Another fun Contest!

I haven't been up to posting lately. Don't really know why. But I did find this cute contest for all you gals who have girls or granddaughters, or those of you whose friends have girls. I'm linking to the contest which is for these adorable hair bows/barrettes found at 5minutesformom. But don't miss out, check out the original source...the mom who makes these fabulous barrettes at madisonsroom. Right now they are running a sale at madison's room. Check out the codes at the first link 5minutesformom.

About My Dad

O.K. I have a spare moment during naptime! Cuz is up and happy, but M is still sleeping so I thought I'd play blog catch up.

My dad has a lovely genetic makeup that is plagued with heart disease. His grandfather and father both died with it. And the onset was right around 53...which my dad will be in June. At his yearly physical they decided to run some tests as a precaution. Dad's only complaint being fatigue...who doesn't feel that! The initial test was high...anything over 400 and dad's was 4 something. So they decided to do more tests. The options were the heart cath or a special stress test that may or may not have been conclusive. He and my mom decided to go ahead and do the cath just to be safe. Mind you some people have that first test and get numbers in the 800's and find nothing in the cath. That was the hope...but not the case.

They found 70%+ blockage in one artery, 80%+ in another, and 90%+ in two others. So they went in. They did the angioplasty and the stents in the 4 major blocked areas. There are 2-3 more that are 40-50% blocked, so they will likely have to go back in later and do more stents. Still, Modern Medicine is really a blessing! Could have been bypass surgery. He is on meds that he absolutely cannot miss a day of or forget in any way lest he fear a heart attack and impending bypass surgery in the future.

So pray. Pray that he will be responsible and his memory will far superior to mine. Pray as he recovers from surgery, though he is tons better. Pray for his family as we adjust to this new lifestyle. Pray that I will have the where with all to remember that I have these same genes and need to be doing certina things to better my heath as well as my brother and sister. Thanks for waiting patiently for my post.

Contest!!! And an update

My dad was in the hospital with heart issues. He is doing much better post surgery. I'll post more details tomorrow. I've been out of town at the in-laws for decoration and had a lovely visit as those generally go. I'll post some pics from that as well another day. To much stress (good and bad mind you) and not enough sleep. Tomorrow I start my first day on a new job...keeping Cousin Stone about 4 days a week. I'm excited, but I know it'll be a bit tiring at first making the adjustment. So sleep is calling.

Things are messy, but well here. Can no longer complain. Hope to partake in a large subdivision yard sale this weekend. J is most likely off to Anderson for a shooting competition and a class for the Greenville Gun Club membership on Sunday. Also his birthday!!!

ABOUT THAT CONTEST!!! Check out this lovely blogger lady contest! Found this fun site through my bloggy friend Jamie's site (ivey kids). This is for a Coach purse! Maybe you too could win. Why not give it a try?

Click here to link.

*Correction*

On my post regarding New Savings...I was informed that my walmart free samples link wasn't working. SO I fixed it. It works now, so please try it again and enjoy your something for nothing.

On another note...I may or may not post a real post today due to the chaos in my life. It is not the kind that I can control, so I'm going to just go with it, and go with God until it passes. I'll keep you updated as I can. Just say an extra prayer for me and my extended family today.

A Call For Prayer!

One of the ladies and friends of mine in Mom to Mom has been through extreme sickness. She has been in the hospital now for at least a week with little knowledge and understanding of what exactly has been going on. Fluid continues to fill and be drained from her right lung. They did surgery Monday and drained fluid and biopsied some "spots". They are quite sure that they are cancerous and there is a mass of tumors on her right lung...and they suspect it is in her lymphnodes as well. Still iffy right now, but they aren't sure what or if they can do for her. AND she has a precious little 5 month old and two other children that her mother is caring for right now. This is a call to prayer for anyone who feels so compelled or led by God. He is a soveriegn and mighty healer so I certainly feel the need to pray for healing. Also, He has a plan regardless of how it all looks to me, so I will pray for His Will in all things. Join me in prayer for Monica and her family!

**Update**

Dear All,

Monica and I just want to thank all of you for your prayers and responses. With all that is going on, I cannot at the moment respond to everyone, but we do greatly appreciate your concern.

Tonight the Oncologist came by and gave us what he knows at the moment and what needs to be done this week. Monica has been diagnosed with large cell adenocarcinoma cancer. The exact type and treatment of the cancer is yet to be determined, as well as the origin of it. It is stage 4 cancer, but it is not in the left lung, pancreas or the liver.

Treatment will be aggressive chemo over the months into the summer. The first concern to stop the fluid buildup in the lung, so that the tubes can be removed. This is a cancer that cannot be cured, but can be managed.

Please pray especially for the children as Meghan is a sharp girl and knows things are not right, and Jason who doesn't understand and is frightened. Please also pray that Monica can get some rest while at the hospital.

John

M's First Posted Video

Since I figured this out...You all can be tickled at M as well. This is one of her first attempts at those three little words.

Mom my Ride

Loved this when I found my way to one of my fave blogger's daughter's blog. Did you catch all the relations? I went to do a daily checkin' on Copper's wife (you can also find this in the margin) and decided to check Corin's blog (her daughter). Found this hysterical video clip!!! so hysterical I had to figure out how to post videos just so I could show ya'll! Enjoy!

Aunt Shebby's Cakes!

It's Here! Finally, my sister in law has jump started her cake business! Her cakes not only look pretty, but they taste out of this world! I can attest, I've had a bite of almost every one! If you need a special cake, don't go to wal-mart and have an O.K. cake...have an Aunt Shebby original! It is worth every penny! Not to mention, instead of putting your money into a huge conglomerate that spends there pennies in ways we don't necessarily approve of, help out a fellow Work At Home Mom! Check out her site!

New Info on Savings!

Walmart! Did anyone know that Walmart has a section online for Free Samples?! I found this out through Spoofee.com I've request a free sample of each item available! It may not be much, but it is still something for nothing.

Ace Hardware! Did everyone know that Ace Hardware has a rebate program?! That wouldn't be a big deal to everyone, but it should be because everyone had to clean! I was reading a blog and the lady said that you should never pay more than pennies for you cleaning supplies...I read on to find out she stockpiles her cleaning supplies from Ace Hardware when they are rebate items. Go to their website to download their rebate form. Not much as far as cleaning supplies this month, but I'll keep watching it so as to claim some free cleaning supplies!

Staples! I don't do alot of art/business/supply shopping yet, but I found out on homespun heart that Staples also has a rebate program! This if fabulous for a woman who's husband loves office supplies (even as gifts). Besides we are always looking for writing utensils.

Just for the sake of repetition, I will list the other places that have rebate programs. If any of you know of others, please let me know via comments!

Rite Aid
Eckerd
Walgreens
Ace Hardware
Staples
CVS (This is an Extra Care Bucks Program--slightly different)
Walmart (Free Sample Offers online)

Funny Things Happen Everyday

In the fort on Sunday! Did it again on Tuesday evening! So fun!

These stories usually involve me doing the dishes and peeking in on my babes (Mand her cousin at times). So, yesterday I was doing the dishes and M and cousin were entertaining eachother. I peeked in on them to make sure they weren't into trouble and Choo Choo Soul was on. A little short hip hop clip on Disney. M loves the beat, so I find her standing on the coffee table bobbin' and dancin her heart out. I am pretty amused, but I put on the firm Mommy look and voice to deter her from teaching her cuz bad things. Then I look over and see that he too is standing in a chair and bobbin and groovin! I had to be firm, but I more wished that I had had a camera!


I slightly rearranged M's room in preparation for her future Christmas present...don't laugh I've already decided what it'll be. I moved in her cradle for her baby dolls which was previously stashed in the dining room in plain view. This morning she spots it and says "Ooo Wee!" And proceeds to get in it with her dolls! It was definitely cute the first time, but she did it again when she was getting ready for bath time. Wearing a huge smile and a diaper...I wish I had this pic!



The last was also today. Doing the dishes and working on a meal for a friend who is really sick right now, I peek in to make sure she is busy, and find that she is definitely busy! She has pulled out one of the drawers in the dining buffet and climbed in it with her crackers and her baby doll "Maggie". So hilarious. I took pics and then coaxed her out. She was too cute to scold!
The last pic is from Saturday when Mercy discovered the second line of ants in our house. Something about the fireplace that keeps them coming back...even after Apex has sprayed specifically. She is no longer afraid of ants since she realizes that she is big enough to squish them. This was very intriguing to her and I got several pics of her looking and looking.

Easter Family Pics!

Here are our Easter Family Pics. I found out just yesterday that my best friend and I, even thought we live on opposite coasts still both managed to be one of the few gals in our circles to wear out Easter Bonnets! So here are my pics. Unfortunately, we had a cold spell here and I was unable to wear my vintage look Easter dress that I got at Goody's for $9.98. I'll bring it out for another Sunday. I went shopping in my mother's closet for a top to complete my outfit. New to me and free! Of course, I gave it back during Easter lunch! Still...We all ended up coordinating surprisingly. J's tie and coat managed to disappear long before our pic was taken though. And, I had to bring 3 bows just to make sure that one made it in M's pic. Nani had planned to make a beautiful Easter dress for M form one of her Creative Needle magazines (or Sew Beautiful), but all the recent and consecutive deaths and trips crunched our time, so we found this beautiful silk dress at TJ Maxx! Always good prices there. Enjoy the pics. So much more to post another day!

Jesus Is Alive

What a day of Celebration! Tears of joy and a great feeling of overwhelming love! Thank you God and Christ for your sacrifice and power over the grave!

Death Where is Your Sting?!

Grave Where is Your Victory?!

While the Cat's Away...

So, I left M with J for 4 days while I traveled via car to Shreveport, La from Greenville, SC. That's 14-15 hours each way! Still, the funeral was nice. Seeing family I haven't seen in a while was even nicer. Getting to know Aunts and Uncles in a new way (as an adult) was the nicest of all.

However, this post is about the homefront while I was gone from the scene. All in all things were fine. Jason kept M at nights and on the weekend, and Shelby was in charge during the working day. Thank the Lord I had such options! Let's see...Here is the quick break down: M had an anxious tummy and had 3-5 dirty diapers everyday causing a pretty hefty diaper rash and a cranky child. On top of that she managed to eat 2 bananas each day till I put a stop to it (couldn't have helped the tummy issue any). Cousin S got mad at her lack of personal space and decided to bite her. She was fine but had a nice impression of his top and bottom teeth on her arm. Daddy decided that the paci must go (thank goodness he did this and not me). Except for her refusing her nap the first day, she did fine. Now they are in the garbage...I had a hard time throwing them out, but finally buckled down and did it today. J only called once to ask how to get her to stop crying...his solution was to strip her down and let her run around with no clothes on. Hey, it worked! I only called the Dr. once, but on the return trip I was called by Aunt S to say that M had "eaten" deodorant (the squishy gel kind) and they were calling poison control. That was fine too. I got the feeling she was putting it on her lips like lipstick. She's seen me do that 100 times with the lipstick and the motions and such are the same...remove the top, screw the bottom, rub on.

JDaddy was on a roll spending money even though we had just done the whole budget thing. I put him and I both on lock down financially until next Friday (payday). He loves to do Lowe's runs. This time I do have to say he has been paying attention. He went to PepBoys to get Oil Changing products (a project he has chosen to do to help save the pennies) He purchased a case of Valvoline for a great price and has applied for the rebate of $6.00 (some kind of coupons online too). Then the filters were really great quality and they were regular $3 and he was going to apply for the rebate of $1, but the lady at the register thought that was so silly that she gave him $1 automatically! He thinks he might still apply for the rebate! Technically he can! I was impressed and he did this all on his own without telling or consulting me till it was already taken care of. He also managed to go to the grocery store for a milk run, but ended up getting all kinds of superfluous things not using sales or coupons! My $50 weekly budget had nearly been used up when I got here. I took back 4 items that hadn't been used yet, so at least I still have $25 for the weekly budget. We are going to play raid the pantry for a while though. Still figuring out the new budget with the new job.

The only other event happened on JDaddy's watch, but in the end appeared to be my fault after all. As soon as I realized it, I confessed. The kitchen sink was clogged again. Apparently, paint is the likely culprit, and since I did unknowing rinse my brushes out in the sink, I'm guessing it was my fault. Maybe even the last time too...now that I think about it. My poor landlords are so great, I will certainly be more cautious.

Well, JDaddy's home tomorrow for good friday so that should be really fun! May you all have a blessed Holy Weekend! Remember what it is we reflect on and Celebrate. The full gamit of love and pain entwined.