Hard Times

Things are good with our little part of the family. I am doing well, the baby is good, and my guys are healthy and happy. My hubby will officially be here tomorrow! And we are so excited about that. But all that is overshadowed by the pain of watching my parents begin an incredibly hard journey.

My dad went in yesterday to hear the results of the biospy of the tumor in his femur. Of course when he, my mom, and my sister went in, the pathologist still hadn't come back with the results. But the surgery was still on for June 4th. The Dr called back that evening and told them it was indeed cancerous. A Carcoma. The plan of action is to cut out the main portion of the bone, replace it with one harvested from a cadaver. The replacement one will have a rod inserted into it prior to. This will be attached with plates. Prognosis? 6 months before he is walking again, 1 yr before back to normal.

On top of all this, he was forced to retire. Something they weren't prepared for at least 3 more years. If he didn't he would have been put on long term retirement. This would cut my dads pay to 60% with no insurance. At least this way, while still not enough, insurance is covered. Things will be tight to say the least.
My parents have never been wealthy. They pay their bills on time. They only use their credit cards when they need them. But they are for the most part on a fixed income. Now with this lose of pay, my parents are devastated. When I talked to my mom about it the other night, she was in tears. They only have $40 for groceries this week. When we take the boys and the new baby to visit in September, they won't be able to feed us. Which is ok with us, we don't mind, we had already decided to get a hotel and stay with some friends so there weren't 5 extra people in their house. My mom was afraid to tell me this, that we would be angry or upset. I told her we were not visiting for the food, (good cook though she is!) but to spend time with them. It so hard for her to think about not being able to provide her daughter and family with a meal.
I want so badly to help them financially. But we can't afford to right now. And I think that hurts me the most. I know PRAYER is the most powerful tool we have. God is all over this. But I want my parents to be able to look past the pain and uncertainty and really grasp that.

YIPPEEE!!

I tend to screen my phone calls some days. I get a lot of pointless vendor calls, usually people in the music business, pianists, and jazz quartets who want to know if I have any business for them. Which I am sure in their minds is good networking. They are staying fresh in peoples minds. Well, to me, I have their numbers, when I need one of them, I will call them. And as long as they insist on calling every couple of weeks or so, all I am being is irritated. So when my phone rang this morning and I didn't recognize the number, it went ignored. They didn't leave a message. Well, I was taking my little guy to the bathroom, it rang again. Same number and they left a message. It was the nurse from my drs office.
Now for the most part, when you have blood work done, they flat out tell you that if they find something they will call you, otherwise "See you at your next appt!" Of course I started freaking out. The nurse NEVER calls unless its bad new. Never. So I call back. And she's not at her desk. After leaving a message, I start to freak out more. There go all my summer eating plans. Yes, I have plans... Mostly because hubby will be here and he is taking me to The Melting Pot for my birthday,(major fondue craving here) And then I will be in Los Angeles for a friends wedding, and Fathers day is coming. Thats a LOT of cake to miss out on.
Finally she calls back, and tells me I PASSED! I PASSED!!!! I don't have Gestational Diabetes, I don't have to test my blood sugar 4 times a day, or give myself insulin injections! Oh happy day!

MPM I Am Ahead Of The Game!!

I just so happen to be more organized today than I would normally be! Why? you ask? Several reasons.
1. I am BORED! OUT OF MY MIND!! And have been since yesterday, not that I don't have things I could be doing, but I don't WANT to do them, plus I have someone coming to help me out tomorrow afternoon get things cleaned up so thats why I am not frantically tackling everything.
2. I know tomorrow is going to be busy. I have to drop the boys off at the sitters at 7am (can you say TOO EARLY?) I have to go do the 3 hour Glucose Test tomorrow, I failed the 1 hour one this past week. I highly doubt they have WIFI at the Lab! And then as I mentioned above, I have someone coming to help me clean!
3. Why am I so determined to have everything clean? Because HUBBY comes HOME this week, hopefully Wednesday, but might be Thursday if they can't get their stuff together like they should. Because the Military (specifically the Navy) is so organized and together.... No bitterness here!
Alright here is my Menu for the week, definitely subject to change this week though based on when Hubby gets here, we will go out to dinner that night I am sure, and also based on the results of the 3 hour test. Who KNOWS what we will eat then!

Monday: Grilled Cheese and Tomato soup, this may change as I may be feeding my helpers! So possibly order in Chinese or Pizza
Tuesday: Breakfast for Dinner Blueberry Pancakes, Scrambled Eggs, turkey bacon
Wednesday: Possibly dinner out
Thursday: Slow Cooker Dump & Go Cheesey Chicken, brown rice, salad
Friday: Blazy's Pepperoni Studded Lasagna (stolen from Boomama, but by way of Food Network!)
Saturday: Cheesy Brat Stew

As you can see, this week I am trying out some of the recipes I stumbled across while hubby was gone! I knew my oldest wouldn't want ANYTHING to do with most of them. But with hubby home, it makes sense to make them!
What do you have planned this week?

Asking The Odd Question!

I like odd facts and trivia, when I was in high school ( our church school, mind you)my English teacher every so often would have a random day where for extra credit he would ask questions from Trivial Pursuit. Needless to say, I was banned from answering the questions to give other people a chance. So I would sit there and give anyone I deemed worthy, the answers! Cheating by proxy! I think its because I have spent so much time reading, that I am full of useless knowledge. It comes in handy from time to time though!
However, I have not been able to find ANYTHING online or otherwise about Anniversaries. Besides the usual Traditional and Contemporary Gift giving guides. Does anyone really follow those?? So here is the deal friends, I am looking for odd, random fun facts regarding Anniversaries. For my June Issue of Simply Celebrate I am focusing on Anniversaries, and am looking for things to round it out. I really want to put together my first little contest, probably trivia of some sort about Anniversaries with a GC to somewhere as a prize.
I am also looking for either funny anniversary gone wrong stories or romantic sweep you off your feet ones. If you would like to contribute something, just email me what you are submitting, and then have it in to me by May 25th. I like to edit the week before the 1st of the month and then upload the night before. The longer the better, I would rather have too much than too little!
Thanks everyone, I know there are some HI-LaRIOUS stories out there!! SHARE THEM!!!
(ps if you send something, and I use it, you can consider yourself published...)

7 Random Things

I was tagged by Lois to do the 7 random things about me meme, I already did it about a week ago, so I am posting the link to it here! Check it out if you haven't already!

The Things We Do

I just paid $6.11 for a HotWheel. That's right everyone, I bought a hotwheel for more than 99 cents. But for very good reason. Last July, when we went on our little family vacation to Ft Lauderdale and Miami we did what we ALWAYS do when we go anywhere new. We hit the Antique Stores! I have been blessed with a hubby who LOVES (and not just because he knows it makes me happy either!) to go antiquing. We collect Wedgwood, and for those of you don't know what that is, go here. We have quite a few pieces by now, but we love the hunt and really want to expand our collection. So anyway, we went into this little shop in Ft Lauderdale that was PACKED with Wedgwood. We bought a Wedgwood Lighter there, and something else, can't remember what. But while I was negotiating with dealer, hubby was in the back with the boys while they played with a box of old hotwheels.
Now I have to insert here a short story about my dad. He is an OFFICIAL HOTWHEEL COLLECTOR. Yep, they are real, and they do exist. When, and I am sincerely hoping this is a long time in the future for obvious reasons, but when my father meets his Savior, my sister and I will inherit a MASSIVE, and I do mean MASSIVE Hotwheels collections, worth probably Thousands of $$$. Hotwheels, are in fact, worth money. More in package, mint condition, redlines, etc. He has books on values and how to trade, he goes to shows, and sells them in, yes, you guessed it, Antique Stores!!
And after I spent what some would consider too much for a lighter I have no intentions of ever filling with lighter fluid and using for something other than display, the man was "kind" enough to say the boys could each pick something from the hotwheel box. In true form, my 3 yr old Thomas Freak proceeded to find the only TRAIN in the box. By Hotwheels. Now I thought, hotwheels only made cars, trucks, hotrods, and monster trucks. So we took it home and this little black train was added to the collection. Going back and forth between bottom of the toy bin to my favorite I have to sleep with the black train tonight, find it Mommy! status.
When my MIL came to town about 2 and a half months or so, she decided a fantastic place to take the boys would be Ollie Koalas, an Australian cousin apparently to Chuck E Cheese. The black train came with us, and no matter how much I tried to persuade him to let me hold tight to it, he just HAD to take it with him to run around like a madman. And then he laid it down. And forgot about it.
And that was the left time we ever saw it. I asked, I looked, and I even called back a day or two later. No luck. Everyone thought, its just a small black train, its not Thomas, he will forget about it.
Well, all I have heard about for the past 2 days is the BLACK TRAIN. Can I help him find it, where is it? Is it in my purse? Please MOMMY!!! I NEED MY BLACK TRAIN!!!!

SO I did what any mom would do who knew the train was long gone, and I simply couldn't just pop on over to Target and pick up another one. I turned to Ebay. And lo and behold, I found the silly train. After 45 minutes of searching, I found it. And since there was a buy it immediately option, for $1.99 plus shipping ($4 something) I bought it. And it should be here by the end of next week! And then the constant barrage of where is my BLACKTRAIN MOMMY!!!! will cease and desist, until the next time he loses it and I kick myself for not buying the lot of 5 identical trains.

Menu Plan Monday!

I managed to get through this past weekend, the proof? I am making my menu for this week! Fairly simple stuff as I am CLEANING, (see previous post...) and getting ready for hubby to come home next week! I got quite a bit done yesterday, and I realize that trying to get all the things I had listed yesterday in two days, might be darn near impossible. Especially considering the boys, and my energy level! I did manage to get some work done this morning, and made my grocery list. I hope to head to the grocery store after lunch. So here is the menu for the week!

Monday: Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup
Tuesday: 40 Clove Garlic Chicken (Crockpot)
Wednesday: Tortellini and marinara, maybe bread
Thursday: Hot dogs and fruit
Friday: Pizza
Saturday: Sandwiches

HAPPY MOTHERS DAY!!

We aren't really celebrating Mothers Day today at our house. My mom is in Oregon, and my MIL is in Texas. And with my hubby gone until next week, we are postponing until then. My little guys don't quite get the concept yet since they are 3 and 2! Which is fine.
The wedding I did yesterday turned out FABULOUS! I couldn't have been happier, and the bride and her mom were equally pleased. The reception site was amazing, all the vendors did an exceptional job, and I could go on and on about the River Club, this is where the reception was. On the 35th floor, with floor to ceiling windows and a glorious view of downtown. The catering manager there really knows her stuff. Their staff is unmatched in the quality of service they provide for the bride, groom, and their guests. I did get some pics and will post them when I get a chance. There were only a few mishaps. The groom forgot his pants! How this happened I don't want to know, but they were mixed in with the girls dresses and the church was locked with no one to be found to open just then. He just had to wait until about 45 minutes before the ceremony to get them. Then the florist forgot to leave the grooms boutteniere. Kind of important! I was having problems tracking her down and was about to send my FABULOUS assistant to a nearby florist to make a simple one real quick. Thankfully, I got a hold of the florist and she sent her assistant back with it. It got there JUST IN TIME! And the bride and groom were none the wiser. Then the GROOM (are you seeing a pattern here??) forgot his laptop for the slide show at the reception site. So there was not one. Which was ok.
The cake was GORGEOUS, and so were the flowers. Very unique and eye catching. I LOVED the whole effect.
So how am I spending my Mothers Day? I had intended to sit on the couch and read a good book. I still have my nasty cold, and Friday night I came down with a sore throat and lost my voice before the wedding! Still can't really talk today. But instead of sitting and reading, I have been SCOURING my kitchen. Thats right people. I cleaned my kitchen from top to bottom. Wiped down cabinets, cleared off countertops and cleaned and disinfected. Cleaned my oven, and swept and mopped the floor! I even cleared some leftovers out my fridge, emptied the containers and loaded them into the dishwasher.
My next goal, (yes I am taking a break and resting) is to clean the dining room table and chairs, vacuum the floor and the splat mats, from there move into the living room and re-organize and clean my desk, get rid of all trash and get toys picked up and put away. Then vacuum living room and hallways. I also would like to get some laundry folded and put away, vacuum and mop the entry way and pick up and organize the playroom so I can vacuum in there as well.
Tomorrow I plan on cleaning the bathrooms, mainly the boys since mine is fairly clean with out a dirty man (hubby) to use it... then clean up the boys and the master bedroom, vacuuming and changing out sheets.
Now I know this is very ambitious of me. I also need to work on Junes issue of Simply Celebrate, and send out Thank You notes to the vendors and the bride and her family.
Oh, I need to dust my entertainment center, clear off the top, Windex the windows and cabinet glass, and dust my end table and lamp. I need a new lamp for the boys bedroom, as they knocked it off their dresser and broke it. My week is FULL!! I also have a drs appt on Tuesday and will be watching our friends little girl on Friday.
On a lighter note, my oldest son found a GIANT Palmetto Beetle (lets call it what it is people, its a ROACH) in one of their toy bins. I took it in the bathroom and flushed it. To which my 3yr old commented: He's going for a LONG
swim!!! Where do they come up with these things???
And then my 2 yr old, completed a great somersault, turned to me, and asked ME (you know the 29 week pregnant one) to do a somersault too....
I will let you all know how that turns out!

Not Quite Sure How

I am going to make it through tonight and tomorrow. I woke up yesterday with an ICKY cold. I am all sneezy and achey and drippy. Yeah, I know you wanted to know that last part... To make it more fun, I can't take anything. Being "with child" and all. I have the Rehearsal to oversee tonight, and then the wedding tomorrow. Maybe if I sneeze in the Chocolate Fountain tonight, I can have it all to myself! So I plan on dosing myself with Tylenol and chugging orange juice and hoping for the best.
Honestly, it shouldn't be too hard, the church has a "Wedding Director" who is very sweet, and I have every intention of letting her run the show there. She knows how things work for their Pastor, and sanctuary better than I do. So I will sit quietly while I drip discreetly into a tissue shoved up my nose, and OBSERVE. Then at the reception site, there is a catering manager. She has worked with me to get everything coordinated, but the butlers and servers are her staff, and the bride and groom are supplied with their own personal ATTENDANT. Who will follow them around and attend to their every need. So I will simple direct and make sure everything runs smoothly. EASY!!
I think the hardest part will be picking my boys up at the sitters at 11pm and then getting them to unwind enough to go to bed when we get home! Sunday I plan on laying on the couch and not moving for 8 hours. I will read and hang out with my guys and maybe if I can muster the strength, I will clean my house. Then I just have to get through next week, and then hubby will be home the following Wednesday!! YIPPEEE!!!!

I think my cold has made me delusional, and none of this is as easy as it sounds....
I need prayer!

Menu Plan Monday, anything look good?

This is going to be a busy week for us, well, mostly me as I have a HUGE wedding that I am coordinating on Saturday. That means that Friday and Saturday, the boys will eat with the sitter, and I will get yummy catered food! Does that seem fair? I won't be posting our Mothers Day meal either because we aren't celebrating probably until the 27th, the weekend after my hubby finally gets home...YIPPEEE!!!
So this week will be Sunday through Thursday, and here I was trying to figure out what to put on my meal plan those last two day!
Sunday: Ham and Cheese Sandwiches
Monday: Pizza Bake (not sure about this one, I am supposed to be kicked out of my house to have some time to myself, so the boys may have something different)
Tuesday: Pigs in Blankets (hotdogs with cheese in crescent rolls)
Wednesday: Breakfast for dinner - Chocolate Chip Pancakes and Banana slices
Thursday: Chicken and Cheese quesadillas

I will be glad when this week is over, it is bound to be stressful and it also puts me one week closer to hubby coming home!

Life In General....

If you looked on the couches behind me, you would see my youngest fast asleep. And I mean ASLEEP!! He was tired and cranky, and me being the mean mommy that I am told him he couldn't have a nap! Why? you ask... Well, when he naps, he has a hard time going down at bedtime which is 8pm-ish. And I like the boys in bed at 8 so I have some time to myself before exhaustion chases me down and drags me to bed too.
As my due date for #3 approaches, I am only 28 weeks, but I can see the end looming in the distance, I get tired a lot easier. I think it may have something to do with how much I am taking on right now. Hubby comes home in 17 days, HOORAY!, but that makes me the mommy/daddy/grocery shoppin, hauling everything up the stairs, cleaning my house, and running my business crazy like person until then. I have a HUGE wedding coming up this weekend, I will be SUPER swamped this week, then the following week, I have a drs appt. Yippee for glucose tests. and then the following week Dh comes home! So that means on top of the usual cleaning, I have to do some major cleaning for DH. Not because he expects it, but because I am crazy like that. And my oldest guy wants to make a 3D train cake in "honor" or Daddy coming home. Yeah right. Because my 3yr old is thinking of Daddy when he makes that request. If I asked, the requested dessert would be a cherry cheesecake or cherry pie.
There is a lot of work that goes into a 3D Train Cake, in fact when we got the pan for it this past year for my 3 yr olds birthday, it took about 4 trial bakes to figure out the exact amount of batter and bake time to make it work. It was not fun and easy like the instructions said. That is a ONCE a year cake. And I have 6 more months before I have to make it again!

7 Is The Magic Number...

YIPPEE! I have been tagged again! This time by Laura to list 7 (hopefully) new things about myself that you have NEVER heard before!

1. My first son was born by waterbirth in Oregon
2. Even though I have been pulled over once, I have never gotten a ticket. My husband will tell you I am a speed demon though. I have no idea what he is talking about....
3. This year I will be celebrating the 5 yr anniversary of my 25th birthday!
4. Random body parts fall asleep at odd moments, like when I am driving, sometimes my middle or pinkie finger (and only that finger) will fall asleep.
5. I have an INTENSE fear of spiders
6. I still enjoy an episode of Boy Meets World every now and then!
7. I don't like mushrooms simply because I hate the squeaky sound they make on my teeth!

There you go! Maybe not the most enlightening post, but fun nonetheless.

SO now I get to tag 7 people.... Stacy, SarahGrace, Annie, Boomama, Steph,Rona, and Heather

Works For Me Wednesday!

This is the Birthday Edition! We have not gotten into the huge overly elaborate birthdays as of yet. Our boys are little still, and as long as there is a cake and maybe a gift or two, they are fairly happy! But I do know that as they get older, I will have an obligation to throw FAB-U-LOUS parties for my children. It will literally be expected of me because I am a Party Planner.

But I do have a few tricks up my sleeve to make it a little easier. Scour the internet. There are so many sites that deal with birthdays, they give ideas, they have favors you can buy in wholesale, which makes it a lot cheaper. If you are crafty, make the favors, or have make your own favors. Having cookies in the shape of whatever Character your child is in love with for the kids to decorate, its fun, interactive, and I am sure parents appreciate not getting another goody bag full of cheap plastic toys!

One of my favorite party ideas, but requires a backyard of some sort and nice weather is to have an art party. You get rolls of white butcher paper, and lots of paint. They even have a company that makes edible paint if you have little ones. Make sure to have smocks or trash bags you can use to cover their clothes. Then let them go to town! They can paint with finger paints, brushes, even their feet. Carry the theme through and have a decorate your own cupcake table, and for a party favor, snap pictures of each child creating a masterpiece, have little frames for them, or if they are older, they can make one. And the birthday boy/girl now has a colorful and meaningful mural they can hang in their room or playroom as a reminder of their special day! Its an easy fun party, with little more required for cleanup than a garbage bag and a hose! And that will DEFINITELY work for me!!