It's Just 5 Days Till Christmas...

...and all through the house, no more creatures were stirring, 'cause they left last night at 11:00 after having a great time of food and fellowship.  I'm so grateful to God for the wonderful people He has placed in our lives.

Yesterday when I left off I was leaving to get pizzas.  I picked them up quickly - it was Little Caesar's pizza, and we'd called ahead to let them know we needed 3 pepperoni and 2 cheese pizzas.  My daughter had picked up her birthday cake, an exquisite creation by a lady at church whom we call the Real Cake Boss.  It was a square cake made to look like a Christmas present, covered in white frosting with a snowflake design, and a green velvet ribbon made of fondant.  The cake itself was red velvet with a cookie dough filling and covered in a chocolate ganache.  It was truly a piece of art.   Along with that there was the Christmas bark and reindeer chow (think Chex Mix but covered in powdered and peppermint sugar), a hot buffalo chicken dip with tortilla chips, and a hot chocolate bar.   It was 7:00, the guests were to arrive at 7:30, and we were ready for them.

My daughter was starting to get nervous when a few people called or texted saying they weren't going to be able to make it, or might not get here till late.  Thankfully people started arriving at 7:40 and we had a steady flow of folks coming in till 9:00.  Everyone went absolutely bonkers over her buffalo chicken dip!  I kind of laughed at the fact that everyone was congregated around the crock pot sneaking more and more of it!  Her friend bought a huge tray of sugar cookies shaped like snowflakes that were beautiful as well as delicious.  Everyone loved the idea of the hot chocolate bar, even though we associate hot chocolate with cold weather, and our weather the last 3 days has been anything but cold.  Our temps have gotten close to the 80 degree mark, and while the humidity has still been low, the sky has been cloudless and the sun makes the day feel nice and toasty.  Still, it was so yummy, and who can resist hot chocolate at Christmastime?  A few even went back for seconds!  My daughter had planned on having food, cake, and board games, but everyone was chatting and laughing, and before we knew it folks were leaving because it was 11:00 at night.  Many of her friends are couples with young children, and Mama and Daddy had to go home.  Everyone had a really good time, and I'm so thankful that they showered my little girl with love and affection.  God was glorified as we thanked Him for her life and her example in the lives of others.

So, on to today.  I got up feeling more tired than usual.  I figured it was because we went to bed so late, after having to clean up and put things away.  My son R left for work, A went to get her hair cut, and I had a small breakfast.  I needed to get ready for grocery shopping day, and I wasn't looking forward to it.  It's 5 days till Christmas, and I knew Walmart would most likely be a mad house.  I hate crowded stores, and I felt drained just thinking about it.  A got back before I was ready and volunteered to go with me, which was good because I didn't feel like going alone.  E stayed at home; he hates shopping anytime, even if it's for himself.  We went to Walmart and yes, it was pretty packed.  Since I had my list we went down the aisles getting everything we needed.  We were almost done - I just needed to get my shampoo and some ice cream, which I always leave for last so it doesn't melt in the shopping cart.  A told me she needed to use the rest room, so I went to get my shampoo.  I was looking for a specific one, the Argan Oil and Shea Butter shampoo by OGX which doesn't contain sulfates.  I like that fact, because sulfates tend to dull colored hair.  This one is especially good for hair that gets straightened a lot because it's hydrating.  Well, of course they only had the conditioner, which I didn't need :P.  I settled instead for the Moroccan Argan Creme shampoo which is similar, and I was about to head on over to the ice cream, when my daughter called me on my cell phone.  "Come over to aisle 20 quick, there's no one on line!"  I was ready to run everyone over just to get there!  One gentleman was ahead of me with 2 items, that was it.  At Walmart during Christmas, that's unheard of!  My daughter went to get the ice cream and we got out of there in no time.  God certainly favored me because He knew I wanted to be there as much as I could ever want a toothache!

From there we headed to Costco to pick up a few things and to get gas.  I was shocked to see gas prices have gone down to $2.39/gallon.  I can't remember when it was that low!  It was costing me an average of $55 to fill up my tank; today I paid less that $40.  Praise The Lord!!  Costco was also packed to the gills, but they always have plenty of workers helping folks so we didn't take very long.  I still had to go to Publix for the turkey, but we decided to go home and eat first.  I felt weak, and since all I'd eaten for breakfast were 2 slices of wheat toast with apple butter I thought for sure I was just hungry.  We came home and I ate a couple of slices of cheese pizza from last night, but I still felt tired.  My head was also hurting a bit.  It was hurting at Walmart but I'd imagined it was from being in the packed store, except I was sneezing more than usual.  I finally had to accept that I'm coming down with something.  My throat is kind of scratchy, my sinuses are a bit inflamed, and of course my daughter is feeling the same way.  Whether she picked it up at her tutoring job and brought it home, or someone from the party last night did, we can't say.  All I know is, I've gotta bump up my vitamin C intake because no one wants to be sick Christmas week.

While I was getting my lunch, my daughter suggested we watch a Christmas movie.  Her suggestion:  Elf.  Now I'll be the first to tell you, I don't care for Will Farrell as an actor.  I find his roles to be either corny or downright stupid.  But I have to admit, Elf really is a cute movie.  Maybe because it's a Christmas flick, and that's my favorite movie genre.  I was only too happy to accept her suggestion, and sit down for a while before continuing with my day.

There was one thing left to do before I left for Publix, and that was wash all the bedding.  My daughter helped me get all the dirty bedding off and all the new bedding on all the beds, and I threw that in the wash before leaving.  A wanted to go with me again, so we went and picked up a 13 pound turkey, some cake mixes and hummus that was on sale.  My daughter went ahead and paid for it (yay!), so my total food bill for this week's shopping trips was $311.01.  That doesn't include yesterday's pizzas, since that was a gift to my daughter.  I try to stay around $300 for my food bill every 2 weeks, but since I went under budget during my last shopping trip I feel like I did pretty good.  It also helps that my gas bill was lower than usual.  All in all a good shopping trip.

Dinner tonight:  yep, you got it, leftover pizza.  I'm really not feeling my best, and I had no desire to be in the kitchen making anything.  Thankfully my kids can eat pizza 24/7/365 and not get tired of it.  I did my mani-pedi today, which I desperately needed.  Keeping with the Christmas theme, I did my nails in a bright candy-apple red, except for my ring fingers which are gold with some shimmer.  I feel like my nails look festive!  It was also exfoliation day, and I was really excited to get my face super cleaned so I could use my new Bare Minerals products.  I did use them yesterday; I'm not gonna lie, I couldn't wait.  The eye reviver isn't an eye cream, it's an eye powder that gets patted under the eye to brighten.  It can be used at any time of the day, but since it's a small tube I decided I'd only use it with my evening routine.  The glow pads really do give my face a healthy glow.  I used one before the extra firming neck cream, which I also used on my face.  After using these products last night I wondered if my face would be greasy in the morning, since the extra firming neck cream is pretty thick.  I was very pleasantly surprised to see that my skin looked firmer and the lines on my forehead seemed to have disappeared!  That's why I was so excited to use these skin treatments again on my exfoliated skin.  Oh!  I have to mention that I got more samples of the Active Cell Renewal Night Serum.  This stuff is fabulous!  I put it on under my moisturizer at night and in the morning my face feels so soft.  I'm glad they sent the samples, because the actual serum is $50 for 1 fl. oz.  While I'm sure many could argue it's worth the price, I just can't be spending that kind of money right now.

My son got home from work at 6:30, changed out of his work clothes and headed out the door again.  My daughter is at her 2nd job's Christmas party.  My youngest son is in the shower getting ready for bed, and I think I'll be headed in that direction too.  I took my vitamin C, and I think what my body needs now is rest.  I'll be praying I don't get sick.  I had bronchitis just last September, and I don't want that to happen again.  The countdown continues!  Good night.

Thoughtful Thursdays

I have a couple of thoughts to share today, because it's a special day in 2 different ways.

First off, today is the National Day of Prayer.  While I believe it's important to pray everyday and often, I think we get into a rut sometimes.  I know I do.  It's good to set a day to remind everyone to pray and what important issues we need to pray about.  Pastor Greg Laurie has asked that we pray for our nation.  Boy, do we need it!  The farther away we turn from the Lord, the greater the messes we make.

I read this simple guideline for praying that I wanted to share, because I thought it was a good way to remember to pray regularly.

The 5 Finger Prayer


1. Your thumb is nearest you. So begin your prayers by praying for those closest to you. They are the easiest to remember. To pray for our loved ones is, as C. S. Lewis once said, a 'sweet duty.'

2. The next finger is the pointing finger. Pray for those who teach, instruct and heal. This includes teachers, doctors, and ministers. They need support and wisdom in pointing others in the right direction. Keep them in your prayers.

3. The next finger is the tallest finger. It reminds us of our leaders. Pray for the president, leaders in business and industry, and administrators. These people shape our nation and guide public opinion. They need God's guidance.

4. The fourth finger is our ring finger. Surprising to many is the fact that this is our weakest finger, as any piano teacher will testify. It should remind us to pray for those who are weak, in trouble or in pain. They need your prayers day and night. You cannot pray too much for them.

5. And lastly comes our little finger - the smallest finger of all - which is where we should place ourselves in relation to God and others. As the Bible says, 'The least shall be the greatest among you.' Your pinkie should remind you to pray for yourself. By the time you have prayed for the other four groups, your own needs will be put into proper perspective and you will be able to pray for yourself more effectively.

******

The second reason this is such a special day is because it's Take Your Child to Work day.  My son will be staying at home with me.  Contrary to what some believe, being a homemaker is hard work!  Keeping everyone well fed, well dressed, attended to; keeping the house in tip top shape; keeping the outside of the house equally clean; and many times we do it without so much as a thank you.  No one notices what homemakers do until it doesn't get done.  I think it's important for my son to see what it's like to keep a home running smoothly.  He's 13 years old now, not a baby.  He's old enough to understand and appreciate what gets done around the house, and hopefully by joining in and helping he will appreciate his future wife and be a helper to her as well.  We have to train our boys early on, or they will be boys forever instead of growing up to be men.

Speaking of which, my oldest son blessed the family this week by making fried pork and crab wontons.  I'm not fond of crab, but I did enjoy the pork wontons a lot!  They were absolutely delicious.  He bought all the supplies himself, and even cleaned up the mess afterwards.  It was a wonderful treat, and set a good example for his little brother.  We were able to enjoy the meal along with a scrumptious bread pudding my daughter made.  How nice it was to be treated like a guest in own home!

I hope you spend your day praying and appreciating your family.  That's where my heart is today.

Wednesday Hodgepodge

Okay, I'm late.  It's Thursday.  But in my defense, I've been crazy busy decorating the house for Christmas.  I haven't even taken pics to post because I've been running around till I run out of energy (I'm no pink bunny).  I'll try to get back on schedule by getting my Hodgepodge post up, even if it's late.  You can too, if you hop on over to Joyce's, From This Side of the Pond.


Four hodgepodges til Christmas in case you were wondering.

1.  With that being said I think I need to dive right in to some Christmas related questions, don't you? Which do you prefer-pretty gift wrap with a bow or a pretty gift bag with/without a bow?  What percentage of your holiday gifts are currently (as in right this very minute) wrapped in some form or fashion?
I like gifts that are wrapped and topped with a bow.  Bags are nice too, but there's just something about stacking boxes under the tree that makes me smile.

All my gifts are wrapped.  They are all purchased too.  I have some books on order that haven't shipped, but otherwise I'm done.

2.  What is one item on your Christmas list this year?
The new Tim Hawkin's DVD, Push Pull Point Pow.  Tim Hawkins in the funniest comedian I've ever heard/watched.  He's a Christian, so none of his comedy contains foul language or sexual innuendos so common with today's comedians.  And yet he's hilarious.  I told my kids if they don't get me this DVD I will disown the three of them.

3.  What makes a home?
The people.  I can be at home in a dump so long as my babies are near.

4.  Motown founder Berry Gordy celebrates his birthday on Hodgepodge Day-November 28th. Are you a fan of the Motown sound?  If so, who's your favorite Motown artist and/or song? Here's a list in case you're stuck.
I was a fan back in the day, when I was a kid.  Not as much now.  I prefer rock music.

5.  Red or green-which one is more prevalent in your closet?
Green, definitely.  It's my favorite color.  I like pretty much all shades of green.  Well, except neon.  That's a bit loud.

6.  True or false-bacon makes it better? If you answered true, what's your favorite dish made with bacon?
True!  I like bacon with my breakfast, bacon on my burgers, bacon wrapped around pork tenderloin.  The flavor is like no other.

7.  Share a favorite holiday memory.
When my two older kids were little, we'd go to grandma's house for Thanksgiving and come home late enough that both were asleep or almost asleep.  Once they were in bed, I'd get to work decorating the house.  The tree would go up and get decorated, all kinds of decor would appear, and the stockings would get hung with a surprise inside.  I loved hearing them get up in the morning, hearing their oohs and aahs as they went through the house, then cheer as they found a special something (usually a cassette tape of Christmas music) in their stocking.  I can't do this anymore, since the tree is much bigger and it takes me a couple of days to decorate the house instead of a few hours, but it's a memory my kids and I still treasure.

8.  Insert your own random thought here.
December is almost upon us, and so are birthdays.  My sweet brother-in-law has a birthday on the 13th, then mine is on the 14th.  My nephew's birthday is on the 19th.  We'll celebrate Jesus' birthday on the 25th, then my daughter and youngest son will have their birthdays on the 27th.  No, they aren't twins.  My daughter A turns 23 and my son E will be 13.  They are exactly 10 years apart.  For us, December is an especially special month.

RIP Dearest Uncle

After battling Alzheimer's disease the past few years, my dear uncle has said goodbye, his earthly journey completed.  He lived on this earth 89 years, and was married to my aunt (my mother's sister) for 61 years.  They were the most loving couple I've ever met.  He is survived by my aunt, his two daughters, his grandson, granddaughter, and great-grandson, in addition to a large extended family who loved him dearly.  Goodbye my dear uncle.  Your absence will be felt, and you will be sorely missed.

Last Stop - The Boy's Room

The last room that got changed is the boy's room.  My sons have shared this room since we moved here; well, since E was 4 months old and he moved from our bedroom to the boy's room.  At that time R was 13 years old, so the bedroom was appropriate for the two of them.  Or, as appropriate as a bedroom can be for a 13 year old teenager and an infant.  I tried to make it boy-like for the two of them to enjoy.  Here is what I came up with:

The bed is a trundle bed.  We got this bed for them when E was 2 years old.  Our initial thought was to get bunkbeds for them, but when we went to the furniture store my toddler (who we call The Monkey for a reason) started climbing all the bunkbeds they had set up and jumping on the top bunk.  Yeah, we were sure bunks were out of the question.  A trundle bed was much safer :).

Here's the thing:  what was appropriate when R was 13 is no longer appropriate when he's 25.  Let's face it, he doesn't fit in a twin bed anymore.  And that's why I was glad when he moved to Central Florida and got grown-up furniture.  But with his sister moving back to South Florida, and his hours at the store getting cut, he couldn't afford to stay there on his own.  He asked about coming back home, and I immediately told him yes.  This is, and will always be, his home.  That meant, though, that the boy's room had to change into something that would be a good fit for a 25 year old, that afforded him privacy while being shared with a 12 year old.  This is how we've achieved that:

My son's bed is a queen size bed, identical to his sister's bed.  The twin bed with the trundle was taken apart and put in the garage for the time being.  On the wall where the small bed was we put his chest of drawers.  That was my daughter's idea; we didn't think it would fit, but when she suggested it we measured and found it would work.  Not only the chest, but the nightstand fit under the window just fine, too.  But there's more:

There's a narrow piece of wall next to the closet in their room.  For that space we'd gotten these shelves where the boys put their video games and movies, but they wouldn't fit with R's bed, so I moved them to the dining room.  However, once the bed came into the room, I realized there was still space for narrow storage, so I brought in this Ikea shelving unit that R had bought and had in his apartment.

His shelving unit is taller and fits all his collection of video games neatly and doesn't block anything.  I also like the fact that, since the bedroom furniture is a dark tone and the bedding is neutral, the blue walls work just fine with everything and I didn't have to repaint.

There is one piece of furniture that, unfortunately, doesn't match the rest but had to stay in the room.

The wall unit has all of E's clothes, school supplies and such, and there's just no other place in the house to put it.  The garage is filled with everything else that didn't fit in our house, and I don't want to sell it because at some point R will move on and E still needs a place to put his things.  Thankfully it still fits in the room, regardless if the color matches.  It looks good, and more importantly, my boys are happy with it.  Oh, and I'm happy too, because it's neat and orderly and that's how I like it!

Move It Mondays

Good morning to all, and Happy Monday!  Oh, I know there are some out there who make a face at that statement, who think the words "Monday" and "happy" don't go together in a sentence.  People who are always saying how much they dread Mondays.  Let me ask you this:  Would it have been better if you hadn't woken up this morning?  What if Sunday had been the last day of your life?  Not a very nice proposition, is it?  I say we celebrate Monday, and be thankful God has given us a new day!  And if that doesn't work for you, look on the bright side:  tomorrow is Tuesday!

It's a bright, sunshine filled morning; there's sausages frying on the stove, biscuits baking in the oven, coffee brewing in the coffee pot and towels being washed in the washing machine.  My, but I sure do depend on my appliances!  Can you imagine 100 years ago, women were waking up much earlier than I did (7am) to get the fire going for breakfast and to get water from the local stream or canal to wash clothes?!  There was so much work that had to be done just to get a simple meal, yet life was lived at a slower pace.  Today we want stuff fast, instant everything, and we don't stop to appreciate life because it's zipping by us and we don't even see it.  Something to think about today.  Stop for a minute and admire a cloud; watch children play; don't just turn on your MP3 player, sing along with it.  Life is short; experience it fully.

We got tons of rain yesterday - I mean a whole lot!  We went to church in the morning and the sun was shining, and by the time service was done it was pouring, there was lightning and thunder and winds, the whole nine yards!  It called for an indoor day, and we stayed and relaxed after a morning of fellowship and worship.  Speaking of worship, my daughter sang and played guitar again, and she sounded wonderful.  Makes this mama so happy to hear my little girl worshiping the Lord!

I'm hoping the rains hold off this morning, at least long enough to give Molly a bath.  Molly's a big dog who doesn't like getting wet, so bathing her inside the house is out of the question.  If it's raining then getting her bath outside will be impossible too, so I'm praying God will give me a window of dryness after breakfast!

I read a great devotion this morning, about giving God the glory for the good in our lives.  It's easy to think that our achievements are a result of our own doing, but it's God who prompts, prevents, provides and protects.  Thank You Lord for Your blessings and the amazing life You've given me.  I have so much to be thankful for!

Plans for today include bowling - I got a coupon for $5 off per person for games/shoes, so for the 4 of us that's $20 off which is a good deal.  Before that though, it's Molly's bath and vacuuming, plus finishing up the load of laundry.  A productive and fun day, that's what this Monday is!  I hope your Monday is just as great!  God bless.

Observing My Senses

For Today, June 30, 2012...

I am seeing...boxes in the family room, a totally new set up in the living room, sunlight streaming through the sliding glass doors, and my daughter moving about as she puts things away in her room.

I am feeling...grateful to have my 3 children under my roof again, exhausted from the move, and overwhelmed by the amount of boxes to unpack and work yet to be done to get the house organized.

I am hearing...my son in the bathroom, my daughter in the family room, the washer doing a load of laundry.  The sweet sounds of home.

I am tasting...pancakes and bacon with my morning coffee.  We worked hard yesterday.  We earned a treat today :).

I am smelling...breakfast smells.  That's a comforting smell if I ever smelled one.

It just takes a moment to observe your surroundings.  Won't you join me?

Thursday Thoughts

Wow, I've really let my postings go!  I've been so busy I barely get a chance to sit for 5 minutes on the computer and I've got to run again.  Let's see if I can recap some of what's been going on.

 - Last Friday we took a trip to the zoo.  I'd forgotten how nice, and how BIG, the zoo is!  We only did about half the zoo even though we were there for several hours.  We packed a lunch, and since they have picnic tables we were able to enjoy the breeze while we ate.  There was so much to see, and although it was a hot day there was a breeze which made it comfortable.  My thought had been to stop by and visit my aunt and uncle who live a short drive away, but the sky started turning grey and we could hear thunder in the distance.  We'd gotten thunderstorms the night before, and I didn't want to get stuck in that weather, so we high tailed it home, knowing Molly was by herself and doesn't like storms.  Unfortunately we got caught in a thunder/hailstorm that was really nasty!  Praise God we got home safely.  Hopefully we'll get to see our relatives the next time we go down - we got summer savings passes so we can go to the zoo as many times as we want all summer long!

 - After we got home my daughter noticed something in the tree in the front of our house.  It was 2 baby birds hanging out of their nest!  Apparently the wind and rain had knocked them out but they got tangled in the nest and were too small to get loose.  On the ground we saw 2 more baby birds, one clearly hurt, but there was nothing we could do for them.  The storm was intense, with lightning brightening the sky every second, and there was no way I was going to let my daughter go out there in that kind of weather.  She was beside herself looking at the little birdies but I had to be firm.

The next morning the birdies were still hanging from the nest.  The rain had stopped so we tried going out with the ladder to bring them down.  It wasn't possible; not only were they up high, but mama and papa bird were hovering over us, and they weren't too happy about us going near their babies.  We did get an idea.  We could use a long extension saw that I use to cut down dried palm fronds to bring the baby birds down.  It worked!  The whole nest came crashing down, but the birds were safe, and we put them into a plastic container along with their siblings that were still on the ground.  One of the birds that had fallen was very weak.  It looked like it had a broken wing.  We put all four in the container and kept an eye on it.  We were thrilled to see mama bird check on her babies, then start feeding them!  We felt like we'd saved the little birdies!  Sadly, the joy would not last.

The weak bird was the first to go.  We knew it would probably die, but it was still sad.  Then the sky started turning dark again, and we worried about the birds being in the plastic container in the rain.  I didn't make holes in the bottom of it, and they would drown if it rained heavily again.  So, my daughter moved the birds back to the nest and put the nest at the base of the tree.  We had some errands to run, and we left them there hoping they were safe.  To our dismay, when we got home one of the birdies was missing!  We knew they were too small to have flown away, and we have no idea where it could have gone.  It's possible the mama bird moved it, but there's also the possibility one of the neighborhood cats got to it :(.  We also noticed the strongest of the birdies was outside of the nest, behind the tree, and the fourth bird looked like it was dying as well.  That was especially disappointing, because it was one of the ones that had been hanging from the nest, and it looked like it would be okay, but now we could see it had been too much for the little birdie, and it died as well.  The only one that was left was behind the tree, and we didn't dare move it.  Next morning, it too had disappeared, and we can only hope it was taken to a safe haven by mama bird.  My daughter took it especially hard; she's an animal lover and it pains her that two of the birdies died.  Of course it's not her fault and there was nothing she could do, but it still made her very sad.

 - In happier news, we've had Vacation Bible School (VBS) this week, and it's been so much fun!  This year my son E was a volunteer, since he's now officially a 7th grader and too old to attend.  He has been helping the 9-10 year old kids.  I did registration again this year, and it's been busy!  We've averaged 290 kids each day, including a fairly large group from the orphanage where my daughter volunteers.  Yesterday 20 kids accepted Christ as their personal Savior, and we rejoiced at their decisions to follow Jesus!  It's really satisfying and humbling to be used by God to make a difference in these children's lives.

 - When I wasn't at VBS, I was home preparing the house for my son's impending move.  My two older kids had been living in an apartment in Central Florida for the past year.  My daughter graduated college and decided to come back home; she missed her family and friends.  My son was undecided for awhile, but then he said he wanted to come back to South Florida as well, just not back home.  His intention was to get a place with his best friend.  Well, things don't always turn out the way we hope.  First off, one of his loans became due, and he's had to start paying it off.  It's an added expense he wasn't planning on having yet.  Then his hours at the store got cut dramatically to almost half what he'd been working, so his paycheck took a severe hit.  He's had to use his savings to pay his bills, and that has caused him to not have enough money for a downpayment anywhere.  He has to come home till he can save up enough money.  I told him this will always be his home, and I meant it.  My only problem is, moving a 2 bedroom apartment into my already furnished 3 bedroom home.  I can't afford a storage facility at this time, so we'll have to make do.  Today I made a trip to Goodwill to get rid of items we don't use or need.  I've been getting the garage in order, since some of the furniture will have to go in there.  I'm also moving things around inside the house to make room for some of their furniture.  This isn't easy for me; I absolutely hate clutter and disorganization, and I shudder at the thought of the house looking like on of those hoarders homes they show on TV.  Still, it's my son, and for my kids I will make the sacrifice.

Okay, that's what's been happening.  See, I told you I've been busy ;).  A mother's work is never done!  Have a blessed rest of your week.

Thursday Thoughts

It's the last day of school, and my son is extremely thankful!  It has been a good year for him.  He raised his FCAT reading score from a 1 last year to a 3 this year.  The highest grade is a 6, so a 3 is equivalent to a C.  This is the highest his reading grade has ever been, and I am just thrilled at how well he has done.  I am especially thankful to his reading teacher, Mrs. Legra, who encouraged the students, and made character development as important as reading.  She did so much to help my son, and it shows in his progress.  I love when teachers give their all.

 - Saturday was my cousin's little boy's first birthday, and we were able to go to his birthday party.  It was a chance to see my aunt and uncle who are getting up in years, but what was even nicer was seeing their daughter, my cousin, the baby's grandmother, whom I hadn't seen in about 30 years.  She looks fantastic, and was all smiles at her only grandson's party.  We were able to chat for awhile, which I enjoyed.  Her daughter also came with her husband, and it was great seeing them as well.      

 - This week my daughter's childhood bedroom set left our home after 22 years.  Her father had built the furniture when she was just a few months old, and she's had it all these years.  It was all white, with the bed, 2 nightstands, a desk, and a wall unit full of drawers.  Very spacious, but not for A.  It was a child's bedroom set, and she's a young adult.  Her bedroom set in Central Florida will be taking it's place, but in the meantime we are painting her bedroom to fit her new furniture.  With the white furniture she had asked for teal walls, which looked nice though still pretty young.  Her new bedroom set is a dark merlot finish, and her bedding is black and grey.  Teal just wasn't gonna work with it, so we are making it more modern and edgy.  Two walls are being painted grey, one full wall will be purple, and the window wall will have both colors in a diagonal split.  I think it's gonna look really cool; we did the two full grey walls today and it already looks more grown up.  She's really excited to see her room completed.

 - My oldest son R stayed in Central Florida and planned to come back home in July.  He called me to say he needs to come home sooner.  Turns out when he told the store manager that he'd be leaving in July, they cut his hours dramatically, to the point that he can no longer afford to stay up there.  We're looking at driving up the last week of this month, packing everything up and bringing it down on a truck.  Hopefully he'll be able to transfer to his old store, or find full-time work.

 - To make matters even more complicated, my sonogram results came in, and I definitely have gallstones.  My doctor has referred me to a surgeon.  I have an appointment for next Thursday, in which I hope to find a way to avoid having surgery.  Truth is, the gallstones are there but I don't have pain.  There is occasional discomfort, heartburn, and some bloating, but I don't have any other symptoms, and certainly no painful episodes as so many gallstone victims complain of.  Maybe the surgeon will agree with me that surgery isn't necessary at this time?  We'll have to wait and see.

 - The arthritis pain comes and goes.  I find the pain in my elbow is worse when I don't use my arm; I wake up at night when I try to turn over because of the pain.  I need to find a pain reliever that doesn't upset my stomach.  Ibuprofen makes me nauseous, and Aleve is even worse.  Tylenol unfortunately doesn't take the pain away.  :P

 - The rain has calmed down a bit.  At least it hasn't rained these past 3 days, which is nice since the kids had their field days at school.  From the look of it that trend will end soon, though.  The skies are grey right now and weather lady says tomorrow's rain chance is 50%.

I'm looking forward to sleeping in tomorrow morning, preparing a special breakfast for my (now) 7th grader, then getting to work painting.  Have a great rest of your week folks!

A Poem for Moms

Continue On

A woman fretted over the usefulness of her life.

She feared she was wasting her potential being a devoted wife and mother.

She wondered if the time and energy she invested in her husband and children would make a difference.

At times she got discouraged because so much of what she did seemed to go unnoticed and unappreciated.

"Is it worth it?" she often wondered.  "Is there something better that I could be doing with my time?"

It was during one of these moments of questioning that she heard the still, small voice of her Heavenly Father speak to her heart.

"You are a wife and mother because that is what I have called you to be.

Much of what you do is hidden from the public eye, but I notice.

Most of what you give is done without remuneration.

But I am your reward.

Your husband cannot be the man I have called him to be without your support.

Your influence upon him is greater than you think and more powerful than you will ever know.

I bless him through your service and honor him through your love.

Your children are precious to me.

Even more precious than they are to you.

I have entrusted them to your care to raise for Me.

What you invest in them is an offering to Me.

You may never be in the public spotlight, but your obedience shines as a bright light before Me.

Continue on.  Remember you are My servant.

Do all to please Me.

 - Roy Lessin, author of How To Be the Parents of Happy and Obedient Children

Thursday Thoughts

* When I got up this morning, I found that our dear, lovable, sweet dog Molly had removed her cone from around her neck.  This doesn't surprise me; she's managed to wiggle out of her dog collar before, and it's not the first time she takes the cone off either.  What was funny this time, was her reaction when I walked into the room and saw the cone lying next to her.  I said to her, "Molly, you took your cone off!  How did you do that?" and she lifted her head towards me and closed her eyes.  It was almost as if by not seeing me she wouldn't get in trouble.  I just had to laugh at her.  I checked her, and it doesn't look like she's been messing with her scar, so I left the cone off and will be watching her.  I mean really, how would I like it if I had to walk around with a silly cone on my neck?

* Molly's doing great now, even running around in the yard chasing the neighbor's cat (which she's not supposed to do but what can I do?  She needs to go out, and that stupid cat should stay in her own yard).  She's eating normally again, and is her old cheerful self.  We love her so much.

* My son and I are also on the mend from this nasty cold.  We both have coughs and runny noses, but at least his fevers seem to have ceased and he had a bit of an appetite last night.  He didn't want to eat anything because he said everything tasted bad.  Yet the chocolate pie tasted just fine :/.  How convenient.

* We had pie yesterday because it was Pi Day (3/14, or 3.14).  My oldest son went all out, making chicken pot pie, pizza pie and shepherd's pie, along with chocolate pie for dessert.  I'm glad he enjoys cooking for himself, and I'm sure his future wife will appreciate it too.  My daughter was thankful she didn't have to cook.  It gave her more time to clean up the mess. :P

* Our weather has been really nice this week, which is sort of a bummer since we've been sick and haven't been able to enjoy it.  It's especially bad for my son who is on spring break but hasn't been outdoors all week.  We've gotten rain but it's always been at night or very early in the morning, then the rest of the day it's sunny and breezy.  I love this time of the year!

* Except for one thing: Daylight Savings Time.  I hate the whole changing the clock thing!  It's like having jet lag without ever getting on a plane.  The clock has changed, but my body hasn't.  I still wake up at what would have been 6:30am, only now it's 7:30am so I feel like I'm running an hour late all day.  Then my regular bed time rolls around, which is 10:00pm, only that's the old 9:00pm and I'm not sleepy.  I can try to go to bed, but then I'll be tossing and turning in the middle of the night because I went to bed too early.  Of course since it's spring break it hasn't been a big deal, but next week school starts again and we'll be waking up a whole hour earlier.  Trust me, I'm not looking forward to that.

That's my week so far.  Have a blessed Thursday!

Friday Update

Just wanted to let everyone know my son E and I are in Central Florida for the weekend.  We arrived safely yesterday afternoon (Praise the Lord!) and are relaxing now as we look forward to some time together.  My oldest son R is working and has school this afternoon, but hopefully we'll be able to spend more time together tomorrow.  My daughter made us a delicious homemade pizza last night, and we went to bed late talking about her upcoming graduation.  How I miss being with my precious kids!

I'll try to post my Friday questions later today.  The internet connection here isn't the best :P.  And besides, I'll be enjoying being Mom!  Have a great day everyone!

Some Random Thoughts

* To all of you who have called, emailed, texted, or in some way messaged me that you are praying for me, thank you.  You have no idea how much that means to me.  I love you all for your compassion and your understanding.  You have blessed me beyond words.

* To all who have taken the time to check on me and ask if everything is alright since finding out that my husband and I have separated, thank you as well.  Your concern warms my heart and reminds me that God has placed you in my life for a good reason.

* To everyone, I want you to know that I'm okay.  As a matter of fact, I'm better than okay.  It was difficult at first.  There were moments of distress, of sadness, of bitterness, of anger.  Thanks to counseling (I can't express my thanks enough to my pastor for recommending it to me) I knew that these emotions were normal, and that through prayer and leaning on the Lord I would move forward and find healing.  And I have.  I'm at peace now.  There's still an occasional moment of sadness, and moments when the anger begins to creep in, but those are fewer and far between.  I'm thankful that the distress is gone.  There were times I didn't know what would happen next, and it felt overwhelming, but I was never alone, and the Lord let me see that, through His comforting in my heart, and through all the wonderful people who reached out to me.  The bitterness has been replaced with contentment, because I know that "all things work together for good to those who love God." (Romans 8:28)  As terrible as things may appear on the surface, I know for sure that God will turn things around and bring good out of bad circumstances.

* To prove that I'm doing well, unlike some people who eat when they get upset, I eat when I'm happy.  During a trial I'm more likely to lose weight, because my stomach closes up and food just isn't appealing to me.   This summer I was fitting into size 4 clothes with absolutely no problem.  Since my husband moved out, however, our home has been so peaceful that I've been able to eat again and enjoy it.  Enjoy it a little too much I'm afraid.  I weighed myself this week and found that since Thanksgiving I've gained 10 pounds.  :P

* The first thing I did was destroy the bathroom scale.  No, I'm just kidding.  It's still there, in working order.  I only gave it a dirty look ;).  Then I went on myfitnesspal.com and started recording what I was eating so I would stay within my calories.  I knew what my problem was right away.  Snacking.  Too much of it, and not the best choices.  The first day was tough.  I desperately wanted some potato chips, or a brownie with ice cream, or a large handful of Goldfish crackers.  I had to be strong, and say no.  There's plenty of raisins and granola bars to munch on, I just had to exercise self control.

* I'm happy to say it's gotten easier, and I've gotten lighter.  I'm not craving snacks at all hours of the day.  As a bonus, I'm sleeping better too.  Especially when Molly doesn't wake me up at 6am to let her out or feed her.

* As an update on my mom, who had triple bypass surgery in December, I'm thankful and happy to say she's been given a clean bill of health, and her cardiologist says she can do anything she was doing before the surgery, praise the Lord!  Unfortunately, Mom has a different opinion.  She wants to milk this for all it's worth.  She enjoys using the "I just had major surgery" excuse to get others to do things for her, then complains that they aren't done to her specifications.  I guess it's true what they say, we regress to our childhood in our old age.  I'm sure my kids are looking forward to that ;).  I'm just glad she's home.

* Another happy note:  My daughter made the dean's list again!  She got straight A's last semester, and now is in her last semester and has put in her intent to graduate.  Most people would say the standard, "Time has flown these 4 years," but to me they've been the longest 4 years of my life.  Now she has to decide what to do next.  If the economy were better it would be an easy choice: come back home, find a job in her field, and save up her money for the future.  Sadly, our economy isn't in the best state, and South Florida in particular is in a slump.  There are fewer jobs than there are unemployed folks, and finding work is not a simple task.  She's gonna start putting her resume out, and see what's out there.  If she finds employment here, then she comes back home.  If the jobs are in Central Florida, then she'll be staying there.  I've laid this at the Lord's feet and will trust Him to lead her where she needs to be.

I guess that's it for now.  There's always random thoughts going through my mind, so come back sometime for more.  God bless.

2011 - Reflections of a Year Gone By

I've thought about this post and run it through my mind a hundred times.  Reliving some of 2011 is difficult and painful.  It's been a year of ups and downs, with downs dominating much of the time.  There have been times when I thought I was Job, getting hit with bad news at every turn.  Still, I have seen the hand of God in my life, even in the worst moments, when I thought I'd reached the end of my rope.  There were plenty of times when I thought I'd write about it on my blog, but then I'd sit at my computer, and I couldn't.  I wasn't ready to.  Now, as a new year is ready to begin, it's time to record the year's events so that I can look back and be reminded of God's faithfulness and His promise to never leave me nor forsake me. (Hebrews 13:5)

 - We refinanced our house in January.  Let me back track a bit.  We looked into selling our house to an interested party back in October 2010, with the intention of moving to Central Florida where our daughter was in school and our oldest son was considering moving to because there are more job opportunities.  The deal fell through, but my husband decided we should refinance our current home, take some of the cash out of our equity, and use it to buy a new house.  With the savings we already had we could buy a house free and clear and rent out the house in South Florida.  I didn't like the idea of refinancing our house and increasing our debt, but my husband had already decided he didn't want to sell our current house, and with it being rented out it would be paid for, which meant it was an investment.

 - I spent a few days in Central Florida in February, where we found a couple of houses we liked.  One was a foreclosure, the other a short sale.  This is very common right now due to the economy.  We decided to put in an offer on the foreclosure home, but were outbid.  We then put in an offer on the short sale home, and our offer was accepted by the seller.  We were on our way.

 - Several months later, after packing up our house and waiting patiently for an answer, we found out the house we were trying to buy had 3 investors that couldn't come to an agreement on the cost of the house.  We continued looking at and bidding on houses, but were outbid each time.  By May it was clear to me this was not the direction God wanted us to take.  My husband, on the other hand, was trying to find any possible way for me and the kids to move.  I say me and the kids, because he'd decided he wasn't going to move up with us.  His job had originally been sending him regularly to Central Florida to work, and it was the reason we were looking there in the first place.  Now he was telling me he wasn't going to be traveling up for work very often, nor did he want to.  He intended on renting the South Florida house to his sister and living in it with her.  I argued repeatedly that we wouldn't be able to afford what he wanted to do, but he would get angry and start yelling, so I dropped the subject and left it in God's hands.  I knew if He wanted it to happen it would, and if He didn't, no matter what we did it simply wouldn't work out.

 - My daughter's lease on her apartment would be over in July, and with no other prospects I told my husband I was going to find another apartment for her.  My oldest son would be moving up with her.  I cried bitterly at the thought that both my children would be leaving, but I accepted it and did what I could to help them with their move.  We found an apartment just 15 minutes from the university, with plenty of room for both of them and very affordable.  We would be back to help them move in and get settled.

 - June, July and August were a blur, with us traveling back and forth from South Florida to Central Florida and back. It was a difficult time for me, trying to keep my youngest son busy and entertained, helping the older kids get everything they needed for their new place, and dealing with a cranky husband.  It was during this time that I discovered why my husband was so intent on us moving to Central Florida at any cost.  He was having an affair.  If that wasn't enough, when I confronted him about it, he acted as though I was making a big deal over it.  He never showed any remorse nor made any attempt to fix the marriage.  I was devastated.

 - Thankfully God has placed people in my life that love me, pray for me, and help me in those moments when my world seems to be falling apart.  I sat with my pastor and his wife, and told them what was going on.  Pastor Frank gave me biblical advise, but he didn't stop there.  He gave me two phone numbers: one for a lawyer (a Christian one in our church), and a counseling center.  It was overwhelming at the time, but I'm so glad he gave me those numbers, and thankful the Holy Spirit gave me the strength to call.

 - I spoke with the lawyer to get legal advise.  I just wanted to know what my rights are and what the law in Florida states.  It took longer before I made the appointment to see the counselor.  By the time I got in to see her, I was an emotional mess.  I was being filled up with anger, bitterness, confusion and distress.  Through counseling I was able to deal with the emotions I was feeling, It was helpful to understand I was grieving what was clearly the end of my marriage.  My husband was unrepentant and unwilling to make any changes, and I was unwilling to continue living this way.  There was no longer any trust, and after all the emotional and mental abuse I'd been put through I knew it was time to put an end to it.

 - It took a couple of months but Thanksgiving weekend, while I was in Central Florida with my children, my husband moved out.  Even though I knew it was coming, it didn't make it any easier.  It was especially hard to have to explain to my youngest son that his father no longer lived at home.  He knew we'd been arguing, and he was aware Mommy wasn't sleeping in the same room as Daddy, but it still caught him by surprise.  Again, the Lord has been with me, and my son has been dealing with the situation much better than I'd expected.  And although I've cried more tears in the past 6 months than I have in the past 6 years, the Lord has given me peace.

 - I was settling in to the idea of being a single mom.  I'd decorated the house for Christmas and made plans for the month.  I went to bed the night before my birthday feeling pretty good.  Then, at 10:30pm, just an hour and a half before my birthday, my daughter woke me to say my sister had called her.  They were taking my mother to the hospital with chest pains.  I was in a daze.  I told my daughter we needed to pray, though it was probably nothing.

 - I woke up several times during the night and prayed.  Then in the morning I texted my sister to see what was going on,  I was sure mom had gas or something simple like that.  Instead I was shocked to find my mother had had a mild heart attack.  As the week progressed, we found out my mom had complete blockage in one artery and partial blockage in 2 more.  Before we had a chance to react Mom was scheduled for open heart surgery.  I was so far away, unable to be with her, wondering how a 74 year old woman would handle such delicate surgery, and wondering what else could possibly happen?  But again, the Lord was with us, and Mom is back home after a triple bypass.

During this time, I've learned more and more to lean on the Lord.  Yes, there are times when I'm sad and depressed.  There are moments of despair as I'm overwhelmed with all that has happened in a short amount of time.  Yet I remember Job, who lost everything, including his children, in a matter of minutes, and still he never spoke against the Lord nor sinned with his words.  The Lord blessed Job with double of everything he'd originally had because he was faithful.  The Lord has already done so much for me, I have no doubt He will continue to walk with me through this ordeal.  There will be difficult moments in my life in 2012, but I also believe God will bring blessings to me and my family this year because He is good.

"Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good!

Blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!"

 -Psalm 34:8

Obedience Vs. Willfulness

My son E and I have started doing a character study every 2 weeks to help us develop godly characters.  As his mom it's my responsibility to teach him; as a child of God it's my responsibility to make sure I'm doing the things I teach.  This first half of the month we are studying obedience, defined as, "Quickly and cheerfully carrying out the wise direction of those who are responsible for me."  In my son's case, it means obeying his parents.  In my case, it means obeying the Lord.

To help incorporate this character trait in my own life, I found these 5 principles to put in practice.

1 - I will obey my authorities immediately.
2 - I will have a cheerful attitude.
3 - I will complete all that I am expected to do.
4 - I will not complain.
5 - I will go the extra mile.

Admittedly, numbers 2 and 4 are the ones I struggle with most.  However, if I am to be the woman God has called me to be, and if I'm to be the mom who sets the right example, then it's something I'm going to strive to achieve.  Lord, help me!

A Special Wish

I want to wish my sister Laryssa and her husband E.D., who is the BEST brother-in-law in the whole world, a very Happy and Joyous 9th wedding anniversary!  They are currently at Magic Kingdom in Disney World celebrating this special day.  I love you guys, and I hope today is the Best Day Ever!!!

Move It Mondays

And what a Monday it's been!  I've been non-stop all day, getting caught up.  This weekend was spent with my sister, brother, and brother-in-law in Central Florida where we had a WONDERFUL time together!  I'm so thankful to God for bringing them here where we could make new memories as we remembered old ones.

Friday I took my son E to the doctor in the morning because he kept complaining of a sore throat and his nose was so stuffy he couldn't sleep.  I didn't want to get caught far from home with a sick little boy, so I decided to play it safe.  His pediatrician said it was nothing more than a bad cold, praise the Lord, and it gave us the opportunity to leave on our trip early.  I'm glad we did!  My siblings are staying at a hotel in DisneyWorld, a good 45 minutes from my kid's apartment.  We wouldn't have been able to spend as much time with them on Friday night if we'd left later in the afternoon.  Instead we got to eat dinner together in Downtown Disney, where we talked and laughed for hours!  I'd forgotten how much fun my brother and sister can be.  My kids got a big kick out of some of the stories we told too.

The next day we picked them up and brought them to the kid's apartment so they could see where their niece and nephew are living.  While we were there we played a couple of games of Apples to Apples (our favorite family board game), then went to dinner and a show at Medieval Times.  We had a blast!  While they are serving a dinner, which consisted of tomato bisque, garlic bread, half a roasted chicken, spare rib, herb baked potato and apple turnover, you get to watch a medieval story unfold.  The performance was amazing, and my brother really got into it!  He was cheering our knight on like it was for real!  I was so happy to see him enjoying himself so much.

Sunday we went bowling after church, something my daughter wanted to do because she's taking a bowling class in school and her uncle E.D. is a bowling aficionado, so she wanted to get a chance to show off her skills.  Their scores were tied!  It was great fun, but then E and I had to leave.  I hated saying goodbye, as did my little boy (he got all teary-eyed), but we were also very grateful for the time we spent together.

Unfortunately we got home to some unpleasant news.  Our dog Molly had an "accident" in the house.  This is something extremely out of the ordinary.  She'd only had one accident before, and it happens to be that both times she's had accidents it's been when we're in Central Florida and she's alone with someone.  I don't know if it's because she misses us, or if it's because her schedule gets disrupted.  Both times she went on the family room rug, and it was runny.  Dad had to clean up the mess, which he wasn't too happy about.  The rug is outside waiting to be super cleaned - that's my next task for today.  This is what I've accomplished so far:

* Unpacked and put away all our trip gear
* Vacuumed and mopped hallway, living room, dining room, kitchen and family room
* Washed and put away 4 loads of laundry
* Dusted in dining room and family room
* Cleaned up kitchen
* Moved a bench from the backyard to the front yard
* Made lunch/dinner
* Picked E up from school  

Now it's off to clean that rug, then help my son with his homework.  Very busy day, yes, but I have my happy memories to keep me smiling, and with Christmas music in the background (I know, I know; I start early) my chores aren't a burden at all.  Hope everyone has a pleasant Monday and rest of your week too!

Thursday Thought

Today was supposed to be my son's dentist appointment.  He was NOT looking forward to it.  He told God about it last night in his prayer.  He hoped God would do something so he wouldn't have to go.

I got a call 2 hours before his scheduled appointment.  The woman said my son isn't on my husband's dental insurance.  After going back and forth, it turns out someone dropped the ball and neither of my children is on the dental insurance.  Since it can't get fixed right away, I had to reschedule E's appointment to next Thursday.

God knew my son's fears and misgivings, and decided to give him a few days to prepare for the dental visit.  Isn't it just like God to hold our hand during the rough times in our lives?  I know God knows E needs to see the dentist, but He also knows all of E's needs better than I do.  That's just the loving God He is.

August Challenge - Question 4

It's the last day in August. The time has gone by pretty quickly, and now I have a chance to post the last of the August challenge questions for this month. Who knows, maybe I'll turn back and post some more thoughts in September. In the meantime, here is a question that pulled at my heartstrings.

I remember when my children were all little and I thought I'd never live through those days of constant demands and endless needs. Now I have no more preschoolers at my house! What stage of life are you in? Are you content or wishing it would end? Write about the view from where you are right now.

What I wouldn't give to have my kids little again! When my youngest was born, I had an infant, a 10 year old and an almost 13 year old. Different stages, different needs, but I loved being with each of them. There was much to be learned, by them and by me, about them and about myself.

Today, my oldest is 24 years old, my second is 21 and my "baby" is 11. The two older children are living on their own, going to school and learning to live apart from the family unit they've known all their lives. Only the youngest is with me. I believe God gave me my youngest child because He knew how difficult it would be for me to let go of 2 children at once. The pain was so intense I wanted to go to sleep and never awaken to it again. I thought sending my daughter away to college was hard; saying goodbye to the two of them at the same time was almost unbearable. If not for my little boy I might have crawled into a corner and bawled.

Am I content with this season in life? I don't know if content is the right word. I'm learning to accept that this is part of life, and that my children need to leave the nest just as I once did. I know I will be content at some point, but I'm not sure I'm there yet. Do I wish this season would end? No. Much as I would love to keep my children little and with me forever, I realize that just cannot be. They were given to me to raise into independent adults; if they stay with me forever, then I've failed as a parent. Only when they leave and show the maturity they've acquired can I know for sure I did the best job I could with them. Do I wish I could go back in time, even if just for one day, and have them little again? Oh boy, would I!!!

I'm Still Alive

I know I've been gone from my blog for some time, but I have a good excuse. I've been in Central Florida for the past couple of weeks getting my older kids settled into their apartment. My daughter had been renting a townhouse with some friends, but they've either graduated or moved to other places. The townhouse was awful, filled with all kinds of maintenance problems that took forever to get taken care of. My oldest son R had also talked about moving up to Central Florida because there are many more job opportunities here and the cost of living is lower than in South Florida. So we found a nice apartment complex and I've been here with my daughter and youngest son E helping get them settled. We didn't get internet until yesterday, which is why I hadn't been able to post.

The townhouse where A had been living was fully furnished, so she had no furniture to speak of. R, living at home, didn't have anything to contribute either. So we found a couple of comfy couches at a furniture outlet store that are brand new for $600. These would easily have cost over $800 at the regular store, so it's a good deal. We also got mattresses for them, since their bedroom sets at home are small and it was time for them to upgrade to queen sized beds. I went to a few thrift stores but couldn't find anything they could use. Most of the furniture they had were china cabinets and hutches, things my kids don't need. So instead we went to Walmart and Target, and found a great table with 4 chairs at Target for $229. It's wood stained in an espresso color, very modern and comfortable. I also found a matching tv stand at Big Lots on sale. The regular price was $99.99, but they were having a 20% off everything in the store day and we were able to get it for $79.99. Considering the closest thing we saw at Walmart was over $150, I think we got a very good deal.

This move is bittersweet. I'm thankful they have a nice place, and that we have been able to help them get settled, but I know I'll be saying goodbye soon, and that is filling me with great sorrow. They are grown-ups, of course. R is 24 years old and A is 21. Both will be finishing up school soon and starting their work careers, Lord willing. This is what parents raise their children for, so that one day they can live independently and hopefully begin families of their own. It doesn't make it any easier for me, though. I'm going to miss them terribly. I'm thankful God saw fit to give me my youngest son to keep me from having that "empty nest" too soon. I don't think I'm ready for it.

There's still plenty to do around here, and E and I will most likely be here till Sunday or Monday. I need to get back to blogging again. It's my release when my feelings feel overly bottled up.