Dec. 30, 2007 - Blink
Did you blink?? I did... and Christmas is gone. Just like the past year, Christmas whizzed by. We loved, laughed, worshipped, praised, gave, received, and ate our way through this blessed time. I hope your Christmas time was as blessed as ours.
Now comes the time of year when the top priority is... you guessed it... ORGANIZATION! For the next few days I will be assessing certain rooms in the house and determining some new ways to organize our (seemingly) massive amount of stuff. After what I'm sure will be considerable purging, I will organize our things until we can't find them. LOL. I hope not, but I will do some shuffling and will probably find some things I organized into oblivion last year.
My favorite stores are advertising storage containers so I'll be off to purchase a few of those too.
Wishing you happy organizing too.
Blessings,
Rhonda
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Dec. 17, 2007 - Musical
Ashlin sang in our church's musical on Saturday night and Sunday morning. We are so proud of her and thankful that she is willing to allow God to use her. She sang the Chris Rice song "Welcome to Our World."
I uploaded it to God Tube, here is the link:
http://www.godtube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=bae514203118c7c28294
We have been baking and wrapping and enjoying the season. We actually saw a few teeny, tiny snow flakes fall on Sunday morning. It was good to see, but made us want more. I know some folks are struggling with lots of snow and ice right now and would like to see our 60 degree weather we will have later in the week, but us Southern folks are starved for snow and would be glad to take some of it off your hands.
I'm going to make a new candy this week. Thanks to Carol Tomlinson from church for the Chocolate Oreo Ball and Mint Chocolate Oreo Ball recipes. For those Oreo addicts out there here is the recipe:
- Crush a bag of Oreos (use regular or mint chocolate Oreos)
- Combine in a mixing bowl with an 8oz block of cream cheese
- Roll this mixture into 1 or 1 1/2 inch balls.
- Put the balls in the refridgerator for about 30 minutes to chill
- Then dip the balls in melted chocolate or melted white chocolate and set on waxed paper.
I use the chocolate bark (it melts easily and smoothly in the microwave).
I hope you are all having a blessed season and are healthy to enjoy it.
Blessings,
Rhonda
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Dec. 10, 2007 - Hold on...here it comes!
It is that time of year. Hold on to your hats because this is when it starts to get crazy. Our schedule is filling up and we are already running out of time. It seems there is just not enough time to do everything we want to do and see everyone we want to see. Church musicals and parties, family get-togethers, friends we hope to spend time with, all of these great activities we want to do and we look around and all we've done for the holidays is run, run, run.
Sometimes it seems like the idyllic dreams of sitting by the Christmas tree with the lights low watching It's a Wonderful Life and eating popcorn with the kids is just that...a dream.
We look forward to making cookies in the kitchen with the kids, but then we get so pressed for time the idea of making cookies with the kids is much more appealing than reality of making cookies with the kids.
I am determined to hold fast to some time this year and sip that cocoa and pop that popcorn. We ARE going to make those Christmas crafts this year. We ARE going to ride around town and look at the lights. And while we are doing these things, I'm going to enjoy the moment. I'm not going to think about what is ahead or what needs to be done. Christmas is a time for living in the moment and that's what I'm going to do!
Blessings,
Rhonda
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Dec. 5, 2007 - It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas
We have just returned from a great trip to Missouri to visit with MeMe and Uncle MeMe. We had a wonderful time and were spoiled rotten (as we have come to look forward to when we head up there ;o)). We met MeMe and Uncle MeMe at Patti's in Grand Rivers, KY and had dinner and looked at all the lights, talked with Santa and Mrs. Clause, and just generally got in the Christmas spirit. We went 630 feet up in the air to the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, we visited the City Museum and just had a relaxing time. The girls unwrapped Jule and Nikki (American Girls) and their accessories and Logan is loving his new John Deere tractor and puzzle. I will be sporting an extremely festive Christmas sweater this season (complete with blinking lights)!
We have decorated the house inside and out. I always have a few things I need to add each year. Our North Pole houses are out and the tree is up. Icecicle lights are glowing outside. I love Christmas. We have been "doing school" in the living room right in front of the tree. The girls insist that we light all the candles every morning. With the Chrismas "smell" brewing on the stove it is really cozy in the house.
We are talking to Logan many times a day about the true meaning of Christmas. He hugs the baby Jesus in the manger and says, "Thank you for Jesus, God." I think we're getting through.
Blessings to you and your family during this special time.
Rhonda
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Nov. 19, 2007 - Shopping...
I just have to vent a little this afternoon. I went shopping today, on the lookout for some sort of outfit/skirt/dress for Ashlin to wear when she sings her solo at church during the Christmas musical. Why is it that children's clothing designers want 8 year old girls to wear coctail dresses? Everything either had spaghetti straps, was strapless, or had gold lame accents... two out of three!
I just want a festive, little girl dress. Not something to wear to a New Year's Eve party when she's 25.
AAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRGGGGGGGHHHHHHH
Anyway, that said, I did find a cute skirt at Gap Kids, but the sweater set I bought to go with it is too big so we'll have to do some exchanging.
Next I'll have to try to find Morgan something. I think she is going to be even tougher. She is straddling the girls and Juniors department. She needs Junior pants and tops from the children's department. That may be a lost cause. We may be putting a sweater with a long, black skirt.
Oh, and when did Christmas pajamas warrent a $40 price tag? But that's another rant.
Blessings,
Rhonda
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Nov. 16, 2007 - Three Year Old Big Boy
I have a big three year old boy now. We went to the doctor yesterday for his "three" check-up. He could not have been any better. He enjoys going places with "just Nonan (Logan) and Mommy." We stopped by Chick-Fil-A on the way, (his choice) and he ate a few nuggets and waffle fries on the way to the doctor and drank all of his milk. When we got there he really need to find a bathroom. I knew they would need a urine sample for his check-up so I asked a nurse and she showed us where the little cups were. He was so excited to peepee in the cup. He came out and told all the folks in the waiting room..."I went to peepee in the cup in the potty!"
When they called us back they weighed him (35 lbs.) and measured him (38 1/4") and he stood very tall and still. They checked his hearing and the nurse said he had to be very still and very quiet or the test wouldn't work. He put his finger to his mouth and whispered, "This is just like the library. We have to still and quiet there too." He sat perfectly still (and quiet) for about 3 or 4 minutes. A miracle if there ever was one. I was so proud of him. The nurse said, "You are such a good boy." He said, "Thanks!"
We moved on to another room and it was time for the finger prick. He sat in my lap and I explained what she was going to do. She pricked his finger and he never even flinched. She squeezed and squeezed to get enough blood out of his finger. I told him that God put that blood in him to make his body healthy and strong and they would run a check on it to make sure everything was working right. The nurse put a blue bandaid on his finger and instead of complaining about the test, he said, "I love blue bandaids!"
While the doctor and I were talking the nurse stuck her head back in the door and said that he would need a Hepititis A booster shot. She came in and just grabbed him up and put him on the table and before I could finish my sentence with the doctor and get next to him at the table, she had his jeans pulled down giving him the shot in the side of his thigh. I thought he would hollar or something. Never made a sound. No tears in his eyes or anything. She pulled up his jeans and put him on the floor and he said, "I got another blue bandaid!" What a tough guy.
He told the doctor all about the Predators hockey team and how he and daddy play baseball and football and golf. Logan felt a lul in the conversation and thought it was time to go and turned to me and said, "Thanks for bringing me to the doctor, Mom!"
Then when the doctor went to leave and said bye to him, Logan shook his hand (like he shakes people's hands at church) and said, "Thanks doctor, see you later."
After the doctor, we stopped by Monty's office so he could tell daddy all about his doctor visit and show him his bandaid on his finger. There were lots of big tractor-trailer trucks outside and Logan said, "I didn't know daddy worked with all the big trucks." He was very impressed.
He had a great day and I am so proud of what a big boy he is becoming. He is a blessing.
Thanks to all of you for not heaping the ridicule on me for some of my quirkiness as revealed in the earlier post. As you know, many of you I know well enough to know the quirkiness in you...which is why I love you ;o)
Blessings,
Rhonda
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Nov. 14, 2007 - I've Been Tagged...
By... squeeli
I have to write seven weird things about myself. The rules are as follows:
Link to the person that tagged you, and post the rules on your blog.
Share 7 random and/or weird facts about yourself.
Tag 7 (I could only come up with 4) random people at the end of your post, and include links to their blogs.
Let each person know that they’ve been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.
7 weird things??? Nothing about me is weird...right??? Here are some of my more ...um... unique qualities (that sounds better).
1. I can't fall asleep at night lying still. I have to lie on my side and rock (slightly) back and forth. (That sounds weird just typing it.)
2. I am a hand sanitizer freak. I always have 3 or 4 little bottles in my purse and they are refilled very often from the gallon jug of hand sanitizer in my laundry room.
3. For some reason I have yet to figure out, when I use a tube of lipstick it always ends up with this weird point on the end (not flat or onesided like most people.)
4. I can't stand to see (or hear) someone chew on a wooden popcicle stick. It gives me the creeps, like fingernails on a chalkboard.
5. I love to get a drink from Sonic just to chew the little ice pellets they have in their cups.
6. When I eat baked beans I like to mix potato chips in with them. (My brother does this too and yes, Ron...this is kind of ...unique.)
7. I have a Barry Manilow CD ... that I paid for... and I listen to it.
Okay, there they are. Like I said, they aren't weird, they're unique...okay they're weird. So I'm tagging:
Abundant Life Preparatory School
Okay girls, I want to see lots of weird stuff about each one of you.
Blessings,
Rhonda
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Nov. 2, 2007 - Catching Up...
So many things to talk about! I have neglected my blog. I'm sorry. Let's see...We had our little mini unit celebration for Tapestry of Grace. It went well. I have to brag on us a little. Our challah bread turned out beautifully. I thought about shellacking it and saving it for years. We braided it and it rose up huge and turned a gorgeous golden brown color. Unfortunately it was eaten before we could snap a picture. I have added some pictures of the kids and their fine arts activities to the slide show in the side-bar. There are also some pictures from our fall/Halloween celebrations. We visited a farm and had a hayride, pet calves, swung on swings hung from really tall trees, got lost and found in a corn maze, and carved pumpkins. We also had 2 bon fires. We're exhausted!
No rest for the wicked though, because tomorrow is a big day around our house. Our baby turns 3 tomorrow. We can't believe it. Even Ashlin is walking around with his newborn, hospital picture bemoaning his growing up. "I can't believe he's 3!" she is saying. I can't believe it either. He's a bundle of energy, sweetness, vinegar, and agression all bound up in 37 inches and 31 pounds. One minute he's planting a kiss; the next he's landing a left hook. Boys.
Blessings,
Rhonda
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Oct. 24, 2007 - Healing
I am home from the hospital and except for a few holes poked in me, I am feeling pretty good. They went in with the catheters in my neck (ouch) and my groin (bigger ouch). The electrophysiologist was not able to find any "bad circuits" in my heart, but did discover that my heart is overly sensitive to the adreneline my body produces. I'll have a PVC (an arrythmia) and when that happens your body automatically produces adreneline, then my heart/body overreacts to the adreneline which causes more irregular beats, which causes more adreneline to be released. It's just an ugly cycle. The doc. said if a normal person produced the adreneline mine does their heartrate would go to 80 beats per minute (approx.) but, mine will go up to 160 or higher per minute. But, the good news is, other than the benign arrithmias, there is nothing wrong (structurally) with my heart. He did keep me on the beta blocker to try to reduce the number of PVCs. I'll be having a check up with my regular doctor to check on my adrenal gland and hopfully we can put all of this behind us and get on with the good stuff. Thanks to everyone for the prayers. You have all been an incredible blessing to our family.
Speaking of good stuff: Our little unit celebration was a success. Ashlin read the Hebrew blessing over our Sabbath meal and we showed off all of our hard work to our family. We baked a beautiful braided challah bread. I think our only mistake was serving sausage dip as a snack. Not exactly kosher. I'll post our pictures as soon as I get a chance.
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Oct. 18, 2007 -
I met with my electrophysiologist yesterday about the heart arrhythmias I have been having and he recommends that I have an EP study. This is a procedure where catheters are inserted in each side of my groin and under my collar bone. These catheters have electrodes on the ends and "map" the electrical impulses in my heart. The doctors also use these electrodes and medicine injected through an IV to stimulate my heart and try to induce the different types of arrhythmias I have been having. If they are able to induce these arrhythmias, they will try to find the defective area of my heart and, using a laser, will ablate (burn and kill) the area so electrical impulses and blood cannot flow through that defective part of my heart. This will require an overnight hospital stay for me. I have had this procedure before and I'm not looking forward to it, but as the doctor said, the risk is minimal and the upside is huge. There are two parts that I dread: 1. during the procedure I will be in and out of consciousness, so I'll feel my heart doing all kinds of weird stuff, which isn't fun, and 2. After the procedure I have to lie flat on my back for many hours so the place where the catheters are inserted can heal. The last time I had this procedure, I had a terrible back ache for several weeks.
I would appreciate your prayers for me, for a successful ablation of the problem, for the skill and wisdom of the doctors, and that my family and I would have peace and not be worried, especially the kids.
I'll be going in the first of next week.
The kidney stone seems to have passed, praise be to God, so that is hopefully out of the picture.
I appreciate everyone's prayers for us during this time. We are normally very healthy people with no medical issues, so these last few weeks have been an unusual turn for us. But, again, thank you for your continued prayers. I'll update about our unit celebration after tomorrow night. We are so excited about showing all our hard work!
Blessings,
Rhonda
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