I'm sooo ready for spring!

There's talk in the weather forecast that we'll get snow and/or ice today and tonight. I don't want snow and ice. I need sunshine!

I need out of this house so bad... All I can do the last couple of days is cry. Winter is always so hard on me, but it's especially hard when Mike doesn't have enough work to do, but he's still gone all the time... we're so behind on our bills. I feel like I just worry! I've noticed that I'm getting frown lines and white hairs. I'm too young for that stuff! My husband actually told me to go get some hair color. Well then! That made me feel all wonderful and happy inside, dontcha know... We can't afford hair color anyhow!

I've not blogged in over a week... mainly because I can't seem to find a happy thought. Everything feels crappy and gray right now.

I have a history of depression... I sooo don't want to go there. I don't want to take those meds again. Is it too much to ask that I just feel happy!? Ugh!

It would be so nice to have another adult in the house. I could really use just an hour to myself, but I can't seem get away from children in this house. They follow me wherever I go, and they're only making me grumpy with their whining and arguing. Of course, I don't know that I really want to go out in public right now. There is so much sickness everywhere, and I sure don't want to catch anything! But it's so depressing, being cooped up in the house all the time... I don't know how much more of this I can handle... Lord, please help me to get past this funk I'm in!

Why I do not like Valentine's Day

I dislike Valentine's Day. No, I hate it! There are many reasons I dislike Valentine's Day so much, and every single one of them has something to do with my husband.

Before we got married, he gave me gifts for Valentine's Day. Before we were married, he also gave gifts for my birthday and Christmas, but now I'm getting off the subject. It seems as if the marriage license has afforded him a reason to stop giving any kind of gifts altogether. He never gives me ANYTHING. Never. And I hate it. I need so much more attention than this man gives me! He KNOWS this. Why won't he change it? I don't know. I don't think I'd even know how to react anymore if he brought me a gift. I really don't!

I hear some women say, "Oh, I don't need a gift. My husband does things and gives me things all the time, so why would I expect something on a certain day?" Well... that's not my husband either. He just does not give anything. Ever. He does not give gifts, and he does not like to get them. Obviously "gifts" is NOT his love language! Sometimes I think his love language must be complete ignorance. Ok, so I know that is not one of the love languages... Maybe I should write a book of my own about love. Or maybe I need to whack him over the head with a book. Nah, it probably wouldn't help.

I get so tired of listening to other women say, "Oh! My hubby is so sweet! He sent me (flowers, candy, etc) or took me wherever".... I just hate it! I'd love to put my fingers in my ears and sing a song... maybe something like, "Love Bites!" Ugh!

These are the days that I allow myself to feel crappy. I know there is nothing coming for me, and I manage to allow me to feel sorry for myself!

I really am not unhappy in my marriage, but it seems like I always feel extremely unloved on these stupid days. I know I'm not... but I manage to let myself feel like it!

I'm ready to wake up tomorrow. Stupid Valentine's Day will be over with, and I can go on with my life. At least until September, when my darling husband will forget it's our anniversary because it doesn't matter to him. How could I have been married to this man for nearly 10 years and still get upset every single holiday?

Ok, I think I'm finished... So I'm off to clean up my face and put on some more mascara since mine is now mostly gone. I need to make myself look presentable and find my fake smile so that I can go help with Delaney's class Valentine party today!

Praise the Lord--he kept my husband safe from the storm!

On Tuesday night, I was watching a mean and nasty storm that was ripping right through a part of the country that my husband was headed straight toward in the truck... It had passed through where we live in the early afternoon, but it seemed like it was just getting stronger and stronger. I was really worried about him, and I must have called him twenty times to check and make sure he was ok and knew where the storm was!

At one point, he told me that he and the other guy he was running with had just seen a tornado behind them. This was in Missouri, and they were headed east--same direction the storm was going. Their plan was to run along just north of the Tennessee border through Kentucky to Bowling Green.

I prayed that God would protect them. It's all I know to do in this kind of situation! I just prayed... I finally talked to him the next morning, and they had pulled over to stay for the night in Charleston, MO (which is just east of the MO/KY state line... Thank goodness they did!

On Wednesday, they drove on to their destination. Mike said that they went through town after town that was just flattened, completely taken out by tornadoes. He could have tried to drive right through the middle of all of that, but I'm so glad he listened when he felt the urge to pull over and stay put for the night. I believe that God was telling him that it wasn't safe.

Prayer works--I'm saying this for people who might be reading and may have some doubts. God protected my husband as well as his friend. He was safe, and I am so grateful! Praise God!!

ABCs of Me

ABC of Me

The Letter A
Are you available?: Nope... happily married.
What is your age?: 33
What annoys you?: Lots of things! LOL! I can't stand when someone lies to me, and I don't like to be argued with.

The Letter B
Do you live in a big house?: I guess so... it's about 2400 square feet. Is that big? It's certainly bigger than any house I've lived in before!
When is your birthday?: October 11th
Who is your best friend?: I have good friends, but I'd say my hubby is my best friend.

The Letter C
What's your favorite candy?: Anything chocolate!
Who's your crush?: I don't think married people are supposed to have crushes. lol
When was the last time you cried?: Last night.

The Letter D
Do you daydream?: Of course! Doesn't everyone? :)
What's your favorite kind of dog?: Cavalier King Charles Spaniel or Cocker Spaniel--they're the cutest things ever!
What day of the week is it?: Wednesday

The Letter E
How do you like your eggs?: Scrambled... or fried (soft, not runny)
Have you ever been in the emergency room?: Yes--for myself, and also with my littlest girl!
What's the easiest thing ever to do?: Sleep! lol!

The Letter F
Have you ever flown in a plane?: Yes, but it was a 4-seater... never been in a big one!
Do you use fly swatters?: Yes
Have you ever used a foghorn?: Not sure what a foghorn is, but I like Foghorn Leghorn. LOL!!

The Letter G
Do you chew gum?: Yes! Orbit CinnaMint is my favorite. :)
Are you a giver or a taker?: Both... depends on the situation, I guess!
Do you like gummy candies?: Sometimes

The Letter H
How are you?: I am tired! Thanks for asking! ;-)
What color is your hair?: Strawberry blonde

The Letter I
What's your favorite ice cream?: Triple Fudge Brownie or Cappuccino Chunky Chocolate
Have you ever ice skated?: I have tried, but I wasn't exactly successful.
Do you play an instrument?: I pick at the piano, and I played flute in the high school band

The Letter JWhat's your favorite jelly bean brand?: Jelly Belly is the best! :)
Do you wear jewelry?: Yes, but not much

The Letter K
Who do you want to kill?: What kind of question is that!?
Do you want kids?: Already have two. I'd take more if God wants to give them to me. :)
Where did you go for kindergarten?: Northside Elementary in Siloam Springs, AR

The Letter L
Are you laid back?: Mostly... sometimes I can be uptight though!
Do you lie?: No! Well, not intentionally!

The Letter M
Whats your favorite movie?: The Notebook
Do you still watch Disney movies?: Yes, especially with my girls.
Do you like mangos?: Not really

The Letter N
Do you have a nickname?: No, but my uncles used to call me Little Red
What is your real name?: Stacy
Whats your favorite number?: 27
Do you prefer night over day?: Depends what for!

The Letter O
What's your one wish?: I have so many... how could I choose only one?
Are you an only child?: Nope. I have a younger brother.

The Letter P
What one fear are you most paranoid about? Losing someone I love... especially my husband or one of my kids
What are your pet peeves?: Bad grammar is a real turnoff for me. LOL!
What's a personality trait you look for in people?: Kindness, loyalty, honesty

The Letter Q
What's your favorite quote?: "Don't marry the person you think you can live with; marry only the individual you think you can't live without. " ~James C. Dobson
Are you quick to judge people?: Not usually

The Letter R
Do you think you're always right?: Uh... yes. Is that bad? ;)
Are you one to cry?: Oh yes. You can count on it!

The Letter S
Do you prefer sun or rain?: Sun!!
Do you like snow?: NO! And I don't like cold either!

The Letter T
What time is it?: 3:42 pm
What time did you wake up?: 6:00 am
When was the last time you slept in a tent?: When I was a kid!

The Letter U
Are you wearing underwear?: Of course!
Underwear or boxers?: LOL... I prefer ladies underwear, thanks!

The Letter V
What's the worst veggie?: Ummm.... I don't know! Onions. It's the only one I can think of that I don't like.
Where do you want to go on vacation?: Anywhere. Who's taking me? :)

The Letter W
What's your worst habit?: I bite my nails
Where do you live?: Siloam Springs, AR
What's your worst fear?: Losing someone I love... like my dh or one of my kids.

The Letter X
Have you ever had an x-ray?: Yes--my back.
Have you seen the x-games?: Nope
Do you own a xylophone?: Does a toy one count?

The Letter Y
Do you like the color yellow?: Not really
What's one thing you yearn for?: Right now, financial peace!!

The Letter Z
Whats your zodiac sign?: Libra
Do you believe in the zodiac?: No
Favorite zoo animal?: Monkeys

I think Murphy likes me

You've heard of Murphy's Law... if it can go wrong, it will. Well, I feel like I'm only proving it right!

Yesterday, I almost let the fire go out in the fireplace insert... then it started to get really cold! I got the fire going really good again, and then tried to put in a piece of wood that was probably just too big. I tried to close the door, and it rolled. I had put it in at an angle to get it to fit. I closed the door on it, and broke the glass in the fireplace door!

Ugh! Why did I do that? I immediately started to panic. I made the mistake of calling Mike, and I just hung up when he asked me what I did.

I called my mom. I needed help! It took her longer to get across town than it did for me to get all the wood out of the fireplace and outside. I hosed it all off to make sure it was out! I don't need any more fires in the back yard!

All is ok. We're fine. The glass is still in the door, but it's all broken up.

My friend's hubby, who is a glass man, came over last night to check it out. The silly man didn't know my kids go to bed at 8, and he was ringing the doorbell like a crazy fool at 8:35. LOL! Anyhow, he told me about how much the piece of glass will cost.

I have started taking Dave Ramsey financial classes at our church, and I've mapped out a plan to get our emergency fund into place. Thank goodness I've managed to save the last 2 weeks of babysitting money or we would really have nothing to pay for replacing the glass! Of course it puts me back behind again on saving, but I still have a plan for saving! :)

All in all, I'm very thankful that the glass didn't shatter all over the room. It could have been a real disaster! I'm also thankful that we have central heat so that we won't freeze to death while we wait for 2 days for the piece of glass to be ordered.

It could be so much worse.

Thinking about all of this, I realized that we've been through a time that was much worse. Delaney was a little baby, and we ran out of propane. We lived in a trailer house in the middle of nowhere, and it was the coldest night ever. Thank goodness we had a small electric heater that we used in the bathroom! We put that little heater in our bedroom, and Delaney slept with us that night. We didn't freeze. We made it through just fine. And I think I probably wrote a hot check to buy propane the next day. Bad decision? Probably, but we didn't freeze. (As a side note... It's times like that night that I think of when my mother-in-law likes to say, "You kids don't know what hard times are." That only makes my blood boil. No wonder I like to stay home.)

I'm very thankful that we're still staying warm, in spite of not being able to keep a fire in the fireplace insert. We still have heat. We will have the door fixed soon so that we can have a fire again, and all will be fine.

Lack of Sleep

Last night I went to a class at our church, and my mom came over to give the girls a bath and put them in bed.

Delaney is the easy one these days, which is a real change that's only happened lately.

Jenna was still awake when I got home at 9 pm. She kept telling Granny that she needed Mommy to rock her! So I rocked her for about 30 minutes, hoping she would go to sleep quickly because I had laundry to fold and a dishwasher full of clean dishes waiting to be put away...

I finally told her I was going to lay her down, and she begged to go to my bed. So I laid her down, telling her I would be back in a few minutes. At 10:45, I finally had to go to bed without finishing my chores because she kept hollering for me. I figured it was the only way to get her to sleep at this point!

I laid down and went to sleep quickly. I'm not even sure she was alseep when I drifted off.

This morning she woke me up at 4:55, asking for chocolate milk. I went ahead & got her some, hoping she would go back to sleep. It didn't happen!

I got up just before 6 to get in the shower because I wasn't going back to sleep with a toddler kicking me in the ribs.

She managed to wake her sister up at 6:25. Delaney usually gets up at 6:45 to be ready for school, so she didn't lose too much sleep. Thank goodness.

We took Delaney to school, and then off to pick up one of the kids I babysit... Jenna was asleep when we got back home. She's now been asleep for almost 2 1/2 hours in her bed. Hopefully she will be rested up after her nap, and I hope she will be ready for bed tonight!! Mommy's worn out!

Why is it so hard to be thankful?

This morning, I got up and decided that I was just going to be thankful for this new day. It's sort of like a chance to make things good all over again.

Delaney went to school this morning upset with me. She's had a spot on her leg for 3 days that she won't let me touch. She says it hurts. It's red, swollen, looks like an infected ingrown hair or something. Finally she let the nurse look at it at school, and the nurse called me & said it's ok. If it looks worse or she gets a fever, take her to the doctor. I took some ibuprofen to the school for her. I pray it goes away soon. With all the talk of staph infection, it really concerned me!

I made quiche for dinner last night, and realized that we only had 1 egg left. I was worried about where I was going to find money to buy eggs! Ugh. I'm so tired of being this broke. What did we do to deserve this!?

Anyhow, I remembered I had a Walgreens gift card because I had filed for a rebate a couple of months ago. It's only $8, but it would buy eggs! So I went into Walgreens for eggs. I bought the last 2 dozen because they were cheaper than Wal-Mart anyhow! Praise the Lord!

I came home, and I figured I'd better vacuum since Mike's coming home tonight (yes, I crisis clean before my hubby comes home. lol!)... I was vacuuming along, thanking God that we were able to pay the electric bill this month so that I could vacuum the carpet. Then all of a sudden, I smelled something. I think the belt is going bad on the vacuum cleaner.

Why does something that I am thanking God for become something that seems like such a burden so quickly!? God knows I have $3 in my wallet. He knows that our checking account is empty. He knows that I have the feeling there won't be a paycheck this week. He knows that both of the moms I babysit for both forgot to pay me this week, for some unknown reason. Why does this stuff have to happen when I can't do a darn thing about it?

Ugh. I stewed for a few minutes, and remembered again how thankful I was to have electricity. And gas to run the furnace and water heater. And firewood to keep us warm. And so much more!

Why can't I just be thankful all the time instead of getting myself into a pity party over the silliest little thing!? Sometimes it is so hard, but I try to count my blessings anyhow. It seeems to make me feel better to remember my blessings instead of miserable like the pity party makes me feel!

Second part of my dream~it just gets better :)

This is a continuation from my last post... I wanted to make sure I knew what I was talking about when I wrote about this part. lol!

I called C to pick her brain, and she laughed. She told me exactly what she felt God was trying to tell me when the dream. She's so insightful! Love that woman. :)

The dream...
Remember that my house was on fire, so I was determined to get everyone out.

When I came out of the house into the garage, I buckled all of the kids into the van (I had the two I have been babysitting plus my own two). I looked back up from buckling everyone, my garage was no longer the same. It had become a giant expanse. There was Mike's semi truck parked behind mine, and there were two other semi trucks.

I started trying to find the door to get out, and I didn't see one. The door to get back into my house had disappeared. The van was suddenly gone. I was in this huge, open space with 3 semi trucks.


The interpretation...
Basically, the Lord is sending me a message of prosperity that I could not understand. I had worked out little pieces, but I needed help!

C told me that God is trying to tell me that if I will only trust Him, He will make a way through all of our troubles. That He wants to give us a tremendous blessing beyond what we can comprehend. That He is ready to give us that, but we have to believe for it. We must trust God to get us through this rough time. All we have to do is trust Him!

Right now we're believing Him to provide for milk! How could He do this for us? I know that God alone has the power. I believe. I have faith. I must remain standing. I must be strong and keep on believing. I must not allow my faith to waiver! No matter what the enemy tries to throw at me.

Why would God want to do such a thing for me? Because He loves me beyond anything I can comprehend. I am His child!

So, there you have it. That's my dream... and the interpretation from someone I trust very much. I believe it is a message from the Lord.

Last Night's Dream

Last night I had a dream that my house was on fire. It was on the roof, but it didn't really seem to be spreading at all. It didn't really even seem to be causing any damage!

I am pretty sure I know the meaning of this dream. We're behind on all of our bills, and our situation is starting to feel completely hopeless. It's like we're completely consumed.

A couple of months ago, a lady at church (D) told me that she'd had a dream about me and my family, and she and I talked about it with another lady who we both believed could give us some insight. C is an intercessor, and she is one of those people who often receives a word from the Lord about a situation.

D had dreamed that she was at my house, and it was a house built right next to the water (not sure if it was lake or ocean--just a large body of water). There was a storm coming in, and it got violent. The waves crashed against the house, pounding really hard. We all feared that the windows would break and that the house would wash away. But when the storm was over, nothing was damaged. The foundation of the house was just the same...

The other lady (C) just smiled a very knowing smile and said she knew exactly what that meant, and she gave me a verse. Isaiah 43:2 says, "When you pass through the waters, I will be with you, and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned, the flames will not set you ablaze."

C said that we are about to go through a big storm, and that things are going to look very hopeless and very bad. But that when the storm is over, we will look as if it had never touched us. She instructed me to keep this verse handy, and to remind the Lord often that He promised us that He would see us through the storm unharmed. I was told to claim the promise that was given to me.

I feel like that's what my dream last night was about as well. The fire kept burning, but it didn't seem to be hurting anything. It was like flames were shooting from the roof, but it wasn't burning anything up. But that didn't make it any less scary when I was looking at it!

Mike and I talked about our situation last night right before I went to bed, so I prayed that I wouldn't have bad dreams. I seem to be have them after we've had those conversations! Usually it's something pretty scary, but I know those dreams are not from God!

There was a little more to the dream, but I didn't understand that part... I want to ask C about it next time I see her and see if she has any insight before I talk about it. :)

I'll have a couple of both

When I ask Jenna a question like, "Would you rather have a hamburger or chicken nuggets?" She almost always replies with, "I want a couple of both." Well... that really wasn't the question. I was giving you a choice between the two.

Sometimes I wonder if I'm like that in my own life. For example... If I were given the choice between electricity and natural gas, I think I'd probably want to choose both.... there are advantages to each one. Each of them keeps me happy in some way--the gas heats our house and runs the water heater, the electricity keeps the lights on, cooks the food and washes the dirty clothes. See what I mean? Everything has its purpose, right? Even when it's a hamburger or chicken nuggets. I'm sure that each must satisfy her tummy in a different way.

Just made me feel good :)

Delaney was out sick from school yesterday, and I forgot to send her a note this morning... so I e-mailed her teacher to let her know why Delaney was absent yesterday.

There came a reply that said, "Thank you! I'm so glad Delaney is back today!"

After having talked with her about Delaney before (she'stold me more than once that Delaney is a "joy to have in her classroom"), it just made me feel good all over again.... I really do love her teacher. :)

Interview with the kiddos

Have you ever interviewed your kids? I thought this would be fun this morning... since I'm trying to be more fun and less of a stick-in-the-mud. LOL!

Here are the results of our interview... I think they're kinda funny. :)


DELANEY (age 7)

Favorite....Color(s): pink
Food: oranges & grapes
Drink: tea
Candy: flavored candy canes
Ice Cream: cookie dough
Dessert: chocolate pie
Game: polly pocket or webkinz (websites)
Movie: Alvin and the Chipmunks
Song: one from church, but I can’t remember what it’s called
Music Group: the church group
Book: Polly Pocket & Strawberry Shortcake books
Animal: little Chihuahuas like Molly
Outfit: My bright orange one
When I grow up, I want to be: a teacher (maybe)
My best Friend is: Makayla
because: I like to play with her.
My other friends: Lilly, Faith, Madison from school, and her last name is Hodge. And Tita Lor and Ashley.
I like to collect: marbles, beads (sometimes)


JENNA (age 2 1/2)

Favorite....
Color(s): orange
Food: fruit, bananas, apples
Drink: tea (lol, she never drinks tea!)
Candy: chocolate
Ice Cream: chocolate
Dessert: MM's
Game: Ashes, Ring 'round a rosie (these are the same thing)
Movie: Elmo (I don't think she’s ever even watched Elmo! LOL!), Wiggles
Song: ABCs, Twinkle Little Star, Bitsy Spider
Music Group: Don't know!
Book: Ducky
Animal: puppy dog
Outfit: dress
When I grow up, I want to be: ummm.... person
My best Friend is: ummmm…. I don’t know! I like to play with Camryn.
My other friends: Garrett, Allie, Logan, Grant, Morgan (these are all kids in the church nursery!)
What do you like to collect? I like to collect! I like baby dolls.

Good Imagination

When I picked up Delaney from school yesterday afternoon, we drove through the 4-way stop downtown on the way home. This is the part of down where the oldest buildings stand. They are built of bricks and/or cinder blocks, and one building in particular has some rusty-looking metal stars along the top of it. (For those who live here in Siloam, it is the building where Dr. Lewis's office is located.)

We were pulling up to the stop sign when she said, "Hey Mom, I think it would be really cool if those stars on the side of that building were big water sprinklers that could shoot water out of them. And if they worked with a lightswitch, you could turn them on so they could spray the building across the street if it was on fire. Don't you think that would be great, Mom? And then they could put them on all the buildings, and maybe there wouldn't be any more fires!"

She was so excited about her big idea that I almost laughed out loud! I just smiled and agreed that it sounded like a great idea.

I can't believe what a wild imagination she has sometimes. She comes up with some really crazy ideas like that one from yesterday afternoon... and I think I need to write more of them down!

So stinkin' tired!

We've had a couple of weeks off from school due to the Christmas & New Years holidays, and I'm having trouble getting back into the swing of things! We've stayed up late and slept in, and it's been a hard adjustment this week with school starting again.

I feel like I cannot wake up! I nod all day, trying not to go to sleep! I have 2 kids I am babysitting along with my 2 yr old--which means I have 3 little kids all day, so it's not like I can just take a nap. If I could, I probably could have slept several hours today!

I hope and pray that we can get to bed early tonight so that Delaney & I both can try and catch up on some sleep! I can't take much more of this--and I know Delaney is tired, too. Jenna's the lucky one who can nap whenever she wants. lol

Severe storms passed us by last night

Last night we had a pretty big storm in our area... and most of it passed us by, thank the Lord!

When I heard the storm sirens go off, I checked the radar on our local news station. Each time, there were cloud rotations close to us. Once it went to the east, once it went to the west, and once it formed just north of our town! When I heard the "T" word (tornado), I started to panic! But Delaney & I decided it was a much better idea to pray!

I was very grateful to wake up this morning and find the only thing that happened is that the chairs on my front porch blew from one end to the other.

Some places north of us weren't as fortunate. I heard that two people were killed around Springfield. That was the same storm that went through here!

I thank God for keeping us safe last night... I know that He heard our prayers asking for protection!

New Year's Resolutions for 2008

I've been thinking about making some resolutions for the new year... but I have made them before and not followed through! I want to make sure that what I am resolving to do is something I CAN and WILL actually do!

After much thought, I have decided that I am going to:

1) Read through the entire Bible (with the help/guidance of this site: http://www.oneyearbibleonline.com/)

2) Do a devotion/Bible study daily (and if I can include the kids and maybe even a memory verse, that will be even better!)

I would also like to include the traditional "get more organized" and "lose weight"... but I am also resolving NOT to set myself up for failure or disappointment! LOL!! Although I must say that my file cabinet is actually starting to look like a place where I could actually find something I was looking for. And with Mike getting his own authority, the organization would definitely come in very handy since I'll be the one keeping up with everything from now on!

I feel like these two things I've listed are actually doable for me... and I'm going to write them and post them on the refrigerator door!!

So... Anyone else making any resolutions??

Chimney Sweeps & Blessings

We had some chimney cleaners out to look at our chimney this afternoon. They were supposed to clean it out, but found out when they got here that it’s next to impossible to clean. It’s due to the way the fire place insert was installed. I have no idea who installed it or what year it was put in, but it’s got this little twist & turn in the pipe that makes it next to impossible to clean. They also said we have creosote buildup, which we’re going to treat chemically. If the creosote is left untreated, it can cause a flue fire.

So… it wasn’t the news I wanted to hear, but it didn’t cost us any money today. The guy did say that the unit we have is a really good one, so that was a plus. And it does put out a lot of heat... which helps save on the gas bill in the winter.

Anyhow... I will have to go and buy the chemical to spray into the fireplace every day (to loosen up the creosote buildup & make it fall down), and then they will come back in a month to sweep down all the junk and vacuum it out with a very high-powered vacuum. They will have to vacuum it because of the way the insert was installed, which does not allow the junk to fall down inside the fireplace.

Our other option is to install a new liner. It sounds like the best and safest option, but it’s pricey. It would cost us almost $1,000 PLUS they will have to re-mortar around our insert once they re-install it. So that would be an extra charge. I really don’t know how much the final bill would be, but I DO know that we don’t have the money for that right now. I can only hope and pray that we will be able to afford to do it over the summer.

So… add that to the fact that our house could probably use new windows and storm doors to make it more energy-efficient. The house also really needs to be painted, and it won’t be very many more years before we’ll have to have a new roof... and we want to finish out the privacy fence and put some kind of fencing around the front yard. I think that any house could turn in to a money pit if it were allowed to become one. The needs have to be taken care of first, of course... but I believe that God will provide for them when the time is right.

I’m not sure I’m excited about any of this repair/maintenance stuff… And as expensive as all of it sounds, I sure do love living in my very own house. It’s big and it's beautiful and, and it’s everything I’ve always wanted… and I just have to thank God for every day I get to spend in it with my family! I feel truly blessed!

I became a firefighter today!

Early this afternoon, I dumped out a bucket of ashes that had been sitting on my back patio since Tuesday. I really thought there were no coals left in it, but I guess I was wrong!

At 4:45, the first parent arrived to pick up his little boy (I babysit 2 kids)… About a minute after he came in, I saw someone walk up on the front porch, fling open the storm door and burst right into my house! That in itself nearly scared me to death!! But then he yelled, “Your house is on fire in the back!”

Ok. Now I'm scared. My heart started to pound in my throat!

I ran for the back door, and outside there was a fire between my outbuilding & the fence. Apparently I had caught the leaves on fire. OH DEAR!!

Dave (the dad of the kids I babysit) runs out right behind me, and we grab a water hose. A woman I’ve never seen before in my life ran around from the front of the house with my other water hose, and I ran inside to call 9-1-1 just in case it was too out of control…

The dad of one of my Brownies (a fireman) drove up behind the fence. He asked how I was doing today, and I said that apparently I must be scatterbrained and just didn’t know it!

While I was outside helping put out the fire, the other dad came to pick up the little girl. Why didn't it occur to me that I had left my 7-year-old inside the house alone with his 1-yr-old & my 2-yr-old? I don't even know. Thank goodness she kept them inside and out of harm's way, but poor Jenna was really scared. So one of the firemen (a really cute one, I might add!) kept talking to her, and I think his calmness helped.

Soooo.... All is well. The fire was put out easily, and we dug through the leaves and made sure everything in the area was thoroughly saturated. I am so thankful that it was only that small spot, but it still really worried me!! I thought it was going to get the outbuilding that we keep gas & lawn mowers in (which I was prepared to move out quickly!)… but it didn’t hurt it at all. All it really did was clear out the fence row… which really needed done, but that wasn't how I was planning to do it! ;-)

Thank the Lord for those people who stopped to tell me and to help!! Otherwise, I might not have known there was a fire until it traveled to my neighbor’s house!! I wish I knew who the guy was so I could thank him, but I couldn't even tell you the first thing about what he looked like. (So much for my training as a bank teller where they teach you how to remember what the bank robber looked like! LOL!)

I’m so thankful it was not windy today, as it could have spread to the woods or to the house beside me. And I am incredibly grateful that my house and my family are both still intact.

The whole ordeal only lasted about 30 minutes, and my heart is still racing!!

I went to a Stamp Club meeting tonight, and I was the first to finish all my projects... I am still feeling such an adrenaline rush.

Ant Heaven

A couple of weeks ago, I saw an ant on the kitchen counter and I squished it. No big deal to me because I do that occasionally...

Jenna (who's 2 1/2) asked where the ant went, and I told her I sent it to "Ant Heaven." She was fine with that answer.

I've been babysitting a little boy who's 3 1/2, and he piped up with, "Jenna, do you know where Ant Heaven is? It's way, way, way, far away from here. It's in California."

I had no idea that Ant Heaven was in California. I think I learned something new that day... ;)

Funny about underwear

My hubby left out on the truck last night... He must have left right after I went to sleep because I didn't know he was gone til I woke up this morning! I had told him he needed to get his stuff out of the dryer before he left, but he forgot... so I woke up to a dryer full of his underwear and socks! Oops!!

I called him this morning to make sure he knew he didn' t have it packed, and let him know he may need to stop by a store to pick up a package... But thankfully he has enough in the truck to get him by since he will be back for Thanksgiving! I had really thought I had over-bought, but I guess when you spend most of your life in a big truck, too much underwear can be a good thing. LOL!

Well... I decided that I'll be better able to weed out anything with holes in it if it's here at home anyhow... He will wear it until it's falling apart, so I'm sure some of it needs replaced!

Then, this morning I discovered a hole in my underwear I was wearing. By the time I discovered it, I had stuck my thumb in it and ripped off half the waistband. LOL! I was so glad I was at home when it happened!

I think we're both getting underwear in our Christmas stockings this year.

And by the way... you'll be happy to know that I decided to buy myself a couple of new pairs of undies tonight while I was at Wal-Mart! ;-)