A Visit with the Doc

So. I have been nauseous for 3 weeks now. Yep. Three weeks. And I have had 3 migraines in the last week and a half. So I made an appointment with a family practitioner. Only he was busy, so I saw his wife, the nurse practitioner. And I think I may have met my new best friend!! I loved her! I so wanted to invite her over for dinner. She loves fish. And wants it freshly caught, and I happen to have a freezer full because Cameron loves the whole deep sea fishing thing so much. I had to bite my tongue! hehehe She is into the organic/natural movement and is wanting to open a holistic clinic. It was nice to have a doctor that agreed with what I want to do. Very nice. AND I got her email address to correspond with about an organic food coop. Ooohhhh that may have been a mistake. I am gonna stalk her! hehehe She is a bigger black woman that says "Giiiirrrrrl" a lot with that cool little accent that only black people can do right. And well, yeah. I really liked her. Anyway, she gave me some meds for the migraines. Apparently they are hereditary and since Mama has them...And for the nausea. She insisted I was pregnant. I KNOW! I told her about the vasectomy and all that. And she just said, "Giiiiiiiirrllll, you a baby makin' machine". hehehe Sooooooo funny. I told her to please just check my ears (as she was writing out the order for a pregnancy test via blood). She humored me and sure enough, there was fluid in my ears. I have zero symptoms, which is odd, but have drainage and fluid inside my head. Yay! It isn't a baby!!! "Giiiiiirrrrrrrrrlll"

The Great Flood

Last Wednesday night Cameron was at a meeting at our potential new church. So, I was getting things together to bathe the girls. It takes what seems like forever for the water to get hot in our bathroom, so the water was running while I was probably on here posting. Faith and Ellie like to stick their hands in the cold spray, so since I was in the room, it didn't bother me that they were in there playing. Then, Gracie comes up to me (slowly. because she does't have a hurry bone unless she is racing someone) and says, "Mama there is water coming out of the toliet". WHAT?!! I jump up at lightening speed and rush the 20 feet to the bathroom in record breaking time to discover that the bathroom floor has at least a quarter inch of water standing on it and that the toliet is gushing more water like a smelly geizer. I had NO idea what to do. I have never dealt with a "flood" before. This is Cameron's job. So, I look for a plunger. To no avail. Then I call Cameron twice back to back and text him twice all in a matter of seconds. And he doesn't answer. Because he is in said meeting. And I am flipping out because the carpet is becoming soaked and we had a scheduled showing of the house the next day at 11 am. So, I called my brother Bryan. And luckily, he had a plunger (and he only lives 2 minutes from me). While he is on his way, I calm myself enough to brilliantly think of taking of the toliet cover thingy off and pushing the stopper down to STOP THE WATER. Ugh. Why didn't I do that 5 minutes before!! So , the water stopped flowing, and I started scooping water from the floor to the bathtub with a cup (I was thinking that that is what you do in a boat if you are sinking...get the water out with whatever you have, so it was logical. But Bryan got a kick out of it...) Bryan came and plunged out the clog, and every towel we own was put to use cleaning up the mess. Then, I went to find Faith. She had put the ENTIRE roll roll of toliet paper in the toliet. Because she "wanted to".

Speaking of Faith and toliet paper. Yesterday, while we were learning, I heard her yelling my name from outside. So, I go see what she needs only to find her squatting with her panties around her feet and her dress over her back. She went poop in the grass. WHY does she do this??!! She "wanted to" again. So I clean her up, gag at the pile of human poo (which is MUCH worse than dog poo), and go inside. The phone rings, we have to leave so someone can see the house, so I clean up and we are outta here. Then, oh...about 6 hours later (we went to a friends house), when we get home, I notice that my toliet paper is missing from my bathroom (of course I noticed after I peed. ugh ugh ugh And do you know how difficult it is to get little kids to understand your need for tissue right NOW??!!). I found it in the backyard. Surrounded by little piles of toliet paper. So I went to pick it all up thinking the whole time how awful it is that someone was looking to buy our house and I had piles of paper and a roll of toliet tissue in the yard. Then I realized it wasn't just piles. It was poop. Faith had picked up/ covered all the poop in the backyard. Hers and the dog's. GROSS. And this is a normal day in the life of Faith. and Ellie. Because I am sure she was an accomplice.

I did it!!!!

I guess I must have been talking to myself...but this is the best picture I could get taking it myself. hehehe It is still a little red and VERY tender. And, HOLY COW. It hurt so very bad. I didn't realize that when they say they pierce with a needle, they literally mean that they are jamming a needle through your nose. Not sure what I thought...honestly, I didn't give it much thought. I would have chickened out if I had. But let me tell you, it h.u.r.t. !!

More pictures of the birthday

First we decorated cookies

total concentration here

Me reading them Strawberry Shortcake

We made jelly bean bracelets

Pinata!!!!!

This is the cake walk that I was all screwy on and couldn't figure out :)

Cake and Cupcakes (yes. Mom made the cake. She did a great job!!)

making party hats (see the cute little placemats I made)

All the presents.

Show of House.

Today was another Monday. It just didn't start off well for me. I was an emotional mess, and we had two days of school to do, and my hair was crunchy. Yeah. Crunchy. I washed it and got dressed, and it was air drying while I was teaching Gracie. Then I felt it, and it was stiff. Now, my hair is soooooo soft and fine. It is never crunchy. Even with hairspray! Then, I realized that I didn't rinse the conditioner out of it this morning. UGH. So it was a little greasy looking, and I just didn't feel like rinsing it. So up it went. And it isn't long enough for a respectable looking ponytail. Ugh Ugh Double Ugh. Almost as bad as when Faith flooded my bathroom last week. I did tell y'all about that right?!!

On a good note: I made roast today! For the first time ever. It smells so savory in my house! Then the phone rang. And someone wanted to come see the house. And suddenly the roast didn't smell so great...I sure hope the people who were here like roast! eek!

Happy Birthday Faith!!!

Faith turned 3 today, and her party turned out fantastic! I have to say though, that all the activities I had planned did not take 4 hours. hehehe. They had LOTS of play time. I think all the little kiddos enjoyed it! Thanks to Kelly, we had a little bounce house that they just loved. So that got lots and lots of use. It was a pretty great day!

So Long for now!

We are headed to the metroplex for the weekend. Again. We haven't been in too long to visit with Cameron's family, so we decided to go this weekend so we can also celebrate Faith's birthday with them. No huge plans, just lots of relaxation and good old visiting. We will get back Sunday some time. Talk to you then!

By the way...the rumor is true. I am going to attempt to get my nose pierced. Just a tiny little stud. It is something that I have wanted to do for as long as I can remember, but have held off because my nose is big. Well, I decided that is a stupid reason. So, I am going to do it! I may totally chicken out. Like I did last weekend. hehehe But the plan is to do it. And if I hate it, I can always remove it. So. yeah. there you go.

You Tube Amazing Grace

Okay. My Dad sent me this video. I don't normally watch them that are this long (around 8 minutes), but he wanted me to. And I am glad I did. You need to be in a thoughtful mood I think, but it is a man's view on Amazing Grace. A black mans view. Gripping. It is fantastic!! Really.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DMF_24cQqT0

A few Clarifications

First. Ellie has never taken a pacifier. EVER. Now she is 15 months old and has decided she wants one (we had a play one around that Faith snuck away to suck on hehehe). So, I am struggling with giving it to her because they are so hard to break!! It took a while with Gracie, but Faith had the hardest time. She will still suck on them if I am not watching. She would still suck on the ones I cut the "sucker" off of. She loved them...The deal with Ellie is her temper. HOLY COW. She throw the biggest fits. And screams forever. So hard...

Now. The house. Ugh. That opens a whole new box of poo. Apparently the house is in a flood plain. In the drought of West Texas. So we have to have flood insurance. And interest rates took a steep climb. So moving will not really change our house payment. Not that is the whole reason we are moving, but for Cam, that was a big reason. So, I may not get the house I have fallen for. We are in our option period right now for a few more days, and Cameron will make a decision about what to do. It can't be easy for him! My heart is involved, and I want to move so badly! But I understand both sides...I will keep you updated.

The TRIP

I am so sorry I forgot to tell you about our getaway. Not that I can really go into details...*blushing*...but let me say, it was FANTASTIC! It was exactly what we needed. The last time we went somewhere for a night alone was when I was pregnant with Faith. And there is just something different about going when you are pregnant that makes it not just about the two of you. Well, anyway, we had a nice dinner, went to a movie, walked around the incredibly romantic downtown that was lit up with twinkle lights and serenaded with music from somewhere, and just reveled in the feel of our entertwined hands. We talked, laughed, kissed. Saw what appeared to be three hookers and a pimp (hehehehe). Had a peep show (seriously. these people needed a room) on the open upper level of the Riata while delighting in the most amazing and romantic dessert EVER. It was molten chocolate cake with the ripest of ripe drunken berries floating in a sweet cream sauce. It was heavenly! Or how I imagine chocolate cake in Heaven anyway. Because there WILL be chocolate cake. And then we went to our suite. And...yeah. That is where we went.

Pacifiers

Do you see that? In her mouth? I promised myself I would not resort to making one of those available to her. But I have no idea what else to do!! She has been weaned for over a month now, but she still pulls my shirt down and throws fits for a *boob*. She has this need to suck I guess. When Cam and I went for our little getaway (I didn't tell y'all about it!!), she attacked my mom in the middle of the night. And won. It woke my mom up. hehehe Bet that was a surprise! So, I offered the paci after 45 minutes of screaming tiredness. She fell fast asleep. What in the world do I do now?!

Cactus Lane

That is the street I will be living on. Soon. We have made an offer on a house, and it has been accepted! Cameron listed our house today, and we already have a scheduled showing tomorrow before lunch. WOW. I am excited about our soon to be new house...it is larger and older (it has that 100 year old charm)...but I am a little sad to be leaving this house! I didn't think I would be, but it just kind of hit me today that it is all real. A lot has happened in this house...two babies, first steps, first day of school, last pregnancy, a lot of memories that all seem to revolve around babies...hmmmm...hehehehe. New chapter. New house. New firsts. What an adventure!!

well...

I am really not sure that this an appropriate place to post this. So if it disappears, I changed my mind. I have been feeling, well, abandoned. I just can't think of a better word. Things as we know them have changed. From church to job to everything. And I know that the changes are hard on others besides just us. I know that! However, I have this very sad feeling that we are alone. Our friends have their own lives and the common parts have been removed, so it is much harder than I ever imagined it would be to keep up with the relationships. I didn't think for a minute that family things would be strained, but they feel that way. On all sides it seems. That includes us. I just don't know what to do about it all. The easy thing would be to chuck it all out the window and say forget it and worry about only what is best for me. But I don't want to do that. I want it to be back to "normal". I want to focus on God and where He is taking us, and I don't want to feel bad about talking about it. Or feel that some don't approve. Or have people think we are stupid. I just want to go to that place where I worship my Father the best. Where I don't have to work so hard to "make people like me". Maybe it is selfish of me. I just really don't know. Honestly though, for the first time in ages it seems, I feel like we are exactly in the place where God wants us. I am witnessing how He is taking what could be overwhelming circumstances and making them exciting. I have the warm fuzzy feeling of, I don't know, a big fat hug from my Father. And at the same time when all my insides feel so right, my relationships feel so wrong. So what is there to do but pray? I am. A lot. And He is changing me and my perspectives. Some things just aren't so important anymore. And other things are way more so. So this is the journey I am on at the present my friends. I will try to be open and honest as we travel the road we are on...

Speaking of honesty. Church was great this morning. The spirit was sweet, the people were beyond friendly. We went to lunch with half the congregation it seemed. Cameron led worship and did a fantastic job. It was real and honest and just really good. He also led the youth group's lesson this morning. That went very well too. I had to share my testimony. Cried a bit. The kids seem really eager and fun. My girls did wonderful in their classes. Really it was all really good. And to top all that off, my friend Michael came to church! I was so pleasantly surprised! Poor him though...because Cam was leading, it was me, him, and Gracie sitting in the pew and more than a few thought we were married...hehehehe The church will call a special business meeting 2 weeks from now to vote on whether they feel God wants Cameron to fill those positions of music minister and youth pastor. I truly feel like God wants us to serve at this church. So now it is a waiting game. We shall see!

Valentine Surprise!

In my sweet Valentine card were instructions to pack an overnight bag for both me and my girls. My mom will get the girls after lunch, and Cameron will sweep me away shortly after that! I am so excited! We are going on a romantic little trip to downtown Fort Worth. Our hotel is right in the heart of things, so we will be able to walk to dinner and a movie and wherever else our hearts desire to take us. Downtown is beautifully romantic at night. There is music and lights, and I absolutely cannot wait to walk hand in hand with the man of my dreams through it all!

The Party

Okay. I have made a decision about the party. Thanks to all who posted so quickly!

I am going to invite a few little girls over (Gracie's girlfriends too) for the afternoon on Faith's birthday. We will "meet" the friends of Strawberry Shortcake by reading a book and acting out activities in the book. For example, to meet AngelCake, we will have a Cake walk. To meet Gingersnap, we will decorate sugar cookies. I have asked the Mamas to lend me their daughters for 4 hours (I know!! crazy of me.) so that we can have lunch (order pizza), do some fun little activites and just play. I am super excited about it (so is Faith!). Then, for the adults in the family, we will go out to dinner that evening, and all who want to come are welcome to. For the Strange side of the family (no jokes please...hehehe) we will be making a trip to Fort Worth the weekend prior to Faith's birthday for a visit. It should all work out well, and I am not stressing at all!

This is the invitation. The pink is just what it was laying on...not a part of the invite. I will put the strawberry in a vellum envelope along with some shredded pink paper stuffing. Should turn out cute!

Warning: Phone Call may be Dangerous

Shawna (my sis-in-law) called the other morning. And while I was innocently having a conversation with her, THIS is what happened.

I was only out of the room for a minute! I was a little upset, but Shawna told me to take pictures, and for some reason while looking through the viewfinder of a camera, things take on a totally different perspective. So, here are the pictures of the proud little girls. And I'll have you know, I did NOT waste all those towels. I re-rolled them up. hehehe
Cutesty Faith in her flower headband. I am thinking up a cute Easter/Spring card to send out using these...all three girls have one in a different color. It will be cute! So, be waiting for yours! :)

Calling for Advice!!!

Okay friends. Faith turns three on the 25th. I was not planning on having a big party this year. Just letting her choose a place for dinner and having her cake, presents, balloons with just us. However, today Cameron told me that he thinks we should have a party. So I have 2 weeks to plan this thing. I usually have dinner for extended family and let the kiddos play. Not really any structure, no games or anything like that. I want to do something different. But I have NO IDEA WHAT! Faith enjoys playing. Just running and being silly. She also loves strawberries. So I was thinking Strawberry Shortcake. Cute, easy, readily available. Now, what else? Do I feed everybody? Do I request kids only? Then that leaves out all the adults that want to celebrate with her. So do I have dinner on her actual birthday for them? This all overwhelms me. My personality does not make this fun. I would rather be alone and have an intimate celebration. hehehe So, I beg of you, tell me what you would do. And quickly!!

Elle-Belle

I cut Ellie's bangs. hehehe She looks like Moe from The Three Stooges. I didn't mean to cut them that short. She looked down, I pulled up, I think I see where the problem was...

She is growing so fast! I am about to move her up to the next diaper size (a 3 for those of you wondering). She can tell me where her nose is now. She jabbers all day long. She runs after her sisters with one arm swinging (adorable!). I just can't describe all the ways she is advancing. Finally! It seems to have taken forever! She just knows things now. Like what she wants, and doesn't want. And how to get things. It just never gets old. You know, the whole development thing with kids. It is an awesome wonder.

Recipe

Okay. For those of you who asked...here is the recipe for those burritos. I have to say though, I have not made them in awhile (since we started eating better) so I apologize for the recipe with crisco! hahaha I usually try to substitute that with butter, but I don't think it would work with these. Her it is.

Flour Tortillas
4 c. flour
3 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 c. Crisco
1 c. hot water (more if needed)

Cut the Crisco into the dry ingredients (with a fork or a pastry cutter), then add the water. Mix until you have a soft dough, not sticky. If you work it too much, it gets tough and hard to roll out. So be careful. I make my tortillas using about a plum sized ball of dough. Roll them out with a rolling pin and put on a griddle until browned (if you touch them with your fingertips while cooking them, you can feel the bubbles...really neat)

Okay. For the burritos I make, I roll these out like normal, but I don't cook them. Once I have my rolled circle, I put the meat in (I cook some hamburger and add a can of refried beans to that) and roll them up, tucking in the ends. Then weave a toothpick through the ends to keep the tucked ends "tucked". Bake in the oven at 350 degress until they are brown. I don't remember how long it takes...

I then serve them with cheese dip (velveeta and rotels). Or if you prefer, you can put cheddar cheese inside (or whatever kind you like) before you bake them. They are great with guacamole and sour cream too!

Ministry

It is so amazing to me to watch how God opens windows when doors close. I truly feel we are living on faith right now. We don't have a church home, Cam's job has no guaranteed paycheck. Things just seem up in the air. Then, Cameron was looking on some website that tells what churches need by way of ministers. And guess what? There is a church in San Angelo in need of a music minsiter to take them into the world of contemporary music and a youth pastor. He KNOWS how to go from traditional to contemporary. He has experience doing that. He also has this passion for ministering. He would be a fantastic youth man. One that focuses on growing their walk with Christ. It is exciting! But anway, Cameorn met with the pastor of this church, and things went really well. We will be visiting their church on Sunday to see how it feels. To see if that is where God wants us. And if we feel like we should move forward, then Cameron will lead worship the next Sunday and teach youth. Kind of like them trying him out I guess. We will see...the timing is unreal. And it just feels like a God thing. You know? It isn't exactly the church we would pick, being traditional (choirs, organs, etc.), but we both are feeling some excitement. Nervous excitement. The journey is getting interesting!

Conviction

Okay. So it has been weighing heavy on my heart...you know, what I wrote about not being wanted. or invited anywhere. (I didn't want to delete the post, because I fear damage has already been done). I didn't invite anyone over to my house. So I should not expect the same from anyone else. And I WAS invited somewhere for New Years. But we didn't go. So it is just as much my fault. And the Lord has opened my eyes as to how I need to be more hospitable and stop expecting others to be. So, I wanted to tell anyone out there who may have been offended by either what I wrote or by my lack of action in our relationships that I am sorry. Truly. It seems that when the Lord puts us through the fire, He makes sure all the edges get hot. My eyes have been opened to myself. To all the areas where I need work. And it is a lot!! I am very thankful though. I need this. I need to be made more like Him. I want to be.

Basking in the Sun

We had the nicest day today. It was warm and perfectly sunny outside, so we played then had a picnic. I spread out a quilt and had the girls grab their pillows, and we basked in the rays while the wind made the most pleasant sound of rustling leaves. My eyes were drifting downward, and I had to make a huge effort to stay awake because my little stinkers WOULD NOT go to sleep. They wanted to swing. Then run. Then go inside. Oh my goodness! I just wanted to take a nap. In the sun!! After many threats, the big girls ended up in my bed and Ellie was on one end of the couch while I took the other end. I didn't get my nap, but I did get in some precious reading time (John Grisham's new novel came out last week!). And it was nice. We had no agenda other than to enjoy the sun and the beautiful backyard that we are blessed to have. I can't wait to do it again! Too bad tomorrow's forcast is chilly and rainy...

Guilt and Excitement

Today we went to PaulAnn. It was everything that we would want in a church. All that we are looking for. Other than the EXTREME guilt I felt for being there. I didn't imagine how it would feel to be going to a church where a lot of old Veribest members go. I didn't think I would feel like a traitor. Then, I looked around and saw a group of people that have left Veribest. I felt bad all over again. It just didn't feel right! I don't know if this is normal or not because I have never left my Dad's church to go somewhere else, but surely it will go away right? As we pulled into the parking lot, we saw some people that we had just found out left Dad's church. I just got sick to my stomach. We sat in the car debating whether or not we should go in, go back to Veribest, or go somewhere else. There is such a battle going on in my heart right now!! I am not sure what we are going to do. We really enjoyed the service. the people. the feeling of being WANTED and not just needed. It was really awesome. We had people begging us to come to small groups with them. Two different couples... We were invited to come to a SuperBowl thing tonight. Do you know how long it has been since someone from church invited us somewhere because they genuinely wanted us there? And this was the first Sunday we visited. Did I mention that Clay, the worship pastor, came and sat with us? We were welcomed...