Giving A Few Thanks.......

The girls and I decided to share some love and let their piano teacher, circus coaches and ES know we appreciate them this Thanksgiving. The girls got up before school started this morning and made pumpkin bread. If you have never bought Trader Joe's pumpkin bread mix YOU MUST go get some!! It's super easy and so moist and YUMMY! A great thing for kids to make.
mmmmmmmmmm...You know you want some. :)

Morgan insisted on taking my picture since I made the boxes; thus it is black and white since I was not fully awake. :)

Took the bread, sliced it up and placed it in these little handy boxes I picked up from Creative Journeys. I just bought cute stickers and ribbon and tags and TA-DA! My blogging friend Christy P. (see side bar for her blog) inspires me to wrap treats up and give them away so after reading her blog I get the "itch" to make cuteness. :)

Hope everyone is having a blessed week so far and finding lots of ways to show people they are thankful for them. :)

Have you missed her??

OK blogger friends, it has been way to long since I last posted a funny Ryanne story. I don't know that the following is so much funny as it is heart warming and oh so our Ryanne.

For the last year we have been trying to take Ryannes strong will and determination and give it direction and guidance. We have been trying to teach her that for every action whether good or bad their will be some reaction. If she is kind and loving to her sister then Morgan in return will return the kindness. If she does her chores she gets paid on Fridays. If she lies or oh lets just throw this out there, is say mean to the cat..........well, life gets hard from there.

So earlier today she decides to sit on and "squish" the cat. The cat yelps for help and of course mama runs to the rescue. As I get to the scene of the crime Ryanne has run and hidden somewhere. I can't get her to tell me the truth about what shes done and so after being warned many, many, many, many , many (you get the picture) times to not be mean to the cat Dan spanks her bottom and sends her to her room. I can hear the anti-spanking cult now! Save it please.

Anyways, after Dan goes and talks to her she comes to me sobbing and her little face is hanging on the ground. "Mama, I am so embarrassed of my behavior. *sobs, sniff* I'm so sad I did the wrong thing and my behavior embarrassed me!" Waaaaa-haaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!

It took everything I had not to dance around the room and jump up and down screaming, YES! YES! YES!!!!!! Thank you Jesus the child has a conscious. Instead I hid my grin, held her and forgave her. Something familiar in that huh?

OK and last but not least, Ryanne had to write why each family member was so special to her for her social studies last week.

Morgan- Morgan is special to me because she is such a good friend AND sister.

Daddy- He's the best because he loves me and I just want to hug on him.

Mommy- Mommy is great because she loves me and blesses me and pleases me too. She also watches out for me.

(ahhh, be still my beating often stressed out, hoping my kids turn out to love and serve the Lord mama's heart)

Backyard Show

I was taking the trash out a couple nights ago and stopped dead in my tracks when I looked up and saw the sun setting and sky going crazy. God was painting this beautiful image and I dared to stand still long enough to breath it in. After I grabbed my camera of course. ;)I've had allot on my mind and heart the last week or so; some of it serious and some admittedly is petty but when I saw this I was reminded that whatever it is that is going on in our lives we are to take it to the Lord all the same. Oh and not just take it and walk away with it like I've been known to do; but leave it there at his feet trusting that he knows and has our best interest at heart. I think of all the qualities I can honestly say knowing that God has my best interest at heart and who he wants me to become is one of my favorite things about my God.
Praise him for his mighty deeds; praise him according to his excellent greatness!
Psalm 150:2

Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised. Psalm 145:3

Hear my cry, O God, listen to my prayer; from the end of the earth I call to you when my heart is faint. Lead me to the rock that is higher than I, for you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the enemy. Psalm 61:1-3

Let me dwell in your tent forever! Let me take refuge under the shelter of your wings!

Psalm 61:4

Please pray and pass it on.........

I have posted many times asking for prayer for Morgan's friend Angle. Never have they needed you more than they do now. Sarah has asked for prayer in that Angle is going through rejection from his transplant and is in the ICU getting ready to start rejection meds. that will make him very sick at best. This family is heart broken and in need of your faithful prayers. Please pray for healing in his little body and for strength for Sarah and Nick and his little brother and sister. He had been doing really well so this is a rough blow to the family. Pass on this prayer request, my blog link whatever you need to do to get the request out there. Thank you.

Halloween Update

Happy Monday everyone and happy November too! I love November, warm days and cool nights. So fun. We had a fun busy weekend. We made goodies from http://www.picky-palate.com/ and delivered them to the neighborhood kids. If you have never checked out her web site I encourage you to do so and be prepared for some YUMM-O treat ideas. We started off our Halloween morning by visiting Hampton Manor retirement home with some other home school friends and handing out home made cookies and other fun stuff. The people LOVED having the kids there in their costumes and getting treat bags just topped it off I think. ;) All the kids had great servant hearts and all the parents who showed up and helped out were amazing as well.
Saturday afternoon my mom helped the girls decorate cookies she had bought them and fun was had by all.
While the girls were making their cookies I was sneaking around planning a fun Halloween dinner. I made mummy hot dogs, baked pumpkin ziti, salad with pumpkin seeds and we had the girls cookies for dessert. Dan's mom also came down to spend the day and after all the good food we went with our neighbors trick or treating till' the kids (and myself) were worn out. ;)

Ryanne dressed as a ballerina and Morgan was a Greek Goddess. They were super cute and so excited to be with family and friends.

Morgan's Recital

Morgan played at a little Fall recital this weekend. The girls also had a circus show which for some reason would not down load so I will try and post it next. ;)

Pray

I am posting to ask that you pray. It's actually something very specific I need prayer for and although I rarely talk about my health on here I wanted to ask you to lift it up something that is important to me. If you are new to reading my blog it will be 7 years this coming April that I was diagnosed with Rheumatoid arthritis. It's not the mild, I feel "yuck" every so often kind of arthritis; it's the "hard to get out of bed and dress yourself or write or hold a toothbrush kind." I have been on just about every drug they offer,only to become VERY ill and most recently (last April & May) spent 8 weeks in and out of the hospital, and in bed.

It will be 5 months this week that I have been treating myself naturally with food and supplements. I have been seeing a Homeopathic Dr. once a month who has been a life saver along with me doing acupuncture and getting massages all of which are helping but there is still always this constant underlying pain that I deal with all day every day and night. Not to mention our insurance won't pay for anything that is NOT traditional medicine so it is getting VERY expensive.

My friend who works at Loma Linda mentioned to me on Sunday that they have a pain management clinic there and she knew the people who ran it and would see if they would take me. She called Monday and said our insurance would cover it and the Dr. did want to take me on. The only thing was I had to get my regular Rheumatoligist to agree to send me there. I prayed and called this morning and they said they would put the request in today. Please pray they follow through and I am accepted. If I can get into this pain clinic they offer acupuncture and also pool therapy which I really believe would help with some of the daily pain and weakness I am having. I am VERY committed to staying clear of traditional drugs they use for RA due to the fact that I am convinced they made me VERY ill and I have no plans of riding in an ambulance again anytime soon. ;) I am committed to taking care of myself for my husband and my family and to be positive through it all. The hardest part really is looking fine on the outside and yet being in pain 24 hours a day. It starts to wear on your nerves and sleep and everything.

Please pray my referral goes through. Pray the clinic can take me. Pray they have ideas to keep my joints limber and moving. Pray for my heart as I struggle through living with this crazy disease and seeking Gods will in how he desires to use me in that. Thank you so much and I will keep you posted on what happens in the next few weeks. :)