Enjoying the Moment...

In the midst of all that is going on in this world, I have decided to take some time and just 'enjoy the moment' and spend some time with my little boy. This is difficult for me today because I have 120 men showing up to play in a JA golf tournament on Wed., which I am soley responsible for. So, needless to say, I have ALOT to do! But, today is about me and my little boy. I have managed to get some stuff done during naptime, but we have played together, watched The Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, eaten lunch, drank some juice and gotten messy. It has been great and just what I needed..until the most disguisting thing happened...see below!


I love this little boy! He is filthy, but we have had a great time!


The pictures are grainy, b/c they were taken with my phone...but you can't miss that adorable smile!


Fun times!

Here is where the fun ends. My dad always told me, "It's all fun and games until someone gets hurt." Well, the 'someone' was me when I found this in my son's mouth...



That would be a now-dead beetle. Which was A~L~I~V~E when I found it in his mouth. Yep, you got it. I looked in his mouth to see what he put in it, and out crawled a beetle. DISGUSTING! I screamed so loudly that it made him cry. I felt badly...and sick to my stomach. So playtime was over, needless to say.

In other news...I look forward to a great weekend, free of sickness, having some fun with my boys and going shopping with my SIL. Oh ~ and eventually, I'll get around to that work! I wouldn't be me if I didn't wait until the last minute! <3 <3 <3

Crazy Times...

These have been crazy times...not only around this house, but seems to be in a lot of families lately. For us personally, we have fought through bronchitis, the stomach flu and horrible sinus infections. Currently, we are dealing with a reoccuring rash and upset tummy with peanut. I have cleaned, sanitized and prayed over this house and still no relief. In the past two weeks, my paternal grandmother, who's 76, was hospitalized for double pneumonia and my maternal grandfather (80) was hospitalized for congestive heart failure and a busted blood vessel in his bladder (gross, I know!). My uncle's 'partner' has been diagnosed with an extremely rare condition that causes bile to back up into his bloodstream, which can be deadly and my cousin is dealing with having a cyst drained from her breast. I wonder if all of this happens out of coincidence or if there is a reason for it? I mean...I know God always has a reason for everything ~ but is it because everyone is just getting older and more stuff is happening or perhaps we are being tested? I don't know, but it is ALOT!

Our family friends (Jill Shuman, who takes those beautiful pictures of my little peanut!)have just been given the devestating news that her husband has been diagnosed with a carcanoid in his colon. He has been given a 50% survival rate. And MckMama almost lost her sweet Stellan today as his little heart was beating frantically for too long of a time.

All of this reminds me that we must remain on our knees, but it's hard to sometimes keep the faith when you are so weary. I know God has a plan and trust Him to be God and to do what He does. It is not my job to fix it for everyone ~ all I can do it pray faithfully, so that's what I will continue to do. Please remember us too...we can all use a little help from our friends, right?

Pray for Stellan!

You can click on the above link to read all of McMama's postings, but basically, her little baby boy, Stellan, is in need of desperate prayers right now. His heart has gone into v-tach, which is a very deadly condition. His heart rate has been flying all over the place throughout the past 24 hours, but the doctor's always assured her that as long as he wasn't in v-tach, it was okay. Now, their worst fears are coming true. Please, Please pray hard for Stellan, McMama and their entire family.

Lucky Me!

Instead of doing a 'Not Me!' post, I thought I would do a 'Lucky Me!' one, in honor of St. Patrick's Day! The moral of the story is to count my blessings, instead of getting caught up in the small stuff. Here it goes...

This week, I not only contracted the stomach flu but now also have a full blown sinus infection and laryngitis. But, the doctor loaded me up with antibiotics and cough meds with codeine..lucky me! The good news about going through the Master Cleanse ~ a.k.a. stomach flu ~ is that I actually lost about 5 lbs...lucky me! When I couldn't get out of bed to get munchkin out of his crib, my mother-in-law showed up at 6 a.m., packed him up and took him for the day...lucky me!

That same day, my mom called to say that they admitted my grandmother into the hospital with pneumonia. She is 76 years old and as sprightly as they come. Then, my grandfather was also at the doctor with dehydration and low blood, and was almost admitted as well. Then, to top it all off, my cousin went into pre-term labor at 6 months. Suddenly, the stomach flu didn't seem so bad ~ lucky me!

When I took munchkin to the doctor on Friday with a bad rash all over his body, it was not fifths disease like every old woman in the grocery store predicted, or chicken pox, but just an outward expression of his internal rash that can be treated with steroid creme ~ lucky me!

On Saturday, we had a wedding to go to. Instead of getting in the shower, shaving my legs and all the usual prep, I decided to take advantage of naptime and spend some QT with hubs instead. With only an hour to go, I whipped out the CHI, threw on some makeup, straightened my hair, and thanks to the stomach bug ~ slipped into some cute pants and heels just in time. Ended up looking fabulously pulled together in half the time...lucky me!

Sunday brought about more sickness ~ in the form of a horrible sinus infection, which turned into laryngitis. Hubs came to the rescue, taking munchkin on a boys day out to Lowe's, Lovett's and to his parents'. I have the best husband ever ~ lucky me! Later, my mom, MIL and a family friend threw a baby shower for a girl in our church. I spent the afternoon making punch, making bows, and making conversation with some wonderful ladies, reminding me how blessed I am to have such wonderful women as role models...lucky me!

Today, I walked the usual 2 miles from my parking deck to my office. Instead of keeping my head down (to not make eye contact with the tourist for fear that they'll ask for directions to Paula Deen's!), counting the steps and cursing my heels, I looked up and noticed the green oaks, budding dogwoods and blooming azaleas. I even smiled at the tourists...and then pointed the way to 'The Lady and Sons' ~ lucky me! :)

Book Review: The Doctor's Wife

"The Doctor's Wife" by Elizabeth Brundage

Okay ~ this is my first book review, so go easy on me! I just read an amazing review that said everything that I would want to say and I came close to copying and pasting it here, but decided that I should put my own two cents in instead.

This is Elizabeth Brundage's debut novel and as a whole, it is a good read. It is suspenseful, engaging, controversial, relevant and the characters' are relatable in their flaws. I won't say that it will be my on my favorite's list, but it is a book that I won't soon forget.

At the center of the story are two couples ~ Dr. Michael Knowles and his wife Annie and Simon and Lydia Haas. Michael is a prominent OB/GYN doctor in upstate New York and Annie is a professor at a local college with a background in journalism. They have two children and as happens in marriages with children, careers and busy lives, they have drifted apart. Annie is already resentful of Michael's busy schedule when he decided to volunteer one day a week at the local abortion clinic. Her resentment and his 'sense of duty' only alienate the couple even more. Just as Annie is searching for an outlet for her frustrations, she meets Simon Haas, an has-been artist who also teaches at the college. He is smooth and charming, but instead of allowing him to be typecast into that roll, Brundage exposes his flaws through his marriage to his young wife, Lydia an unstable and almost childlike character who is the catalyst for all the drama that unfolds.

Without giving too much away, I will note that Brundage does a good job in dealing with the controversial subjects of adultery, abortion and emotional instability. She allows the characters to be real and exposes them for who they really are, letting their emotions drive their actions and set the stage for the consequences that follow. There is no good guy/bad guy here, only a sense of sadness that permeates the entire story as each character is trying to find fulfillment through their job, their partner or their beliefs.

The criticism I have for this story is that Brundage begins with the critical action and then goes back to explain how we got there. At times, the story can seem segmented with flashbacks intermingling with the present, leaving the reader sorting out the details. The other criticism I have, which is one of my biggest peeves with books, is that it seems that Brundage wrote this with the intention of making it into a movie. While this definitely could be a Hollywood blockbuster, I am annoyed when books are written for that purpose, instead of allowing them to be just what they are, stories in the readers' minds.

If it were a movie, I would give it four stars. As a novel, I give it 3 1/2. Well written, but disjointed at times, Brundage deals with controversial issues through the actions of her flawed characters in a way that creates suspense and drama, leaving the reader to sort through it for herself long after the last page is turned.

My AS IS house...

I couldn't leave my friend Brandy, hanging, so I too decided to post some pics of my house, 'as is...' I would like to say that this isn't how my house always looks, but I would be lying b/c 99% of the time, this is what you get when you walk through my door. I am a messy person, as is the hubs, so between us ~ it is trouble! I wish I was more organized, but I'm not and I'm over it. Here it is...



This is our living room ~ I am highlighting the 'toy corner' which is kind of taking over the entire living area now. If you look closely on the side table, you will see not one but THREE glasses that hubs has used in one afternoon. This is completely normal at our house...



This is a bigger view of the same thing. Notice the blankets piled on the floor. Also completely normal in this house...



This is a picture of our fireplace that can't actually burn a fire. This stepladder has now been in this same place for over two weeks, waiting on hubs to hang a metal scrolly thing above the clock. As of today, the ladder was moved into our bedroom. Fabulous.



This would be our typical sink full of dirty dishes. We are currently out of dishwasher detergent, so I guess they will continue to pile...



This would be our dining room table. Which we never use...to eat on, that is! I do hope that will change one day and we will actually eat in the dining room. We just need to find another spot for all the 'junk.'




This would be my bathroom ~ a.k.a. the entertainment room for my son. This is where he hangs while I get ready, singing him silly songs and letting him play with my makeup brushes. The excersaucer is a gift from God...



Finally ~ a room I can be proud of! My newly organized and extremely clean office!!! I owe the success of this project to my mother-in-law who helped me get it cleaned out and organized! Now, if she could only help me with the rest...

(note ~ I did not post pictures of our bedroom or munchkins room b/c both of my boys are sleeping. But, from the looks of the rest of it, you probably get the idea!)

Oh, Ye of Little Faith...

Sometimes, it is easy to say that we are 'trusting in the Lord.' When everything is going smoothly and life is rolling along, then trusting is effortless. It's like getting up to bat and having nothing but easy pitches thrown at you. You start hitting the ball, get some confidence and eventually, you are pretty sure you are going to make it to home plate. This is how life has been for us lately. We made a commitment to get out of debt and get control of our finances. Since we got a good amount of money back on our taxes and an insurance settlement check, we have paid off over $6,000 worth of outstanding bills, including paying off hubs' truck 3 months early. As we 'knocked each bill out of the park,' per say, we got more confident that we could see the end of the game when we were debt free. The anticipation of that date and to see the bills get knocked out has been the fuel that we have needed to stay on track. It has been easy to trust God with our finances because it has all worked accordingly.

When life starts throwing curveballs, however, then it's a whole new ball game. When those balls start coming at you and you can't follow a direct path or see where it's going to cross, it's hard to know when to swing. And when you do swing, it's even harder to actually hit the ball and not to strike out. What's even worse is having a coach standing on the sidelines, directing you to swing, even when you feel like it is a bad idea. It's hard to trust that coach when you don't understand the bigger picture or what he has in store for you.

We got thrown a curve ball today when my husband's company announced they would be laying off 1,200 employees this month and also forcing 1,500 employees to take an unpaid leave of absence for five weeks in July. Suddenly, we were the story that made the CBS evening news. This troubling state of our economy has finally hit home and has begun to affect us and those around us right here in our community. While hubs feels pretty secure in his position, he knows that he will be affected by the furlow in July. There are those, however, that won't be so lucky. Our neighbors and our friends will probably lose their jobs and will be affected in the worst way. And even though hubs is confident, it could even be us.

This is where TRUST comes in. When he called me today to give me the news, I felt a lurch in my stomach and immediately tensed up. I began thinking of our finances, how we would afford an entire month without income and about a backup plan should he lose his job. My head began to spin with all the possibilities and what if's. I immediately called our family and friends to let them know what was going on. Never once did I stop and pray. Never once did I think to seek counsel with the wisest man in the world, the man with the plan for our lives and the one who only wants good for us. Never once did I think that this might be an opportunity to put my faith to the test, by letting go and letting God take control of what seemed to be a desperate situation. Instead, I tried to control it on my own.

'Oh ye of little faith.' Jesus might as well of put 'Emilee' in place of 'ye' in that passage. It is easy to trust in the good times, but hard to let go in the difficult moments. It is in those times, the ones where we give up self-control of our situations, where we allow God to be God and get to watch Him work out his deity and his majesty right before our very eyes. When we let go, we let God...and he is awesome. So, we just need to trust Him more and lean on our own understanding less. Easy right?!? Ha....no one ever said letting go was easy ~ but it is definitely worth it! Now, if I can just take my own advice......

(the picture above is from http://annettesart-anni.blogspot.com/. She makes amazing art. Go to her blog and you can find her stuff on ebay!)