Apples of Gold

I have been blessed to have been a part of a group of ladies for the past couple of months. I took part in a series of classes that are taught by seven wonderful women. Those of us that were part of this class learned so much about ourselves. I definitely think a lot more about what I am doing and how I am doing it. It has changed the way I deal with Emma and with Steven. (that one is a little harder at times). We would meet once a week and have a cooking demonstration, a lesson and a wonderful dinner. We were completely catered to. It was incredible. Last night we returned the favor by hosting them for dinner. It went really well. Once we were done eating, we played 'Big Bootie'. This is a rhythm game that goes pretty quick. I, for one, am not very good at it. But it was hilarious to see some of these ladies do this. We laughed and laughed. If you had told me that I would be playing Big Bootie with Ruth Hudson or Joyce Johnson someday - I would have laughed at you. They gave it their all!!! (I don't have time to post them right now - but I did take pictures. I will do it next week - I promise!) Yesterday was my birthday and it was a great way to end the day. I wonder if I could convince them to get together every year on March 29th?

Answered Prayer

I received a phone call about six yesterday evening regarding our friend Greg. It was great news - they had found a liver!!!! They were going to start prepping him for surgery at nine. Byron called me this morning at 7:30 - they were able to start the transplant at midnight so he spent the night in surgery and he now has a new liver. There was a slight complication with his blood pressure and the surgeon wanted to get him off the operating table so he didn't complete it. They packed him down and will finish tomorrow morning. As of now he and the liver are doing well. Blood is flowing through it and they are waiting for it to start filtering. Praise God!!!! It really looked bleak for a couple of days but there have been a lot of people praying for him. Please keep him and his family in your prayers.

Future hairstylist???

Some have heard this story, but some have not and it is a pretty good one.

The day before her 2nd birthday (and just 4 days before her party), Emma decided to do her own hair. She was at the sitters house where they have been doing some remodeling. The construction guys knocked a shelf down in one of her daughters rooms but Kristie did not hear it fall. On that shelf was the powder and the vasoline. Emma and the other girls had tried the powder before so they decided to try the vasoline. Emma thought it would look good in her hair, so that is where it went. She came down the hall to show Kristie - put one hand on her hip, stood there and said "Pretty". Kristie, of course, kinda freaked out (which I completely understand), but did manage to laugh. Now, since they were remodeling, things around the house are kind of torn up - like the bathroom tub. So she put Emma in the kitchen sink and washed her hair - a few times. After she had used a couple different shampoos and some dish soap it was better, but she still resembled a little grease monkey. Her sister is a hair dresser ,so she called her - "Cornstarch" she told her. So this is a picture Kristie took of Emma with cornstarch in her hair. She ended up having her hair washed 8 times that day. It took 4 days and numerous washings with shampoo, dish detergent and a few cornstarch treatments before it began to look like her hair again. Luckily, by the time her party came around if you didn't know what happened you really couldn't tell. I still laugh when I see this picture.

Daddy time

This is going to be my first time to post some picture so I hope it works!!!


Emma is a very lucky little girl. Her Daddy loves to play, and now that it is nice outside they go outside after he gets home from work. This gives me a chance to fix dinner or fold laundry or just have a little bit of quiet time. Of course I usually end up out there with them because they are both laughing so hard I have to see what is going on. One of Emma's favorite things to do is ride in her wagon. Steven will start to spin it around and she just laughs. Pretty soon he is laughing at her and before they are done I am laughing at both of them.

Now bedtime is another story. It is supposed to be a calm and quiet time where Emma can wind down and relax before she goes to sleep. But some evenings her Daddy has other ideas. Trust me.........tossing a toddler up in the air is not a good way to get them to wind down for bed. But it sure is funny! So once they were done with that, her and I had our cuddle time, we read stories, said our prayers and talk for a little bit. Then it is off to bed. If Steven is home, Emma will not let me take her to bed - her Daddy has to do it! But before they go, she has to give him a kiss and a hug. It is too sweet! It is one of those precious moments that you want to remember always. Lucky for me - I get to see it almost every night.

PRAYERS NEEDED

A friend of ours, Greg Rich, is in need of a new liver. In fact, he needs one within 48 hours. He is at Vanderbilt in ICU in critical condition. I work with his in-laws, Byron and Barb, and have known their daughter Johanna and her two kinds for a long time. I helped with their wedding and have watched Greg become a great husband and father. Greg was supposed to have been on the national transplant registry a month ago, but their was some kind of mixup and he has only been on the regional registry. As of last night, he was put on the national list at the top of the list, and is at Status 1. Please keep him and his family in your prayers.

Here goes..........

I have finally done it!!! Created a blog............now I will just have to find the time to keep up with it. I have considered doing this for a while now - but life is full and it was just one more thing to do. But, it is a great place to just ramble along with whatever pops into my mind. Not to mention - I can brag about my beautiful daughter and no one can tell me to stop! I hope I don't bore anyone - but if I do..............to bad :-) Happy reading!