Welcome to our wonderful world!! I am a stay at home mom of three beautiful kids 9-4-4. A wife to the most wonderful man. And last but most important, I am a child of God. I hope you enjoy a little piece of my world. http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/chasity/ en-us Homeschool Blogger Tue, 10 Nov 2009 18:40:00 -0600 Tue, 10 Nov 2009 18:40:00 -0600 Hello dear friends, I am still around. I am almost 6 weeks post op from surgery. I am doing much better. I am able to some of the housework, driving, kid's school, etc. I am shocked a little that it still hurts. I still have difficulty turning on my side without pain. The pain is tolerable, no tylenol needed, just bothersome. It will go away soon, I am just sure of it. The real reason of this post is a great find......perfect for Tightwad Tuesday with my SSIC Canadagirl. As some may have noticed from my pics on the site, I started wearing glasses last year. My oldest dd as well. Last year, our family spent $900 at the eye Dr for just my dd and myself. $120 of that was the visit and the rest eyeglasses. I had my annual check up 2 weeks ago. Of course my prescription changed. Honestly, I could not swing more for new frames........so I got my lenses changed only. On the way to get my new lenses, my current frames fell apart. They were able to fix them, but the screw they used does not fit my frames. I have been concerned about them coming apart again. BTW, my new lenses only and visit was $184. Talk about expensive. My dd has her annual visit in Dec...........so I was in a search for cheaper glasses just in case her RX changes and a back up pair for me. And that is where the tightwad tip comes in.........a friend of mine told me about a site that has complete glasses for as cheap as $8. Some are higher, but I do not think there is any over $50. That price is frames and lenses. All you have to do is plug in your script from the eye Dr. It is $4.95 shipping no matter how many you order. At that price you could get some for every color to match your wardrobe, haha. I am not that kind of gal, but 1 more pair would be sweet. So if you are in the market for eyeglasses it is a great place to order. I did check ratings of the site, they have very positive feed back. Also they were featured on a news station as a deal, not a dud. So, check it out: http://zennioptical.com/cart/home.php Be blessed, Chasity http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/chasity/743708/ Tue, 10 Nov 2009 18:40:00 -0600 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/chasity/743708/ I though it would be easier to give an update here, rather than the cbox. I am doing so much better overall. It has been slower than I thought, but maybe I am just a little tad bit impatient. (ha, not me) It is post op day 17, and while I still am sore, I can tolerate it. (no need for pain meds this AM) I went to the Dr Thursday. He said I was doing great. He also explained why this surgery is/was more painful than a csection. (You all know I am a nurse, but I dd not think of the surgical aspects of the cuts) A csection cut involves no muscle. The hernia surgery cuts across muscle, several times, I might add. When muscle is cut or sewed into, it dies, and therefore hurts. I have 11 incisions, therefore lots of muscle involvement. So no wonder I hurt, haha. That being said, he said I would be back to normal in about 2 more weeks. I went to church for the first time yesterday since surgery. I did pretty good, it just wears me out. I felt like I rode my exercise bike, and all I did was sit and listen. The weakness after surgery takes longer to get over than the pain, I guess. I have lost 14 lbs since I had surgery. Actually the day I came home, I had gained 9 lbs from IV fluids. So I have lost that 9 and 14 more. So, I will be at a good start when I fully recover to restart that weight loss lifestyle. I actually can't wait to get back on my exercise bike. For those that are counting...........I have lost 38lbs since last October. I still have a ways to go, but I am excited to get to it. Thank you all for all your support and prayers. Be blessed, Chasity http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/chasity/737366/ Mon, 19 Oct 2009 11:43:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/chasity/737366/ Hello sweet friends, how are all of you doing? I am fine. As many of you know, I had surgery 1 week ago today. I am amazed at the progress of where I was last week till now. I am blessed with my family and friends here taking great care of me. However, I am incredibly blessed by my online support. You guys have been amazing at checking in on me and praying. I know without a shadow of doubt, that the prayers of you my sweet bloggy friends, helped me in my recovery. So, I thank you from the bottom of my heart. Over all I have done well. Each day has ups and downs. It is amazing at how much we take for granted in things we can do for ourselves on a daily basis. Then have a surgery and realize you can't do anything without help. I am not one to sit around and do nothing, so I am struggling with the recovery a little. At first I was so dependant and in pain. However, now I am able to do somethings (like go to the bathroom all by myself............this was a big accomplishment) although I am still frustrated by the inactivity. I will not lie, I had me a crying feel sorry for myself party for one this AM. Complaining that I could not get up, can't lay on my side, sick of being in bed or on couch, sick of asking for help, can't cook, can't even fix my own drink...............okay you get the idea.....it was ugly. I know, I have to just get my big girl pants on, and get over it!!!!!  I know I have to take it easy and let others take care of me.............I am a nurse and I have gave the speech to many, many others before. I will be back to normal very soon, and then will probably complain that I have to do everything and have no help. It really makes you think, God is so good. His grace and patience are amazing.............and I don't deserve it at all. I am whiney, selfish, and grumpy at times.........and yet God still loves me. No matter how I act or what I do, God is still God and I AM VERY thankful for that. This down time has given me a lot of thinking and pondering time. I have learned that I love God even more. His Grace is sufficient. I am truly blessed with a wonderful God, incredible husband, the best kids, and wonderful friends IRL and online. So with all of that, there are no reasons to have a crying fit.......................I am too blessed!!!! Thanks to all of you out there who have supported me, I love you guys!!!! Well enough about me...........I made a slide show before the surgery and have yet to share it. I have 2 little soccer players this season. Our family has always enjoyed soccer. Hubby played for years and coached as well. So here are a few pics of the season so far....     Thanks for listening to all my rambling this AM. Be blessed, Chasity http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/chasity/734689/ Fri, 9 Oct 2009 11:12:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/chasity/734689/ Recently we went on vacation. We had planned a vacation last year, although the final destination and plans changed, we had a great time. We needed a closer more affordable vacation this year. Well, we are blessed to be about 4 hours from the BEAUTIFUL Gulf coast. In this family you do not have to twist our arms to go to the beach, it is our fav place. We found a great place to stay that was affordable and had a kitchen. I was able to cook most of our meals. We did eat out a few times, which was a great treat. Our hotel was only minutes from the sand and had a great pool. This vacation was for pure relaxation, no more, no less. Here is a slide of our time there:     Each time we go on vacation, I try to plan an educational fieldtrip. This year my oldest is doing Apologia Zoology 2: The Swimming creatures. I am also teaching my preschoolers about marine life. We found the perfect place for our fieldtrip. Gulfarium in Fort Walton, FL     We love all the special moments and memories made on family vacations. Be blessed, Chasity http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/chasity/730974/ Sun, 27 Sep 2009 16:50:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/chasity/730974/ I know it has been 4 EVER and a day since I updated. I have so much to share from a couple fieldtrips, vacation, and probably things I have already forgotten. Well today is Show and Tell Friday with our favorite Canadagirl. So there is no more perfect time to update my blog. Most of you know that I started a weightloss adventure last October. I was on the border to be a type 2 diabetic and needed to lose weight asap. You see I had gestional diabetes in my pregnancy with the twins, so I have been watched all along. I was very sucessful and got my blood sugars under control. However, after losing the 30 lbs. I got off track for many reasons. For the most part I kept most of the weight off. However, at the start of August (after eating really bad in Atlanta for a month) I came home and found myself 8 lbs heavier. I did not gain all 8 in Atlanta, but that trip sure did not help. Along with the weight gain the sugars went up again. So at the advice of my dr. I started on a med to lower my sugar. In the hopes that when I lose the rest of the weight I can discontinue the med. So on Sept 11th of this year I was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. As a nurse, I really know too much for my own good. I have never exercised or ate well, so I should have not been surprised about the result. However, I was mad and shocked for..............well I still am. I needed a kick in the bum, but diabetes is more than a kick. So I am back on the healthy living adventure, forever this time. The meds and diet has been sucessful. My sugars are well controlled. I started cutting back in August and since Sept 11th been on a 1200-1500 cal diabetic diet. I have lost 6.5 lbs since then. So it makes my total weight loss since last Oct 28.5lbs. Not bad, but I have a long way to go. Well on to my show and tell............my lunch today. I found lots of healthy recipes on the Kraft diabetic center website. Todays was so yummy, I just had to share. My husbands fav food is Chinese. I do not care much for it, but the peanut Thai dish has always peaked my interest. (I LOVE anything with peanuts) It is something I wanted to try, but I needed it low cal and fat. After searching for new recipes the other day, for my new life style. I found this: Peanutty stir fry salad. And yes I know Thai is not Chinese per se, but the stir fry thing is the point, not the nationally of my food, hahahahaha, lol. Here are my photos from lunch: In the pot (4 servings) On my plate The recipe called for the salad on the bottom, but hot on cold salad does not sound good. So I made the stir fry and put the salad on the side. And yes I eat dressing, but it is lite and I only add 1/2TBSP. Close up: Doesn't that look so good???? It was. Hubby and I both loved it!! For more show and tell visit my sweet friend Mary. Be blessed, Chasity http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/chasity/730372/ Fri, 25 Sep 2009 13:11:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/chasity/730372/ I have one more slide show to share from our month in Atlanta. The reason I have not already posted this one is, it was a present. My sister's birthday is in July. I found a cool ceramics place in Atlanta to make one of kind presents. My kiddos had a blast. We were able to visit my sis this past week. She now has her present, so I am able to post the making. The only thing is I forgot to get a finshed pic of them. They are much shiney-er (not sure that is a real word, lol) once they have been fired. Be blessed, Chasity http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/chasity/719396/ Fri, 21 Aug 2009 11:17:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/chasity/719396/ For the month of July, my family was in Atlanta. We spent the month there on the campus of Emory University. Hubby had continuing ed classes to attend. While there we had a wonderful time. Hubby went to class each day, and the kids and I did school. After he came home each afternoon, we had lunch, then family time. It was a month of a simplier time. It was great. We lived on campus in a 3 bedroom dorm. We traveled in our small toyota corolla....yes 5 people and stuff for the month. (Clown car images may come to mind) We took only the necessities.....4 changes of clothes per person, 1 skillet, 1 pot, 1 cookie sheet, 1 spatula, 1 big spoon....you get the idea. I tell you life without clutter is joyful. The biggest suitcase we took had our school books in it.....a true homeschool family. We got so many things accomplished due there we NO distractions. It made me really think, between our month there and the amish books I am reading. I NEED a simplier life!!! I cherish the time I had there with my family. I plan on cutting back stuff in my life. I took the first step when I came home.....cut back on my phone plan, sat plan, and netflix. Not only will this add time, but it is saving us $700/year. Hubby and I also put together a list of what we need clothes wise for each family member. For example so many shirts, pants, dresses (girls only lol), etc. I plan to purge down to that number immediately. Once that is done, we can bless others with our abundance. Also my life will be much better in the laundry room, and my kids will get the value out of things. Honestly, we have lots of hand me downs, sale items, or thift store finds. We never spend a lot on clothes, but since we get such great deals......we have too much. Toys are a whole other topic as well. So I am revamping our home ASAP. Enough serious talk, now for the pics: Campus life:     They had a great courtyard for.............soccer, aka daddy time    Also while there we visited an awesome church. (you know it is really the first time in years that I sat with my hubby in church. Since he is a pastor, I never sit with him....I am not complaining, just it is one of those things you miss, sometimes.) Also we went to some outing that were in my last post. Also we visited the first ever Dwarf House. It is now a Dwarf house/Chickfila. It was fun, like going back in time.     Now that I am home maybe I will post more, but only if it does not mess with my simple life, lol. I plan to always have time to blog. My simple life will be far from the Amish life I read of, but I AM/WILL cut out the clutter. (clutter can be physical, mental, and spiritual) BTW, If you seen the name Fred in the pics....you may be wondering who is Fred???? That is not one of my kids name, teehe. He is our new family mascot. We decided to have a family mascot that will travel with us whever we go......so you know Fred has to have his own blog. So you will see some of the same pics, but I would love for you to visit. His blog: www.where-is-fred.blogspot.com This is a tradition we hope to continue for years. A memory maker, for sure!!!!! Be blessed, Chasity http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/chasity/713228/ Fri, 31 Jul 2009 22:27:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/chasity/713228/ I have been wanting to share, but time flies around here. I was able to upload 2 slideshows.....so here you go: My oldest dd turned 9 last month. Although part of her present was just done a couple weeks ago. She wanted to go back to Atlanta to her favorite resturant and doll store: Also while in Atlanta....we appreciated the bovines:   Be blessed, Chasity http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/chasity/709995/ Tue, 21 Jul 2009 12:34:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/chasity/709995/ I am still around, haha. I want to do some new post, but I am on my hubby's laptop. It is an older model and does not have a card reader on it.....and I have some pics to post. I hope to get them up soon. Also, yes I did take my weight ticker off my blog. The reason is basically I am the same....up and down 5 lbs from what I had lost. I am at a stand still due to being limited in exercise due to the hernia. I have not found much sucess in just cutting cals. I need to do cardio as well. I think, I am going to try to start biking, but slower and not as many miles. I will not push myself too hard, as not to strain the hernia. Over all I am thrilled to be down 30, but I need to lose more. It is a set back, but that is okay. As far as surgery (it took my doc 7 weeks to get my medical record?? don't ask/long story).....I go back in August for another consult, then who knows. I plan to take the kids to some water park outings, so I will schedule surgery after that. It is not an emergency, so I plan to work around everything....I have waited this long, what is another month or 12, haha. Hope things are well with bloggy land. Be blessed, Chasity http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/chasity/708460/ Thu, 16 Jul 2009 08:55:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/chasity/708460/ ..................I married my best friend!! I thought I would put together a list of 15 reasons why I LOVE MY HUBBY!!!! Why 15????? Today is my 15 year anniversary (:o) 1) He loves Jesus more than he loves me!! 2) He is passionate about his relationship with our Heavenly Father. 3) He loves me just the way I am. 4) He is an AMAZING daddy. 5) He is the most caring person I know. 6) After 16 years in ministry............I still love to hear him preach. 7) He is my BEST FRIEND!!! 8) He makes me laugh out loud, often. 9) He still makes my heart race when he enters a room. 10) He is a visionary and a dreamer. 11) He lives what he preaches. 12) He listens to my rants. 13) He is so darn cute!! 14) He works hard, so I can stay home. 15) He supports me in everything I do. There are many more reasons. I love him more and more everyday. Father God, Thank you for my amazing husband. Be blessed, Chasity http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/chasity/704444/ Thu, 2 Jul 2009 10:29:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/chasity/704444/