I am so looking forward to this weekend....long weekends are always the best. Tomorrow morning my daughter and I are spending some girl time together. We're getting coffee (ok tea for her!) and then going to get our nails done. She's getting a "manicure" and I'll be getting a pedi. She's tickled pink by this. Then tomorrow afternoon we have a pig roast that my husband's boss is throwing. They live on a lake so the kids will have a blast, they can swim and it will be their first time on a boat. Sunday morning is church and then I think we may go to the beach, the weather should be perfect for it. Monday we have NO plans minus grilling out! I like it.
God bless! Have a safe weekend!
Friday, August 29, 2008
More books....
Destiny by Alex Archer-Eh. That's the most I can say about it. It was a quick read but I wouldn't recommend it. It seems like it's going to be in a series and I definitely won't be reading the rest of them.
Eclipse by Stephanie Meyer-YAY! One more left to go. As usual, I couldn't put this one down. I do prefer the first two but that has NOTHING to do with the style of writing, it's just that I didn't like parts of this story as much. I can't wait to read the last one.
I've just started The Man with the Golden Torc by Simon R. Green.....I've read some of his Nightside stuff and I like the way he writes. So far, this is a good fit for me. It's similar to the Dresden Files by Jim Butcher.
Eclipse by Stephanie Meyer-YAY! One more left to go. As usual, I couldn't put this one down. I do prefer the first two but that has NOTHING to do with the style of writing, it's just that I didn't like parts of this story as much. I can't wait to read the last one.
I've just started The Man with the Golden Torc by Simon R. Green.....I've read some of his Nightside stuff and I like the way he writes. So far, this is a good fit for me. It's similar to the Dresden Files by Jim Butcher.
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Thursday 13 #2
13 Books/Series that I can read over and over again
1. The Bible
2. Christine by Catherine Marshall
3. Bingo by Rita Mae Brown
4. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L'Engle
5. Anne of Green Gables by LM Montgomery
6. The Harry Potter Series by JK Rowling
7. The Three Sisters Trilogy by Nora Roberts
8. The Key Trilogy by Nora Roberts
9. The Southern Vampire Series by Charlaine Harris
10. The Anita Blake Vampire Hunter Series by Laurell K. Hamilton
11. The Merry Gentry Series by Laurell K. Hamilton
12. The Undead Series by MaryJanice Davidson
13. The Twilight Series by Stephanie Meyer
1. The Bible
2. Christine by Catherine Marshall
3. Bingo by Rita Mae Brown
4. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L'Engle
5. Anne of Green Gables by LM Montgomery
6. The Harry Potter Series by JK Rowling
7. The Three Sisters Trilogy by Nora Roberts
8. The Key Trilogy by Nora Roberts
9. The Southern Vampire Series by Charlaine Harris
10. The Anita Blake Vampire Hunter Series by Laurell K. Hamilton
11. The Merry Gentry Series by Laurell K. Hamilton
12. The Undead Series by MaryJanice Davidson
13. The Twilight Series by Stephanie Meyer
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Monday, August 25, 2008
Weekly Wrap-Up
WEEKLY WRAP-UP
8/18/08-8/24/08
Weather: The week was pretty nice, though slightly on the warm side. Saturday was horridly hot!!!
Sunday sermon: It was based on Colossians 4, about how we are to evangelize. It was a great sermon as usual.
Life lessons: That if I simply give things up to God in prayer, He will answer in His way, in His time.
Favorite meal(s): Chicken breasts on the grill, it always tastes so juicy and good!
Treasured moments: The time we spent with my kids. Watching them watch the shows at the Ren Fest, they had the time of their life.
Talked with: My parents
Things I read: Julie by Catherine Marshall
Things we watched: The season finale of America's Best Dance Crew, Day of the Dead 2008 (HORRIBLE!) and The Goonies
Places we went: The Renaissance Festival in Holly, MI
Blessings: We has a great day at the Festival and a safe trip. Also, the excitement my kids have for going to church filled me with such happiness this weekend.
Challenges: Trusting God that whatever is wrong with my legs/feet is in His hands and that He will watch over me. It's a challenge to give it up to God and not stress over it as if I, a mere human, could actually fix it by stressing about it!
Family happenings: Family trip to the Renaissance Festival.
8/18/08-8/24/08
Weather: The week was pretty nice, though slightly on the warm side. Saturday was horridly hot!!!
Sunday sermon: It was based on Colossians 4, about how we are to evangelize. It was a great sermon as usual.
Life lessons: That if I simply give things up to God in prayer, He will answer in His way, in His time.
Favorite meal(s): Chicken breasts on the grill, it always tastes so juicy and good!
Treasured moments: The time we spent with my kids. Watching them watch the shows at the Ren Fest, they had the time of their life.
Talked with: My parents
Things I read: Julie by Catherine Marshall
Things we watched: The season finale of America's Best Dance Crew, Day of the Dead 2008 (HORRIBLE!) and The Goonies
Places we went: The Renaissance Festival in Holly, MI
Blessings: We has a great day at the Festival and a safe trip. Also, the excitement my kids have for going to church filled me with such happiness this weekend.
Challenges: Trusting God that whatever is wrong with my legs/feet is in His hands and that He will watch over me. It's a challenge to give it up to God and not stress over it as if I, a mere human, could actually fix it by stressing about it!
Family happenings: Family trip to the Renaissance Festival.
Friday, August 22, 2008
More and more books
Again, I've been slacking on noting the books that I've been reading. I've read so much lately that I can't even remember the entire list off the top of my head. I'll list the last few that I can truly remember.
Blood Noir-the latest in the Anita Blake Vampire Hunter series by Laurell K. Hamilton. Now...this one of my most favorite series. I love the little tough-as-nails Anita and her cast of supernatural friends. But, at this point, I'm going to have to start agreeing with the many critics of the later books in this series. Anita went from a woman of strong morals, to someone who sleeps with almost everyone thrown in her path. It seems to me that Hamilton works hard to come up with crazier "metaphysical" problems that need to be solved with sex and that makes me sad. As it is, I skim past all of the sex scenes...so in Blood Noir, I barely got to read much actual writing!
Twilight by Stephanie Meyer-Oh my! I really wasn't expecting to get so drawn into this book. I finished it in one evening. Meyer does an amazing job of making you feel Bella's fascination with Edward. I think that Twilight is very unique for it's genre since there isn't a lot of the typical sex and violence that usually accompanies vampire novels. This is definitely a book I could read over and over again.
New Moon by Stephanie Meyer-Again, wow! There isn't too much I can add to what I said about Twilight except that I cannot wait to read the third one in the series!
Julie by Catherine Marshall-This is one of those books I will read again and again. Catherine Marshall's other novel, Christy, is a book I read at least once a year, but I can revisit Julie every few years or so. I love how Catherine Marshall portrays the passion that Julie has for the poor, the downtrodden and I love to watch God work in the lives of her heroines. I should finish this one tonight and I'm not sure what book I will read next.
Blood Noir-the latest in the Anita Blake Vampire Hunter series by Laurell K. Hamilton. Now...this one of my most favorite series. I love the little tough-as-nails Anita and her cast of supernatural friends. But, at this point, I'm going to have to start agreeing with the many critics of the later books in this series. Anita went from a woman of strong morals, to someone who sleeps with almost everyone thrown in her path. It seems to me that Hamilton works hard to come up with crazier "metaphysical" problems that need to be solved with sex and that makes me sad. As it is, I skim past all of the sex scenes...so in Blood Noir, I barely got to read much actual writing!
Twilight by Stephanie Meyer-Oh my! I really wasn't expecting to get so drawn into this book. I finished it in one evening. Meyer does an amazing job of making you feel Bella's fascination with Edward. I think that Twilight is very unique for it's genre since there isn't a lot of the typical sex and violence that usually accompanies vampire novels. This is definitely a book I could read over and over again.
New Moon by Stephanie Meyer-Again, wow! There isn't too much I can add to what I said about Twilight except that I cannot wait to read the third one in the series!
Julie by Catherine Marshall-This is one of those books I will read again and again. Catherine Marshall's other novel, Christy, is a book I read at least once a year, but I can revisit Julie every few years or so. I love how Catherine Marshall portrays the passion that Julie has for the poor, the downtrodden and I love to watch God work in the lives of her heroines. I should finish this one tonight and I'm not sure what book I will read next.
Healthcare provider rants
Ok, I'm finally settling in to work today after my morning of doctor fun. See, I've been experiencing a very strange, reocccurring rash, on my ankles and legs for the past 5 months. They are usually not raised and they don't itch while they are there (though, I can tell they are coming on because the area will itch like crazy until they show up) and they are very atypical as far as skin rashes go. Benadryl, hydrocortisone, Benadryl cream, Aveeno...nothing makes a remote dent in the rashes. So, when I woke up Thursday morning with a new set of rashes, I finally called my doctor and they made an appointment for me for first thing this morning. Two doctors looked over me and had NO idea what it is. It is not a comforting feeling, being a medical oddity. They said it appears to be actually UNDER my skin and so not a dermatitis type rash. They referred me to a vascular surgeon who was kind enough to squeeze me in for this morning. What a WASTE! The doctor was in the office with me less than five minutes. He took one look at my legs and declared that it wasn't vascular and he actually sounded vaguely accusatory...like I had a plot to waste his time! It was horrid. It was so frustrating to walk out of there as clueless as I was first thing this morning. **sigh**
So, I came back in to work and called my doctor. After much discussion they've put in an order for more blood work on me plus they've scheduled me to see a new rheumy (as my old one doesn't take my new insurance) because, according to my doc, since I have one autoimmune disease, there is a good chance I will develop others and this could be related. Also, they've mentioned possibly sending me to a hematologist depending on the blood results. Is it any wonder, that even though I have Sjogren's Syndrome & Fibromyalgia, I try to avoid doctors? It always seem that when I start seeing one, they multiply quite like Gremlins exposed to water!
So, I came back in to work and called my doctor. After much discussion they've put in an order for more blood work on me plus they've scheduled me to see a new rheumy (as my old one doesn't take my new insurance) because, according to my doc, since I have one autoimmune disease, there is a good chance I will develop others and this could be related. Also, they've mentioned possibly sending me to a hematologist depending on the blood results. Is it any wonder, that even though I have Sjogren's Syndrome & Fibromyalgia, I try to avoid doctors? It always seem that when I start seeing one, they multiply quite like Gremlins exposed to water!
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Thursday 13 #1
(Here is yet another thing I'm stealing from Diane...I thought I might as well give it a try!)
13 fun things to do with our kids
1. Take them to concerts
2. Take them to Michigan Adventure
3. Play Jr. Trivial Pursuit with them (since I kick their butts every single time, this might be a little selfish of me)
4. Read the bible together and let them ask questions about the passages we've read. They always come up with REALLY interesting ones LOL
5. Take them to the Renaissance Festival
6. Play volleyball with them (most of them duck from the ball, it's hilarious)
7. Play Harry Potter Scene It! with them...another one I win a lot :)
8. Go swimming with them and play Marco Polo
9. Have a "picnic" dinner in our living room while watching a family movie
10. Take them to the orchard in the fall for all the fun harvest activities
11. Carve pumpkins with them
12. Color eggs with them (though I'd say they still get more color on themselves than the eggs!)
13. Go through all of our photo albums and look at the fun stuff we've done together in the past, the kids can talk about it for hours and it reminds us that we are making wonderful memories for them.
13 fun things to do with our kids
1. Take them to concerts
2. Take them to Michigan Adventure
3. Play Jr. Trivial Pursuit with them (since I kick their butts every single time, this might be a little selfish of me)
4. Read the bible together and let them ask questions about the passages we've read. They always come up with REALLY interesting ones LOL
5. Take them to the Renaissance Festival
6. Play volleyball with them (most of them duck from the ball, it's hilarious)
7. Play Harry Potter Scene It! with them...another one I win a lot :)
8. Go swimming with them and play Marco Polo
9. Have a "picnic" dinner in our living room while watching a family movie
10. Take them to the orchard in the fall for all the fun harvest activities
11. Carve pumpkins with them
12. Color eggs with them (though I'd say they still get more color on themselves than the eggs!)
13. Go through all of our photo albums and look at the fun stuff we've done together in the past, the kids can talk about it for hours and it reminds us that we are making wonderful memories for them.
Another first for the kiddos
Last night I took my babies to their very first concert. Annika was thrilled beyond belief as it was her very favorite artist, Britt Nicole. Aidan, on the other hand, was bored silly. He told me I should have let him bring his PSP in, what a horrible mom I am! Regardless of what her big brother felt, Annika had a blast with her little friend, Maddie. They both got Tshirts and stood on their seats, waving their hands in the air in time with the music. It was such a neat experience to do that with them. I enjoyed the concert myself. Britt Nicole really spoke to the kids in the audience, telling them of God's love and mercy. I'm very glad we went, even if I'm tired and dragging today.
This weekend will be another first for my kids; we are taking them to the Michigan Renaissance Festival. It's one of my favorite places and the kids are pretty excited too. Actually, I think they are most excited about seeing Ded Bob. :)
God bless!
This weekend will be another first for my kids; we are taking them to the Michigan Renaissance Festival. It's one of my favorite places and the kids are pretty excited too. Actually, I think they are most excited about seeing Ded Bob. :)
God bless!
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Weekly Wrap Up
(I've stolen this idea from Diane, who stole it from someone else...thanks!)
8/11/08-8/17/08
WEEKLY WRAP-UP
8/11/08-8/17/08
Weather: For the most part, the weather was great. It was absolutely perfect this past weekend, not too humid
Sunday sermon: We did not go to church this week. :(
Life lessons: I will continue to rely on God instead of myself...He does so much better at running my life.
Favorite meal(s): The best tasting meal I had all week was the omelet and hashed browns I threw together when we got home late Sunday night. YUM!
Treasured moments: The time we spent together as a family, especially on Saturday and Sunday. I loved watching the kids have a great time together.
Talked with: My mom, Gina, Heather, Missy
Things I read: Twilight & New Moon by Stephanie Meyers
Things we watched: Hmmm nothing but America's Best Dance Crew
Places we went: The pool and Michigan's Adventure
Blessings: We had wonderful weather for our trip to the amusement park and a safe trip to the park and to Detroit yesterday.
Challenges: Trusting God's advice to keep my mouth shut when it came to some issues that really upset me. Having patience when a child would get too greedy.
Family happenings: Family trip to Michigan Adventure.
8/11/08-8/17/08
WEEKLY WRAP-UP
8/11/08-8/17/08
Weather: For the most part, the weather was great. It was absolutely perfect this past weekend, not too humid
Sunday sermon: We did not go to church this week. :(
Life lessons: I will continue to rely on God instead of myself...He does so much better at running my life.
Favorite meal(s): The best tasting meal I had all week was the omelet and hashed browns I threw together when we got home late Sunday night. YUM!
Treasured moments: The time we spent together as a family, especially on Saturday and Sunday. I loved watching the kids have a great time together.
Talked with: My mom, Gina, Heather, Missy
Things I read: Twilight & New Moon by Stephanie Meyers
Things we watched: Hmmm nothing but America's Best Dance Crew
Places we went: The pool and Michigan's Adventure
Blessings: We had wonderful weather for our trip to the amusement park and a safe trip to the park and to Detroit yesterday.
Challenges: Trusting God's advice to keep my mouth shut when it came to some issues that really upset me. Having patience when a child would get too greedy.
Family happenings: Family trip to Michigan Adventure.
Friday, August 8, 2008
Back to reality
Our honeymoon was beautiful and amazing. I'm so glad that we chose Florida and Universal Studios even though I wasn't too sure about that in the beginning. It was so relaxing and it went by far too quickly. We spent several days at Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure. I hadn't realized how cool Universal would be. My favorite ride there was The Mummy ride. The special effects were AMAZING! The Men In Black ride was fun too, a giant ride-in video game. Aidan would love it. Islands of Adventure had far more rides and it was equally fun. The best rides there were the Hulk coaster (which gave me whiplash!) and the Spiderman 3D ride. Beyond the theme parks and rides, we went to a luau at SeaWorld our first night there. It really blew our minds away, with the fire eating and all the dancing. We had front row seats and it was so cool to see a different culture. And for a glimpse at another culture, we went to dinner at a Greek place called Taverna Opa. The food was good, but the atmosphere is what made it. After Taverna Opa we went to a wine bar to listen to a jazz band. The sax player was from MI and they played At Last for us by Etta James. The rest of our time was spent relaxing! We spent time at the pool and enjoyed the scenery. I was amazed at how many little lizards just hang out all over the place (not in our room thankfully!).
We were torn about coming back...we didn't want the vacation to end but at the same time, it felt so good coming home and seeing our kids. Now that we're back, life is busy again and we have to start counting the days until our Traverse City trip this fall. Next week I have to register the kids for school and Annika for her dance class. We're going to MIchigan Adventure with a group of our friends next weekend. I think the rest of this month will fly by with plans to go to a concert with my kids and to the Renaissance Festival later this month. Then, before we know it, it will be time to go school shopping and the summer freedom will end for the kiddos. I cannot believe that my baby is starting 1st grade this fall! She is growing up way too quickly.
God bless!
We were torn about coming back...we didn't want the vacation to end but at the same time, it felt so good coming home and seeing our kids. Now that we're back, life is busy again and we have to start counting the days until our Traverse City trip this fall. Next week I have to register the kids for school and Annika for her dance class. We're going to MIchigan Adventure with a group of our friends next weekend. I think the rest of this month will fly by with plans to go to a concert with my kids and to the Renaissance Festival later this month. Then, before we know it, it will be time to go school shopping and the summer freedom will end for the kiddos. I cannot believe that my baby is starting 1st grade this fall! She is growing up way too quickly.
God bless!
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