my brave lil' man...

my sweet babe has been quite brave....

i can't imagine being the cutest 3 year old on the earth, being rushed out of your comfy bed at 5:45am (rushed because your mama was obscenely exhausted from keeping sweet 3 year old up 'til midnight so preschooler could eat & drink one last time and be extra sleepy in the morning, but not only was preschooler tired but so was mama who didn't hear her alarm go off at 5am...whew!), taken to a big strange building with everyone fussing over you, mama trying to get your superman shirt off....

i didn't get his superman shirt off until he saw me in my scrubs or "funny clothes", so then it was okay to change into his gown...

...pinning the sweet boy down to adminster his "happy juice" before being rolled down to surgery holding room wasn't the best memory for cute boy... but he anestieologist said i had "great form" and asked if i could come back to help get that down some other kids, too.... i declined, i'll stick to forcing meds down just my own children's throats

my handsome lil' man is rather dazed at this point and is holding on to me like grim death.... we had the bestest nurses taking us to surgery and that assisted our wonderful doctor, dr.p... she was so gracious to offer to snap a few pictures of us on the way down the hall

i was so thankful for the chance to walk him all the way back to the OR and hold him until he drifted off to sleep...

my blessed boy had his giant tonsils, infected adnoids removed and ear tubes put in, for the second time... praying this solves the ear infection, hearing loss, can't sleep, sleep apenia, snoring problems

thank you Jesus for watching over him, for bringing him through surgery like a champ!!!

our house is now a haven for ice cream eating, popsicle licking, pudding devouring, smoothie sipping... and for the most part 'K's doin' fantastic!!

first and ten! and 2 wins!!

we've had a lot going on this past week, much of it had to do with football, and i'm totally okay with that! i love football!! my Man is a very blessed husband in this regard :)

the best game i attended this week had to be tuesday night's game where my son was the focus of my attention...

if you can see the number 32, then that's my boy, but quite honestly when i went back to edit the pictures i couldn't tell which one was him... i know, i'm a loser, but at least i snapped some photos!

i was mightly disappointed that i couldn't find my cowbell before we left for his game, there can't ever be enough cowbell :) however that didn't stop our team from winning the game!

yep! the boys pulled out a victory, 16-12, so we are undefeated!! and he had a great time, had a great run, lots of tackles that put a stop to the offense, and i was a very pleased mama because he so thoroughly enjoyed himself!

...but i was a rather exhausted mama for my boy's game, especially after the 3 hour drive we had just taken from the football game we were at the night before...

oh ya, baby!! my Man and i took a mini-vacation monday & tuesday and headed for kansas city to watch the chiefs opener for monday night football...

it was awesome!! did i say i love football?! i do! and i love going to an nfl game, it is an impressive experience, and arrowhead was electric!!

we got up to KC early enough to head to dinner with some great friends we were meeting at our hotel and then it was off to the stadium to tailgate out with a few (tens of) thousand of our closest friends!

i had such a splendidly fantastic time spending the evening with my Man and also hanging out with our friends...

we made the long jaunt towards the stadium and stopped for a quick pic in front arrowhead...

it was about 8:15p and the gates were flooded with crazy fans and the screams of chiefs fans all around!!

since it was opening night and monday night football and the stadium has been completely overhauled (and it was magnificent!!! i was awe-struck!) there was quite a show planned before kickoff with fireworks to boot!

i was texting pictures to envious 'P' and Girlie, who were watching it all on television

and i was never so thankful for the chiefs to pull out a win, no matter how sloppy it was, it was still an wonderous end to a glorious day with my Man....

but i was ever so tired as we climbed into our bed at the hotel just shy of 2am.... i don't even remember the last time i was up at 2am unless it was to care for sickly kiddo! it was even better to sleep in past 6am :) we stopped to eat the most fabulous breakfast on our way home and did i mention how we had such a great time being together on our little escape?! it was beautiful...

and as a bonus our team won... the chiefs, just in case you were wondering

hope in trouble

hope...

my hope is in the Lord, above all He is the giver of all good things,

i am sustained by His abundant grace

He was the center of my thoughts and my hope rested soley in His promises when i saw the first pictures that morning nine years ago this weekend...

my mind couldn't fathom what was happening to my country, my fellow Americans...

i could only think to pray.... to hope...

i hoped that those on board the planes knew Jesus and felt some portion of His peace knowing they would be safe with Him soon...

i hoped that many were late to work that morning and that there weren't as many people in those buildings as the reporters were guessing...

it felt like those movie images of world wars was right around the corner; were we safe?

i felt my stomach harden and tense as the first tower fell... the sweet Girlie that was nestled in my belly nudged me and i wondered what tragedy would happen next



i just hoped for Jesus to save us all...





i cried many tears that day, that week, for our country, the victims, the families, our President...



i'll admit i wondered if this was it: we're at war, were we going to become a war-torn country like those i see on the news? are we not as safe as i assumed we were?



i hoped not...



i prayed that night, once the news was off and the house was quiet with sweet breathing from my son and my Man, and the gently swimming of the babe in my belly...



"Lord if my world, here in Fly Over Country USA, had literally collapsed like those of our fellow citizens not so far away, would i have been ready to see you? so far have i lived a passionate life that cries out to everyone that you are my Lord? or do i live basically selfishly, out for my own pleasure, serving you based on my own feelings of convenience.... i desire to shine for you... help these families, wrap up the broken wives or husbands in your Hands of peace.... help me Lord to remember this feeling of uneasiness, that time is limited, and i don't have forever here to further your Kingdom.."



even as i watch and hear the tributes to 9/11 today, i still remember that feeling...



i haven't forgotten, i pray those families are so blessed, i pray and hope that they'll see their loved ones in Heaven again

the cross gives us hope, in the midst of the rubble and fighting, He is our hope...

whether peace or war, He's our hope....

my hope

my everything

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore, we will not fear thogh the earth gives way. Psalm 46.1-2a

how cheap can you be :)

it is a constant mission to save money around our home, how 'bout yours? same goal? i thought as much.... but it's hard, why am i subconsciously drawn to the more expensive items?! a strict budget is hard and the decision to live debt-free and below our means is a daily adventure is self-control.

about two years ago my Man wanted to take over the money-managing for our family, and you know, i wasn't so happy about it. even though i knew i wasn't doing the very best job saving or budgeting, i felt like if he came in and took over i'd lose some sort of "power".... stupid, huh? we never argued over money and everything got paid (for the most part) and we had more than enough money to blow on whatever we wanted, but because we weren't on the same page as far as saving or investing or spending and without any real goals, it just wasn't working.

so i submitted to his leadership, prayed for God to give me heart to follow and that He'd give my Man much wisdom and discernment to manage the money that God blessed us with.....

and that made all the difference!

in order for me to stay home full-time there was going to have to be sacrifce (i've written about sacrifice/charity here), to be able to be used by the Lord in new capacities and give like never before, it would mean paying off doctors bills quicker, paying off those credit cards and not using them again and downsizing every area of our life.... and being open to my Man's leading and the Lord's each step of the way.

and since we've done (with God's good grace) those things, and we absolutely have taken to the teachings of dave ramsey & the total money makeover, i'd like to say that budgeting and saving money and just sometimes going without has become second-nature by now, but it's not, not even close.... is living below your means easy for your family? or do you even budget?

i spent a lot of time at the beginning of the year cataloging groceries prices from about 5 local grocers,

just so i'd have a more exact idea about what was really a sale when the weekly ads came out; plus i have become addicted to couponing!! seriously, it is a personal mission to save as much as possible with my ad prices and coupons. and this isn't easy, comparing prices, figuring is this coupon really a better deal at this store because they double or at this store with a lower original price, and so on. that reminds me i probably need to catalog prices again, you know, just to make sure things are still about the same and i'm not missin' a deal :)

what makes me really proud is to same that i have cut my bi-weekly grocery budget 110.00 so far! that's an extra 220.00 each month, that for some reason hasn't necessarily ended up in our savings account due to doctor's visits, car repairs, flooded houses, and summer utility bills....

and there's another place i'm trying to cut: energy costs. and this seems about impossible!! but i have grown to love my inherited clothesline that came with our new home!

i thought i would struggle with crunchy, stiff clothes (which i loathe!) but i have taken to another money-saving tip!! instead of using all those costly stain removers and fabric softeners in our washer, simply pour in about a 1/3 cup of plain white vinegar in with your detergent, and i also use a bit more in my fabric softner dispenser. once it's rinsed out and dried, you don't smell any vinegar at all, promise! but all my sheets and towels are just right and fluffy as i'm taken 'em off the line. perfect!!

and not only do i enjoy baking, it is a money-saver!! baking cookies, biscuits for dinner, brownies, pizza crusts and the like from scratch is better for you and much more efficient on my grocery dollars.

example: my homemade drop biscuits are a bajillion times better than any store biscuits from a can and so easy:

2 cups flour (one unbleached white and one whole wheat)

3 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

combine and then using a pastry cutter or a sturdy fork work in a 1/2 stick of real butter (and don't melt or soften it, the cold butter is perfect and melts beautifully while cooking in the oven, yum!). once it's all crumbly stir in 1 cup milk and you're done!!!

have your oven pre-heated to 450, and just drop the dough onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, it makes about 7-9 biscuits depending on how big you like your biscuits :), and 12 minutes later you're in biscuit heaven!

this recipe is quick, healthy (for a biscuit) and super cheap!!

okay, i know there are other ways we have been pinching pennies, but i want your input and ideas, or at least help me feel better and let me know that you struggle to control your spending and it's not just me :).... please.....

so a happy friday to you and have an amazing weekend; if you stop by tomorrow evening i'll have some thoughts about remembering 9/11, should be interesting or at least i think so :)

be blessed

Cast your burden on the Lord; and He will sustain you.... Psalm 55.22

a peek into my week...

i know, i know, it's only been forever since i last posted.... sorry.... we get busy around here and i literally go days on end without opening my laptop. i am totally determined to not let this happen anymore, even if all i'm writing about is what i made for dinner and the strange dreams i had the night before :) maybe y'all can help interpret some of them, because the dreams have been getting weird! i need to drink some calming green tea before bed or something!

has it been raining for like two weeks where you're at? i swear i am done with rain!! this is just one of the reasons why....

yes, after two days of record rainfall last week, we had about 3 feet of water under our home, a backed-up sewer system and me have a little stress-attack! you can understand, right? when you have five people in the house and the toliets won't flush, well i'll just let your imagination and nose go from there.

but 97.50 for a plumber to work 20 minutes and fix the problem (and oh my goodness! that is a career path i am thankful i never considered!! gross, gross, gross!!!) and 84.00 for a sump pump, we were on the road to getting everything back to normal by last friday afternoon. and we were incredibly thankful for my brother (in-law) who hauled over a HUGE pump from his work to get the water out from under the house much faster!! and the mammoth puppy and Big 'K' had the time of their lives playing in the water that was leaving the house and now flooding the yard!

i promise that the water wasn't contaminated or anything, but it made a terribly muddy mess of my already soggy yard and my neighbor wasn't exactly please that the run off was puddling up her yard (again) too.... but what can ya do?!

what else?..... oh! my babe, Masta 'P', is just days away from his first jr. high football game!! we are soooooooo excited and pumped for him! he's had 2 1/2 hour practices every day after school, so he's ready. and he got the jersey number that he had desperately been praying he'd get....

my other brother (in-law) is the number 1 high school running back in the state (he holds 5 state records! but he's in college now... i digress, sorry) and 32 was his number, and 'P' really wanted to have that number in jr. high and in high school, too. and we were all really excited, too! it was an affirmation to him but me as well, that nothing we pray and give to God is too small or insignificant; if it's important to us and something that's on our heart, the Lord is so faithful to hear us...

i love to bake from scratch. mostly i want to control what is going into our food, but baking/cooking is theraputic to me, is it that way for you? my bestie (ms.s) teases me about making my pizza crusts from scratch, like when i say "it's really not that hard or a big deal" and she says "well not if your martha stewart!" so i just decide to take the sideways compliment and go on about my day :)

so since 'K' and i are together all day with nothin' but time to learn, read, play, frolic, shop, clean... ahem, i got a little sidetracked.... we bake together quite a bit

he was so happy to wear mama's apron, and i am glad i snapped a pic real quick because in no time flat he was trying to yank it off with extreme prejudice! we were whipping up some sugar cookies, which are really awesome and soft, but i need to create some sweet glaze or something to drizzle over the top.... just thinking out loud :)

my glorious Girlie is doing so outstanding at her (new) school. third grade is splendid and she is making several close friends and if i haven't said it before, we just are so giddy about her teacher and what a blessing she is!

as we walk to school in the mornings, we walk right past a locally owned donut & coffee shop, and it smells incredible, delectible, scrumpitous!! so i got us out the door just a little earlier than normal this week and surprised Girlie with a little detour into the shop for a donut (or two). she smiling from ear to ear and loved the treat!

don't you just love surprising your kiddos with special treats like this? my kiddos treasure the most simple memories like this and the moments of talking over a sprinkle donut.... i love 'em

i've had several orders of Jewelry Portraits (from my design business, Flooded By Grace Designs) and they've been custom orders and that has been truly a treat for me to create them!

here's one i did for a little girl who needed a portrait for her growing necklace & earring collection plus something to hold her beautiful hair bows...

it was a double stack of frames with gorgeous satin ribbon and buttons flowing from the bottom to clip hair bows on.... i loved it and lil' Girlie was a bit more than jealous for it! i am still working on my website, it's a much longer process than i anticipated, plus i'm trying to get my inventory (jewelry portraits and such) built up and ready for orders, but customers can always make a custom order request... just sayin' :) if you're interested just drop me a note!

and before all the sogginess, 'K' and i have enjoyed some cooler, fall-like days at the park...
...isn't he just beautiful?! wow...

and he was racing just as fast as he can up and down the ramp on the equipment. amazingly he didn't bite the dust... praise the Lord :)

"peek-a-boo, mama!!!"

okay, so this is a peek of what's going on in my world.... i promise, cross my heart to be back tomorrow with something profound to say.... or at least something amusing to say :)

love ya!

be blessed!