Today's Truth

I read this today and I thought I would share it. There are so many times in my life that guilt has overcome me to the point of even depression setting into my body. Like for instance, when I found out I was pregnant with my first son I was not married AND I was 5 1/2 months pregnant. I had my period almost all the way through my pregnancy...yet in retrospect there were signs that I should have picked up on to tell me to go take a test. That being said, I did not have prenatal care until that point. My son was born 2 months premature and was very sickly his 3 first months of life and still to this day there is guilt as his mother, that I could have done something different... Maybe if I was married...blah blah blah. I think I need to feel free to let it go and let God. My husband and I eventually made the right choice to get married and we have now 4 children together. Shoot it has been 13 years and I still hold this in my heart. I am praying today that God take this guilt from my heart so I can truly live a love filled life.

July 31, 2012
When the Soul Bleeds
Sharon Jaynes


Today‘s Truth
[Jesus said] “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering” (Mark 5:31-34 NIV).
Friend to Friend
When we read the story of Jesus healing the woman who had been bleeding for twelve years, it is hard for us twenty-first century women to imagine such a condition lasting for so long. Medical science has progressed far beyond the rudimentary knowledge of Jesus’ day. It is simply unthinkable today.
But I suggest there are still many women with chronic bleeding of a different sort. We bleed from the heart.
From the time Sarah was six-years-old, her father crept into her bedroom in the dark of night and violated her little body. Now, as an adult, her heart bleeds.
When Beth was walking to her dorm room from the college library, a lurker jumped from behind the bushes, dragged her to a nearby shed and raped her at knife-point. Now, ten years later, her heart bleeds.
After twenty-years of marriage, Lucy accidentally stumbled upon an in-town hotel receipt in her husband’s wallet. Suspecting the worse, she uncovered past e-mails, supposed meetings that never occurred and a trail of deceit. When presented with the evidence, her husband admitted to having a three-year long affair. And her heart bleeds.
Laura was laid off from her job and her mother’s words re-emerge like sewage leakage from an underground septic tank. “You’re no good. You’ll never amount to anything. You’re a loser just like your father.” And because of the lies, her heart bleeds.
Melissa holds her newborn little girl in her arms and coos her to sleep. Interrupting the sweetness of the wee hours of the morning, she hears her aborted child crying from the grave. Guilt presses down as the ever-present weight deflates her joy. And her heart bleeds.
Women - hoping the pain will go away. Awakening each day with a memory that cuts a fresh wound. Women-longing to hear the words, “Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.”
The woman with the issue of blood was no different from you and me. While her apparent illness was physical, her inward suffering ruled her life. She had lost her family, all her money, and her standing in the community. She was viewed as an unclean, untouchable outcast. But in one radical moment, one momentous decision, she reached out to Jesus and grabbed hold of her healing.
He wants to set you free from your suffering, but he will not push you out of the jail cell or yank the chains off your neck. He unlocks the door, but you must walk out the door. He unlocks the chain, but you must stop wearing them around your neck.
We can choose to bleed. We can choose to remain in our suffering and pick at the scabs of the past. But hear me dear friend, it is a choice. Jesus said, “I have come that they might have life and have it to the full” (John 10:10). That’s what he wants for each of us. But we have to embrace the truth and, like the woman with the twelve-year-bleeding, reach for our healing.
In John, chapter five, Jesus encounters a lame man sitting by a pool of water where the paralyzed, blind, and afflicted gathered. Then Jesus walked up to him and asked a strange question, “Do you want to get well?” (John 5:6b).
Perhaps it wasn’t such a strange question. Many times we get used to being emotionally sick, and we wear the sickness like a shroud. We become walking wounded, picking at emotional scabs – not allowing them to heal.
Jesus said to the woman, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.” That is the same healing he offers to you and to me. What will you do?
Let’s Pray
Dear God, I am sick and tired of being sick and tired. I reach forward today, touch the hem of Your garment, and receive my healing. Yes, I want to get well. Give me the faith to walk in freedom and victory.
In Jesus’ Name,
Amen.
Now It’s Your Turn
Is there pain in your life that you have refused to let go of?
Do you want to get well?
That is a risky question. It took a lot for the man who had been lying by the pool to get up off that pallet. He had to learn how to walk, get a job, and learn to live like a healthy person. That’s a big change after 38 years. But you can do it! You can let go of the past and begin to live in victory and freedom! Let’s start today!


http://www.crosswalk.com/devotionals/girlfriends/

OUCHY!!!!

We are in the mist of updating our home. Nothing too major, new-to-us furniture, repainting walls and making each kids room age appropriate now that the kids are older.

This past weekend we decided to finally give our 4 year old daughter the paint color she has been begging for. It has been almost a year since the first time she asked for it...so being she is my only daughter I was so excited to finally give it to her...PINK IT IS!!!!!

My Daughter Maili wearing her favorite color PINK!

Her pink room now!

I have been having back issues for almost 2 months now and nothing seems to help. Because they are not consistent, the nurse at the doctors office doesn't seem to be alarmed and just told me to use over-the-counter medications. Well, of course today I am paying for the paint job...big time!!! My back hurts so badly! I am not one to complain about my ailments, because well...I don't usually have the time with 4 kiddlets. BUT, today...Oh, I'm in pain!!!!!

Is the pain worth it? My daughter's reaction when I finished painting last night was priceless and well worth the pain today. Last night she walked into her room and started jumping up and down saying "Wow Mommy...thank you Mommy... I big girl now!" over and over again. So happy to make her happy, now I'm just praying for relief for my achy ouchy back!

Thrifty Thursdays #2!

has 30% Off $60 or more with online coupon code T7H2012. Shipping is flat-rate $5, or is free on orders over $75. If you are able to combine the % off with already clearance items...you can save a bunch.

There are additional coupon codes available on the homepage at The Children's Place for lower amounts spent also printable versions for in-store purchases.

During the month of August JCPenney is offering free haircuts for school aged children through age 12. You can go here to locate your local JCPenney store to see if they are participating. You will need to schedule an appointment with the JCPenney Salon. Hurry, these will probably fill up fast!

Let me know if you have an active deal you have found this week feel free to comment below.

Happy Thrifty Thursday Ya'll!!!!

Stroller Recall Alert!!

On July 24, 2012 The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), in cooperation with Peg Perego USA Inc., of Fort Wayne, Ind., is announcing a voluntary recall of about 223,000 strollers due to a risk of entrapment and strangulation.

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2012/07/24/4655370/peg-perego-recalls-strollers-due.html#storylink=cpy

Strollers with one cup holder in the child tray (photos below) are included in this recall.


Pliko-P3 Strollers

Easy Peasy Weekly Recipe #3

It's Wednesday!

Time for this week's installment of Christie's Easy Peasy Weekly Recipes!

This is a fast and easy one that you prepare the night before too!

HELP SHE'S ATTACHED!

Please... The umbilical cord was cut 4 1/2 YEARS ago!!

I am talking about my daughter Maili.

Oh my goodness she is a Momma's girl. She is attached to my hip constantly and barely lets me have a minute to myself. I have even woken up in the middle of the night with her laying next-to or on-top of me in bed. She is a helper in nature and likes to help me with EVERYTHING and because she has what I like to call "Sassy Stubbornness" she likes things her way and if I don't say, fold the clothes like she likes them...she refolds them her way. So ultimately I am forced to wait for her naptime or bedtime to redo the folding back to the way I had them so there isn't a complete meltdown.

I honestly LOVE how she wants to be with me, don't get me wrong...after being a mom to only boys for so long...Maili's girlyness is such a welcomed thing...But sometimes I wish I had some breathe time.

I wonder...do any of you have "Mommy's helpers?"

How did/do you handle it without going totally insane with a child who is attached to you constantly?

What are some detachment techniques you used when you need a break?

Your are Beautiful!

This morning I was running some errands and on the way home this song came on the radio. It just so happens that Maili, my 4 year old daughter was sitting in the back seat of my mini-van in the middle and was in my eye's view of the mirror that points to the children in the rear of my van. It made me tear up listening to it then seeing her sing the song.

My wish for Maili is to never doubt how much she is valued. I can remember being a teenager and doubting my beauty/worth to the point it made me trust boys more than my heart and mind were telling me. I still have issues to this day with wondering too much of what people think of me and wanting others acceptance. I fear greatly of disappointing others especially.

The world seems to tell our children that they need to be "this size" look "like this" be "this way" and yet they never talk about how each and every one of us were made different for a reason. Shoot even identical twins have differences. God makes and loves diversity, we are all his children. I just wish society wouldn't be afraid to express this to our children instead they touch-up pictures causing a false sense of beauty and opt for what will sell those stupid teen magazines like..."How to get flatter tummies for bathing suits." I would love to see one magazine have an article titled "You are Worthy!" 

One thing I am very proud of is how I talk to my children about themselves. I make sure that I let them know God made them perfect. My favorite word to call them is "gorgeous." I spew words of -self assurance at them daily to the point I have even heard, "yes Mom I know," sarcastically back to me. Teaching a child's self-worth verses what they are lacking is the key I believe.

Do you know you are beautiful? That you were made perfect? Do you know you are worthy of unconditional love? Did you know that you are sacred? That you are HIS (God's child)?

How do you talk to your children/child about their opinion of themselves?

High Chair Recall Alert!!

A quick FYI!

Chicco Polly High Chairs Recalled Due to Laceration Hazard

(From ConsumerSearch, Inc)

"Chicco Polly recalled 26 model numbers, 455,000 high chairs total, because the pegs on the back legs can cause bruising and laceration injuries. Chicco Polly has received 21 reports of incidents in which a child fell against the peg and received injuries, including four laceration injuries requiring medical closure (stitches, tape or glue) and one scratched cornea. The recalled high chairs were sold at retail stores nationwide, including Babies R Us, Burlington Coat Factory, Buy Buy Baby, Shopko and Toys R Us, as well as online outlets, from January 2005 through July 2012. Consumers should contact Chicco at (800) 807-8817 for a free peg cover kit which will be mailed to them."

Thrifty Thursdays!

I am going to add to my blog a weekly post of something I have found that is a good deal every Thursday. I think it will be cool and helpful to us moms wanting to save a few $ where we can.

This week it is........

Right now they are having an up to 50% off end of season clearence deal until 7/30/2012. Well, I found a coupon code which is valid until 8/19/2012 to add to it to save even more money. The coupon is for $10 off $25+ orders. In cart online, apply coupon code 73809 for the discount. Shipping is free to store.

I have heard of one particular person buying 3 pairs of shoes just for $17.00.

Click above Payless logo to start shopping!!!

Let me know if you try it and if you have an active deal you have found this week feel free to comment below.

Happy Thrifty Thursday Ya'll!!!!

Easy Peasy Weekly Recipe #2

It's Wednesday!

Time for this week's installment of Christie's Easy Peasy Weekly Recipes!

Easy Crockpot Pulled Pork

Tuesday's Treats

A friend of mine who has a blog at A Little Unhinged turned me on to doing this Tuesday's Treats Blog Hop hosted by Spot of Tea.

I am now to post something (anything!) "A Treat" that I am currently lusting after or loving...so here goes.....

My Treat:

It is Coastal Chic Decor. My Grandmother just recently bought us a new bedroom furniture set for our master bedroom that has really got my decorating juices flowing. I went to an antique store with my mother and came up on a corner of the store that was decorated in beautiful aquas, turquoises and whites. I immediately felt almost like the stress of life was lifted off my shoulders. I right away told my mother, this HAS TO BE what we do with our bedroom. So... ever since then I have fallen in love with all the possibilities of having a gorgeous Coastal Chic bedroom. Here are some examples:

Slowly but surely we are collecting, daydreaming and picking out things for our new master bedroom. I cannot wait for it to be finished.

What are you loving/ lusting after?

School Time Prep!

Preparing for the new school year has taken charge in our household the last few days. One of my children starts school in just a few weeks time and the rest in about a month. I will have a 7th grader, a 6th grader, a Kindergartner and a Pre-Ker. My main concern as of yet is making sure I have the scheduling down. See, all 4 of my children will be in different schools. That means, 4 different orientations, 4 different drop off and pick ups and 4 different schedules in general.

I have started a Word Document Calendar that I have began to plug-in important dates that I have to attend with each of my children. The plan is to try to be more organized this school year and up-to-date with everything. I am very much a procrastinator, unorganized...on a whim mom so this is very challenging for me...but I will try.

I don't know about you, but it seems I make a New School Year Resolution every single year. This year along with trying to stay on top of things, I plan on volunteering more at their schools. This will be the first year that I will be able to do so since before the two younger children where born because all 4 children will be full-day students. The schools around here frown upon younger siblings coming with to help volunteer; so I have opted out because of lack of babysitters being available during the school day. All of my children love it when I am able to be at their schools to help...I don't know how long this will last with my older two children, but I plan on taking advantage of them liking it for now as long as I can.

I am extremely excited though, now it comes down to the dreaded scheduling, helping the two older children prepare some book reports they have due on the first day of school and school shopping. My kids all can't wait to get back to school, which is very refreshing. Maili my youngest even asks "School tomorrow Mommy?" every single night...lol

How do you keep up with the school scheduling of your kids and especially if you have multiple kiddlets?

Do you make a New School Year Resolution? If so what is it this year?

I would love to hear from you!

Cyber-Safe!

I was reading a blog that I read pretty regularly and there was a GREAT post by Jen with the tittle: "Parents: Stop Ignoring Your Kids’ Cell Phone Use" It talked about how we so closely watch what our children are doing on the computers in our home yet we open the internet to our children on cell phones without honestly knowing how much can be transmitted to them that way. It urges us parents to stop being complacent and to take action. I GREAT READ, I highly suggest you take the time. It included also this poster chart that shocked the living Bah-Jesus out of me!!!!!! http://mommasaid.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/mommasaid-chart-phones.png I think that poster itself needs to be passed on to every parent!!!!!

I have to admit, I have yet to allow any of my children to have a cell phone or a Facebook account. My reasoning for not yet getting any of my children a cell phone is one, affordability... but mostly because I am a stay-at-home mom and when they are not at school or with trusted family or friends that have cell phones, they are with me. So why the need at this point?. The reason I have not allowed for a Facebook account for them as of yet is simple...they are not emotionally mature enough to deal with all that entails having one. So, I have told my children at the age of 14 if we feel they are mature enough we will revisit the idea. They have come to understand and accept it so far. I have been told I am too overly protective when it comes to this subject, but I have to say...I am pretty dang proud of myself for not giving in at this point. They are my children and I plan on doing all I can to keep them safe while they are living under my roof and that includes cyber-safe. I am the mom, not a friend....and that is my job in life.

I would love to hear your opinions on the matter!

Easy Peasy Weekly Recipe

With 4 children eating out is a luxury for us so we have to come up with easy recipes that the kids will like. Last week John had picked up a huge bag of fresh chopped broccoli on sale. I really wanted something different than the normal boiled or steamed broccoli. So here is something I whipped up in a pinch that ended up being sooooooooooooo dang-it good! My husband even requested it the next day he liked it so much. Because of this, I decided to add an Easy Peasy Weekly Recipe entry to my blog. I hope it will help you make yummy things for your family that will save you some time.

Creamy Parmesan Broccoli

Unorganized Procrastinator

I was wondering...is anyone else like me? I have dedicated my life to my children and home by leaving the workforce pretty close to 12 years now, yet I have still not figured out how to be a proper organizer and I find myself waiting until the last minute to prepare for things. I should be better at this by now right? I think I have used every chore chart/ home organizing chart template that is available on Microsoft Office...but, I still find a way to procrastinate printing or even checking the charts.

Now as I enter into a new phase of being a stay-at-home mom...the one that includes ALL my children being full-time students, I am freaking a bit. I did once think I would immediately start to do things for myself, like work out regularly and/or go back to school to earn a college degree of some sort....Well, now I think I need to get this house in order first.... I will have 5 hours a day to myself, there will be no excuses for piled up laundry or the toilet not being sparkling white. I'm REALLY going to have to figure something out to help aid me in keeping on track of things.

My question to all my readers is: What do you use to help you stay on task with things in your home?

I would love it if you could share...Who knows? One of you may make this habitually unorganized procrastinator change so she isn't so wacky all the time.

Miracle Jason

This past Saturday was my oldest child's 13th birthday party. It bogs my mind to know that I now am a mother to a teenage son. I guess with having younger children as well, I don't think I should be old enough to have a teenager yet, but this is what happens when you have a baby in your early 20's.

He was born two months premature on the 4th of July back in 1999 the day before my 22nd birthday. It was and always will be the best birthday gift I have ever received... being called Mommy for the first time in my life. He was so tiny, weighing only 4 lbs 5 ozs and 18 inches long. I remember seeing his little face and wondering how I was going to care for such a little guy. His little face was gorgeous and when I looked at his little hands, saw the little wrinkles on his palms and tiny finger nails I was in awe of God's divine creation. John and I were sooooo in love with our little man and very much in shock we were picked for his parents.

As years have gone on we have had numerous trips to the ER, PICU stays and many visits to specialists which only strengthened our feeling that Jason is such a blessing to our lives. When you are put into the position of having to save your own child from death, then seeing that lifeless body be raised up again because you or your husband gave him CPR (which happened 4-5 times for us)... the only thing you can do is praise God for giving life.

Now, 13 years later... as I now have a handsome teenage boy as a son and I am still in awe of God's divine creation. Even though he now may have a bit of a sassy mouth and occasionally expresses his discontent with our parenting...all in all he is our Miracle Angel Baby. There was a time that I wondered if we would ever make it through yet another medical diagnosis or doctor's visit for Jason so during his birthday party Saturday that I was sitting in a recliner looking at my son chatting with family members and I told God "Thank you." It has been a very challenging, amazing, fun, scary and loving 13 years with having the honor of raising our son. I am very blessed that I have a terrific husband who never once wavered on the belief that God made Jason perfect, no matter what the doctors and school people have told us.

As he now has entered into a new journey of life, being a teenager which is learning how to be a good man...I now pray that we do our job to equip him. We want him to be knowledgeable, to be fascinated with life, to be a kind and good hearted man, to help others with no judgement, to follow his heart and to find the love of a lifelong committed partner. And most of all to love, trust, honor and obey God. Though both John and I probably would love to get in bed and cover our eyes with our blanket... we are though very excited to see Jason turn into a man and look forward to seeing all that God has in store for his life.

Progressing Towards Extreme

In late 2010, my husband and I turned on the TV and we came across a new television show that would ultimately change how we lived our lives. It was the show Extreme Couponing on TLC. We found ourselves being in awe and commenting back and forth to each other about how cool it would be to save that much at the register. We got so enamored in the show, we even set our DVR to record so we could watch it over and over again…I personally thought to myself,  “we could never do it” and doubted that we could be that good at couponing, while my husband got more and more excited to try it every week. So we began to study… week after week we watched and took mental notes. I have to say I was a bit reluctant at first but, I knew my husband was happy with my participation in learning how to coupon. Also, I still and probably always will, have a great sense of guilt on my behalf because I have not contributed financially to our household in many years being a stay-at-home mom...so with that guilt became a need to save money for our family. After watching it religiously weekly, I became convinced; we have GOT TO try this! So on March 6^th, 2011 and with much joy from my husband we marked a new adventure for our family…a money saving adventure.

I will spare you all the boring details about things we did wrong at first like cutting all the coupons out the weekly circulars and coupon books then putting them in sorters…..ugghhh the LONG…very LONG hours of doing so still makes me cringe and I will concentrate on what we have learned. I hope it will help you all save money. I am going to make it clear first, we are NO WHERE CLOSE to the people on Extreme Couponing. Some of those people would buy thousands of dollars worth of groceries and only pay like 3 bucks…we aren’t that good. But, we do proudly save between 50 to 75% on our big weekly shopping trips…we did once have a very exciting trip that we saved 86% of our total bill at the grocery store. I think I leapt for joy when I got home…lol Anyways, here we go…

·         First and foremost, treat EVERY coupon as if it is cash. If you get that mindset in your head you will find more value in actually using them.

·         Don’t feel awkward or embarrassed when you decide to actually coupon. I had to get over it myself. I felt as if I was trying to pull one over on the store I shopped at and not what the truth about couponing was. Truth is: Manufacturers want you to shop their products...that's the whole purpose of those coupons in the first place. You are doing NOTHING WRONG by using them. And though that person behind the register may feel annoyed at the time having to scan all your coupons, the store itself BEGS for those coupons they receive from us customers... The more coupons that come from the stores back to the manufactures brings bigger deals in the long run when they join together to match store and manufacturer's coupons. More deals...means more customers...means more cash!

·         Buy multiple newspapers. We buy at least two every Sunday, and then my husband has friends at work that give us coupon books they don't use from home which makes it so easy to buy items in bulk.

·         Don’t cut any coupons out! Read the next one to understand why.

·         Use the web…the internet is a Couponer’s best friend. There are sooooo many websites that are out there that will help you match the weekly circular ads to currently active coupons. We found an AMAZING website we use to help us along called Southern Savers. It does a lot of the leg work for you; which is really nice being a mom of 4 busy busy children. That particular website I mentioned above will let you know what the sales price is of a product, where to get the coupon from be it from a webpage, SS (Smart Source) or RP (Red Plum) then it gives the date of when it was published (located on the spine of the outside cover of your coupon books you receive in the newspaper each week) AND what the end cost should be after all applied coupons. So you want those coupon books intact and we use filing cabinet folders to organize them in order of publish dates for easy reading. It makes it sooo much easier to find the right coupon for the specific deal THEN clip/cut the coupon out of the coupon books. Clipping every coupon out of the books and putting them in individual sorters is such a pain! Having the coupon books intact also makes it easier to purge outdated coupon books and the coupons you didn't use as they expire. Southern Savers even has a built in shopping list to aid you in-store. So do your research and try to find a local coupon matching website for your area.

·          Have a working printer. Sooooo many manufacturers are now viral. They have their own webpages, facebook pages and even twitter accounts that will post coupons from time to time that you need to print off. Also, SmartSource.com, RedPlum.com, Coupons.com and Groupon.com offer printable coupons as well. You can usually print two per coupon if you click the back button 3 times in your browser after the first one prints.

·         Try your hardest to stack coupons. What I mean by that is you can use both a manufacturer’s coupon and a store coupon at the same time on any 1 or multiple items depending on the wording on each coupon.

·         We learned to make meals out of deals. We build our menu for the week AFTER we have made our shopping list with coupons. Then and ONLY then do we add things that aren’t on sale to the shopping list if we need something to complete a particular meal. If you get good at buying in bulk you will find the longer you coupon the more likely you have those items already in your pantry saving you even more money.

·         If your local grocery store has a reward card program, don’t let them scan your card first before ringing up your purchases and using all your coupons. Some manufacturer’s coupons won’t work along with a big sale item. For some reason though, if you have scanned both the groceries and all the coupons THEN have them scan the reward card it works. A computer system thing I believe. Plus, it is REALLY fun to watch those last few dollars saved beep…beep…beep off of your total amount too. Gives me a bit of a rush actually.

·         Be careful of misleading coupons!!! Read the coupon’s fine print!!!! Sometimes the pictures on the coupons don’t match the product to which you are supposed to buy.

·         Make notes on our shopping list which tells you exactly what amount you can buy so there are no mix-ups at the counter which can make things soooo chaotic especially if you are buying bulk items. So if you have two coupons for the same product that states: $1.00 of 3 (insert product name) … you need to mark on your shopping list the number 6.

·         And lastly, have fun with it. We include our children in it. We all sit down together after I compile our shopping list and find the coupons on our list, we really have a good time with it. It doesn’t hurt that the kiddlets are learning that money doesn’t grow on trees and how to honor a dollar as well. My 5 year old son already knows how to read and count money and will tell us if he thinks something is a good deal or if it is too expensive and YES he uses the word expensive...lol My 11 year old is our best coupon finder. When our list says we need to find a particular coupon published on a particular date he rocks at finding them. My 13 year old is a whiz at locating an item in the grocery store and my 4 year old daughter sits in the cart and organizes the groceries so it is WAY easier to scan…she’s my sorter.

We are still a work in progress, but we are progressing towards Extreme Couponing. Don't know if I will ever pay only 3 bucks for $1000 worth of groceries.... but, it sure is fun trying!

If you have any questions for me, additional tips and/or a webpage you use to aid you in your coupon adventures please feel free to comment on this post. I would LOVE to hear from you! Let us help each other.

Oh My I'm 35!

After reading a dear friend’s new blog she created which centers around her new venture into the stay-at-home-mom world I decided to go ahead and post a new post today on the this blog I started back in 2008. I had forgotten how much I did enjoy connecting with other moms through my blog and I craved to again…so I logged on and started to read my older posts. MAN OH MAN they were depressing!!!! My last post was in Feb. of 2011 and sooo much has changed since then. For one, I am no longer suffering through postpartum depression. I am officially out of the darkness and into the light as I have heard it said before. My children have gotten a little bit older to which my husband and I are still living in a state of denial that we are the parents of a teenage boy now. Counting the blessings in life has become center for me so because of that I have deleted all my old seriously mortifying posts so I can start anew. Being today is my 35th birthday...what a perfect day to start.

I hope I can become more faithful with blogging again. So here’s the first post done and completed. Let’s see what tomorrow brings.