Gone Too Long...Freedom!

I just looked at my last blog, and sadly the date was...well, it was way too long ago. April I believe (or was it March?). That is just too long to not connect myself to this world of reading and writing personal thoughts. I believe that I was ill last time I wrote (when I saw wrote, I mean typed, haha) and suppose I just got out of the habit after that. So much has happened since then, we have new members to our family (a dog), our entire house has changed (in color), Braedan is doing and saying all sorts of things...life is just...good. Most importantly I have been able to spend these few months Breaking Free.

I absolutely have grown to love Beth Moore, and it's not because she is some name that "every woman worships" no. In fact, I almost never even looked into any of her material because she was so big named and main stream that I figured what she had to say would be just as generic as anyone else on the market. I was so wrong. I was fortunate to finally find a Bible study with some women who I greatly appreciate, who aren't afraid to dig in, get dirty, and learn some truth and APPLY it, and of course make great friends in the process. This past study we did was entitled "Breaking Free" and it was tough. And it took forever. And I'm still working on it (even though the study is done, I have a week left). And I loved it! Beth Moore wrote this study based on much of her own personal experience, and I have discovered that what she had to say is so much better than what others have had to say because, well, she is/was just like me! I swear she was me about 30 years ago or so. She is so real, so personal, and can speak right to the heart. And the finger is always pointed towards God and not to herself. I had the chance to go to her Living Proof Live conference in May, and it was just amazing. (I will post a linky on the sidebar soon for the LPL blog. MUST READ!). And now I cannot wait for September to come because we are doing a live simulcast for Living Proof Live at our church, Ogemaw Hills FMC, and it will be just as amazing. She never speaks on the same thing twice, always changes from city to city. Very cool. Enough of my Beth Moore rant for now...but for those of you who have never read anything by her or have never heard her speak and you think we are all just fanatics and crazy...you won't get it until you "get it". Get it???

So back to life. We have a puppy, Kadie, who is now (let me check calendar for her age lol)... just a couple months old. She is a chow/lab mix (although she kinda looks a bit shepherd to me, but isn't). She is worse than a toddler with terrible twos! I am hoping we can stick it out with her till she gets past her puppy stage, but some days (make that most days), we just don't even want to deal with her. Braedan likes her as long as she doesn't bite or jump on him. She's starting to get big, so she can knock him over easily. She is pretty though. Hopefully this stage of life with her gets better (or she may be buried in the woods soon!!!!...that was a joke for all your super duper animal lovers who think I would actually do such a thing...I wouldn't).

Braedan is napping right now in his very own big boy full size bed : ). Of course at night we are still co-sleeping, but in his bed. This is just the beginning of transition and we will take as long as it takes. Bit hubby gets to enjoy some space in his own bed for now. I get to enjoy my bed too, for a few hours till B wakes and wants to cuddle to sleep. So I get the best of both worlds for now. Wouldn't change a thing.

Well, I am getting super hungry, so the oven is preheating and the chicken is seasoned with a garlic-herb rub soon to be cooking, and the balsamic vinaigrette carrots will be shortly on their way as well (unless I change my mind to make honey glazed carrots...haven't decided yet). Cannot wait to eat! Welcome back to the blogging world ME!!!

Braedan & Kadie enjoying food and a drink : )

When You Don't Get Enough Sleep...

It has occured to me that I have let my blogging slide again. Both blogs have been ignored for a few weeks it seems, and all due to the ongoing illness of my household. It al started with me just being plain exhausted, giving up trying to exercise, and dealing with random pains in my body (which I associated with the fibromyalgia and gall bladder issues, and boy was I wrong). I thought nothing of it, but was too run down to blog when I got a chance. Then, B started getting snotty (not snippy....green nose snotty) and coughing slightly. Then, all of a sudden on a Friday evening (about a week and a half ago), B woke up with that barking cough, you know the kind, where you pack everyone up and head to the ER to make sure he can breathe properly and doesn't have bronchitis or croup. Croup it was, and an upper respiratory infection. So a few hours later we were home again, home again, jiggity-jig...or something like that, but no sleep for us. No sleep for a few nights due to the horrible coughing. Me, on the other hand, I was still already exhausted from my bout of whatever was going on. I thought for sure I had an upper respiratory something as well (and I did) which had caused B's spur of illness in the first place, so we made doc appointments for the Monday following. Fast forward a few days.

Sure enough, I was sick. In fact, I have mono. No wonder I have been so darn tired! No wonder my throat and nodes are killing me! It's a miracle any dishes have made it to the dishwasher in a few weeks because I have been so run down my kitchen floor has dirt on it...literally. z-e-r-o--e-n-e-r-g-y. That's me.  So that is where I have been, sitting on my couch and trying to play around with my lil B who is fine and dandy now and poor boy doesn't understand why mommy isn't so energetic. So I am trying hard to chase him around and be happy mommy and play, but I am just overwhelmed right now and having one of those "moments"...you know, the kind where you just want to be anywhere but here (that is, anywhere as long as I am sleeping). I feel bad that I just want to be gone right now, but I have no energy, and haven't really actually slept good in a while, and I am tired. And today I expended more energy than I had by putting up a mirror, putting together a large shelf, making noodles, taking B with daddy to the eye docs, running around the house with B and now cooking dinner...and I am supposed to keep going? Speaking of dinner, I hear the chicken boiling over. All this to say, I have not left and I will be back with more life updates soon, soon as I have a bit more energy. Until then, happy reading!

Hello Blogger!

Hello there friends! I have decided to transfer my wordpress blog over here to blogger, for a change of pace (and since I think everyone I know i now using blogger!) This will be so much easier to keep in touch with friends, and I am hoping that I can get use to the new customizing format. I have been thinking about this for a while, and just haven't taken the leap. I didn't want to start a whole new blog, just wanted to keep the one I had, but in blogger, not wordpress. And I finally found a way to export and convert the files, so everything that was over there is now over here! So, I will leave the other site up just in case you want to look over there for some reason, but from now on this will be my new link, and I will update here. Happy reading friends!