Faith, Family and Friends: October 2008

Sweet 'Laina

Stacey sent this of Alaina

and I fell in love with the child

all over again~

We plan to go over the second week of November

and it can't come soon enough!

Pa and Nan love you so much, 'Laina!!

This Halloween, I will be practicing a fair redistribution of candy with trick-or-treaters that come to my house. We're just trying to spread the wealth around a little.

* Trick-or-treaters who have under 50 pieces of candy in their bag will receive 10 pieces.

* Trick-or-treaters who have between 50 and 100 pieces will receive 5 pieces of candy.

* Trick-or-treaters who have between 100 and 150 will receive nothing and I will probably take candy away from you next year, but I want your support now so I'm not going to mention that.

* If you have over 150 pieces, I will take away half of your candy and require you to provide candy to all of your friends that have under 50 pieces. If you do not give your friends candy, then I will take away the rest of your candy and give it to them myself.

* If you have no candy at all, I'll give you 25 pieces of candy and a college scholarship.

Your loving neighbor,Mr. Obama

Thank you, Chad, for this so-true-it's-scary scenario!! As Chad ended his post, "WAKE UP, AMERICA!"

This snapshot is not the sharpest pic on the block,

but it's the cheapest electric candle you'll find!

I ran to Kirkland's this afternoon to check out

the SALE items ~ and of course,

it's Halloween items!

These items were 50% off

and less than $6 each!

And these next two were just too cute!

It's been a grand day~my surgeon was pleasantly surprised
to see me healing so well and says I won't have to come back
unless the lower incision develops a hernia.
{Yeah, I know! what a thing to tell someone
recovering from hernia surgery!}
John got his nuclear stress test completed and right now?
Well, right now we're sitting here
enjoying a gorgeous fall afternoon
and waiting for two of the cutest
little trick or treaters in Alabama!
Brandon & Jen took the boys to the CandyWalk
downtown and are swinging by here to collect
trick or treat loot. I know,
it's a day early,
but why not celebrate off and on all week?!
That's the way I celebrate birthdays!
and Christmas??? Shoot.
I celebrate Christmas from the first of December
until the first of February!!
So what did YOU do today?!

Some Recent Family Snaps~

Jen's son, Ian, with his pirate face

{Pumpkin Patch trip}

Jenny, Noah, & Ian at a Halloween party

{Kim & Todd Wheeler's annual sheabang!}

Stacey's princess and Spiderman!
{Alaina and Austin!}

Stacey & Leslie traveled to New Orleans this past weekend with a couple of friends and family members. They had such fun and said the weather was so cooperative! I'm overdue for some Mississippi pampering!!

Our golden haired child, Noah.
I will definitely cry when these curls
are no longer attached to this sweet, sweet head~

Just a Funny~

So, Leslie called tonight and she was so happy to hear me sounding stronger and better than I have since the accident! Jenny came by after bible study with Brandon and the boys and they both said the same thing! Yay, I'm getting back to me. Now for the 'joke's on you' deal.

Leslie asked what pain med they sent home with me and I replied, as I did here on the last post, what it was. She sounded puzzled, so I got up and read to her what the label said. Well, there is a dash and four letters AFTER the Oxiwhatever, which makes all the difference in the world. The reason I feel the same relief with Xtra Strength Tylenol is that the pain meds are on the same level!! argh, and here I've been thinking "wow, these make me sleep so good". Leslie assured me they will help me feel a bit better and yes I am probably sleeping better but it's most likely because I'm up and about more now than I was.

The power of the mind. A powerful agent. Of course, I'd love for him to ask me if I need another prescription for pain tomorrow. {wink, wink} Kristi!! What can I ask for that will be stronger??!!

Tomorrow morning the staples come out and then I think I'll come home for a nice long nap. John's nuclear stress test is tomorrow afternoon and although they don't think his problem lies with the cardio factor, they want to rule it out. Please keep him in your prayers. His family is riddled with heart problems and he is the only one to have avoided it. We want to keep it that way~

And aren't you just loving this weather?! We'll be in Gatlinburg the second week of November and found out this afternoon that my brother will be there then as well!! He and his wife are taking her parents up there, so we'll have lots of fun tramping around the town and taking in the views. I'll take pics to share!! Enjoy your Thursday and I do hope you find many moments to laugh out loud!

Jennifer! I love you, too, and know you'll have the cutest little cowboy on the block this weekend!!

Hey! I've taken two of those lovely little pills called oxycodone and am feeling well enough to sit here. I hate whiners and the past two days have found me whining! Poor John.

One of my girlfriends came today bringing chicken noodle soup and commented, upon seeing me at the door, "you look horrible". That was all it took to get my head under the faucet, washed, dried and curled. A bit of make up, some time outside on the porch, some silliness from her and I began to feel as good as I did Saturday. Dr. Foxhall's nurse called this afternoon stressing to take it S-L-O-W. And I hate doing that.

But for the sake of taking care of his surgical work, and the sanity of John, I will. We were told, several times by the intern and enough by the surgeon, that there was some major problems encountered and he had to do more than he expected. He still isn't sure why the first surgery back in '06 went the way it did, but it's all patched up and fixed up now. I've lost several major muscle bands, but that gives me an excuse for the ab scrunches not working! {wink, wink}

For all of you that came, brought food, called, emailed, prayed, left comments, checked on Johnny and or Jenny, or in any way showed you cared about us, we thank you from the bottom of our heart. Know that I feel the same about you.

Okay, so I'm finding it painful to sit here any longer. Even with the pills. Have a great evening, hope you slept well, and that the morning dawns on a bright and beautiful Tuesday for us all~

this is johnny, Nancy is fine but in pain. Thank you for your prayers.

Bless his heart. He so hated doing this for me {smile, smile} but it does hurt and I have no interest in sitting here trying to find a comfortable spot. For now, just keep praying and I'll try and get back asap. Thanks for being there~

So tomorrow morning is it. Surgery.

Hopefully, the last one for a long

long

time.

When I Googled an image for this post,

they were gross.

Gross,

gross,

GROSS!

So you get another dose of Maxine.

Because she makes me smile.

and pray for us. Poor Johnny is running to the little boys room more than I'm leaving the room for the little girls room. Guess we know who's more nervous about Tuesday's dawning.

Want a Chance On a Free Dress?

Marie-Therese Gown GIVEAWAY !!!!!!!
I don't expect our Alaina to wear this much, but it's an awesome job of sewing!! Not to mention how adorable it would look on display at my favorite children's boutique, Cute As A Button. We have areas above the shelves just begging for attention. With an old pram and a parasol, how cute would this be?? Go check out her site and link back to enter a chance to win this beauty!!

Wow, I feel better every time I do this.

PS ~ We were able to come late earlier this evening. He's now settled in at home and will have a stress test and echogram this week, but feels better! Thank you for your prayers.

Sunday in the Hospital

Just a quick note to say thank you for your calls and comments. All tests are coming back good ~ no apparent gallstones, EKG is fine, blood tests show nothing serious, but he has had three episodes where there's the pain just under the right collarbone followed by a flushing feeling of warmth with numbness that travels down his torso and spreads into his legs. Weird, I know. They have ruled out anxiety/panic attacks but the doctor did say she thinks this was aggravated by stress/anxiety and possibly will alert us to maybe an ulcer.

The cardiologist will be in this afternoon and I'm fixing to head back up that way. Came home to dress and look fresher. The staff is awesome and he has two of the sweetest nurses. {He's loving the attention. haha} Hopefully we'll sleep in our bed tonight! I'll let you know~

Prayers Needed~

Prayer warriors ~ My husband, Johnny, was admitted to the hospital tonight with tightness in his chest. They are running tests but nothing conclusive yet. I came home to gather some items and will be staying the night with him. We hope he comes home tomorrow, but he has to have some gallbladder and liver tests, along with seeing a cardiologist. Pray that he recovers and is all better because

my surgery is to take place Tuesday morning and I'll be in the hospital at least two nights. I would like to think he will be able to be with me and not kicked back in a different hospital! I will update all of you when I know more~

What, Pain? Nah

I.Hate.Pain.

and I am such a wiener

when it comes to hurting.

I don't do drama. I just don't do pain.

During the 77 day stay in ICU,

I received massive amounts of medication

for various things, among them

pain.

So with the upcoming surgery,

I've wondered if there is anything

that will cover the pain expected.

Any medication that will top the morphine,

that doesn't work anymore.

I've decided that I don't just want this

I want

THIS!!

Just pack it in the Bronco and bring it on home!

I'll let you know if I get my wish~

A Perfect Blend of Friendship Award

Thank you, Kelly!

1. Do you have the same friends since childhood? a few, most are friends I've met in other stages of my life~

2. What do you value most about your friends? honesty, compassion

3. Are your friends your sounding boards? absolutely! we giggle, cry, laugh, and whisper together, along with shopping, eating out, eating in, etc etc

4. What is your favorite activity to share with your friends? eating a meal that Deborah cooks at her home, she is THE bomb when it comes to cooking and serving you, and sharing in the kitchen about what's taken place in our lives since we all last got together.

I am also supposed to give the award to five blogging friends, but I'm giving to everyone that took the time to come here. You care about what I have to say and if you took the time to come to my page and not simply read this in an email version, then this award is for you! ps ~ I'm so glad you're in my life.

I'm going out on a limb here. I'm not afraid of you disagreeing with me, in fact, I don't even care. What I do care about is the way in which the World would have our children grow up too quickly. Read on for a bit, then I'll tell you what I want you to do.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"tweens - that highly coveted marketing segment ranging from 7-12 - have spent $1.6 million on thong underwear." TIME, September 28, 2003"

"I was not totally shocked by that statistic, having worked with 7th - 12th grade girls for the last 10 years. However, it is still hard to believe that girls as young as 7 would wear thong underwear, that they even make thong underwear for little girls. Scratch that...it's hard to believe a mother would buy thong underwear for her 7 year old."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In 2009, Dannah Gresh and The Bod Squad will present a petition to both the Council of Fashion Designers of America and the Apparel and Footwear Manufacturer's Association asking that clothing be age proper. Dannah is the author of "And the Bride Wore White", which is a book that helps teach young girls how to obtain and retain their purity until marriage.

She hopes that as a result, Women’s Wear Daily, the global “bible” of the fashion industry, will cover the petition and tell the fashion world. Dannah has been interviewed twice by the magazine to discuss the industries marketing of sensual clothing to tweens. She has their ear, but she needs your support to send them a clear message. Will you join The Bod Squad?

The Bod Squad Petition:

We believe that the fashion industry is pressuring little girls to grow up too fast! The findings of two years of study by an APA (American Psychological Association) task force state that clothing, which makes girls appear older, and the associated marketing efforts are linked to eating disorders, low self-esteem, and depression. Ironically, this early sexualization presented to young girls also has “negative consequences on girls’ ability to develop healthy sexuality.” We would like to request that industry leaders send a message to the fashion industry that mothers want to purchase age-appropriate clothing for our little girls and would like the fashion industry to evaluate the clothing they design and the messages they send to our daughters through advertising.

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View the Task Force report by clicking here Report of the APA Task Force on the Sexualization of Girls. Then, go here and sign the petition. Our youth matter.