God is good!

Andy has now been back to work for a whole week. There have been a few difficulties with him being gone for so long. After a couple months of inactivity, the company takes you out of the system for security reasons and it has taken awhile to get him back in and get all his new equipment (they all have ipads now which he is having fun with!!) So for the past week he has been riding along with someone else while he waited. It's turned out to be a blessing because it has given him extra time to get used to the job again. But today he's back in full force!!! I'm a bit nervous for him. They have put a very big target on his back and if he isn't able to keep his performance numbers up then his job could be in danger. We knew this would probably be the case, but it's been a bit more stressful then we originally thought it would be. But we know that God is on control and if this is where Andy is supposed to be, then the job will be protected, and if not, we know He will provide a better job for him.

Yesterday I got some good news! It looks like I will be taking care of this baby full time in our house! The family had to give her curent day care a months notice so it will be at least a few more weeks before I would start, but this was definitely an answer to prayer. I love staying home an taking care of my husband and house (and dogs of course :) and I'm excited that I can continue to do that while bringing in extra income!

Well...thats all for now!!! I have a huge pile of laundry that needs to be put away, and I think I've stalled enough! :(

Well...today i sent my husband back to work! He's been slowly recovering more and more over the last couple months and is finally able to drive without problems! A major answer to prayer! Over the last six months he's had numerous tests and done lots of physical therapy but nothing seemed to work. It just seems like this was something that needed to run its course. He's not completely back to where he was. He still has pretty intense headaches that through him off, but those are fewer and far between. We werent expecting it to take six months but thanfully now he is back to work! Unfortunately due to some issues we've had with the company over the last several months, we have to continue to battle with the disability department to make sure all things are squared away so they dont come back to bite us later and possibly risk his job.

My job ended a few weeks ago so now I'm back to looking again. Ive had a few interviews and even have a trial day taking care of a baby that could turn into a full time job. Im hoping this one works out cause I would eventually have the option of watching her here at home which would be ideal. But either way I know I'll find the right job for me!

We also celebrated are second anniverary earlier this month with a camping trip! We've never done anything like this together before and it was sure interesting! We had a few issues with our tent and on the last night our air matress popped and we ended up sleeping with roots, sticks, and rocks poking us in the ribs all night, but it was still fun and of course make for interesting stories! The dogs had a great time as well! We learned that Abby is a bug killer! If spiders or mosquitoes hover around her face, she'll get em! :)

Other than that, life has been pretty uneventful! We're looking forward to life getting back to normal!!!

Andy update

Yesterday he went to see a specialist. He ordered an ENG test that he believes will show whats going on in his head. He doesn't seem to think it's anything too serious, but whatever it is has been really bad and long lasting. We're just really hoping to finally get an accurate diagnosis so it can be properly treated. He's getting VERY anxious to get back to work. Going a little stir crazy sitting aound the house, but I've been keeping him busy with housework since I've been working. He definitely doesn't like that as much! :)

Testing out this mobile posting thing to see if it works! Hope so!!! :)

Flooding!

Yesterday it poured! I don't think I've ever seen that much rain fall in such a short period of time! Here's some pics of our flooding! Thankfully it never reached our house!

Our neighbors house

Our street

Andy's car

4th of July

We had a pretty laid back 4th. Andy and I decided to just hang out and spend the day at home. We got some projects done that we had been putting off and then we had our own bbq! Marinated grilled chicken, grilled potatoes, and grilled corn on the cob. SOOO good! My man is good behind the grill!

A few recent pics of our babies!

They have such a rough life!

Maddie

Abby

I'm still alive!!!

I can't seem to keep up with this blogging thing! Life had been pretty crazy the past couple months. Back in March, Andy got a small paper cut on one of his fingers. A couple days later it was really infected. With his history of MRSA, we got him into his Infectious Disease Dr. right away. Thankfully the Dr. thought it wasnt serious enough to admit him into the hospital but he did put him on strong antibiotics to fight the infection. Over the next few days he started feeling dizzy, headaches, and light sensitivity. All theses were listed side effects of the meds so we weren't too worried about it. A few days later, these symptoms got more and more intense. I finally called his Dr. on a tuesday night and told him that these side effects weren't getting better and we getting worried about it. The Dr. said that what he was feeling weren't typical reactions to this medication and I needed to get him to the ER right away. He was concerned that the meds were causing his brain to swell. We spent the whole night at the hospital getting CT scans and blood work done. In the end, everything in his brain looked fine so we were told to follow up with his Dr. For the next several weeks, no one could figure out what was causing all these symptoms. It was finally determoned that he caught a virus that inflammed his inner ear and cause sever vertigo. The good news was that it should go away on its own in a couple of weeks. A couple weeks went by and he wasn't any better. In fact to me, he seemed worse. Our family Dr. recommended that he go to vestibular rehab. A couple weeks into that he finally started to feel some improvement but it was happening very slowly. We went to see a therapist that specializes in vestibular disorders. She determined that in addition to the vertigo, he also had something called vestibualr neuritis. Once we found this out, the therapy changed and over the past few weeks, he has really improved. Unfortunately he still can't go back to work because he has a lot of dificulty driving. We just went to the Dr. again today and it looks like more therapy for him! Hopefully by the end of July he will be recovered enough to be back to work.

Thankfully through all this, the Lord has really provided for us. We have been able to get disability pay which is a huge blessing! It's amazing how God takes care of us in ways we don't even realize. I've also gotten a job! I'm a nanny for two boys. The opportunity presented itself and while childcare is not my first choice of job, it pays AMAZINGLY well!!! It will probably only be for the summer, but there's a possibility it will go longer. The Lord definitely knows our needs and meets them in unexpected ways. I'm also hoping to get back in school this fall. I've had a lot of obsticals get in the way of college, but I'm just trusting the Lord that it's really what he wants me to do than He will make it possible. Thankfully this job provides a lot of time for studying so thats a definite perk of this job.

We've also had some pretty intense weather this spring! Never in my life have I EVER cared about catching the weather on the evening news or planned my day around whatever weather was coming. But over the last 6 months, I am obsesed with the weather! Missouri has seen more than it's fair share of sever weather from strong thunderstorms to tornados! It's been a stressful spring! Even Tuesday we had tornado watches for most of the day and it's possible we will see more next week! Sigh....I miss the northwest! Sever weather doesn't exist over there. I would gladly take continuous rain over this craziness!

Well I guess thats all for now. My wonderful hubby just brought me cup of coffee and now I think were gonna cuddle up and watch a movie together! He is such a wonderful husband! I'm so blessed to have him! No one else I know has a husband that brings them coffee in bed every morning. Couldn't ask for anyone better!

Good night everone! Hopefully you'll start hearing from me more often!!! :)

Winter woes!

Andy and I went to Iowa last weekend to visit friends. We left Saturday evening after Andy got off work and were planning on coming back Monday evening because that was all he had off from work. Well...Sunday night we began hearing of a massive winter storm that was moving through the Midwest. Major ice and snow was supposed to hit the St. Louis area and all the way up through Illinois along the highway we had to take to get home. And on top of that, a major blizzard was supposed to hit the area we were in in Iowa. Sigh..... So we made the decision to stay until we were sure it was safe to drive home.

The heavy snow started Tuesday afternoon and didn't stop!!!! We woke up Wednesday morning to two feet of snow!!! It was crazy! Growing up in the Northwest, I've never seen that much snow before! Of course we weren't going anywhere that day. Even church was canceled because no one could get out of their driveways! We decided that we needed to try to get home Thursday so Andy could get back to work. Thankfully they had the roads pretty clear by then so we made it home with no problems.

We had a great time with our friends but it was nice get home. Unfortunately I woke up Friday very sick. I've been in bed the last three days with strep throat. Ugh!!! I hate being sick. Especially when my husband has to work. He takes such good care of me when I'm sick! But he had to work so I've nursing myself back to health.

I've always like winter. I love sweaters, scarves, and boots and all the winter fashions, but at this point, I'm SO over all this snow. Just when you think it's all about to melt, it dumps another six inches! Now I'm not ready for the heat and humidity of summer, but I'm definitely ready for spring! Tshirts and flip flops! Oh yea! No more winter for me!! :)

New year, new goals

So I finally found the motivation to rewrite the post that I lost last week (well honestly its the lack of motivation to finish the housework!).

In the past I have made "new year's resolutions" and have maybe stuck with them a month (at the most) but this year Andy and I have set specific goals for ourselves that we are determined to reach by the end of 2011. Some are spiritual, others are financial, and some physical. You may ask why I think this year will be any different than the past years? For me, as I look back on 2010, there are many trials that Andy and I faced that don't usually come in the first year of a marriage. They challenged our faith, marriage, and health. Ultimately they brought us closer to God and each other. They have also given us a greater desire to grow and improve ourselves in all different areas. I'm thankful that now, I have a husband to set goals with and work together to achieve them.

I've also been more aware of the many blessings in my life. My husband is definitely one of the biggest. I still can't believe that the Lord brought him into my life. He is my best friend and the love of my life. We've been married for 16 months and been together for almost 4 years and I pray we get 50 more together!!!

2011 seems to be off to a good start. Andy is working a lot of overtime, and while the money is great, I wish we saw more of each other. However...every time I'm sitting on the couch wishing he was home with me, I remember when he didn't have a job at all. Snaps me right back to grateful! Thankfully he is off for the next 2 days! The only plans we have is to stay home, relax, and spend time together!

Spring semester starts next Tuesday. I'm excited to be getting back into the classroom (actually this semester is all studio)!!!! No more online classes for me!

I guess I need to go get the housework done. I've stalled long enough!!!

SO FRUSTRATED!!!!

I just spent the last half hour typing a nice long post, but it wouldn't post to my blog! The next thing i know, the whole thing is gone and for some reason none of it was saved!!! So now you all have to wait for me to find the motivation to start over again! This stinks!!!! :(

Life is good!

After a couple of stressful weeks, things have finally slowed down and we are enjoying the Christmas season! Andy recovered from his oral surgery and went back to work. I'm so thankful that it wasn't as serious as it could have been. He was in a lot of pain for a while but nothing like before. We had a pretty laid back Thanksgiving. We made an appearance at the big family Thanksgiving, but were only there a couple hours. We stopped at the video store and spent the rest of the day in bed watching movies and looking through the "Black Friday" ads. We went to Walmart at midnight and scored some awesome deals on Christmas presents. Then we went home for a while before heading to Target at 5! The crowds were insane but we had a good time and found some greats deals!

We got our Christmas tree up last weekend. It's only a 4 foot tree and it's sitting on a table out of tail-wagging reach! This was Maddie's first tree and she wasn't sure what to think of it. The next night we went out for a little while and came home to find every ornament on the bottom half of the tree pulled off and chewed into millions of tiny pieces. We were definitely not happy about that. Now whenever we both leave we have to move the tree into our bedroom and shut the door. Not ideal but the only way to ensure that our ornaments live to see another Christmas!

I hope everyone has a great Christmas! (in case I don't post again before then)

What a day!!!!

Yesterday was probably the craziest/scariest day of my life! It started out fine, but around 9:00 as I pulled out my lap top to work on my Sociology paper, that was due by 9:00 pm that night, it didn't want to turn on. It was charged and everything, but just wouldn't come on. I absolutely HAD to finish my paper so it was off to buy a new one. We've been planning on buying a new one anyways but we were waiting to find the right one at the right price. I found a great Toshiba! We absolutely love it! My old one was 5 years old and had traveled around the world with me, and dispite it's resent problems, it's been a good computer.

So I got home and began working on my paper. A couple hours later I get a call from Andy saying he needed to go to the hospital. He has had problems with his wisdom teeth for a long time now but he hasn't had any time off to get the surgery done. On Suday he noticed that two of them were infected. Now with his history of MRSA staph, any infection for him can be very serious. So he had been working and started feeling very weak and dizzy he could barley stand up. He called his manager and told him that he needed to get to the emergency room fast so he said he would come get him. Then Andy called me and the first thing he said was "don't panic." Of course I immediately panic!!! He said that his manager was taking him to the hospital. I knew for sure that it was the infection making him sick. I quickly stared getting some things together because I knew for sure he would be admitted. As I was packing, Andy called me back and said that his manger couldn't get there for half and hour and that he needed to call an ambulance. That really made me panic! I knew that I had to get there fast. He said he was feeling the same he felt the first time he had MRSA (when it almost killed him!) I was scared out of my mind!

I managed to make it to the hospital at the same time the ambualance did. The peramedic said he was alright but he was very weak and should have gone to the hospital the day before. Unfortunately the ER was packed and it took at least an hour to get back to see the doctor. The whole time we were sitting i kept thinking that the infection was working it's way into his system and slowly killing him. Finally they ran some tests and thankfully the doctor said that MRSA has never been seen in the mouth before. That was a HUGE relief! However his teeth were really infected and he was in a lot of pain. Some much that even a shot of morphin didn't take the pain away. The doctor gave us a referal to an oral surgeon and said that we should call in the morning to get the teeth pulled. I called this morning at 8:30 and the lady said he could get us in at 10:00. So we through on some clothes and flew out of the house. Once we got there, we filled out the paperwork and went back to the room. The hygenist took Andy for some x-rays but before she could start, the lady at the front desk came in and told us that the doctor wasn't in our insurance network and that we would either have to find another surgeon or pay out of pocket. Paying out of pocket wasn't even an option. That kind of procedure is not cheap! So we called our insurance company and got the number of an oral surgery center that was in our network. I called and said that my husband' wisdom teeth were infected and his cheeks were swollen and that he absolutely had to get in today (can you tell I've become a pushy demanding wife?!?!). Thankfully they had an opening this afternoon. We got there and he went right back for x-rays and then went back for surgery. As soon as they were done I went back to see him and he looked 10 times better than he did. Obviously he was still swollen and sore, but he already felt better. So now we're home and he's still plenty sore and swollen and bleeding pretty good, but at least it's not the infection hurting anymore.

Praise that Lord that It wasn't as serious as it could have been and that he's ok! Life can sure get crazy sometimes (and VERY SCARY!!!!)

Procrastination

I have my final Sociology paper due on Monday. I haven't even started it yet and I can't seem to find the motivation to do it. So I decided to blog instead (while I enjoy a fabulous cup of coffee!).

Life has been pretty good here lately. Andy is working 60+ hours a week which has been really hard on him. The money is good, but he's really tired. And I definitely don't get to spend as much time with him as before, but we just have to make the most of what we do get! I'm also trying to wrap up this semester of school. I'm all registered for the Spring Semester which starts in January! I can't believe how fast it is coming!!!

I am also loving this time of year. It is FINALLY getting cold here. Lately the temperature has been hitting the mid to upper 70's. I leave the house bundled up in boots, coats, and scarfs, and then climb in the car (which has been sitting in the sun) and have to run the air conditioner! So weird!!! But now it seems that the Fall/Winter weather is here to stay. I'm waiting until after Thanksgiving to start decorating for Christmas. We didn't do much last year as far a Christmas decorations, but this year I plan to go all out! I'm even going to have Andy hang our icicle lights outside.

We are also getting ready for Black Friday! Andy and I have gotten up at 3:00 am for the last few years and hit the big sales. Unfortunately he has to be to work at 8:00 so we'll drive separately and he'll leave when he has to. Then, he'll go make the money while I go spend the money!

Well, I do still have some housework to do before the man gets home and of course it gives me another excuse not to work on my paper! Don't worry, I'll get motivated eventually! I wrote my last two papers at the last minute and scored A's on both of them. I guess I work well under pressure!

If I don't happen to post until after Thursday, I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving!

The Kitchen

So I was trying to to upload a few more kitchen pics but it seems like three was all I could get it to do. Oh well!

House pics!

I was asked a couple times to post some pics of our house. We've done a lot of rearranging and redecorating over the last year. We're still working on getting a couple rooms in working order. With such limited space, it seems that one room has always been the "dumping ground." So I'm in process of getting every room in our house fully functional as well as providing the necessary storage. A.K.A.... Rubbermaid bins!!!! I'm SO in love with them! :)

So I thought I would post a couple of the rooms that at the moment are neat, organized and clean. I'll post the rest as I get them done. Enjoy!

Here's the computer room!

A new State Representative!!!

Just got home from my friend and new State Representative Paul Curtman's victory party!!! It was an exciting to see God's hand in this election. Many people didn't believe he could win it, but God can do anything and obviously He wanted Paul in this position. I'm proud that he is MY Representative and I know he will represent the 105th district well!!!

Our new car!!!

After over a year, we are finally a two car family again! Saturday we spent the whole day driving all over St. Louis looking for the right car. We finally found one less than 10 miles from our house! It's a 2004 Jeep liberty! We got a great deal on it! I'm so excited to have my own vehicle again! I absolutely LOVE it!!! The Lord really blessed!!!

Update!

Things have been pretty much the same these days, except my husband is working 20 hours of overtime a week! My poor man is so tired when he comes home, but he really enjoys what he's doing. I, of course, miss him like crazy, but I must say I enjoy the large influx in our bank account! The Lord has really provided for our needs. The additional income has allowed us to catch things up after almost 6 months of unemployment. It will also (Lord willing) allow us to get a second car in a couple weeks. We have been looking around for the right vehicle to fit our needs. We would like an SUV with 4-wheel drive. Since Andy has a little sports car, we would like to at least have one vehicle with 4-wheel drive for the rough winter weather here in St. Louis. There is a dealership that has a Chevy Trailblazer that we really like. We're also hoping to maybe find a Dodge Durango. We know the right vehicle is out there and will find it soon!

I'm also currently CRAZY about coupons! I've been clipping coupons out of the Sunday paper for quite some time now, but only within the last couple months have I been scouring the internet for them. Mainly because our printer was broken and we just replaced it about a month ago. Since then, I've been on coupon web sites a couple times a week. It has really paid off! I used to wonder how some women would save $100 off their monthly grocery bill, but now know and I have too! I always have a stack of them when I check out. I know it ticks off the people behind me (because it ticks me off when I get behind people with lots of coupons! :), but I feel a sense of accomplishment when the total goes down $20!

I also love thrift store shopping. Lately I've been finding lots of things for my kitchen. New dishes and decore! Also, lots of clothes for Andy and myself. We usually go to the thrift stores in the rich areas because over there, people wear name brands and they only wear them one season! So we find almost new, name brand clothes! Andy has found a few nice suits! All we had to do was take them to the dry cleaners! I love my thrift stores! I hate when people look down on them and the people who shop there. I find great stuff and when you look me, you would never know that I bought my clothes at a thrift store!

I also started school a couple weeks ago. The class is interesting but I HATE taking it online. I definitely don't want to take anymore online. Next semester I plan on taking only in-classroom classes.

Things have been really good here! The Lord has really blessed us. Even when thing are bad, He is always there with us, strengthening us, and taking care of us!

I LOVE fall!!!

It is now officially my favorite time of year! I love all the tastes and smells of fall. Spiced candles and hearty soups are some of my favorite things! Today we woke up to temperatures in the 40's. It made me crave one of my favorite soups. Pumpkin soup! I got a taste for it when I was in Australia. Over there, pumpkin is not a sweet thing, it's savory. Since I don't care for sweet pumpkin things (other than pumpkin spiced lattes!!!), I tried the soup and LOVED it! It's SO easy, healthy, and very low in calories! Here's my recipe!

4 cups of chicken stock
1 1/2 cups of carrots (cut)
1/12 cups of onions (cut)
2 cups of water
1 15oz can of pure pumpkin puree

Put the stock and water into a pot with the carrots and onions. Boil until vegetables are tender. Take off heat and add pumpkin puree.
Allow the soup to cool before putting it into a blender. Blend until smooth.
Pour soup back in the pot and put back on medium heat.

From there you can season to your taste.

Here's what I like in my soup:

Salt and pepper
Garlic powder ( i have used fresh garlic before and it always seems to over power the soup)
Dried oregano
Cumin

I don't measure my spices. I just keep tasting the soup and adding the spices until it tastes right to me.

This recipe serves 6 and is only around 60 calories per serving. This soup is great with a salad for lunch or as a starter for dinner.

This weather also makes me crave a nice roasted chicken. So tonight, I'm going to make a lemon herb roast chicken for dinner!

I love this time of year!