Sunday, September 28, 2008

Misty's financial bailout plan

  1. Take all the properties, cars, stocks, timeshares, golf club memberships, etc from all the Wall Street executives who have made millions upon millions while letting their companies fail.
  2. Liquidate all the assets and put them back into the companies to revive them.
  3. Leave them with one modest house, two modest cars, and a modest retirement savings.
  4. How hard is that?
  5. Just sayin....

Thursday, September 25, 2008

Why I keep going every day



I cherish their innocence, their unconditional love, their wonder and excitement they show each day. They don't hold grudges or resentment. Their laughs are pure joy--every emotion they show is pure and true. They have more faith than I do most of the time.


When Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven." (Matthew 18:3), He couldn't have been more right.
They believe and trust undoubtingly. I wish they could never see my own doubt, anger, and disbelief. I wish I could shield them from all the ugliness of this world, but I must send them out in it. I pray that we can guide them toward Jesus, then know that He is guiding them through their lives, each step of the way.

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Things I will teach my kids, but wish I didn't have to

  1. Life is not fair and never will be.
  2. Sometimes God doesn't answer our prayers the way we want Him to.
  3. The people you love the most will hurt you the most.
  4. You can never please everyone, no matter how hard you try.
  5. Sometimes you must choose to forgive, even when no one has apologized.
  6. People you love will die unexpectedly, before their "time", and you must move on.
  7. When you make a mistake, don't let it eat you up inside. Brush yourself off, make amends if you can, learn from it, and move on.
  8. Time flies by even faster as you get older, even though it seems to drag on when you're a kid.
  9. Hug more, love more, give more...you never know how long you've got to show people you love them.
  10. The greatest gift you can ever receive is the salvation of Jesus Christ offered to you by grace alone from God. If you choose to receive this gift, use it wisely by doing your best to live it out every day in all you do. (Wait...now this one I want them to learn!)

Some verses that came to mind

Psalm 1
1 Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers.
2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night.
3 He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.
4 Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away.
5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.
6 For the LORD watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.

Psalm 46
1 God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.
2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
3 though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. Selah

Romans 8
12 Therefore, brothers, we have an obligation—but it is not to the sinful nature, to live according to it. 13 For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live, 14 because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. 15 For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, "Abba, Father." 16 The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. 17 Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.

Mark 12
30 "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' 31 The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these."

Just to let it be known....

I moderate all comments made on this blog. If you make comments that are rude, inappropriate, or just plain mean, I will reject it and no one else will view your ramblings.

If you have an issue with me, my family, or this blog, please post a mature, intelligent-sounding comment or send me an e-mail.

That is all.

Monday, September 22, 2008

Five Ways Blogging has Changed My Life

Maggie has tagged me with this little thinker of an activity. I'm not sure I can come up with 5 things, but I'll give it a shot.


  1. Blogging is like therapy to me in some ways. It allows me to put down thoughts and ideas in a concrete format. I tend to have a hundred things going on in my head at once and blogging out some of it takes off some stress.
  2. Blogging has allowed me to meet people in other parts of the country that I never would have met otherwise. I feel honored to be able to interact with my "blog friends", as I call them.
  3. I learn a lot from my "blog friends", and I often am inspired, humored, humbled, or made wiser from their posts. Very often I take away just what I needed that day from a post, whether it be a laugh, a quote, or whatever.
  4. Blogging keeps me in touch with friends and family that live far away. We have no family nearby, so it's a great way to share pictures of our kiddos and relate stories of our family events.
  5. Hmm, well, I guess it helps me remember special times in our lives, like when we had our ultrasound of Zachary. I printed that blog page out to put in his baby book. I love making headers with updated pics of our kids so I can see them changing over time as I blog. Like "Maggie" said, it's a way to celebrate and remember, for me and all who visit my blog.

*Edit--I was supposed to tag people for this. Ok, let's see if Joni and Jules can jump in. I think "Maggie" tagged all the rest already. If not, consider yourself tagged if you're a blogger!

Fall....change is in the air

Today was the first official day of fall. Change of seasons is coming, both in climate and in life. To simplify, I'll make a short list.

  1. Bryan has lost 20 pounds already since the surgery on Sept. 8. He'll be a new man in a few months. Not sure how we'll both deal with that...might feel wierd for a while.
  2. Zachary is 6 months old and has 2 teeth already, 2 more coming in, is sitting up by himself, crawling, and really playing with his toys. My little newborn is already grown into a big baby.
  3. I'm back into my skinny jeans. Yay! I've still got a few pounds to lose and much more firming up to do before I'll be satisfied. I am happy, however, to have accomplished that goal. I attribute it to more simple meals of less refined foods--more whole grains, fruits, veggies, etc and less intake of sweets and most of all...nursing!
  4. Our local MOPS group is underway. We have a way to go before we all feel comfortable and into the swing of things, but it's exciting to anticipate the journey ahead.
  5. Bryan's brother and sis-in-law are expecting again, rather unexpectedly. They've already suffered through some terrible losses, so we are praying that God will protect this little life.

That's about all my brain can come up with right now. I'm sure there is something else, but it'll have to wait until I have better thinking capacity.

Thursday, September 18, 2008

Bryan's first post-op checkup

It's been a long day. We had to be in Nashville at 9:30, and that meant me up at 5 am to get kids ready and off to where they needed to be.

Bryan is doing great according to the doctor. The pains he's been having in his side are normal pulling of the muscles that were cut during the surgery. He's lost 14 pounds already from the surgery, though he's more than ready to stop the liquid diet and start real food again. It'll be blended/soft food for the next week or so, then on to small portions of healthy food, primarily protein.

On our way back, we made a detour to visit the Whole Foods Market in Nashville. If you've never been to one of those stores, make it a point to visit one. They're in bigger cities like Louisville and Nashville, so while you're there, find one. You'll be amazed by the huge variety of veggies, fruits, meat, seafood, cheese, and all sorts of things I've never seen before or had heard of but can't find in a regular store. I don't think the average American could ever make it their primary grocery store, since most of the items are specialty things, therefore pricey. However, the selections they shared with regular grocery stores were comparable or even cheaper. I was able to come out with some nice finds.

I bought some new grains to try: quinoa (pronounced keen-wa), millet, and lentils (which I think are actually a bean).

I also found a container of shelled, unsalted roasted pumpkin seeds, which are supposed to be high in zinc and good for libido :)

Per Rachael Ray's advice, I bought a tube of tomato paste, which is great for recipes using only a tbsp or so--you squeeze out a little and keep the rest in the fridge until you need it.

And just to make mama happy, a bottle of water and a bar of organic dark chocolate to snack on every now and then. I also got the girls a little bag of apple chips that they devoured as soon as I got them home.

I really enjoyed all the samples they had out too...cheese, salmon salad, pita chips, snap pea chips, and apples. You could eat your lunch in there. I thought Bryan was going to drool over all the varieties of cheese. He bought a package of low-fat cheese to try in a few days. I really wish I'd have had my camera to take pics of all the colorful spreads of foods.

It's funny...I never thought me in a health foods store would be like a kid in a candy store :)

Sunday, September 14, 2008

Word for the week

Persevere-
1.to persist in anything undertaken; maintain a purpose in spite of difficulty, obstacles, or discouragement; continue steadfastly.

2.to persist in speech, interrogation, argument, etc.; insist.

3.to bolster, sustain, or uphold: (example)--unflagging faith that had persevered him.

In church this morning, Bro. Ray talked about how we should persevere as Christians to grow into maturity in our faith, from simple believers to mature apostles, capable of training others in ministry. I had already had this word in my mind this week and planned to blog on it's meaning.

This week, I've struggled to persevere in my personal life. I love my family and love (and live) to serve them. However, I don't always do so with grace and patience. Sometimes it wears pretty thin. Yet, I have felt God pushing me to persevere, to keep going, despite the fatigue and pressure. To let go of the nagging thoughts of negativity, guilt, and selfishness when I do lose my grace, and just "keep on keeping on", as Bro. Ray put it. :)

I hope to also continue to grow in my Christian walk, setting a good example for my children to follow, then beginning to branch out to serve, then train others in their walk. I'm not there yet, but with Christ's strength, I'm persevering!

Thursday, September 11, 2008

Thursday and all's well

Except I'm sleepy. But other than that, Bryan's doing well. The pain meds are helping a lot. He's been doing well with his liquids and protein supplements. The gas from surgery is coming out and that's been interesting.

I went with Zoe to her grandparents' tea party at preschool today. Since she had no grandparents nearby, I filled in. We had to wear silly hats, though Zoe's was an old Easter hat, so more pretty than silly. I wore my old floppy garden/beach hat, while Zachary donned a "Here Comes Trouble" cap.

I wasn't quite with the program, though. We arrived a little late, and I grabbed a plate of cookies and some punch as we came in. Zoe and I were eating away, when I realized no one else had gotten any yet. Then, the preschool kids came marching in, and I realized I was supposed to drop Zoe off in her classroom, so they could all come in together. Oh well. At least they all sang together on the little stage in the fellowship hall. Forgot my camera though. :(

Today, catching up on some laundry. Will probably do some cleaning. Want to take a nap. We'll see what actually happens.

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Home at last

I picked up Bryan from Nashville today. We got home around 3 pm. Poor guy was in a lot of pain because the nurse didn't get around to giving him his last dose of pain meds before he left, and he didn't realize how much he'd be hurting by the time we got home. Around Hopkinsville, he really started hurting worse, and by the time we got home, it was really bad. I rushed off to Rite Aid to get his prescription, and luckily it's taking the edge off now.

Other than that, he seems to be doing well. He may recline in the couch recliner tonight instead of the bed, so I may sleep in here with him. I'm exhausted. I think I could sleep about anywhere at this point.

I'll have to drive him down there again next Thurs for his follow-up, but after that, I'm done with him :) Well, driving him to and from Nashville, at least. Hopefully, he'll continue to make good progress in the coming weeks. Thanks for all the prayers!

Tuesday, September 09, 2008

Update on Bryan

He's doing well. The surgery went very smoothly and he's recovering fantastically. He'll still be in the hospital in Nashville for another night or two.

We left here Sunday night and arrived in the hotel in Nashville about 10 pm, and were up at 4:15 am yesterday to get to the hospital by 5:30 am. He was in surgery at 8:00 am and out about 10:30, and got to his room about noon.

Our pastor arrived there at 6:00 am and stayed with me and Zachary there until we heard that Bryan had come through ok. Thanks Bro. Ray! He really helped me keep Zach happy, and that made me happy! It's such a blessing to have such loving church leaders.

Thanks as well to "Maggie" and family for keeping Megan Sunday night and getting her to school and picking her up. And for the pizza they shared with us when I stopped to get her last night.

Thanks to Brian, Melissa, and kids for keeping Zoe too!

I got in with the kiddos about 7:45 pm last night, put them all down to bed, called to check in on Bryan, and hit the hay. I was exhausted. I'm just now waking up a bit. I slept a bit after I got Meg on the bus, before I had to take Zoe to pre-K.

Bryan's doing well this morning. Sounds much less groggy. Hoping I can pick him up tomorrow, but I'll keep you posted. Thanks for praying!

Sunday, September 07, 2008

Night before surgery

And I'm nervous. Not as much about the surgery as much as the traveling by myself with baby tomorrow night coming back home, and with baby again to pick him up later in the week. And about how he's going to feel after he's home, and how I'm going to handle taking care of 3 little kids and my one "big kid". I think I'll ask his doctor for some extra drugs for me. :0

We're heading to drop off the girls here in about 20 minutes with "Maggie" and Melissa for the night. It feels wierd taking them to separate places. They've never spent the night anywhere other than home and nana's, and have only been separated once, when Zachary was born. Hoping they'll enjoy and sleep well. They seem excited.

Keep Bryan in prayer for a smooth surgery and speedy recovery. Things will be a lot different after tomorrow. I'll keep you posted.

Saturday, September 06, 2008

Please pray

A dear local family and fellow church members have just lost their little 3 year old son this afternoon. He was born with hydrocephalus (water on the brain) and had been through too many surgeries to count. He finally is as peace now, but I can't imagine what his family is going through. Please lift them up in prayer.

Thursday, September 04, 2008

To sum up how I'm feeling

Susan hit the nail on the head with this post. Read on!