It's 4:45am, and I am up again. This nagging cough has me awake again...I was determined the next time this happened I was going to try a new natural cough suppressant I had been given. It sounded awful, but I was willing...more than willing to try it! Here is what you will need:
1 small jar [I took a baby food jar]
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp. ginger
2 Tbsp. Water
1 Tbsp. Apple Cider Vinegar
1 Tbsp. Honey
Put lid on and shake until well incorporated. Store any unused portion in the refrigerator.
I joke and say the reason this is so effective is that the cayenne pepper singes your throat so bad that you aren't able to cough any more. No, but really, try it the next time you really need some relief. It has given me some this morning. Along that same note, I decided to google natural cough suppressants and there is a wealth of information out there. Next time you are up at 4:45am, and desperate to quit coughing, do some research and get some relief!
Monday, March 22, 2010
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Family Notebook
I have been busy. Busy and sick. This new start to spring is not what I care for in the least little bit! This has happened for two years in a row and I have a year to figure out why we all get sooo sick this time of year. I have been able to contemplate about a lot of things while spending a majority of this week at home with my family.
This is what I have been thinking about...Family Organization. It is something I think about all of the time, mostly because I am not able to acquire it for the most part, or haven't been able to yet. Over the years I have thought about a central location that we as a family can turn to for household needs, wants and information. So, after years of thinking about it, my thoughts have developed into a Family Notebook. Here is what is contained within:
"From the Kitchen"
This is what I have been thinking about...Family Organization. It is something I think about all of the time, mostly because I am not able to acquire it for the most part, or haven't been able to yet. Over the years I have thought about a central location that we as a family can turn to for household needs, wants and information. So, after years of thinking about it, my thoughts have developed into a Family Notebook. Here is what is contained within:
"From the Kitchen"
- Menu Plans
- Grocery Lists
- Coupons and Ads
"Around the House"
- Daily To Do
- Weekly To Do
- Monthly To Do
- Master Cleaning Lists
"Spiritual Growth"
- Scripture Memorization
- Scripture Reading
- Prayer Journal
- Hospitality and Giving
"Hobbies"
- Arts and Crafts
- Fun w/ the Kids
- Ideas
"Addresses"
"Calendar"
"Danny"
So, my idea that has come to fruition at least shows that I "want" to be an organized person and family. I want my kids to have organized lives with some sort of structure and meaning and hopefuilly this will get us back on the track.
So, I would love to hear from others...how do you keep organization in your families? Please let me know so that I might be able to fill out the Ideas section of our family planner...It is lacking for the moment!
Happy Spring!
Monday, February 22, 2010
What's up with us? Not much!
Just wanted to stop by for an update. I don't have a lot to say or anything, just wanted to say I am still here, just not into updating too often! My family is still trying to get things back to normal after the death of my father, but I have a feeling this whole next year, things are going to be in an upheaval. Please keep praying for us.
We don't have a lot going on, but we are looking forward to spring. I am looking forward to planting new things in our backyard garden. I am also looking forward to having an herb garden this year and have been reading up on the art of growing and drying herbs. I am really looking forward to this. Ya know what else I am looking forward to? Salsa! Yep, some good ol' salsa from the garden! I told my husband I want lots and lots and lots of cherry or grape tomatoes [because in my opinion, they make the best salsa!] from the garden. I am also looking forward to our elderly neighbors plums falling because every year he lets us have them all. Last year, I made TONS of baby food with it, this year, I am not sure. I will make something for the neighbor though! Also, we have two huge wild raspberry bushes in our backyard, and some over in the brush on the other side of the street that I love to pick as well. Oooh! I am getting excited about the spring and summer!
What about the spring and summer are you getting excited about? What kinds of things do you grow in your gardens? Let me know! Share your knowledge!
We don't have a lot going on, but we are looking forward to spring. I am looking forward to planting new things in our backyard garden. I am also looking forward to having an herb garden this year and have been reading up on the art of growing and drying herbs. I am really looking forward to this. Ya know what else I am looking forward to? Salsa! Yep, some good ol' salsa from the garden! I told my husband I want lots and lots and lots of cherry or grape tomatoes [because in my opinion, they make the best salsa!] from the garden. I am also looking forward to our elderly neighbors plums falling because every year he lets us have them all. Last year, I made TONS of baby food with it, this year, I am not sure. I will make something for the neighbor though! Also, we have two huge wild raspberry bushes in our backyard, and some over in the brush on the other side of the street that I love to pick as well. Oooh! I am getting excited about the spring and summer!
What about the spring and summer are you getting excited about? What kinds of things do you grow in your gardens? Let me know! Share your knowledge!
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Let it snow!
We are getting snow, snow and more snow this Winter season. Josiah loves the snow and often asks if he can go out and "touch the snow". He does not like to stand on it or sit in it, or really play in it, just be out in it and occasionally touch it. He loves to shovel snow with Daddy and loves to eat the snow. Bethany is not quite old enough to enjoy the snow, plus she is sick, so she has been staying inside and putting on hats and scarfs and just being soo cute and funny! We have been "snowed in" for about 4 days now and I am loving it, but I guess the roads will be clear enough for me to go back to work tomorrow...it has been fun while it lasted! Friday, February 5, 2010
Update
Good Evening to everyone. I am sorry, but blogging has taken a very big back seat in my life right now, although, I feel as though I may be able to get back into the swing of updating more often soon.
As my last post stated, I was looking forward to the new year. I was ready for 2009 to be done and over with. I was ready to take my new years resolutions to new heights and begin another year fresh. So far, this year is not what I ever would have chosen for my family. Not in a million years! What I have to realize, though, is that what I want for my family and God's will for my family may not always be the same. That is a hard fact to grasp hold of sometimes, so we plod along, grasping and grasping. Sometimes we fall, but God in His mercy gently lifts us back up and helps us, in many ways, to keep grasping and reaching for Him.
Most of you who read anything I post already know what I am going to tell you. For others, I am sorry, but I am not going to go into a lot of detail. Monday night, January 4th of this year, my Dad was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer. We all knew that stage 4 lung cancer was treatable, but not curable, therefore, we knew Dad was going to die, we just didn't know how much longer God would leave him with us. My Dad died at home, in the arms of my mother, surrounded by my brothers, his mother, and my mother's parents on Thursday, January 19th around 7:15 in the evening, 15 days after his original diagnosis. My Dad's last breath in this world was his first breath in Heaven with our Lord Jesus Christ, praise the Lord!
While I STILL feel a little bit in shock and absolutely devastated at the loss of my father, I also have a peace that has come over me. It is really awesome. The peace of which I speak came over me when I first got to GA and walked into my Dad's hospital room and saw him laying there struggling to breathe. I knew Dad was going to die and I was soooo sad. I was sooo devastated and sad, but God gave me, and I believe my entire family, such peace about His will. I remember when the DR who came to give the final diagnosis to our family about Dad's condition and just how bad things were, Dad listened to the DR, asked a few questions and then looked at us. I remember him telling us so many times that he was not afraid to die and that he wanted, more than anything, for God to be glorified in his illness. We all gathered around the bed listening to the DR talk and Dad asked her if taking chemo would help anything or how long it might prolong his days on earth. She said that there was really no telling how much longer it would allow him to live. He asked what the DR thought his quality of life might be if he decided to try to do chemo for the sake of more time with his family and she said the quality more than likely would be poor. He looked at us and said: "I want to go home and spend my last days here on earth with you at home." So, that is what we did. Dad got progressively worse in the hospital and frankly, we did not think that he was going to make the transport home because he was so ill. Not only that, but he was coming home to much less oxygen than he was on in the hospital. We brought Dad home under hospice care and Dad seemed to get a little better.
Let me tell you a little about my Dad's last days. Dad loved his church and God so wholly and they loved him too. The church members were so desperate to see him, and they knew how bad Dad wanted to be at church, that we set up a church service in mom and dad's home that afternoon and the members came to him. I am almost certain all church members were there save one member who was sick. What a blessing it was! We sang to him, a little preaching was done and members came and gave him the "right hand of fellowship" . Also, in my Dad's last days, he was not able to get up and down much, but he was able to go back out on the back porch one last time and be with my Papaw Nacho who helped him rebuild the back porch several years earlier. He was able to go upstairs, shower, shave and get a haircut one last time. My mom called me crying one day telling me that Dad got to go upstairs and lay down in bed with her one last time. She said she figured they would have gone up there and talked and chatted while laying there in bed, but she said Dad rubbed her head and they both fell asleep for a while together.
I must say that Dad being sick and me living 8 hours away was the hardest thing about this entire ordeal. I had work to think about, Danny's work to think about, my kid's. There were so many things I did or didn't do and decisions I made that were really hard. The first time I went to see Dad after finding out this news was really late one night and we had a call that we needed to come asap, so we drove all night to get there and for the next several days, I threw my kids in the laps of others and my husband and spent most of my time with Dad and my siblings and their families. I dreaded making a decision to go back home and I prayed all night one night and begged God to show me what to do. Danny had to go back to work and I would have to within a day or two. God answered my prayers and I was able to stay one more day after I sent my husband and kids home. I remember telling Dad goodbye when it was time for me to leave on that go around. I sat beside him holding his hand and told him I had to go but that I would be back in a few days. He asked me what day I would be back. I told him on Friday and he looked at me and said: "You go on home and go back to work. I will be here Friday when you get back." That was all I needed to hear. The next weekend we went on down to GA, but leaving this time was different. I wanted to be with my Dad and my family when he passed away so badly, but I knew I had to get back to VA. When I sat down with Dad this time, it was different. I still sat beside him and held his hands and told him I had to leave and how much I loved him. This time Dad asked me: "Do you have to go?" When I told him I did, he asked me: "Can you take Danny and the kids home and come right back?" It was then that I realized that Dad may not have known when he was going to die, but he knew that it would be soon. I told him how much I loved him and that if the Lord called him home to be with Him, then I would be okay. We said our goodbyes and I went home. It was less than 24 hours later that I was called and told that Dad had passed away. That was soo hard, but I know that it was not God's will for me to have been there. I am at peace, but I miss my Dad oh so much!
Well, that is really all I want to say. I could go into much more detail, but I won't. I will say this though: My dad was an awesome father, husband, son and grandfather. He was a devoted and loved church member and he was an awesome friend and co-worker. He was loved by many and will be missed by everyone who had the awesome priveledge to know him.
Please don't stop praying for me or my family. Keep my mom in your prayers. Also, please pray for my granny. Dad was her youngest son and last living. I can not imagine what it is like to lose all three of your sons to an early death.
Thanks for all of yours prayers so far!
As my last post stated, I was looking forward to the new year. I was ready for 2009 to be done and over with. I was ready to take my new years resolutions to new heights and begin another year fresh. So far, this year is not what I ever would have chosen for my family. Not in a million years! What I have to realize, though, is that what I want for my family and God's will for my family may not always be the same. That is a hard fact to grasp hold of sometimes, so we plod along, grasping and grasping. Sometimes we fall, but God in His mercy gently lifts us back up and helps us, in many ways, to keep grasping and reaching for Him.
Most of you who read anything I post already know what I am going to tell you. For others, I am sorry, but I am not going to go into a lot of detail. Monday night, January 4th of this year, my Dad was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer. We all knew that stage 4 lung cancer was treatable, but not curable, therefore, we knew Dad was going to die, we just didn't know how much longer God would leave him with us. My Dad died at home, in the arms of my mother, surrounded by my brothers, his mother, and my mother's parents on Thursday, January 19th around 7:15 in the evening, 15 days after his original diagnosis. My Dad's last breath in this world was his first breath in Heaven with our Lord Jesus Christ, praise the Lord!
While I STILL feel a little bit in shock and absolutely devastated at the loss of my father, I also have a peace that has come over me. It is really awesome. The peace of which I speak came over me when I first got to GA and walked into my Dad's hospital room and saw him laying there struggling to breathe. I knew Dad was going to die and I was soooo sad. I was sooo devastated and sad, but God gave me, and I believe my entire family, such peace about His will. I remember when the DR who came to give the final diagnosis to our family about Dad's condition and just how bad things were, Dad listened to the DR, asked a few questions and then looked at us. I remember him telling us so many times that he was not afraid to die and that he wanted, more than anything, for God to be glorified in his illness. We all gathered around the bed listening to the DR talk and Dad asked her if taking chemo would help anything or how long it might prolong his days on earth. She said that there was really no telling how much longer it would allow him to live. He asked what the DR thought his quality of life might be if he decided to try to do chemo for the sake of more time with his family and she said the quality more than likely would be poor. He looked at us and said: "I want to go home and spend my last days here on earth with you at home." So, that is what we did. Dad got progressively worse in the hospital and frankly, we did not think that he was going to make the transport home because he was so ill. Not only that, but he was coming home to much less oxygen than he was on in the hospital. We brought Dad home under hospice care and Dad seemed to get a little better.
Let me tell you a little about my Dad's last days. Dad loved his church and God so wholly and they loved him too. The church members were so desperate to see him, and they knew how bad Dad wanted to be at church, that we set up a church service in mom and dad's home that afternoon and the members came to him. I am almost certain all church members were there save one member who was sick. What a blessing it was! We sang to him, a little preaching was done and members came and gave him the "right hand of fellowship" . Also, in my Dad's last days, he was not able to get up and down much, but he was able to go back out on the back porch one last time and be with my Papaw Nacho who helped him rebuild the back porch several years earlier. He was able to go upstairs, shower, shave and get a haircut one last time. My mom called me crying one day telling me that Dad got to go upstairs and lay down in bed with her one last time. She said she figured they would have gone up there and talked and chatted while laying there in bed, but she said Dad rubbed her head and they both fell asleep for a while together.
I must say that Dad being sick and me living 8 hours away was the hardest thing about this entire ordeal. I had work to think about, Danny's work to think about, my kid's. There were so many things I did or didn't do and decisions I made that were really hard. The first time I went to see Dad after finding out this news was really late one night and we had a call that we needed to come asap, so we drove all night to get there and for the next several days, I threw my kids in the laps of others and my husband and spent most of my time with Dad and my siblings and their families. I dreaded making a decision to go back home and I prayed all night one night and begged God to show me what to do. Danny had to go back to work and I would have to within a day or two. God answered my prayers and I was able to stay one more day after I sent my husband and kids home. I remember telling Dad goodbye when it was time for me to leave on that go around. I sat beside him holding his hand and told him I had to go but that I would be back in a few days. He asked me what day I would be back. I told him on Friday and he looked at me and said: "You go on home and go back to work. I will be here Friday when you get back." That was all I needed to hear. The next weekend we went on down to GA, but leaving this time was different. I wanted to be with my Dad and my family when he passed away so badly, but I knew I had to get back to VA. When I sat down with Dad this time, it was different. I still sat beside him and held his hands and told him I had to leave and how much I loved him. This time Dad asked me: "Do you have to go?" When I told him I did, he asked me: "Can you take Danny and the kids home and come right back?" It was then that I realized that Dad may not have known when he was going to die, but he knew that it would be soon. I told him how much I loved him and that if the Lord called him home to be with Him, then I would be okay. We said our goodbyes and I went home. It was less than 24 hours later that I was called and told that Dad had passed away. That was soo hard, but I know that it was not God's will for me to have been there. I am at peace, but I miss my Dad oh so much!
Well, that is really all I want to say. I could go into much more detail, but I won't. I will say this though: My dad was an awesome father, husband, son and grandfather. He was a devoted and loved church member and he was an awesome friend and co-worker. He was loved by many and will be missed by everyone who had the awesome priveledge to know him.
Please don't stop praying for me or my family. Keep my mom in your prayers. Also, please pray for my granny. Dad was her youngest son and last living. I can not imagine what it is like to lose all three of your sons to an early death.
Thanks for all of yours prayers so far!
Monday, December 28, 2009
Looking forward to the New Year
For anyone who has come on a consistent basis to look for a new entry, I am sorry I haven't blogged in a while. Life takes over sometimes and leaves me with little time for myself, much less my family, and as you all understand, when there is time left over, family comes first!
I am looking forward to seeing this old year out and the new year in. I am very excited at what the New Year may hold for me and my family. I have a couple of serious projects going on that I need your prayers about, and I hope to blog more about those projects on my health and well being blog site, weightingfornothing.blogspot.com. I am not sure how often I can keep it up , but I will try to write on both at least weekly from now on.
Let me fill you in a little about us since last we spoke...
Bethany got her glasses and they are absolutely adorable on her. There are two questions that everyone asks me when they see a baby/toddler so young wearing glasses, so I will tell you a little. First question is: "How do you get them to stay on?" Well, when we first put them on Bethany, her first instinct was to reach up and jerk them off. For the first few days, I didn't fight her on it. I would put them on her and when she took them off, I would try a couple of more times to put them on. If she kept taking them off, I would put them away for a while and try later. After about a week, she was wearing them for several hours at a time before she started taking them off. Now, she pretty much goes all week wearing her glasses, and occasionally takes them off when she is tired or really upset. Plus, the stems wrap around her ears holding them on really well! Bethany seems to be seeing a whole new world since her glasses. She is so much more bubbly and giddy with people and I think it is because she can now see their facial expressions and interact with them better. The second question is: "How does the doctor know that she can't see or that she needs glasses?" The answer is...I really don't know the answer, but I do know that she can see with them on whereas she could not without them. The doctor said that she is .5 diopter away from being considered legally blind, so, her eyesight is very bad. She will have to wear glasses the rest of her life, and I am okay with that...especially since she is sooo cute!
We had a family and fun filled Thanksgiving holiday. I ventured out on my own and took a trip, by myself with Josiah and Bethany in tow, and we went to Georgia where I was desperate to see my family and spend some time with them. I got to meet my new nephew, and cried the first time I held him. I had been waiting and hoping for him for so long. He is adorable and looks just like my older brother, in my opinion. He has the cutest reddish hair and it just kind of sticks up everywhere! I also got to meet my new niece who was born back in May. I knew if I didn't take this trip to GA that I wouldn't get to see them for another while, so I am glad I went. The trip went well. Me and the kids got up around 5am and headed out. I doubled Josiah and Bethany both up on diapers and we hit the road. We stopped twice, once at a rest area at the NC border, then again in Commerce, GA where we had lunch at Chik-fil-A. I made everyone mad at the restaurant because I took about 15 minutes in the handicap stall changing Bethany and Josiah and also using the facilities myself. After all, it was black Friday and lunch time and people were GRUMPY!!! We hit mom and dad's house in record time and I was so thrilled to be there! Josiah was my constant companion the whole trip, not sleeping a wink the whole way. We constantly talked about all of the big trucks and all of the lakes of water we got to see. He is really so much fun! We also listened to Josiah's new Veggie Tales CD, almost the entire way...it is STILL stuck in my head! While we were in GA, we got to meet up with two of my grandmothers and and aunt and uncle and many cousins for a family luncheon. It was good to see everyone and wish more could have been there. Hey, the highlight was a bunch of the Strevel men got out to play some football and that was pretty fun-ny! I was supposed to head back home Sunday morning, but I was desperate to go to Shoal Creek, my home church, and visit with the saints and the Lord there, so I decided to do it and stayed for church, then the family talked me into going out to lunch with them. This put me travelling home most of the way in the dark, which I did not like, but it wasn't so bad! I had so much fun on this trip and would do it again in a heart beat!
I kept telling Danny that I thought we were due for a really big winter storm this year. Then, the news started posting these winter storm warnings. I really like the snow, but my DH has to drive a truck in it, so it is no fun for him. I called him from work one day and asked him if he heard the news and that they were saying we might get anywhere from 12-18 inches of snow. His response is always: "I'll believe it when I see it." Well, the snow started falling and I was sent home early from work. By the time I made it home, there were already a couple of inches on the ground...unbelievable. So, later on that night, we had TONS of snow and Danny had to get out and drive in it. Around 3:15am, my phone rang and Danny told me he was in his truck, stuck in the snow in a ditch on the side of the road off of Rte 11. He said an EMS/fire worker told him that the road was closed ahead due to an accident and he had to turn around. He thought he was turning around in a driveway, but not so. For 17 long hours, my baby was stuck in the snow on the side of the road in his truck. Thankfully he was able to keep the truck running, so he had heat and he had food with him. He got out at one point and walked up to the house where he was stuck and it turned out to be a frat house where a bunch of guys were hanging out and they let him use the bathroom and sit around for a while. When Danny was finally given permission to abandon his truck [how nice of his employer...] he had a fellow worker who lived in the area come and pick him up and see if he could find a hotel room to sleep in. They drove around for hours and all 18 hotels/motels in Lexington, VA had no vacancies [because everyone was abandoning their cars on the local interstate and seeking shelter]. I tried to find him a place to stay and finally decided to call the local Sherriff's office in Rockbridge County to see if they had a shelter or something like it for stranded motorists. She said that the National Guard set up an emergency shelter at the local High School, so I sent Danny there. He slept that night on the hard gym floor underneath some bleachers with a dumb dog whining near him all night. He was miserable! So, Danny left at 8pm on Friday night and me and the kids were stuck at home without him until Sunday afternoon around 4pm. I was sooo glad to see him! The kids were ecstatic too! I am so glad that ordeal was over and I will not wish for snow again in a while!
We had a nice Christmas with Danny's side of the family. I missed my family, and am still missing them, something terrible! I wish they could have been here, or we could have been there or something! Josiah had fun opening presents this year, but still does not understand what Christmas is all about. EVERYONE kept asking him about Santa and if he was going to see Santa this year, etc., which drove me crazy. Josiah will eventually know about santa, but only as a fictional character and not as some kind of mystical being who brings him goodies. I just don't want him to think that is what Christmas is all about.
Well, it is time for me to close for now. I just wanted to say Hi and I had not forgotten about my blog, just out of time on a regular basis!
I am looking forward to seeing this old year out and the new year in. I am very excited at what the New Year may hold for me and my family. I have a couple of serious projects going on that I need your prayers about, and I hope to blog more about those projects on my health and well being blog site, weightingfornothing.blogspot.com. I am not sure how often I can keep it up , but I will try to write on both at least weekly from now on.
Let me fill you in a little about us since last we spoke...
Bethany got her glasses and they are absolutely adorable on her. There are two questions that everyone asks me when they see a baby/toddler so young wearing glasses, so I will tell you a little. First question is: "How do you get them to stay on?" Well, when we first put them on Bethany, her first instinct was to reach up and jerk them off. For the first few days, I didn't fight her on it. I would put them on her and when she took them off, I would try a couple of more times to put them on. If she kept taking them off, I would put them away for a while and try later. After about a week, she was wearing them for several hours at a time before she started taking them off. Now, she pretty much goes all week wearing her glasses, and occasionally takes them off when she is tired or really upset. Plus, the stems wrap around her ears holding them on really well! Bethany seems to be seeing a whole new world since her glasses. She is so much more bubbly and giddy with people and I think it is because she can now see their facial expressions and interact with them better. The second question is: "How does the doctor know that she can't see or that she needs glasses?" The answer is...I really don't know the answer, but I do know that she can see with them on whereas she could not without them. The doctor said that she is .5 diopter away from being considered legally blind, so, her eyesight is very bad. She will have to wear glasses the rest of her life, and I am okay with that...especially since she is sooo cute!
We had a family and fun filled Thanksgiving holiday. I ventured out on my own and took a trip, by myself with Josiah and Bethany in tow, and we went to Georgia where I was desperate to see my family and spend some time with them. I got to meet my new nephew, and cried the first time I held him. I had been waiting and hoping for him for so long. He is adorable and looks just like my older brother, in my opinion. He has the cutest reddish hair and it just kind of sticks up everywhere! I also got to meet my new niece who was born back in May. I knew if I didn't take this trip to GA that I wouldn't get to see them for another while, so I am glad I went. The trip went well. Me and the kids got up around 5am and headed out. I doubled Josiah and Bethany both up on diapers and we hit the road. We stopped twice, once at a rest area at the NC border, then again in Commerce, GA where we had lunch at Chik-fil-A. I made everyone mad at the restaurant because I took about 15 minutes in the handicap stall changing Bethany and Josiah and also using the facilities myself. After all, it was black Friday and lunch time and people were GRUMPY!!! We hit mom and dad's house in record time and I was so thrilled to be there! Josiah was my constant companion the whole trip, not sleeping a wink the whole way. We constantly talked about all of the big trucks and all of the lakes of water we got to see. He is really so much fun! We also listened to Josiah's new Veggie Tales CD, almost the entire way...it is STILL stuck in my head! While we were in GA, we got to meet up with two of my grandmothers and and aunt and uncle and many cousins for a family luncheon. It was good to see everyone and wish more could have been there. Hey, the highlight was a bunch of the Strevel men got out to play some football and that was pretty fun-ny! I was supposed to head back home Sunday morning, but I was desperate to go to Shoal Creek, my home church, and visit with the saints and the Lord there, so I decided to do it and stayed for church, then the family talked me into going out to lunch with them. This put me travelling home most of the way in the dark, which I did not like, but it wasn't so bad! I had so much fun on this trip and would do it again in a heart beat!
I kept telling Danny that I thought we were due for a really big winter storm this year. Then, the news started posting these winter storm warnings. I really like the snow, but my DH has to drive a truck in it, so it is no fun for him. I called him from work one day and asked him if he heard the news and that they were saying we might get anywhere from 12-18 inches of snow. His response is always: "I'll believe it when I see it." Well, the snow started falling and I was sent home early from work. By the time I made it home, there were already a couple of inches on the ground...unbelievable. So, later on that night, we had TONS of snow and Danny had to get out and drive in it. Around 3:15am, my phone rang and Danny told me he was in his truck, stuck in the snow in a ditch on the side of the road off of Rte 11. He said an EMS/fire worker told him that the road was closed ahead due to an accident and he had to turn around. He thought he was turning around in a driveway, but not so. For 17 long hours, my baby was stuck in the snow on the side of the road in his truck. Thankfully he was able to keep the truck running, so he had heat and he had food with him. He got out at one point and walked up to the house where he was stuck and it turned out to be a frat house where a bunch of guys were hanging out and they let him use the bathroom and sit around for a while. When Danny was finally given permission to abandon his truck [how nice of his employer...] he had a fellow worker who lived in the area come and pick him up and see if he could find a hotel room to sleep in. They drove around for hours and all 18 hotels/motels in Lexington, VA had no vacancies [because everyone was abandoning their cars on the local interstate and seeking shelter]. I tried to find him a place to stay and finally decided to call the local Sherriff's office in Rockbridge County to see if they had a shelter or something like it for stranded motorists. She said that the National Guard set up an emergency shelter at the local High School, so I sent Danny there. He slept that night on the hard gym floor underneath some bleachers with a dumb dog whining near him all night. He was miserable! So, Danny left at 8pm on Friday night and me and the kids were stuck at home without him until Sunday afternoon around 4pm. I was sooo glad to see him! The kids were ecstatic too! I am so glad that ordeal was over and I will not wish for snow again in a while!
We had a nice Christmas with Danny's side of the family. I missed my family, and am still missing them, something terrible! I wish they could have been here, or we could have been there or something! Josiah had fun opening presents this year, but still does not understand what Christmas is all about. EVERYONE kept asking him about Santa and if he was going to see Santa this year, etc., which drove me crazy. Josiah will eventually know about santa, but only as a fictional character and not as some kind of mystical being who brings him goodies. I just don't want him to think that is what Christmas is all about.
Well, it is time for me to close for now. I just wanted to say Hi and I had not forgotten about my blog, just out of time on a regular basis!
Monday, November 16, 2009
Just the Facts, Please!
Fact # 1: This is day four of being sick. I am sick of sick!
So, I picked Bethany up one day last week and noticed she had a bit of a fever. I chalked it up to teething. I gave her some tylenol and figured we were in for a rough couple of weeks. Then, Danny tells me he is feeling kinda sick and achy. That is when I told him he was not allowed to kiss me or the babies and to stay away from us [nice and loving wife, huh?]. Then, after an extremely cranky day with Josiah, I checked him for a fever, and guess what? Yeah, I had to try to not kiss on my kids for a few days. I wasn't supposed to get this! I am the one who has been diligently drinking my emergen-c's and all that good stuff! Friday of last week rolled around and I was at work and I could tell I had a fever because my eyes were so hot! So, we have all had fevers and coughs and I pray we are nearing an end!'
Fact # 2: I miss my family in GA and can't wait to see them all Thanksgiving weekend.
Me and the kiddos, and maybe my sis in law will be taking a trek to GA. I am excited and can't wait. I do not relish a trip by myself and I always have more fun any and every where with my sis in law, so I hope she can come! I am really excited to be able to meet my newest niece and my newest nephew on this trip. Watch out...here comes Aunt Melanie [I bet that is what my siblings have been telling them too!].
Fact # 3: I know we can shop for groceries once a week and spend less than $75.
The discouraging part is that we live in a day and time where if we want something we go and get it and we don't care if we are down to our last penny. It doesn't matter when we last went to the store, if we forgot it, we will go back. I am so frustrated at our spending habits and we continue to daily evaluate and will do so until we change for good. Until then, my discouragement will continue!
Fact # 4: I am tired and it is time to go to bed.
Good night everyone!
So, I picked Bethany up one day last week and noticed she had a bit of a fever. I chalked it up to teething. I gave her some tylenol and figured we were in for a rough couple of weeks. Then, Danny tells me he is feeling kinda sick and achy. That is when I told him he was not allowed to kiss me or the babies and to stay away from us [nice and loving wife, huh?]. Then, after an extremely cranky day with Josiah, I checked him for a fever, and guess what? Yeah, I had to try to not kiss on my kids for a few days. I wasn't supposed to get this! I am the one who has been diligently drinking my emergen-c's and all that good stuff! Friday of last week rolled around and I was at work and I could tell I had a fever because my eyes were so hot! So, we have all had fevers and coughs and I pray we are nearing an end!'
Fact # 2: I miss my family in GA and can't wait to see them all Thanksgiving weekend.
Me and the kiddos, and maybe my sis in law will be taking a trek to GA. I am excited and can't wait. I do not relish a trip by myself and I always have more fun any and every where with my sis in law, so I hope she can come! I am really excited to be able to meet my newest niece and my newest nephew on this trip. Watch out...here comes Aunt Melanie [I bet that is what my siblings have been telling them too!].
Fact # 3: I know we can shop for groceries once a week and spend less than $75.
The discouraging part is that we live in a day and time where if we want something we go and get it and we don't care if we are down to our last penny. It doesn't matter when we last went to the store, if we forgot it, we will go back. I am so frustrated at our spending habits and we continue to daily evaluate and will do so until we change for good. Until then, my discouragement will continue!
Fact # 4: I am tired and it is time to go to bed.
Good night everyone!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)