TWINS??????

Yesterday, Abigail got her hair cut. She wanted it a lot shorter..said it was hot on her neck:) Today I got mine cut and also got it colored to its natural color (took the highlights out). When Bruce saw me today after my appointment, he said that Abigail and I were 'twins.' I guess the color is pretty similar and the styles are somewhat similar too:)

some fun quizzes.....

I found these online, and I felt like they were pretty 'on target' for me.

You are the Sense of Sight


You are a very observant, detail oriented person.
You are able to take in a lot of information at once.
You often see things that other people never notice.

You have a good eye for design and aesthetics.
You love to be surrounded by beauty - natural or not.
When you imagine how something should look, you see it clearly in your mind.






You Belong in Winter

Quiet, calm, and totally at peace...
You're happy to be at home, wrapped in a blanket, completely snowed in
Whether you're lighting a fire or having a snowball fight, you always feel best in the winter.


You Are Olive Green
You are the most real of all the green shades. You're always true to yourself.
For you, authenticity and honesty are very important... both in others and yourself.
You are grounded and secure. It takes a lot to shake you.
People see you as dependable, probably the most dependable person they know.

Aren't they pretty?

Aren't these flowers lovely? Bruce was so sweet to bring them to me on Saturday when I was so sick. Unfortunately, they were on the kitchen table and I did not get to see them much until today. He's such a kind and sweet husband and I really appreciate the beautiful bouquet.

a good side effect of sickness :)

Thanks again for your prayers during our recovery. Other than taking cough meds at bedtime (when the cough seems to be the worst) and finishing a couple more days of antibiotics, Abigail is doing nicely and is pretty much back to her normal activities.


I think I am pretty close to being able to resume my normal activities. I even mopped the floor this morning...boy did it need it!! Today should be a normal day with a few errands/appointments to tend to after school. Tomorrow should be a day we can stay at home and recover and relax after school is done. While I still feel a bit weak and shaky and short of breath, I think it will take a bit more time to get over those symptoms.

A good side effect of being sick...you usually lose weight. I have really been careful to watch my intake for a couple of months now, and even during the illness I tried to be careful with what I ate. So, as a result, I lost some more weight. I know some is fluid/water weight and I may gain a small amount when I am able to eat/drink normally again, but for now, I am down 18.8 pounds since July 7. During the last 10 days, I have lost 7.4 pounds. I am going to work hard to keep that off and hopefully continue the losses over the long haul.

another health update

Abigail, other than her cough, is doing much better. She is still on meds and will be until the antibiotics are all gone.

My congestion has moved into my chest. So, while some things are better, some new symptoms are appearing. I plan to drop Abigail off at school and come home and rest so that I can teach my class this afternoon. Then, I guess I will come home and rest again.

I am already having to alter our weekend plans a bit. I do have a scrapbooking event planned, but I will probably only appear long enough to pass out some info and collect some orders. I am sure anything I would create would be very 'interesting' and probably crooked with lots of mistakes. We are still hoping to attend Emma's baptism in GA on Sunday morning, but I am not sure we'll be able to make it. I guess we'll make a final decision on that tomorrow.

Thanks for your continued prayers. We truly do appreciate it.

We are recovering...slowly but surely...

Abigail is doing much better. Of course, she has to finish her antibiotics (not happy about that...they taste bitter) and she will likely be taking cough meds for a bit longer too.

I saw my regular doctor yesterday. I STILL have a sinus/ear infection. But, she gave me a different type of antibiotic, a really good cough medicine, a nasal spray and a recommendation for a great over the counter decongestant. Just a quick little commerical for MUCINEX--it works really well. I could tell an improvement by my second dosage and this morning, I could actually breathe thru my nose. Of course, I need to drink a LOT more water than I have been because I feel like I have cotton in my mouth.

So, we are both recovering. Today will be an 'easy' day. We'll get a few schoolwork related things done and maybe try to hit the new Publix which opened just a short distance from our house yesterday.

Thanks for checking in on us.....and thanks for your prayers for our recovery too:)

Still sick.....

In spite of taking the meds and resting and getting lots of fluids, Abigail was not showing any improvement as of bedtime. She had a bad headache and a low grade fever at bedtime last night. It hurts me to see her so ill.....no energy....just lying still and resting--because that is SO not her at all.

She just got up (a little after 9 a.m.) and seems to be feeling a little better. She is interested in eating and was excited to see that I had started spaghetti sauce in the crock pot. She even asked that I make some "cheesy bread sticks" to go with dinner.

I finished my antibiotics this morning, but woke up with major congestion issues again, so I suspect she and I will be lying around and resting a good bit today.

If you think of us today, say a prayer for a quick recovery. I have been able to clear my calendar for the next few days thankfully....so we can just take it easy and recover. But, it is no fun being sick and hurting all over.

sick baby.....

Okay, I know Abigail is not a "baby" but she will always be my baby, even when she's thirty years old.

Yesterday Abigail woke up feeling bad....sore throat, ears hurting, lots of congestion, sneezing... She's had a few extra allergy issues this week and I figured it just caught up with her. Plus, she usually feels better once she eats, drinks, moves....a bit. Well, she seemed to still be feeling rough, so we got some other over the counter meds and tried those as well.

This morning she said she woke up at 1:28 a.m. and never went back to sleep. I sorta doubt the "never" going back to sleep part:) but she did not rest well for sure. So, we went in to see the doctor today.

When we arrived we found she is running a low grade fever in addition to other symptoms. He did not think the sore throat was strep. He diagnosed her with a sinus infection/sinusitis. Hopefully the new allergy medicine will help with long term control and the runny nose part and the antibiotic will help her get over the worst of the other symptoms. He did say if the sore throat was unrelated to allergies/drainage (and if it were truly strep, though he doubted it), the antibiotic would take care of that either way.

In these photos, we are headed to the pharmacy and then she is on her "sick bed" at home, using the remote to find a favorite show. By the way, I will have to say I am very proud of her. With a VERY good attitude, she completed enough school work before we left to count this as a school day. We have a little more to do....we will do her Bible and maybe even finish her reading today...then just double up on the math she missed if we don't get to that today.

A week in review.....

I know my most recent posts have been scattered in topic, and this will be no different. But, for those of you who know me well, you will admit that while I 'can' multitask, I can also be very focused (in other words, I can go either direction depending on the situation or my mood:). So, I guess I am just being myself......kinda scary, huh?



From one of my current Bible study readings (Power of a Praying Parent), I have been focusing on 'honoring parents and resisting rebellion'. She focuses on the fact that our children must be taught....a deliberate action.....to honor us as parents. These quotes caught my attention and I'd love to hear your thoughts too. "Rebellion is actually pride put into action." and "Pride gets us into rebellion, but stubbornness is what keeps us there." While this sounds really bad (and it is) the encouraging part is that we should not be intimidated by a rebellious spirit because Jesus is Lord above and beyond that. Our prayers make a difference. One of the lines in the prayer says, "Lord, make my child (insert name) uncomfortable with sin. Help him/her know the beauty and simplicity of walking with a sweet and humble spirit in obedience and submission to You."



Speaking of children, I must say that I don't see this attitude in Abigail all that often. Most of the time, she is a very sweet and kind and entertaining child. A little over a year ago, she felt the need to ask Jesus into her heart and I know that has made a difference. I saw some immediate changes in the way she responded to things, but in other areas, she has room for improvement. (Don't we all??) I am so grateful that I can pray for my child and my spouse and many many others....and it DOES make a difference.



Bouncing along to another topic......on Friday afternoons I teach a class at Wall Hwy. Christian Academy. I have a very small class, only four children, but they are really great kids and I am enjoying it. The mix of children is SO good and they really want to learn and ALL of them ask questions, so that makes it even more fun. One child asked the difference between a Democrat and Republican yesterday.....boy, was that hard to answer on a kid's level. Then another child asked me HOW the election outcome was decided. Last week I had touched on the topic of the electoral college and how it was possible for someone to get more total votes, but still lose an election. Needless to say that caused a bit of confusion in this child's mind. But, they ARE thinking and asking good questions, and that really makes things a lot of fun. For next week, they are going to think about how to create a poster/collage to show why they would be a good president. I am sure they will come up with some awesome ideas.



Bruce returned from Mississippi yesterday. He had a nice drive back into town, then worked until pretty late last night. We managed to get him to take a break and join us for dinner at Cracker Barrel, before returning to try to finish things up. Even though he did not solve the problem, he has now identified it clearly, so maybe finding the answer will be easier. And, he also informed me that he will be going back to Mississippi the week of Abigail's birthday...driving in and returning just as Abigail's birthday party starts. Thankfully the party is near his work/I-565 so he won't have to come all the way home.



We have had a good week....our first full week back to school with classes at home and at WHCA. I have pretty much recovered from my sinus infection, and I am grateful for that too. We have a nice relaxing weekend planned, and I am looking forward to that as well.

biggest loser....

Some of you may know that I started a challenge about 6 weeks ago...a biggest loser challenge. I have done this thru an online group of scrapbookers. I think about 60 ladies participated this summer. We were divided into random teams and the worked on our own and together to support each other and to develop healthier lifestyles.

During this six weeks, I have stayed consistent in my walking (usually a 50-60 minute walk each day, five days a week). Often a girl or two from my neighborhood will join in for all (or sometimes just part) of a walk. That is always nice...having a person to talk to is fun...and the time goes fast. But, even if no one else joins in, I enjoy my walk and use that time as a special prayer time and a 'clear my head and organize my day' time too.

I have also tried to increase my activity level by adding a few other things like swimming and bowling. Even if I just paddled around the pool and used my noodle and treaded water, I got a little extra activity. Then, I also tried to add little things like not using an elevator or parking farther away at stores so I'd have to walk a little farther.

Also, during the six weeks, I have been more committed to making wise eating choices. This has been my downfall in the past, but I have done much better. Sparkpeople.com has been very helpful. I just enter my food, activity, water intake....and it keeps up with my overall calorie, fat, carb, vitamin... intake for the day. I use their menus some, but I also make up my own. But when I look at the report for the day and see that I have certain food groups lacking, that helps me make a wiser choice for my next snack/meal.

Well, I STILL have a long way to go, but I am proud to report that over the six week challenge, I have lost 11.4 pounds. My goal had been an 8-10 pound loss, so I am pleased with this.

I am excited....now to stay motivated for the LONG haul....and it will be a long one!!

singing......

Over the summer on Sunday evenings, the children did a VBS called Power Lab. The children learned several songs, and were able to sing 3 for us on Sunday evening. Abigail is on the far right in a green shirt. I know this is harder to see, but she is on the right with her hands raised at the end of the last song.
The children enjoyed the summer program, and now they are ready for AWANA to start again this Sunday. It is so exciting to see our child want to be in church...learning about God and His word while having a lot of fun fellowshipping with her buddies. (She's a LOT like her Daddy:)

Schooling......

We have begun our classes both at home and at Wall Highway Christian Academy. One of the beauties of our situation is that we can enjoy learning in a different way and a different place every day.

Abigail is adjusting to our school routine again.....and I am too. We have so many fun things to learn about this year, and since I have taught third grade before, I am even more comfortable about our curriculum and the direction we need to take.

She asked if we could do school outside under the tent??!!??!! With a 100+ pound lab and a spastic beagle running around???? I agreed that we'd do our last couple of subjects out there and we'd let the girls come in from some 'crate' time.

Here she is.....doing her grammar. We are starting to memorize a list of prepositions:)

We are EXHAUSTED!!!

I don't have any photos, but if I did, you'd see two tired girls here. We did Bible, Math, Spelling and Phonics this morning before heading to Sciquest for a "Jelly Bean" science class. The children learned a lot about the scientific method by using it to observe, predict, test... jelly beans. Needless to say, the sugar rush was apparent soon after the class ended.

Since we were already in town, and our playdate in our neck of the woods we postponed due to illness, we decided to swim on the arsenal after grabbing a quick bite at Chick-fil-a (I LOVE that spicy grilled wrap!!) With all the rain yesterday, the air was fairly cool and the water was VERY cool.....I think they said it was 80 degrees in the water while we were there. After a few hours, we were ready to head to the bowling alley on post.

We bowled two games and enjoyed some pizza while bowling. I was proud of myself..I broke 100 each game...and for me (and my very VERY pitiful bowling skills) that was good.

We headed home and relaxed a bit..then put up a tent in the back yard. We thought the dogs might enjoy having a shady spot since our back yard trees are gone. We also filled the bird feeders and Abigail took a bike ride while I took care of some work I needed to do.

Even though Bruce is 'on the road again', we managed to fill our day and now, I think we'll both rest quite well:)

Pour out your heart like water.....

"Pour out your heart like water before the face of the Lord. Lift your hands toward Him for the life of your children." This verse from Lamentations 2:19 has really spoken to me recently. It is the 'theme verse' of Stormie Omartian's book...The Power of a Praying Parent.

It has been encouraging to me to read this book, and I am just getting started really. One point she has made is that if we are praying, something is happening, whether we can see it or not.

Now, I am a gal who sometimes struggles with "faith" and the unseen, because my mind likes to see what's down the road and what the plan is. But, with my child, my spouse, my friendships, my job.....really anything in my life, faith is so critical because it is rare that we see His plan in its fullness---up front anyway.

There is a family situation that has been ongoing for some time, and this thought....God IS working....has been a comfort to me recently. It has been a good reminder to me, because I don't see things improving and of course Satan LOVES to create and encourage doubt.

Another reminder Stormie has was that God reveals things to us when we ask. She says this in reference to making a master prayer list for each child (and I would say for each significant person in your life). She sets aside time each year at her beach vacation to pray for each child and to ask God to reveal to her ways to pray for each child during the year. And, of course, God is so faithful to answer and reveal to her what she needs to pray for. Of course, during the year, things may need to be added as situations arise, but I like the idea of having a list to guide at least part of my prayer time for my child.

She also says, "Possibly the hardest part of praying for our children, is waiting for our prayers to be answered." That is SO true in my life with my child and others as well. She goes on to say that "Instead of giving up, resolve to be even more committed to pray." That is a tough one, but I am trying to put that into practice. And, as a final statement, she says that we should pray through until we see the answer. Again, that is a tough one.

If you have children of your own or just children that you love (and especially if you know no one is praying for them), consider this a challenge from Stormie to pray for them. Everyone needs prayer.....and your prayers may have a much longer lasting effect than you can even imagine.

First day of school....and more

Abigail is now a THIRD grader!!!!! Yikes! Where have the years gone???She is standing by our school sign wearing her school t shirt for the first day of Friday classes. She likes all of her classes...chemistry, pe, earth science, and cooking. She begged for a study hall, but did not find that to be as fun as she had hoped:( She also enjoys lunch...well at least socializing at lunch time. The lunch hour includes 30 minutes to eat/clean up and an addtional thirty minutes of play time, chapel time, craft time...... We snapped this photo just before leaving home. She was really up and at 'em today. She has missed the 'school time' this summer.
Here we are at the Chocolate Crocodile in Bridge Street. We learned about how chocolate is made from the cocoa bean to the edible finished product. The kids had a lot of fun learning and making their own creations.
This is Abigail's gummy worm before she dipped it into milk chocolate.
We will start school full force next week. I have a work day scheduled for Monday and we'll get started slowly on Tuesday. We are going to ease back into things gradually for a few days. We probably won't have everything in place until the day after Labor Day.....our last addition to the schedule will be Latin. And, since I am not quite ready myself for that...it will begin on the 2nd I think. We also have several field trips scheduled...one to Golden Flake and the McWane Center science museum in Birmingham, one to Burritt Museum for an Indian festival, one to Outback, and one to see James and Dolly Madison re-inactors. We're gonna be busy learning this year!!!!!

an update on Princess

Princess is doing better. She is still on antibiotics, but does not appear to want to scratch the area any more. After making her wear this Elizabethan collar for a few minutes (and being TOTALLY miserable), we found that she was willing to leave the area alone. And, since she only wore it for a few minutes and it really was not needed, Pet Smart was willing to take it back.

She PASSED!!!!!

Abigail and her swimming teacher, Ms. Kelly

Abigail has been taking swimming lessons for the last two weeks. Friday was her test. Now, I will start by saying that we signed her up for level two. She was not quite able to perform all the skills required to pass that level the last time she took lessons (which was almost 2 years ago at Williams Aquatic Center).





So, the first day of classes at the arsenal, she was moved to level three. It seems that she learned/mastered the needed level two skills over the course of the last couple of years without any instruction. I was 'warned' by a friend that she would probably be moved back as they tend to do that for the first few days of class until they are sure the child is in the right spot.

Well, she managed to stay put in level three, but still was having some issues with breathing to the side (as opposed to picking her head straight up) and also perfecting the back stroke (as she had learned it a different way at her previous lessons). So, I figured we'd need to repeat level three.

On Friday, she took and passed each section of the test. Her teacher did say that she needed to continue working on breathing and back stroke, and we may try to arrange private lessons with Ms. Kelly on that.



Ms. Kelly was a wonderfully encouraging instructor and seemed to communicate well with the children. Come to find out, she is a Jr. at the University of Alabama, majoring in Elementary Education. I am sure she will be an awesome classroom teacher.