Niagara Falls....oh how I love thee...

Let me count the ways.

I love thee for the showers you brought upon my face,

for the power and awesomeness I felt when I was near you,

For the grace and majesty you showed. Grace and majesty that proves you were made by an awesome creator...the same Creator that made me, this "beautiful disaster".

Thank you for the memories Beautiful Niagara Falls. Thank for the smiles and giggles you brought to my children's faces, the sense of awe you brought to my in-laws, and the reminder of God's unfailing love and Awesome power. I will treasure my memories of you FOREVER!!!

Until we meet again.

Ten Years Ago....

I married my very very best friend!!!

It was truly the best decision, next to accepting Jesus as my Lord and Saviour, that I have ever made. It has been a hard 10 years. We have had our ups and downs as we struggled to adapt to children, new cities, new states, new jobs, etc. We always put the extra effort in to make our marriage better, stronger, and most important in our lives.

Greg,

Thank you for sticking out everything with me. I wouldn't want to do this without you. You are my better half, my very best friend, my confidant, my perfect partner. I am so glad you are the father of our children. I couldn't ask for anyone better. God blessed me beyond belief and I am forever grateful.

I love you. Happy Anniversary! Here's to the next 50 or so.

Praying for baby Luke

I am asking you all to pray for baby Luke and his family. My husband has known Rachel (Luke's mom) since she was ten years old.

Please visit her blog here and send her your love and prayers.

Thank you all so much.

Brandy :)

A whole lotta catchin' up to do...

Thanks so much to those of you checking in on me. Things have been truly crazy. As I sit here writing this the dryer is buzzing but I am fighting off the urge to save my clothes from wrinkles in order to actually finish a post.

The last several days I have laid awake in bed writing various posts...in my head. What is wrong with me. I had some really good ones but because I never wrote them down, they will probably never be.

Instead, I am going to play a little catch up on some posts that need to be updated a bit and tell you a little bit about what has been going on in this busy life of mine.

First of all, remember this post. I dropped the ball and forgot to follow through. That'll show me.

Here is what that mysterious picture really is.

Introducing.....my attempt at being more of a girly girl. If you have read some of my previous posts, you know this is something I am working on. I NEVER carry a purse. Having two children, I needed something. My dear friend Rhonda and I get together on Monday nights and this is something we came up with. The pattern is loosely based on a pattern we found but there were a lot of things we did not like about it so we adapted.

What do you think?

I am not a big Eiffel Tower person, but, this fabric I LOVE!!!!

I love black but I wanted a little bit of "happiness" inside so I went with a beautiful pink for the inside. It doesn't show well in the picture but there is some green in the pink fabric so I went with green pockets for a little more "happiness". No one will really ever see it but me.

I love all my pockets. Different sizes and depths. Skinny pockets on the sides for pens but I sewed them shorter so nothing falls in deep that my fingers can't reach.

We also cut a piece of plexi glass for the bottom and made a sleeve for it so that the bottom looks better. I can pull the plexi glass right out of the sleeve and throw the whole thing in the washer.

Cool, huh?

One of my favorite things about this purse is that I happened to find a Bible that matches the inside of my purse. It is even my favorite version. This is perfect because I love having my Bible on hand but I have a heavy monster one that isn't really conducive to traveling with.

I would love to hear what you think. I am currently making one for my mom who requested patriotic colors. I love her!!!

CONGRATULATIONS TO BECKY FROM Infarrantly Creative. She had the correct guess for the contest. Go check her out and send her some love! She has fabulous crafts and tutorials. Not to mention, she is an adorable red headed stylin' mommy, with two fantastic children. She loves her husband, and more importantly, loves the Lord. Yeah!!!

I will be posting an interview with her as soon as I get the questions to her and she responds back.

Well, I need to go ahead and shut it down here for now. We have some crazy lightning going on right now and I would hate for anything to happen to my computer.

Off to fold some laundry.

Love you all,

Brandy :)

Matthew update

Just wanted to share a quick video to show Matthew's progress in speech after only two weeks. This is just a small sampling. The best thing was the morning he ran downstairs (was carried down the stairs) and then straight to the back deck yelling "Play..Play...Play!!!" That was not even a word we had worked on. I love it. Enjoy!

I will be back with more soon, including a post with pictures of all the craft projects I have been doing lately. Life has been extremely busy but, after 2 1/2 weeks, I finally have the leaks in my house fixed and am able to use my own washer and dryer. Hooray for the little things.

PLEASE PRAY!!!!!

Things have been completely chaotic at my house the last week or so. I will get back to writing very soon but until then...please lift Bentley and her parents up in your prayers. She is currently undergoing heart surgery at a tender 9 months of age. Go HERE to read her story and follow the twitter updates as the surgery progresses. Most importantly, pray!!!

Lord Jesus,
We thank you so much for sweet Bentley. The miracle you performed in her life is so evident. Lord, we ask that you guide the human hands that are working on her today. Touch each person in that operating room and give their hands undeniable calmness that can only come from you. Be with Bentley's family, especially her parents. Let them feel your arms around them and give them a sense of peace that is so strong they cannot help but KNOW You are with them. Finally, place a hedge of protection around sweet Bentley. Heal her body Lord Jesus. You are the Great Physician and we thank you for that. I ask that your will be done in this situation. Thank you for all the prayers going out for Bentley today. Bless each person that takes the time to lift this family up in prayer.

In your sweet precious name,
Amen

Not Me Monday

Oh my goodness, I am so thankful for this Not Me Monday. I have so much to get off my chest of things that happened this week, that is, if they actually did happen. I mean, seriously, if these things actually happened, I so would not be telling anyone about them.

If you would like to join this crazy carnival, head over to MckMama's site. It is really great therapy...trust me.

So, this week started out as any other...yeah right!

I did not wind up taking my beautiful 2 year old son to the emergency room, the pediatrician, and the surgeon in a span of 3 days so they could all see that he ripped the stitches in his scrotum. He does not have a gaping hole there. We did not spend $130 in co-pays for each doctor to tell us, "YIKES! That's not good!" (Gee, ya think?) We do not have to continue to deal with this gaping hole as it heals on its own.
We are not 100% THANKFUL TO OUR HEAVENLY FATHER that our beloved son does not have to go back into surgery. Ahhhhhhhh!

On a much lighter note....I did not go to change out the laundry (put the washed clothes into the dryer) only to smell a strong urine odor. I did not discover at the bottom pile of clothes a used dirty diaper that had been washed along with our "clean" clothes. I did not spend a good 15 minutes cleaning out said washing machine because the diaper had completely fallen apart in the washer. There was not diaper particles ALL OVER my "clean" clothes. I did not have to rewash everything again. I AM NOT happy that there was only urine in that diaper. Sheeesh!

I did not fall up the stairs holding my beloved two year old and injure my back, shoulder and elbow. My middle name has not become Grace. I do not have a serious issue falling UP the stairs.

I know there is so much more that I could share, but I am feeling exhausted by all of this honesty (you know, telling you about the things that really did not happen). I think I need to go take a nap.

Oh, one more thing, I did not sleep in until 10:15 this morning on accident. My children were not still sleeping. I did not completely panic because I have so much to do today, including getting my 6 year old on the bus. I am not writing this post instead of doing the things I need to do in hopes of getting somewhere in the top 200 of MckMama's list this time so I have new readers leave me comments. I absolutely do not heart comments from my readers.


Love you all,
Have a blessed day!!!
JESUS CHRIST IS LORD OF ALL!

Macey, this one's for you!

Everyone else, don't forget to enter my contest here.

Wanna see my latest project????

Any ideas what this might be? Leave me a comment with a guess. If you get it right, I will feature your blog on my page and do a mini interview with you. But, you have to leave me a comment with your guess. And, if you do not already follow my blog, click on the link and become a follower.

This is the first "contest" I have done but if I get a lot of response, I will continue. I have some fun stuff to give away, so, "Let the games begin!"

Not Me Monday....IT'S BAAAACKKK!!!!!

I am so very thrilled that everything is back to a sense of "normal" in MckMama's household. In celebration she has restarted "Not Me! Monday". I am so excited...and you should be too.


This is the time where you get to share all the things you "did not do" over the week. It is great therapy and helps remind us that we are all in this "life thing" together.


Enjoy today's post and make sure you check out all the other wonderful Not Me! posts over at MckMama's site.


And....off we go!


This week I most certainly did not allow my darling children to eat red jello in my living room for dessert. One of my children, who shall remain nameless....okay, really it was me (shhhh! don't tell) did not spill red jello on the light beige carpet. It is most certainly not still there several days later. I am much more neurotic than that and would never leave food, especially liquified red jello, on my living room carpet. I sure hope it comes out.



I did not laugh hysterically at my 6 year old daughter when she chose her own outfit for school last week. She absolutely did not put on her baby brothers 18 month size jeans and a 2T jean jacket. She did not look absolutely adorable. And, of course, I did not allow my darling daughter to actually wear that outfit to school. I wish I had taken a picture.



Finally, I did not take my beautiful 2 year old son to the hospital on Wednesday for three different surgeries, thankfully all at once, and then come home and blog about said surgery complete with pictures. The blog did not include the word "testicle". I would never blog about my son's "man parts" so that one day he would be completely embarrassed. Nope, not me! I did not contemplate taking pictures of the swelling, bruising, stitched up lower area to show family and friends. Who in their right mind would do that? ( I seriously did not take those pictures).

Hope you enjoyed all the stuff I did not do, because if I really did do these things, I never would have blogged about it. Let me hear the crazy things you "did not" do this week. It's really great therapy.

UPDATE:
After reading a few of the other posts, I remembered something else I did not do this past week, or so.

At our somewhat formal MOPS Tea and Testimony 2 weeks ago, I did not actually dress up like a girl. Beautiful flowing Spring dress and new 3 in heeled shoes. I was not completely miserable in those shoes and could not understand why I was in so much pain because I had worn the shoes the day before and they were fairly comfortable. I did not finally look at the bottom of my shoes while showing one of the ladies on Steering. (We just decided that the shoes looked like they didn't fit me well) I did not then discover that the shoes were on the wrong feet. Oh yeah! See the pictures so you can see what I saw. I was not completely mortified and did not laugh so hard that tears began pouring out of my eyes. I was definitely not the "comedy relief" for my MOPS table and Steering group. Nope, not me!

Can you see how these shoes just don't look like they fit me right? Hmmmmm! Should have been a clue?!?

This is a view of what I saw (re-enacted for picture purposes). Can you see how half of my foot is hanging off the side of the shoe....no support. I can not tell you how much better my feet felt after switching the shoes to the right feet. What a relief.

Surgery is over....All is well!

The day of surgery was a little different than I was expecting. I had so much peace. I really felt like God had his arms wrapped around me and was breathing peace and strength over me. He was so present. There was never a moment of fear or panic for me.

Here is Matthew in his adorable clown hospital gown. I especially loved the orange grippy socks they gave him. He is so cute. The nurse even gave him a Thomas the Train sticker which made his whole day.

Playing trains with Daddy to pass the time.

I had to get dressed up in a "bunny suit" in order to take Matthew back to the operating room. We felt it was going to be less stressful on him if I took him back and held him while they put him to sleep. I loved all the staff. They were so reasurring and helpful. I walked into the operating room and was overwhelmed with how bright and how cold it was in there. It felt like it dropped 20 degrees from the hallway to the room. Matthew didn't freak out until he saw all the people there with masks on. He couldn't see thier faces and that bothered him. It probably only took him 30 seconds for the gas stuff to work on him. Then, I left and the surgeon got busy. I felt very comfortable that Matthew was in capable earthly hands and that our Heavenly Father ultimately had him in His hands. Unfortunately Matthew had a few complications during the surgery, which I will talk about at the end of this post. He woke up immediately after surgery instead of sleeping some of it off. He cried for a good 1/2 hour (although it seemed longer). The nurse gave him some additional pain medication to calm him down as he really seemed to be in pain. She wound up doing that twice to get his pain under control. He just layed in my arms. I don't think he has ever been that still. It completely broke my heart to see him in so much pain. I was not prepared for that as we had been told by the anesthesiologist that Matthew had been given a spinal to reduce and even eliminate his pain. So the amount of pain he was in suprised me. It seemed like the spinal only affected his legs. He was not able to put weight on them until late that night and the next day he was in so much pain that he couldn't stand at all.
So, basically the surgery was successful as far as we know at this point. Time will really tell. The surgeon was confident that the lump in his eyebrow was in fact a dermoid cyst. Thankfully we got it out because it would continue to grow and eventually affect his sight. It was not attached to his skull and did not have any major blood vessels surrounding it. Yeah!!! I was actually most worried about that part of the surgery.

Matthew's hernia in the lower part of his abdomen was repaired with no problem. Routine!

The right testicle (sorry if this embarrasses anyone) was much higher than the surgeon expected...he has not seen one this high before. It was also smaller then he expected...not sure what effect, if any, this will have. It took him a little time to unkink all the blood vessels and get proper blood flow. Only time will tell if this works. The surgeon really felt that this was something that happened in utero.

He was not able to pull the testicle all the way down, but it is in the sack. It could go back up again but we are praying against this, otherwise he will most likely have to have more surgery.

This part of the surgery was much more invasive. Instead of two to three stitches, he had 12 + glue just on his scrotum. The pediatrician was quite shocked when she saw that on Friday. She could tell that they had to do some pretty invasive work. Poor baby!

It was rough the first couple of days but today Matthew is mostly back to himself. We have to really watch him because he is feeling so much better he tends to over do it and suffers the consequences later.

We feel like we are on the road to recovery and we are getting our little buddy back. Please pray for complete healing for our little guy and that everything would function the way it is supposed to. I am so thankful for Matthew's wonderful surgeon at Children's and feel so blessed to feel the presence of God in such a powerful way when I really needed it.

Up next for Matthew....Wednesday we will set up his speech and physical therapy schedule and goals. Looking forward to all the positive changes that are coming.

Also, please pray for our beautiful daughter. She failed two hearing screenings at the doctor's office. They have referred her to Children's for some more extensive tests as they believe the cause of the hearing loss is nerve damage of some kind since her ears are perfect and she has never had an infection. Matthew will be going through hearing testing as well because of his speech deficiency and because of the fact the hearing loss could definitely be genetic, thanks to me. :)

Lots of fun here at our house.

Matthew hanging out on the couch later that night. He was so out of it and was unable to use his legs. I love these froggy jammies on him. Thanks again "Aunt" Laurie.

Tomorrow is the BIG DAY!!! Please pray!

I stayed in bed this morning continuing to push the snooze button on my alarm. I think silently I was thinking if I didn't get out of bed then the next two days could be avoided. Clearly I know that is not true...but it sure sounded good.

Today started off the crazy week with Matthew's evaluation by a speech therapist, physical therapist, and developmental therapist.
It took about 3 hours to complete. I was prepared that they would say everything is all in my head...You're a bad mom....your expectations of your son are too high....you're crazy!! Thankfully that didn't happen. Thank you God!
These four wonderful professionals saw EVERYTHING I am seeing....and more! My beautiful, intelligent, sweet, funny 2 year old son needs help....and they can provide that help. Huge weight off my shoulders. I felt like I could finally breathe a little. It felt good.

Maybe you might think...Golly, she's weird..wanting her son to "qualify" for therapy. I have had the same thoughts. Why would I want him to be "delayed" in these areas? The truth is...obviously...I don't. I would much rather Matthew be progressing like a normal 2 year old. NO frustration, no stress...just normal 2 year old stuff. Unfortunately, he is not. And I know now, it is not for lack of trying on any of our parts. I needed to know that.

Life in our household is very stressful. VERY STRESSFUL!!! Granted, I know I have it good. Things could be so much worse. I could have unhealthy children or any number of issues. I don't, but I have been there so I do know a little of what that is like..

My issue is more communication. Greg and I have been married just about 10 years...Wonderful years! (mostly :) ) I don't think I have actually had a conversation, a real conversation, with my darling husband in months. It is always met with a 2 year old SCREAMING "Momma, Momma, Momma, Momma!" followed by 20 minutes of trying to figure out what he wants, yelling, and lots of tears. It breaks my heart that we are all so frustrated and can't seem to communicate with our son or eachother. It is even affecting my 6 year old. She is so patient and loves her brother so much, but he wears you down.

I am thankful that none of his issues are behavioral. He is a sweet heart! and dang cute.

Well, I could go on about this all day, but, I will leave it with "Help is on the way!" and a deep sigh of relief.

Tomorrow....well tomorrow is a whole other day. Tomorrow morning we will be taking Matthew to Children's Hospital for three surgeries. Thankfully the surgeon will be performing all 3 surgeries at the same time so we will only have to go through all of this one more time. The surgeries are expected to take around 3 hours. I am going to take my laptop with me and clean out my picture folders. Hopefully that will keep my mind off the time.

I trust God completely with my son. Truthfully, my son is only on loan to me while here on earth. I hope that God thinks that I am a good enough Mom to allow me to continue. :) I am pretty sure he will.

Although these surgeries are not "life threatening" surgeries...they are surgeries all the same. When Matthew was 2 months old and I had to hand him off for his first surgery, my heart broke. He was so tiny and innocent. I wanted so badly to be strong for him...and I was. When he left...I sobbed. It is so hard handing off your precious baby to a stranger knowing what they are going to do.

Matthew has been through so much in his short life. I know others have gone through worse and I am thankful that God has not chosen that kind of life for us at this point. I will write about some of the stuff we have endured since Matthew's birth...literally since the moment of his birth.

For now...I will have peace knowing my God is Faithful and he will sustain me no matter what.

I will post pictures tomorrow or the day after from Matthew's surgeries. Until then, please pray for us. Pray for the surgeon...Dr. Kane...pray for the anesthesiologist...the nurses...and everyone else involved.
Pray that I will be strong in order to keep Matthew calm. Pray that Matthew will do well and that these surgeries will be completely uneventful.

Thank you so much. I covet your prayers and words of encouragement during this time.
GOD IS GOOD! ALL THE TIME!!!


Brandy :)

My 8

My friend Kristin at simpleexpressions.blogspot.com tagged me to complete these lists of "Only 8." So here goes:


8 Things I am Looking Forward to:


1. Going on our first family vacation next winter
2. Seeing my family for my cousins wedding
3. Playing outside this spring/summer with the kids
4. Going to the Living Proof Live Conference with Beth Moore in June
5. Meeting my newest neice and new neice or nephew
6. Family coming to visit
7. Living on less
8. Learning more about my Jesus


8 Things I Did Yesterday:


1. Made coffee (and drank it)
2. Cleaned the house
3. Listened to my daughter read
4. Tickled Matthew over and over
5. Took a relaxing bath
6. Read an entire book during my bath
7. Listened to K-LOVE on line and sang songs to my Jesus
8. Prayed at the bus stop with my six year old


8 Things I Wish I Could Do:


1. Adopt
2. Go on a date with my hubby
3. work on my scrapbook
4. Focus on one thing at a time :)
5. Work on my masters
6. Be more organized
7. Be more present
8. Get out of debt


8 Shows I Enjoy:


1. House
2. C.O.P.S
3. Pens Hockey
4. anything on HGTV
5. Dancing with the Stars
6. Avatar: The Last Airbender (thanks to my daughter)
7. Jeopardy
8. Fox News (I excercise with it on because I get so angry about everything...makes for a great workout)


8 People I Tag:

Ace at ifyouthinkroundisfunny.com

Kelly at robiefam.blogspot.com

Beckie at infarrantlycreative.blogspot.com

Alicia at my2009weightjourney.blogspot.com

Melissa at amomintheburbs.blogspot.com

Kim at kimgayeski.blogspot.com

Claire at countrymouseclaire.blogspot.com

Beth at aninstrument4hisglory.blogspot.com

My latest redo project...Oooohhh What fun!

When we moved to Pittsburgh nearly two years ago we came with six boxes of irreplaceables and a trunk of clothes. We also came with two children and a dog but that should probably go without saying.

We sold EVERYTHING in our house; dishes, furniture, pots and pans, toys, etc. Our dining room table, chairs, and hutch were some of the first things we bought. We found it on Craigslist as a package for a very good deal. The set was brand new, Broyhill, and some of the nicest furniture we have ever owned. When we moved into our new home a year ago, I hated the furniture. We have so much cherry wood in our kitchen/dining room that it all just clashed. The hutch and china cabinet in our living room is fine. It looks beautiful but we have a matching hutch in the dining room along with the dining room table and chairs. It was not a good look. It was too traditional for me in my modern kitchen.
When the weather warmed up a little (emphasis on a little) I decided it was time for a change.

Table and hutch before.

Thank you God for French Bulldog Black :)

One of the coolest parts of this project....

NO SANDING!!!

I may not have done this project if I had to sand it all first. I HATE HATE HATE sanding.

In comes my "savior of sorts"

Zinzer Primer

This is the best stuff ever!!! It is so thick. I had it tinted so I would need fewer coats of the black. This stuff goes on sooooo easily. I was blown away.

I personally think the table looks 100 times better just with a coat of primer.

Don't you?

And yes, I painted it right in my kitchen. When I was finished, I coated it with a water-based polycrylic to make sure I could wipe off the smooshed bananas my son seems to leave behind.

READY FOR THE BIG REVEAL?

Oh my goodness, I LOVE IT!!! I wish you could see the full picture. I have an open kitchen and all of the appliances are black and stainless steel. Painting the furniture pulled the entire room together and really anchored my dining room area. I stand in my kitchen and just stare at my table. It is so pretty.

My husband.......hates it!!

Have you ever seen that Campbells soup commercial where EVERYTHING is white?
That is my husbands dream. He does not like color....At all!!!

Good thing he is not here all day. I figure he can live with it. After all, all of our walls are still the original newly built white.

Lord help me. :)

Well, at least I get a pretty kitchen.

By the way...I was truly inspired to do this by my bloggy friend Beckie over at

Infarrantly Creative
If you have never visited her site, she is AMAZING!!! You will get so many fantastic ideas from her, you will not know what project to tackle first.

Check out what she did to her kitchen...

AWESOME

This sweet boy

I prayed and prayed to have a healthy son...... a momma's boy. Look at how God answered my prayers. He looks so much like his Daddy. The blue eyes and long eyelashes melt my heart as does the way he says my name. When he is hurt, he runs to me for comfort, wraps my arms around him, and sighs with comfort and relief that he is safe in my arms.
This child is always "full steam ahead". There is little quiet time in our house. He is LOUD! ALWAYS!! I love it though, usually. He gets so excited about every little thing. He is growing so fast. My baby boy is 2. How did that happen?
Matthew loves anything with wheels. He is all boy. Dirt, noise, cars, and tumbling. He is solid! I don't know how I manage to carry him sometimes.
His laugh is completely infectious to everyone around. There is nothing but pure joy on his face when he is laughing. He has one of those deep belly laughs and when he starts, he laughs with his entire body. He is so ticklish, especially on the little fat pockets on his chest next to his armpits. He usually laughs so hard that he can't catch his breath. He also loves to be tickled under his chin and on his neck. He will sit in a shopping cart, give me a look and then tilt his head back to expose the little crook of his neck. He tempts my hands to give him a little tickle, and when I do...he flings his head forward with a huge giggle. Then, it starts again.
He brings such light to my life. With my children, my husband, and my Jesus....my life is fully COMPLETE!!!

Thank you Jesus!

My big girl!

I snapped this shot of Haley yesterday because she was looking sooooo grown up. I love the expression on her face. I cry thinking about how much I love this child and how blessed I am to have two beautiful, healthy children that God has entrusted me with during our time hear on earth. I remember taking her home as a 4 lb. 11 oz baby and being so fearful that I would break her.. It seems like yesterday. Now she is six years old.
She is the funniest person I have ever met. The things that come out of this childs mouth often have me rolling and crying all at the same time. I wish sometimes that I could freeze this moment for just a little while because it goes so fast. She is so beautiful, funny, smart, compassionate, respectful, kind, and gentle. She is an AMAZING big sister. Her baby brother lights up when she enters the room. I love seeing how they interact with eachother. I am so blessed.

Measles, quarantine, and opinions

I am not intending this post to be a bashing towards anyone, instead I hope that it will create a place for discussion. Given that, I would like to tell you a little story about what we are currently going through.

Matthew will be having surgery on April 29th to repair a hernia, fix an undescended testicle, and remove a cyst in his eyebrow. Because of this we had to take him for a pre-op appt. at Children's hospital here in Pittsburgh on March 23rd. Little did we know, on April 3rd we would be notified by Children's hospital that Matthew had been exposed to measles. MEASLES!!!! I figured it was not a big deal until I realized that Matthew did not catch up with his vaccinations until April 2nd. He had been sick for his last round of vaccinations and did not receive the crucial MMR vaccine. Children's hospital told us they were not concerned but had to inform everyone. Okay, no big deal.....

Fast forward to April 6th when I receive a phone call from the county health dept. To make a long story short, measles are highly contagious. The doctor that saw Matthew for his pre-op appt. came down with measles and so the likeliness of Matthew getting it is now increased (really increased). A 30 something year old father and his two preschoolers also came down with measles. I was also informed that this is not considered an outbreak, however; there have only been 6 confirmed cases in the entire United States over the last three years.

Matthew is quarantined in the house through Saturday. This is serious stuff and I am a little ticked off that Matthew was needlesly exposed. The reason these people got measles is because they were never vaccinated. Does anyone know what measles can do??? The following information, including the picture, is from the CDC.

Description
A respiratory disease caused by a virus.The virus normally grows in the cells that line the back of the throat and in the cells that line the lungs.

Symptoms
Rash, high fever, cough, runny nose, and red, watery eyes (lasts about a week).

Complications
Diarrhea, ear infections, pneumonia, encephalitis, seizures, and death
Approximately 20% of reported measles cases experience one or more complications. These complications are more common among children under 5 years of age and adults over 20 years old.
Measles causes ear infections in nearly one out of every 10 children who get it. As many as one out of 20 children with measles gets pneumonia, and about one child in every 1,000 who get measles will develop encephalitis. (This is an inflammation of the brain that can lead to convulsions, and can leave your child deaf or mentally retarded.) For every 1,000 children who get measles, one or two will die from it. Measles can also make a pregnant woman have a miscarriage, give birth prematurely, or have a low-birth-weight baby.
In developing countries, where malnutrition and vitamin A deficiency are prevalent, measles has been known to kill as many as one out of four people. It is the leading cause of blindness among African children. Measles kills almost 1 million children in the world each year.

I understand the fear about autism realated to vaccines but there is NO PROOF that vaccinations, including MMR, are anywhere remotely tied to autism. Instead, not vaccinating your children is bringing these diseases back into our communities and threatening lives. It can be so simply avoided. Measles is the #1 death in children which can be avoided by a simple vaccination. I don't understand. Please explain it to me someone. I would really like to understand with hard facts, not emotions. I am irritated that my child is threatened with this disease because of the choice of others. We were not given the choice and should not have to suffer because of it.

Thankfully, Matthew does not have measles at this time but he is not out of the woods until Saturday. Please keep us in your prayers as well as the many other people around the Pittsburgh area that were also exposed and are locked in their house at this time.

I would love to hear your opinion on this. Please keep your comments respectful to everyone.

More "wise" words from my 6 year old....

Haley - "Mommy, did you know balloons are just like humans?"

Me - "They are? How are they like humans?"

Haley - "When they got old and they lose some of their air they get wrinkly and droopy."

So true, so true.

Get on with it!

I'm sitting outside on an elevated deck on a gorgeous Spring day in Pittsburgh. I cannot remember the last time I sat outside, by myself, for longer than 2 or 3 minutes.
The only interruptions are the many birds that surround me. I am amazed by the different calls I hear; their own special verse that God has given them. They are beautiful even though I hear them more than I see them.
The trees are surrounding me. Their bare branches giving room to beautiful new buds. Soon they will be covered in numerous leaves that rustle in the breeze, accompanying the songs of the birds. I can picture children climbing all over some of these trees, hiding from the day to day life that creeps over us all.
The sun peeks out of the clouds and warms my face. It is as if God's breath covers me. He warms my heart and calms my soul. He brings me peace and joy during my struggles.

I came outside to have some quiet time with the Lord during a fabulous small retreat for a group of very special ladies. It has been thought provoking, reassuring, comforting, and, at the same time, a little uncomfortable. God is working on me.....He has been showing me how I need to be faithful - ALWAYS - UNCONDITIONALLY! I know that he is, even when I am not. What a relief. I am trying. With God, I know I can do this. I need to be obedient. HE will provide the "How?"
Why is this so difficult? I KNOW what he wants me to do. He has told me more times than I can count. He has offered the ways, the doors, the paths. All he needs is me. I don't want to miss out on God's blessing because of my stubbornness, fear, and laziness. It could be so easy if I would just jump in all the way. NO MORE EXCUSES! Do what God commands. Be uncomfortable! Get over it and get on with it!

Lord God,
Thank you that you care enough about me and think I am worthy enough for you to command me to do something. I want to obey....I need to obey. I don't want any more unfinished business that is creeping into every crevice of my life. Guide me...hold me through this. Take away all obstacles in my life, real or perceived, so that I may do what you have commanded.
You are so wonderful Father. Thank you for all you are teaching me.
You are so Faithful.

In your Precious Son's Name,
Amen


Please continue to pray for Stellan and the entire McKinney family!
You can click the "Pray for Stellan" button at the right to find out the latest and how to direct your prayers.

Pray for Stellan

STELLAN




I am asking anyone and everyone who reads this blog to please be praying for Stellan. Whatever you are doing, reach up to the screen, touch his face, and pray peace, health, and grace over this sweet baby and his family.





Brandy

Observations of a 6 year old

Mommy: "Matthew, your cheeks are very red."
Haley: "Maybe he's in love with someone."
Mommy: "Do your cheeks get red when you are in love with someone?"
Haley: "Yes, because you get shy."
Mommy: "But Matthew is only 2. Who would he be in love with?"
Haley: "Dora! Duh Mommy."

Pray like crazy!!!

MckMama

And if ____________, then _________.

Does the title leave you a little intrigued? Good.

I want to tell you about a life changing intense moment I had last night.

Every Thursday evening I head over to church for a Bible Study taught by Beth Moore. We are currently studying the book of Esther. Last night, we specifically dealt with the last part of Chapter 4...

"All the king's officials and even the people in the provinces know that anyone who appears before the king in his inner court without being invited is doomed to die unless the king holds out his gold scepter....Who knows if perhaps you were made queen for just such a time as this? Then Esther sent this reply to Mordecai: Go and gather together all the Jews of Susa and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. My maids and I will do the same. And then, though it is against the law, I will go in to see the king. And If I must die, I must die."
Esther 4:11 - 16

So how is it that Esther went from a time of self-preservation (not facing the king for fear of death) to brave determination, knowing that she would most likely die? This was all in a matter of a few sentences.

1. Esther had a choice.
She had to overcome herself in order to do what God had created her and positioned her to do.
I Corinthians 2:9 - "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him." That is HUGE! We (You and I) may be ONE BRAVE DECISION away from what God has prepared for us. God's plans are going to happen with or without us. I want to be a part of that plan. I want to make those decisions out of faith and not fear. I want to be brave.

2. Esther faced the fear.
This is where my huge life changing moment happened.
Did you know the #1 most frequent command in the Bible is "Do not be afraid, fear not"? Yet, I know for me, it is the one major command that I cannot seem to keep, no matter how hard I try. Fear is probably one of the greatest adjectives for my life right now. I realized last night that my faith in God is conditional. "Lord, if you will just keep this from happening, I will trust you, I will have faith." Satan uses that. He takes our deepest fears and continuously threatens us with them. It is spiritual and psychological warfare. He knows my fears and constantly reminds me of them. He will use any situation in order to make my fears stronger and I allow it.

I want an unconditional faith with my God. I want to look at Satan and say "NO MORE!!!" No more will I sit and dwell on the "what ifs". No longer will my faith in Christ be based on conditions. No more will I keep from making the decisions to obey God out of my own fears. I will make those brave decisions, just as Esther did, so that I can be a part of the destiny that God has planned for me.

Beth Moore mentioned the topic of denial, especially when it relates to death. She spoke of people who were given diagnosis' that would be terminal and the denial that can come with that. You can't deny the diagnosis. It doesn't change anything. The diagnosis, illness, or circumstance is still there. But, THERE IS NO DENIAL IN COURAGE. She said....

"Don't deny the existence of fear,

Deny its authority and victory over you!"

WOW!!!

1 Corinthians 15:55 - 58 says...

" O death, where is your victory?

O death, where is your sting?

for sin is the sting that results in death, and the law gives sin its power. But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ. So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless."

Beth shared a conversation she had with God regarding one of her biggest fears, the fear of losing her husband to another woman.

She shared the worst case scenario of that fear and the conversation went something like this...

God: What is your worst fear?

Beth: Well, that Keith would meet someone else, or look at someone else because I wasn't attractive to him anymore."

God: And then what?

Beth: Then he would fall in love with her and tell me he wasn't in love with me anymore.

God: And then what?

Beth: My children would like her. She would be young and darling.

God: Okay, and then what?

Beth: He would leave me.

God: And then what?

Beth: Well I would cry and cry and throw a big fit.

God: And then what?

Beth: Well, then I couldn't get out of bed.

God: And then what?

Beth: Well, then I'd have memorize me some some scriptures and just lay face down on the floor with my Bible on my head.

God: And then what?

Beth: Well, then I'd have to play my music really loud in my car.

God: And then what?

Beth: Then....I'd get up.

That's when it hit me. My deepest fears, which likely won't come true are not going to kill me. My Jesus will still be there. He will still care for me.

MY GOD IS FAITHFUL!!

when I was able to fill the following spaces in...

And if ___________, then ___________. with

And if _(my worst fear)___, then GOD!!!!

There was such a huge weight taken off of me and I suddenly felt unbelievable peace. Praise Jesus, I have hope and maybe even a little courage. I am telling you, there was a miracle performed in that room last night, and even more importantly, a miracle performed in my heart. I am so grateful for God's message last night delivered through Beth Moore.

There was so much more that I learned last night. If you have the opportunity to take the Esther Bible Study, it will do so much in your life. God will speak to you through the life of this orphaned Jew who became a courageous queen.

Thank you Jesus that I can stop living fearfully, that I can have the courage to make the decisions in my life that I need to make. Thank you for showing me that my faith is conditional. Lord Jesus, give me the strength to change that, to love and trust you no matter what comes my way. Help me to make my words more than just words. Help me to live your truth every day, regardless of the circumstances. Lord, take my fear away so that I can be completely yours and free to live the way you want me to live. I love you Jesus. I choose to take the courage you have offered. Thank you for that gift.

In your holy name,

Amen

3. Esther took the courage she was offered.

I choose to be brave. I choose to take the courage God has offered me. I know it won't be easy, by My God is Faithful. He will take care of me. He will not leave me or forsake me.

I'd love to know what you think. It is really easy to leave a comment. What is Jesus working on with you in your life?

I WANT TO BE LIKE MY JESUS

Todd Agnew - My Jesus

From the album Reflection Of Something


Which Jesus do you follow?

Which Jesus do you serve?

If Ephesians says to imitate Christ,

Why do you look so much like the world?



Chorus:

Cause my Jesus bled and died

He spent His time with thieves and liars

He loved the poor and accosted the arrogant

So which one do you want to be?



Blessed are the poor in spirit,

do we pray to be blessed with the Wealth of this land

Blessed are they that hunger and thirst for righteousness

Do we ache for another taste of this world of shifting sand



Chorus:



And who is this that you follow

This picture of the American dream

If Jesus was here would you walk right by on the other side

Or fall down and worship at His holy feet



Pretty blue eyes, curly brown hair and a clear complexion

Is how you see Him as He dies for Your sins

But the Word says He was battered and scarred

Or did you miss that part

Sometimes I doubt we’d recognize Him



Chorus:



Cause my Jesus would never be accepted in my church

The blood and dirt on His feet might stain the carpet

But He reached for the hurting and despises the proud

I think He’d prefer Beal St. to the stained glass crowd

But I know that He can hear me if I cry out loud



I want to be like my Jesus

I want to be like my Jesus

I want to be like my Jesus

I WANT TO BE LIKE MY JESUS!

These boots were made for walkin.....

So I am not a real girly girl. I love my oversized t-shirts, jeans, and tennies. Well, I used to. I am beginning to feel more like a slob. I never wear make up, rarely do much to my hair, and only own a pair of flip flops and tennis shoes.

Not sure really what has changed. I have been trying to lose weight and focus more on myself lately. Maybe it is because my daughter is almost 6 (next week) and she is taking more of an interest in appearance. I don't want her to grow up only seeing the extremes. You know, skinny and unhealthy actresses, singers, etc. vs. mom - the slob. I would like her to see more of the in between and help her to understand how to put on makeup in a tasteful way (quite a ways off I know but she likes experimenting at home). I want her to know that it is a good thing to take care of the body that God gave us...it is His temple and we should give it the best care.

I want to look good for my husband, although he loves that I don't wear makeup. He says it is one of the things that attracted me to him. I personally think it was the cute green skirt. :)

Yesterday was our MOPS Swap. This is such a fun day. All of the moms bring in stuff that they no longer use and then we get to go around and pick stuff that we can use instead. Does this make any sense? Okay, it's a swap. Swapping your stuff for someone else's. Last year I got some GREAT stuff including a brand new Pampered Chef stone bowl. You know, the big one that you can cook a roast or something in. I LOVE IT!!!

Check out one of the things I got this year.

I love these boots. I don't think they have ever been worn. They were my size and, I am assured by my fellow MOPS moms, they are light years away from flip flops and tennis shoes. What do you think?

I came home yesterday and wore them around the "shoes off limits in the house" house. I loved the clanking sound they made on my wood floors. I even called some of my friends to tell them I was wearing them. I kept looking at my feet thinking they looked mighty cute and sexy ?!? Never a word I use to describe myself or any part of my body. Anyways, I totally heart them. I wander if I can clean toilets in them today? Hmmmm. Maybe I will save them for tomorrows night out with the girls. Maybe I might even try one of those cute skirts I have up in a bag on my closet shelf. Makeup might even be in the future. Well, lets not get too carried away.

Brandy :)

I'll Pray for You...

How many times do we say this to people? Many of us throughout the week are involved in various groups, bible studies, church, MOPS, and conversations with friends and family. People share their prayer requests with us, thier struggles, heartaches, needs, desires. Many times we respond with empathy and the "I'll pray for you". Do we really do that? I know I don't always.

Things take control of our lives. Chores, children, life. It breaks my heart to think of all the times I have told someone I would pray for them and then forgot all about it. Are you the same way? I have recently felt very convicted of this. Why don't we stop right there and pray for that person. The Bible says in Matthew 18:20...

"Wherever two or more gather together in my name, I am there among them."

That is so powerful. We know the importance of prayer. Many times there is nothing else we can do in a situation but fall on our face before the Lord. I struggle with my prayer life, especially my public prayer life; praying out loud. I was in a situation in which someone made me feel that my prayer for someone wasn't good enough because I didn't use "the right words". It is taking me time to get over this. I want to be able to pray outloud for people, to hold their hand and declare the grace and mercy of God on their behalf. It is definitely something I have to work on. The truth is, there are no "right words". We are not all eloquent speakers. Jesus said in Matthew 6:5, "When you pray, don't be like the hypocrites who love to pray publicly on street corners and in the synagogues where everyone can see them. I tell you the truth, that is all the reward they will ever get." This is so important to remember.

I was reminded today when reading James 5:13-18 when James is speaking of the power of prayer. He says "Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results."

I know I need the prayer of righteous people in my life. I have seen the power of prayer and God's grace work in the most difficult times and situations. When my cousin was diagnosed with brain cancer last year, I prayed endlessly for him as did many others. Through the thousands and thousands of people praying for him and through God's mercy and grace, my sweet cousin was healed and is now preparing to be married. GOD IS SOOO GOOD!!!

I am going to try and make an active effort to pray for people right then, to keep a prayer chart in my kitchen as a constant reminder, to share the prayer requests with my daughter (the little prayer warrior - whoooooo, I could take some lessons from her!) and to lift people in prayer whether they have asked or not.

Is there something you are working on? How are you going to actively work on it in your daily life? Is there a time when you saw the power of prayer work so stongly that you knew it was God? I would love to hear your stories.

Father God,
Thank you for the ability and guidelines on how to pray.
Thank you that we can come to you in conversation, in times of stress, fear, heartache, and joy.
Thank you that you hear every word and you know our needs before they leave our lips.

Help us to grow in our relationship with you through prayer for our loved ones and for those we don't know. Remind us the importance of praying for other, asking for prayer, and gathering together in Your Name.

You are the worker of all miracles and we praise your beautiful name.

In Your Precious Son's Name,

Amen

I love you Greg. You make my heart happy. You make my life complete. You make my children smile and you make us so proud to be yours. Thank you for being you, and for being mine.
I love you, love you, love you, love you. More today than yesterday!

143
Brandy :)

It's about time...I know....

Several of you have emailed me wanting to know why I have not posted (other than Not Me's) in awhile. Well, honestly, it hasn't been a priority. Things have been super busy with MOPS, hockey, Girl Scouts, living with babies, sick hubby, life, etc. I have been on this blog so many times and nothing has actually come to fruition. Mostly I just love reading the comments. I crave/need/covet your comments. I guess it helps to actually write something that people can comment on. Well, today is going to be a hodgepodge of stuff. I have several crafts that I have done, but never shared. ..........................

Now, if the phone will just stop ringing........

My first project was this cute step stool I found at Goodwill for $2. It was a really solid wood with no stains. It didn't necessarily need any work. I would love to know the story behind this as I am sure it is hand made. I filled in the holes with Spackle and painted the top part with white paint before I took this picture. My original plan was to make this a timeout chair for my son.

Tip: Don't use acrylic craft paint on a project like this, otherwise you will wind up doing this. :) Aren't you glad you can learn from my mistakes.

Let's try this again. I painted the entire step stool with several coats of bright white satin paint. I didn't want it super shiny, which is why I went with the satin. However, I did want to be able to wipe it down easily. Use whatever kind of paint works for you, just not acrylic (see above).Well, here's my final project. The lighting in my living room is not the greatest and, to be honest, if I had taken the time to edit the picture, it would have taken longer for me to get it up here. Notice it did not become a timeout chair. It was just too cute for me to make it a discipline tool. I think it will get much more use now. Matthew loves turning this step stool over, piling his toys inside it, and sliding it across my floors. It's a good thing I put a layer of sealant on it. I think I posted this picture before. I found this cute little lamp at Goodwill as well. Are you noticing a trend?I painted the lamp to match a beautiful painting I also found at Goodwill for $4. There is not a single thing wrong with this painting. By the way, I found the exact same painting at Target for nearly $40. I heart Goodwill. I wrapped the lamp shade with scrapbook paper that Haley chose. I painted the different sections of the lamp and then separated the colors of paint with glitter glue to add a little sparkle, which also matched the glitter in the painting.

This painting is perfect for Haley. The moment I saw it, I knew I had to have it. I loved the colors, shapes and collage of the whole piece. The price had me jumping up and down for joy.
We found a little wood piece at the Dollar Store that said "Dream". Haley painted it purple to match her room and we attached a little pink flower on it and placed it on top of her painting which now hangs over her bed.
We also painted this awesome shelf that my wonderful neighbor gave me. Haley painted it a bright pink and then we painted a softer color pink over it and wiped it down as we painted in sections. I love how the treatment came out. It looks so great up close but I couldn't get a good picture of it. I hot glued clothespins along the inside of the shelf and painted them the same colors that are in the painting. She uses these clips for her important memorabilia, including pictures, her baby hats, necklaces, tooth fairy pillow, etc. Also we put her name on the shelf and hot glued pink and purple bows to the letters. I also added her snow globe collection so they would be in a place out of her brothers little hands and in a place she could reach and enjoy. I love how this turned out and has really created a fantastic focal point. Haley cried when she saw the final product. That was all I needed. :)

As many of my friends and family knows, I have a very deep love for my country. My kitchen and dining room are done in a very tasteful Americana style. These two soldiers are on my largest wall in the back of my dining room. They are crosstich (?) that my maternal grandmother made over 50 years ago. My mother gave them to me. I stained the frames because I wanted them to match the dark wood in my kitchen, and because the frames have seen better days. I really wanted to do the vinyl letters on the wall in between the two pictures but couldn't justify the price. Instead, I picked up some chipboard letters from JoAnn's and chalked them a dark blue. It gave me somewhat of the effect I wanted, cost me less than $5, and is not permanent. What more could a girl ask for?

I hope you enjoyed all the pictures. If you want me to post more of this kind of stuff, let me know. I have several other projects that I have worked on and would love to share.

.....................................................

My bloggy friend Alicia gave me my first award last week. It is the lemonade award for someone who shows great attitude/gratitude. I was so excited. Thank you Alicia. I am going to have to figure out who to pass this award onto. Go visit Alicia and cheer her on as she works hard at making herself healthier for her family.

Have a blessed day!


Giveaway coming soon!!!!