HALLOWEEN!!!!!!

We went to a Halloween party tonight. Me, Stu, Amber, and Leanna were a 4 count pack of Crayola Crayons. We were the winners of the family costume contest. We won a $50 gift card to Red Lobster!! Not bad for something thrown together the night before!

Erin and her friend Callie were dressed as a witch and a devil:

We bobbed for apples, went on a hayride, and made s'mores.

The night was a lot of fun, but almost ended on a very sour note. While driving home, someone ran a red light. Thanks to the incredible reflexes and driving abilities of Stu, we avoided a major collision!!!!

School Fun

Erin's class put on a play at school today. Her and her friend were Carpetbaggers.  They had to dress like men because that is who the part was written for.  Of course, (and I am not being biased) she was the best.  Just ask Grammie! :-)

After the play, they painted pumpkins.

Oh What A Difference A Day Makes

So, my previous post showed pictures of Amber on Sunday afternoon around 2:00. Here she is 24 hours later:



She had a really rough night Sunday night (which is when we went to the ER). They admitted her so she could receive breathing treatments every 4 hours. Here she is Monday receiving her treatment and after we got the computer up there:

She was officially diagnosed with viral pneumonia (walking pneumonia). The reason she was hospitalized is because she couldn't keep her oxygen levels up. They are supposed to be at least 90, but preferably upwards of 97. She was at an 83 in the ER and after 2 breathing treatments and a steroid shot, she only made it up to 89. The final straw that caused her to be admitted was an ABG test (blood withdrawn from the arteries) that showed her oxygen pressure levels at 50 and normal is 90. Everything happened so fast I keep trying to replay all of the decisions I made that night and analyzing which ones I would make differently. She is fine now. Dr. Stewart said she could go back to school tomorrow if she felt up to it, but Gigi and Grammie pulled the grandmother card and said she had to stay home another day.

Sorry I didn't keep everyone up to date, but everything happened so fast. I would appreciate your prayers that she is able to take it easy and not relapse.

Fun on the Farm

We went with our small Bible Study group to a little farm just over the state line on Sunday. It was such a beautiful day!! We picked pumpkins, played in the petting zoo, went through a corn maze, and just had a great time!

My beautiful Amber:




I don't know if you can read her shirt, but it says "Real Girls. Hate Fake, Love Real." She got it at a church retreat this past summer. I must say that she is truly a Real Girl!!


My beautiful Erin:




She has to be the most honest, compassionate, and tender hearted person I know!!

Me and my friend Tracy:


Good Times!!

Busy, Busy Day!

Tuesday is usually the only day that I do not have anything to do except work and carpool. Today was not such a day. It all started this morning when I decided I needed to take Erin to the doctor. She has been coughing for 3 weeks (since the pig flu). The past several days she has had a difficult time breathing when she does normal activities, like walking up stairs. I had a 10:00 appointment and did not see the doctor until 11:15. I was quite irritated! Anyway, she was wheezing a bit, so they wanted to get a chest x-ray. It came back clean, but they gave her an inhaler to use for 2 days. After taking her back to school, going back to work, and picking up Amber, it was the cats' turn to go to the vet. Weasley goes out every morning, but always comes home when we get home in the afternoon. Today was such a gorgeous day that he decided not to come home, so I had to make him another appointment. I did go ahead and take Dexter because he has been acting weird lately. Turns out he is allergic to flea bites. So, after a cortisone shot and $92 worth of other shots, I finally get to head home for good.

It is days like these that I am glad for Publix Apron's. For those who do not have a Publix, the store has a demonstration booth where they cook simple recipes and give you recipe cards for you to cook at home. They are generally quick and easy recipes. Tonight I cooked Taco Nacho Rice and Marinated Corn Salad. YUMMY! This is about the third time that I have cooked it, and everybody likes it. So, for those of you who do not have access to a Publix, here are the recipes:

Taco Nacho Rice

8 oz. fresh diced onions
1 1/2 lb ground beef
1 T. taco seasoning
1 (5.4 oz) package taco-flavored rice and pasta blend
1 3/4 cups water
2 cups Tostitos (about 5 oz)
1 (8 oz.) jar taco sauce
1 1/2 c. shredded Mexican-blend cheese

1. Preheat large saute/ pan on medium-high 2-3 minutes. Place onions and ground beef in pan and cook until no longer pink. Drain. Add taco seasoning mix.

2. Stir in rice blend and water. Reduce heat to medium; cover and cook 7 minutes.

3. Remove pan from heat; fluff rice with fork. Arrange chips over rice in pan. Drizzle taco sauce over chips, then top with cheese. Cover and let stand 5 minutes or until cheese begins to melt. Serve. (Makes 6 servings)

I use the rest of the bag of Tostitos as a side because the chips you put on top of the dish get soggy from the steam.


Marinated Corn Salad

1 (16 oz.) pkg. frozen whole kernel corn
3-4 green onions
1 (15 oz.) can black beans (drained and rinsed)
8 oz. fresh pre-diced tomatoes (1 1/2 cups)
1/2 cup mojo marinade (should be with the steak marinades in your local grocery store)
1 T. Honey

1. Thaw corn in colander under cool running water 2-3 minutes; drain thoroughly and place in medium bowl.

2. Slice green onions thinly; add to corn. Stir in remaining ingredients; let stand 10 minutes for flavors to blend. Stir and serve.


Both dishes are very quick and tasty!!

SHOPPING!!!

I went to Atlanta this weekend with Sonja. Our goal was the Ikea store. We had heard so much about it, so we decided to check it out for ourselves. We had a really good time. We went to some outlet malls on Friday, the Ikea store and Town Center Mall on Saturday, and the Cheesecake Factory Saturday night!! Here are the fruits of our labor:



We both loved the Ikea store! We were not sure at first, but once we figured out what was going on it was really fun! This store is so big that they have a cafeteria in the store!!! We had to stop for a lunch break!

I purchased, among other things, some clear organization containers and a new wok and cookbook:












When I was putting my stuff in my new containers I found this in my cabinet:










2006!!! Scary!!











We both had cheesecake left over from the night before, so we had it for breakfast!!! It was sooooooo good! Sonja had Red Velvet Cheesecake and I had Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake. They were both incredible!!!










I forgot my camera on Saturday when we went to Ikea. I have some pretty funny pictures from my camera phone, but I don't know how to get them on my computer. So, I will have to save them for another day!!

Now don't get use to this......

I am not this frequent of a poster, but I have AWESOME news! Erin ran for student council president at her school and SHE WON!!!! Now I have the honor of saying both of my girls were student council president of Lynn Fanning Elementary School! She is super excited!!!! I am so proud of her! She wrote her speech and came up with her motto and gimmick to get elected all by herself! My mom asked her if it was the speech that got her elected. She said "No, I think it was the confetti...or maybe the ring pops!"

Female Warriors

Alright, this is the first serious post I have made, so you are about to get a glimpse of a very, scary place. :-)

I was reading a blog post this morning by someone I do not know. (Am I the only one that does that? Reads blogs of complete strangers. Don't know them. Will never meet them. Yet, I feel like I know them. Like we are close friends.) Anyway, this post (which I recommend you read at http://blog.cjanerun.com/2009/10/heavy-meal.html) really touched me this morning; and I can't quit thinking about it. It is so relevant to me and where I am in my life right now. The quote that struck me is:

"There is a point where a girl becomes a woman." She said. "A point where a woman becomes a female warrior. Where her life is no longer a game, it is a genuine battle. Not to survive only, but to survive and be strong."

I feel like that! Do you?! Like you are fighting a battle and each year that goes by on the calendar it becomes clearer and clearer as to what (and Who!) is important.

I have seen many female warriors who are battling. My mom is an incredible female warrior! She fights so hard. Taking care of family during extended illnesses. Visiting with church family who aren't coming or can't come to services. Always available. An amazing warrior. I have seen friends whose marriages are on the brink of destruction, but they draw their sword and battle back. Fighting for what they love, what they believe in, Who they believe in. These women have had an everlasting affect on me and for that I am grateful.

I am a female warrior in a battle for my life, my husband's life, my children's lives, my friends' lives. I will fight with them, beside them, and sometimes for them when they have been knocked down. When Satan is standing over them ready to devour them, I will stand in front and say "No, I will die before you devour them!"

It has taken me a long time to get to the point where I would lift my sword. Always taking a back seat; sitting on the sidelines. Always afraid. Never feeling comfortable in my skin. But, this isn't a game. It is a battle and I can not afford to sit and watch anymore. I think I am crossing that line from womanhood to warriorhood. There are things that I can say and do now that I would not have said or done even 5 years ago. I am grateful for the transition.

I love my life. I lost sight of that for a while when Satan was trying to make me focus on myself...what I use to be....who I use to be...why things were not turning out as I had planned. But, I'm back! I'm back with a vengence...sword drawn....kicking butt and taking names....A Female Warrior of God!

Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that WHEN the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, AND AFTER YOU HAVE DONE EVERYTHING, TO STAND. Ephesians 6:13

A Sink Full of Cat :-)

Sunday Afternoon Fun

Erin and I had a very fun Sunday afternoon! After church we went to eat at Moe's. Very Good! They had 2 clowns there making balloon animals. Erin got a turtle that she named "Ted". After that, we had tickets to see "Alice in Wonderland" at the local community theatre. It is pretty impressive the sets that they are able to put together. We had a great time!!

HOME SWEET HOME!!

We had a great time at the beach. The weather was beautiful all week! I had such a good time hanging out with my 3 favorite people!! However, there is no place like home! We left Friday evening to avoid some of the traffic and to have a full day at home before starting a busy week. It was so nice to stop and realize how blessed I am!!!

Views from the Beach

Sanctuary at Redfish

We made it to the beach yesterday. The girls went straight out to the pool while Stu and I unpacked. This complex is beautiful, and it is a ghost town!! I think there may be 2 other families here. The girls have been the only 2 people in the huge pool the last 2 days. We went to the beach for an hour and a half this morning. It is a little more of a hassle than I had hoped it would be. It has been very overcast today and was sprinkling when we first made it to the beach. I, of course, managed to get burned in that time. Yes, I know, you can still get burned when it is cloudy!! I just didn't think it would happen so quickly!! We came back, ate lunch, and started our "Lord of the Rings" marathon. We are now just watching NFL football with alot of the players wearing cool pink shoes and gloves.

We ate at The Red Bar last night. It was fabulous!! The girls had their crab cakes which is what they are known for. I had panne chicken-YUM! Stu had craw fish and shrimp-YUCK, but he seemed to enjoy it. I put a roast in for French Dip Sandwiches tonight!