DEFINITION OF A VETERAN
A Veteran - whether active duty, retired, national guard or reserve - is someone who, at one point in their life, wrote a check made payable to "The United States of America", for an amount of "up to and including my life."
Author Unknown
Thank you to all who have given so much to insure that our freedoms are secure.
David, thank you for all you gave up over the last six years to serve your country and keep us safe.
Stephen and John, thank you for every day that you go to do your job in the midst of extreme and dangerous environments. You sacrifice every day for me and my boys. I love you and pray for your safety always!
Monday, May 25, 2009
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
28 weeks
We had an interesting day yesterday. The day started well, with all the normal activities. I dropped Ryan off to play at my aunt's house, and my mom, Brandon and I got on the road to Abilene(about an hour drive away.) We were about five miles out when the van started feeling really funny to me. I was able to get the cruise turned off and start slowing down to pull over before sure enough, I heard a loud POP as I came to a stop. The front right tire was FLAT. Not good...
I had my first appointment within 30 minutes, my husband was an hour and a half away, my uncle, the only other person I could call, was at least that far away as well!! I wasn't about to attempt to change it on my own, even if I had a clue where/how to start!!! In the middle of trying to figure out what in the world we were going to do, a truck pulled up behind us. A man whose name I don't even know, stopped and changed it for us!!! It was so sweet! He said that he just hoped that someone would stop if his wife needed help. The Lord was so good to us, in protecting us and provided for us what we needed as soon as we needed it. I ended up making it my appointment only a couple minutes late. Steven took off work, drove that hour and a half to meet me to be there to get the tire fixed. I have an awesome husband!! It turned out that we didn't even have to get a new tire, just repair the two puncture holes in the old one. Yay!! Less money out of pocket and out of our emergency fund.
So, with that eventful start, I was able to go to my 28 week checkups and see how our baby is growing and developing!
Our littlest guy is weighing 2 lbs, 9 oz now! He's definitely getting stronger because he's kicking a LOT harder now! The neonatologist looked at his heart yesterday and said that there are no problems with his heart valves--they are both wide open and functioning properly!! We're so thankful for that news after all the Brandon had to go through with his heart procedure.
It was so sweet to see the baby on the sono. There was an awesome shot of his face. We could see him moving his mouth and making faces! Loved it!!!
I'm feeling pretty good considering it's the third trimester, and I'm getting bigger by the minute! :) Ryan and Brandon are keeping me much more active with this pregnancy which is probably helping me to have that little bit of extra energy that I usually don't have with my pregnancies.
We only have 10 weeks to go!!! My doctor said that we can schedule the delivery for as soon as July 21st. I can't believe it's that close already! I don't have a thing ready for him, except a closet full of diapers and nursing pads that I've been stashing away over the last few months. I have dressers to clean out and a garage sale to plan before I can start organizing baby clothes and blankets, etc. If I can get over this cold I have right now, I'm hoping to tackle a lot of the clearing out this week. We'll see!!!
I switch to having checkups every two weeks now, so I'll try to post after each one if I can. Maybe even more often than that if I'm not crazy busy!! :)
I had my first appointment within 30 minutes, my husband was an hour and a half away, my uncle, the only other person I could call, was at least that far away as well!! I wasn't about to attempt to change it on my own, even if I had a clue where/how to start!!! In the middle of trying to figure out what in the world we were going to do, a truck pulled up behind us. A man whose name I don't even know, stopped and changed it for us!!! It was so sweet! He said that he just hoped that someone would stop if his wife needed help. The Lord was so good to us, in protecting us and provided for us what we needed as soon as we needed it. I ended up making it my appointment only a couple minutes late. Steven took off work, drove that hour and a half to meet me to be there to get the tire fixed. I have an awesome husband!! It turned out that we didn't even have to get a new tire, just repair the two puncture holes in the old one. Yay!! Less money out of pocket and out of our emergency fund.
So, with that eventful start, I was able to go to my 28 week checkups and see how our baby is growing and developing!
Our littlest guy is weighing 2 lbs, 9 oz now! He's definitely getting stronger because he's kicking a LOT harder now! The neonatologist looked at his heart yesterday and said that there are no problems with his heart valves--they are both wide open and functioning properly!! We're so thankful for that news after all the Brandon had to go through with his heart procedure.
It was so sweet to see the baby on the sono. There was an awesome shot of his face. We could see him moving his mouth and making faces! Loved it!!!
I'm feeling pretty good considering it's the third trimester, and I'm getting bigger by the minute! :) Ryan and Brandon are keeping me much more active with this pregnancy which is probably helping me to have that little bit of extra energy that I usually don't have with my pregnancies.
We only have 10 weeks to go!!! My doctor said that we can schedule the delivery for as soon as July 21st. I can't believe it's that close already! I don't have a thing ready for him, except a closet full of diapers and nursing pads that I've been stashing away over the last few months. I have dressers to clean out and a garage sale to plan before I can start organizing baby clothes and blankets, etc. If I can get over this cold I have right now, I'm hoping to tackle a lot of the clearing out this week. We'll see!!!
I switch to having checkups every two weeks now, so I'll try to post after each one if I can. Maybe even more often than that if I'm not crazy busy!! :)
Monday, May 11, 2009
Trying again to post these!!
Brandon, trying out his brother's boots!
Such a cutie!
Ryan, sporting his new boots, his hat and his gun! 
My sweet boys!
Stealing kisses!
Taking snuggle time whenever I can get it
My grandma with my boys
My brother John and his family
Five generations of WalkersPicture woes!
Well, I'll have to try again to post pictures when I have a few minutes. For some reason they've disappeared from Blogger. I'll work on it and post them again soon!!!
:)
:)
Short and sweet
I'm sitting here, enjoying the sound of two little boys playing cars on the kitchen floor. It's amazing how soothing that can be!!!
What a wonderful weekend I've had with my family, just being together! Brandon and I both came down with yucky colds, but in spite of not feeling well, I loved the hugs and cards and sweet "Happy Mother's Day, Mommy"s that I received. Steven bought me a new blender, some much needed maternity clothes that FIT and two new pair of seriously CUTE sandals! I'm enjoying all of it!
Tomorrow I will be 28 weeks pregnant and will have another checkup and sonogram to make sure our littlest guy is still doing well. I can't believe that in 10 short weeks, we'll be welcoming him home and settling into a family of five. I have to admit I'm getting nervous about the prospect of labor, but I know it will be over and done with and I'll be able to just snuggle with my new baby in no time. I am looking forward to that part of it!! :)
Well, my boys are getting restless, so I better cut this short. Until next time, people!
PS-- Oh, for some reason, all my newly posted pictures are not showing up on my computer. Will someone let me know if you can see them??? I'm hoping it's just that the settings on my new computer need to be adjusted. Thanks!! :)
What a wonderful weekend I've had with my family, just being together! Brandon and I both came down with yucky colds, but in spite of not feeling well, I loved the hugs and cards and sweet "Happy Mother's Day, Mommy"s that I received. Steven bought me a new blender, some much needed maternity clothes that FIT and two new pair of seriously CUTE sandals! I'm enjoying all of it!
Tomorrow I will be 28 weeks pregnant and will have another checkup and sonogram to make sure our littlest guy is still doing well. I can't believe that in 10 short weeks, we'll be welcoming him home and settling into a family of five. I have to admit I'm getting nervous about the prospect of labor, but I know it will be over and done with and I'll be able to just snuggle with my new baby in no time. I am looking forward to that part of it!! :)
Well, my boys are getting restless, so I better cut this short. Until next time, people!
PS-- Oh, for some reason, all my newly posted pictures are not showing up on my computer. Will someone let me know if you can see them??? I'm hoping it's just that the settings on my new computer need to be adjusted. Thanks!! :)
Monday, May 04, 2009
Strength For a Weary Mom
Girl Talk recently went through a series for moms of young children and moms of teenagers. I, of course, devoured the posts for moms with little ones. I wanted to point you in that direction if you are in this phase of life. I found their words to be both humbling and convicting, with lots of encouragement thrown into the mix!
Here's an excerpt from the last post by Kristin:
I want to close the week by reminding you of one of my favorite promises from God’s Word. Galatians 6:9 says: "Let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up."
...May I encourage you to hold onto this verse as you seek to faithfully sow into the lives of your little ones? The harvest won't come today. And it won't come tomorrow. Maybe not even next year or the year after that.
Here's an excerpt from the last post by Kristin:
I want to close the week by reminding you of one of my favorite promises from God’s Word. Galatians 6:9 says: "Let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up."
...May I encourage you to hold onto this verse as you seek to faithfully sow into the lives of your little ones? The harvest won't come today. And it won't come tomorrow. Maybe not even next year or the year after that.
But we must be faithful to sow today. Faithful to train. Faithful to teach. Faithful to discipline. Faithful to love. Or, as it says in this passage, faithful to "do good." And we must trust God that He will fulfill His promises, that we will reap a harvest in due season if we do not give up.
My expectations are not for today, or even tomorrow--but my hope is in God who has promised that, someday, my labors will bear fruit for Him. Even though my body is weary, my soul gains new strength from this promise.
I pray it strengthens you as well.
Saturday, May 02, 2009
I'm a "Kept" Woman!!
There have been times when I thought I would lose my mind, but God kept me sane. Isaiah 26:3 -
There were times when I thought I could go on no longer But the LORD kept me moving. (Gen 28:15)
At times, I’ve wanted to lash out at those whom I felt had done me wrong, but the Lord kept my mouth shut. (Ps 13)
Sometimes I think the money just isn’t enough, but God has helped me to keep the lights on, the water on, the car paid, the house paid, etc, (Matt 6:25-34
When I thought I would fall, He kept me up.
When I thought I was weak, He kept me strong! (1 Pet 5:7, Matt 11: 28-30)
Are you or do you know a ‘kept’ woman?
If so, pass it on to her to let them know they are ‘Kept.’
I am kept by the Love and Grace of God! I am indeed kept woman and praise God for it!
Please share this with someone in need of encouragement today.
There were times when I thought I could go on no longer But the LORD kept me moving. (Gen 28:15)
At times, I’ve wanted to lash out at those whom I felt had done me wrong, but the Lord kept my mouth shut. (Ps 13)
Sometimes I think the money just isn’t enough, but God has helped me to keep the lights on, the water on, the car paid, the house paid, etc, (Matt 6:25-34
When I thought I would fall, He kept me up.
When I thought I was weak, He kept me strong! (1 Pet 5:7, Matt 11: 28-30)
Are you or do you know a ‘kept’ woman?
If so, pass it on to her to let them know they are ‘Kept.’
I am kept by the Love and Grace of God! I am indeed kept woman and praise God for it!
Please share this with someone in need of encouragement today.
Saturday, April 11, 2009
Taken from Jeremiah 32:17-19
Ah, Lord God, Ah, Lord God!
Thou hast made the heavens and the earth
by thy great power and stretched out arm
And there is nothing too hard for Thee!
Thou showest loving kindness unto thousands!
The great, the mighty God, the Lord of Hosts is His name--
Great in power and mighty in works
And there is nothing too hard for Thee!!
Ah, Lord God, Ah, Lord God!
Thou hast made the heavens and the earth
By thy great power and stretched out arm
And there is nothing too hard for thee!
And there is nothing too hard for Thee!!
Thou hast made the heavens and the earth
by thy great power and stretched out arm
And there is nothing too hard for Thee!
Thou showest loving kindness unto thousands!
The great, the mighty God, the Lord of Hosts is His name--
Great in power and mighty in works
And there is nothing too hard for Thee!!
Ah, Lord God, Ah, Lord God!
Thou hast made the heavens and the earth
By thy great power and stretched out arm
And there is nothing too hard for thee!
And there is nothing too hard for Thee!!
Thursday, April 09, 2009
By Grace Alone
Out of the depths I cry to You,
Lord, hear my voice of pleading;
Bend down your gracious ear, I pray,
Your humble servant heeding.
If you remember each misdeed,
And of each thought and word take heed,
Who can remain before You:
Only by grace, by grace alone!!
Your pardon is a gift of love,
Your grace alone must save us.
Our works will not remove our guilt;
The strictest life would fail us.
Let none in their own merits boast,
But let us own the Holy Ghost
For He alone can change us:
Only by grace, by grace alone!!
Though great our sin and sore our woes
His grace much more aboundeth:
His helping love no limit knows;
Our utmost need it soundeth.
Our kind and faithful Shepherd He,
Who will set all His people free
From all their sin and sorrow:
Only by grace, by grace alone!!
Martin Luther
Out of the depths I cry to You,
Lord, hear my voice of pleading;
Bend down your gracious ear, I pray,
Your humble servant heeding.
If you remember each misdeed,
And of each thought and word take heed,
Who can remain before You:
Only by grace, by grace alone!!
Your pardon is a gift of love,
Your grace alone must save us.
Our works will not remove our guilt;
The strictest life would fail us.
Let none in their own merits boast,
But let us own the Holy Ghost
For He alone can change us:
Only by grace, by grace alone!!
Though great our sin and sore our woes
His grace much more aboundeth:
His helping love no limit knows;
Our utmost need it soundeth.
Our kind and faithful Shepherd He,
Who will set all His people free
From all their sin and sorrow:
Only by grace, by grace alone!!
Martin Luther
Wednesday, April 08, 2009
Being still
Wait on the Lord and be of good courage; wait, I say, on the Lord.
~Psalms
Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted....
~Psalm 46:10
Be still my soul, the Lord is on thy side
Bear patiently the cross of grief or pain.
Leave to thy God to order and provide.
In every change, He faithful will remain!!
~Psalms
Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted....
~Psalm 46:10
Be still my soul, the Lord is on thy side
Bear patiently the cross of grief or pain.
Leave to thy God to order and provide.
In every change, He faithful will remain!!
Tuesday, April 07, 2009
Bring The Rain
I was reading today's post on Bring the Rain. It's Audrey's first birthday today. Pray for the Smith family as they face this milestone.
These are a few quotes from Angie's last two posts. I thought I would share them with you and encourage anyone who comes across my blog to check out Audrey's story and see how greatly the Lord is working in that family.
First, here are the words to a song about to be released by Selah.
(Written by Chad Cates, Tony Wood, Brian Petak)
Produced by Bernie Herms
Sung by Amy Perry and Todd Smith
The cruelest words
The coldest heart
The deepest wounds
The endless dark
The lonely ache
The burning tears
The bitter night
The wasted years
Life breaks and falls apart
But we know these are…
Places
Where grace is
Soon to be so amazing
They may unfulfilled
They may unrestored
But when anything that’s shattered
Is laid before the Lord
Just watch and see
It will not be
Unredeemed
For every choice
That led to shame
And all the love
That never came
For every vow
That someone broke
And every life
That gave up hope
We live in the shadow of the fall
But the cross says these are all – just
Places
Where grace is
Soon to be so amazing
They may be unfulfilled
They may be unrestored
But when anything that’s shattered
Is laid before the Lord
Just watch and see
It will not be
Unredeemed
They may be unfulfilled
They may be unrestored
You never know the miracles
The Father has in store
Just watch and see
It will not be
Unredeemed
These are a few quotes from Angie's last two posts. I thought I would share them with you and encourage anyone who comes across my blog to check out Audrey's story and see how greatly the Lord is working in that family.
First, here are the words to a song about to be released by Selah.
Unredeemed
(Written by Chad Cates, Tony Wood, Brian Petak)
Produced by Bernie Herms
Sung by Amy Perry and Todd Smith
The cruelest words
The coldest heart
The deepest wounds
The endless dark
The lonely ache
The burning tears
The bitter night
The wasted years
Life breaks and falls apart
But we know these are…
Places
Where grace is
Soon to be so amazing
They may unfulfilled
They may unrestored
But when anything that’s shattered
Is laid before the Lord
Just watch and see
It will not be
Unredeemed
For every choice
That led to shame
And all the love
That never came
For every vow
That someone broke
And every life
That gave up hope
We live in the shadow of the fall
But the cross says these are all – just
Places
Where grace is
Soon to be so amazing
They may be unfulfilled
They may be unrestored
But when anything that’s shattered
Is laid before the Lord
Just watch and see
It will not be
Unredeemed
They may be unfulfilled
They may be unrestored
You never know the miracles
The Father has in store
Just watch and see
It will not be
Unredeemed
And secondly, here's quote from Turn My Mourning Into Dancing, by Henri Nouwen.
"Pruning means cutting, reshaping, removing what diminishes vitality. When we look at a pruned vineyard, we can hardly believe it will bear fruit. But when the harvest comes, we realize that the pruning allowed the vines to concentrate their energy and produce more grapes. Grateful people learn to celebrate even amid life's hard and harrowing memories because they know that pruning is no mere punishment, but preparation.
When our gratitude for the past is only partial, our hope for the future can likewise never be full. But our submitting to God's pruning work will not ultimately leave us sad, but hopeful for what can happen in us and through us. Harvesttime will bring its own blessings...pg19"
When our gratitude for the past is only partial, our hope for the future can likewise never be full. But our submitting to God's pruning work will not ultimately leave us sad, but hopeful for what can happen in us and through us. Harvesttime will bring its own blessings...pg19"
Maybe these words will help you today as they have helped me.
Friday, April 03, 2009
A long overdue NEWSY update!
We're still here!
We're adjusting to life living with someone else. Granted, it's my parents, so that makes it a bit easier; and we have done this before, but still, it's not OUR space, and there are always adjustments. I can definitely say that I'm looking forward to a place of our own as soon as we can swing it, but I'm also learning each day to be more content with where God has us for now. We're in waiting mode in this area and several others. I think the Lord is trying to teach me something!! :) I'm definitely not a patient person and don't like waiting and not KNOWING, but everyday, God is helping me to trust Him a little more. It's NOT easy, but He's helping me. I'm grateful for His patience with me!
Let's see...
The boys are doing great! I'd post a new picture, if only I could find my camera.
Ryan is four and full of questions, imagination and ENERGY!! The boy can talk your ear off...something to do with genes, maybe??? He loves everything to do with Star Wars, computer games and every moment spent with daddy! He and Steven put together a castle($3 marked down at Walmart--Grandpa indulged him!) last night. Only took them about three or four hours to figure it out, but he was wonderfully happy to just BE with daddy! He loves games--board games, computer games, outside games, anything that involves being with someone else. He's getting past the point of taking naps, (sniff, sniff!) so we've started quiet time. His newest interest is anything to do with planting and growing plants. Everyday, he goes outside to check the flowers to see if they are ready for him to cut and bring in to me! I love it!!! Grandma is going to show him how to plant flowers and vegetables maybe even starting tonight.
Brandon is almost two, only a few weeks left to be one. His favorite thing in the world is being outside with Grandpa, the "kitty," and the "orse"! (Our neighbor across the street has two horses.) He's definitely a BOY boy!!! He falls all the time, enough that I'm sad to say he's taking after his father and trying to get himself killed before he graduates high school! Last week alone we had two busted lips, two or three bumped heads and multiple other owies to take care of. If you can trip on it, he finds it. If you can fall over it, he finds it. I'm learning to just pick him up, wipe him off, kiss the owies and go on. For my own sanity's sake, I'm trying to remember he's hardheaded. He's finally starting to say some recognizable words, more every day. He loves to sing, at the top of his lungs while banging on the metal tray of his high chair--chaos often reigns when Ryan joins him!! Hilarious, but tends to give us headaches!!! We only take it in short bursts for obvious reasons, but it's so absolutely adorable!! Oh and his newest thing is his hat...he loves wearing it to the point that he wore it to bed the other night!!! :)
Our newest little boy is doing well from all the signs. He's moving more and more every day and getting stronger. I'm getting bigger, so I guess, either he's growing or I'm eating too much---maybe both??? :) Other than a few "normal" pregnancy complaints, I'm doing well. In some ways, this is turning out to be an easier pregnancy, now that we're past the complications. I don't have the intense back problems that I had with Ryan and Brandon--for that I'm very thankful.
Steven is wonderful as always--working hard to support us and make a future for our family. He's only had six regular pay checks this year, so we're learning a lot about cutting back and making due. Thankfully, the Lord granted him the wisdom to foresee these changes coming last year, and he implemented changes then to plan for and be ready for these leaner times. There are no words to describe how thankful I am to be married to such a man!! He's strong, but not overbearing. He's loving, but not a pushover. He has some wisdom when it comes to finances that have kept our family from being in real need over the last few years. I just love him so much!!! I can't believe sometimes that we've been together for ten years now, married for nearly nine. It's crazy!!!
Our life is in many ways turned on end right now, but we're closer as a family, learning to draw our strength from each other and from the Lord. It's has been and continues to be a rather difficult time, but God is also blessing us in the midst of the uncertainties and struggles. Like a gentle rain in summer, He refreshes us in other areas that keep us going in the face of hard times and hard decisions.
Until another quiet time to reflect...
:)
We're adjusting to life living with someone else. Granted, it's my parents, so that makes it a bit easier; and we have done this before, but still, it's not OUR space, and there are always adjustments. I can definitely say that I'm looking forward to a place of our own as soon as we can swing it, but I'm also learning each day to be more content with where God has us for now. We're in waiting mode in this area and several others. I think the Lord is trying to teach me something!! :) I'm definitely not a patient person and don't like waiting and not KNOWING, but everyday, God is helping me to trust Him a little more. It's NOT easy, but He's helping me. I'm grateful for His patience with me!
Let's see...
The boys are doing great! I'd post a new picture, if only I could find my camera.
Ryan is four and full of questions, imagination and ENERGY!! The boy can talk your ear off...something to do with genes, maybe??? He loves everything to do with Star Wars, computer games and every moment spent with daddy! He and Steven put together a castle($3 marked down at Walmart--Grandpa indulged him!) last night. Only took them about three or four hours to figure it out, but he was wonderfully happy to just BE with daddy! He loves games--board games, computer games, outside games, anything that involves being with someone else. He's getting past the point of taking naps, (sniff, sniff!) so we've started quiet time. His newest interest is anything to do with planting and growing plants. Everyday, he goes outside to check the flowers to see if they are ready for him to cut and bring in to me! I love it!!! Grandma is going to show him how to plant flowers and vegetables maybe even starting tonight.
Brandon is almost two, only a few weeks left to be one. His favorite thing in the world is being outside with Grandpa, the "kitty," and the "orse"! (Our neighbor across the street has two horses.) He's definitely a BOY boy!!! He falls all the time, enough that I'm sad to say he's taking after his father and trying to get himself killed before he graduates high school! Last week alone we had two busted lips, two or three bumped heads and multiple other owies to take care of. If you can trip on it, he finds it. If you can fall over it, he finds it. I'm learning to just pick him up, wipe him off, kiss the owies and go on. For my own sanity's sake, I'm trying to remember he's hardheaded. He's finally starting to say some recognizable words, more every day. He loves to sing, at the top of his lungs while banging on the metal tray of his high chair--chaos often reigns when Ryan joins him!! Hilarious, but tends to give us headaches!!! We only take it in short bursts for obvious reasons, but it's so absolutely adorable!! Oh and his newest thing is his hat...he loves wearing it to the point that he wore it to bed the other night!!! :)
Our newest little boy is doing well from all the signs. He's moving more and more every day and getting stronger. I'm getting bigger, so I guess, either he's growing or I'm eating too much---maybe both??? :) Other than a few "normal" pregnancy complaints, I'm doing well. In some ways, this is turning out to be an easier pregnancy, now that we're past the complications. I don't have the intense back problems that I had with Ryan and Brandon--for that I'm very thankful.
Steven is wonderful as always--working hard to support us and make a future for our family. He's only had six regular pay checks this year, so we're learning a lot about cutting back and making due. Thankfully, the Lord granted him the wisdom to foresee these changes coming last year, and he implemented changes then to plan for and be ready for these leaner times. There are no words to describe how thankful I am to be married to such a man!! He's strong, but not overbearing. He's loving, but not a pushover. He has some wisdom when it comes to finances that have kept our family from being in real need over the last few years. I just love him so much!!! I can't believe sometimes that we've been together for ten years now, married for nearly nine. It's crazy!!!
Our life is in many ways turned on end right now, but we're closer as a family, learning to draw our strength from each other and from the Lord. It's has been and continues to be a rather difficult time, but God is also blessing us in the midst of the uncertainties and struggles. Like a gentle rain in summer, He refreshes us in other areas that keep us going in the face of hard times and hard decisions.
Until another quiet time to reflect...
:)
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Walgreens strikes again--in a GOOD way :)
I had another GREAT trip to Walgreens today!
I've been looking all month for the Sambucol that's been on sale, but the stores were inevitably out of stock by the time I was able to go shopping. That all changed today!!
Here's what I came home with after visiting three stores--
28 Sambucol (each earned $1=$28 profit)
5 Lansinoh Nursing pads, 36 ct.(After ESC this month was a GOOD deal!)
1 Red Zone Body Wash (Filler for my husband!)
Huggies Diapers(Filler and always a NEED)
7 Dove single bar soap
1 Dove 2-pk bar soap
Total before coupons-- $386.88
After coupons-- $14.63
Received $10 RR (Dove products)
TOTAL for ALL PRODUCTS-- $4.63
I've been looking all month for the Sambucol that's been on sale, but the stores were inevitably out of stock by the time I was able to go shopping. That all changed today!!
Here's what I came home with after visiting three stores--
28 Sambucol (each earned $1=$28 profit)
5 Lansinoh Nursing pads, 36 ct.(After ESC this month was a GOOD deal!)
1 Red Zone Body Wash (Filler for my husband!)
Huggies Diapers(Filler and always a NEED)
7 Dove single bar soap
1 Dove 2-pk bar soap
Total before coupons-- $386.88
After coupons-- $14.63
Received $10 RR (Dove products)
TOTAL for ALL PRODUCTS-- $4.63
Monday, March 23, 2009
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Forever In Our Hearts
Abigail Walker
March 22, 2003
Fleeting Stay, Lasting Memory
We love you, sweet baby girl, and miss you always.
March 22, 2003
Fleeting Stay, Lasting Memory
We love you, sweet baby girl, and miss you always.
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Snakes and snails and puppy dog tails!!!!
It seem this will be my life for the foreseeable future!
The Lord has been pleased to give me another baby boy to carry and nurture!!!
According to my sonogram, little boy and I are both doing well. My placenta previa is completely gone! Thank the Lord! And the slight separation near the cervix that was also causing bleeding has healed in the last few weeks. Our little boy is weighing about 13 oz and is 10 inches long--very healthy for 5 months!
We are so thankful that I can go back to a "normal" pregnancy--whatever that is!-- and that our lives can be a little less stressful now. If things continue to go smoothly, we hope to welcome our new little boy sometime the week of July 20th.
We don't have any names picked out yet, which is pretty unusual for us! My husband has had a "feeling" with each of our other children, and we had settled on a name before the 20 week sonogram. I guess this little one will have to wait a bit longer before we start to call him by name!!!!
I will try to keep some kind of regular prego update on my blog, or you can find me of Facebook to follow things as well.
The Lord has been pleased to give me another baby boy to carry and nurture!!!
According to my sonogram, little boy and I are both doing well. My placenta previa is completely gone! Thank the Lord! And the slight separation near the cervix that was also causing bleeding has healed in the last few weeks. Our little boy is weighing about 13 oz and is 10 inches long--very healthy for 5 months!
We are so thankful that I can go back to a "normal" pregnancy--whatever that is!-- and that our lives can be a little less stressful now. If things continue to go smoothly, we hope to welcome our new little boy sometime the week of July 20th.
We don't have any names picked out yet, which is pretty unusual for us! My husband has had a "feeling" with each of our other children, and we had settled on a name before the 20 week sonogram. I guess this little one will have to wait a bit longer before we start to call him by name!!!!
I will try to keep some kind of regular prego update on my blog, or you can find me of Facebook to follow things as well.
Friday, March 13, 2009
My Walgreens Steals!
Wow!!
I think I'm still floating on air about the great deals I was able to get this week!!
Thanks to the awesome $5 and $3 coupons from Huggies and Walgreen's RR sale, I was able to get about $480 worth of product for only about $60 out of pocket. My wonderful husband gave me an extra $100 to use on the diapers and I used $30 off my gift card.
Before sales and coupons- $480 approx.
Earned-- $73 RR, $28 ESR
After sales and coupon--$128 approx.
I still have $40 in RR to spend at Walgreens and I will be getting $28 back on my gift card at the end of this month.
Total out of pocket(cash and gift card)-$60
Here's the list of some of what I was able to score with this money!
18 packs of Huggies diapers, assorted sizes
4 Jumbo packs of Huggies wipes
6 bottles of Garnier hair care products(ALL of these were free!)
16(?) Glade Sense and Spray or Lasting Impressions(These were either free or earned me $4!)
7 Colgate Total 4.2 oz.(Earned about $0.50 on each one!)
Axe Shampoo(Mar ESR-FREE)
Memory Formula(Mar. ESR-FREE)
Walgreens brand headache relief(Mar ESR-FREE)
3-10 pck Emory boards(Free with sale and coupon-fillers)
RightGuard Deodorant
Edge Shaving cream
2-6 packs of 16.9 oz water
3 Royal Pudding mixes
2 Ajax scrubbing powder
Sambucol (Earned $2)
Kleenex
4 Hazelnut Coffee Mate
I hope I haven't forgotten anything!!! I'd love to post some pictures because seeing all this is so much better than reading about it, but since we moved, it's anyone's guess as to where my camera ended up!
I have not even tried to do the math on this to figure out what each pack of diapers or wipes cost me. I think my brain isn't up to that right now, but regardless of the numbers, my hubby and I think this has been a pretty awesome week for saving money!!!
I think I'm still floating on air about the great deals I was able to get this week!!
Thanks to the awesome $5 and $3 coupons from Huggies and Walgreen's RR sale, I was able to get about $480 worth of product for only about $60 out of pocket. My wonderful husband gave me an extra $100 to use on the diapers and I used $30 off my gift card.
Before sales and coupons- $480 approx.
Earned-- $73 RR, $28 ESR
After sales and coupon--$128 approx.
I still have $40 in RR to spend at Walgreens and I will be getting $28 back on my gift card at the end of this month.
Total out of pocket(cash and gift card)-$60
Here's the list of some of what I was able to score with this money!
18 packs of Huggies diapers, assorted sizes
4 Jumbo packs of Huggies wipes
6 bottles of Garnier hair care products(ALL of these were free!)
16(?) Glade Sense and Spray or Lasting Impressions(These were either free or earned me $4!)
7 Colgate Total 4.2 oz.(Earned about $0.50 on each one!)
Axe Shampoo(Mar ESR-FREE)
Memory Formula(Mar. ESR-FREE)
Walgreens brand headache relief(Mar ESR-FREE)
3-10 pck Emory boards(Free with sale and coupon-fillers)
RightGuard Deodorant
Edge Shaving cream
2-6 packs of 16.9 oz water
3 Royal Pudding mixes
2 Ajax scrubbing powder
Sambucol (Earned $2)
Kleenex
4 Hazelnut Coffee Mate
I hope I haven't forgotten anything!!! I'd love to post some pictures because seeing all this is so much better than reading about it, but since we moved, it's anyone's guess as to where my camera ended up!
I have not even tried to do the math on this to figure out what each pack of diapers or wipes cost me. I think my brain isn't up to that right now, but regardless of the numbers, my hubby and I think this has been a pretty awesome week for saving money!!!
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Another Update(email excerpt)
Thank you for your continued prayers and support during this trying time.
Please keep praying for the baby and me. The doctor has me under more restrictions which include not lifting anything heavy. Since this meant not being able to pick up Brandon at all, we made the decision last night to begin staying with my parents. This move has been planned, but our time table was drastically moved up yesterday! We still have our house to pack up, but again, I'm under orders to rest as much as possible. We appreciate your prayers for us over the next few days as we try to work out all the details of getting the house packed up and everything moved into storage.
Also, I would like to ask you to pray specifically that I would begin to feel the baby move. It's something that hasn't happened consistently yet, but would do so much to help me be more relaxed in the midst of not knowing what's going to happen from one day to the next with this pregnancy. We have talked about going back to the doctor to check on the baby if I don't begin to feel movement by this weekend.
Again, Steven and I are so thankful for all the love and support that's been shown our family during this time!
May the Lord bless each of you!
Steven and Rebekah Walker
Please keep praying for the baby and me. The doctor has me under more restrictions which include not lifting anything heavy. Since this meant not being able to pick up Brandon at all, we made the decision last night to begin staying with my parents. This move has been planned, but our time table was drastically moved up yesterday! We still have our house to pack up, but again, I'm under orders to rest as much as possible. We appreciate your prayers for us over the next few days as we try to work out all the details of getting the house packed up and everything moved into storage.
Also, I would like to ask you to pray specifically that I would begin to feel the baby move. It's something that hasn't happened consistently yet, but would do so much to help me be more relaxed in the midst of not knowing what's going to happen from one day to the next with this pregnancy. We have talked about going back to the doctor to check on the baby if I don't begin to feel movement by this weekend.
Again, Steven and I are so thankful for all the love and support that's been shown our family during this time!
May the Lord bless each of you!
Steven and Rebekah Walker
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Update
Again, I'll just share this email rather than write a new update.
Hello again, everyone.
It seems the Lord has seen fit to give us an answer much sooner than we expected!
My doctor called me again Thursday evening to let me know that the lab re-screened my blood and got a clear result. He is certain that the first set was a false positive. To be completely safe, they will re-screen again when I have my next set of lab work done in a few weeks, but for now, the concern is past.
However, Saturday morning, I began to have a small amount of bleeding. After doing a sonogram to check on things, the doctor said that the baby is safe and healthy, but that I have what is termed a placenta previa. That simply means that the placenta is attached very low in the uterus. There is no immediate risk as long as I don't have any extended or heavier bleeding. The expectation is that it will move on its own as the baby grows and the uterus expands. If it does not change position, then we will have to do a c-section for delivery to safeguard against hemorrhage.
In about four weeks, I will have another sonogram to determine if things have changed. We will discuss then if any further treatment is necessary.
Steven and I are very thankful for all the prayers and concern that so many of you have shown toward us. We are grateful to have so many wonderful friends and family members who share these burdens with us.
God bless,
Steven and Rebekah Walker
Hello again, everyone.
It seems the Lord has seen fit to give us an answer much sooner than we expected!
My doctor called me again Thursday evening to let me know that the lab re-screened my blood and got a clear result. He is certain that the first set was a false positive. To be completely safe, they will re-screen again when I have my next set of lab work done in a few weeks, but for now, the concern is past.
However, Saturday morning, I began to have a small amount of bleeding. After doing a sonogram to check on things, the doctor said that the baby is safe and healthy, but that I have what is termed a placenta previa. That simply means that the placenta is attached very low in the uterus. There is no immediate risk as long as I don't have any extended or heavier bleeding. The expectation is that it will move on its own as the baby grows and the uterus expands. If it does not change position, then we will have to do a c-section for delivery to safeguard against hemorrhage.
In about four weeks, I will have another sonogram to determine if things have changed. We will discuss then if any further treatment is necessary.
Steven and I are very thankful for all the prayers and concern that so many of you have shown toward us. We are grateful to have so many wonderful friends and family members who share these burdens with us.
God bless,
Steven and Rebekah Walker
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