God's faithfulness!

Last week Brett's other hearing aid broke and it could not be repaired in the office. They called and told me that they would have to send it out and that it would cost us $200.00 to get it fixed. I told them to go ahead and send it out and that we would come up with the money before it came in (5-7 days later).I have been praying all week for God to provide the money to pay for the repairs-at first I did not even tell Brett (until yesterday when he finally asked me if I had heard back from the office)-I did not want him to feel bad about it and I did not want him to say "no" since we did not have the money and we do not use credit. Anyhoo-I have been praying and believing that God was gonna come through for us-I reminded Him of His promise to meet our needs and the covenant that we are in with Him. I have been checking our bank account online everyday (looking for what?-I don't know). This morning when I checked it I saw our balance (which was the same as yesterday) and then right before I logged off I saw that there was a electronic deposit pending (that we were not expecting) for $289.00! I asked the bank about it and they said that the funds were available now-I asked who it was from and they said that they did not have that information yet. I am almost positive that the money came from social security-about a week ago they told me that they were going to stop taking my Medicare premium out of my monthly check (since I qualified for a special needs program) and that they would refund the premiums that they already took out. They told me that it would take several months before it would be put in the system-so I was not expecting the refund so quickly! God knew what we needed and when we needed it-I believe that He had a hand in speeding up the process to meet our need! (If you have ever dealt with SS-you know what a miracle this is!)I am always in awe when I know that God heard my prayer (why?) and that he cared enough to answer it.

Weight Watchers

Ok-so today is Saturday-"weigh in day". Drum roll please..............I lost 2 lbs this week. I am happy with that-especially since I used ALL my weekly flex points this week and I did not walk or work out at all (It is just too hot to walk outdoors and I am waiting for my gym membership card to come in the mail). I did swim a lot this week and did my own water workout so maybe that helped. This week will be a tough week-today is Brett's B-day (Happy birthday sweetheart!) and I just finished baking him a 3 teared birthday cake to celebrate his birthday tomorrow (I can not do anything 1/2 way-all or nothing! Half of a regular cake would be more than enough!). It is also "Girl's night out" this week-Tuesday we are going to the "Zen Forest"-I have never been there before and since it is small there is no nutritional info available-I will have to "guess" my points. I know that I will get through the week and I hope to have another good weigh in next Saturday-I will let you know!

One "point" treats!

Alright, so we all know that the best snacks are healthy ones (fruits,veggies) but for those of you who live in the "real world" I wanted to share some of my favorite one point treats! I discovered one point Bryers ice cream! I was at the store,scanning the ice cream, and I picked one up that looked good-when I got out my WW points calculator I was thrilled to find out that it was only one point for 1/2 cup!! Usually even the light ice cream is about 3 pts for 1/2 cup! The flavor I tried was Bryers fat free cappuccino chunk-it is cappuccino ice cream with bits of brownie pieces in it! No artificial sweeteners (which I do not mind but I have yet to find a sugar free ice cream I like!)! Yummy! Now-no one ever eats 1/2 cup of ice cream so be sure to measure it out and count 1 pt per serving. Last week I also found one point ice cream bars-they are by "Skinny Cow" and they are called "skinny dippers"-they are ice cream bars that are half way dipped in chocolate. They come in mint,carmel and vanilla-I love the mint ones! Another favorite 1 pt treat are the WW new chocolate chip cookies-they are individually packaged cookies-they are not very big but they are really good and they are a "good point bargain". In ww meetings you can find other (overpriced) treats-my favorite are the 1 pt "peanut butter bliss" one point bars!

Sugar (obviously) is my downfall, but for those of you who prefer salty treats, there are plenty of choices for you too! I buy fat free "pringles"-they are also just 1 pt per serving! I also buy individual serving bags of microwave popcorn-the brand I use (O.R) is only 1 pt for the bag! Finding a new treat that I can budget into my daily points allowance just thrills me! It is much like a treasure hunt! There are plenty of alternatives available that do not leave us stuck crunching on carrot sticks (although, you do need to eat your veggies like your "mama" always told you too!) while everyone else is eating the "good stuff". You just have to keep your eyes open, do the WW math, and watch you portions.

Mama's Quilts

My mom can sew "like no body's business"! She has been making each of her grandkids a quilt (where's mine Mom?). For Brooke's special quilt she made a flowered one with a fence at the bottom. Maddie's is gonna be a butterfly one-it is almost finished! Spencer's will be one with footballs and other sports. She does such a beautiful job! Today, the girls also got new quilts for their room in the mail. They turned out so cute! She even embroidered their names on their pillow cases! I wanted to share the pics with

everyone-I wish I had her talent!

Medical update

Today I had my Chiropractor appt. Last week I had 3 x-rays of my spine and today they gave me the reports. Nothing new to report about my neck or low back but the mid-back x-rays show that I have several bone spurs-he said there were 7 major spurs and also several smaller ones. I knew that something was going on there-hopefully I will get more info next week when I have the 3 MRIs. Basically-he tells me, the spurs are my bones trying to fuse together so my spine will have enough support. Because of the degeneration on the disc there is not enough support. I think it is amazing how God created our bodies to recover and heal itself-but I hope to stop the spinal fusion before it is completely fused and I lose the range of motion. I will keep everyone updated on my MRI results next week. PLEASE pray for me-I will have to be in the "tunnel"(feels more like a coffin!) for 2 & 1/2 hours on Tuesday! I have panic attacks every time I have to have ONE MRI-but it is going to be even harder to have 3 in a row! They said that they will try to get them all done on Tuesday but if I can not handle it they will have to reschedule them. I really just want to get all the tests over with and on to the treatment so I can be well soon-please pray for me!! Thanks!

Memorial Day!

Today we had an awesome "family day"! We went to play baseball at the Rec. center,we got a free doughnut at "Dunkin' D" x2 (every time the "Rays" win you can get a free doughnut if you mention it-the kids think that is the coolest thing!), we went swimming in our pool (and played "Marco-Muteto"-instead of saying "polo" you don't say anything-the kids made it up) and we grilled out for supper. We had a great time together-I wish we had

more days "off"!

Spencer

We let the kids skip school on Wednesday since I had a full schedule with doctor's appts and I would not be able to pick them up from school. I got to sleep in until 8:00 am! Well, Spencer (7 years old) is an early riser and when I woke up, he was already up. Brett had already left for work and I expected to find Spencer playing his "PlayStation" or watching TV-but when I walked into the living room I saw that he was sitting in the chair reading his Bible! He knows that his Daddy reads his Bible every morning, and most mornings Spencer will run get his Bible and read too. But-I was so happy to see that he had developed this habit enough to do it on his own, even though Brett was not even home! I have said it before, but I am so glad that he is following in his Daddy's footsteps!! This morning , while we were still asleep, he was copying from his Bible (he likes to copy things)-when we woke up he gave us the scripture that he had copied. On his own, this is the scripture that he found to write: "The proverbs of Solomon-A wise son maketh a glad father: but a foolish son is the heaviness of his mother." Proverbs 10:1-I have not checked it to see if he copied it correctly, but I was amazed that he found and copied a verse about a "son". I am so thankful for such a special son and for the hunger he already has for the things of God!

Our "Gillie Girl"

Tonight, "my thoughts" are on our little "Gillie". She was kidnapped about a month ago and I have been concerned about her. Her Mother took her and moved away-even though she does not have full custody of her. Gillie lived with her Daddy and her grandparents more than with her own mother and now she has been taken. She must be so confused. Please pray for her to have a safe return home! My Brother will be given full custody of her if they can locate her. My heart is with her tonight! We love you and Miss you "Gillie Girl"!

Weight Watchers

Today I had my monthly weigh in at "Weight Watchers"-in order to keep my lifetime membership I have to weigh in every month and not be more than 2 lbs over my goal weight. My "WW" goal is way higher than my personal goal so I never have any problems maintaining my free-lifetime membership. I am, however, well over my personal goal so I am going to get back on track and actually follow the program and go to weekly meetings! Today's weigh in was not as bad as I expected, I was up 1 lb since last month. I have regained my focus and I know what I have to do to get back to my personal goal! I will report my stats each Saturday after weigh in-if you are interested in my progress. If any of you are on your own weight loss journey I would love to hear from you-we can help keep each other motivated!

Chapman family tragedy

I just wanted to remind everyone to hold up the (Steven Curtis)Chapman family in your prayers. My heart has been heavy for them since I heard about their 5 year old daughter's tragic death. For those who may not have heard, she was in the family's drive way when her teen aged brother accidentally backed his SUV over her. To have their son to be the one who hit her must make the tragedy that much harder and I am sure that there is a lot of feelings of guilt-so please pray for their son-especially. Only God can get this family through this-I pray that they continue to rely on Him as their source of strength. Let this also be a reminder that none of us are promised tomorrow and we need to let those we love so much know exactly how much we love them!

(Maria-in the video-is the little girl that they lost)

"Tea with Tanya"

Today was a busy day! This morning I had an appointment at 8:15 am and then I headed to Tanya's house for "tea". A few of us gathered there to enjoy the morning together. It was such a nice time! The food and atmosphere were beautiful! (Thank You, Tanya!) After that Karen came over to my house for a while and then I went to her house to drop my kids off-she watched them for me while I went to a doctor's appt (Thank You, Karen!). My doctor's appt went OK........at least I got what I went for (she is my new primary doc & I was "less than thrilled" with her ). I got a referral to a neurosurgeon-MRI's ordered for my complete spine and Xrays ordered for my spine. I forgot to get a prescription for the medication that I have been taking for YEARS-I guess I will have to call her and see if she will fax it to the pharmacy. Well, it feels good to be on the road to better health! I feel hopeful that things are going to start to get better for me now! I got home just before it was time to leave for church-I grabbed some pizzas on the way home-we ate and ran out the door. I am exhausted! I will feel better after a good night of sleep!

Just for fun!

I found this over at http://tarasloan.blogspot.com/

I AM: stubborn/committed!

I WANT: to please God-in everything I do, say, think, .........

I HATE: when people try to manipulate others. I hate complaints and excuses!

I MISS: my Mom! :(

I FEAR: failure

I HEAR: Bubba singing "Jingle Bells"-yes....that is right, "Jingle Bells" in May! You'd have to know him to understand this-well, I guess knowing him may not be the key-I STILL do not understand him half of the time!

I REGRET: ....not much, I'll have to think about that one.

I AM NOT: passive

I DANCE: while washing dishes..folding laundry...cleaning.... everywhere (last night,with Brett and the kids at the Dairy Queen, to "You've lost that lovin' feeling")! SEE PICTURE ABOVE :)

I SING: Always! Everywhere!

I CRY: when I think about God's goodness to me!

I MAKE WITH MY HANDS: paintings , color pictures , play dough "art"-whatever my kids are making!

I AM NOT ALWAYS: good at "thinking before I speak"! Sometimes, what I think comes out my mouth before I even know what it is that I am actually thinking!

I WRITE: in a gratitude journal

I CONFUSED By: why God allows some children to suffer.

I SHOULD: get more organized!

I START: organizing-only to go through the entire house and have to start all over again!

I FINISH: my healthy living and weight loss goals.(I REFUSE to give up!)

I TAG: all my blogging friends and anyone else who comes here and wants to do this.

Maddie had her "concert" on Sunday. She has been taking guitar lessons for the past 13 weeks and they ended the session with a concert. It took a lot of nerve for her to get up there and play and I am proud of her!

Can I brag? Pleeease!!!

I just wanted to take a minute and brag-is that OK? I went to a meeting this morning for mothers and the speaker said that we need to celebrate the "ordinary" in our kids. Well, today I want to celebrate the "extraordinary" in my kids! The girls just got back the scores for their "lexile" testing (Spencer did not take the test)-it is a national test that grades reading and comprehension. Brooke's score was 1439-which is off the chart! For a 12th grader they expect between 1050-1300!! She is in 6th grade! Maddie scored 1058 and she is in 3rd grade! I just feel so blessed that my kids are excelling. I don't know how or why our kids are so smart but I am soooo thankful to God. Sorry....I just needed to brag a bit.

Weight loss-#4

Ok....I am putting this picture up to show everyone that I do not always follow my own advice! I let my hormones win last week and I gave in to a craving for a banana split (no excuses-I could have been strong but I caved!). I told my girls to take this picture so I could post it here-I wanted everyone, who may be discouraged by my past weight loss entries, to know that "messing up" is ok-every now and then and success lies in getting back on track right away (well.....maybe not RIGHT away-I am REAL in this blog, remember! I had apple pie and ice cream with my Mother's day lunch). So, if you have "blown it" (like ME) don't consider yourself "down for the count" but get back up and start "fighting" again!

WOW! That is a terrible picture-I mean business-I am completely real with ya'll! :)