Why?

Why is it that everything that I want in life cannot be purchased?  I'm ready to accomplish my dreams!

Catching Up

I'm not very good a keeping up with this blog it seems.

I enjoy stopping by to read others posts and catch up on the details and recipes shared.

I find it hard to keep up writing here when I need a full computer, after becoming accustomed to my iPhone, to post.

Recently, I have been exhausted just trying to keep up with my household and work; all the motherly jobs that most of you do as well, but growing a kid really just takes it out of me!  Oh, big announcement for the blog... I'm expecting!  LOL~ all of you who read my blog are also on FB, so it's not a surprise, but I suppose I should a least mention it- hehe.

We are working on some projects around the house right now.  We have been growing a (very small) garden and it's doing well...

Luke is also going to start building our new entertainment center soon-YAY!  It will hold our many, many, WAY TOO MANY movies, which will free up my book shelf space again.  I have been using make-shift bookshelves in other rooms to accommodate ALL the movies, so I am EXCITED to have my shelf back!

Besides having another child and making room in our home for him/her, our biggest project will be updating our budget.  We are going to try to pay off our two (and really only) debts before our new arrival so that I could possibly stay home and be the one to be there with our children, as has always been my dream.  This will take some careful planning as we also have to purchase new items for our new arrival.  But I will being using some proven methods that I have already put into play, just possibly making them a little stricter.  I would love any feedback/tips that you may have for saving money. 
I am a bargain shopper and I love resale shops!  I've starting trying to coupon a little, but I haven't really seen much saving (as you buy certain things that you wouldn't normally purchase to get the item you would..). 
I would love to do is have a weekly plan for meals.  I think this is where I struggle the most.  We wing it most days and that sometimes costs me more, especially if we are out of an item and run to the store or decide we are both exhausted and want to just grab something quick.
Any suggestions that you have I would love to hear! 

Love and Hugs from us all~

Oh, and here is a new picture of Gracie and the Old Navy dog who she loves and talks to on every visit.

 

Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday

Trying something new I stole from another blogger...

Wordless Wednesday's...

My goal is to be able to post a least once a week (maybe soon I'll pick up another thing to use on daily basis) to try to keep my family up to date and let you see what I see and maybe let you post your own picture titles.

So even though THIS post is not a wordless start, you get the point... here goes!

Reposting a Note from my dad on Father's Day

This is a true story written by my dad, Roger Merrill, about his dad, Kent Merrill.  Please enjoy:

This is a story that a few of you already know. It's a story about about my dad. I've said on here before that my dad always said that he was on our side, right or wrong he was standing beside us. He always said that we, my siblings and I, could discuss anything with him at anytime.
In December of 1981 I turned 19. The girl I was dating at the time mysteriously got pregnant during that month. I didn't know about the pregnancy till several weeks later. Her dad told me. He told me on a Friday night when I went to pick her up for a date. Needless to say we never had that date. The news he gave me that night was devastating for me. I didn't know what to do! I waited until the following Monday and drove to my dad's office that afternoon. I'll NEVER for get that day! When I walked in to my dad's office he was on 2, yes, 2 phones at the same time. He was rockin' and rollin' making all the money that he could. I never remember my dad not getting up, shaving, and going to work. I can never remember him calling in sick. Anyway, back to my story. When I walked into his office he was smiling and talking on the phones. As I walked in he looked up at my face and instantly sensed something was wrong with me. My dad is very intuitive. It's a gift from God! His face changed and he said to the parties on the other phones: "Hey listen, I'm gonna have to call you back." When he hung up the phones he looked at me and said, " Is everything ok?" I said "Dad I need to talk to you." He asked me if I wanted to talk there or go somewhere. I chose to leave because I didn't want to break down in front of his whole office full of co-workers.
When we got in the car and started pulling out of the parking lot He asked me what was wrong. I tried to get out that Cathey was pregnant without crying but I just couldn't. I instantly broke down and started sobbing. My father reached over and touched my shoulder and said " It's gonna be OK son. Your mom and I have known for about six weeks but thought that you didn't want to tell us." That statement alone was like a two ton load had been lifted off my chest. I started being able to breathe again. I wondered how could he have known about the pregnancy when I didn't even know? He asked me if I wanted a coke and I said yes. He pulled up to a 7-11, went inside and got us both a bottle of coke. I stayed in the car sobbing. The tears that I'm shedding now are nothing compared to that day. I was a wreck! When he got back in the car as he was driving down the road, he looked over at me and asked me what I wanted to do. I didn't have I clue what I wanted to do! I didn't even know who I was yet. I eventually mustered up the words; "I Don't Know!" He looked at me, smiled, and said "Whatever you decide to do your mother and I will stand beside your decision."
My girlfriend, Cathey, wanted to give "the baby" up for adoption. This was before the days when ultra sound was common place and you didn't know the sex of your child before birth. It took me several weeks of thinking and deciding, but the conclusion that I came to was that I didn't want some young man or young lady coming up to me eighteen or twenty years later and saying to me: "Hey why didn't you want me?" So I decided that I would become a single dad. WoW! The thought of that scares me even now! I told my parents of the decision that I'd made. Again, my dad said that he and my mom would stand beside me.
By this time my girlfriend's parents had moved her to Topeka Kansas. We lived in Oklahoma City. Topeka and Oklahoma City are a long ways apart. My dad was the one who guided me through the process of gaining custody of "the baby" before "it" was even born. I had to hire a Kansas lawyer, go before a Kansas court, and make several trips to Topeka to get the paperwork approved. Bear in mind that this was before most anyone had heard of a father having sole custody of their child, especially from birth! Needless to say there were many, many obstacles to overcome. My parents were right there for me! Eventually I got all the paperwork in order and had Cathey sign off on it. Legally, on paper, when "the baby" was born, I alone would have sole custody of "it".
On September 14th 1982 Cathey called me "long distance" from Topeka Kansas to tell me her water had broken and she was going to labor. I immediately called my dad to tell him. He said; "Get your things together we're going to Topeka!" This would be the first time that either of my parents had gone to Topeka with me. Up until that point I'd gone alone. I had done the leg work myself. Later that afternoon my dad and I loaded up a couple of days worth of clothing and hopped into his big white Caprice Classic and headed north on I-35. If I remember correctly we got to Stormont Vail Regional Medical Center a little after dark. Bear in mind there were no cell phones for "common folks" like us. We had no Idea whether "the baby" had been born or not. We didn't know what room Cathey was in, we just went up to the maternity ward. When we walked up to the nursery window, my dad looked inside, pointed, and said "That's your baby right there." I said "How do you know?" He said "He looks EXACTLY like us." Well, I thought that little baby looked like.... well, a little baby. I didn't think he looked like me and I sure didn't think he looked like the Ol' Man! Come to find out "it" was my baby!
We rented a motel room and I tried to sleep while my dad sawed logs. The next morning we went breakfast before going back to the hospital. My dad said "Today's the day." One of my dad's favorite sayings is "When the going gets tough, the tough get going." So I knew that what was to follow may prove difficult. I also knew the powerhouse of a man that was standing right beside me!
Later that afternoon I signed the birth certificate as the paternal father for Zachary David Merrill. After all the naming and signing, Dad and I went to lunch. After lunch we went to a department store in Topeka and he bought a diaper bag, a couple of baby blankets, a few newborn outfits, formula, bottles, diapers and some wet wipes. We had dinner and went back to the motel. I tried to sleep while my dad sawed logs. I was worried sick, he was content.
The next morning we went to breakfast. At breakfast my dad said: "When we get there this morning, you find the doctor and tell him that you are checking Zack out of the hospital and we're going home. If you don't like his answer show him your custody paperwork." A lump the size of a grapefruit rose up in my throat and we weren't even at the hospital yet! When we arrived I went in and told Cathey that we were leaving and taking Zack home with us. She was compliant. I then went to find the doctor. When I told him that I was checking my son out of the hospital and we were going back to Oklahoma City. You should have seen the look on his face! Here I was a 19 year old kid telling him that I was checking a newborn out of the hospital. We all went in and talked to Cathey and the good doctor signed the release papers. Zack was just 72 hours old! They put a diaper and tiny t-shirt that said "My Life Began At Stormont Vail" on Zack. They swaddled him, gave us a little care package, and sent us out the door. WoW!! We didn't even have a car seat, of course that was long before that law was enacted.
We made a few bottles of formula, got in the Ol' Man's big white Caprice Classic and headed south on the Kansas Turnpike to Oklahoma City. Us three Merrill Boys. All of us about twenty years apart, all of us connected by the same DNA! When we were headed down the Pike somewhere North of the Oklahoma line I was feeding Zack a bottle. He chocked! I started trying to help him get his breath. The Ol' Man was runnin' about 70mph and started trying to help me clear the baby's throat. Remember the no car seat thing? Well Dad ran into the median at 70. We started doing 360s in the big Caprice Classic. The Ol' Man screams: "Hang on to that baby!" He was driving like Al Unser! He finally pulled it out, Zack quit choking, and we headed right down the Kansas Turnpike toward the Oklahoma line like nothing had ever happened.
Somewhere South of Wichita we stopped in a little restaurant to get some lunch and change the baby. When we got sat down and settled in the waitress came over to take our order. She looked us over, she saw the Ol'Man, a big mean looking preacher. She saw me, a pencil necked, pimpled faced kid, and a new born baby sitting at her table. She took our order looked at us for a few seconds and said "Where's that baby's momma?" As long as I live I will never forget the look on the Ol' Man's face or the words that came out of his mouth next. With a stern look, he simply said "You're lookin' at em!" As if "We" were the baby's mothers. Needless to say the waitress didn't ask any more questions.
My son Zack will be 30 soon. My daughter Ashley is right behind him. In the last 30 years I have never had to worry about some young man or young lady coming up to me and asking me why I didn't want them. I've always told my children the same thing that my dad told me. "I will always be on your side. If your right I'll tell you your right, and still be on your side. If you're wrong I'll tell you you're wrong, but I'll still be on your side. So it doesn't matter whether your right or wrong I'll always be on your side." I never had to wonder where the Ol' Man stood. I hope my children feel the same way.
I know that I've not been a perfect father, but I do love my children! My dad wasn't perfect but I never wondered whether or not he loved me . He told us he loved us, and it showed. My dad taught me to sew, cook and do laundry. When he was teaching me to sew "in case I had to ever mend my jeans" I never thought that someday I would run a sewing machine for a living and be able to make three thousand dollars in a day! I have. I never thought for one second that when he was teaching me to make "bull's eyes" for breakfast that I would be supporting myself as a professional chef. I am. I learned how to be a man from following my dad's example. I learned how to treat a lady because he taught me. I watched the way he treated my mother and other women he had contact with. He would always say "Make a lady's day." My dad is one of the greatest examples of a good man that I have ever known. I owe my life to him! I aspire to be as good a man as he is! My Dad Is My Hero! My profile picture is of those same Three Merrill Boys that were doing 360s in the middle of the Kansas Turnpike at 70mph 30 odd years ago.  This picture was taken at my son Zack's wedding a few years ago. You know what.....He looks exactly like us! My how time flies.

i LOVE my family

Happy Father's Day

Busy Schedule

This week is going to be a BUSY week for us!

Gracie is going to be a flower girl in my cousin's wedding (eek!  so excited!!) and we are having a garage/yard sale on Saturday and Sunday.  So preparing for the weekend is going to take me all week!

I put her hair up in sponge rollers last night, hehe.  She looked like a little old lady!  I loved it!  I should have taken a picture, but by the time I finished, her head was bobbing with exhaustion.  And I had to leave this morning before she woke, so I didn't get to see the finished product.  Hopefully Daddy will remember to take a picture so I can see the results of our test run.

I'll definitely post pictures of the finished product!

Wish me luck!

Sleeping Gracie Girl

First I want to say a big "Thank you" to everyone who was praying for my girl.  I know that God touched her.
Now, here is the story (I'll try to narrow it down a little)...
She was up as normal Thursday morning.  Ate breakfast, played, had snacks... everything was as usual.
Around 12:15 she was ready for her nap (usual) and slept for about an hour, which is a little short for her, but still a nap.
She was up for about 45 mins, cranky and acting sleepy, feel back asleep around 2.
I got to Granny's house at about 5:30 and she informed that she couldn't get her to wake up.  She roused a little whenever I spoke and wanted me, but collapsed immediatley against my chest.  She looked a little pale and her pupils were tiny, like pin heads.
I asked all the normal questions; what'd she eat, has she had runny stools, did she hit her head, was she outside, did she get any medications, what medications are you on incase she did get some, has she ran a fever, congested, anything?
All the answers were as expected.
I checked her breathing and took her pulse.
Normal.
I tried to raise her with candy and treats, nothing worked.
I convinced her to eat a brownie and have some milk, but as she ate, her head was unstable and she looked "drugged."
I called Luke and he said, bring her home, we'll review everything and make a decision, but I would like to see her first.
So we did, she slept on the way home and until about 7 when I decided that it was time to call the peditrician because she had now been asleep for 5 hrs straight plus her hour nap.
The first thing I said (after introducing myself) was, "I know this might be a crazy question because it's just sleep, but..."
He said, "No."  He proceeded to give me instructions, told me to call him back in 15 mins.
I did all he suggested and more. I bathed her, my kid does not sleep through baths.
No real change.
I called Dr. H back and he said to take her to the ER.
So we did.
And we waited...
and waited...
and waited...
12 hours after she started sleeping, we saw the doctor.
She was awake and she was singing.
My girl was back.
He said a "growth spurt" was probably to blame.
The problem with his "diagnosis" was that there was no explaination for why she couldn't focus on me, hold her head up, and why her pupils were so unresponsive.

He told me he would run any tests I requested, but if she was acting normal and seemed normal to us, why would we subject her to these tests.
I asked if we ran the test if any would actually show up because if she did get some kind of medication it had now been at least 12 hours since that had happened.  He answered me honestly and said probably not.  He offered an IV, but why would I give her that when she was sipping her milk.
I know all about growth spurts and growing pains.  I dealt with them a lot when I was younger.  Nothing compares to what she was doing.
I honestly belive that she got something, thinking it may have been candy or treats (jellybeans look a lot like meds).
I know my daughter. I know my daughter like I know myself.  There was something wrong with her.  I don't know what it was, I may never know.
God knows.
Thank you for your prayers.

Newest Updates

Well, there has been a LOT going on lately.  We are spring cleaning, Luke has finals this week, keeping up with weight loss, working out, working, and chasing a toddler.  Where do you find the time to keep up with reading each others blogs and keep your own up to date!  Whew!  You guys are good! ;)

Things are great with my little family.

We planted a flower bed last week.  My first ever!  Worked hard, got dirty, had fun!

Getting things together for my first ever garage sale! (And I mean, my own personal, not one that I participated in as a kid, or went to as a church function)

Still looking for that window that is supposed to be opening...
Any suggestions for a WAHM position?

Gracie is growing up so fast!  She is so smart and sings to me all the time!  I LOVE IT!
She's be 2 in less than a month!  Crazy!

Personal Achievement: I have officially started the Dave Ramsey Total Money Makeover and have completed my Emergency Fund!  Hopefully I'll be able to keep it there! LOL!

Personal Achievement 2: I have lost 20 lbs since January!  I'm so excited!

Luke is taking the summer off so he will be working full time and we will get to see more of him! YAY! No late night studies for the summer! 

We are going to Destin in 24 days!  And trust me, I'm counting down! 

Well, I think that's all for now.  I'll try to do better about updating more.  I'm so sorry, but most of you catch me on FB anyway! ;)

Educational Freebies!!

Friend shared this info with me thought I would pass it on

McGraw-Hill is offering the EM Games Apps for iPads and iPhones/iPod touches FREE at the iTunes store from April 13-16, 2011.

After April 16th, the apps will be available for $1.99.

The games that will be available include:

* Addition Top-it

* Subtraction Top-it

* Beat the Computer

* Name that Number

* Equivalent Fractions

* Tric-Trac

* Monster Squeeze

* Baseball Multiplication 1-6 Facts

* Baseball Multiplication 1-12 Facts

* Divisibility Dash

Check them out!

Weight Loss

I just wanted to share my news...

I've lost 7 lbs in two weeks!  Just been watching my calories and using a really neat tool I found online!
It's called MyFitnessPal.com.  It's great and really easy to use! 

Loving the new me!

Prayers

Ok, all of those who read this, I need your prayers. I have an interview for a state job next week. Now it is a little less money than I make right now, but it's with the state, so there are many perks in there. I would like that you pray that God would open the right door. I have actually applied for about 5 state jobs in the last month and other positions have a higher income bracket, but I want to make the right decision and be where God wants me to be.
So I trust in Him, and I am just asking for you to say a little prayer on behalf, too.
I would be so grateful!
Much love!

Happy Heart Day!

I hope that everyone enjoyed their Valentine's Day with their loved ones!  I know I did! 

See my sweet Valentine's...

She was ready to have her Valentines candy when I asked her to take a picture, so she wasn't very happy...

But after Daddy told her she could have some "Jelly Beans" after the picture...

She was very happy!

We worked very hard over several weeks making Valentine card's for everyone...

I hope everyone got received theirs!  Some days she wanted my help, and other day's I wasn't allowed to help!  She is so much fun.  I know she enjoyed making them and I hope you all enjoyed getting them.

Loves to everyone!

My Adventures

Well I did it!  The artichokes were fab-u-lous!  And Gracie loved them! 

Next we made cookies!



And she had a BLAST!  She tried to eat the flour mixture that you see on her face!  Then she realized we were putting chocolate chips in and it was over for the flour mixture! 

After we finished mixing we of course put them in the oven and then we made dinner (I know, kind of out of order, but... it worked for us).

As the cookies were finishing up, I took her to the oven, turned on the light and showed her what the cookies looked like now and she said, "Oh, Momma!  So pretty!"

I thought so too...

Then, after dinner was over and vegetables gone, she received her well deserved reward...

Cookies and milk, yumm-o!



Artichoke Intimidation

Well, it's true. 

I'm intimated by artichokes. 

I love artichoke hearts, dips, pasta's; anything that includes them.  I love them, but... I have never tried to make anything with them. 

There are several reasons really:

1.  I didn't know they came canned!  (Thanks, Amy for the info!)

2.  We (to my remembrance) never made them fresh growing up.

3.  Have you ever seen a fresh artichoke?  They have pointy ends and are covered in layers...

So, after having some fabulous dip my sis-in-law made, craving them for a while, having them again in dip recently (rinsing/sucking all the cheese off so Gracie could try it and loved them btw), I decided.  Enough was enough!  I am going to overcome my fear and learn how to prepare those scary looking greens.

Well, tonight's the night folks, I'm going on a Cooking Adventure! 

I found a website, SimplyRecipes.com, read over it (seems simple enough), and decided I can do it!

I'll let you know how it goes....

Gradual Changes

Well, it's another day over in the Carter house and I am planning out our day for tomorrow.

I need to edit Gracie's daily schedule for Granny, get the grocery list together for Luke so he can go to the health food store tomorrow, and lay out clothes for everyone for another day, a fairly nice on for January actually!

I am so grateful for my family, glad to have a job, and thankful for God's provision!

Today has been a good day! I did some "housekeeping" at work (started cleaning out my desk), organizing my memos/bulletins, and preparing my "training manual" to be passed down to the next poor soul who gets stuck in this job.

I went to take a typing and written test for state jobs, and passed both! By the time I was back at work (long lunch to apply for a new job :o), I had received 3 more pre-approvals for state jobs! Now, that just means they will actual review my app and I qualify for it.

I have been praying a lot about this lately and I am so excited about moving forward! I believe that God is moving and opening all the right doors!

It's so exciting! Keep praying for us!

Catch up!

To the people who actually read this (LOL), I just wanted to say that I'm sorry that it has been SO long since I posted anything.  I have been going through my changes in my personal life and I have been extremely busy.  AND if you include the holiday's in there too, well... an excuse is an excuse!

The changes in my personal life are all good, nothing major has happened, I have just made a few resolutions to do a few things better with my life. 

I am not going back to school this semester.  I am as disappointed, maybe even more so, than you.  But I have prayed about it and believe that this is the best decision for my family right now.  With the changes that are going on with work (we now have to pay for our own insurance which we didn't before), Luke working less hours, and Gracie's constinent need for attention (which I love), I felt that right now was not the time for me to take that adventure. 

I have made a decision to "... do what the Father requires of me, so that the world will know that I love the Father."  I have started a few daily devotionals so that I can dive into the word.  I have not done well at this in my life and although I know scripture (thank you Grandpa and Papa), I need to read it for myself and apply it to my life.

I actually had an argument with Him this weekend, isn't that funny?  He won of course! 
I have also decided to "Pray for my enemies."  Not that I would really consider them my enemies, but that's what the scripture says.  I believe that with my obedience, He will take care of.
I have to be honest and tell you that I had a really hard time doing this.  I didn't really have any words to say.  I mean, my momma always told me "If you don't have anything nice to say..."  Well, I didn't.  Nothing.  I said their names and asked for the Lord to bless them, make them prosperious, give them Godly wisdom (even though they didn't want it), and then... prayed that those words would eventually be sincere.  Because believe me, when I said them, they were not.

I have also made a conscience desion to be a better wife, mother, and friend.  (This is not a plea for sympathy for you to tell me how wonderful I am, but please, feel free!)  I have already seen results of this and truly believe that I am a Blessed woman.  No, I know I'm a Blessed woman.  I have the best friends and the greatest family (blood/married-in/adopted, you are all on my list)! 

Speaking of adopted... I'm so excited for the Wells Family and their decision to adopt!  I get to enjoy the company of a new niece! 

So many wonderful things have happened it's hard to keep up with it all.  I'm sorry that I haven't kept up like I should, but hope you have heard through one source or another! 

Oh, and I have to mention this...
My favorite new quote from the funniest little girl I know, (said while looking into her potty chair) "Momma!  Alligator in 'near!!"

Loves to all!