Thank God...It's Friday!

Praises

Uncle Roy was sent home from UVA a few days ago. Apparently his doctors think he'll heal faster and regain more abilities if he's in a familiar environment. Word on the family grapevine is that he's still quite out of it and confused, and is having some trouble with falling. While we're all so thankful that he's even alive and that he had relatively minor injuries compared to what could have happened, the family will definitely still need prayers as they try to work out care schedules and keep Uncle Roy and Aunt Margie safe.

So far, the news is good for friends and family who were fearing for their jobs in the Virginia public school system!

My friend Turkeymary bought a house this week!

I think I have it worked out to allow me to continue to sell baby and child-related products like slings, felt play food, etc. I've been talking with the vendor contact at the store here in town that carries my products, and we're pretty sure we've found a way to follow the law without breaking the bank. I'll update further on the business blog. Thanks for prayers and ideas during this time!

Requests

This is a rough day for a friend. She has a lot on her plate, as well. Please keep her in your prayers as led.

MadHat76's dog at yet another sock. This one earned him a trip to surgery. Please pray for him (and her!) as he heals.

My friend Arinne's wife is expecting their first baby any minute! Hopefully this wait will go quickly for them and they'll have him to love on soon.

Work is kind of crazy right now. It's the same every time I have a new baby, and will pass soon enough, but prayers for sanity would be appreciated.

Little Bro has laryngitis. Yuck and no fun!

The man who was in the wreck with Uncle Roy is still in critical care at UVA, and from what I've heard is still on a ventilator.

Have I mentioned we'd like to get pregnant this month? Just puttin' it out there....

**As a little housekeeping note, Mama let me know that some of the pictures from the alpaca farm weren't showing up. I fixed them, I hope. Check it out!

Have a great weekend!

Thank God...It's Friday! The Saturday Edition

Yeah, yeah, so I didn't get this put up on Friday. With the week I've had, it's a miracle I even have the presence of mind to type. So here you have it....

Praises

This week I am literally thanking God that I made it through. It's been a long one and all my kids were nutty this week. I'm actually looking forward to trying to Spring clean this weekend....

Uncle Roy is conscious and seems to be improving. He has two places bleeding in his brain, but the scans from this afternoon were improved over the ones from 4 AM. He also has a broken shoulder bone. He has no memory of the accident. The other driver has internal bleeding and is currently on a ventilator. So in the midst of praise, prayers are still needed.

Requests

A couple from our new church is currently in the process of adopting their son from Russia. They are waiting on his visa to be approved and hope to travel to Russia in about four weeks to pick him up and have their Russian court date. Unfortunately, today the Russian government starting making threats to freeze all US adoptions. While they are justified in their reaction to a horrible incident, making thousands of new adoptive parents suffer is not the answer. Please be in prayer for our new friends and their son, as well as anyone affected by this.

A friend's wife should be having their baby soon (update us, you know who you are....). Please lift them up in prayer as they grow their family.

Several friends are looking for work or are facing unemployment.

Please keep MadHat76's grandfather in your prayers as he undergoes treatment for cancer.

YaYaPrincess' pooch has been sick. God loves dogs, too, you know.

Two of the families whose blogs I follow are observing the one year anniversary of their children's deaths this week. I cannot even imagine how hard this would be. Please keep them in your prayers.

Thank God...It's Friday!

This has been such a long week!! It's absolutely dragging by! Probably because I know that Brian has the weekend off and we have very, very little planned. Palm Sunday in "our new church" is the only given on the agenda. Oh, yeah, and some wrestling thing Brian will be parked in front of on Sunday...seriously, though, he's excited and that's cool. Anyone who is also planning on watching that and wants to do it in the comfort of our living room in front of the big screen instead of at BW3, call me! I'll try to arrange for some food if we get company. Incentive... I'm also going to try to convince him to see Alice in Wonderland this weekend. I need more of that 3D experience!!

You guys crack me up! Apparently there are doubts about my ability to keep my mouth shut for 12 weeks..... Of course, I'm the one having the doubts, but I digress. Seriously, though, you guys will know after our parents and siblings. Heck, some of our family reads this, and what a un-fun way to find out you're going to be an aunt or uncle? So after they know, you will. Not immediately, because I'm just way too....anxiety-ridden? I'm so afraid that when it does happen, it won't last. Irrational, but true. I won't make you wait 12 weeks. Though I'm sure I could keep that a secret if I wanted an aneurysm a challenge! That said, some of you know that I planned 80% of our wedding in the car on the way back from West Virginia the day after we got engaged... Can you imagine how fast I'm going to put that nursery together when the time comes?! Please. You'll be seeing pictures. Of course, I may be geriatric by that time, but whatever.

So, in response to comments from my last post:

Allison, I was reading the same blog you were. You sent me the link a few years ago, and I read through her entire archive. Then her little girl was born and I was so excited to "meet" her. And then, poof!, nothing. I can't imagine losing this outlet that way!

Samantha, your happy ending will definitely come! Maybe before ours! Have faith, girl! I know what you mean about Facebook pee stick photos. So...hard to see. My high school friends who are on Facebook and reading here have probably seen the newest announcement from one of our classmates. I am so happy for her. But also really jealous. I hate that feeling in myself, but there it is. Doesn't help that she literally just had a baby and then had her tubes tied. Obviously God wasn't through with her yet, but ouch for quite a few of us. Infertility seems to be rampant in our high school class, and I just wish more people knew to be gentle.

Anonymous, you need a log-in name. Or else I'll give you a bloggy name, and they are usually hokey. So getcha one. Rest assured, I'll totally be posting pee stick photos, ultrasounds, obsessive pregnancy posts on here. Are you kidding?! Otherwise I'll drive everyone I see every day completely insane. But not on Facebook. I really respected that you guys were discreet and thoughtful. Not secretive, just considerate. This blog is my own private forum, and if I wanna post "Hey, I'm Preggo!" posts every day, I'm probably going to! But on Facebook it just seems so....braggy? But no, there will be no belly photos anywhere. *shudder* I am way too modest for that, and seriously don't want to be responsible for blinding 10 or 15 people. Maybe I'll find some stock photos online and Photoshop my head on.....

So, nothing is positive and I'm not getting my hopes too up for this cycle. But there's always next month, and the month after that. And, if my Mama is any example the next five years after that. But I'm hopeful. And always prayerful. Speaking of which.....

Thank God...It's Friday

Praises

Big P had his surgery yesterday and it went off without a hitch. He should be headed home any time now, and then his mama gets to try to keep an active three-and-a-half year old "calm". Pray for them both!

Brian has the weekend off! Yay!

The Bum had a scary call at work this week. Seems Cuz and The Godson attempted to burn the house down making French fries. Only the kitchen was affected, and it probably looks much worse than it is, but I'm sure it was scary nonetheless. Thank God, no one was hurt, the landlord wasn't angry, and the insurance should cover it.

Anonymous up there is going to be a mommy very, very soon. Please keep Mommies and Baby in your prayers! Yay!

Requests

Teachers all over the state of Virginia are facing the cold reality that they could lose their jobs because there is no longer any room in the budget for public schools. In some towns, entire schools are closing. In my mother's side of our immediate family alone, we have four teachers. Only two have tenure. Many of my friends face unemployment as well, and I cannot imagine how they are feeling over this. Losing your job for no fault of your own is just plain Not Fair. Please pray that they will receive good news, that money will be reallocated, and that children in the public school system will not suffer because of the ignorance of our government. Please pray that anyone who does lose their job will go on to bigger and better (and better paying, for that matter!) endeavors.

An acquaintance is facing some seriously hard times. Naturally, this affects their spouse and many friends as well. Please pray as led.

Anything going on in your life that you want to give praise over or need lifted up?

Friday Already?

Wow! It's been a week since I posted! Or rather, a week and a day. I had no free time to even think about posting this week, so be impressed that this is up today!

My doctor's appointment last Thursday was....interesting. I was pleasantly surprised by the change in my doctor's bedside manner; he was friendly and helpful, and didn't make me feel like a failure at all. However, my ultrasound showed no sign of ovulation. Dr. B and I discussed raising the dosage of Clomid that I've been on to the highest dosage they can provide. I asked about blood work, but he said it wouldn't make any difference. But I knew something was just not right. My body gives clear signs when it's ovulating, and they were all there this month. How could I be so wrong about my own body?! I asked Dr. B if the fact that I have a 35 day cycle and usually ovulate "late" around CD 20 would make any difference. He said absolutely, and I gave up some blood. But it was pretty clear that I had not ovualted, and that my body was no longer responding to Clomid as expected, no matter what I thought. I left the office and made it to the car before I burst into tears. I cried most of the way home, asking God why on earth this has to be so hard. I trust Him, but it hurts to get knocked down every month. And you'd think a nine month break would help, right? Nope. Not in terms of pain. Heading home last week it was as if my last appointment had been January, not May 2009. Hurts just the same as always. I spent the rest of the night incredibly depressed, feeling like a complete failure and feeling pretty much hopeless. I hate that feeling. How could I have been so wrong?

Friday I called the patient messaging service about a million times for the results of my blood work. It was testing for progesterone, which would be present if I had ovulated. The results were finally in around 3 PM. And I ovulated!! I was right! I did know my body, and it was working like I expected! If I hadn't been determined that I knew what I was talking about I would have gone home and been depressed and sad, ready to give up. I would have raised my Clomid dosage to an insane level unneccesarily. Thank God I stood up for what I knew to be right. I've been so glad to see comments from other women dealing with infertility, women with PCOS ("cysters") and other people looking for answers. I'm so glad we can come together like this in such an unprecedented way. Today I would say to you: know your body. Be confident that you know it best. Doctors are great, and well-trained doctors are a Godsend. But stand up for your body and for what you know to be right. Demand blood work and the respect that you deserve. Thank God Dr. B trusted my self-knowledge enough to order a simple blood test.

So now it's CD 2 and we're gearing up for another month of this craziness. I have learned so much from infertility. I'll post about it soon, I promise, but just know that it's a learning experience for sure.

For now, let's

Thank God....It's Friday!

Praises

Brian's bonus check came. Let's just say that God hears prayers, and He is soooo good. We needed help and all we could do was trust. Turned out pretty good!

Both of our spare rooms are cleaned out and look lovely. That makes me such a happier person, and it feels like our house went on a diet. Ahhhhhh.....

I am thankful for YaYa Princess, who is willing to answer my most disturbing questions and discuss the most bizarre personal aspects of our lives. Usually while at work. I love her and cannot image not having her to share a brain with! Rumor has it she's pretty darn good at her job, too. Top 5 or something like that.

Requests

On Monday, my Aunt Frances passed away. She was married to my dad's oldest brother, and she had been ill for a very, very long time. Please be in prayer for her family.

Aunt Margie, Daddy's third sister, was diagnosed with cancer Monday. I have no details on her prognosis or treatment, but I know it's not good.

Uncle Roy is Aunt Margie's husband. He was also Aunt Frances' brother (a brother and sister from one family married a brother and sister from another family). He's had a pretty sucky week. He could probably use some focused prayer in his time of grief.

Brian's family (mom, dad, and Nurse Baileys) are supposed to come down this weekend. However, they are also in the middle of a blizzard, apparently. So please pray that they can actually come to Virginia, and that their travels are safe.

Brian's life at work is going to get nuts for a while. Please pray for him and for everyone else there.

Thank God...It's Friday!

Thank God....It's Friday!

Praises

I had a day off thanks to snow, and it happened to coincide with Brian's schedule day off. Yay!

So far, this cycle of Clomid is right on track.

We have a houseful of groceries, good heat, comfy blankets, and no real snow worries. Many are not as blessed.

Requests

MadHat76's grandfather was diagnosed with a rare type of bladder cancer this week. He is currently discussing treatment options with his oncologist. Please keep him and their entire family in your prayers.

It's pretty definite that Brian will have to try to get to work tomorrow afternoon in more than two feet of snow. He will probably have to stay overnight at the store. Please keep in him your prayers.

One of my friends needs the kind of strength, understanding, and patience that only God can give. Please pray as led.

The east coast is being pummeled by a huge storm and we're expected to receive 20-30 inches of snow. There are many people who are homeless or live in a less than cozy home. Many will lose power and have no heat, or can't afford the food that they would need to have stocked up. Please pray for them, and get out and help in any way you can.

Thank God...It's Friday!

Thank God....It's Friday

The Travel Edition

Praises

MadHat76's grandfather is home. His Xrays and various scans are all clear. Pray that his lab report declares this "mass" as benign and he can get back to life as usual!

Yesterday was Brian's birthday. Yay!

Aunt Margie is home and apparently doing fine.

Requests

We're headed to Elizabeth and Parkersburg to see Brian's family this weekend. We're praying for travel mercies and good weather!

I started a new round of Clomid last night. Praying it will be the last one I need!

Have a fabulous weekend!

Thank God...It's Friday!

This has been the strangest week! I used to get sick quite often. Once we moved out of our old mold-bomb of a house and into a nice, new, mold-free house I was able to start working on my immune system. Most of our lifestyle changes have been focused on improving our health in specific areas, and one of those is our immune systems. I don't want to have to depend on vaccinations, antibiotics, and modern medicine to prevent or heal illness. Instead our focus has been on strengthening and support our immune systems to do their God-given job. As we've switched to whole grains, grass-fed beef, raw milk, and local honey we've seen a great increase in our abilities to avoid illness and recover more quickly from whatever we do manage to catch. I'm not saying we don't get sick. Heaven knows we can both get a pretty good cold if it's going around! But it doesn't seem to linger, and I don't remember the last time I missed a day of work due to illness (piano lessons, yes. I don't choose to share germs with those families that don't have to come to our house). Last week, however, a tiny Typhoid Mary brought an evil germ into my house. Apparently my body immediately latched onto it and took it deeply to heart. I know because I can feel it burning in my chest!! I have been coughing since Saturday. A lot. I'm pretty sure it's not bronchitis, but it hurts nonetheless. So I've been lying low all week. Nothing much has gotten done except for daycare. I cancelled lessons, shifted any housework into "Merely Survive" mode, and temporarily forgot how to cook. Hack, hack, cough, cough, sniff. That's been my refrain for a week now. YaYa Princess said she was compulsively checking my blog yesterday in an effort to dodge work. Sorry, kiddo, I was too busy coughing up a lung to help you out on that! So, on the top of my prayer list this week is: may I please feel better soon!! (click that Typhoid Mary link -- interesting stuff!)

Thank God....It's Friday

Praises

• Brian is off work for 10 days! He needs a vacation, and plans on using it to accomplish some things around the house that have been needing attention for a while. I hope he has time to rest and relax, as well. In the middle of that vacation, he has a birthday, too!
• Aunt Margie is home! She's pretty much homebound now, so if you know her please stop by and visit. She'll certainly talk your ear off in the living room, but you're not liable to see her out and about any time soon.
• Mama's knees are officially released! Not from one another, not from her legs, but from the doctor. Yay for her!
• I don't want to jinx it, but it seems like the Provera might just work.....

Requests

• We're planning on going to visit Brian's family next weekend. We need good weather for that, since it's so far away and over several mountains.
• We're also planning on seeing Little Bro and Sweet Lizzy (hi!) this weekend to celebrate Brian's birthday and Lizzy's belated birthday. This wintery mix outside my window needs to clear up, post haste.

Have a great weekend!

Note to MadHat76: you crazy woman! Those are burp cloths for babies, not placemats! But now you've got me thinking.....

Thank God....It's Friday!!

Thank God....It's Friday

Here's what we're praying for around BaileysLand this week. Join in, or leave your prayer request in the comments. Be sure to pray for anyone who comments, too, please!

Praises

Getting started back with our fertility clinic was way easier than I feared it would be.

One of Brian's coworkers' son was kidnapped by his father this week. He was quickly recovered and is fine.

Requests

Pray hard, diligently and with all your being for the people of Haiti. Please pray for the citizens, missionaries and tourists, rescue workers, and anyone else on the island, as well as anyone living elsewhere with family that they haven't heard from. Some friends of ours did some mission work in Haiti when they were first married, and still have friends there. I know they are worried as well. I cannot imagine how horrible it would be to be in Haiti right now not knowing if you were going to be safe, or if an aftershock will knock your house down. Also, some really horribly comments were made this week by someone purporting to speak for the Christian faith in regards to Haiti. Please disregard them, and know that no true Christian would blame the people of Haiti for this tragedy. He does not speak for me, or for my faith. I don't know about anyone else, but my God doesn't punish people with earthquakes but instead brings them through every little aftershock in the palm of his hand. I pray that you will be led to pray, and maybe to donate money, items, or time to help those children of God less fortunate and struck by this horrific earthquake.

Please pray as led for a close friend of mine. I will not air it on my blog, but I know that God knows what she needs.

Little Bro and Sweet Lizzy have had a horrible week at work. There is no heat in their school, and a water main broke in Bro's classroom. Everything in there was ruined. He has been shuffled from hallway to cafeteria to extra room to teach his class of kids with learning disabilities, special needs, and at-risk behaviors. Sweet Lizzy has taught in a room that was 40 degrees at its warmest point. Their job is hard enough at a difficult school with difficult kids without having to deal with this.

Mama's Aunt Leona fell last weekend while celebrating Christmas with her family. She may have a torn rotator cuff, but is back at her retirement home and doing well. Please keep her stubborn tail in your prayers. (Hey, Mama, by the way -- Aunt Pony fell. I found out Tuesday and forgot to tell you. Sorry to tell you this way, but we both know I'll forget to tell you tomorrow, too.)

As always, we'd like a baby and a new job for Brian.

Have a great weekend!

Thank God....It's Friday!!

Wow, this week was fast!! That in and of itself is a huge praise in my book. All too often we wish our lives away, hurrying the days along. I need to stop doing that, I know. But working a full week when you've gotten very, very used to three day weeks is hard! So I'm ready for a weekend and about 16 hours of sleep, spread over two days. Hellooooo, Friday!

Thank God...It's Friday

Praises

• The gossip on Facebook says that Aunt Margie is doing well.
• I got to meet Baby P yesterday, and he's just as sweet as you'd imagine a week old bundle to be.
• I finally got to talk to a nurse at our fertility clinic, and we don't have to do anything special to start trying to conceive again. Just take the Provera and start on the Clomid, and we're back in the swing of things. Let's hope that's a one-time deal and then we can get on with the actual baby part!
• I think we both had mostly good weeks at work. Huge praise there.
• I'm doing a decent job at maintaining my...not New Year's resolution per se, but rather my....conviction about how I want things to be? My attitude adjustment has stuck, with a few realignments here and there.

Requests

• The good news about starting to try again means lots and lots of drugs. Provera makes me tired and cranky. Clomid makes me just plain evil. I will be trying really extra super hard not to let this happen. I could use some prayers in that department.
• Still praying for a new job for Brian.
• In case you hadn't noticed, it's seriously cold outside. It's currently 18 degrees here, with a wind chill of 9 degrees. Imagine being homeless in this weather. Pray for the people that are, and do what you can to fix the problem.

Have a great weekend and stay warm!

Whirlwind

Wow. It's finally 2010. I am so happy to be done with 2009 I almost cannot express it. I just read back over my last post from December 7, when Aunt Margie was struggling for her life. So much has happened since then! If you had seen Aunt Margie on Christmas Day, at her rehab center, laughing and joking and sneaking the deer bologna we brought her when her nurse left, you'd swear I'd jumped the gun by posting that. She is doing great. Is she healed completely? No. Do her lungs work? Nope. Never will again, but that's not new. But she's survived and she's ready to bust right out of that rehab center. After my post on December 7, Aunt Margie suffered a heart attack. She had a fever so high she was packed in ice. There was an obvious infection, and she was diagnosed with sepsis. Finally, the doctors uncovered four different areas of infection in her body and said that if she was able to be stabilized, then surgery would be necessary as one of those places was a heart valve, according to the Hill Grapevine. A few days later, she was responding well to antibiotics, was moved from CICU, and was discharged about a week later to a rehab facility here in town to receive eight more weeks of IV antibiotics. She has good days and bad days, but she's doing so much better than anyone anticipated. At one point, she told us that she remembers waking up and seeing her whole family standing around her bed, crying. She said that she realized at that point that something was bad-wrong, and that she must be in a bad way, and that she better get better right away. She's strong, I'll give her that.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, 2009 continued. And continued to suck. The week before Christmas, my great-uncle Billy passed away. He was Mama's maternal uncle and the only remaining sibling of my grandma. We lost his sisters last year, three weeks apart. Uncle Billy had cancer and was recently admitted to the same rehab center where Aunt Margie is hanging out. His death came as a blessing to him, but a blow to us. While it was expected, we're sad to lose the last of an entire generation.

The following week, Uncle Billy's brother in law, Mama's uncle Ray died. He was Aunt Ruby's widower, and had suffered from dementia for a few years. He took such good care of Aunt Ruby during her struggle with Alzheimer's, and we think the strain eventually took its toll on him. He was a sweet man, always smiling, and dearly loved. At his funeral on the last Sunday in 09, we all remembered how much he loved life and his family. He will be sorely missed, but his family knows he is better now.

This has been a horrid year. We've seen Cousin Mike, The Bum, and The Godson move too far away, lost an uncle, two great uncles, nearly lost another uncle and an aunt, saw Mama through major surgery, a minor but scary surgery for Brian's sister, dire financial straits for us (and many others in our close circle of friends), a hospitalization for Brian, and so many little personal tragedies that I never even posted about because it was too depressing. I am so glad it's over. Already 2010 has a brighter gleam to it, and is full of so much promise.

I was actually getting on here to post pictures of Christmas and of some of the craftiness that occurred around here in preparation for the holiday. I'll set those up to publish later tonight or tomorrow, because later tonight I'll be watching the recorded version of the WVU Bowl Game with Brian tonight. Please do not tell us what happens, we prefer to watch it!!

Instead, here's a quick Thank God...It's Friday because I just realized it's Friday. I love holidays....

Praises

• Aunt Margie's doing well!
• 2010 is here!
• One of my little guys from daycare has become a big brother Wednesday. I don't post their names, so suffice it to say that Big P welcomed Little P and everyone is doing well.
• Mama may have found out why her legs have been swelling, causing her a lot of pain. The culprit? Country ham. Hopefully now she can continue to heal and run around like a crazy woman (seriously, she ran the other day) once she gets rid of all that salt-induced fluid.

Requests

• Brian needs a new job. I am so not kidding.
• I think I've pulled a muscle in my back. I'm used to my back hurting in the morning, but it hasn't stopped today and it's in a different place than usual. It hurts a bunch, so I'm taking it easy today in hopes that it heals up fast!
• We're hoping to go to West Virginia in a few weeks. We pray that trip will go off without a hitch, as we've had plenty of hitches in the last few times we planned to go. We miss Brian's family, The Bum/Godson/Cousin Mike, and all Brian's friends that we only see a few times a year.
• We're hoping to start IUI this month. I'm nervous and there are a million details to iron out, but we're praying it all goes smoothly. And is successful!!

Thank God....It's Friday!!

No, really -- Thank God, it's finally Friday. Do not get me wrong: I love my job. More than most people in the world, probably. But I am looking forwared to finally having a weekend that is unscheduled, where the most "planned" activity I have is our church's Thanksgiving dinner after worship on Sunday. Other than that, I'm planning on avoiding all planning. Just dinner with the family tonight (avoiding cooking, too, apparently), and straightening up my filthy house. It's really gone to pot lately around here, and I've had no motivation to clean a thing. So this weekend, I'm indulging my neat-freak side, provided I can resurrect it and dust it off! Now, let's all

Thank God....It's Friday

Praises

This week, we're thanking God for quiet in our neighborhood. The neighbors are moving and all the (known, confirmed, we're not just being judgmental) drug dealers are gone. Yay!

Mama saw the doctor this week and found out that her sore hip is not something that needs further surgery. More on that below....

Patsy Clairmont, who MadHat76, VA, and I saw at Women of Faith in August, has a son named Marty. He was literally saved from death by prayers and petitions this week. A lot of work from doctors, too, of course. But many thousands of people were praying, and the Lord heard. Yay!

Uncle Billy breezed through his second knee replacement with none of the problems that plagued his first one, and is doing great.

I'm continually thankful for an amazing husband, a great house full of snuggly kitties, a good job, a wonderful family, enough to eat, money for bills, and fabulous friends! Not just on Thanksgiving Day but every day of the year, give some thanks!

Requests

Please, please, please pray for Anissa Mayhew. I've been reading Anissa's blog a little, but was first aware of her from Heather Spohr's blog. Anissa suffered a massive stroke on Tuesday, and then another. You can visit this blog link here for an update. Please pray for this sweet family who have been through so very much and now are facing even more.

One of my daycare children's grandma fell down the steps on the 8th, and has a traumatic brain injury. Following surgery to remove a portion of her skull to allow for swelling in her brain, she has been minimally responsive and has not woken up until today. She has had partially collapsed lungs and irregular heartbeat. Today she is waking up and is "agitated". Please pray for Karen, her husband, and their families.

Mama's knee surgeon says she needs to have a manipulation. I'm totally going to offer to drop by and manipulate her, hopefully out of a thousand dollars or into cleaning my house, but I have a feeling he means something a little different. Apparently it's an outpatient procedure in which she receives a spinal block, an injection in her left knee, and then her knee is manipulated to 120 degrees. Ouch! But, it's a quick surgery and she'll be home the same day with minimal pain compared to her previous surgery. This should break up all the scar tissue that has bound her knee up and prevented it from bending up till now. Please pray for a great outcome and minimal pain.

I'm sure there's a lot more. If you have something you're thankful for or need lifted up, include it in the comments. There are a few people who actually read this blog, believe it or not, and they do intercede on behalf of anyone who needs it. And, of course, so will I. Meanwhile, have a tremendous weekend and a happy Thanksgiving!!

Thank God....It's Friday!!

It's been so long since I blogged about anything that I'm surprised Blogger didn't say "Who?!" when I logged in. I cannot explain to you all how busy it's been around here, but I also know that's no excuse. Heaven knows I've had time to farm on Facebook, embroider a tablecloth, try to learn to knit, dodge housework, and have slumber parties with Mama. Of course, there are also countless crazy children running around my living room most days so that kind of kills any desire to do anything more than nap once they leave. Today is Friday, thank the good Lord above, so we'll jump back on the TG...IF train today, as well as a mini-update.

When last we left our superheroes, they we had survived Mama's double knee replacement surgery (yeah, we only had to sit in the waiting room while she went through the surgery...but we all survived so there!) and she was well on the road to recovery. While Mama's chomping at the bit to be back up and around and feels that her recovery is taking literally forever, in all actuality she's doing better than expected and is healing amazingly quickly. Thank you to everyone who's prayed for her and the rest of us, brought food, checked in, hung out with her, or in general forgiven our forgetfulness because we were exhausted. Things are settling into some kind of normal. I'm back home, Mama's talking about going back to work in the next few weeks, and sometimes she can be found out and about taking in the sights.

Since then, I've been working on planning our Annual Halloween party for next Saturday. Growing up, all the family that lived in the county (you know, where there's plenty of cow tipping but no trick or treating?) came into town and used our house as a home base of sorts. The kids went out and canvased the neighborhood for junk food, and the adults stayed home and enjoyed chili, gossip, and whatever costumes the neighborhood kids had to show off. Our neighborhood growing up (which is a whole three blocks from our neighborhood now) was great for kids, and car- and truck-loads of them would show up for Halloween. As time went on, this tradition continued with slightly-more-grown-up cousins dropping in to show off costumes, as well as all the munchkins Mama had for daycare. Unfortunately, Mama and Daddy's house is a split foyer, so there are lots of stairs involved in answering the door. A few years ago I offered to take that responsibility off her hands and have Halloween here. I love it. I love having our family, old friends, new friends, my daycare kids, and Mama's daycare kids over to the house, and about 500 neighborhood kids (not exaggerating) at the door. So if you're in the area on Halloween and want some chili or cake, drop in! Until then, I'll be cleaning our house and maybe have some curtains hung by then. Ha!

Brian had his second sleep study and now sleeps with his Luke Skywalker mask (seriously click that link -- it's hilarious) at night. It's so quiet in our house. Ah...... Hopefully in a few more weeks he'll feel even better as he catches up on some missed sleep! I've noticed a difference in him lately, and I hope he will be able to soon!

Meanwhile, we're both dodging the flu like crazy people. Folks are sick at Brian's store, kids' parents are sick here at the daycare, and it seems like everyone we know has someone sick with the porcine plague. I woke up feeling all queasy and Brian feels like trash today, too, so hopefully it's just because it's been a long week. Here's hoping!

Now, without further adieu....

Thank God....It's Friday!

Praises

I am incredibly thankful for my husband. Always, but I'm just throwing it out there again this week. He understands me, he gets me, and he loves me anyway. That's just cool.

Thank God Mama is doing so well, and that she has such an awesome "support staff" there with her throughout the day!

Yay for grass-fed, organic, locally grown beef. Our second beef will be arriving tomorrow to stock our freezer, and I'm so excited. We weren't sure we'd be able to afford it this year, but God provides and makes things happen. Yay for yumminess that is so good for you!

Some projects that we've been working on for the past year or so are finally coming to a head. That includes things like curtains, finally decorating our house, screen doors, and many other things that we've been hoping for but putting on the back burner.

MadHat76's husband had a great report at the foot guru this week!

Sealgair is getting all tatted-up this weekend! I know she'll have a ball! Of course, she has only added fuel to the fire of desire for my tattoo number two....

Thank heaven for great friends and simple weekend plans like this.

Requests

Please continue to pray for Mama's knees!

One of my daycare families has a cousin affected by the H1N1 flu. She is 12, and is not doing well. She's had the flu for three weeks, and her lungs are affected. Please be with her in prayer.

MadHat hates her job. She's working for some seriously screwed up people. Please pray she finds a new job, preferably before she needs bail money....

Brian's in the same boat. Pray on that one, too!

Our neighbors are a hot mess of white trash drama. Not to be judgmental, but my doors are perpetually locked now. Please pray that this situation resolves itself quickly and painlessly!

Well, it's time to get ready for a three year old's birthday party!! Have a great Friday, and I promise I'll be better about keeping you updated!

Thank God....It's Friday!!

Crazy-busy August has given way to a slightly less crazy-busy September, and with it comes my favorite season of the year. I love Fall in such a big, big way. I am in my element in Fall, boy. I know I skipped a TG...IF last week. Too much was going on and I just didn't feel like it. No excuses, just didn't wanna. But here you go.....

Thank God...It's Friday

Praises

Thank the good Lord above for three day weekends. Especially when Brian actually gets all three days off as well!!

I turned 32 this past week. I'm thankful for the privilege of doing so.

My parents will have been married for 42 years this coming week. I have it on good authority that they married at 5 and 9 years old.... Thank God for them, the childhood they gave us, and for their example of stick-to-it-iveness and love.

Have I mentioned I'm immensely, amazingly, overwhelmingly thankful for my husband? Just making sure....

The slings I took to OTTB are selling!! Yay for supplemental income and validation!

Requests

Mama will be going in for surgery on September 30th to replace both her knees. Though she is quite attached to the pair she has now (hardy har, right?), I'm sure she'll love her new ones even more. I pray she has a good month leading up to the big day and doesn't get too nervous.

Pray for Dr. Peerless, the doctor who will be taking care of Mama, that he'll have wisdom, knowledge, skill, and whatever else it takes to have her dancing again soon.

Please go to Maxey Web and pray for Annette. Her family has taken her home, and hospice has been called. They are so much stronger than I could ever be in the same situation.

Brian's physical therapy seems to be working on his jacked-up rotator cuff. We pray the healing continues!

Thank God....It's Friday!!

Ah, Friday. Blissful, peaceful, relaxed Friday. Yeah, right. Around here it's still pedal to the metal on Fridays. So, wasting no more time in chit chat....

Thank God...It's Friday

Praises

I am immensely, amazingly thankful for my husband, who forgives me for being rash and mouthy, who takes care of so many crazy catastrophes in a day and still handle mine when he gets home. Thank God he gives me a "do over" daily!

Likewise, thank God that He does the same!!

Thank God for friends. For the ones you can call on a moment's notice and know they'll talk you off the ledge or commiserate with whatever's going on in your life, and tell you how right you are all the time. And come to your house to make pajama pants, giving you the best laugh you've had in a while.

Brian had an appointment with his neurologist this week, and he's perfect. Or at least that's what his tests say! The neurologist couldn't find anything physical to explain Brian's neurological anomalies, which is actually a relief. Things have gotten exponentially better since he's staying more hydrated and got glasses, so we pray that might be the answer!

Requests

Not a lot going on in this department...which is a praise! Some of you may know that Brian has boogered his shoulder somehow. Probably at work, lifting carpets. He's seen the doctor and has an appointment with a physical therapist next week. But it's starting to hurt daily, nightly, all the time. We really pray it's not a torn rotator cuff, but that's the most likely. This has been going on for months (and months and months) through all the other stuff he's been dealing with. So please pray for his shoulder and some fast healing.

I'm taking a set of baby pouch-style slings to On The Turtle's Back tonight. It'd be really nice if they all sold like hotcakes!

This weekend is nutty busy for us, so I'll try to see you Monday....maybe with pictures. No promises, though!

Thank God....It's Friday!!

I know it's late. I've been chained to the sewing machine for the past two nights and am trying to get things done. So, with like 30 seconds left to Friday...

Thank God....It's Friday (or Saturday)!

Praises

I thank God immensely today that every day is new and fresh and that we can start over. And that I can do it again tomorrow since I'm gonna need it.

Thank God my husband is very similar in this respect....

We're thankful that business is picking up around here and by next week I'll be thatmuchcloser to making the amount of money I'm supposed to each week. Whew! What a long year it's been!

Thank the good Lord for naps. That's all I have to say about that.

Requests

Please keep Annette in your prayers.

Mama and her friend, Coe, are travelling this weekend. Please keep these crazy ladies in your prayers.

Ditto YaYa Princess, who is travelling to see lil' ol' me!!!

I think I'm forgetting something, but I'm not sure what it is.

Ya'll have a great weekend!

Thank God....It's Friday!!

Holy cats, it's been a crazy week! I should have known going into last weekend already tired wasn't a good thing. I officially need a lot less nuttiness in my life, and to make up for a huge sleep-debt. Remember when Brian was away for ten days and I nearly broke my ankle, and then my in-laws came, and then Brian was in the hospital, and then we had lots of fun plans, and then my uncle took a turn for the worse and passed away? And then I went to hang out with the biggest, most fun group of women I ever could ask for? That was a little something we'll call JuneJuly, during which I'm not sure I slept more than 5-6 hours nightly. I seriously cannot believe the turn this summer has taken, and cannot wait for it to slow down. Since all of August is now booked up tight, I'm quite literally praying for September. Not trying to wish my life away, but definitely looking forward to some peace and quiet. Speaking of praying.....

Thank God...It's Friday

Praises

Thank God that this week was fast, and that Brian is patient. Nothing is getting done around here while I am the full-time (but happy) slave to a four month old. I had forgotten just how hands-on they are at that age.

I'm glad that we get to spend a great weekend with each other, and with my family. We'll be concert-ing and there are rumors of a trip to Skyline Drive floating around.

Stellan is doing great! You may remember that I've been following Stellan's story for quite some time, and that I asked you to pray for him last Monday. The YaYa Princess has been watching Stellan's situation, too, and I hope you'll keep him in your prayers as well. But for now, the Lord was good yet again and Stellan is home and doing great. He'll get to grow a bit more before he heads to Boston for more surgery.

MamaSpohr, who is on my mind so very often, is pregnant. I am so glad that this sweet family is growing again. Understandably this brings a lot of mixed emotions after the passing of her first daughter this Spring, but I pray that this second baby (Binky for now, her blog says) is able to be a balm to her soul and that she'll feel Binky bringing her Maddie's love with every snuggle.

MadHat76's husband seems to be doing well. I've seen the pictures and it ain't pretty. But it seems like they're settling into a nice routine.

Requests

Please continue to pray for Annette over at Maxey Web. She simply isn't doing well, and I'm sure that the diagnosis of radiation necrosis in her brain is a bigger blow to her parents than we can even imagine. She was supposed to head into surgery today for a tracheotomy, but was rescheduled for Monday. Please keep her whole family in your prayers.

Have I mentioned Brian needs a new job? Cause he does. Pray on that, will you?

One of my friends from ages ago is going through a lot. A lot. I'm not going to air it on the Internet, as it's not in my place. But please keep him and his daughter in your prayers.

If you have any prayer requests or praises, please don't hesitate to leave them in the comments section. Though I don't always reply, the comments dump right into my blog reader which dumps straight into my phone. So I seem them and pray for each one of you. It's my hope that you'll do the same for the people you see commenting. Hey, lurkers....leave a comment and we'll pray for you, too!! Or just lurk -- that's what I tend to do, for the record!

Happy Friday, ya'll.

Friday Eve...

And not like Friday night, either...more like the night before. This week, there will be no Thank God....It's Friday. Don't get me wrong: I'm as thankful as anyone this week. But I have more pressing matters on my heart than sharing a praise or request list with you.

If you've been reading my blog for anytime at all, you probably remember me asking for prayer for my Uncle Carroll. He was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in January, and given 6-12 months. Chemo and radiation did no good and the cancer spread to his liver. As of a few weeks ago, he was told that his time was very short.

Friday afternoon, Uncle Carroll and his younger brother, Uncle Larry, were out on the mountain. Uncle Carroll asked Uncle Larry to take him to the ER because he was having trouble breathing. At that point he was admitted to the hospital and given breathing treatments. By 2 AM Saturday morning the doctors had called my aunt to return to the hospital and moved Uncle Carroll to ICU. He was intubated and was very close to death. He spent Saturday in an unresponsive state, fighting for his life. By the time we were able to see him Sunday he was alert and able to communicate via pencil and paper, but was still intubated. The possible diagnoses were pneumonia or pulmonary fibrosis as a result of chemotherapy. One is treatable and the other probably fatal.

From there it's been a bit of a roller coaster. Monday was good, Tuesday was bad. Wednesday was worse, but today was better. By now no one except my aunt, cousin, Uncle Larry, and Mom are allowed in the room. At that point they are gowned, masked, and gloved and are not allowed to touch my uncle. He will never be intubated, and no one can say for certain how long he will live. But it's not long, and we're now talking weeks, days, and hours instead of months or years.

Please, please pray for my uncle. He needs release, relief, and peace. Please pray that he is able to go to the Lord singing. Please pray for my aunt, who is being torn apart bit by bit. Uncle Carroll will leave one daughter who thinks he hung the moon. In addition to her husband, there are also two grandsons, age 5 and 8. While they both love their Pop, the older one is about to be completely devastated as he loses his absolute idol. Please wrap this family in your prayers and lift them to the Lord whenever you think about them. The rest of us need the same thing, but you already know that.

On a positive note, Mama met with her surgeon today. Everything went absolutely perfectly, and she is scheduled for a double knee replacement for September 30. This is exactly what she wanted: both knees simultaneously done after the summer but before Christmas. Her doctor is supposed to be amazing and does about 150 of these surgeries yearly. We are so excited for her to have "new knees", as she's been saying. She's currently bone-on-bone in both knees and has been for some time. She is in constant pain and should not be as mobile as she is. Of course, for someone who was told as a child that she'd be in a wheelchair by 40, that's pretty darn good. Horrible joints run in our family, and she's put up with this pain for years. I am so happy that she's going to be able to walk, sit, lie down and generally live with less pain in the near future. Maybe run and skip, and definitely dance as well!

Happy Friday, if you read this tomorrow. Love to all of you and thanks for all your prayers thus far, and please feel free to leave your prayer requests in the comments of this post.

Thank God....It's Friday!!

Sad...two Thank God It's Fridays back to back. I'll try to be a better blogger, I promise. As soon as I get my schedule back in shape. Trying to adjust to a new baby in the house is not as easy as I hoped, even though she is wonderfully sweet and well-behaved. It's just a different schedule these days and I am beat by the end of the day. So, for now...

Thank God....It's Friday

Praises

Brian is feeling much better every day. He got glasses this week and says they're already making a huge difference in his balance and dizziness. As long as he stays hydrated he's not been terribly dizzy lately. Hopefully he'll continue to adjust his lifestyle and improve more each week!

We had a great time with my family tonight (minus one, though) having an impromtu dinner. It's always fun to see family for dinner and fun!

My cousin gets married this weekened. We're all looking forward to the wedding and spending time with family.

Requests

Please keep my Uncle Carroll in your prayers. He is not doing well and needs to be lifted to the Lord as often as possible. He is now in pain quite often, and something has been found on his lung. The doctor says it's not cancer, but we don't know what it is. His pancreas is almost entirely cancerous now, and the chemo hasn't helped his pancreas or liver in the least, so some decisions have to be made. We are so afraid that he doesn't have much time left, and just pray that he'll have strength and as little pain as possible at this point. We pray the Lord will give him as many more months as possible, and that he has peace when the Lord calls him home.

Please pray for our friend Nate, who may be reading this right now. He has pancreatitis and recently spent time in the hospital. Hopefully he'll kick this nastiness soon and not have to return there!

MadHat76's husband had more surgery this week and is scheduled for reconstructive surgery on his foot in three weeks. Please keep them both in your prayers as they are tired, stressed, and probably worried sick.

Two of our family friends are going through rough times. I won't air their laundry, dirty or otherwise, here so please just pray for wisdom, patience, protection, and peace. Both of these women are struggling day to day, and need some relief very soon.

Thank God....It's Friday!!

This week, I'm just flat-out thanking the Lord for getting us to Friday. Seriously.

Thank God...It's Friday

Praises

Thank God my bug-eaten foot is feeling better. I had a major reaction to some manner of bug bite this week, as did Mama, two of my aunts, and one cousin. It was horrible, painful itchiness and in my case major swelling and heat, like with an infection. Now I'm just down to itching, which is actually a blessing considering how it's felt all week.

I have a new baby in care who is the sweetest little girl in the world. She's easy as pie, which is a great relief from the last few babies I've had.

Brian is rested and feeling better. He went to work this morning, so I'm praying all goes well. He's making some changes in the way he functions on a day-to-day basis, too, which is good.

Thank God I don't live in Iran or Honduras. That's all I need to say about that.

Requests

Please pray for Brian as he returns to work and tries to find a new job.

Please pray for everyone who is travelling this weekend, including Little Bro and Sweet Lizzy.

Please pray for MadHat76's husband who had surgery yesterday and is scheduled for more surgery in the next week.

Please pray for VA and her family for reasons both they and the Lord know.

Ya'll have a great Fourth of July weekend!