OOOoooo allergy meds....

My allergies have hit with a vengeance this year! It seems that every other Fall I can't breath through both nostrils!

Argh...sniff sniff snorK!

My head is snap, cracklin' and poppin'! Soooo, I took allergy meds and now I'm dizzier than a coot!

And...this leads me into various weird creative thoughts!

For example, Darren sat me down with calendars and marked out the time that he will be away in the next two months...first to China and then to Chicago. So, of course, I'm already bemoaning the fact that he's going to be gone. But, here's where the drugs kick in, now I'm singing that song from Shrek in my head, and yes, aloud....

"Oh, I'm all alone, there's no one here beside me....My problems have all gone, there's no one to deride me. But ya gotta have friends..."

My version...
"Gonna be all alone, no one here beside me...My problems not what's gone, there still here beside me. I really need some friends..."

Weird, and then ridiculously funny! I "wrote" some similar songs while nursing my newborns and still on pain killer Narcs. Good grief! Maybe I should go lay down for a nap.

Sniff, snork, ugh!

Featured Father...

My Dad recently wrote a great blog that I thought I'd share with ya'll. I thought it was a good example of an easy idea that kept me thinking and looking at myself.

So, what kind of pen are you....?

Pens That Won't Write
by Pastor David Denny

I pick up a pen to jot down a note.
Some pens write and some pens don't.

What now? My pen is skipping.

I write over the line of words again - and again. I press harder. I scribble in the corner of the page. I shake the pen.

I try again.

It makes me wonder how the Lord feels when He tries to use me in His service. Sometimes I serve well to spell out God's glory. Sometimes I dry up and God's line is blurred by my inconsistent life.

Maybe that is when I feel pressured because the Lord has to press harder on me to get His work done. Maybe that is when I find myself retracing my steps to get it right - or even scribbling in a corner until I get done skipping.

I like a fresh new pen and a clean sheet of paper!

I want to be that fresh new pen in God's hand on the clean page of each new day!

No skipping. No blobs or blots. I'll be ready and responsive to His every impulse. I'll put down exactly what He intends. I won't fade out early. I want every word and action to follow my Master's will.

(Psalms 19:14) "Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
Be acceptable in Your sight,
O LORD, my strength and my Redeemer."

Allergic Scare!

Last night we had an allergic scare with poor baby Caleb.



Right around bedtime--about 8--he started to itch his face and turn red and hivey. We'd just given him Zyrtec so I wasn't too keen on giving him Benedryl (I now know I can do that if I need to) so when he got raspy I decided to run him over to the ER about two minutes away.



As I carried him in he started having convulsions so they took him from me. He was laid out on a table--being prepped for an IV--and I was scared! They had me help hold him down--I hate that but wouldn't think of leaving my sweet baby either. They stuck him for the IV and he screamed and then threw up everywhere.



The Dr. saw this happen and said it was some sort of reaction where your body produces the adrenaline it needs to open the airways. Caleb got rapidly better at this point. He was given a steroid shot in his thigh and then threw up again--all over me. I now am the happy owner of small blue scrubs! They gave him anti nausea meds and we waited for an hour while his vitals got better.

Many things they said for next time---call the squad, use the Epi pin, get him off soy, don't take risks!

SO, today we saw the allergist and we are off soy and on some other things to help clear him up. It's soooo scary but I'm just praising God he is okay! Poor sweet baby. Thanks for you prayers!

Half way through the phone book...

Reading with toddlers can be, like most things, challenging. Emma often decides two pages from the end that she's done with a book. She wants you to read to her when you can't--like when you're fixing dinner or changing a diaper. However, she won't read with you when you sit down and say, "Come sit...let me hold you. Let's read a book."

The other night Darren was playing with the kids on the porch. Emma decided to haul over the phone book we use as a booster seat for the outside and read it with Daddy. So, kind Daddy that he is, he started paging through it with her. Hilarious! Well, we're readers and I guess we'll promote literacy in it's every form--picture book or phone book!

Made me think of Ephesians 5:15-17, "Therefore, be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil. So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is."

Bug Bites R Us...

We all have bug bites everywhere. Darren and I have been fighting with the chiggers and mosquitoes in our backyard. We think we got the chiggers but now the mosquitoes are going crazy. It's like a blood bath out there!
The kids had pictures scheduled today so I wanted the swelling to go down. I researched online and asked my folks and we tried witch hazel, baking soda paste (as seen below), and calamine lotion. They're still there and as itchy as ever. The Benedryl is the only thing that seems to even make a dent and that makes the kids crabby.
FYI--the pictures went horribly!
Emma felt that if Caleb had paste on his face then so should she!

Darren the date night guru...

Darren planned our date the other night and it was fabulous. I'll take any chance I can get to brag on my man! I had been getting tired of planning dates so asked him if he'd plan one if I got the babysitter set.

He took me to Santorini's Greek Restaurant. The food was great and the "saganaki" or flaming goat cheese was awesome! They deep fry goat cheese and bring it out to your table, pour brandy on it and light it...yelling, "OPA!" Very entertaining--be careful how much hairspray you wear! The food was delicious. I tried Moussaka--'cuz I always thought it sounded funny and wanted to see what it tasted like--it was like special Greek lasagna. It was made of layered beef, eggplant and cheese with tomato sauce. Darren got a huge Gyro that he could hardly get into his face! He even left the sour cream and feta on it (didn't scrap it off--gasp--shocking, i know) and claimed that he enjoyed it!

After dinner we went downtown to Monument Circle. We climbed the monument and looked down on the crowds and fountains. Very romantic.

Then, we went to the fudge factory off the circle and had a LaSalle sundae. It was huge mint chocolate ice cream sundae with two factory made chocolates in it with lots of whipped cream! Yummo!

Finally, we walked down the arts gardens and over to the canal. The canal is so neat and clean! They have gondola ride--it's very romantic. We "cheaped" out on the gondola for this date--we'll save it for another time! My only advice is wear good walking shoes because I got two little blisters on each big toe--ouchie!

So, Darren is the date night guru for anyone out there wanted his assistance in planning a great night out! I love you honey!

Hmmmm? Need or want?

I read a church marquee today and it got me thinking. The sign said,
"God gives us what we NEED...not what we WANT."
Hmmm? Their point is that we should be thankful for the daily needs met and not moan about what we want. After all, God isn't some big piggy bank in the sky there to meet our every whimper. Certainly, He knows best what we truly need--even when it is contrary to our desires.

However, I find it interesting that often when I am truly in line with God, my needs and my wants match up. When I read His Word and remember who He is, I'm more careful about what I want and I better identify my true needs. I guess I feel that God gives me what I need and often it is what I want. Looking back, there are wants I'm glad He didn't supply!

Whatta Catch!

I'd forgotten about this picture! Isn't he a catch? Darren thought this would be funny--don't worry, he hasn't dropped him on his head, yet!

FisherMAN!

Darren and Grandpa went fishing to catch enough fish for our traditional fish fry! I was sort of grumbling about how many days this might take because they only caught one the first day. Well, surprise--it only took two days because they caught so many the second day! Here is a picture of my mighty fisherMAN! They were delicious--and as fresh as they get!

Relaxed...

I wish I could keep that relaxed feeling of the end of vacation BEFORE the drive back! This picture is relaxing to me! I love seeing my man with my kids on the backdrop of such beautiful mountains! Ahhh!