Brookie had her first "real" sickness this past week. She had a high fever and her white blood cell counts were 19 when they should have been between 4 and 12. Thank the Lord for doctors who know what they are doing, and for him and his grace! I was pretty scared sitting in the Dr.'s office, because there was a possibility that she could have RSV. I was scared about that and I couldn't talk to Nate because he didn't have reception where he was. As I was waiting for the blood results, she was just sitting in my lap, head on my chest, sucking her thumb and I felt really helpless. I started rocking her and humming every song I could think of. Eventually I sang, "when my heart is overwhelmed, lead me to the Rock that is higher than I, that is higher than I." I sang it over and over and had a lot of peace knowing that the Lord was in control of everything! I texted my Mom and told her I was scared and asked her to pray. I guess a million things run through your mind at a time like that!

"Well, no RSV," the Dr. said when she came back in the room. I was so relieved!

She has some sort of bacterial infection so has been on her first dose of "bubblegum medicine", aka amoxicillan. (That's what we called it when we were little :)

Her fever is gone and she is acting so much better. Thank the Lord for antibiotics that work almost immediately!

You can tell in this picture that she still has droopy eyes and a runny nose but she is in good spirits! :) I took her for a long walk yesterday. She loves sitting in her stroller and looking around while I do all the work!

Shrimp Scampi

Shrimp Scampi

• Melt 1/3 cup of smart balance light (or butter) in a small saucepan.
• Add 3 large or 6 small cloves of garlic. Let saute' until cooked.
• Add appx. 10 pieces of shrimp.
• Add parsley, basil, oregano, garlic powder and onion powder to taste.
• Pour in 1/2 cup of water and 1 chicken bullion cube. Bring to a boil so bullion cube dissolve.
• Toss immediately with 1/2 pound of cooked multi grain pasta. (I used angel hair)

For added nutrition, cook 1/2 cup fresh spinach just until wilted and add in. It doesn't taste like much but gives a nice texture and color!

If you don't have shrimp, you can make it with chicken or sausage or no meat at all.

I made this for supper tonight and as it was a huge hit with myself :) and my hubby I thought I would share it with you! Sorry that I don't have exact measurements--I didn't use a recipe, so this is what I did. The most important thing for the flavor is using all of the garlic, which makes it scrumptious, and plenty of chicken broth so that it is not dry.

PS I couldn't take a good picture of mine so this one is someone else's, and it looked the same, except mine didn't have lemons! :)

Pastor T. Update

Pastor Thompson has incredibly improved. He has more energy than he has in years, he says, and is pacing the halls of the hospital trying to get rid the energy! Right now the hospital will not release him until he has a portable dialysis machine, so that is a huge issue of prayer. He needs a certain kind and they are very expensive. He will need someone to sponsor him and buy it for him. He was hoping to be able to finance it but it sounds like he won't be able to do that.
He is not nearly fully recovered and unless there is a miracle, he never will be. He will have to be on dialysis for the rest of his life. His kidneys are totally shut down right now.
Thank you all so much for your prayers, and please continue praying. At this point he weighs 124 pounds and has lost all his muscle mass so it will be a long road for him to be able to gain weight and build muscle again.
Again, thanks so much for your prayers! They work!

My little Easter Egg

Pretty Flowers! Are they edible? They look healthy!
Oooohh Mom! Look! There is a disgusting, mangy, ugly, filthy black cat walking by and rubbing itself all over you!! Can I touch it?

Um...yeah.

Mom. You are the only one who wants to see hundreds of pictures of me. Not everyone in the world does, OK? I mean, do you think you are the first person in the world to ever have a cute kid?

HAPPY EASTER! WE LOVE YOU ALL VERY MUCH!!

Hug your husband Everyday!

"It makes for a happy and healthy heart. Whenever your wrap your arms around him, you both release more oxytocin, a hormone that triggers a sense of caring and also protects against heart disease."

But hey...we don't need any more excuses, right?

Prayer for our Pastor

I just wanted to write really quick and ask you guys to PLEASE pray for our Pastor. He has been in NM (Los Cruses) for a few months now at a hospital trying to get answers or recover. He has a doctor there that is working with him.
The only way that he will get well is to get a kidney and liver transplant, something he is not sure that he wants to do. He is on dialysis again and that is the only way that he can survive at this point.
Nate and a couple of his buddies are going up there this weekend to spend some time with him. It's Easter and I will be sad to be at home without him but I know that this is really important. The Lord could take him home at any time.
Please pray for a miracle of God to heal him, and if not, that he would give Mrs. Thompson, My father-in-law and the church wisdom and peace in dealing with a Pastor of a large church dying. I really hate to think of that happening, but it may be the Lord's will and we will all need grace to accept that.
Pastor is very organized in what he may be leaving behind. He is making it so that everyone will know what to do and he will pick a new Pastor before he dies so that those left in authority will not have to make that decision. He is also helping Mrs. Thompson to know what to do, which I think is very smart.
Please pray fervently for him, and as always, Caleb and Joshua. Nothing has changed with their situation, but it would be such a huge miracle and blessing if they could see their dad before he dies.
Thank you guys so much!

Emergency Fund & More

I have an emergency fund. I've had it for several months now--maybe since the baby was born. Well, I guess it's not exactly a real emergency fund, but just for the time that I need a couple bucks. Of course, the problem is I hardly ever have a couple extra bucks to thrown in it.

Up until a couple weeks ago it had $8.00 in it.

That's it. Almost a year's worth of extras. Eight dollars. What in the world? I told Nate that when we went out to lunch one day that I could pay for it out of my emergency fund. I said I had collected quite a sum in there, told him how much and he just burst into laughter. I laughed right along with him. Laughing with the love of my life is one of my favorite things to do and makes me feel so good!

Sometimes I wonder what it would be like to have a lot of money. Just to be able to spend money whenever and not worry about finding stuff on clearance. To live in a really nice house and drive a nice car......

Well, dream on. Anyway, that is not the way it is and I don't know if I would want our lives to be any other way. I've heard that extremely rich people are not happy and feel like they never have enough. I am so happy--my life couldn't be better. So, since we do have to watch our spending I try to do what I can to save as a dollar here and a dollar there.

We get the Sunday paper specifically for the coupons. I use the manufacturer's coupons along with store coupons when I can. That's a great way to double coupons and save even more.
With a lot of coupons you have to buy 2 of that item to get the savings. I have found that you can buy one and still use the coupon.
I buy a lot of generic brands and try to buy what's on sale.
I make baby food with frozen vegetables, big jars of natural apple sauce and the boxes of rice cereal. For a little while I was spending over $15 a week on baby food and decided that I couldn't do that anymore. I called my Mom and she told me that's what I should do. She said I could also buy bunches of bananas and mash them up with a fork, which I did. I am saving A LOT of money a week doing that.
The other day I added a 20 dollar bill to my "fund". Now I'm trying to save up for a nice anniversary trip for us in a couple years. At this rate, I don't think that it will be a very nice vacation :) but I'll keep trying to save! :)

Pita Chips and Hummus

Eating healthy isn't just to lose weight, it's a lifestyle for me. I'm constantly searching for new recipe's and creative ways to eat delicious food that is healthy. Hummus is a great snack that I started on when I was pregnant. It's basically mashed up chick peas--which, I hate plain but I love them mashed. You can make it and it's much cheaper. So far I have bought it when it's on sale. I like the spicy 3 pepper and the roasted red pepper flavors.
I was in my 9th month and my friend gave me some to try for the first time. Since then I've really liked it to eat with veggies or on pita's and today I made pita chips to eat with it for lunch.

Here's what I did:
Cut a pita pocket (whole wheat) open and into wedges
Spread with olive oil (just a small amount so that the spices will stick)
Sprinkle with salt, onion powder and garlic powder and broil for 2-3 minutes until nicely toasted.
Turn over and stick back in for a minute or so to toast the other side.
Dip in hummus and enjoy! I had a spinach salad on the side with it and it was a delicious lunch!

You can always experiment with different seasonings like Italian, basil or something Cajun. You might want a little more exciting chip if you have a garlic hummus.

Bon Appetite!

Celebration Time!

On Friday I went to the gym for my re-assessment. Basically, one month ago they measured me, took my BMI (body mass index) and weighed me. I changed my work out program and added weights and longer cardio. I have been working really hard, and it payed off because when I stepped on the scale, I saw a number that I have not seen for about 15 months--the weight I was before I got pregnant!! I was really happy, and also happy to hear that I had lost about 12 inches combined from all the different areas--arms, legs, waist, hips, etc. I was so happy! And no, I'm not telling you the number that I saw on the scale but it did make me happy. :) I think another month of doing what I have been and I will be where I would like to. After that I'll just keep working to maintain a healthy weight.

Anyway, Nate said that when I got back down he would get me a pedicure! I have never had one before, so it was a real treat and I loved every second of it! I went with Jessica and we got our pedi's, did a little shopping and then ate a really yummy lunch. It was so much fun. Jess is almost 3 months pregnant so when she's farther along we want to go together again! :) I'll take all I can get!

Putting the Lord First

Nate and I have been learning a lot about putting the Lord first. It's so easy to get distracted with each other, our baby, our crazy schedule and, yes, even ministries at church!
Deborah Wells wrote a song called "Desire the Fire" that says, "I'm filled with your work but not with your WORD." I think that sums up how Nate and I have felt about our lives lately and we are trying to get our priorities straight again. It's just sad and disheartening to me that I have been a Christian my whole life and yet I am not nearly as close to the Lord as I could be or should be. I guess that no one ever feels like they have arrived, but you always know when you could be doing more with the Lord in your relationship with him.
I hope that all of us will always put the Lord first and make him the center focus of our lives. After all, he is the reason that we are living in the first place!