Signing off for awhile...

Just want to let all of you know, that I will be signing off, for a little while. It will only be for two or three weeks, but let me just say......I will miss all of my bloggy friends sooo much! I'm going to be concentrating on getting lots of rest and getting well, so I will be good as new and blogging again, before ya know it. Love you all and I will be thinking of you!

Wow....More Awards! Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!!!

This award is given because Leah at Live Life Simply, thinks my blog is alluring, amusing, bewitching, impressive, and inspiring!

I was also given this award by momma at All This Is True and this is what she said, "I find her blog bewitching (i had to look that one up). I enjoy looking at her Flashback Fridays and reading her posts. I feel "attracted" to her blog. I'm not implying, though, that Debra is a witch or casts spells" :) I cracked up when I read this.....she is so funny!

The rule for this award... pass this along to 5 blogs which I also find, alluring, amusing, bewitching, impressive, and inspiring!

This is the KREATIV BLOGGER AWARD and it was given to me by H-Mama at Family Team.

This award comes with some instructions:
Post the award on your blog. Link to the person who gave you the award.
List seven things you love: Walking on the beach with my husband, spending time with my kids, taking pictures with my awesome camera, spending time with friends, watching movies and eating popcorn, blogging and looking out my window and admiring the moon at night and the beautiful cloud formations and the sun, during the day.
List seven blogs you love and let those people know you’ve given them the award.

This is the One Lovely Blog Award, that I received from Tanya at Miller Racing Family. I am suppose to pass this along to 15 different people

I also received this Awe-Summm blog award from Tanya at Miller Racing Family. I am suppose to list 7 things that make me Awe-Summ and then pass the award on to 7 bloggers you love. Make sure to tag your recipients and let them know they have won! Also link back to the Queen that tagged you. Here I go...What makes me Awe-summ??? I'm a loving person, I love my husband more than life itself, I love my kids so deeply it almost hurts, I am compassionate and caring, I love to laugh and have fun, I live for music and feel it deep in my soul and I love blogging!

First of all, I just want to say a big THANK YOU, to Leah, momma, H-mama and Tanya, for giving me these fantastic awards! I do appreciate them and I appreciate all of you, as well! I'm sure you probably thought I had forgotten about them by now, but I hadn't. Please forgive me for taking so long to post them......I've been struggling with my blogging, since I haven't been feeling well.....sorry!

I know I'm supposed to pass these on, but I've seen many of you receive them already. If you are one of my Fabulous Blogs listed in my right sidebar and you haven't receive any of these awards, come by and pick one or more up. I think all of your blogs are fabulous and so therefore, you deserve an award!

Flashback Friday

This picture of my Grandaddy, Rusty, Terri Lynn and I, was taken at the State Fair. I will never ever forget this day! It was so special to have my Grandaddy take us kids to the fair.....I mean going to the fair is a thrill in itself, but to go with him, was just over the top!

I remember eating candied apples together, and of course y'all know how much I love cinnamon, so candied apples were a huge favorite. We also had cotton candy because the fair and cotton candy go hand and hand, don't they? I guess we were all pretty sugared up, by the time we went home that night, but that's ok because the fair only came once a year. I can still remember how tickled I was, to have our picture taken with my Grandaddy. He was a very special man and the best Grandaddy in the whole world!

All in all it was a day to remember! A day full of sweets, fun rides and walking hand in hand with my Grandaddy. What more could a little girl want?

PLEASE.....Someone tell me this is just a cruel joke or a bad dream!

Ok, well as it turns out, it's not a joke or a bad dream, like I had hoped! This past few weeks have been rough for me because of a horrible diet my doctor put me on. I mean it's bad enough, that I have been pretty ill for almost 4 months, but don't be messin' with a girl's food!!! Especially, since I have my appetite back now! I usually don't get too personal on my blog, but this is so unfair, that I just have to tell all.

Here's how it all started...

Almost 4 months ago I got bronchitis and after 2 rounds of antibiotics, I was still having a lot of trouble breathing, so I went back to the doctor. He said I wasn't getting enough oxygen.....duh, that's why I was there! (do you detect a little attitude in my voice?) He gave me a nebulizer treatment, plus sent a nebulizer home with me, along with many other drugs. (I really hate taking medications, but I had no choice, I mean come on, I have to breathe!) After a chest x-ray, pulmonary function testing, allergy testing, plus 3 visits to my family doc and 4 or 5 to the Allergy Specialist, I still couldn't hardly breathe. BTW, the pulmonary function test was not fun. It wasn't too bad breathing into the machine, until he switched it to oxygen. He forewarned me that people new to scuba diving, have trouble breathing with the oxygen tanks and they sometimes panic. He said this test would be like that and that I would probably feel like I wasn't getting enough air.......HELLO.......I'm already NOT getting enough air! Oh and FYI......I'm not a scuba diver either! Needless to say, I almost panicked and ripped that thing out of my mouth, but he said if we didn't get a proper reading, we would have to redo it. I had to redo it 3 times because the first two times I was hyperventilating through the whole test. Anyway, the results revealed that my lungs are functioning properly, so he thought the obstruction must be caused by inflammation.

So far, I have had two really bad asthma attacks and both times, I ended up having panic attacks because I literally couldn't breathe and thought I wasn't going to make it! Let me tell you.....that will freak a person out! I made a real spectacle out of myself, when it happened at church in the middle of the service, recently. Fortunately, I went out into the foyer, but as my air became more constricted and the terror set in, I became more panicked. I thought I was going to drive myself home to use my nebulizer and was trying to convince myself and the ushers that I was going to be fine. Ok, at this point I was not thinking clearly! Apparently, I just got louder and louder the more panicked I became and the next thing I new, my husband busted through the door......he could hear the panic in my voice over his preaching and knew exactly what was happening. He didn't even get to finish the sermon.....we left and the rest of the church stayed and prayed for me. Isn't that so sweet? Some of them even met at the church the next night to pray for me, also. I am so thankful for all of them!

Anyway, It wasn't until the next day that I realized, after talking with Andy that everyone in the auditorium could hear me panicking and freaking out in the foyer. Oh my goodness, I was so humiliated that all I could do, was laugh at myself! Thank goodness our church members are all my friends!

I went back to my doctor and he thinks I am having acid reflux ,that is backing up and spilling into my lungs, which is causing my lungs to constrict and making it hard to breathe.

SO......this brings me to the unfairness I mentioned in the beginning of this post...

I am now on a very bland diet for a month to see if part of the problem really is acid reflux. I've been on this awful diet, for a few weeks and let me just share with you, how rough it really is....

Here are some of my favorite things that I can't have. What? Does he seriously think I can live without my spicy foods? I can't even eat soup without cayenne pepper and literally dumping two kinds of hot sauce in it. Plus, how will I eat scrambled eggs without my Cholula sauce? No acidic fruits or vegetables, so that rules out anything with tomato........NO PIZZA, SPAGHETTI, OR LASAGNA! I was going to buy some tomato plants to make homemade salsa with.....hmmm, guess that won't be happening! I can't even have oranges or pineapple in my smoothies.......this is getting rediculous!
Ok, so this is where I'm hoping I'll wake up and find out this is just a bad dream! I can't even have my favorite mexican food from Plaza Jalisco! Oh my goodness, I can almost taste those luscious enchiladas ranchera and that awesome salsa, right now. I sometimes just eat the salsa with a spoon.....seriously, it is the best salsa I have ever had! I better move on to the next picture before I start to weep.
Alright, this is the last straw! This really has to be a cruel joke! I can't even have my favorite tea? Come on! These are just 3 of my favorites, but they all contain something I can't have. My other favorites are Stash decaf Chai Tea and Stash Lemon Ginger. I can't have caffeine, chocolate, or any kind of mint or spices, so all of my favorites are out! Do you know how hard it is to find tea without caffeine, mint, lemon or ginger?

I do hope this torture is over soon, but if it solves some of my problem with my lungs, then I guess it will be worth it. I mean, I would really love to feel good again and most importantly, be able to breathe easily again! Now, those of you who love spicy foods, don't you feel sorry for me? You can all come to my pity party if you wanna......the door is open!

Wordless Wednesday

Worship and Praise Sunday

***(don't forget to pause my music player in the right sidebar, before playing the video)

Today I'm sharing Do They See Jesus In Me by Joy Williams

This song gives me a lot to reflect upon. Listen to the words and you'll see what I mean!

Please hop on over to my friend Brittany's blog at SweetNothings, where she is hosting Worship and Praise Sunday and you can listen to more great songs. There you will also find instructions, if you would like to link up, to add your song/video.

If you would like to listen to all of the Worship and Praise videos I have shared thus far......scroll down to LABELS in my right sidebar and simply click on Worship and Praise Sunday.

Flashback Friday

This picture of Kasey, just melts my heart! It's hard to believe, my baby is going to be 20 yrs old, in September. My goodness how time flies when you're having fun. I would give anything, if I could just turn back time, so I could hold my babies, sing to them and rock them to sleep, just one more time! Those were such precious times for me, as a mom and I'll cherish them, forever. These young mothers of today are missing out greatly. I never hear of them rocking their babies to sleep anymore and I think that is so sad.

This pic of Kasey, was taken at Grandma and Grandpa Robert's house, on their back deck. Isn't she adorable? Her smile just warms my heart! You'd never know by her constant smiles, what she had been through and was still going through, at this point in her little life. To think that we almost lost her so many times....it just makes me shudder, as I remember it, like it was yesterday. Looking at this pic, you'd never know, that she had a Kasai procedure at 7 1/2 weeks old and then a liver transplant at 7 months old and was being pumped full of drugs and steroids to keep her alive. She was such a happy little trooper! Now, she has turned into a beautiful young woman and her smile......well, it still melts my heart.

I love you, Kasey Ann!

What? My Son On The Cover Of A Magazine?

Ok, so it's fake...........it's still really cool! My son Michael, (the one on the left) competed in Major League Gaming, in New Jersey on April 3rd - 5th and had the time of his life. There are 4 players on each team and Michael's team placed 35 out of 128 teams, which is really pretty good, I think.

He had a blast and said, it was really fun to finally meet his teammates in person, after playing with them online for so long. All four of them flew to New Jersey and met up and got a motel room together. Not only did he get to meet the guys on his team, but he also met several other guys that he has played online with too. Apparently, once a team would lose, they would go around and cheer on the remaining teams, so that's how they were able to meet so many other guys that they've only known by name and voice online.

He came back, with so many awesome stories to tell, along with the memories of quite an experience and funfilled adventure. Oh...how I wish I could share with you some of his funny stories, but I would never be able to get all the details right.

I'm so glad he was able to go and do something fun like this.........we all know how much guys LOVE competition! I know it was a huge thrill for him! I couldn't believe it when he said, "Mom you know how much I loved playing football.....well, I loved this even more!" What? Shut up! (as it was so well put in Princess Diaries) I couldn't believe my ears, I mean, he seriously lives and breathes football. Wow, it really MUST have been a BLAST!!!

Wordless Wednesday

Ok, so there's no way I can stay wordless on this one! This is my favorite of the hummingbird pics I took. Isn't it awesome? I love it's colors and it's wings are so beautiful! I think this is one of my best photos, so far.

It seemed like it cocked it's head and was lookin' at me in this one. As you can see by his slightly ruffled feathers, it's starting to get windy outside.

Now this little guy is sportin' the wind blown look! Notice how fluffy he looks. I don't know how to tell if they are male or female, so I will just refer to it, as a male.

This one cracked me up because the wind started blowing ferociously and I was afraid it was going to knock him off of there. Look how he closed his eyes and hung on for dear life! Oh, I wish you could have been here to see it. Poor thing.....I laughed so hard!

This is the same little guy as the pic directly above. He decided to come back about an hour later.

I love this one because it shows the green color on his back!

I took these last two pics, just as he was landing, on the feeder.

I love that I caught him with his wings outstretched! I have so many more pics, so I might just have to post more of my favorites, next Wednesday.

Worship and Praise Sunday ~ Always

***(don't forget to pause my music player in the right sidebar, before playing the video)

Today I'm sharing Always by Building 429

I was standing in the pourin' rain
One dark November night
Fighting off the bitter cold
When she caught my eye
Her face was torn and her eyes were filled
And to my surprise
She pulled out a photograph
And my heart just stopped inside
She said He would have been three today
I miss his smile, I miss his face
What was I supposed to say

But I believe always always
Our Savior never fails
Even when all hope is gone
God knows our pain and His promise remains
He will be with you always

He was living in a broken world dreaming of a home
His heart was barely keeping pace
When I found him all alone
Remembering the way he felt
When his daddy said goodbye
Fighting just to keep the tears
And the anger locked inside
He's barely holding on to faith
But deliverance is on its way

'Cuz I believe always always
Our Savior never fails
Even when all hope is gone
God knows our pain and His promise remains
He will be with you always

Friend I don't know where you are
And I don't know where you've been
Maybe you're fighting for your life
Or just about to throw the towel in
But if you're crying out for mercy
If there's no hope left at all
If you've given everything you've got
And you're still about to fall
Well hold on, hold on, hold on

Cuz I believe always always
Our Savior never fails
Even when all faith is gone
God knows our pain and His promise remains
Always, Always
He will be with you always
He will be with you always
He will be with you

Sometimes it's nice to know the story behind the song and that's why I enjoyed this next video. The song already tugs at my heartstrings in the first and second verse, but now it does even more, after hearing the story behind it.

The third verse and the chorus are so encouraging to me right now. I'm reminded to, hold on because God knows my pain and His promise remains, Always!

Please hop on over to my friend Brittany's blog at SweetNothings, where she is hosting Worship and Praise Sunday and you can listen to more great songs. There you will also find instructions, if you would like to link up, to add your song/video.

If you would like to listen to all of the Worship and Praise videos I have shared thus far......scroll down to LABELS in my right sidebar and simply click on Worship and Praise Sunday.

Flashback Friday

Tomorrow is my sister's birthday, so I decided to put some of her childhood pics, on here today.

What a cutie pie! I'm going to have to restore this pic.....it's in pretty bad shape.

Here is Terri Lynn in the walker, with my brother Rusty, hangin' onto her. They were only 11 months apart! This was taken at my Little Granny and Grandaddy's house. Weren't those old timey walkers cool? I love that old pickup truck in the background too!

Here is one of her grade school pics, but I don't know how old she was. I'll have to ask her...

This was taken at church camp and I believe this was the year, she got stung by a wasp and her eye swole shut, so she had to come home. Poor thing, it was awful!

Terri Lynn and Warsaw our Quarter Horse. Cute dress!

Blurb ~ Make a book out of your blog!

My awesome bloggy friend Sara, from over at make music from your heart for the Lord has introduced me to something wonderful......no......awesome and fabulous and I just have to share all of it's goodness, with the rest of my bloggy friends. Wow! That was one very long run on sentence! English Teachers every where are cringing and detesting me right now. Oh well, they'll get over it. *grin*

So, Sara had a couple of books made of her blog.....with pictures, as well as each post. Is that so cool or what? She posted about it on her blog and even showed some of the pages of her books for us to see. Please head on over to Sara's blog and check it out because I know you'll want one, just like I do. And hey, while you're there check out the rest of her blog too, trust me you'll enjoy it.

Thank you, Sara for sharing your blog books with us. I just HAVE to have one made for my blog!!! :O)

You Just Gotta Laugh When....Your Life Becomes Sermon Fodder

This is for all of you Pastor's wives out there.......I'm sure some of you can relate.......I know I can! If you haven't already seen this, you really have to watch the whole thing because the song is awesome. It is so funny, I mean I really got a kick out of it! You're gonna love it! Oh, and if you can relate......make sure you show this to your husband.....I'm sure you both will have some fun with it. :)

***(Pause my music player over on the right before clicking on this video!)

Wordless Wednesday

Some things......you just never grow too old for!

Here are Michael and Jaymie, as they start setting up the dominos for their Domino Challenge! (As you can see in the background of some of these pics.....I'm still unpacking, so don't mind the things that are sitting around where they don't belong.)

Notice their audience........Cheetoh and Ling ling. I was so afraid Cheetoh was going to knock over the dominoes, but he never did. He just wanted to be close to Michael! I think the cats really miss him a lot!

Michael working on yet another fun attempt.

***(Pause my music player in the upper right sidebar before clicking on these videos!)

Ok, so sometimes I don't think things through, like I should. I took these videos with my little point and shoot camera and I forgot that I can't turn the camera sideways, while taking video. I tried to rotate it upright, but it won't let me. Sorry, I guess you'll have to look at it sideways. This is attempt # 1 of their domino challenge!

Attempt # 2 of the domino challenge.

Attempt # 3 of the domino challenge.

Attempt # 4 of the domino challenge.

Ok, so I guess there are.........some things...I...never grow too old for! lol We had some fun, with Michael's remote control car that we gave him for Christmas, when he was still in high school. I had so much fun, chasing Ling ling with it, and watching her attack it!

Worship and Praise Sunday ~ Complete

***(don't forget to pause my music player in the right sidebar, before playing the video)

Today I am sharing Complete by Parachute Band

I tried to choose a favorite part of this song, but I couldn't, I love every word of it!

Please hop on over to my friend Brittany's blog at SweetNothings, where she is hosting Worship and Praise Sunday and you can listen to more great songs. There you will also find instructions, if you would like to link up, to add your song/video.

If you would like to listen to all of the Worship and Praise videos I have shared thus far......scroll down to LABELS in my right sidebar and simply click on Worship and Praise Sunday.

Flashback Friday

Andy loved his 3 wheeler and he loved riding at Jones Beach! I would go with him sometimes, like this particular day, when I snapped a few pictures of him. Other times, he would go and ride with the guys. They always had a blast!

I was thankful that he wore a helmet and riding boots because he was quite the dare devil!

These days were so much fun!

Like father like son and daughter! Here's Michael on Daddy's 3 wheeler!

and here's Kasey on the little motorized 4 wheeler! We started them young, I guess.

We actually bought this little 4 wheeler for Michael before he was even old enough to ride it and it lasted through him and Kasey both. It was a great little thing and they loved riding it!

This is me strapping my helmet on and gettin' ready to do some serious riding on the sand dunes in Florence. I think this was the year that Debbie wrecked and was pinned under the 4 wheeler. Thank goodness Andy went looking for her. I can't remember exactly, but she either sprained or fractured her wrist, but other than that, she was ok. Although the gasoline did spill out on her and I do remember that burning her skin and it was a long trip home. Poor thing...that was miserable.

Oh boy, those were the good old days, when we were care free and did dangerous things at a blink of an eye. It's a wonder we lived through it!