Well, the doctor confirmed that Brandon has allergies. Fun...I now get to put drops in his eyes for the next seven days.

If you're in our neighborhood in the morning or evening around 8 and hear bloodcurdling screams coming from our house, be assured that it is simply me pinning my child down, pulling his eyes open enough to deposit that single drop of medicine in just the right place for it to slip into his irritated eyes!!! It's absolutely amazing how tightly shut a one year old can squeeze his eyes!!!

Oh, the joys of motherhood!!! You get to torture your children for the sake of their well-being. *sigh* One dose down, 13 to go!!!!

And he also got his little finger pricked and THREE shots! I'm incredibly grateful for modern medicine, but whose idea was it to pin down squirming, screaming toddlers to administer the drugs??? Poor Ryan about had a heart attack listening to Brandon's cries. I'm thinking having Daddy along for that next checkup is a must for him to make it through SHOTS(now a very SCARY word in our household after today!)

OK, I'm off to comfort and cuddle my baby--probably will be doing that for the next few days as the effects of those shots kick in. I just love the AMA right now....

:)

I'm sorry it's been so quiet around here the last few days, but my husband has been home! I don't usually spend much time online, and I hardly ever put together a post when he's around. There's just so many other more important things to do when he's here! ;)

Anyway, for those who have read about my need to ORGANIZE, it's all on hold for right now. I have a week from today to get some things in order here and to also get my parents 4BR/3B house cleaned from top to bottom before they come home from the mission field.

I'm planning to be at the airport Tuesday, June 3rd to pick them up and drive them home. That will be a three hour, one way trip, and yes, I'm planning to take my boys with me! So, I have lots to get ready for.

I will try to take some pictures(I promise, Nichole!!!) before I clear off the bed in our spare room that has become the staging area for all my clearing out. You'd be duly horrified if you knew how long it's all been there, so I'll keep that to myself! :)

OH, and my baby has some sort of eye infection/allergy problem. It's been a week now that his eyes have been bloodshot. I decided it was time to let the doctors look him over. We're headed out this afternoon for the nearly hour trip it will take us to get there. Super fun with the price of gas!!!

Ok, I hear my boys (Ryan especially!) getting a bit rambunctious in the other room. Sorry again that this is so piecemeal, but mommy duties are beckoning!!!

Have a good day, blogworld!!!

:)

More focus!! :)

I finally broke down and made myself a master(I hope, complete!) list of all that needs to be tackled to get my house in order and the clutter vanquished. I have some serious projects to tackle! And boy, I need some major ideas to get things straightened up. I'm going to be searching I'm an Organizing Junkie!! for ideas the next several weeks. I am coming up with nothing on my own and need some inspiration for my small house with tiny closets! Any of me readers' ideas would be welcomed too!

When I have a few more minutes of computer time, I'll post the list for you and maybe even some pictures of the "before" clutter(GULP!! That would be very revealing though...Yikes!) We'll see how brave I am later.

Signing off for now...I do have that list to start on!

:)

Babies, babies, babies!!!

We're going to have a new baby boy in the family!! Erin and Jeremy had a sonogram this morning and it's definitely a little boy! Yay!!!! The doctor says he's weighing about 1 lb right now and is "longer than most babies." hehe Like he'd be short with the daddy he has!!!
Babies are fun!

Congratulations!

Baby girl Dawson has arrived!!!!

Laura is spreading the news, but we'll have to wait for details until Shaunna is up to posting. But check out Laura's blog for a few precious photos!!!!

PS Laura may be telling of her own little one in a day or two!!!
Yay for new babies!!!

The Lord's Answer

I don't know why, but it so amazes me when my Lord uses something to give me the direction I need, exactly when I need it. The reminders of HIS sufficiency exactly when I'm trying to do it all in my own strength.

Did you just read my previous post? Did you hear the tendency to "trying to do it all"?

Well, the Lord knew! And where did I go next? To this post! How so very appropriate for my current struggles!

Thank you, Father, for reminding me to be still and know that You are God.

My Focus

I am so NOT a schedule person.

Yes, I know, this wreaks of a rebellious streak and that is probably part of my problem--an overwhelming desire to "buck the system." However, to be honest to myself as well as my (few) readers, I do need some structure in my life that is now sorely missing.

My hope is to focus on (and pray much over) one area of my life--getting up at an early hour, preferably before my boys wake up each morning. This is no easy feat for me! Brandon has decided to exert his own stubborn streak and is still refusing a regular bedtime, long predictable sleep patterns and a normal awake time and nap time during the day. I have been working with him. At the very least he is no longer nursing during the night, but he still often wakes up and needs some prompting to go back to sleep.

A few weeks ago while Ryan was enjoying time away with Aunt Erin, I took the opportunity to begin to let Brandon cry more during the night, teaching him to go back to sleep on his own. It stuck for awhile, but after just one late night out, he's back to struggling with going/staying asleep. He has for several weeks now slept through the night, but only once he's deep in sleep. This is our problem area!

All this to say, how do I balance my genuine need for rest with the also very genuine need to get up early and have that precious quiet time in the morning? My husband and I have been discussing several ideas but have not come to any firm conclusions or decisions yet.

I know that an organized day is for my benefit and the benefit of my young children. Ryan especially needs that structured schedule at his age. But again, I'm still nursing Brandon quite often throughout the day. That is what he needs for now. Any mother who has nursed knows that though it is a WONDERFUL experience, it also takes a lot of time out of the day.

Weaning is not yet an option. I want my baby to be my baby for as long as possible, but I do need to figure out how to balance(there's that word again!!) my time, Ryan's needs and the organization and maintenance of my home.

So, my readers, do you have any tried and true ideas to give me? Are there some simple things I can try to implement into my day to help my boys and I to be more structured?

I often experience thoughts of failure and defeat over these and other issues regarding my home, but I KNOW that these are attacks against my peace. I must seek the Lord for the strength and wisdom I need to overcome and gain the victory!! Please pray with me if you think about it! I need much grace in this area.

:)

Tax Rebate--Received and Used

Thank you to the US government! With their "aid" we are one step closer to being out of debt today!!!

Our youngest son is officially "paid off" today!! It's feels so good to have one less bill to pay each month.

Now, we can roll that money to our debt snowball and start kicking it into high gear to get our last personal(yes, FINAL) debt paid off. We're hoping by March of next year to have our van paid off and be able then to just save and use our money without paying creditors.

YAY!!!!

:-)

Last Chance is TODAY!!!

Note: This offer ends May 15, 2008!

Ok, people, why in the world is it that I can't seem to get you to accept FREE MONEY!!! Seriously, there are no strings attached! Go on over and sign up today! Get that $25 sent to your bank account--Again, NO STRINGS!! You only have three or four days left to take advantage of this. Surely, you can use $25????!!!!

Hurry, hurry! Before it's too late!

:-)

Blog Carnival!!!!

Have y'all seen this? I heard about it over at I'm An Organizing Junkie (which, by the way, is a GREAT site!!)

Today's Homemaker is hosting the first ever Carnival of Modern Home Dwelling. The fun begins tomorrow!

Anyway, I submitted a post and was accepted to go on over there tomorrow and check it all out. Or go now and submit your own post to be included in the Carnival. There's several categories, and you can submit as many posts as you would like to submit.

Happy Mother's Day!!!

Stocking Up For Our Future

A prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself: but the simple pass on, and are punished.
Proverbs 22:3

Below is an excerpt from the article "Food Shock" by Jennifer Barry, GlobalAssistStrategist.com.

She wrote it for yesterday's edition of FSU. Her words chronicle the path that has led to the food shortages that are affecting populations across the globe. We are seeing the affects in the higher prices at the grocery store, but how long before our "affects" become more severe??

As an American, I’ve taken for granted that I can get just about any food I want at the supermarket. In fact, the number of choices are dizzying. I never really thought about the tenuous chain between myself and my food....

Read the rest here.

My husband and I and my dad and I have had some serious conversations about what the worldwide food shortages will eventually mean for those of us living in the United States. It is a problem--A problem that many are unaware of except for the higher prices at their local grocer.

We have decided that for our family, in the short run, we will begin to buy up larger amounts of rice, beans and possibly other grains as well. In the long run, we are on the look-out for a small piece of property where we can begin to grow our own food, and thus become less dependent on others to provide that food for us. Maybe this sounds crazy to you, or like we're being too cynical or making too much of this, but is it ever wrong to prudently decide to provide for and protect your family? This is our calling by God!!

So many of the blogs that I visit are all about providing for our families in the most economically practical way, working towards being out of debt, and ultimately, glorifying God by all that we, as wives and mothers, decide everyday on behalf of our families. I believe that we are to prepare for our futures as well.

This is what is working for us, but I would encourage any who read this to do some research of your own and begin to consider the impact these worldwide difficulties will have on your family. Begin to look at the big picture, and you may well begin to see, as we have, the importance of preparing for the lean times to come.

Serious Contemplations

God's perfect will

(J. C. Philpot, "The Living Sacrifice Presented" 1856)

"That good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God."
Romans 12:2

God's will is "perfect". In it, there is . . .
no spot,
no stain,
no weakness,
no error,
no instability.

It is and indeed must necessarily be as perfect as God
Himself; for it emanates from Him who is all perfection;
and is a discovery of His mind and character.

But when God's perfect will . . .
sets itself against our flesh,
thwarts our dearest hopes,
overturns our fondest schemes,
we cannot see that it is a perfect will. But rather, are
much disposed to fret, murmur, and rebel against it.

God's perfect will may . . .
snatch a child from your bosom;
strike down a d ear husband;
tear from your arms a beloved wife;
strip you of all your worldly goods;
put your feet into a path of suffering;
lay you upon a bed of pain and languishing;
cast you into hot furnaces or overwhelming floods;
make your life almost a burden to yourself!

How can you, under circumstances so trying and
distressing as these, acknowledge and submit to
God's perfect will; and let it reign and rule in
your heart without a murmur of resistance to it?

Look back and see how God's perfect will has, in
previous instances, reigned supreme in all points,
for your good. It has ordered or overruled all
circumstances and all events, amid a complication
of difficulties in providence and grace. Nothing has
happened to your injury; but all things have worked
together for your good.

Whatever we have lost, it was better for us that
it was taken away. Whatever . . .
property,
or comfort,
or friends,
or health,
or earthly happiness we have been deprived of,
it was better for us to lose, than to retain them.

Was your dear child taken away? It might be
to teach you resignation to God's sacred will.

Has a dear partner been snatched from your
embrace? It was that God might be your better
Partner and undying Friend.

Was any portion of your worldly substance taken
away? It was that you might be taught to live a
life of faith in the providence of God.

Have your fondest schemes been marred; your
youthful hopes blighted; and you pierced in the
warmest affections of your heart? It was . . .
to remove an idol,
to dethrone a rival to Christ,
to crucify the object of earthly love,
so that a purer, holier, and more enduring
affection might be enshrined in its stead.

To tenderly embrace God's perfect will is
the grand object of all gospel discipline.

The ultimatum of gospel obedience is to lie
passive in His hand, and know no will but His.

"That good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God."
Romans 12:2

FREE JEWELRY!!

Does everyone remember that Mother's Day is next weekend???? Well, here's another good idea for that perfect gift for Mom!

FREE $25!!!!

Hey, hey, everyone!!!

You only have ten days left to take advantage of the FREE $25 from Revolution Money exchange! It's such a simple process, so don't wait!

PS-- I haven't mentioned this, but when you sign up, you can refer people and make $10 for each person, up to another $500! There are NO fees or hidden "catches," so don't delay. Get your $25, and all your bonuses transferred to your bank account as soon as possible.

:-)

Mother's Day Ideas!!

A Simple Tip

If you're like me, you always appreciate tips and ideas from other busy moms and wives who have discovered that little something to make everyday chores/necessities a little easier. Here's one that's been working for me for awhile.

At our local grocery store, they are always putting large family-size packages of meat on sale or regularly have them at reduced prices. Now, to be perfectly honest, I DETEST separating raw meat. It's just really gross. So, instead, I plan to cook the whole amount. That way, I always have something easy put back in the freezer, or meat ready to be used for the next meal. If it's ground hamburger, I cook it up with onion and then divide it, use what I need, and put away the rest. If it's pork chops, ribs or steaks, my husband loves to fire up the grill and cook LOTS at once. That way, I usually always have ready-to-eat meat in my freezer.

So, maybe this is something you're already doing or is simple stuff to you, but it's working for me; and until my family grows and I have to actually use all that meat in one meal, I plan to keep to my system! Besides, this ends up being the least expensive way for me to keep my family stocked up on the meat we all enjoy eating so much.

:-)

CVS-- linking up, good deal

For more coupons to go along with the CVS deals for the month, check out iMommies. She also lists a good for this month-Rolaids!! This deal is almost free, but if you come across coupons, please share!!! :-)

Buy 5 boxes of Extra Strength Rolaids (3-Roll Packs): $2.19 each
Pay $10.95 + tax
Receive $10.00 in ECB
Limit 5

Remember that on all the "limit" deals, you DO NOT have to buy them all at once. You can spread out your purchases through-out the week/month, whichever applies.

You can sign up for updates on iMommies if you'd like. There are a lot of good deals to be found out there, and this is a site that puts it all in one place for those of us who don't have the time or the want-to to go looking for them!!

Quiet

It's so quiet here right now. I can hear birds warbling in the trees across the street. Brandon is playing nearby on the floor, totally intrigued by a new toy. It's really been a peaceful morning.

I was able to read some in the book of Acts as Brandon was nursing/resting earlier. The accounts of Paul's teaching and ministries always stir my heart to pray for missionaries, especially my parents. What a sacrifice it is to commit your life to spreading the Gospel of Christ to the masses-- to "count it all loss that I might win Christ!"

Well, laundry and housework are requiring my attention. I hope that your day was started with peacefulness and quiet as mine was. It's needful and refreshing!