Simply Blessed » blessings

Simply Blessed Sundays

Michelle — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 02:06:29 +0000

Making the decision to have a child is momentous.

It is to decide forever

to have your heart go walking around outside your body.

-Elizabeth Stone

Boy what a week it’s been around our house. The range of emotions I’ve been going through this week have been severe. From anger, to frustration, to sadness, to depression… I’ve dealt with it all.

The drama that came from Megan’s choice to get a tattoo illegally has just about pushed me over the edge of insanity. It’s not the fact that she got the tattoo, it’s all the worry that comes from the fact that she received it from someone who didn’t work at a tattoo parlor that legally had to sanitize their equipment. Just the fact that the “artist” who tattooed her didn’t check her ID and make sure she was legally able to get a tattoo makes me wonder what else he let lapse.

I’m mostly hurt that Megan would go behind my back and do it. Two weeks before she could have legally and safely done so. I’m also worried that if she makes such quick, impulsive decisions that aren’t well pondered and have no thought of the consequences that come from them… what other kind of trouble is she going to be getting into? I’ve put a lot of time and effort into trying to be a great Mom to her and her siblings. It’s very scary for me to be at the end of the road as far as raising her, and have to rely on her to make good choices out of the values I hope I’ve instilled in her over the past 18 years.

I suppose part of me still thinks of her as my “baby”. She was, after all, the very first one I had. I can still remember the day I found out I was pregnant with her. I was her age as a matter of fact. I remember hearing her cries for the first time and learning all the Mommy ropes with her. It’s so very hard for me to believe it has been 18 years.

And now, here we are at a crossroad. The point where she will be able to decide her fate and as much as I try to control it, I ultimately will have no control. Did I mention that I tend to be a control freak?

I guess it’s kind of like teaching them to ride a bike. You tell them how to do it, and walk beside them for a while but there comes a time when you have to let go and pray they remember what you taught them. They may fall and skin their knees and elbows- but they will eventually learn to ride that bike without falling.

So this Sunday evening, I’m counting my blessings. Even if they aren’t what I wish they were. I wish she hadn’t gotten that tattoo the way she did… but I’m glad she is my daughter none the less. I wish that one week from today she wasn’t turning 18- I’m not ready for her to be a grown up and go to college. But in the end, I feel so very blessed to have her in my life. Bird tattoo, bad decisions, lopsided hairdo and all. :)

Simply Blessed Sundays!

Michelle — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 02:20:31 +0000

Every Sunday I’m committing my blog to be “Simply Blessed Sunday”! That means I will be posting about the blessings that God has bestowed upon me and my family. I’d love for you to do the same as we all need a reminder from time to time of just how blessed we really are. If you’d like to join me in doing this, just copy the code under my Simply Blessed Sundays button and place it in the widget section on your blog, and then post your blessings every Sunday as well!

My blessings in pictures! We had a great Halloween weekend :) We spent Friday night carving a pumpkin…

and of course on Saturday night we went trick or treating (in the rain!).

The little kids had a great time and the teenagers all went their separate ways. Megan was at a friends house watching scary movies, Dakota was on a date with his girlfriend, and Madison went to her Dad’s house to go trick or treating with her step sister who is closer to her age than Devin and Makenzie.

We took the little kids over to Papa and Nana’s (David’s parents) house to trick or treat. They really enjoyed getting to see them all dressed up :)

Nana letting them get first dibs!

Kenzie and her Papa :)

Then we went to Ricky and Nancy’s house (David’s cousins). Their kids are grown so they had a great time playing with Devin and Makenzie. I’m sure they had to have been worn out by the time we left though! Makenzie and Nancy share a birthday- they were both born on Dec. 20th! They also share a love of books… can you tell?

So as I sit here hoping the kids come off their sugar high soon from all the Halloween candy they have digested today, I’m feeling very blessed to have such great kids and family to share memories like these with. They truly are priceless!

Simply Blessed Sundays!

Michelle — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 03:12:40 +0000

Well my title today should have ended with a question mark because I’m not feeling very blessed today. I’m late posting this because I’m having a hard time finding a blessing in today. I’ve been in a grumpy mood all day and have honestly acted a bit like a spoiled brat. This is why…

David works six days a week so I can stay at home with the kids. I am very appreciative of that, BUT him working six nights a week sucks. He goes to work at 9 pm at night and comes home at 7 am the next morning. Then he sleeps till 2 pm. I have A LOT of time alone with the kids, and A LOT of time sleeping alone. So… when the weekends come and it’s Saturday night/Sunday (day) we usually spend time together as a family.

Except today.

David decided he was going to go hunting with his Dad today.

At 10 pm last night.

After I had made plans for us to take the little kids to the pumpkin farm. The one bright, sunny, warm, fall day we’ve had… and he decides to go hunting.

Now to be completely honest, David hasn’t been hunting all that much since we’ve been married. I shouldn’t be pissy about it, but I am. I can’t help feeling like he ditched me to go do something I can’t be a part of. And he took Devin. Which I should be thankful for, but I’m not.

So what did I do all day? Instead of spending family day at the pumpkin farm, I cleaned. ALL. FREAKING. DAY. My house is so clean you could literally eat your dinner off my toilet seat. I took my frustration out from feeling ditched on my house. Now granted it was a good way to vent my frustration… but it didn’t stop there.

The minute Dave came in from hunting I gave him a hard time. Until he left for work tonight. He says he is never going hunting again. I should be jumping for joy, but I’m not. That is NOT what I want. I have no problem with him going hunting, I just wish he’d have given me a bit better notice so I could have had plans too. And so I wouldn’t have felt so jilted out of a day at the pumpkin farm with the family.

He will never understand. He thinks I’m high maintenance and bitchy.

He has no idea. I know I am.

So I guess my blessing in today is that I get to start a new day tomorrow. And hopefully like Gods mercies upon me, Dave will also decide to give me another chance.

Simply Blessed Sundays!

Michelle — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 15:43:45 +0000

A new life added to a family is always a blessing. My friend Erin just had her third baby on Friday. Finally a girl after two very cute and handsome boys…

photo courtesy of Erin's sister Casey

Of course, that in and of itself is a miracle and a blessing! But what is really the blessing about Ansley’s birth is that she and her Mommy are OK. Erin had placenta previa so they delivered Ansley at a little over 36 weeks after an amnio suggested her lungs were mature. When they were in the middle of the c-section, they found out Erin also had placenta percreta. This is where the placenta grows THROUGH the uterine wall into the muscle. It can also grow and attach itself to other organs such as the bladder, but by the grace of God that wasn’t the case for Erin. Her c-section took about 3 hours from start to finish and at the end of it she had lost over 2 liters of blood, requiring a blood transfusion… and also ended up losing her uterus. A partial hysterectomy was necessary to stop her bleeding. Thankfully she was able to keep her ovaries so she won’t need hormone meds for the rest of her life.

Erin is doing well now and so is Ansley. Ansley weighed in at a teeny tiny 5 lbs 9 oz (but that’s not too shabby for almost a month early!). Here is another pic (thanks Casey!)…

Congrats to Eddie, Erin, Evan and Ashton on the birth of their little girl Ansley :) She is beautiful!!!

Simply Blessed Sundays!

Michelle — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 14:13:36 +0000

So you know as much as I do that blessings can be the huge things in life, but they can also be the little minute details of daily life that make life fun to live. Well, today I’m bringing attention to one of those minute little details.

I’m a coffee lover. Actually, I’m a coffee FREAK. I love it. I have to have it every morning without fail or I’m not awake. So I’m sure you can imagine that going to Starbucks for me is like taking a trip to Heaven. And this time of the year, it’s dangerous. Starbuck’s coffee is close to $5 for a Venti non fat no whip Pumpkin Spice latte- which just happens to be my seasonal FAVE. I’ve been trying for years to duplicate their recipe so I could save some money since I really don’t have $5 to spend on coffee ALL the time like I would love to. I’d like to announce that FINALLY I’ve come pretty darn close. And I’m willing to share for all those Pumpkin Spice latte FREAKS out there who can’t continue to fork out that $5 a trip for that heavenly drink ;)

Michelle’s Pumpkin Spice Latte

1 cup very strong coffee
2/3 cup Evaporated Fat Free Milk (I suppose the reg. kind would be even more rich, but you know me… always watching the fat and calories!)
1/4 cup Pumpkin puree from the can
1 to 2 teaspoons granulated sugar (I used 3 packets of splenda to watch calories)
1/8 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

Put all ingredients in a glass measuring cup (2 cup size) and microwave for 2-2.5 minutes. Then pour into a large coffee cup and enjoy! You can also top with whip cream if you don’t care about the calories (or just use fat free whip cream!) and sprinkle some cinnamon or nutmeg on top. It’s not Starbucks, but it’s pretty darn close if I must say so myself! MMMMMMMMmmmmmmmmmmm!