Flip Flops N Sand Castles

Sorry been MIA

2010-03-29T10:38:00.002-05:00

Well it has been a while since I have been on here to update. Alot has happened since last..

Rachel who is my 7 year old has been in and out of the hospital with tummy pains off and on. She was admitted to the hospital for 3 days and they did tons of tests on her and found nothing. SO the Dr. wants me to make an appt. with a Ped. Gastro int. to check things out more. She is also just getting over a sinus infection that caused her to have a fever for 5 days.

It is Spring break here now and Rachel is spending the week with my Mom. They love spending time together and it is nice to have a little more quiet here with just Emily. I do miss Rachel though and talk to her at least twice a day. :)

Back in early Feb. I was in the hospital with chest pains. I had to stay the night and they wanted to keep me more but I said no since we have no insurance. I am doing pretty good now. Had to go back in for a stress test and that showed I have Coranary Artery Spasms. They aren't doing anything for them as of yet though and I was praying I could get some insurance but nope I can't, not unless I leave my hubby. Nice huh? Keith's insurance at his job is CRAZY at $800.00 for family and $500.00 for just him and I. There is NO way we could afford that, we are already living pay check to pay check. At least the girls have insurance through the state.

Emily is doing great and is such a smart cookie. She is a total momma's girl though and doesn't want to stay with anyone except me or daddy. We want to put her in preschool in the fall, but not sure she is ready for it yet!? She is being SO stubborn on the whole potty training thing and that is driving me nuts! I am not going to push her though, maybe she is just not ready yet!? Rachel was so easy, and I was hoping Emily would be as well...

Looks like I will be losing my internet again for a while, so back to checking in at the library.

I will update again soon.......

Catch up a bit

2009-12-29T20:32:00.002-06:00

Rachel was in the hospital for a few days after Thanksgiving. She had a UTI and has Anxiety, plus growing pains. I feel bad for her, but there is nothing to do for her. My Mom came and stayed with Emily while I stayed with Rachel at the hospital.

Christmas has come and gone and it was boring this year. Rachel was at my Mom's in IL. so we didn't even get to see her on Christmas day. Never will do that again! I miss her SO much! Christmas Eve was spent at Keith's Grandma Mains house and his Aunt made a HUGE scene. It wasn't a good time. Bah!

Just trying to stay healthy and keep everyone healthy as well. Will up date more soon!!

Life

2009-11-14T17:40:00.002-06:00

Well life is going well. I wasn't feel too well a few days ago, but seem fine now, just tired. Both girls are doing well and I PRAY it stays that way!

I had my Tupperware party last night and 12 people came! I was so happy. Usually when I have parties people say they will come and then half if even that show up. It was a lot of fun and great to see friends I hadn't seen in a while.

We are really looking forward to Thanksgiving and heading out to my Mom's for a few days. I really miss her and so do the girls.

I REALLY need to get going with Christmas shopping soon. Lake of $$$ really stinks! But the lord will provide I am sure of that!!

Sickness

2009-10-23T09:10:00.001-05:00

Rachel was up sick lat Wed. night, so we kept her home from school yesterday and today. She had a fever yesterday but it has gone down today. She seems to be doing better but is still not herself. I am having sinus issues and hope I am not getting sick as well. I pray the baby Emily doesn't get sick either. This whole H1N1 stuff is scary and makes me worry about my family. :(
I will update again soon...

Catching up

2009-10-17T09:35:00.003-05:00

Well it's been a while since I posted anything on here. Life has been busy.

Rachel is now in second grade and loves it! She is also in Brownies and Childrens Choir. SO keeps pretty busy. Emily will be 3 in Dec. and is growing like a weed! She is such a smart little cookie too.

I am really torn about this whole H1N1 flu thing and trying to decide if I should get the girls the shot or not? I usually get them the seasonal flu shot. I have been praying about it and still am not sure what to do. I guess when the time is here I will make the choice and pray it's the correct one! Either way it's scary!

I have been having fun baking a lot and trying lots of new recipes. If you have any yummy ones please send them my way! My girls won't eat veggies except for corn and carrots, so I make things with pumpkin a lot. I also make chicken and pork chops a lot as well. SO anything you think I should try would be great!

I will up date more often now that I am back into the swing of things! :)

Spring Break 2009

2009-04-09T19:03:00.002-05:00

We have been at my Mom's since 4/5 and have been having fun! Yesterday we all went to Rockford, IL. to The Discovery Center Museum and then for dinner with some relatives at Happy Joes. Here are some pictures I thought I would share..

Addicted to sig tags!

2009-03-29T17:24:00.005-05:00

Some of my awesome and talented friends made these sig tags for me and I thought I would show them off a bit! Thanks so much ladies!!

Been crazy busy!

2009-03-29T16:16:00.002-05:00

Well I haven't been keeping up with this as much as I would like to, but I am trying. :)

Emily and Rachel have both been sick, but are now on antibiotics for sinus infections. So hopefully that will take care of the problem. Spring break here starts the end of this week. Sunday after church we are headed out to my Mom's! I am really looking forward to spending time with her and so are the girls.

While we are out at my Mom's she is letting Keith and I go out ALONE for our 13th anniversary! woohoo!! We are going to a movie and dinner and then maybe bowling if we want to stay out longer. LOL We haven't been out alone in a year now, since out last anniversary.

Rachel went to 2 Birthday parties yesterday. One was at the Painted Penguin at the Mall. It was cool there and she had a blast. Keith, Em and I walked around the mall til the party was over. Then a couple hours later she went to another party and this one had a magician! It was pretty cool too! She still wants a Hannah Montana party for her B-day in July though. LOL

I got the second book to the TWILIGHT series on Friday and finished it that same night! LOL I couldn't put it down! Now I can't wait to get the others and for the next movie to come out in Nov. Keith say's I am obsessed. LOL Wellll maybe a little bit. LOL

OK thats my update for now, more coming soon......

More pics

2009-02-10T09:12:00.004-06:00

SOme Christmas pictures- Keith and the girls.
Rachel was in a play at church and was an Angel.

Playing catch up!

2009-02-10T08:57:00.003-06:00

Well we finally got a new computer after a YEAR!! SO now I can keep updated with things ( I hope).
Things have been going pretty good here. Rachel is doing great in school and loves it! She is also active in Daisy Scouts and plays Dodge Ball. Emily is doing great and is such a happy little girl.
I got some good news and some bad news yesterday, GOOD is my Sister is coming for a visit in May!! I miss her and haven't seen her in almost 2 years now. BAD news is my cousin David isn't doing well at all ( he has Downs). he is 45 now and going down hill fast. They live in NH so I can't even go see him. :( Please keep him in your prayers.
I have COffee talk to go to at school today, then tonight Rachel has Daisy Scouts and I have Praise Practice at church. Another busy but fun day!
I am trying to get a local group for moms going at my church, and so far so good! It helps that I already have a yahoo group going for Lowell area moms. :)
I will try and post some new pics I guess. :)
Emily turned 2 back in Dec. and we had a Rubber Ducky themed party for her. It turned out so cute! She was spoiled as usual.
Grandma Akers was in the hospital for a broken hip, but is home recovering now. Grandma Main is in a rehab center after a long stay in the hospital and they still are not sure what is wrong. Hope she gets to come home soon!
I will update again soon, I promise!! :)

Flood pics!

2008-11-18T15:13:00.003-06:00

Top is our drive way when we were sand bagging.

second is looking across the street from our home.

Last is some neighbors on a make shift raft floating on our street!

2008-11-18T15:06:00.002-06:00

Hello my friends! I hope you are all doing well.

This past SUnday we went to Keith's Grandma Akers surprise 85th Birthday party. It was a lot of fun and the girls were both good. :) Keith's mom was there and we talked a bit. We might go see her this week sometime and take the letters his Aunt Pat sent us so she can read them herself. It soudns like Pat isn't telling them the truth about that whole situation and making ME look/sound bad. Grr

My Mom has to get an echo cardiogram done on her heart the first week of Dec. Please pray everything is ok with it and I will keep you updated on that when I find out more!

Keith's Grandma Main has congestive heart faliure and is getting more tests done for that. Karen didn't tell us too much about it, so I will update about that when I know more as well.

Oh and woohoo I figured out how to post pictures!!! I will post more soon, but for now here's one of the girls from this summer.

Life

2008-11-06T12:14:00.004-06:00

I know I have been terrible at blogging and I am sorry. I really am going to try and keep up with this again.

My Mom's tumor is slow growing and that is good news! They will just keep doing bi-monthly MRI's on her to keep an eye on it for now. She goes to see her heart specialist on the 11th. Thanks to all of you for your prayers and wel wishes for her through this all, please keep them coming.

Please pray for my friend and Pastor Tami and her family. Her Mom has cancer and isn't doing well at all and her Father might have cancer now as well. This is very hard on Pastor Tami and she does SO much for everyone, so please keep her and her parents in your prayers.

Rachel got her glasses yesterday and she looks SO cute in them! I wish I knew how to post pictures on her! lol She is excited and nervous about wearing them, but I think she will be fine.

Halloween was a blast this year! We took the girls Trick or Treating and a bunch of our friends came with us. The kids had a lot of fun and got TONS of candy! Rachel dressed as Strawberry Shortcake and Emily was a cute Cheerleader. The night before Halloween we had Bread 4 Life at church and then the kids went "Trunk or Treating" in the parking lot. They had a great time with that as well.

Now new is Thanksgiving and we will be going out to IL. to my Mom's for a few days and I can't wait! On Thanksgiving day we will go to My Aunt and Uncles for dinner. I am really looking forward to spending time with my relatives.

I REALLY need to start my Christmas shopping soon! SOmething keeps coming up that takes our extra money and it is really getting to me. I am usually DONE before Thanksgiving but this year that is NOT going to happen. I really only have to buy for the girls, my nephew and my mom. Everyone else gets either gift cards or money. I want to make Christmas fun and special for the girls because I remember how special my parents always made it for me and those memories and feelings last a life time!

I booked Emily's 2nd Birthday party at our church on Dec. 7th from 2-4pm. I hope the weather holds out and isn't bad then so everyone can make it. I am sending out 17 invitations and really hope most or all can make it. It is a rubber ducky theme and I am so happy because a little store in our town has rubber ducky plates, napkins, table clothes, and balloons. So I ordered them all and just have to order the cakes yet and get some goody bags and stuff for the kids. Hard to believe my baby will be two!

Baptised!!

2008-09-25T14:21:00.002-05:00

Rachel, Emily and I were baptised on Sept. 21st! WOOHOOO!! I also became an Offical member of our church that day!!
After church a bunch of us went out to eat. It was a great day!!!

Cardboard Confessions

2008-09-25T14:20:00.000-05:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RvDDc5RB6FQ

AMAZING!!

Flooding in Lowell!!

2008-09-16T13:57:00.003-05:00

We were evacuated from our home on Sunday because of our street/yards flooding. It got up to over waist high on our street! Thank God for the people who came and sandbagged our yard and garage!! We got our power back yesterday afternoon and so did the house next door to use, but that is all on our street for now. So we have a home full of people who are staying with us til they get power back. Just wish we had a bigger home! I will post pics when I can. I still can't believe it all happened! The kids were out of school yesterday and today, not sure about tomorrow yet. Many places are still flooded and many roads are still closed. It's crazy!!

Update on my Mom

2008-08-29T12:57:00.002-05:00

She had an MRI done and there is a tumor on her brain. So she needs to have surgery, just not sure when yet since she has to see other doctors. Please PRAY it is NOT cancer!!
I will try and update you as much as I can....

Please pray for my Mom!

2008-08-25T13:31:00.004-05:00

She was taken to the hospital on Saturday and they did a cat scan and found a spot on her brain. They are doing an MRI today.. Please keep her in your prayers!
I am going crazy cause I can't be at the hospital since we live 2 hours away and Keith has to work!!

Still here....

2008-08-22T11:09:00.004-05:00

Hello my friends! I have been keeping busy so haven't had time to blog lately.
I have been going to Membership Class at church every MOnday this month, then have Praise Practice Tuesdays and Thursdays. I am happy that Andrea is getting Faithbooking going soon! Our first meeting is Sept. 9th. My Friend Tisha and I are also getting Scrapbooking going at the library for every third MOnday of the month. I am really looking forward to both things!
Rachel starts Daisy Scouts in Sept. as well but goes Tuesdays instead of Wed. so Candie will have to take her for me. Rachel seems to do better when Mommy isn't around anyway. LOL
Keith took Rachel to a Railcats baseball game on Wed and she LOVED it! They had to leave early from the game though so she could get home and to be since it was a school night. They got home about 10pm and she went straight to bed. :)
I have been reading as AWESOME series of books and I highly recommend them to you all! "The Yada Yada Prayer Group" books. I am on book #5 now out of 7. They are by Neta Jackson. They are also GREAT for a book club and it tells how you can start your own Yada Yada group as well! :)

Come join the fun!!!

2008-08-22T11:09:00.003-05:00

I run this awesome message board with some friends of mine. We love getting new members, so check us out!http://z9.invisionfree.com/Friendship_Cafe/index.php?act=idx

First Day of school and other stuff..

2008-08-13T13:28:00.003-05:00

Rachel started first grade yesterday (Aug. 12th) and loved it! She couldn't wait to go back this morning! Yesterday I took her to school and walked her to her classroom, today she rode the bus. Hard to believe she is in first grade already! Couple more years and Emily will go to school as well!!

I started membership classes at church and it's going great! SO now I have class on Monday nights, Praise on Tuesday and Thursdays, and soon Daisy Scouts again on Wed. Plus they want me back in the PTO this year, so I will "try" and do that as well if time allows.

I really wish we had a home computer so I could keep up on here more often. I am getting tired of having to go to the library when I want to use the computer!

Hope everyone is doing well! God bless you all!!

Back Home in Indiana!

2008-08-05T13:51:00.002-05:00

Well we got back from my Mom's in IL. yesterday afternoon. We are all glad to be home, but will miss my Mom a lot. We will see her again in Sept. when we all go to a baby shower in MI. though. :)
Tomorrow we plan on meeting up with some friends at our county fair if the weather is ok. It rained all day yesterday and all night last night as well, and has been off and on today so far too.
I am still in shock over my friend Shelly commiting suicide. I had just seen her a week before at WalGreens. We were both in a hurry so just had time to say Hi and smile. Now I keep thinking of that day and wishing I had taken the time to stop and talk with her and I can't help but wonder if that would have made a difference!?!? :( I pray for her soul every night and pray for her family as well. I went to her grave yesterday when we got back into town. She is burried right down from my Dad, so now I will go visit them both.
I have Praise practice tonight at church and am looking forward to it and getting back into the swing of things here and at church.
Rachel starts 1st grade on the 12th! Hard to believe! She is growing so fast and is such a good girl. Emily is going to miss her big sister during the day I am sure.
I guess I will be on the PTO again this year, but maybe not quite as active as I was last year since I am more active in church now and Rachel will be in Scouts again. So we shall see what happens.....

Rest In Peace Shelly!

2008-07-30T14:53:00.003-05:00

I just found out that a friend of mine since 1st grade commited suicide last week. I feel so sad for her loss and for her sons and family. She will be missed.

Hansen, Rochell
ROCHELL L. HANSEN "SHELLY" LOWELL, IN Rochell "Shelly" L. Hansen, age 37, of the Lake Dale area of Lowell, IN, passed away on Wednesday, July 23, 2008. She is survived by three sons, Bobby Heath, Dylon Hansen and Dakoyta Corning, all at home; her parents, Carol Thrall of Lowell and Irvin Dulin of Crofton, KY; four brothers, Raymond (Kim) Dulin of Franklin, TN, Roger (Diane) Dulin of Ft. Mills, S.C., Scott (Shelly) Dulin of Lowell, Dale (Melissa) Dulin of Crofton, KY; one sister, Penny (Jason) Hopper of Crofton, KY; numerous cousins, nieces and nephews; special friend, Billy Conley of Lowell. She was preceded in death by her father, Arnold Thrall and grandparents, George and MaryAnn Rosenbauer. Funeral services will be held on Monday, July 28, at 11:00 a.m., at Sheets Funeral Home, 604 E. Commercial Ave., Lowell, IN. Pastor Charles Hochmuth officiating. Burial will follow at Lowell Memorial Cemetery. Friends are invited to call on Sunday from 2-5 and 7-9 p.m. at the funeral home. Shelly worked for Dungarvin as a residential care specialist and was an avid NASCAR fan.
Published in The Times from 7/25/2008 - 7/26/2008

trip to ER

2008-07-28T21:33:00.001-05:00

We just got back from taking Rachel to the ER because she stuck a bead up her nose and it got stuck WAY up there!!! It was pretty scary for a bit. The dr, finally got it out though and she is fine. Bet she'll never do that again!!!!! Just pray it doesn't get infected now!!
More tomorrow, I am beat....

Busy couple days

2008-07-25T22:36:00.002-05:00

Yesterday we went to Blackberry farm with my Mom and Roy. The girls loved it and we all had a nice time. I took a lot of pictures as usual. Emily was so cute riding on the train, carousel, etc. there. She got mad everytime we made her get off! LOL
This evening my Mom, Keith, Rachel, Emily and I went to Rockford to a play place for a while and then we went and met Uncle Gene, Aunt Pat, Kevin, Kate, Liliana, Uncle Rod and Roy at Happy Joes to celebrate Rachel's birthday. She was so happy and had a great time. They sang happy birthday and gave her a sundae, plus a mascot type dog came around by the girls and Emily got so excited about that! :) We didn't get out of there til after 9pm so the girls were tired. I am tired too so I am going to bed..
God Bless!

another day

2008-07-23T21:50:00.002-05:00

Well we didn't do all that much today. Went to WalMart and a LONG walk with the girls. Tomorrow we are taking the girls to Pioneer Village/Blackberry Farm. Mom and Rachel have been there before but we want to take Emily as well. It sounds like a really nice place. I will be sure to take my camera so I can take lots of pics to share with everyone.
The girls are both asleep, Keith and Mom are watching something on TV and here I sit on the computer blogging. LOL I still need to figure out a few things about this blogging. Like how to add peoples blogs, but I will figure it out.
I am going to head to bed in a few and will be back tomorrow..
God Bless

Faithbooking

2008-07-23T14:42:00.002-05:00

I am going to start Faithbooking soon with some friends and many have asked me what it is, so read on for info on it-

What is faithbooking?“Future generations will also serve Him. Our children will hear about the wonders of the Lord. His righteous acts will be told to those yet unborn. They will hear about everything He has done.” Psalm 22:30-31 LBThe Bible commands us to remember what God has done in our lives and that is what faithbooking is all about! It is incorporating your faith and how God is working in your life into your scrapbook, to leave a legacy of faith. It is about remembering Gods fingerprints in your life and passing those memories along to anyone who looks at your faithbook!In Deuteronomy 4:9, Moses tells the people, “Be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen, or let them slip from your heart as long as you live.” The Lord didn’t want it to be difficult for us to remember His blessings and fingerprints. In the Old Testament Days, He used festivals that the people were required to celebrate or He instructed them to make piles of rocks. Today we have the means to create faithbooks! Alan Wright author of The God Moment Principle makes this statement, “Even mature, well-meaning Christians have an incredible ability to forget the extraordinary moments of God. The memory dulls. The moment loses its luster. And soon, the life changing power is gone – spiritual amnesia has set in.” Here are a few other benefits of having faithbooks: First, faithbooks will increase our faith so we can withstand tomorrow’s tests - that is one reason they are called faithbooks. When we look back and remember times when the Lord healed us, rescued us, sustained us through a difficulty, provided for our needs, gave us abundant gifts, our faith in Him grows. When we remember how He paid our bills last year and got us through the winter months, we will have the faith to trust Him for this year’s needs. A second benefit of Faithbooking is that it demonstrates obedience in training our children about the Lord’s faithfulness. If we go back to Moses, he goes on to say,"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are upon your hearts, impress them on your children.” Deut. 6: 5-6 It’s not simply for us to remember, it’s for our children. In fact Psalm 78:4 says: “We will tell the next generation the praise worthy deeds of the Lord, His power and the wonders He has done.” Isaiah 38:19b LB “Each generation can make known your faithfulness to the next.”Joel 1:3 NIV “Tell it to your children, and let your children tell it to their children, and their children to the next generationWe are admonished to “TELL the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord.” (Psalm 78:4). The Word does not say if we have time, if we have money, if we don’t work outside the home, if we have a housecleaner and a supportive spouse. As Christians, we are to remember all the things God is doing in our lives and we are to tell the next generation. By creating faithbooks for and WITH our children, we are obeying God’s word and obeying the Word of the Lord produces JOY. Our children too will benefit greatly from that obedience. Their lives will also be changed by the power of your Faithbooking stories.Dr. James Dobson made a statement in favor of faithbooks: “If there is anything I feel we have lost as a people in the western world it’s that understanding of who we are, where we’ve been, who our ancestors were, and what our identity is. And that is done through the family structure. Continuity from generation to generation depends on taking the best from the past and passing it along to our children. (June 22, 2000 broadcast). Our children are faced with pressures to conform to the standards of this world everyday. Disrespect and rebellion against God and all authority is played-out at school, on television, in music and with friends. Reinforcing your family values and God’s word in and through our photo album/faithbooks, will give our children the help they need to stand firm in this very pressure-filled world. A third benefit of Faithbooking is that it glorifies God. A “traditional” photo album tends to place the emphasis on “me” and the who, what, where and when of the photos such as; where we went on vacation, what we did, who came along and when did we go. However, a faith book can take the same events and find the Lord’s fingerprints (His influence) in the same activities. A faithbook captures God IN me and God at work AROUND me. Literally, His power affecting our lives. A faith book causes us to take pictures of events that we normally wouldn’t think of documenting. When our 2-year-old lathers his face with jelly we run to take a picture of him for our PHOTO album. “Isn’t HE cute and what a charming personality”…. With a mindset of Faithbooking you are now ready to take a picture for your faith book of your four-year-old kneeling by her bed to invite Jesus into her heart. That photo and story is about her AND the Lord. “I don’t have my camera ready at times like that” you might say. With Faithbooking, it’s permissible to “recreate” scenes. Increasing our faith, obeying and glorifying the Lord are just three benefits. As you get into this project you will see that faithbooks also: 1) Help to develop a grateful attitude in our lives 2) Encourage us and others 3)Help us memorize God’s word 4) Teach and warn us almost like a Family Bible 5)Reinforce our family values and beliefs. These are just some of the benefits we can experience when we take the time to discover the spiritual power of our own pictures and stories.

Friendship Cafe

2008-07-23T14:10:00.002-05:00

I run this awesome message board with some friends of mine. We love getting new members, so check us out!
http://z9.invisionfree.com/Friendship_Cafe/index.php?act=idx

Online Christian Parents board

2008-07-23T08:56:00.001-05:00

http://www.onlinechristianparents.com/forums/index.php?referrerid=294
Welcome to Online Christian Parents! We're so glad you found us! We're a group of loving Christian parents, grandparents and "soon-to-be" parents who gather for fellowship, support and fun. We welcome newbies with open arms...so come on in and join us. In order for the forums to open up to you, you just need to register and then click on the validation link in the email that will automatically be sent to you. See you on the board!

New to this

2008-07-22T22:42:00.004-05:00

Well this is my first time blogging, so please bare with me here. :)
We have been busy lately, more so than usual that's for sure. Rachel turned 6 on the 18th. That day she had a Birthday party to go to for her friend Savannah at "Jump N Fun". So we took her to that and she had a great time. Afterwards Keith, My Mom, Emily, Rachel and I went to Tylers Tenders for dinner. We had never been there before and everyone kept telling us the girls would love it. They were right!! It was a big hit. Both of their faces lit up when they walked in and saw all the trains and fun stuff. The food was really good too!
Saturday was Rachel's B-day party at our home. Seven of her friends came for the party. They played games, then had cupcakes and ice cream cones. Everyone had a lot of fun and loved the prizes and goodie bags we gave out. :) That night my Mom and I went to my church for the Girlfriends Unlimited "Flamingo Fling" party. It was a lot of fun. Pastor Tami had asked me to read some poetry so I did that and it all turned out nice for everyone.
Sunday after church the girls and I headed out with my Mom to her place in IL. We will be here til Aug. 4th. I am sad that I will be missing praise practice as well as bible study.
I am not sure yet what we will be doing tomorrow, Rachel isn't feeling too well so we will have to see how she is doing in the morning. Keith took her to see "Space Chimps" today and she really liked it a lot.
I guess I should get to bed now since everyone else is already sleeping.....