i'll always hold a place for you in my heart

what a day it has been. i got a call from school that monkey was running a fever and needed to be picked up. i went and picked her up, and promptly called amazon to let her know that i would be taking the girls with me today. i can not in good conscience let someone with small children watch my children if i know one is ill. she says she feels fine, but as long as she has a fever she isn't allowed at school. in fact she isn't allowed back at school until her fever has been gone for 24 hours. that means no school tomorrow. which means no trick or treating tomorrow night. we are very strict about "if you are too sick for school-you are too sick for fun after school". the hubby told his helper that he had an appointment to go to today and that he would be leaving for the day at 2. the entire family of finch sat in the drs. office and listened to the most beautiful "thud-thud" of a wee finch. what an amazing sound it is! God is so good. thank you for all of your prayers, and now i have some more requests. one of the ladies that has worked with the hubby for the last 6 years is very ill. she had back surgery several weeks back and was recovering very well. last weekend her back was hurting so she went to the hospital. while there they discovered that she has a staph infection in her back that has moved into her blood. she is currently in a medically induced coma fighting to get better. she has a little boy who is monkey's age and a wonderful husband. please keep her and her family in your prayers.

I AM THANKFUL FOR:

1. prayers- the power they hold is amazing. i have seen this power so many times, yet every time a prayer is answered it still dumbfounds me that someone so powerful will listen to a little me.

2. friends- your comments, prayers and well wishes have been so wonderful and comforting. THANK YOU

3. my daughters- sometimes i just can't believe that someone so amazing is the product of someone so messed up. i am so thankful that they will never know what my life was like as a child, and that they know how wonderful they are and how much they are loved.

4. the dishwasher- so glad the hubby just loads the thing, turns the dial, and the dishes are done.

5. hubby's new job- we are both so excited about the possibilities that this brings with it. if nothing else we will have health insurance for the first time in 7 years.

6. contentment- when asked what i wanted for my birthday i didn't know because i honestly want for nothing. there isn't anything tangible that i can't live with out. what an amazing feeling that is.

7. pattylicious- i called her in tears yesterday because i needed to hear that everything was going to be ok, and she reassured me that it would be. she listened to me sob and pour out my fears. she is an amazing friend, and i'm not sure what i would do with out her. thanx man u rock

8. hot tea- it seems to be one of the most soothing and relaxing things ever.

9. old pictures- that remind me of how far i've come and how blessed i truly am.

10. hugs- i'm not a big fan of human touch, long story from childhood, but i have been so grateful for the hugs that i have received the past week. they have been so much more comforting than just a simple word.

what are you guys thankful for a few inches of snow, indian summer, a much needed vacation, or the warm words from friends? take the time to find something to be grateful for, no matter how insignificant you think it is. there are days that i am simply grateful for clean undies. have a happy halloween and a blessed weekend. HEY, YOU GUYS ROCK, THANKS.

i'm not crazy, i'm just a little impaired

ok, so i feel i need to share. tomorrow afternoon is my first drs. appointment, and i am really nervous. crazy huh. i mean i've had two babies, this isn't anything new, but i still find myself with butterflies in my stomach and it isn't the summer sausage and cheese i had for lunch. i'm currently about 11 weeks or so. that means we should be able to hear a heartbeat tomorrow. the problem is my miscarriage happened at 11 weeks and i find myself dreading the absence of the tiny thud-thud. i just don't know if i could do that again, and the hubby won't be able to attend the appointment because of work related issues. so if there isn't a thud-thud i will be the only one to know. i know this is irrational, but still i dread it. my wonderful friend amazon is keeping the girls for me, so i can go to the appointment. she watched the girls yesterday so i could get my blood panel done. anywho, this has been eating at me for the past few days and i needed to get it off my chest. on a happy note i am almost finished with my apron for the hot mamas swap. i'm also knitting a baby blanket for a friend's baby shower in 2 weeks. my mom's coming up for the weekend and has agreed to watch the girls, so the hubby and i can have a wee date. she's going on the church trick or treating hayride with us on friday evening, and we're excited to have her. well, i will have news good or not so good on my thankful thursday tomorrow. take care and have a wonderful wednesday.

could you ever love a man like me

saw this at sweetflutterby's blog and thought i would join in. if you want to do it feel free to copy and paste. let me know so i can read your answers. oh the big event was a job interview, and the hubby got the job. he will get the official offer today. this job has the potential to have us out of debt much sooner, and it will provide insurance for the fam. thanks for the prayers.



5 Things Found In My pocketbook
cash
checkbook
driver's license
debit card
receipts

5 Things I would do today if I could
see pattylicious
cuddle by a fire
sew up a Halloween costume
finish swaps
not have tummy issues


5 Things I love about my life
my God
my family
my freedoms
my friends
my health

5 Things I’ve Always Wanted To Do
own a coffee shop/bakery
act professionally
backpack through Europe
learn how to quilt
learn to draw

5 Things I enjoy the most
food
family
friends
cool weather
flowers

she had fire in her soul

the big event has been moved again, but we are told that is a REALLY good thing. the hubby and i got the chance to enjoy a fire by ourselves last night, and we started talking about how much had changed in the last 10 years. not only the way we look, but the way we look at things. it times like that when i realize how truly blessed i am. monkey brought home the GT application from school yesterday, and the hubby and i discussed whether or not we should nominate her. don't all parents think their child is gifted and talented? i wasn't allowed in the GT program as a child, apparently the teachers/administrators giving the test don't like it when you correct them. that and i wasn't among the chosen children in the school, i lived in a children's home. when i moved to a new school i hoped to be included in the GT program, but instead i was put in remedial classes until our taks tests came back and i had scored the only perfect in math in the history of the school. anyway, i think that she is incredibly gifted, but am i just being a mom? i think i will fill it out and send it with her tomorrow and if she isn't accepted i can rest in the knowledge that neither was i. without further ado, my thankful list:

I AM THANKFUL FOR:

1. differing opinions- i'm glad that i live in a country where i am allowed to disagree with whomever i choose. God bless America.

2. time with my husband- it doesn't happen often that we get just couple time, but when it does i enjoy being "my love" instead of "momma" for a bit.

3. being momma- i never wanted kids. i didn't babysit in high school, and i was never around children. being a mom is one of the most amazing things i have ever done, and i am eternally grateful for the opportunity that i have had to be one.

4. maternity clothes- i just can't pull myself to buy bigger clothes to help cover my bump. i know hard to believe i'm showing already.

5. hot drinks- i have been enjoying hot tea the past few days. i love coffee, but it has quite a bit more caffeine than tea, especially green tea. then there is hot cocoa. mmmm love this time of year.

6. pizza night- the kids run off to play together and the adults get to be adults for a little while anyway. you don't realize how important adult conversation is until you don't have it.

7. getting out of debt- we're not talking years anymore. next june at the latest. i am way more than stoked.

8. prayer- how amazing and powerful it is. thank you for yours.

9. baby blankets- i am currently knitting one for my friend krista. she is due in january and is having a little girl. i hope to get a hat knitted up as well.

10. hallmark magazine- i found it by accident a year ago, and fell in love with it. i now have a subscription to it, and am thinking of giving a subscription to a friend for a "you're a great friend" gift.

11. your thankful lists- i wait anxiously to see what you are thankful for, so thanks.

i hope you are having as wonderful of a week as i am. i had a teacher in high school that said "remember when you fall on your face, you are still moving forward." i will have my swap packages, 3 of them, ready to send out on monday. i hoped to have them finished earlier, but the money wasn't budgeted until today to go shopping, so what are you going to do? what are you grateful for this week? a home to keep the cold out, a hot drink to chase the chill in the air, or not being on the receiving end of abuse? i am thankful every day to not be in an abusive relationship anymore. take care and God bless.

these are a few of my favorite things

what a great week this has been so far. the big event got moved until tomorrow, so we are anxiously awaiting. i received 4 swap packages, technically there were only 3 swaps but one swap came in two packages. i also got a few surprise gifties from my best bud pattylicious, have i told you guys how awesome she is? well i wanted to share some of the wonderful things i have received. below is the teapot my mom gave me for my birthday, isn't is amazing. i love it.


with my birthday money i bought some movies, the girls bought me sleeping beauty and the hubby got me bones.

her heiness claimed this pair of socks from the sock swap over at shellybabes as her own.



these are the wonderful goodies mzzterry sent me for the swap. there was a pair of black socks with little monkeys sticking their tongues out on them in the package as well, but they are in the wash.



below is the wonderful package i received for my september craft swap. this came all the way from england. i'm excited/scared to try the sock pattern, i've never used double pointed needles before.
this package is the one i received for my october craft swap. the little pumpkin cups were for the girls. they were way excited.
these are some little things that the pattylicious got for me because she loves me and thinks i'm cool. well, not sure why she got them for me, but i really dig them. the bat socks light up and blink when you walk, how cool is that. i really dig the spider argyle socks. i love argyle.
i made this fire all by myself. i am SO PROUD of me. usually my fires really inhale profusely.

the weather today is being described as "blustery" by the local weather people. it is about 42 outside with 40 mph winds out of the north. it currently feels about 25 outside. that is the reason for the toasty fire. i hope the week finds you in good spirits.

you don't look a day over fast cars and freedom

at least that is what the hubby says. i had a wonderful birthday yesterday. it was a nice quiet family filled event. finch took a half day at work and treated me to sushi for lunch. not sure why i crave sushi when pregnant. no fear i didn't get any that had raw fish so stop typing comments about how sushi isn't safe. this isn't my first rodeo girls. when we got home the hubby cleaned the kitchen and made me a tres leches cake, so tasty. then he got the fire started in the grill, so he could grill the steaks. they were awesome tasty. we opened my bottle of irish steak sauce and enjoyed the birthday steaks with it. then the whole crew cuddled up by the fire talking and listening to music. ten years ago i would have never imagined that was how i would spend my 30th birthday, and that i would enjoy it. i didn't get near my computer yesterday, so my thankful thursday is a day late.

I AM THANKFUL FOR:

1. family- how amazing and wonderful they are. i'm not sure what i would do without mine.

2. aging- every year i live i find more reasons it is awesome to get older. i don't fear the coming years. in fact i look forward to all of the memories i will make in the interim.

3. fire- it has been chilly here this past week, 3 days it didn't get above 45. i refuse to pay atmos before november, so we have been utilizing the fireplace.

4. tuesday- i have discussed this with several of you and i am somewhat anxious to see what changes it will bring.

5. swaps- they ROCK. i love the different little gifties that i find in my mail, and sending the little gifties to others.

6. prayer- i have been in serious prayer for most of this week. several of my friends were in need of some deep prayer as was my wee little family. thank you to those of you who are praying for what will come on tuesday.

7. lotion- i love lotion. the girls got my dry skin, and as the weather cools our skin begins to get very dry.

8. our budget- if things go the way we have planned them to we should be completely out of debt, other than the house, by summer.

9. fuzzy slippers- we have wood floors on a pier and beam house, so the floors get chilly when it is cold outside.

10. hot drinks- i love them all. in fact it is almost cool enough for my famous hot chocolate if anyone is interested let me know and i'll get the goods.

thanks for all the sweet birthday wishes, and all the awesome comments. you guys really make my day. i hope that everyone has a wonderful weekend. we are having pizza night at amazon's new house. her friend we're renaming him iceman will also be there. we hope the pattylicious clan can make it, but we're not sure yet. saturday the grandmas are coming for birthday lunch and a visit. what are you thankful for this week? your bloggy buddies that always have a kind word when your down? maybe, the cool nights and a warm blanket? thanks for reading.

say a little prayer for me

actually for a few of my friends who are having a rough beginning to the month of october. things here have been pretty good. the nausea isn't too bad. school is going well for the hubby. monkey brought home her first report card of 3rd grade, and that's right straight A's. her lowest grade was a 95. oh yeah i am one proud mommy. well, i have one week left in my twenties. strangely the only thing that makes me feel old is looking at the girls and realizing how big they are getting. is that strange? here is my list for this week:

I AM THANKFUL FOR:

1. friends-i know i list this almost weekly, but they are an awesome group.

2. pizza night- we have acquired a few new people to the night. i'll call her amazon, she is tall, beautiful, and a fierce defender of things she loves. her two beautiful children also join her, and her friend flyboy who has joined us for 2 pizza nights.

3. decaf coffee- i know i need to watch how much caffeine i consume during pregnancy, so decaf coffee is helping.

4. the budget- we have stuck dutifully to it thus far, and it hasn't been painful at all

5. autumn- i adore this time of year. the cool evenings are wonderful.

6. blogger friends- some of you i know outside of the internet. the ones that i just know through the blogosphere it is good to have you along.

7. comments- i love hearing what you are thankful for. it is good to read about the big and little things that bring joy to people's lives.

8. our military- with out them i wouldn't be free to do as i choose, and for that i am eternally grateful to the soldiers and their families.

9. trying new things- i received a book that has tons of paper crafts in it. i have never done paper crafts, unless you count homemade valentines. i am excited to try my hand at them.

10. thankful thursdays- i have learned that if i require myself to write down what i am thankful for i spend the majority of the week looking for things that i am grateful for.

what are you grateful for this week? your husband that let you sleep in for an extra hour, or not having the dead beat husband take up valuable oxygen anymore? thanks for stopping by to read my wee blog. if you ever find yourself in the land that time forgot, give a call we can get together for a yummy dinner. have a great weekend

we do the walk, we do the walk of life

last saturday the family of finch loaded up and headed to the big town of amarillo. i was so excited to get to participate in the race for the cure. my grandmother and aunt both lost their battle with breast cancer. my friend from high school is in remission. i would tell you how it went, but it was not the best time for the family of finch. the head of the household decided that he was shrek and would behave as though he was an ogre. the day was pretty much shot after that.

i am participating in an ongoing book swap and today in the mail this is what was waiting for me. the book is "great parties". she also sent crochet patterns, some R sticky notes, and some mary englebreit cards. woo hoo, i was way excited. i hope she likes the package that i sent her.


when i got home wednesday night there was a box sitting on my doorstep. i began to wonder what it was because i didn't remember ordering anything. when i opened the package this is what i saw.
the requirements were 1 recipe from the dream vacation destination, she sent a day's worth of recipes. everything from scones to irish coffee. so excited. she sent me a box of irish tea. mmmm i fell in love with tea when i went to england. she also sent a bottle of irish steak sauce which i am dying to try. there were 4 beautiful magnets as well, they are high on the fridge to keep little hands from grabbing them.
her heiness squealed with delight and begged to try on the princess, so here she is wearing my irish apron.

i just want to thank you for giving me the best day of my life

well, it isn't the best day, but it hasn't been too bad. this week has been busy and the "morning sickness" has kicked in. i hope to blog tomorrow about some of the awesome things we've been up to. here is my thankful list.

I AM THANKFUL FOR:

1. morning sickness- i know that it means that all the hormones necessary for a healthy baby are present.

2. orange juice- it seems to really help with the tummy issues.

3. friends-i'm not sure what i would do if i didn't have the awesome supportive group that i have currently.

4. pizza night- it looks like we will have a semi full house again tomorrow night for pizza night. the tall beautiful tara and her children will be here with guest. my mom's coming in for the weekend, the girls are way excited. unfortunately the cowden clan might not be joining us this week.

5. firewood- we have a ton of it. we are hoping to keep the thermostat low and congregate near the fire.

6. chocolate- it also seems to calm the tummy, i don't get this at all. i was a total chocoholic before my first daughter, but when i was pregnant with her i couldn't even stand the smell of it. it was the same with my second.

7. karen- she has started helping out on wednesday nights and i don't know what i would do with out her. she shows up with brownies made saying "i thought you might need dessert made" with out being asked. then she sends me home after church, so she can clean because she doesn't have little ones at home anymore. this woman ROCKS.

8. the girls- they are so sweet and so cute. her heiness has taken to patting the baby to sleep. monkey won a giant king size hershey with almonds bar at school and brought half of it home to me because she knows how much i like them.

9. the hubby- what a man my man is. the quote from my last blog was something he told me when we were dating, and it still holds so true.

10. my pattylicious- she trusts me completely, this is no light matter mind you, and that always makes me feel so honored. remember you are wonderful no matter what anyone else tells you. they are just too immature and self centered to see what an amazing human you really are.


what are you thankful for? i really enjoy reading the thankful lists that you guys write. i hope you take some time no matter how rough your week is. somehow i find taking the time to be grateful makes things seem better.

Lord have mercy on my next 30 years

WORD OF THE DAY-IRREGFRAGABLE: impossible to refute.

i just wanted to start the month of october with some bits of wisdom that i have gained in my first 30 years. enjoy

30 things i have learned in my 3 decades on this earth-

1. almost everyone deserves a second chance.
2. very few deserve a third. (i've never met one anyway)
3. forgiveness is for the forgiver not the forgiven.
4. bitterness is not attractive on any woman. (my great grandmother said this)
5. God is GOOD.
6. age has little to do with maturity.
7. age has little to do with wisdom.
8. your past should not determine your future.
9. just because the world says you should, doesn't mean you have to.
10. nobody has the right to make you feel inferior.
11. just because someone says they have your best interest in mind, doesn't mean they do.
12. don't judge a book by the cover. (people are so much more than what you see on the outside.)
13. babies are God's love made visible.
14. if you wouldn't say it to my face, don't say it behind my back. (i will give you the same decency)
15. you can call a frosted dog turd a wedding cake, but it's still just a frosted dog turd. (i read this in a king book once)
16. make God your pilot, not your co-pilot. (things go better this way)
17. don't dwell on how "bad" your childhood, marriage, life was/is. trust me someone somewhere had/has it worse.
18. just because you don't understand it, doesn't mean God doesn't have a reason for it.
19. all we need is love. (well not literally, but when you're loved all the rest is manageable.)
20. honesty really is the best policy, but speak it with love.
21. if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
22. God gave us an instruction manual for life. it's called the bible.
23. my mom was right i should eat my fruits and veggies.
24. life is meant to be enjoyed.
25. worry does not rob tomorrow of it's troubles. it only robs today of it's joys.
26. anyone put on a pedestal is doomed to fall from it.
27. as eddie vedder once said "some words when spoken, can't be taken back." be careful what you say in anger because sorry won't always wash it away.
28. all relationships take work. decide which are worth it and never give up.
29. friendship is not a one way street.
30. tomorrow is another day to try to get it right.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT- IN THE WORDS OF FINCH DUNKIN "The heart is the most beautiful part of you. Only give what you are willing to lose."