Knittinghelp.com

ok this website totally rocks. It has videos for any and all knitting questions ! I even discovered that I knit "English" as opposed to "Continental" woohooo.

hmmmm is is really that exciting or am I just up way to late LOL

90% done

We were able to get like 90% of the kids Christmas on Saturday. What a relief! I even got my Christmas gift (early) A new digital camera WOOHOO I needed one sooo bad! Mine old one was OLD lol it was only 3 mega pixils. The new one is 8.2 :) I am soooo happy AND it came with the docking station. So now I can print my pics ! :) What a yummy Christmas it will be !

MERRY CHRISTMAS

Today is Christmas shopping day

WOOHOO I love Christmas shopping day ! I am so excited. Hubby set up babysitting so away we go ! So far the only thing we have gotten the kids is MP3 players. I really want that Fisher Price Zebra for the baby. I hope I can find one !

Baby Blanket

Ok so I started a blanket for the baby about a month ago and it has turned into a monumental undertaking. I am not really sure how it happened. I really need to learn how to read patterns LOL I do have a pattern book from Annie attic and I may try one of those. Or maybe I should try the sock pattern hmmmm what to do what to do :)

Have some patience

I am in the process of moving my blog so don't be surprised if you notice it changing a lot while I learn Wordpress.

Am I the only Crocheter????

ok so I joined raverly and I LOVE LOVE LOVE it. I have met a lot of great women BUT sometimes I feel like I am the only crocheter :( I have tried to knit and I am terrible at it. Granted I have taught myself from youtube videos LOL Maybe I need a beginner's knitting class. Hmmmmmmmmmm.........

Had to move my blog.......

I hate that I had to move my blog again, but blogger had no rss feed :( Oh well I have heard wordpress is better anyways! I guess we will soon see !

Ravelry

WOOHOO I finally got my invite to ravelry.com Happiness is me :) I have so many project to finish for Christmas that I really should be crocheting and not blogging :) but I just had to share the good news !

BAD BLOGGER

Ok I am a bad blogger LOL I guess I will catch you up and all my goings on. I went to the MOPS convention in Orlando and WOW it was so rockin awesome! I can't wait until next year! Matt Redman was our worship leader HELLO it doesn't get any better than that! Then I had my first MOPS meeting as a discussion group leader. That was so cool. I just love the ladies in my group and I know we are going to have an awesome year :)
I have been keeping up with my craft projects as well. I am crocheting scarfs for the kids teachers an bus driver for Christmas. I am getting better at knitting as well, but it takes me forever to do it lol.
Reece is as big as ever. He has learned to climb YIKES I am waiting for the day he figures out how to climb out of him crib :( Lainey was 15 months old when she learned so I am expecting it any day now.
Well that is all for now :) Reece and I need to get back to our French lesson

au revoir mes amis

MOPS convention

I am on the countdown! Only 13 days until I am Orlando bound ! WOOOHOOOO Lets see how did my dear friend put it......."it is sooo awesome.
picture it............over 6000 Christian moms in one room with no children.
okay, so that alone sounds phenomenal, but then throw in some amazing christian artist, comedians, speakers and the Lord himself...........indescribable!"

I will have loads of pics to post when I get back :)

Great Days

What a great day. Did you ever have a day so good that you had a hard time falling asleep because you were so excited about starting the next day? That is how I have been lately. I seam to have a sense of order back in my house again. Everything falling into place. The Lord has heard my cries :) I really don't see how anyone can make it through life without Jesus. He is my rock!

First official day of school

WOW here is it, the first day of school for my second child. He is the one sitting down. I know he looks scared, but he is actually very excited ! I still can't believe that I have 2 kiddos in school. And yet I can believe it because my house is so QUIET !!! After bringing the kids to school this morning I was able to go shopping. Just me and Reece. I am going to enjoy having just him at home, he needs that mommy time :)

It is here ...... SCHOOL TIME

WOW the day is finally here. Lainey and Will are starting school !!! I MADE IT ! I survived the baby, toddler, preschool stage (with only minimal medicinal intervention lol)I really do have such a sense of accomplishment. Now is it just me and Reece at home. Whatever will I do with myself....oh yeah WHATEVER I WANT hehehehehe. Actually I have a great year ahead of me. I have MOPS and a ladies bible study to fill my days :) OH and I get to go to the MOPS convention in Orlando NO KIDS ALLOWED lol oh happy days :)

3 kids

Well I have come to a conclusion as of late, having 3 kids requires some schedule tweeking..... ok a LOT of tweeking lol! Right when I thought I had my world back under control Reece comes along and shakes things up. I think I finally have it (somewhat) back under control.........maybe not lol

My big Boy

How cute is this?? My little man isn't so little anymore ! He makes me so proud :) He is such a smart little bugger. He took his first steps at 9 months, and was walking like a pro at 10 months. I can NOT believe it is time to start planning his 1st birthday party !!!! He will be getting his first hair cut this week. We made it to a year, barely lol. He has the most beaftiful curls. I hate to see them go :( Tomorow I hope to get up the pics from the beach :) So come back soon !

Deathly Hallows

So it took 2 days, but I did it ! Book 7 ROCKED ! I won't spoil it :) I have to share this truly funny youtube video about Deathly Hallows. Don't worry it has no spoilers.

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

New Baby :)

I promised a pic of my new puter : ) Here she is.........

I'M BACK !

Well my computer died and I am ok with that LOL because now I have a new MAC WOOHOOOOO I love it! Thank you eBay hehehe. I will post a pic soon.

Kids for Christ

During the summer our church has a program called Kids for Christ. Every Thursday during June and July the kids go somewhere fun. So far we have been to the water slides, Chuck E Cheese and Skate Heaven. What a great way to pass the summer :)

above is a pic from Skate Heaven

Finishing School

There is a great blog that I frequent, I though I would share the link. She has started an online Finishing School. What a great idea !!!

Reece is walking

My baby is growing up !!!! It seams like just yesterday that I found out about my little surprise. Now he is walking! Where does the time go?

Wordless Wednesday :)

Becoming Jane

I am so very excited about this movie. It is the story about Jane Austen's life and love. I am sure it is a loose interpretation, but exciting none the less. This movie comes at perfect timing, as I have just finished reading Sense & Sensibility AND Pride & Prejudice. I truly believe that every young woman should read these books ! What a tribute the femininity.

VBS

we are in the middle of a successful VBS week. I have the 4th graders. What a GREAT group of kids !! I will be sad when Friday comes and VBS will be over :( God has really softened the hearts of a lot of the kids. He is doing a mighty work ! I will be updating more next week when we get back to our normal schedule.

ALL DONE !!

WOOHOOOOOO We are settled into our new home! It is so wonderful ! I could NOT be more excited. God has blessed us immensely. We are so happy and comfortable. We are within walking distance of my parents and my grandmother. The kids love being so close to grandparents :) Now that we are settled I will be online again :)

Wordless Wednesday :)

MOVING

We are finally moving into our old home. My sister has been there for the past couple of years (while we were living out of state) She is now married and moving out. So back we go. We have come full circle :) I am looking so forward to getting settled. I hate the chaos of moving. I am one of those people who likes organization and peace in the house. Right now everything is in a state of disarray. But I know it is only temporary. We are hoping to be settled by Saturday night. woohoo. Say a prayer for my peace of mind :)

Bible Verse

Have you ever opened the Word and had a verse jump out at you. You know what I mean, it was like it was written specifically for you. It is exactly what you needed to hear and it is exactly the time you needed to hear it. Sometimes it is a verse I have read a thousand times but never noticed. Sometimes it is a verse I have never seen in a book I have read before. Almost like God stuck that verse in just for me. Sometimes the verse is so specific that I am surprised it doesn't have my name on it. I love when this happens. Well I said all this to say that I had this happen yesterday. And this time the verse is one I have read a thousand times, but I HEARD it yesterday. Now the cool thing about this verse is that it "enlightened" me as to the a fore mentioned occurrence. God is so truly amazing and awesome. Well, I suppose you want to know the verse huh :) Here it is..............

"For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart." ~ Hebrews 4:12 NASB

Look What I did !!!

I made this dress all by myself !! It took all day, but it was sooo worth it ! I can't wait to make one for Lainey :) I hand embroidered those circles on myself and the dress made it through a wash cycle ( I sat there the whole time with my fingers crossed lol ) Today I plan to tackle a pattern I bought for a vintage apron. I can't wait to see how it turns out :)

Cold Mountain

Well I tivo'ed this movie on a whim, and watched it because I couldn't find anything else on. The kids and hubby were asleep and the house was all mine, so I decided to finish up my embroidery project. Anywho, I was looking for something to watch that I didn't have to concentrate on. Well this was not the movie to pick ! This was an AMAZING movie. I loved it ! It is jam packed with big names, which usually means the movie will be terrible lol This was not the case with Cold Mountain. What a wonderful tribute to true love :) I have to say that I do hate war movies though (even though they are usually some of the best movies) I guess they just offend my sensitive nature. I have a little Scarlet in me :) I just can not imagine having to deal with such a harsh reality as a war in our own country. Ok now I am getting to deep. I just wanted to let everyone know this movie ROCKS. If you get the chance, and a free 3 hours lol, watch it ! It is worth your time. I don't say that about many movies nowadays.

DONE !

Ok I am finished with my first ever embroidered piece WOOHOO. I love it !!! Check it out !

Family Devotionals

I have really felt lead to start a family devotional time with the kids. We have always done separate devotionals with them in the past. So last night Russ and I went to BAM and searched high and low for a family devotional. The hard part was finding one that was age appropriate.

Embroidery

I have fallen love with embroidering !!! I picked up a little embroidery kit that was on clearance at Wal-Mart on a whim, and now I am hooked !! It is so relaxing and fun. Learning the different stitches from a book has proven somewhat tricky. It would be easier if someone were here to show me. Of course, learning is half the fun :) I will probably finish this one in a day or two, so now I have to make a trip to Hobby Lobby and see what I can find to start on next. I would love to get to the point where I can make my own patterns. I would love to make my daughter a dress and embroider it. OHHHH the possibilities are flying around now LOL Maybe even a kerchief hmmmm anyone know what you do about the backing? it is kinda sloppy in the back where I start off and tie off. Is there a trick to making it a little bit neater for things like napkins and kerchiefs that have no backings? When I finish the one I am on now I will post a pic :)

Bad Blogger

I Haven't blogged in 3 days SORRY ! No one told me that the end of the school year equals chaos! Only one week left for my Lulu WOOHOO I am ready to start summer !

Wordless Wednesday :)

Things I love

Well I was inspired after reading my hubby's blog. So I will now compose my own list of things I love.

• I love the rain. Especially if I am in a house with a tin roof.


• I love a good book


• I love the way my children look when they sleep.


• I love women's spiritual retreats


• I love blogging :)


• I love being a woman


• I love a great cup of coffee


• I love being a southerner


• I love chocolate


• I love vacations


• I love watching AFV with the kids


• I love being a stay at home mommy!

I am going to stop now because if I don't I would fill up the whole page !!! This is indeed a very eye opening thing to do. I encourage you to do it as well :)

Interesting Article

http://www.afa.net/colson050107.asp

This is such a scary reality !

Tagged

I was tagged by Candy. I am suppose to list 8 random things about myself, so here goes .......

1. I love sushi

2. I love to watch Food Network

3. I got pregnant with my third child while I had an IUD. It broke when they were trying to remove it and there is still a piece of it lodged in my uterus !

4. I am starting a MOPS program at my church in the fall. I am very nervous, if anyone has some advise I am all ears :)

5. I have never met my dad

6. I had my tubes tied after my third child, and it makes me sad sometimes. (Even though I know we are done)

7. I gave my life to the Lord 3 years ago and my whole life has changed :)

8. I am married to my soul-mate. I am madly in love with him and my love and respect for him grows everyday!!!

OK all done :) All my secrets are out ! I am suppose to tag 8 people, but if you are reading this you are TAGGED!!! Tag your it !

Starbucks

Ok I just read about the new Starbucks cups!! I am outraged !!I will never drink Starbucks again. Why is it ok to bash Christians???? You would never see them print that stuff about Allah or Budda :( what a sad world we live in. I have heard (read) a lot of Christians saying they will still drink the coffee (supporting the company) and use it as an opportunity to witness.I think we can "let our light shine" without supporting Sodom err I mean Starbucks !

Bible Study

Today was a sad day. It was the last day of my ladies bible study group. :( I have been with these ladies since January. I will miss then so much! It was an amazing study on the book of Ephesians. No matter how much I study the Bible I still get amazed at the precious word of God. I also love to study the letters that Paul wrote. He was such a smart man. I think I will lead a study in the fall. Anyone have any good ideas for Bible Studies??

Femininity

I have recently found something extremely refreshing. A movement of ladies that are going back to the "old ways" The days when women were ladies and treated with respect. I look back at pictures of my grandmother and she was so beautiful. Not just her physical beauty, no she had an air of femininity about her unlike many woman today. I have (after prayer and discussing it with hubby) decided to make the transition to wearing more dresses/skirts. I went with my mother last night and bought 4 skirts and 1 top as well as 2 shells. After I got dressed today in my skirt I feel so much "prettier". I can see how it will be a transition (I love my jeans lol) but it will be easier than I thought. It helps that my hubby is 100% behind me on this. I have to say I was surprised. Not that he would support me, but that he was excited about my wanting to be more feminine.

Birth Stories

I have posted the kids Birth Stories. I hope you enjoy them. Each of my children was a miracle in his or her own way! Enjoy :)

Reece's Birth Story

I will always think of Reece as the baby I never knew I wanted. Russ and I were sure we were done having children. In fact I had an IUD put in. Funny how we think we can control our own destiny! When God has plans, the road blocks we put up can’t stop him!
The beginning of my pregnancy was full of complications. In fact, we were told that it was very likely that we would lose the baby within the first couple of day after finding out we were pregnant. After having the IUD removed (well at least part of it ) we waited to see if the baby made it. Then when I started bleeding we were sure that we had lost him. It was so wonderful to have an ultrasound and see his precious heart beating so strong. I knew then that I wanted this baby more than anything in the world. We began to pray for him, and have the two of us prayed over.
Everything was progressing smoothly until the third trimester when I began to have what the doctors thought were back spasms. They were of course not back spasms, but gallbladder attacks. I ended up back in the hospital when Reece was a week old to have my gallbladder removed.
He was a hard baby to carry because he was 9 POUNDS! 9 pounds! My biggest baby by far. When he would move in my belly I would have to sit down because I could not breathe. I was not surprised at all that he ended up that big.
Being my third c-section I was well prepared, or so I thought. I was scheduled to have my section at 7am. So we got to the hospital and checked in. I dressed in the all to fashionable hospital gown. Then we found out that the OR was occupied by a mom having an emergency section. So I was told it would be a couple of hours at least. NOT what I wanted to hear, but nothing I could do but wait. The nurse came in to put in my IV and that it when the trouble really started. After two attempt of poking me she had no luck. They called in another nurse and she had no luck either L Well the next call was to a doctor. After he poked me 4 times he finally had to put the IV in my hand. One of his failed attempts was in my wrist. I have never felt such pain! OUCH!
The nurse then comes in to tell us they have moved up my surgery time so we have to push my fluids in so I will be ready. They put a cuff on the IV bag and push in a whole bag in just a few minutes. Next thing I know I can’t breathe! They think I am having a panic attack, but what had happened was that the extra fluid made its way into my lungs. I could not take a deep breath. It was so scary!! Russ was so scared by this point. After Lainey’s scary delivery Russ is always worried about me giving birth. They finally get me stable and ready to go to the delivery room.
I had to go in without Russ because of the epidural. I just have to say that by this point I was scared out of my mind. All I did was pray. They get me set up on the table for the epidural and it took FOUR tries to get it in! Yes I had to be poked in my spine four times with a huge needle! They finally get it to take praise God. I did not want to be knocked out!
My doctor comes in and tells me he doesn’t know if he can use my old section scar. Well that was my breaking point. I started to cry. He sat down and asked me what was wrong. I told him everything I had been through that morning. I was scared that something was going to go wrong and I would not make it out :( I told him I had 2 kids at home that needed a mommy and a husband that needed a wife. He assured me that everything would work out just fine. He brought in Russ and my mom and I started feeling better just having my support system there. Twenty minutes later I had a very healthy baby boy. After it was all said and done they let Russ walk him back to the room! It was so sweet. I will never forget the proud look on his face as he carried his healthy son out of the OR. It was the first time we had a baby that wasn’t taken from us by neonatology. Reece has turned out to be the happiest sweetest baby. I can not imagine my life without him.

I love you Reece!!!

Will's Birth Story

The birth of my second child was so much easier. I am a person that likes to have everything planned and controlled. So a scheduled c-section was right up my ally. At a regular check-up during my 6th month of pregnancy the doctor told us to pick a day during the week of January 28th. Well that Friday was February 1st, and we really wanted Will to have a February birthday. It turned out to be a good thing we wait until the end of the week, because my sister's pregnancy went a week longer than expected. She delivered Brantley the Friday before Will was born. If we would have picked the 28th, Kellie and I would have been in the hospital at the same time. Talk about chaos.
This pregnancy was less than perfect. During the second month of pregnancy the morning sickness started. It was pretty bad. Then right after that, the bleeding began. I was so afraid I was losing the baby. I was put on strict bed rest for about 2 weeks. The bleeding finally stopped and we were able to get an ultrasound to see that the baby was fine. The doctor said that it was probably just implantation bleeding. The morning sickness finally went away after my first trimester. It was smooth sailing from there. I didn’t feel the baby move until the 22nd week. That was a long time to wait. I felt Lainey move around week 18. Once I felt the first kick I was so happy. He was a very laid back baby in the womb. He didn't really move unless he wanted to change positions. This made it easy to sleep at night! We really thought we weren’t going to make it to the due date with this baby. I went into labor about 2 weeks early. I caught a stomach virus and got really dehydrated. They were able to stop the contractions though.
As the day for the c-section got closer I got so anxious to have him here. I was able to watch my sister deliver her daughter the week prior and that made me want to see my baby so bad. Well the day finally came, Russ and I were so excited. I got up at 4:30 that morning. Not that I ever really went to sleep. We left the house around 5:15 to make the trip to the hospital. We left Lainey with my grandmother. I had to be at the hospital at 6am. The section was scheduled for 8am. I was supposed to be admitted to a Labor Suite, but they had a hospital full of new moms. There were 30 babies born that week. So I was put in a regular labor room. The anesthesiologist came in to give me my epidural. It hurt a little more than I remember. Because I was a c-section, the epidural was much stronger. I was numb from my neck down. It was very scary. I wasn't able to move my legs at all. At 8am the doctor came in to check me before he took me to the OR. I had dilated 1 cm and was having regular contractions. I guess Will was going to make February 1st his birthday one way or another!! :) Well off to the OR we went. My mom and Russ were there with me. The surgery went really well. At 8:18am my beautiful son was born. He peed 2 times before they got him to the table to check him out. And then another 2 times before the weighed him. It was too funny. I was back in my room recovering before 9:00. They brought Will in to breastfeed at10:00. It was a wonderful bonding moment. They took him to get his bath, and while they were waiting for his temp to come back up he started having some trouble breathing. Tasha the lactation nurse came into to tell me that he had been moved to the NICU. I cried for about an hour. I couldn't believe that both of my children had to be put in the special nursery. All of my dreams about taking my baby home were crushed.
I was moved into a Labor Suite around 2:00 that afternoon. I was able to get into the wheelchair and go see Will, for the first time since I breastfeed him that morning, around8o'clock that night. I was told by the nurse that Will was doing fine. The problems he was having were typical for a c-section baby. She suctioned him really well and he was doing fine. He did have to be put on a feeding tube though. It was hard to see him like that. The next day I was able to hold him and give him a bottle. It took him awhile to learn how to eat. He spit up his Enfamil with Iron, so they switched him to Prosobee. After a lot of persistence I was able to attempt breastfeeding. He was then moved to the Intermediate care nursery. He was losing so much weight that I had to stop breastfeeding and go to pumping. Then Will got jaundiced. He got a pretty bad case. He was under the Billi light for 3 days. It felt like it was one thing after another. After 8 days in the hospital Will and I were finally ready to go home. I finally had my baby boy safe in my arms and on our way to our new life. I can't imagine my life without him.

I love you Will

Lainey's Birth Story

I had the perfect pregnancy with Lainey. Everything went as well as can be expected. I didn't even have morning sickness! Around 35 weeks my doctor started mentioning the possibility that I may not be able to deliver a baby vaginally. I was disappointed but optimistic. I am glad that he had mentioned the possibility to me, because I was able to prepare myself. I had an appointment on the Monday before my due date and I was still only 1 centimeter dilated. I had been that way for 2 weeks. I was so upset. On my due date I went to a fish fry at my uncle’s house. He swore his cooking would put me in labor!! Well the funny thing was I started having contractions later that night. Russ brought me to Wal-Mart so I could walk around. I must have walked 20 miles in the next 2 days. No matter what I did the contractions wouldn't get any stronger. They came every 10 minutes for 2 days. Finally on the 27th, 2 days after my due date, the doctor wanted to see me. Two days of contractions and I was still 1 centimeter!!! I cried the whole way home!!!! He told me that he would induce the next week. That night, while I was watching a movie, my water broke. I thought I had peed on myself!!! ha ha. When I went to the bathroom I noticed that it had a greenish tinge to it. I knew that was bad, so I called the hospital and they told me to come in right away. So off to the hospital we went. I was given an epidural as soon as I got there because the anesthesiologist was leaving for the night. So I felt NO pain. It took 9 hours to get to 5 centimeters, and 45 minutes to get from 5 to 10. The nurses came in and had me start pushing. Every time I would push Lainey's heartbeat would drop. So they put me on my left side and gave me oxygen. I pushed again and her heartbeat dropped to 50 and wouldn't come back up. They paged the doctor STAT. Thank God he was down the hall. He came in and looked and her cord had come out. She was laying on top of it, cutting her oxygen supply.( she wasn't on the outside yet) He jumped on the bed with me and pushed Lainey back in me and wheeled me into the operating room. I had about 10 people buzzing around me and everyone kept saying STAT. It was like an episode of ER. I was praying out loud trying to stay calm. Russ was crying. My whole family was confused. They were waiting outside the door and the next thing they knew I was being wheeled by them with a doctor laying on me. It was crazy. Lainey was delivered within 5 minutes. She was gray and non-responsive. I kept asking if she was ok an no one would answer me. Then I heard the most beautiful noise in the world. My baby cried. I will never EVER forget the feelings I had at that moment. After neonatology checked her out I got to see her. It would be 12 hours before I could hold her. She had to spend the first week of her precious little life in the hospital. Knowing that I could have lost her that day makes her birthday even more special for me. I am truly thankful to have her with me.

I love you Lainey

Under Construction

Well I am trying to move my blog from Xanga to here. I have spent the better part of a morning learning how to make changes to the blogger template. It was a lot harder than I thought it would be. I have managed to wash the linens while I was doing this, so my time was not completely wasted :) If anyone has any tips on how to make it easier PLEASE SHARE !

I hate losing all of my old blogs from my Xanga site :( but it can't be helped. Please feel free to go there and check out my old site www.xanga.com/tishmommyof3 I don't have the heart to delete the account lol