Thanksgiving

What an amazing week we have had. So much to be thankful for this year. We are so, so fortunate. I have all kinds of pictures to share, however they are on my cool kid ipad. On an ipad you can't upload pix to blogs or Facebook unless you have Flash player....and Flash player isn't compatible with Mac....can someone give me any advice for the technologically challenged friend? I am dying to show pix.... so until I figure out how to upload pix I thought I would simply right out reasons I am thankful....
*I love that i get to wake up every morning with the most amazing man. He is an encourager, entertainer, and simply so supportive of his crazy wife. He knows what to say and do, and I have fallen even more in love with him each day. He is an active loving dad...and his little boy thinks he hung the moon.
*Speaking of my little boy....what a gift. I LOVE that I get to be his mom. He makes me laugh, cry, and crazy. I wouldn't change a thing about what he has brought to my life. Right now he has this boisterous fake laugh that cracks me up. He goes around the house and puts his hands on his knees and then just belly laughs. He is a happy baby boy....not really a baby anymore.
*speaking of babies...I am thankful that God provided us with three more embryos (currently on ice). We have the opportunity to try and have another child in the future. We are praying that God protect those sweet little lives, and give us direction in when it is time to go and "try" again.
*I hope by reading my blog, you see how much I love Jesus ("Sesus" according to Camden). He is all I need, and everything else is an abudant blessing.
*I LOVE my family. I am so thankful that we are close and chat or see each other everyday. I am so thankful for my Texas, St. Louis, Chicago, and Florida Fam...we may not get to chat or see each other day, but I am forever grateful for our texts, emails, cards (Mama and Papa just sent one the other day with $1 and gum). We are so lucky.
*House...we love this beautiful home and the roof it provides over our head. It is a home...and we are so thankful for the protection it provides us from the heat, cold, snow, and rain.
*I love music...I listen to music all the time. It helps me focus and worship throughout the day. My favorite CD right now is the Chris Tomlin Christmas album.
*I love showers at night....I feel clean and refreshed when I wake up (never thought that would be me...but this is where I am now)
*Love coffee in the morning with sugar and milk (sometimes hot tea)
*Friends, I have some amazing....amazing....amazing friends. Couldn't walk through life without them.
*Craigslist...always looking for a good deal
*SCC..I love that I get to work, and Camden gets to go to school there. It is an amazing team that I am a part of.
*Surprises. I love them, I love to surprise people more then I love being surprised
*Candles...they help my house smell good and I always have one lit when I am home.
*Elmo...he helps entertain Camden while I cook dinner at night.
*Blog..I wish that I spend more time writing here, when I look back at our journey to becoming parents it reminds me of God's hand at work during the good and bad times.
*sweet tea..might be addicted

I am rambling and have the right to keep adding...I just have so much to be thankful for, hopefully the ability to upload pix will be added soon!
Em

my own space

We moved all of the storage shelves and Sampsons house from this corner of the pantry and put our desk. This is my space....I have so many ideas. (See below for a few)

I am so thankful for these bad boys...especially when my boy was sick and I was doing 2-3 loads a day)

This is my closet that is in the huge pantry....I not only have a huge pantry, but it has a closet inside....I love it.

This is the view when you first walk in the laundry/pantry/myspace. I love that our engagement picture is in the laundry room. 8 years ago it was the first thing you saw when you walked in our home...then it moved to the dining room and now it is here.

This is to the right when you walk in. You can see my desk in the left side of the picture. Along with Camden's drum (the black tin with Ghosts and pumpkins and the amazing Veggie Straws....these should be a staple in every family home (Thanks Nakada)

So when we moved into our awesome house a few months ago...I gained this incredible laundry/pantry area....I mean incredible. It is huge! I love it....I am sick when it comes to oranizing things. I have so many plans running around in my head...colors, pictures, accents, baskets, school supplies...oh my. This is a blank slate....and my favorite part is in the back corner is a space that is all mine. Mine to decorate, mine to sit and listen to my music, mine to have my quiet time, a space all about me. I have already been more disciplined with my bible study and my blog...because I look forward to lighting my candle (pumpkin spice), turning on my christmas music (chris tomlin) and just having some me time. I LOVE IT!

So with this fun space I have had all kinds of ideas rolling around in my head. I will show you some colors, some creative inspirations, and the actual space. (I never know if my pix show up above or below...but you get the picture).

Inspirations:

(many from the blog Jones Design Company)

Coffee Filter Foof (hang over the desk)

Blackboard wall (I want to frame a chalkboard/magnetic board to cover the panels)

Raspberry Pudding (for the back wall, with the electrical panels-with above frame that has blackboard paint/magnetic abilities to hide panels) HOW FUN IS THAT PINK?

Cloudy Sky (just love this color...think this may be dining room down the road)

You know I will also have to have a phrase....I am thinking about painting or stenciling Phillipians 4:6-7 on my wall. I want to read that promise everyday.

I just love the idea of having a fresh coat of paint on the walls and trim. Pictures of my family and friends, my computer, my music, my candles, and my space. This is all about me! Yikes!

If....

So as you know, I struggle with fear. More specifically with fear of death or something happening to those I love. This has been something deeply rooted in me for a long time. I remember when my Grandfather passed away, I came to realize that death was real....and I would die. I was in elementary school when I came home to both of my parents home (which never happened, dad worked until at least 6 every night). I was so happy to have my daddy home, but quickly sensed that something wasn't right. That morning he had been the one to wake us up and get us ready for school, I just thought it was a special day...however, my mom had been called to the hospital in the wee hours to say good-bye to her daddy. My grandaddy had a bad heart. He had many open heart surgeries, and I just knew that he would pull through his latest by-pass...but he didn't. After his death and funeral, I grew very, very fearful of dying. I remember waking up in the middle of the night thinking that my heart was stopping. I remember watching movies about cancer and thinking I had it. I remember hearing about Magic Johnson's diagnosis with AIDS, and you got it, I had it. Fear is powerful, our minds are powerful. So from then on...my fears and my mind worked against me...telling me lies. Now I know who to blame for being paralyzed with fears....and now I know that isn't who I am....death is real, but if I live in constant fear of death...I will never live. The devil is trying to keep a grip on me...he is trying to keep me crippled by my fears, so that I can't do God's will in my life. Not cool Devil, not cool. Little does he know...in the Bible God calls us to NOT FEAR over 365....one for each day. I think that HE knew we would struggle with fear.

I don't know what your fear is, but I do know.....
Philippians 4:6-7 (New International Version)
6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus

Ephesians 2:10 (New International Version)
10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Proverbs 3:5-6 (New International Version)
5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; 6 in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.[a]

God promises to use us...He has a plan. We must trust Him in all things, pray, and stand true to His promises. So, what has helped me? Lots and lots of prayer. Great conversations with good people, acknowledging these lies Satan has told me. Honestly, medicine....I think it is OK to take meds, they along with prayer help balance me out. And, most recently this.

"If I die, then I will be with God forever"
"If I get cancer, then God will hold my hand"
"If my parents get sick, God"
"If I lose Camden or Colin, God"

You see IF anything, God IS! He always will be. I may have to be scraped up off the ground IF those happen, but GOD will use me. God will be with me, God will NEVER leave me.

James 1:2-4 (The Message)
2-4Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don't try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way

This may be too much, but I needed to get it off my chest. If I didn't, God would still know. Love you guys.

Thanksgiving Week!

One of my fav's from last year...you can tell he was digging the carrots and sweet potatoes

(baby food)

I love this picture of my cousin Stephen...so excited that Flo will be with us this year...and they are ENGAGED!! (look how dark Camden's hair is!)

Decor this year will be similar...with round tables

No formula this year buddy!

This is Camden 2009...he is really gonna love 2010

I LOVE Thanksgiving. I LOVE hosting Thanksgiving. I LOVE decorating for Thanksgiving. I LOVE everything about Thanksgiving. Fried turkey, family, friends, veggies galore, and desserts and more! I just LOVE it! We are hosting a party of 26 this year and I promise to post pix of the decor and spread. All the rental equipment is delivered on Wednesday when I get off work....so I will be in the zone Wednesday night. We also have a tradition of "preparing" the turkey's the night before. I just LOVE it! I can't wait......Above are pix of last years festivities and decor....they helped refresh my memory...and get me really excited about this year. Sooo...Happy Thanksgiving week! I LOVE Thanksgiving! So much to be thankful for..

success

If you have any need to take aggression out on a chicken, I recommend the chicken hammer pounder thingy....this was fun!

This is my chicken after I dredged in Plinko (Panko) Crumbs

these are my pans where I got to dredge things (don't I sound like an Iron Chef)

oven fried chicken (so easy and even yummier)

These are called butterscotch and black pepper baby carrots....delightful

Caught the little guy off guard....seriously mom, this is awesome!

Well friends, I did it! I saw a recipe on TV and I tried to make it here at home (I would really like some assistants who put all the neccessary ingredients in cute bowls for me), and it was SUCCESSFUL....really good! I am bragging, I am not a good cook, and this was good. It has inspired me to look for other recipes and try to cook them. (right now I am leaning towards a chocolate chip cheese ball...no cooking required and it has chocolate).

I want to dedicate this post to my mom...she has been praying this day would happen for 25+years....so mom, hope you enjoyed this. Love you.

Mommy Time

My sweet little guy is off to school today....and mommy has some time to herself. I used to send Camden to school only on Mondays and Wednesdays, while he was at school I worked. Then something hit me....send Camden to school on Tuesdays so you can have some time. At first I felt guilty, should I really take time for myself, when Camden is perfectly fine here at home on Tuesdays with me? Am I selfish? Am I going to miss him? Today is my first day to really embrace the gift of Tuesday, and although I do miss my sweet boy, I know he is in good hands and having a blast with all of his other buddies. I am sure he hasn't thought twice about me :)

So, what do I do on my first free Tuesday morning from 9-12? I worked out with my friend Nakada....I am going to be sore tomorrow for sure. I went to the pharmacy, used a gift card to buy myself a cup of coffee at Starbucks, and went to the grocery. I know, don't be jealous, but to do all those things without having to keep up with a little person was so, so nice. When I got home, I unloaded the car without worrying about where the dog and Camden were while I left the garage door open. I put everything away, and it stayed in its place....and I found two new recipes I want to try for dinner. I will put a link to them....the first is oven fried chicken and the second is butterscotch black pepper carrots. I will let you know how they turn out. I can't decide if I am going to make them tonight or tomorrow....but I never, ever, ever get excited about cooking...and I must admit, I am a little excited!

I have also been falling more and more in love with Esther. This study is so good, and I love the people that I am walkin through the study with too. More on that tomorrow. Happy rainy Tuesday all.....

sickness 2010

yikes! My sweet baby boy has been sick these last few days. It all started Friday (sorry Aunt Whitney) when I was at work. Camden was still asleep when I left for work, so when Aunt Whitney went in to get the little guy....let's just say he had exploded....everywhere.....pj's, body, sheet, bumper, blanket, lovey, you get the idea. Yuk! He ate a great breakfast and was extra loving for Aunt Whitney. Then took a great nap...and guess what...after nap, he exploded for mommy. I had a hard time with this scene, and he is my son. Yuk! Friday night he slept great, thank you Jesus, since Colin was out of town. However, we had another explosion Saturday morning and afternoon. I kept giving him pedialyte and bland foods. Daddy came home just in time for a very rough Saturday night. I think that he may have eaten too much for dinner, because at 10 and midnight he was up sick again, puking....poor little guy. Yesterday we stayed in our pj's all day, watched Elmo, played, and continued our bananas, applesauce, toast, pedialyte diet. He got up last night with a fever....I am praying his little body fought off this nastiness, but I am calling the Dr today. Please pray for Camden.....no school or work today...another day of Elmo!

Good news to report...solid poop and a way better appetite, thanks for praying. I have a sweet, baby boy on the road to recovery.

Em

MIA

Friends,

I am so sorry about being MIA for soooo long. I don't think that I have EVER gone two or more weeks without a post. I am probably down 100's of visitors....geesh. However, I do have some cute pix of my boy for halloween to post....and cruise pix to follow. Vacation was a dream come true for me and the hubs. We relaxed and ate a TON, but missed our boy even more. It was nice to be together just the two of us, but we are now a family of THREE. Enjoy our sweet Elmo, and thanks Nana Pam for the hook up.