{ Day 5 of Quarantine - Coffee and Crochet }

As we entered day 5 of this quarantine, we received the news from the city mayor that we are now in a Shelter in Place order, until the 8th of April.

There are currently 15 cases in our county, 4 of those hospitalized, so drastic measures have been taken.  It is all so incredibly sad to see.  I pray that all of this will be over soon and that we will all be able to go back to our normal lives.

However, I am still saying positive and not worrying or panicking.  I've done a lot of praying, a lot of bible reading and devotional reading.  I start my day thanking God for everything, even for this difficult phase we are in, because we need to remember to be thankful through everything, and that includes the tough patches we go through as well.

Everything that we face in life, is filled with lessons, and it's through those trials and tribulations, that the Lord works within us.  Is it fun?  Not really, no one likes to be put on the spot, to be vulnerable, to be made to dig deep and face certain aspects of ourselves that we may not be quite comfortable or happy with.

So, my advice to you at the moment, for whatever it may be worth, is to take note of what is going on, but stay strong, stay in prayer and always, always be thankful.

The thing with being home 24/7 and not leaving for anything at all, is that your house is soon completely clean and tidy, and you find yourself actually looking around wondering what to do you pass the time.

Today was one of those for me.  It started slow, it seemed to drag and then drag a little more.

In moment's like these, I like to take a little more time with certain things, like for example breakfast.  Instead of a quick cup of instant coffee while standing at the kitchen island, and munching on a piece of toast, take the time to brew some coffee in a carafe.

Yes I'm using a funnel because I lost my pour over filter, a long time ago and keep meaning to get another and just get around to it.  But a funnel works just as well.  I take a coffee filter and squeeze it down into the funnel itself, just to make the opening a bit smaller and therefore not having the coffee filter too fast.

I then place another coffee filter  over that one, add the ground machine coffee, boil some water and then pour over the coffee and sit back and listen to that delicious brew dripping down into the carafe.

I set a spot at the table, a slice of the Churros Cake and sat down to enjoy my coffee and cake, while reading the Bible.  I'm reading in Romans right now and loving it.

The house was quiet, the kids were asleep, Curt was at work and it was just me and Marley.  I sipped the hot coffee not feeling rushed, ate the cake, refilled the cup again and just enjoyed my time with God.

There is nothing wrong with enjoying some self care, even if it means just a quite moment with God, a little table setting for yourself and the light of a gorgeous candle.

After breakfast, I did my usual housework and then grabbed my crochet and tried to watch the newest adaptation of Jane Austen's Emma.

Tried......like for 30 minutes before I turned it off and gave up.

I am not a huge fan of remakes, I don't understand why the need to keep remaking a movie and especially when that remake is nowhere near as good as the original.  Such is the case with Emma.

Though there are a few moments in Jane Austen's books and movies that we may find comical, it is not a comedy, and the fact that this new remake approaches it as such, is quite frustrating and annoying to be honest.  The quirky weird music, the whole comedic vibe to it just ruined the story itself for me.

If any of you have watched it and enjoyed it, let me know.  Me, being the huge Janeite that I am, I was not only disappointed but super annoyed with it.

I ended up turning the TV off, putting down the crochet, and laying on the couch with Marley, which of course resulted in a 30 minute unintentional nap.  Oh well!!!

For dinner I made a Sheet Pan Pizza and that was our Friday.  Very quiet, very slow.

How are you holding up in your quarantine, self isolation, social distancing and shelter in place?  So many terms aren't there?

We went from a quarantine and social distancing to now being told to Shelter in Place and only allowed out for groceries, or get fined $1000, or get thrown in jail for 180 days.  *sigh*

Never thought I would live through something like this and truly hope I never do again.

Stay safe my friends, praying for you all.

{ Mammogram and finally Coffee }

The dreaded mammogram is done!!!

Friends, I stress myself out waiting for it to happen, it's not something I enjoy or look forward to, but I'm so glad to have it behind me and move on. 

I debated on whether I was going to take a picture at the hospital or not, I wasn't sure if it was something that I should do, but I felt led to do it if nothing more than for the fact that, I think if I encourage even just one woman to go and get her mammogram, then my job is done :)

In this day and age where so many selfies are taken, there are some that need to be shared and I often find that the most important things we SHOULD be taking selfies of, are left undone for either fear of how it will be viewed, or embarrassment or for fear of offending someone, or maybe because we just don't think it's something anyone wants to see.

Now I didn't take a photo of the actual mammogram, of course, but I did snap two photos before the exam, because I wanted to share them.  Because March is Women's History Month, and if there's any better time to bring this important women's exam to light, it is now.

 I wish I had found a blog post somewhere sharing these things with me, before I went for my first mammogram last year.  I was terrified, I didn't know what to expect, what it would look like, what I would have to do, how long it would take.  I had so many questions and so many fears.

Because of my own experience prior to my first, I thought that today I would share a little about how my mammograms have gone, granted I've had just two, this being my second.  Many women have different experiences, their own stories to tell, their own way of preparing, some don't prepare at all.  Some doctors give them advice, others don't.  But I think for the most part, it's all the same.

I was advised not to wear deodorant or any lotion under my arms or on my breasts.  The deodorant because of the aluminum it contains which may show up on the mammogram and thereby make the radiologist think there's something there where there isn't.  Same thing with the lotion.

Many hospitals will tell you it's fine to wear deodorant because they do provide wipes and deodorant for after the exam.  Mine does, but nonetheless I stay away from it, unless it's the peak of summer then of course, I'll wear something and wipe it off there.

The caffeine thing seems to be a bit of a mixed feelings on it.  Many women say they've never heard of it and have always had their mammograms done without a problem.  Many others like me, have been told to stay away from it for 3 days up to a week prior.  Actually if you google it, you will see the explanation as to why recently they tell you not to have caffeine.

I snapped this pic right before my mammogram.

Let me just say that so many women will tell you that it's not sore, it doesn't hurt, it is just uncomfortable.  Many others will say that it's painful.

I fall into the painful and uncomfortable category.  I have always had very sensitive breasts, I have dense fibrous breasts and caffeine exacerbates it.  My one coffee a day is not an issue, but if I have those days where I need the extra energy boost and have 2 or 3 coffees, I definitely feel it.

I'm not here to scare anyone, I'm not here to tell anyone that it's so sore that you can't handle it.  I can handle it, I can take it, but yes, it is quite painful for me.  At one point today, I actually remember that as she took one of the xrays, it was so sore that I literally said in my head "Lord, please hold my hand through this."   But just as you think you can't take anymore, it's done.

I guess the point I'm trying to make through all this is that we need to take care of ourselves.  We need to set that fear aside and, get in there and do what needs to be done in order to make sure we are healthy for our husbands and our children and our friends.

I don't enjoy this, I don't look forward to it, I stress in the days leading up to it, and then I stress for a few days more until I hear the results, because my hospital doesn't divulge them to me, they send them to my gynecologist within a few days and then if there's something wrong, she will call me, if I don't hear anything then everything is fine.  It's nerve wrecking, to say the least!!!

But please, if you are a woman, if you have a history of breast cancer in your family, go and get your early screening done.  If you are a woman who is 40 years old, please go and get your first mammogram done. It is SO important, I can't stress that enough!!!

Another thing that always helps me, is having my husband with me.  He knows how scared I am and how nervous I get, and so he takes time off work to take me to my appointment.  He can't go in, but just knowing that he is in the waiting room, makes me feel better.

Right after the appointment, he took me to Starbucks because he knew how much I was wanting a nice cup of coffee.  A Salted Caramel Latte later and my headache was gone.  Yay!!!

Now, I knew I had my appointment late in the day, so I threw together a Lasagna in the Crockpot so it would be ready when we got back home.  It was something that took a little bit of time in the morning to get together, but it ensured that we had a yummy dinner ready and I didn't have to make the hubby and kids wait for me to get back and then still cook dinner.  Sometimes a little planning and organizing on our part, goes a long way.

I need to show you this beauty.  My Jasmine's boyfriend, Nick, works for Starbucks, and he gave Curt and I this machine as a Christmas present.  He hadn't had a chance yet to visit so we didn't get it until we picked up Jasmine, but oh my goodness.

I was so shocked, I actually wanted to cry hahaha  I've wanted one for a long time, so to have this gifted was amazing.  Since I couldn't have coffee, I had to wait until today to go buy the pods for it, which I did when we stopped at Starbucks for coffee after my appointment, and tomorrow I'm going to give it a go.  I can not wait :)

My Marley is growing into a beautiful dog.  I am amazed by him on a daily basis, he is gorgeous, he is the sweetest dog, he is incredibly smart, I adore him :)

He loves everyone in the family, but he has a very special weak spot for Jasmine, he loves her to death and he missed her when she was gone for two weeks.  Now that she's back he is constantly near her and cuddling with her.  How adorable is this?

She fell asleep on the couch and he just went right to sleep by her :)

Anyway, a busy, eventful day, but I'm glad it's over with.  Tomorrow I am doing a Spend The Day with Me, so I hope you'll join me bright and early.  I'm quite looking forward to it!!!

I'm going to get off here and go and work on week 4 of the Scheepje's Hygge CAL, I'll show you tomorrow.

Come on in and get warm.....

we have some snow on the way and I'm actually excited for it. I don't know why but I'm the type that if it's cold enough then at least I want to see some white, not just have me freeze my tooshie off for no reason LOL

So I've got some coffee ready for us, Caramel Truffle!!! OH.MY!!! It is SO good, I've already had two cups but I've got another pot going so that I can sip this velvety goodness ALL.DAY.LONG.

Before I continue, let me just tell you that I've been reading your blogs this morning, trying to catch up with everyone, but unfortunately Blogger is PMS'ing and won't let me comment, something about "server problems and the engineer has been notified" *snort*
Yeah, I would love to meet this famous engineer, I have a couple of things to say to him/her/it. (what?? it could be computerized right?)

Anyway, come sit with me and let's chat. I am so glad that I'm back to my chipper old self, if there is one thing I can't stand, is being or feeling down and out of control. Takes the fun right out of life doesn't it???

Alright, well last night I made Monterey Chicken for dinner. If you've ever gone to Chili's and had this, you know it's the chicken with the barbecue sauce, topped with bacon and cheese and green onions. I ALWAYS get that, I don't even try anything else because I know I'm going to love this one. So anyway, last night I made it, and to tell you that it's good is an understatement....Jasmine had 3 helpings. Yeah, miss.little.bites.and.never.hungry, had 3 BIG HELPINGS.

I tried to get a photo for the blog but before I could get back to the kitchen with the camera, my family had gobbled down almost all of it....I'm glad they were thoughtful enough to leave me some. So go and get the recipe at my food blog, right HERE, and try it for yourself, you know you can't go wrong when your husband turns to you, mid bite, and says "You ROCK, from now on when you make chicken I want it like this".

You know what I just realized??? I'm actually early in my posting today, it's been so nutty the past week, I'm amazed I was able to pull this off earlier than expected, believe me, you don't want me here talking after dark, I get loopy and crazy and don't make much sense at all. LOL

So you all know that I love paranormal shows and scary stuff, don't ask why, because I'm the first to get all scared and cover my eyes, but whatever, I still watch them.
I was watching Ghost Hunters last night (another bright moment for me huh?), and they were investigating a Victorian House that claims to be haunted. While down in the basement, Jason and Grant start hearing a woman's voice saying "hello" and then she laughs, this evil, maniacal laugh....Ok I would have been out of there so fast!!!! But they stay and start looking for the voice and doing what they do best, obviously, that's why they're Ghost Hunters and I'm a SAHM LOL

I still watch it though, I just love the guys they're awesome and hey, my favorite is Steve Goncalves, just because he's cute and he's portuguese LOL I'm so shallow aren't I??? LOL

Anyway, so with it being Veteran's Day tomorrow, the kids are off school. This afternoon they are doing a little concert put together for the troops on base, I think it's so sweet. Jasmine was telling me how they've been making cards for the moms and dads who are active duty, saying thank you for their sacrifices and for keeping them safe. How sweet is that???

So we're heading to the school at 2pm, where the kids will be singing The Star Spangled Banner and the Air Force Song. I'm definitely going to be recording it and taking pictures, can't wait to share them with you all :)

Well I'm going to top off my coffee cup and try to get some comments on your blogs. It's driving me nuts that I can't say anything, it's like torture, tempting me with the great posts and then slamming the door in my face, I can just imagine Blogger sitting in a corner pointing the finger at me and laughing....how mean is that???

Have yourselves a merry little christmas great Thursday :)
If you're looking for the Slow Cooking Thursday, it's just below, go check out my Peach cobbler and all the other great recipes being shared :)

God Bless,


Ok so I'm making Hay and Straw, I know a lot of you were confused, believe me, it's not really Hay and Straw and no, we haven't turned into horses overnight LOL
Go on over and check the recipe if you don't believe me.... :)



Rachael Ray

Are you a mom who never makes time for yourself? Then tune in for a crash course in time management! Plus, a beautiful mystery taster leaves Rachael stumped, and find out how to make delicious soup in 15 minutes.

General Hospital

Jason is desperate to learn what has become of Sam.

Ugly Betty

Betty is asked to review a fancy hotel; Wilhelmina covets advertising dollars from a wealthy Texan (Brett Cullen); and Sofia (Salma Hayek) and her entourage throw their weight around, much to Daniel's chagrin.

Grey's Anatomy

The men of Seattle Grace go on a camping trip together; Addison and Callie team up on a case; Meredith assists Mark Sloan with a procedure unlike any she has experienced; and Bailey confronts Cristina on her recent actions at the hospital.

ER

The ER deals with a patient whose personality changes are more baffling than his physical problems; Abby has an odd---and unexpected---encounter with Curtis Ames (Forest Whitaker); and Weaver gets an interesting offer.

Laundry
Ironing
Changing Bed Linens
Starting Christmas Cards and Decorations
Jasmine's School Concert

Cinnamon Coffee Anyone?!?!?!

There's nothing more inspiring than waking up to a beautiful sunrise. Something about the dawning of a new day, the expectations and the eagerness to get out there.

It always reminds me of the beauty surrounding us, that same beauty which we so often taken for granted and don't even bother to look at. I for one enjoy every single pinecone, brown leaf and beautiful sunrise that comes my way.

So this morning as I went to make my coffee, I decided to sprinkle in some cinnamon with the coffee granules.....let me tell you, it's pretty good. It gives it that zing that makes you go "oooohh, that is good". It's not overpowering, just good coffee with a hint of cinnamon. Hubby loved it!!! Go ahead and give it a try sometime, you'd be surprised how good it is.

I've been enjoying these cooler temperatures, though I must say that it's like being in the winter season already, I don't think we've gotten above 40 degrees the past week and going outside in the morning is sure to feel like a good ol' slap in the face. Boy is it cold, cuts right through you too.


I think winter is upon us faster than we know, I for one welcome it, it means Thanksgiving and Christmas, family get togethers and glorious food. I've been eagerly anticipating Thanksgiving, that turkey is calling my name.


But with all the holidays around the corner, it means that I also need to get my lists started and you know I'm a little weird when it comes to that. I mean, I LOVE making lists, I find it entertaining and powerful in a way, I can control everything around me for that moment that I'm writing it down....but I tend to feel overwhelmed at the same time, if that is even possible, though in my universe ANYTHING.IS.POSSIBLE!!!

So I think I just figured out, well maybe not JUST figured out, but I think it finally hit me that being a mommy is a great thing, but it's also one of the hardest things I've ever had to do. There's good days and then there's crazy, hectic, banshee like days. My kids have this sibling rivalry thing nailed down, really if there was a test on it I'm sure they would pass with flying colors. Just this morning they had it out because apparently Nicholas was copying Jasmine....something about eating the same cereal on a bowl that looked the same as hers and *GASP* he was using a spoon like her......how DARE HE?!?!?!?

Then to end off these crazy days (yes I say days because it's not just a one time thing), there's always the great BATH TIME ADVENTURE.

What is it with kids and bath??? I might as well just get in with them because by the time they're done, I'm looking like a drowned rat, there's water everywhere including the ceiling, which they so proudly point out to me....and then we start the bathroom shuffle...

I have to time it just right, because God Forbid I take one out when the other one is noticing, there's the whole "Me first" and "that's MY towel" and "don't stand next to me" thing. So I calmly get one distracted with bubbles or spraying water or something (at this point who cares if there's more mess right?) and quickly grab one out, and send them on their way to their room.

Oh did I ever tell you about meal times and seating arrangements....because for some reason all of a sudden, NO ONE wants to sit next to anyone. Sometimes I just stare at my kids and wonder if they'll turn out like the guy in Office Space, the grumpy one that sits all alone and constantly complains about someone taking his stapler??
Yeah not exactly what I have in mind for my kiddos, but they're young and I'm sure I can change that.

Nicholas being his chirpy boyish 3 years old, I don't know I say boys are harder to raise than girls, but what do I know right??? Anyway, he's latest favorite thing is back talking when he's in trouble, and not just doing that but asserting his independence while doing it. It goes something like this.

Me - Nicholas I said do NOT climb on the counters

Nicholas - I said YES!!!

Get it??? HE SAID YES, so I'm to shut it and jump to attention. Tell me all you moms of grown boys, does this last for a long time??? Is there a support group for moms of boys, maybe the MOB Support Group (Mom's Of Boys)???


Anyway, it's friday and I'm thrilled, because tomorrow we're heading to the Pumpkin Patch...there's a hayride and a corn maze and who can forget the 50-100 lb pumpkins for $4. So I guess we're getting a few, and then we're coming back home to carve them, can't forget to enter them in the Blog-O-Lantern Contest hosted by Theresa. It started today, and you really NEED to go see hers, it's brilliant.

So with that said, I'm going to take my cup of coffee and refill it, this one is cold and yucky, then I'm heading over to your house for a visit. Oh don't freak out, as long as you have coffee for me I'm happy, I'm easily amused LOL

Have a wonderful friday everyone :)


Last night I fixed Crockpot Stuffed Peppers, they came out SO good. I actually changed the recipe a bit by substituting the ground beef for maple syrup sausage...OH.MY.GOODNESS...it was heavenly.

Tonight for dinner, I'm fixing Ravioli Lasagna, I'll have the recipe up at the food blog later.




Rachael Ray

Recycling household items; do-it-yourself fixes; getting a woman who doesn't like fish to give it a try.

General Hospital

Luke realizes that Laura has no memory of events leading to her breakdown;
Lainey warns Luke not to force Laura's memory;
Laura is confused by how much Lulu has grown;
Sonny, Jason and Sam keep Ric from taking Molly;
Sam vows to make Ric pay;

1 vs 100

One contestant competes for cash against a group of 100 people by answering trivia questions in this game show.

Trading Spouses: Meet your new mom

Part 1 of 2. Moms from Colorado and Massachusetts switch places.

Most Haunted

Mains Hall is visited in Blackpool, UK, for a paranormal investigation.

Ironing
Put away laundry
Clean living room
Clean downstairs bathroom
Sweep and Mop
Vacuum
Bake Bread

KNOW WHAT I'M CRAVING???

A "Galao", it's this very popular coffee served in Portugal. It's like half milk and half coffee in a tall glass, but it's just SOOO good.

I remember growing up in Portugal, every coffee house, restaurant, snack bar etc, serves coffee. I would have to say the most common request is the "Bica" an espresso. The second most common would be the "galao" and then for the kids there's the "garoto" which is more milk than coffee.

Nothing like walking into a "pastelaria" in the morning and ordering a galao and a pastel de nata. Those were my favorites :)

Yesterday was one of those days. The ones that make up for all the bad times you may have. As a mom, there's times that I feel like I'm loosing control, of the kids, of the house, of myself actually......I want to just run out the door and keep going!
The kids act out (how dare they act like kids? lol) and I walk around stressed, exhausted and really down.

We didn't get to make it to the grocery store, we went to the BX where we were met by Mickey Mouse, Minnie, Winnie the Pooh, Tiger and Roo. The kids were thrilled, well, Jasmine was thrilled, Nicholas was not impressed. He walked with his eyes closed so as not to see them LOL

We grabbed some lunch and then came home to eat while waiting for the library to open. After the library trip, which they actually behaved for, we came back home again, took a bubble bath, put on pj's then sat on the couch reading books, thrilling ME beyond words, my kids love books, is there anything better than that???

After the books they wanted to do some finger painting....yes, a bit backwards since they had just had a bath, but then again the whole day was backwards because we NEVER have baths in the middle of the day. But anyway, after their "works of art", we migrated to the bedroom, lay down and took a 2 hour nap. It's a *drumroll*, *hands up in the air*, *hallelujah* kind of thing, the last time I was able to take a nap was, well, I really can't remember, it's been years. LOL

I woke up before they did, and as I looked over and saw them snuggled up, peacefully sleeping, I thought "boy, if I could just have hubby here right now, I would freeze this moment in time". You ever have one of those moments you want to capture??? Those where you just know that you're in the right place and the right time, no where else you would rather be???
Life is good, it's full of ups and downs but it makes it exciting and worthwhile.

We're saving the grocery store trip for this morning, and for some reason, I'm not dreading it like I always do. I'm a true believer that negative thoughts bring negative situations.
I will admit that everytime I have to get groceries or make a run to a store, with kids in tow, I start panicking and tell myself "you know what's going to happen, the kids are going to act up, they're going to run away, they're going to make you scream like a psycho, you won't be able to get the groceries". Low and behold, I am usually the frazzled psycho mom running after the kids, trying to keep them in the cart, and walking out with only half of what she needed.

I'm picking a different approach today, I'm going to think positively, I'm going to imagine that they cooperate and that our trip will actually be pleasant. So now let's see how things go.

While out yesterday, I signed us up for some family photos. Every year there is a photography studio that comes to the base, they take really good pictures, the last time they were here, we didn't do a family portrait, just the kids. Look how adorable they turned out:

We're having Sepia Toned Family portraits done :) I just can't wait :)

BTW, yes this is a new template. What do you know? I woke up this morning to a "blue screen of death" and a messed up computer again. I think it's time for a new one soon, just wish they weren't so expensive. For now, I'm just going to have to stick it out with this one.

Arrrgh, I just took a sip of my coffee and it's cold. Nothing worse than a mouthful of cold yucky coffee. So, I am going to refill and then finish getting the kids ready to head out.

Father, we thank thee for the night,
And for the pleasant morning light.
For rest and food and loving care,
And all that makes the day so fair.
Help us to do the thing we should,
To be to others kind and good,
In all we do, in all we say,
To grow more loving every day.
Rebecca J. Weston

For dinner I'm making Barb's Sloppy Joes, go on over and get the recipe, they sound delicious :)





Anne of Green Gables
Felicity an American Girl
60 Minutes







Grocery shopping
Vacuuming and steam cleaning carpets
Mopping kitchen floor
Laundry

The Best Part of Waking up..........

is DEFINITELY coffee in my cup. So it's 7:16am and I've been up with Nicholas since 6:30am, I don't know maybe he doesn't realize it's the weekend???? Shouldn't we be in bed still, isn't this the day we get to sleep in???

My kids have always had their hours switched. When they were babies, they would sleep all day and then be wide eyed all night long....now they try to sleep in during the week and then wake up at the crack of dawn, or in this case, not even the dawn was up yet. *sigh*

It's just me and the kiddos today. Curt got weekend duty so he left for work at 6:30am and will be there all day. The kids and I will be getting groceries this morning and then making a run to the library later. Please wish me luck with the groceries, I get real antsy when I have to take them. LOL

It's been wonderful weather, it's cooler, there's been rain and you can smell Fall in the air. We're at 44º right now, I have to say though, it feels a little weird having to throw on coats already, I'm not used to doing that until Halloween night. Seriously, the summer will be great and then through Septemberit's still nice, then comes Trick or Treating. We step outside the door and it's raining, freezing cold and that's it......we are in the middle of winter somehow.
Guess it arrived a little earlier this year :)

I need to finish my menus for the next two weeks so that I can get my grocery list ready. I tried doing groceries every week, but that wasn't working, there was always something I forgot, and the endless trips back to the store only helped to blow the budget out of the water. Now I do them every two weeks, which is payday for us military people. Following the menus and sticking to the two week plan, has considerably lowered our budget. I'm still spending between $200-$250, pretty much the same for the past 5 years. Neat huh???

I've got tons to do today, couple errands to run and I want to get some more fall decorations around the house. The kids will be going to daddy's work for about an hour, they're beyond excited, they keep asking me if it's time to go already. I think it's a great way for them to see what daddy does, maybe get a little more feel for the hard work involved.

So I'm heading out, going to make a quick "Morning Drive" by your blogs. Before I leave though, I want to point you all in the direction of some neat things going on in blodgom world....even some new blogs I found on my drive the other day.

If nothing else today, you need to go on over to Bev at Blessed Beyond Measure. She has a wonderful post on prayer, named "By prayer and petition". It's just another wonderful idea by a wonderful lady.

A Place called Home, is a blog I found just the other day. Loved reading through all the posts that Susan had to share, and you should check out the pictures of her house too, she has tons of great ideas.

Chris from All that Blog got hurt while skating, ended up shattering her wrist. Go on over and give her some love :)

Kiddley!!! I don't know how I ever survived without this place. "Everyday ideas for you and your kids", it says. It's full of great things to do or make with your kids, we've enjoyed looking through them and plan on using a LOT of their ideas.

The Markmiller 5, love this blog. Unfortunately yesterday their house was broken into, go on over and read the post. Thank God, no one was hurt and not much was taken. It's still a shock though!!!

And last, if you haven't yet read the birth story, head on over to Susan Godfrey's blog. But remember to take some Kleenex she shares the story and pictures of her beautiful baby Gabriel. I couldn't get past the first photo without tears running down my face.

Reading that entry brought back a lot of emotions and memories for me. The circumstances aren't the same, I miscarried twice at an early stage of my pregnancy, but seeing that little boy just tore at my heart. I know my two angels are in heaven waiting for me, and I know that they are happily walking with the Lord, but it still breaks my heart to this day.

I don't think there's a worse thing in this life, than loosing a child, no matter how old or young they were. That bond that you create the minute you find out your pregnant, is unbroken. You learn to live with it, not get over it, I mean it's been 5 years for me, but I think about it every day, and when things like what happened to Susan come up, I am RIGHT there again. Funny how our mind works isn't it????

Something that happened so many years ago can quickly become something that is happening all over again.

So live for today, enjoy every minute you have with your kids, and praise the Lord for blessing you with healthy babies, it truly is a blessing and a miracle every timeone is born. :)

Have a wonderful Saturday God Bless,