Finally...an update....and why I trust in God!

So- the reason I really haven't been blogging lately is because my mind has been consumed with one single thought.  I am pregnant.  I had not been feeling well for a few days before we were supposed to leave to Maine with my parents, so I took a test the night before.  Just because I had one in the cabinet.  Really for no other reason...I honestly don't know what made me do it.  I was just really, really tired and had completely lost my appetite.  It was very unlike me.  So I peed on a stick.  Only I peed way too much on the stick.  So when it dried out and said positive....I was positive that it was incorrect because I bungled the test.  Just in case, I started taking vitamins and cut out caffeine and anything else that might be bad for me and I went to Maine!  While in Maine, I was ill every morning and starving constantly.  I was also completely exhausted.  So when we got home later in the week and ran to the store to pick up some other stuff, I grabbed another test.  I did not think I could be pregnant.  After having Cebelle, I had two miscarriages.  I had an IUD put in and after two years, it lodged in my uterus and I had to have it surgically removed.  A year later, I was hospitilized for a cyst on my ovary and had to endure several visits and various testing.  The doctor said my chances of becoming pregnant again were very small.  I had been praying to God for the past year.  I didn't want to have babies past the age of 35, but I wanted more babies.  I prayed that God would make me content with the beautiful children I have and not long for more.  Because I knew in my heart that my dream of having four children was quickly coming to an end.  Jeff and I had talked about adopting, and it was always an option.  But it can be very expensive, no matter how you go about it, and we knew in our hearts that it would just never be a reality for us.  So I prayed and I thanked God for all the blessings He gives me every day and I asked for peace.  Because I knew that once I turned 35, I did not want to attempt more children.  With my past medical history and issues, it just didn't seem like a good idea.  It wasn't safe for me or for any baby that I might carry.
So I took that second test.  Believing that even if it was positive, there was nothing to be excited about.  Because with my history, I fully expected to not carry any pregnancy past the sixth week.  When the test was positive, I called and got into the doctor as soon as they could get me in, which wasn't until what would be my 7th week of pregnancy.  I didn't ever expect to go to that appointment.  I prayed and I tried to have faith that God had a plan for me, but letting go of all that worry was the most difficult thing I have ever had to do.  I asked the ladies in my church group to pray for me.  Not that everything would be well, because I didn't really believe that was in God's plan.  I asked them to pray that I would have the strength and the courage to deal with whatever came.  So when the day for my early ultrasound arrived, I was sick with anticipation and worry.  At that point, I just wanted to know what was happening.  I just wanted a plan of action.  Was I having a baby? Or was I going to prepare for a miscarriage again?  I knew that the ultrasound would show a heartbeat at this point if my pregnancy was viable and everything was okay.  So I honestly held my breath.  And got the biggest surprise of my life when she found not one, but two healthy babies with perfect baby heartbeats.  They dated me at almost 7 weeks, told me that the twins were fraternal which is the best possible scenario but that it was still early and chances were good that I would lose one of the babies , and scheduled me for another ultrasound in four weeks.  I prayed and every time I have been tired or sick, I have praised God because I knew that it was a sign that things were well.  I just went back for that ultrasound yesterday and got to see two very active beautiful, perfect, tiny babies with heartbeats at 170 and 175.  And I know in my heart that everything is going to be okay.  God has given me a beautiful miracle that I never expected.  He blesses me every day in ways that I could never be worthy of.  I am still nervous about the health of my babies, but what mother isn't?  Every time I feel doubt creeping in, I take it to God in prayer.  And I ask Him for the strength and courage to trust in His plan, and to believe that I am worthy of receiving this beautiful gift.  And you see, the real miracle is this:  I will be 35 on April 9, 2012.  I have been praying for the past few years that God would let me make peace with the fact that I wouldn't have any more babies after that date.  My babies are due on April 9, 2012.  God is so amazing.  He knows our hearts and He has a plan for us.  I think that sometimes we make our own plans and forget to ask for guidance.  When we let go and let God work in our lives, wonderful things happen!  That's not to say that bad things never happen to those who believe in God and serve Him.  That was never promised to us.  The promise is that when those bad things happen, we don't have to face them alone.  We face them knowing that God will hold us and heal us and lead us in the right direction.  I trust God because in all my life, though I have failed Him many times, He has never failed me.

"Relaxing means a full datebook?"

I've been really busy since I last blogged!  School is almost finished!  The everyday stuff is complete for both the kids.  We just have a few loose ends to tie up and I need to do their portfolios.  However, since I won't receive their books for next year until the end of July, I'm putting that off until I have those.  Then I can sit down and finish all of it at once.  

Last week, we had a fabulous visit with my sisters!  We got to spend the entire three day weekend with them and my brother-in-law.  We ate, played games, shopped, went to the movies, and just hung out together.  It's awesome that in addition to being related to me, they are also my best friends!

We have planted our vegetable garden and put in one huge flower bed and one small flower bed.  Things have gone pretty much non-stop!  I literally have every single day filled up in my date book up until we leave for Virginia Beach next Friday!  I'm filling up the spaces in between everything going on with crafting, cleaning, and catching up on my reading.  

I have been reading "The Vampire Academy" series by Richelle Mead and the "Pretty Little Liars" series by Sara Sheperd.  I really am enjoying both writers!  I have gotten to the point that I really prefer authors who write books for young adults.  I like the stories and the fact that there isn't all kinds of useless profanity or sexual situations that seem to have no bearing on the story.  I really prefer books with really complex characters, and these two writers do a terrific job of that!

I am also working on several crafting projects....a couple of summer scarves with embellishments, a couple of baby blankets, a sweater, and an afghan.  I'm also working on my cross-stitch project here and there.  I'm not so sure its going to be completed by Christmas.  Staring at hundreds of little x's for more than an hour gives me a headache.

I have also decided to start cleaning houses!  I don't have a full daycare any longer and the kids that I have are all mostly in school.  So I can do the cleaning in the morning and have the kids in the afternoon.  I'm really actually looking forward to it...cleaning in quite calming.  At least for me!  I find it very therapeutic!  Also, doing something that's this flexible allows me to keep staying home with my kids and homeschool them.  I'm also building up some inventory so that I can open a shop on Etsy.  I'm hoping to get all of that completed by this fall.  I actually have a really good idea for a specialty item that I designed!  I'm going to make a bunch of them and see how it goes!

Jeff and I were in the church nursery this last Sunday.  I have so much fun playing with all the little munchkins!  It's a lot of fun to hang out with them and watch all the funny stuff they do!

Jeff and I celebrated our 14th wedding anniversary yesterday.  We didn't really do anything...he had to work and the kids have not been feeling great.  So, we just stayed at home yesterday evening.  I grilled some steaks and potatoes for dinner and we all sat out on the deck and enjoyed the sunshine.  

I have a lot of things to get prepared for our vacation next week!  We will leave on Friday, spend the night in Delaware and then head on to Virginia.  We are actually staying in Sandbridge.  We are really looking forward to the week that we get to spend with Jeff's family!  After we check out of the beach house, we made reservations for a hotel in D.C.  We are spending a couple of nights there and plan to go to the zoo and the Smithsonian.  I can barely contain my excitement!  It's a good thing that I'm pretty busy from now until then!  I hope your summer starts out as wonderfully as mine!  Until next time, God bless!

"A Busy Weekend, The Last Days {of School}, and Changing for the Better!"

We are counting down the days!  Eight more days of homeschool left!  Which, honestly, is a really good thing because the likelihood of me throttling one of my children increases about tenfold on a daily basis.  This is due to the fact that we are at the end of the school year and both of them are bouncing off the walls crazy from the time they wake up until I put them to bed.  Thankfully, I am mostly a very patient person and I understand how they feel.  We have experienced a lot of staying inside time because the weather hasn't been so terrific.  We have only had a couple of sunny days in the last couple of weeks, so it makes it even harder to keep them contained.  All they want to do is go outside and run around all day, and that has been mostly impossible.  Poor little monkeys.  They are just stir crazy!  And I totally get it.  Which is why neither of them have been throttled.  Yet.

We had a really great weekend.  Friday evening, we went to see the musical production of BIG, by Rutland Youth Theatre.  It was really well done.  Jeff's friend Saskia is the director and I admire the fact that she can get fifty kids ages 18 and under to put on a musical.  I'm not even sure I could get fifty kids that age to listen to me for five minutes....  On Saturday, we hit the $1 flip-flop sale at Old Navy.  Then we had a few essentials to pick up at KMart, Wal-Mart, and Hannaford's.  Unfortunately, by the time we got to Hannaford's, the kids were pretty much done and I spent so much time trying to get them to chill that I forgot a bunch of stuff that was on my list.  When we got home that afternoon, it was really nice so the kids went outside to play while Jeff mowed.  Jeff got the mowing and weed whacking done and then he and the kids were raking up the grass clippings when it started to rain again.  I stayed inside and cleaned house and baked cookies.  We all showered and then sat down and watched "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring".  I've seen that movie tons of times, and I still cry.  Sunday morning was a great church service and then we went to a friend's house for a combination birthday party/ barbecue.  It was a really nice day, so all the kids ran and played and got disgustingly filthy.  Then we had to make another trip to the grocery store to pick up all the stuff I forgot on Saturday!  It was a really great weekend!

I decided last week that I was going to start clipping coupons and saving money.  I have been watching "Extreme Couponing" on TLC and getting lots of hints and tips.  I have a whole strategy planned and have been clipping coupons and watching ads and getting ready for this weekend's shopping trip.  Then I had a major snag in my plan!  The coupon printer that I downloaded (which worked for my shopping trip last weekend) no longer works.  I have all these awesome coupons, which combined with store sales will save me a ton of money.....and I can't print them.  It's unbelievably frustrating.  I'm going to keep trying it because maybe it will start working again.  I'm also going to try to figure out why it isn't working.  I have all the correct system requirements and it says that it's downloaded, but I can't find the download anywhere on my computer.  It just keeps disappearing.  If anyone out there is a computer genius....I would appreciate some tips or suggestions.
I actually have picked up my knitting needles again this week.  I'm behind on a few things.  I have several gifts to make, but all the rainy weather made me too lethargic to craft.  I would seriously sit there and fall asleep mid-row while rocking in my glider.  So I tried switching to the couch.  I just fell asleep there, too.  Only I was way more comfortable there...and heaven only knows what the kids got up to while I was catnapping for 10 minutes here and there.  I just felt it was probably better that I not be dozing, so I put down the needles.  Now that I have started back in on a couple of projects, the weather is once again leaning toward rainy and icky.  Honestly, it's a bit obnoxious.
Now, for my weekly deep thoughts...My thoughts so far this week have been sparked by our church service Sunday which centered on the book of Acts.  The thing that stuck with me was this phrase, "What do you want your home to be?"  And I can think of a million things I want my home to be for those who come here.  Peaceful, kind, understanding, loving, hospitable, generous, non-judgemental.....are just a few I can think of off the top of my head.  But then it occurs to me that because of how things are on a daily basis here, my home rarely gets to be any of those things for those of us who live here.  So how do you change a home?  You have to change the people who live in it, of course.  Or at least the thoughts and actions the people living in it.  Since I can only really be responsible for changing my thoughts and actions, I'm working on those things for myself.  Honestly, I didn't realize how hard it would be.  Children learn by example.  So changing my thoughts and actions and encouraging my children to do the same has been my priority.  Change, however, does not come easily.   And I find that when I'm dealing with people who always expect one thing from me are not pleased when they get something different.  It really makes me understand how addicts can fall into dangerous patterns.  You keep doing something not necessarily because you want to or because you're proud of your choices, but after a certain point, it's the behavior that everyone expects from you.  It's the easiest knee-jerk response.  Sometimes, it's easier not to rock the boat.  To give in to what everyone expects.  At my home, I'm the pushover.  Everyone knows that I really dislike conflict.  Therefore, when there are disagreements, I get stomped like a weed.  And often, even if whatever conflict happens is not my fault, I'm the one left apologizing to everyone.  After Sunday, I realized that I did not want that.  I don't want my kids to think that it's okay to let other people have whatever makes them happy (even if it makes you unhappy) to avoid conflict.  So, I am changing my actions.  Please don't take this the wrong way....it's not as if I am currently having disagreements with anyone or anything like that.  My family is not awful to me or abusive in any way.  It's just a pattern that I notice.  I even notice myself giving in to my kids because I desire to have peace with them.  That's not really what I think is best for them.  I want them to be at peace.  I desire to be at peace.  However, I have come to the realization that I might have to fight for my peace.  So I'm ready and willing to do that.  I want my home to be whatever the people I love need it to be.  I'm willing to work hard for it, even if it means rocking the boat a little.  It will eventually settle....I hope that your homes are all that you want them to be!  Until next time, God bless!

"Easter....and all the days around it in which I was a total slacker"

So much for my weekly blogging resolution.  In defense of myself, I have been really busy.  Not just a tiny bit busy.  We are talking "every day on the date planner filled in with stuff written in margins" busy. I would love to fill all of you in on every single detail of those weeks, but honestly, I was so busy that I forgot most of what happened.  Just kidding...I remember it.  I really just don't want to bore you with the minute details of my very un-exciting life.  So how about some highs and lows?
We will start with the highs:
1.  No homeschooling for the kids!  They had a week of spring break and then last week I cancelled classes because we were really super busy and none of us felt very well at all!
2.  Jeff, Hayden, and I had the opportunity to be in a production at our church on Good Friday.  We worked really hard on it.  I designed all the costumes and told my mom how I wanted them to look and she sewed them!  She is so amazing!  We got to work with some really talented and terrific people in our church that we absolutely love and adore and put on a production that touched a lot of people.  Jeff and I were very nervous about it because neither of us had actually been onstage in years!  But I am so proud of what came of it and I am very happy that we did it!
3.  Birthday $!  I was very blessed to have been sent birthday money and gift cards this year.  Which you will all be proud to know that I spent on books...and crafting supplies.  Mostly books!  I love to read so much and it is such a blessing to have a dozen new books that I  haven't read yet.  Because as most of you know...I re-read when I can't find anything new...so I'm feeling very loved right now!  Plus-I got some really cool crafting stuff...so expect some thank you cards that are way beyond awesome!
4.  Easter.  We went to church, which is always a blessing.  We love our church so much and all the wonderful people in it!  I was watching the other day as Hayden was going around and talking to some of the men in our church and noticing that they all would lean down to him and stop what they were doing to have a conversation with him and treat him with respect, kindness, and love.  That's not something that you find very often and I am so thankful that Hayden has such wonderful examples to look up to.  After church we came home and had a really nice dinner which Roni, Mom, and I prepared.  Roni made a ham and I made some homemade scalloped potatoes.  Mom made the rest of the sides and a couple of desserts.  I chipped in some dark chocolate gluten and sugar free cupcakes as well.  They were really delicious.  I will post the recipe on my recipes page!  Thanks to the weather, we got to spend a few hours outside hiding eggs, blowing bubbles, and having a Nerf gun war!  I always treasure time with my family!
5.  Testing.  I had numerous tests done from when I was in the emergency room last month and everything that came back was normal thus far.  I am still waiting on one more result, but the technician said that she didn't see anything to worry about.
-Those are not necessarily all the highs....most of the days have been really terrific!  Especially while Jeff was also on Spring Break and we got to spend time together as a family.  We don't really have to do anything or go anywhere.  We just love being together.
Now..onto the lows...
1.  Allergy shots.  Booooooooooooooo.......I know that they are helping my body.  But, honestly, they make me feel SO crappy!  I feel tired and flu-like.  The week before last, I barely had any itchiness and I thought, "Yay!  I am taking these so well!"  Talk about jinxing myself.  Last week, I had big, nasty, red itchy spots all the way down to my elbow and all around my upper arm.  Kind of like sleeves.  The itching comes from the inside, too.  So-there is no way to make it stop.  The worst part is that every week, just about the time I start to feel all better, it's time to go and get my shots again.  Please pray for me!  They make me so crabby!
2.  Sick kids.  Thanks to the weather and our stressful schedule that just finally let up, neither one of my kids have been feeling very terrific.  Snotty noses, headaches, general ickiness.  Poor little monkeys.  I guess I wouldn't say that they are actually sick...because it isn't that bad.  But they sure aren't their normal, cheery selves!  Please pray for them as well!
Hmmmmmmm.....I guess that is actually it for the lows!
As I said, mostly, my life is very un-exciting!  It's mostly filled with those small moments that I really try to imprint on my brain.  Like when Hayden hugs me for no reason or when I sit down and color in a coloring book with Cebelle.  Sitting around and having a great conversation with friends...or sitting around with friends and realizing that they have become family.  I am very blessed in my life with wonderful people whom I love and who love me.  There is no greater gift than that.  And on those days when the lows have got me really low, those people are the ones who pick me up and make me smile.  Which in its own way, makes the lows high.....
God bless you all, and may all of your lows also be highs!

"Spring break...but not actually a break.."

Time is flying by in the Hull household for yet another week!  Last week I celebrated my 34th birthday.  Which was really nice, considering that I was under the impression I was turning 35 this year.  During the week was the same old stuff!  Kids and I doing schoolwork and crafts, Hayden, Jeff and I going to rehearsal for the production that our church is doing on Good Friday, me exploring some new recipes for our new healthy way of eating, and appointments at the chiropractor and allergist.  The only real difference was that Jeff was gone both Friday and Saturday for the state drama festival, so most of the running around was just the kids and I (though my dad was sweet and drove me to my allergist appointment and mom kept the kids at home with her so I could have some quiet time!) I'm finding that when I get my shots, I start feeling like I have the flu for a couple of days.  I get sore and achy and really tired.  This week, I  had huge red bumps on my arms which were then surrounded by hives.  This started Friday evening after my shots and they finally were mostly gone by Wednesday.  It really stinks and it makes me feel crappy and miserable, but it will all help in the long run and be so worth it!  I have also spent a lot of the last week developing recipes and meals for our new way of healthy eating.  I have come up with some really terrific stuff, so I'm going to start an extra page on my blog for recipes!  I know that some of it sounds kind of far out- but my goal in this is to have my kids eating the things that they love and not know that those things are not filled with cane sugar or gluten or hormones or preservative or dyes.  So far, we have been very successful!  Nobody has complained about missing out on anything!
I was very fortunate on Sunday to be able to celebrate my birthday with several people that I love and adore!  It was a beautiful day and we spent over four hours sitting outside on the deck snacking and visiting.  It was a perfect celebration for me!
Jeff got back late Saturday night/early Sunday morning from the festival.  His students performed really well, but they were not one of the two schools to advance to the New England Festival.  He has been on Spring Break this week and the kids and I took the week off of school.  I still had daycare kids all day Monday and Wednesday.  And I had an ultrasound on my gallbladder on Tuesday morning.  The results from that are supposed to be in next week. The rest of the day Tuesday we cleaned the garage, cleaned outside, and played outside all day. Wednesday night we had rehearsal from 8-10 for our play and Jeff and mom and I are doing all the costumes so that will have to be worked on.  Today I got up and made some more cookies (check out the recipe page for this tasty treat) and a fruit and nut tart.  Jeff and I cleaned out Hayden and Cebelle's closets and pulled out their spring/summer clothes and tried all of them on to see how everything fit and to assess what they might still need for the summer.  This evening, we are going to watch the new Chronicles of Narnia movie, "Voyage of the Dawn Treader".  The kids are really excited.  We are having turkey burgers and fries for dinner and eating while we watch the movie.  It's a rare treat for us!  We have more busy days planned for the rest of the weekend as well.
Today was kind of our day to relax...and it has been more relaxing than most days.  But there are always things that need to be done!  We still need to get the kids showered and cleaned up and I still need to make dinner....well, the list goes on and on.  I'm just thankful that every busy day also includes some quality time with the people that I love.  My life is full of blessings and I thank God for them everyday!

"Another week of sheer craziness"

The Hull household has been pretty much going non-stop since I last blogged.  Hayden and Cebelle had chiropractic appointments on Wednesday and Friday last week.  We found out a lot about their spines and how several things have been impacted by the supplexations in them.  I knew that having misalignments certainly wasn't good for you, but when a friend said to me, "It's the way that your brain talks to the rest of your body.  If those nerves are hindered in any way, how can your brain send the correct signals to the rest of your body"  It was a like a total lightbulb moment for me.  And if I can get my kids healthy and off the medications that they are currently taking by keeping their spine aligned and feeding them a healthy diet, then I am all for it!  After our chiropractic recommendations on Wednesday, we have completely eliminated the following from our diets:  cane sugar, gluten, hormones, dyes, and preservatives.  I know that sounds crazy-but you wouldn't believe the difference in our children!  And I feel really good!  It's not as difficult as I thought it would be, either.  We are eating lots of fruits and veggies and lean proteins and also cheese and yogurt and mostly all organic.  The price for a box of cereal that is gluten free and sweetened with molasses and honey and not cane sugar is pretty much the same as the price of a box of crazy sugary cereal.  Bread was a little tricky, but we found a really good one that the kids love.  I'm very proud of them for not complaining.  They both have told me how much better they are feeling, so I know that it's the right decision.  (And don't worry-I consulted their pediatrician before I did any of these things and keep in touch with her constantly.  She also wants what's best for them!)  

Thursday was a pretty quiet day for the kids and I.  Jeff was at Castleton all afternoon and evening.  They had workshops and a production of "A Chorus Line" to try and recruit some students.  They all really enjoyed the show.  

Friday was a crazy trip.  The kids had chirpractic appointments early in the morning and then we had to take off to Burlington so that I could start my venom immunotherapy.  I was a total nervous wreck.  I got there and had to have two shots and wait 30 minutes and then have two more shots.  Which I guess is going to be the norm once a week for at least the next three months.  One hour and four shots.  Thankfully, I didn't have any adverse reactions.  After that, we went to Costco and the kids helped us pick out healthy snacks for themselves.  I was really proud.  They chose lots of fruits and veggies and hummus and beans and cashews and string cheese.  I tasted some dark chocolate covered acai berries at Costco.  They were SO YUMMY!  I wanted to get a bag of them, but they were $10 and I was afraid I would eat them constantly and totally defeat the purpose of a healthy snack....maybe next time!

Saturday we celebrated dad's birthday.  Roni and Jim joined us for lunch.  We had a surprise visit from our pastor and his wife.  They wanted Jeff and I to be in the play that our church does for Good Friday.  This year, the story is about Pilate and his role in the conviction and crucifixtion of Christ and how he deals with the aftermath of that within his personal life.  Jeff and I agreed and then Hayden later got roped in as well, so I guess we will be on stage!  I'm a little nervous about it because it's been years since I've acted in anything....but I'm sure it will all be fine!

Sunday we went to church and came home and cleaned house and did laundry.  Nothing terribly exciting.  

Monday I had a house full of daycare kids all day and Hayden and Cebelle had chiropractic appointments in the afternoon.  It was a bit of a crazy day.  Hayden and Cebelle are doing so terrific in their school work, despite our busy schedules and the fact that there are other kids here two days a week.  I'm very proud of them for maintaining their focus and working hard on their schoolwork.  

This morning, I had a follow-up appointment from my ER visit a couple of weeks ago. I went to and OB/GYN because the CT scan showed a large ovarian cyst. The doctor examined me and went over the causes and such of these cysts.  I have to have an ultrasound in the next few weeks or so to see if I need more follow-up.  AND-he thinks that the problem may not have only been a cyst, but also my gallbladder.  I'm still having pain (which I actually did not know until he poked at me...and then I sweared very inappropriately.  Thank God he thought it was humorous instead of being offended) and so I have to ALSO have an ultrasound on my gallbladder.  Which from my understanding...if that is the case...I will have to have my gall bladder removed.  Also-to add some more icing to my already scrumptious cake...the only way to keep my ovarian cysts from eventually causing issues is to have my tubes tied.  So-more dr appointments, more testing, probably more needles in my near future.  I knew things started going downhill at 30-I didn't realize that everything was going to go to complete crap by the time I turned 35...oh well, here I am, rolling with the punches....

The days from here on out look pretty much the same....appointments, rehearsals, daycare, homeschool....somewhere in all of that comes my 34th birthday.  (Honestly, until about two days ago, I thought it was my 35th...that's how much I care about these things...)  But-I am still extemely thankful for all I have been blessed with and I know that God will not give me something that I cannot handle.  I am in His hands and therefore I am not scared or worried.  I am too busy to be either of those things, anyhow!  But I love it and I wouldn't have it any other way!  Until next time.....God bless!

"Too many days to count...in 10 minutes or less."

When I started this blog, it was with these good intentions:
1.  For my kids to look at and know how much I love spending everyday with them
2.  For my Missouri family to read and get a look at our daily lives
3.  To remind myself of how special and unique everyday with kids is
I forgot to take into account the follwing:
1.  Everyday with kids, while special and unique, is also wild and crazy
2.  At the end of these days, I am so tired I forget what happened all day
3.  Finding time to sit at the computer, even for 10 minutes is very rare for me

There have been so many blog-worthy, crazy, wild happenings around here and I end up too tired and exhausted to sit down and tell the story.  So I'm going to try to sum up the highlights of the last 10 days or so.  I have realized that I don't have 10 minutes to sit down every day, so I'm going to aim for twice a week or so!
The last 10 days have gone somewhat like this:
For the first 2 or 3 days, I was highly medicated on pain pills.  I managed to teach school, go to our church marriage class, and do things around the house.  I did NOT drive, operate heavy machinery, or get out of my pajamas for most of those days.  Also, I'm pretty sure that more stuff happened then, but I don't remember it.
By Thursday morning of last week, I was finally out of my pain/medication haze and I was able to get a bunch of stuff in the house cleaned and organized.  Unfortunately, I remember most of that.  I went Thursday afternoon and picked up some donations for the regional drama festival and chatted with the head cook about the stuff I would need in the school kitchen to cater.
Friday was a round of appointments.  Hayden and Cebelle went to the chiropractor for the first time.  I'm very happy with how that turned out.  Turns out, both of them had some pretty severe misalignments and once they were adjusted, they both felt great!  We met mom and dad that day at McDonalds and had some lunch.  Jeff was busy with festival prep and he didn't get home until really late that evening.
Saturday morning was the start of the festival that Jeff was in charge of.  He woke up at 4:00am that morning and couldn't go back to sleep. Pretty rough, considering that we had to be at the school until almost 11 that night and he hadn't gone to bed until after 11pm Friday night.  We headed out around 7:30 am and he ran the festival and I catered the lunch and the dinner along with a host of some really terrific parent volunteers.  Jeff's students won which means they get to advance to the state competition which will take place over April 8 and 9.  Mom and Dad brought Hayden and Cebelle to eat dinner at the school so we could see them.  It was really fun to sit down and enjoy a meal with them.  Hayden was fascinated that I could cook dinner for that many people at once. (There were about 150)
Sunday morning, Jeff and I had nursery duty at the church.  We took care of 4 kids under the age of 2, which was tons of fun, but exhausting.  We came home and cleaned up our backyard some, cleaned up the driveway, fixed my van, cleaned house, and did the laundry.
Monday morning I had daycare kids start arriving at 6:30am and I had a house full of kids from 6:30 to about 5.  Hayden and Cebelle did all their schoolwork.  They have been running through all their schoolwork with ease and learning lots.  I am very proud of the both of them for all their hard work and dedication.  They both ended up having some major meltdowns Monday evening.  I expected it at some point because it has been such a crazy couple of weeks-and there doesn't look to be an end in sight as of yet.
So far today, we have finished our schoolwork.  I had a couple of daycare kids arrive at about 1.  They will be here until after dinner when we meet their parents at our church marriage class tonight.  Jeff will be home this afternoon early, so it shouldn't be too much trouble.  Hayden and Cebelle are wearing a little thin.  I think they could use naps, but they are refusing to take them.
Planned for the rest of this week:  chiropractic appointments Wed, Jeff taking a group of kids to Castleton and being gone until really late Thu, I have my first venom immunotherapy injection on Friday which requires me to take a trip to Burlington, birthday lunch for dad on Saturday, church on Sunday.  Possibly getting together with friends Friday evening.  And then Monday starts again with a house full of daycare kids.  Like I said, no end in sight!
That's a small summary of what I haven't blogged about lately.  There's been so much going on in our world as well and I don't really have the time to go into all of that!  I am, as every day, grateful for my family and wonderful friends,  thankful that I have another day on this earth,  hoping that people can change, and praying that they will.  God bless!

March 4-6 or "The weekend we got everything done....mostly"

We had a very good weekend!  Jeff came home Friday afternoon and I was able to get a bunch of my cross-stitching worked on while he and the kids played games.  I didn't really feel very much like making so we had some Mickey Mouse Chicken Nuggets and Kraft Macaroni and Cheese.  Not my finest nutritional moment-but I was exhausted and pretty much done for the week.  I was so looking forward to sleeping in on Saturday-and of course, Hayden got up at 7:15.  I find it perpetually annoying that he sleeps AFTER 8 on the days that I get up at 5:30 and on the days I can sleep until 9 or whenever I want- he is up with the sun.  It's just one of nature's cruel jokes, I guess.  Jeff and I tell him that we can't wait until he is a teenager and wants to sleep because then we are going to roll him out of bed every morning at 5:30.
Saturday we just hung around the house.  I did a bunch of stitching and knitting, the kids got to play their video games, Jeff played with his phone...we all watched "The Wizard of Oz" together because the kids have never seen it.  It was really funny because they kept asking what was the matter with the color for the first thirty minutes of the movie.  Then when Dorothy arrived in Oz, Hayden said, "Oh, there it is!  It finally fixed!"  Which of course, we all found pretty funny.  Mom decided to make some cinnamon rolls that evening so I made some orange cream cheese frosting to go on them.  Then I scrambled some eggs and cooked some bacon and that's what we had for dinner on Saturday.
Jeff and the kids and I got up and went to church Sunday morning.  I'm always excited for our Sunday services.  Even though the weather was really rainy and nasty.   Jeff and I are starting a marriage class through our church and I'm really looking forward to that.  It's always nice to spend time with people who help lift you up.   After church, we had to make a run to Rutland because Jeff needed some last minute stuff for his one acts this weekend.  We picked some stuff up at Wal-Mart.  I got a new workout dvd.  It was only $6 and it has three 10 minute workouts for abs and cardio.  I did one of them after we got home and it was really awesome!  We also stopped off at Home Depot and ate lunch at Burger King and filled up the van with gas.  All the while, the weather was deteriorating rapidly.  The loads of rain started turning into a nasty mix of sleet and freezing rain and snow.  The temperature dropped, so the water that was on the roads started to freeze.  By the time we got home, there was about an inch of snow and it has kept going all night.  We are supposed to have two feet when its all said and done.  It's pretty much a mess.
However, because we were home and tucked safely away we were able to get SO much accomplished!  The kids cleaned their rooms, we cleaned the whole rest of the house and vacuumed all the rooms, the dogs got dry baths and their teeth brushed, and all the laundry got washed.  We even had time to watch a movie at the end of the night.  We had "Case 39".  It was creepy, but pretty good.  Or, I guess, not as awful as I expected it to be!  So, despite the nasty weather, we had a really great weekend!  I'm hoping that it moves over into the week because Jeff has his shows this weekend, so there are still many things to get done!

Weekend!

So-my weekend didn't really go as planned.  However, it was still amazing!
Saturday turned out to be a day that the whole family (mom and dad, Jeff, the kids and I) made a Costco run!  We were running low on some stuff and mom had to go, so she and dad decided that we should come along.  We bought our staples, ate all the samples, and had a really good time together.  That's one of the things that I have always loved about my parents...they are really fun people!  We finished the evening off with dinner at McDonald's and watched The A-Team after we put the kids to bed.  I loved the series and I wasn't terribly excited about the movie...but I actually thought it was pretty good!  Or at least..not as bad as I was expecting!
We got up this morning and went to church.  The message today was about Jacob and how in the beginning of his life, he was a deceiver and took his brother's inheritance.  But then he gave his life to God and he ended up being the father of the sons who were the beginning of the twelve tribes of Israel.  Its an amazing thing to think about.  How God will accept us no matter who or what we are and then He will make us more.
After church we came home and had lunch and cleaned.  Then I worked on some jewelry.  This is the necklace that I completed:

Its made with crocheted flower elements, glass beads, pearls, gold plate disks, and chain.  I'm pretty happy with the way it came out.  I tried several different configurations and this one was closest to what I saw in my head when I thought this up!  I will probably sell it for $30.
We are celebrating this evening.  My parents' thirty-sixth anniversary is today!  I made some barbeque ribs, potato salad, and baked beans for dinner.  It's one of their favorite meals.  I hope they have many more happy years together.
I probably won't sleep well tonight.  I rarely do on Sundays.  I generally spend most of the night thinking about all the stuff I need to do this week and trying to figure out how I'm going to get all of it done!  You would think that since I always get all of it accomplished that I would stop the not sleeping....but I guess maybe it's habit by now!
Wishes to all of you for a wonderful nights sleep and a wonderfully adventuresome week!