Nature Exploration and other thoughts

Yesterday H and I went out to friends' house who has 17+ acres and animals. We had a great time marching all over. H and her friends swang on the tire swing, looked at a great big frog, watched guys try to catch goats... We also walked across the "bull pasture" and collected dewberries and searched for kittens. She was hot, red (from being hot) and tired. H went to sleep at 810 and slept until 730 this morning!

I on the other hand, itched and scratched all day. The pollen and being out in the morning made me miserable. I am ready for the tree pollen to go away. Our pecan trees now have the dangling pollen and the mesquite trees out at the farm also had the pollen all over them.

On the building a house subject, I have decided that I need to just stop thinking about another place. I need to focus on keeping this one up and getting it paid for sooner rather than later. If God allows us to build a different house someday, then I will be truly grateful. But I cannot keep struggling to work extra hours just to try and save a bit. I do need to be mindful of not spending too much but I cannot continue to focus, dare I say OBSESS, about building. If we are to work with reproductive endo on another babe, I cannot continue to deal with that and wanting to build. A house is just that, a house. A blessing from God is eternal.

SmartyGirl

She counted by 5's to 100 tonight! We were sitting in the rocking chair and talking about 15 people in my CPR class. So I said, what if there were 5 more people with the 15? And she says "20 people then" and we kept going up and up. Then she counted by 2's to 30 and by 10's to 100. She has been doing the 10's for a while but tonight was the first time by 2's and 5's. It was a light bulb moment for us!

I had CPR and dashed home to shower and make it for bedtime. I missed bedtime 3 nights this weekend and I didn't want to miss another. She is such a joy most times and a corker the rest. ;)

Good Night!

Pretzel Bites here

We have found another staple in the chickpea/NB diet. We use an icing bag and pipe out shapes and rounds into "pretzel bites." They are salty and crunchy and totally different than our cereal. It has helped me so much to have something "chip" like to munch on. And H has started eating them too. At first, she didn't want anything to do with them but gradually, she has started munching too. =) Now we are making them twice weekly and eating them all in 3 days. Hooray!

It is officially spring here - the trees are completely leafed out (except the pecans) and the irises have bloomed beautifully. The down side to this is that all of our neighbors are mowing their grass. We went outside three different times yesterday and were chased inside after a bit by next door neighbors mowing. =(

Bring on the saving $$$ so that we can move. But then I ordered Spell to Read and Write last night, a set of Math U See manipulative blocks and Prima Latina. So much for saving money. Nothing about this child has been cheap and I don't expect it to start now! ;) I am praying for patience and God's timing for our lives.

Thanks for Lunch!

We were sitting down at the table and eating lunch yesterday when Hannah started talking. "Mommy, we are eating lunch! We didn't get to eat lunch when I drank Neocate. I love getting to eat lunch. And my food is so good now!" I had tears in my eyes. She went on for about 3-4 minutes about how much she loved eating and how thankful she was that "Miss Fiona helped us so much." We only at breakfast and supper and Hannah drank Neocate throughout the day prior to starting in the kingdom. I love us all eating the same food and enjoying our meals together.

Our lives look so different this year in comparison to 2007. I am actually working on birthday cake ideas for H. She will be 6 years old and has never had a birthday cake. I need to get beetroot powder and tint everything pink. She would be over-the-moon happy with a pink cake! =D

Shifting House

We have known since we purchased our house that foundations are an issue in Texas. Today we had a man come and check it out and see what kind of shape our foundation is in. He measured and our bedroom (master) is 1 inch below the living room. I wonder what it would be in August or September after days of no rain and lots of heat. We haven't had much rain but at least it hasn't been 100+ degrees.

It also reminds me, when I am laying in the grass pulling weeds, that I can be so thankful that my life's foundation is not sinking. Jesus is a solid foundation, even when my emotions are riding the waves of life. I am trying to start listening to the pastor's sermons at TBC. Today, he was talking about Exodus 1 from February 3. His final statement struck me: "Do you know who your God is?" The way for me to know God is to spend time in his presence. I don't spend much time there... I have all kinds of excuses. But all of them are meaningless in light of eternity. I need to spend time in God's word so that I may know him and so that I may know, without a shadow of a doubt, that my God is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. He will never leave me, nor forsake me for anything or anyone.

"For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 8:38-39

But things like death and principalities and powers and things to come can be scary. I must know who my God is so that I may trust in his unending love for me.

Maybe not

Maybe I shouldn't post tonight... or just not all my thoughts.

I saw a little girl this weekend who had rotavirus. I am pretty good about lots of handwashing at work and not getting sick from the sickies at work but somehow I didn't escape this weekend. Monday, I didn't eat much lunch, just didn't feel like it. So I was pretty hungry by supper. I cooked lovely telapia (T & H's favorite) and we had a grand fish supper with cauliflower on the side. By 2130, my tummy was in rebellion. I thought maybe I was just too tired - lots of work, not getting to bed early enough from the change in DST. But I couldn't sleep due to nausea. By 2300, I was sure that I was going to throw up and by 2345, I was upchucking my guts. I threw up every 30-40 minutes all night long. Then at 6am, the last time I threw up, my guts decided to evacuate too. I had liquid poo all day long yesterday. Now I know how these poor little kids get so dehydrated. The poo has slowed but I still am not back to par. Yesterday, I got dizzy and the pass out feeling when I wasn't horizontal. I haven't hardly eaten today, just trying to drink. I pray that Hannah hasn't gotten this nasty-ness from me. I keep hounding her to wash her hands, I wash all the time.

So, this week is a wash for us... just keep mommy alive to work again this weekend. But I did like the working Friday evening and then Saturday and Sunday much better. I will try it again in June. I don't want to do it in May because then we miss play group on Friday.

Off to put more in the washer and trot off to bed.

The Beautiful, the Cold and the Yucky

I start with a picture of the best part... she found branches and decided to be...

A MOOSE! Cutest one I have seen, not saying much though cause I haven't seen a real one. ;)

Winter isn't over yet. We here in Texas don't have much to call a winter but what we do have keeps showing back up again. Yesterday was marvelous - sunny, 72 degrees, bit of a breeze. H and I met some friends at a park and spent the afternoon playing, digging and I got to hold a baby. =D Today it was warmer at 730am than it is now at 1430 - now is 38 degrees and pouring rain. No going out to play today.

On a good note, my order of flour and baking ingredients got here from Australia. But we are missing H's candy and 1 packet of baking soda. We did get T's pesto jars though so he can try that out.

I am getting the itch to be out on our own land. I really dread our constantly mowing neighbors that will drive us inside this spring and summer. I am praying for patience and God's loving mercy to allow me to wait on him and his perfect timing.