!!!) We don't know if my husbands kidney stone passed , or if it just moved. He had his first major attack about 8 1/2 yrs ago. He now knows what to do when he feels an attack coming on, plenty of fluids and Vicodin every 4 hrs. So one down and one to go! I was really hoping the week would start off better than last week. It looks like I will be heading back to the dr.s tomm with the baby. As my friend Heather says, "Boys are trouble!" and I am finding this to be true!!!

Disappointment

I don't mean to sound depressing or anything, but this year has not been going my way. Let me explain. So far this month, I have not been able to go to at least three things that I would really like to have been apart of. First, it was a wedding. And since yesterday I have had to cancel a concert, dinner plans, and was not able to attend a funeral today. The week in general did not go my way. Mackenzie stayed home from school all week due to a cough and cold which made homeschoooling Emily diffucult b/c she couldn't concentrate, and stay focused b/c she thought it would be more fun to play with sister. Jonathon has been sick since Tuesday and is still running a high fever and has a bad cold. And to top it all off, John has been pretty much been out of commission since yesterday due to his kidney stones acting up. He still was not feeling well today so we could not go to the funeral like we had planned. I AM thankful that as I have gotten older, and have matured in my walk with the Lord, that I am able to more readily accept these times of disappoint, and to realize that everything happens for a reason.

Up all night

Last night I arrived home from work and grocery shopping around 12:30am. As soon as I got home my husband came and told me that Jonathon, our 16mo old,was burning up with a fever and he thought he was having trouble breathing as well. So, I took his temp, gave him Motrin, and we headed downstairs to rest on the couch, so that dad could get some sleep. Jonathon was did not seem tired, and I was not really yet ready to dose off either, so we watched a rerun of the Duggar family on Discovery Health before going to sleep. Jonathon was very restless,coughing pretty hard at times, and finally after a 1/2 hr or so we both fell asleep. About an hr later(3am), I was awakened by some noise, and this horrible yelling, or at least that how it sounded to me. It was a womans voice, and they were just screaming, with no words. I listened for a few seconds thinking maybe one of the girls was having a nightmare, but that was definetly not it. It kept going and was so loud I thought for sure it would wake up my husband. It sounded like either someone was being murdered, or there had been an accident. I thought for sure I would see lights and sirens from the police at any moment, b/c I could't be the only one who was hearing this in the neighborhood and someone would surely call the police. My mind started racing thinking of all the things it could be, and I was SCARED! I thought that if someone needed help, they might come to our door looking for help and then what would I do? Or what would we find, or get caught up in? I started praying, and I mean PRAYING, for protection for my family. The noise stopped after about 15-20min. No one woke up, and it was dead silent until this am. I, on the other hand, was so freaked out by this that I resolved myself that I would not fall asleep until it was light out, or until 5am, this seemed like a reasonable time to me(only b/c I remembered it doesn;t get light out until around 6-6:30am.) I did not want to fall asleep, and be awakened by this noise again, didn't think my nerves could handle it! I was too scared to wake up husband during all this b/c I was afraid of what he might find. Isn't that silly? So, after some thinking, which I did all night, or should I say morning, if it wasn't a person, my only other thought was that it was an animal. Maybe a cat fight, or a fox chasing a cat. I'm not sure.Am I crazy, losing my mind? All that I know is that I am exhausted, and after my coffee wears off, and I get back from taking the baby to the dr. I will REALLY be needing some sleep!

Struggling with dying and death

Last night at church a friend wanted me to know that another mutual friend of ours was in the hosp and not expected to live much longer. He was dx with lung cancer a few years ago, and I had heard before christmas that he was not doing well.So this news did not surprise me. I had also been thinking about them ALOT last week and intended to send a card this week. Although I feel bad for him, I know that he will be with our Lord and Savior when he passes, and how wonderful that will be for him. What has overcome me more is the concern and worry I have for his wife. She will have to come home to an empty house and stay there by herself. He will no longer be by herside, and she will not have anyone to take care of. What will she do for the rest of her life now that her best friend is gone?
I have been overcome with emotion, and it is hard for me to write all that I feel. Part of me feels guilty b/c I did not take action, and make a phone call, or take a meal the numerous times I thought about this couple. I did pray for them the many times the Lord brought them to my mind. I was up all last night with this picture in my head of them in the hosp, and when he passes how hard it will be for his wife to let go and walk away knowing that she will never see him again until she herself is called home to be with the Lord. They have been married well over 35yrs, and have had such a solid marriage. He has been a wonderful testimony to others since being diagnosed. God also used this same man in my husband's life. As soon as my husband heard that he had cancer, it really hit him hard. He knew that if this man got cancer that he too would probaly face the same for himself. Both smoked cigarettes for many, many years. My husband made a decision that he really needed to quit. It has been over two years now that he has been smoke free. I thought he would never quit, but by God's grace, so far, he remains this way. This may not mean that my husband will not get cancer, b/c the damage may have already been done. That is for God to decide. But, I feel very sorrowful that that's what it took. That one decision to smoke and to keep smoking led this man where he is right now.... suffering and dying in a hosp. I know that there are many promises that God has made to His children, and that his wife will eventually be ok.

Decisions, Decisions

Today, I decided to create my own blog. I'll give you alittle background as to why I decided this. Last year, around the end of September my husband John, purchased some car parts on Ebay from a man that lives in South Jersey. The car parts were "pick-up" only (it was a hood for an old car.) He decided that we should "kill two birds with one stone "and also try to spend time with our dear friends, the Hesters, who also live in South Jersey. It sounded like a great idea to me. The plans were made and we had a great w/e. I didn't realize how much I missed all the Hesters until I saw them and spent time with them again. I couldn't believe that I had not stayed in touch with Heather since we had last visited them in 2004. I knew when they moved to NJ that it was God's plan for them, we would still be very good friends no matter what. I tried to send emails as often as possible to stay in touch, but after a year or so,I got busy with life here and let time quickly pass by. So, I decided to get my own blog so that we could stay in touch because good christian friends are hard to come by!