FLU

Saturday night was our first date night in a very long time. By mid way into dinner, something hit me and it had me really hard. I wanted to just go buy some meds and head home. Sunday came, and I ended up in the ER. After some meds via iv, and fluids, lots of tests and x rays, it was that I had the flu and bronchitis. I was miserable! I tried my best to stay away from the girls, as I didn't want them to get this. Daddy did all he could to be the one to take care of the girls.

Tuesday morning, we awake and Lil E is crying with her legs and neck. By mid day, L K is sick and crying too. New in town, we head to urgent care! Both girls test positive for the flu! They were so so sick and it broke my heart! I know how bad I felt, so I didn't want them to feel this way.

We leave there, head to wal greens, to get their prescriptions filled. Then I learned something really big! I love drive thru's! We are now in a big enough city to have the advantage of many different drive thru places! So we get our meds via drive through, pick up dinner via drive thru window, and even do drive thru of this neat place that you can get drinks from. I could get 12 packs of sprite, and large deals of gatorade. How awesome!!! I know many will say that's lazy, but when you are sick with the flu and bronchitis, and have 2 precious sweeties that are so sick with the flu, why drag them out to get things, and why spread such germs either! It made life so much easier!

We get home and how I wish we had been home to stay. Lil K couldn't stop vomiting and wouldn't drink, so with this and the high fever we headed to the ER, just like instructed to do.

It crushed me to watch the girls so sick and all. But we are so blessed with a great hospital and was able to take such great care and as gently as could be with the girls. Finally I get both girls resting.

As I sat there, and they were finally resting, it hit me! I had been in urgent care and the ER, and they were talking about admitting my baby, but we know what is wrong with her, and I know she will be ok. I sat there, and started to cry. One for if we were hurting this bad, oh my goodness, how bad did my sweet mom hurt! Unreal!!! Then it hit me even harder, as I was praying over my girls and crying for missing my mom,for her pain, and all that. I was like how do all those parents with terminally ill children do this, and they have so much faith. How? So I sat there and hugged my girls tighter, and thanked God that their illness was temporary and minor in the realm of the big picture, and I prayed for all those children sick and hurting, and for every parent of these children, especially for those who were sitting with terminally ill children! It really made me so thankful that even though I was sick and so sad that my kids were sick, we were so blessed and lucky!!!!

Please send some extra prayers for those parents and grandparents with little ones that are terminally ill or in the fight for their life! They need all our love, support, and prayers!

Hugs and Blessings,

2nd round of snow

It started on Feb 6 with several inches of snow, and then just a couple of days later it was more! Lots more! Another 8 inches, and drifts over 3 feet deep! The 2nd round of the artic storms, brought us much more snow than the first one!

Here's a few pictures of the snow and some fun! (very lil fun out though). And would you believe it, now our well is broke, so week 2 of no water! We had to bring in jugs of water! No running water! At least we did have electric, so we had heat.

It's so pretty! I just love how pretty the snow is!!!!

The girls had a great time climbing the "Snow Mountain", as they called it. It was too cold to be out there for more than just a few though. Terrible cold!

Heres the drifts out in our front yard.

Doesn't she look like a skier? I think so!

So we sent this past week, stuck in the house, bringing in jug by jug of water, very little outside time, as it was way to cold. So it's been hard, living like they did back in the old day without running water. But we did it, and managed as a family! And made some great memories too!!! Will have to download the pictures from my camera really soon and will even have more pictures than these to share with you. Better ones actually.

Hope you stayed warm and healthy!

Hugs and Blessings,

Round 2 and the Flu

Round two of the Artic Storms wasn't as nice to us! We ended up with tons of snow, over the ice, and some really crummy weather. Then guess what took place around here, all 3 of us girls have the FLU! It's horrible bad! I will be around to give updates soon. Miss everyone and I hope yall are doing well.

Hugs and blessings,

The Massive Storm of 2011

Even though this major storm did cripple lots of the Nation, we were blessed! Thanks to the dry air, it dried out the moisture as it came through! We did get a few inches of dry snow, but that was it! And the HIGH winds keep blowing it away! Dry snow and high winds, living out in the open, left us with little snow to play in when the time comes to go out and play. So it's been super frigid cold, and little snow!!! We have seen highs in the single digits and the lows in the negative, not even counting the wind chill! Winds from 25 to 40 mph, with gusts more! It was nasty! The wind was actually scary!

The above picture was taken yesterday evening, looking out our front door!!!

Below is a picture of the girls yesterday! Once the wind let up, I bundled them up in layers and layers, to give them a brief 5 minutes out in the snow to play! It broke my heart, as it's never been this cold for us when we were getting snow, and so they are use to going out and playing and having a blast! And since Sunday they had not been outside, as the storm starting coming in Monday night.

Here's a couple pictures of the snow that didn't get blown away!!!

All in all, it was beautiful! And we can say we finally did get some snow, but I'd be so happy to not see the super cold temps again! They were terrible! So bad that the water pipes froze down in the ground!!! Yes in the ground is where it froze up! And this happened, Tuesday, and they are telling us, it is likely to be Saturday before our temps are high enough to thaw them out. Our temps were single digits on Tuesday and yesterday in the high. Today we are suppose to get to 20, and tomorrow a bit above freezing, just not long enough to help us! Today I'm so thankful for the wind settling down though, it has made a big difference. And I'm thankful that it was water pipes freezing instead of loosing power for all those days, as we have a total electric home.

So we have been in the house and taking it easy! Not been doing to much of anything. Even took a break for unpacking, now I need to get back to it!

Hope and pray all of you are doing well and staying warm!!! That is what is important!

Hugs and Blessings,

Molasses Crinkles

Click on the Cooking Thursday Banner, to be taken to Diary of a Stay at Home Mom, our awesome host of Cooking Thursday! You will find many other GREAT recipes!!!

This week, I am sharing a special recipe to me! I know it's the 2nd time I have shared it for Cooking Thursday, but with the new cookbook and all, I wanted to share again. Hope yall don't mind. It's a cookie recipe that is passed to me from my Mother in Law. She has made these since she was a kid. Her and I use to make this while we were making all our Christmas cookies to share with others!

Guess what arrived to my house! It was one of the first items to arrive in the mail at the new place! What a treat it was, to get last week! (The first piece of mail was a letter from GBP saying another recipe was being featured in a upcoming fall recipe book!) My free copy of 101 Cupcake, Cookie, & Brownie Recipes! My Molasses Crinkles are published in the cookbook!!! I am so excited!!! (I have 2 more free cookbooks coming in the coming months, with 2 other awesome recipes!)

Molasses Crinkles

3/4 c. shortening

1 c. brown sugar, packed

1 egg, beaten

1/4 c. molasses

2 1/4 c. all-purpose flour

1/4 t. baking soda

1 t. cinnamon

1 t. ground ginger

water

garnish with sugar

In a bowl, mix shortening, brown sugar, egg, and molasses. Stir in remaining ingredients except garnish in the order listed. Roll dough into one-inch balls. Dips tops in sugar and place on ungreased baking sheets. Gently press a thumb print into each. Sprinkle one to 4 drops of water in each indentation. Bake 350 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack. Makes 4 dozen.

Hope you enjoy!!!!

Hugs and Blessings,

We are moved!!

I really don't know what is up with blogger, but it's not spacing right when I upload pics.... Anywho, we are finally moved,and it's been a crazy chaotic week of unpacking and all that stuff...


Last week the girls and I came to the new house mid week to deep clean it and get it all ready for the big move!!! Then we went back to the old place on Friday and moved Saturday!!!! What a long few weeks it has been!!!! The girls had to help us load and unload too! Actually they were big helps!!!

After a few weeks of long hours, and hard work, I am ready for life to settle down and get back in order!

I hope and pray everyone is doing well. Miss blog land! I will return soon!

Hugs and Blessings,

Move Day is in less than a week!

WOW O WOW!!!! Where has the time gone?

I started out the new year sick, and I haven't been able to keep up! With internet issues, packing, illness, and all, it has been way chaotic! It's a lot like a 5 ring circus!!! But I love it and I wouldn't trade it for anything.

We just about have the house packed up.. Not to much more to go. We move Saturday! I am so excited! I can't wait to get moved and settled down. I will be going to the new house either Wed or Thursday and doing some deep cleaning and unpacking of the things we have there already. Thanks to our dear friends, they had carried two loads out there for us, when they go home. They will be living on the same street as us. And he stays here during the week for work, goes home on the weekends. Although, Cass came out this past week and helped me pack it all up! What a big help!

And in all this, we have been finishing up the painting here, and working on the race car to get it ready to move.

Then we will be busy unpacking and getting things done at the new house! I am so excited for it.

So that is where we have been! Living our crazy busy life!!! Hope everyone is doing well!

Hugs and Blessings,

Finally my Review

I had planned to do a review awhile back for a product from CSN Stores. I was so lucky to do a review for all of you, by picking a product of my choice.

I had a hard time picking what I wanted... I finally picked the Rachael Ray 4.25 quart Covered Casserole. I did pick the chocolate brown one. Click here to see it.

The very first time I used it, I made chicken enchilada casserole in it. Something that normally sticks very bad in my normal pan that I use to cook this dish. I would normally use a glass baking dish.

Look for yourself, it did not stick? It just scooped up and was the easiest to clean of any other casserole dish I have ever used!!!! It has become my new favorite baking dish.

I now use it several times a week and it has the easiest clean up.

I can't wait to add more of the Rachael Ray casserole dishes to my list. So do check out these great dishes on the CSN Store site, as they have great prices.

Hugs and Blessings,

Daddy and Lil E Race Chat

Lil E was busy trying not to go to bed last night, and so she decided to chat it up with daddy about his race car and it’s paint job.

Here’s a few of her ideas

Let’s paint fish tails all over the car!

Painting hearts all over the race and rainbows too.

She wants gold sparkles to make it look so clean!

Needless to say I promised her we would put a heart on the side and list his Lil Pit Crew Sweeties inside the heart. And for the fish tails, I think we will do the Christian Fish on the back. Now for the gold sparkles, we aren’t doing gold. But we will have some silver. Hope she will be happy with it, just like I really hope, it turns out the way we want, so Daddy and I are happy too!!!

And for money to pay for all the race car work, according to her, we just go to the bank with real nice and good manners, and they just give you the money! If it was only that easy! I guess though, being as they see me always being so sweet and using good manners, and getting money, it only makes sense for it to work that way. I just love the pure innocence of children!!!!!

Hugs and Blessings,

Good Bye 2010 ..... Hello 2011

We said Good bye to 2010 at home with a few buddies from James' work. Some of our closest friends weren't able to make it, but that is ok. We had a good time! And it was nice for all of us. We had finger foods, and played games and just enjoyed being here.

Then we had a very easy start to 2011, despite me being sick. I have been under the weather. Went to the Doc on Friday, the last day of 2010, and I have ear infection in both ears, a throat infection, and upper resp infection. It was a nice calm easy day around here. We did cook our traditional New Years dinner, Ham, black eyed peas, cole slaw, scalloped potatoes (this varies on the type of potatoes), rolls, and deviled eggs. And James made a one pan cake! YUMMY!!!

But as I reflect back on the year of 2010, there was some good points and things, but it was over all a very HARD, ROUGH, and not so good year!!!! The worst year I have ever had in many ways! It was just unbelievable at the ugliness, illness, pain, anger, and everything else I could mention here! It was full of heart ache. Happy moments were over shadowed by some kind of negative! It was horrible! But in the end of it, a few really good things did happy... (Stay tuned to see those)..... So with all that I am really looking forward to 2011!

Our 2010

Started on Jan 1 with me being sick and stuck in bed.

Jan was full of trapped out days, due to weather, for Daddy!

We finally had Lil K’s 2^nd Birthday party, a bit late.

Mommy burned her eyes with a flash fire at the fire place.

We did get lots of days to play in the snow and ice.

Feb, back home (North Texas), saw record snow! Over a foot! It was beautiful!

March we saw Lil K’s adoption!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So thankful Mom and Dad were able to be with us!

April, For the first time in 2 years hubby and I had a date without kiddos! WOW! And he took me to see Bret Michaels! AWESOME!

Was spent with progression of my pseudo tumor cerebri. Now we were seeing passing out spells and much more. Not a good thing.

April ended bringing me several recruits for my Scentsy Team!!!! Woot Woot!!!!

May comes along, and it was ER trips, huge knot on the back of my head, no more driving far distances, if much at all. Tons of new really yuck health stuff.

May was our family reunion, again a trip to the ER!

June more medical drama!

A trip home because my sister was fighting for her life!

But then it didn’t stop there, now Lil K is in the ER, being admitted to the hospital, and surgery!

Father’s Day we weren’t even with Daddy. We were still away with my family.

July was filled with mini trips while we had company, so glad Patti and the boys visited us!

Another round of ER and doctor trips to now have Neuralgia in my head!

Met my parents half way, so they could keep the girls while I was away! They wanted this time, and I needed them. Who would know it was my very last time to see my mom in a happy healthy normal way! Would I have let them head home so soon? Would I have ever stopped hugging her?

A trip to Denver for Scentsy National Convention, but spent some of that time sick.

Aug started out, so so! Nothing to exciting either way really, until what?

The doctors tell me that they think I have cancer! NO NO NO!

Sept starts with insurance drama! CT scans aren’t approved and surgery is postponed.

Sept 7, Mom called and said I have a headache and I am going to bed. I always love you, baby girl!!!!

Sept 8, she was horrible sick! Rushed to the ER and what? Being put in ICU.

Sept 9, she was put on life support! What a horrible trip to get there!!!! It took me way to long to get the hospital to my Momma!!!!!

Sept 11, Lil E's birthday, spent at the hospital! But she did get to see Mamaw!

James gets that the news that our location is shutting down, and we have to transfer again! We did pray for the location and home of our choice! We asked God for his favor in this!

I was a total wreck during this time and I almost lost myself in many ways!

Sept 20, We turned life support off and Momma passed on. I layed in her arms until her last breaths.

Sept 23, we laid her to rest. Forever in our hearts! We love you, Momma/ Mamaw!

Sept 26, we headed home after being there so long. I cried all the way home, especially when it was times for momma to call.

Sept 27, back to life and how do I do this????

I threw myself into house hunting!! Hopeing this would help me.

Oct 2, we got the call, my brother in law was in critical condition, and having seizures lasting over 5 minutes. They found his brain tumor.

Oct 8, my brother in law’s surgery and my surgery.

My mass in the neck was NOTHING major, just a cyst! God proved he was still in charge, not what the doctors thought!

Best news comes that my brother in laws tumor was NOT Cancer!!! Praise God!!!!!!!

Oct 16 my niece got married! A big happy moment for our family!!! Just was the first super special moment without Momma. So hard.

Missed Halloween trick or treating because our stupid town changed it. The girls were so disappointed.

Nov~ ended what I thought was a real and special friendship! But learned the hard way, it wasn’t! And by far that I had been played!!!!

Nov, went to help with the garage sale so Dad could downsize. Watching Mom’s stuff go was bitter sweet. She would be happy it was going to help others, but hard to see it all going too.

Thanksgiving, we stayed home, and had our friends over. It was nice.

Lil K's birthday! My Baby isn't a baby anymore!

Dec, On our 11 years anniversary. And we found our house for us to move to!!! Yeah!!!

OH slow down, not going to all go GREAT, truck troubles, RC Engine issues, and issues around the house!

Dec, filled with lots of special memories and activities getting ready for Christmas, such as baking, bow making, crafts, watching movies, enjoying Christmas Lights, and much more together as a family!

Mom’s headstone arrived and was set up the 21^st!

Busy packing and was sick. What a way to end the year.

In all this, I have been reunited with a few people from my past!

And in it all a dear friend and I reconciled after being a part for nearly 2 years over something so stupid and trivial!!! Both too stubborn to realize what we had until we thought it was gone. So thankful that God brought us back! And that he reunited me with some other important people!

That’s just a highlight of the 2010 year! So to say the least, I am ready for 2010 to be over!

On to 2011, I have great expectations and I’m ready to see it here!!! I’m excited for what is coming our way!

What’s coming in 2011 ~

I am excited for our Move! Our new home awaits! And I can’t wait to decorate it up and make it all awesome for us. It’s going to have a lot of cowgirl stuff. I can’t wait.

To work on being the best mom, wife, daughter, and friend, that I can be!!!

Growing a closer relationship with God!

Finding us a new Home Church, after moving!

To taking our homeschool to another level!

Getting Healthy! To feeling well! Once and for all!!!!

James starts racing!!!!

Helping with the Local Racers Crisis Fund fundraiser!

Growing my Scentsy Team!!!

Attending National Convention!!!

Renewing our Wedding Vows!!!!!

Enjoying my life as a mommy and wife, being as positive as I can be!

There you have it, the reason I am glad to see 2010 end and some of what I am looking forward to in 2011! I really know that 2011 is going to be filled with greatness and many more blessings than I can imagine!!! I am really looking forward to all the great things coming up for all of our family!!!! Lots of fun and more great special moments and memories head for us!

I’m wishing each and everyone of you a terrific and blessed 2011!! May all you wish for come, and may your year be filled with greatness!!!!

Hugs and Blessings,