moppy days.

"poppy" (matt's dad) travels a lot for work,

so it's usually during these times that we get to catch a little extra special "moppy time"...

one of the favorite things to do with moppy right now,

is to get their nails done...

last week campbell and kaycee were so excited

because calli got to have her first pedicure by moppy,

at 16 months old.

all were THRILLED. :)

thanks moppy

for taking time out to do this with your granddaughters.

they love it.

(kaycee wanted to make sure we got a picture of calli's toes to put on the blog...oh dear.)

(and thanks to mam-maw for the nailpolish...off the free pile). :)

hive update II.

today...is the first day i woke up without hives... yea! they had graced my presence for a week. on no benedryl as we speak, and they haven't returned yet, so i am hoping i have seen the end. i continue to be on prednisone for another week, but am weaning down already, so looking forward to sunny days ahead. thanks for praying for me!

hive update.

ugh. so. the hives, are not much hives anymore, more like a weird
rash. i am taking prednisone, and living on benedryl every 4 hours.
the rash is gone as long as there is benedryl in my body. as soon as
the benedryl runs out, i feel a itchy, burny feeling, and the red rash starts
popping out again. it is so frustrating. all day my face has been rash
free, and now, just like that, they are on my face again along with my upper body.
this morning, my legs were by far the worst, now there is none on my legs.
it just travels around. i soak in oatmeal baths overnight and sip on chamomile tea
to help me not to freak out with this. ugh. if anyone has anything to help me, please.
speak. to. me. i hope this is not going to be my "new normal" for the rest of
my days...ugh. mis.

hives.

help!

i have hives...

i am miserable...

trying not to overdose on benedryl...

any suggestions?

ew. and now i don't even look like myself...

i am swollen and yuck...they are everywhere...

did i say i was miserable?

update: sat. i got some prednisone from my doctor

i can't tell if it's helping or not...ugh.

lent devotional.

so, this may be boring for some of you...but it intrigued me...challenged me...drop me a line if you feel like it...i would love to know who checks out my blog! :) so...straight from my "lent devotional":

Sustainment:

to take the holy scriptures and read them is the first thing we have to do to open ourselves to God's call. Reading the scriptures is not as easy as it seems...we tend to make anything and everything we read subject to analysis and discussion. but the word of God should lead us first of all to contemplation and meditation. instead of taking the words apart, we should bring them together in our innermost being; instead of wondering if we agree or disagree, we should wonder which words are directly spoken to us and connect directly with our personal story. instead of thinking about the words as potential subjects for an interesting dialogue..., we should be willing to let them penetrate into the most hidden corners of our hearts, even to those places where no other word has yet found entrance.
-Henri J.M.Nouwen

(There is the verses for today as well, but I won't type them here: John 5:19-24.)

Prayer:

Steadfast God, grant me the openness to read and accept the words of your holy scriptures as truth for my inner being, as a springboard for meditation, as urgent messages directed to the hidden places of my heart. also grant me the willingness to listen and connect with your teachings. keep me from stumbling over THeIR SImPLiCItY. (this struck me funny, as we talked at small group last night about compassion...and we still didn't come to any real "answers" we all agreed on. hmmm.) :)

Lenten Action:

Choose a passage from scripture that is significant to you and memorize it.

snow-time fun.

so...we hosted my family for a sledding party, and dinner, on Sat. afternoon and evening. Here are a few shots of our fun. matt did a great job...he had to plow back to the fuel tanks for the chicken houses, and then just continued a bit, into a great sledding run and jumps for the kids...well...and him too. :) this is my brother, Mark, driving some kids back to the house...Campbell, and Kaycee, and then Marks 2 middle children, Sarah and Silas...

Matt still had time to "take calls" on his new "blackberry"... who had more fun? hmmmm...
Sarah, Silas, Mark, and Noah-Matt and Naomi's middle child...

Kaden, Zion (Matt and Naomi's youngest) and Moses, (Mark and Heather's oldest).

Missed you Meg and Chris, Jaiden and Reese...hope you are catching some sun for us in Florida. :)

oh, and p.s. HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY...

Hopefully you are as in love with your life, as I with mine...on most days I mean. :)

Blizzard of 2010.

BLIZZARD OF 2010.

It has a nice ring to it...doesn't it?

you can kind of gauge how high the snow is, by the fence posts...

guess we won't be swinging today... or tomorrow...

or swimming in the hot tub...

we're living on love...lots of it...and some squabbles too...

school tomorrow? nahhh. doubt it. :)

currently we are waiting on our 50,000 peeps to show up. they left

to come here around 9 am, and last heard are expected to be

here around 12pm. yeah! we even have some help...so it won't just

be matt and I...Thank you Jesus!

i don't think farmers make enough money...

really...i don't.
the snow drifts are as high as the big doors in FRONT of our chicken houses...that's maybe a few feet from the roof. are you kidding me? poor matt. we are supposed to get 50,000 peeps TOMORROW. which means Highland Rd. has to be opened, our driveway needs to be opened and this 25 feet of snow we have here now in Chester county has to stop blowing around...ughh.

so cheers to poppy and uncle mark...aren't you glad it's not your problem anymore. :) hope you guys are staying warm, selling lots of agri-king, to make all these farmers some more money...and yes, matt is thankful for that 4 wheel drive tractor...

hope to get the kids in bed by 9pm and head out to the chicken houses by 10 pm, to have some quality bonding time with my honey, getting these houses ready for the peeps. doesn't that sound romantic? :)

healing.

For anyone who is reading this post, anytime today, i ask that you pray for Jeanette. This is my sister in law's (Naomi, or Norene to some you) mom. She is going thru chemo right now, as I type, and is not feeling well. The last time she had chemo, she felt very ill, and it took a really long time to complete the dose. So...in just getting a text from Naomi, she is not feeling well again, and I am asking everyone to pray for her. For a calming spirit from the Lord, for peace and comfort, for the "sick" feeling to go away, and that it wouldn't take so long this time...and that ultimately this medicine would be used to heal her body completely of the lung cancer that is ravenging her body.

By faith in the name of Jesus, this man whom you see and know was made strong. It is in Jesus' name and the faith that comes through him that has given this complete healing to him...
Acts 3:16.

the past few days.

so. i hate the snow. i mean, i guess it's pretty and stuff, but deep down inside, i really just don't like it. that's all. so...this picture...really is a big deal. i went out and helped build forts in the snow, and even went sledding. ye ha. a self shot, not real impressive, but I had to include it to prove that i was out there. poor matt's been digging this place out and the neighborhood, and had the opportunity to help plow walmart for a mere 10 hours on sat. morning...starting at 2:30 am...so he was in resting...not to mention we get some 25,000 cute little peepies on Tues. morning, and then 50,000 on Thur. morning...any one want to come help set up tomorrow? :)

so campbell and calli were napping when i partook in the snow fun...but i am trying to foster independence in my 16 month old. for those of you who forget what this stage looked like, and maybe felt like, here's something to spark your memory. i guess the fork and spoon just took too long. try again next time. :) (it was spagetti and then some strawberry yogurt).

and we did love that snow ice cream...

Superbowl Ad.

Dear Friend,

By now you've likely heard about what's been called the most controversial ad to appear in the Super Bowl in many years--a Focus on the Family® spot featuring Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Tim Tebow and his mother, sharing a message of "celebrate family, celebrate life."

For the past two weeks, major television networks, news outlets and even Saturday Night Live have jumped into the dialogue. We've been accused by a few organizations of being anti-woman, intolerant, divisive, and spewing hate. But what's most amazing about these charges is that they're based entirely on conjecture--none of our critics has yet seen the ad! (Beginning on Sunday, after the game, you can access the ad on FocusOnTheFamily.com.)

In responding to these charges, Focus President Jim Daly has had the chance to share the true message of this ad in interview after national interview--and the sheer volume of coverage for our message of celebrating family and life has been worth far more than the cost of the ad itself.

Besides that, the media, in covering the controversy, has conveyed many more details about the difficulties surrounding Tim's birth than we've been able to put in one 30-second ad. From the beginning, our goal has been to stimulate a discussion about the beauty of life and a mother's determination to bear that life. Wow, is that conversation ever happening.

This week's Focus Action Update™ online video discusses the Focus on the Family Super Bowl ad. We'll tell you what inspired the ad--and how God miraculously provided the resources to produce and air it. Go here for our special report on the Super Bowl ad.

A "win-win" already!
The Super Bowl is the single biggest TV attraction of the year. What better way to reach what many estimate could be 100 million people with a life and family-affirming message? People seeking help with their marriages or children will see a message of hope during one of the biggest family gatherings of the year.

Please join us in prayer this Sunday during the Super Bowl that those people who need help with their families will contact Focus via our toll-free phone number, (800) A-FAMILY (232-6459) or visit FocusOnTheFamily.com. I also hope you'll forward this message on to your friends so that they'll know to watch for the ad and know why we aired it.

snow fun.

So...do you let your kids eat snow?

Hmmm.

Absolutely! you know...when you live on a farm, you just have to let some things go... car seats, for instance, or maybe safety in general, dirt, germs...hence the reason why my kids have been sick ALL winter long....we try washing our hands a lot, it's just NEVER enough. :)

Just in case you need something fun and constructive to do TODAY... (remember to "pause" my music to listen to this kind lady tell us how to have some real kid fun.) smiles.

happy birthday KELLY...

Happy

Birthday

Kelly!

hey precious girl. i hope you have a great, great day! i hope you feel loved and supported, and realize that you are prayed for everyday. i am proud of you for waking up each day, getting out of bed, and putting one foot in front of the other...that is what life is about right now...

This is the VERY day GOD acted-let's CELEBRATE and be FESTIVE! Psalm 118:24 (the message)

p.s. hope you weren't late for school today. :)

more from Carol Kent.

(another excerp from A New Kind of Normal, by Carol Kent)

~The Cost and the Caution~

...The "wounds" of being vulnerable mean some people will turn their backs on us, judge us, and criticize us in front of others. The cost can be high. However, the "healing" of being vulnerable means we no longer live in fear of having our secrets revealed. I am not advocating starting every conversation with our worst struggles. There are times and places when God leads us to speak up, but we need to be aware of when it is appropriate and whom it will impact. In the process of responding to the divine nudge of His voice, we discover amazing freedom and contagious joy. Our openness, when fitting, makes us a magnet for the people around us who are longing for just one person in their lives to be "real", to listen to their story without raising an eyebrow, to let them weep without providing advice. I know because I am walking this road. And it's worth the risk...

wow...right? mis.

fun in the snow.

fun in the snow...thanks for taking

time out of your day to play in the snow poppy.

it saved me a trip out. :)

country girls go CITY...part 2

i don't know if you want to call it mommy's day out, or certainly mommy's day off might fit the bill, but a bunch of us girls headed to NYC for the day, yesterday. megan was so gracious...apparently she was so excited she got up at 4 am because she couldn't sleep, and made us all egg sandwiches and cinnamon rolls...so at 6:30 am we loaded up the mini, with food and coffee in hand, and headed to "the big apple". (we actually drove to Jersey, and took the path train into the city)...what an experience. the people hopping on and off trains...i sat there taking it all in, noticing children, and i had to step out of my own sheltered little world...where i worry about what kaden sees on the bus at my house, and had to start praying for the littles that live THIS life EVERYDAY while their mommies and daddies are working...i almost cried...but i pulled it together...


we hopped off the trian right at ground zero. i had never been here since 9/11 and what an experience. eyes filling up with tears, as a man obviously noted that i was a tourist, showed me a book of pictures...i love pictures...cameras capture a lot...except in this instance...they didn't touch it. it was so crazy, so surreal to be there, and still see this huge hole in the ground, in the middle of the city...it took the breath right out of me...


this is the church across the street from where the twins used to stand. we were able to walk in and check out the memorials they have set up around the perimeter of their sancuary, while their sunday morning service was happening...this church was closed for a year following the travesty set up with memorials, etc. the fence around this church was covered with memorials and pictures of people who died in this monstrosity...

when i read that the twin towers were 110 stories high, i thought i knew how high that would be. i had no idea how high that was...shivers...way taller than any of the buildings in these pictures...much, much taller...towering over the city...

we then headed over to see the statue of liberty...

we tried to ignore the cold, freezing day...thankful for no snow or rain...but it really was freezing. some of us were a little more discreet than others. :) we then went to chinatown...how neat...but that's a whole nother story...we found a place that had a wee little bit of english on the sign, and prayed we would not choke on what we found on our plates. i must have been so nervous, i forgot to take pictures over lunch. we then booked it across the city...me in my heely, but warm, boots, and 32 wk pregnant rhonda...who was SUCH a trooper...to catch the highlight of my trip...lion king on broadway...catch a glimpse on my previous post...

some pictures of the nightlife after our fabulous dinner at Olive Garden overlooking the busy streets...

kim was pretty tickled with her "purse" purchase...

these pictures are out of order, but i have spent all morning working on this post, and it's time to be done...


there is some very rough videos below...i loved the man FREEZING his hiney off playing some music on the street, just to make a buck...it was a beautiful sound...and the other...well...just some city people...there really is something special about the city...after i ignore the honking horns, squealing sirens, and gross billboards...there is something fun about the hustle and bustle. i can certainly understand the way tourists gawk around here...the quaintness of it all...the way i was gawking up there. :)