not for the squeamish...

Not only is this what I feel like today, it's what I look like too!
You should have seen the look I got from the preschool teachers today dropping off and picking up Meritt at school.
If I had more energy I would have said, this is what a mom looks like after being up for two nights in a row with the flu going through...

(warning this post is not for the squeamish!)
Thanksgiving night was Meritt.
Night before last was Bella.
Vomit everywhere...
I have a question... why does the flu always hit in the middle of the night?
Why do kids always throw up in their beds?
Awful I tell you.
Like a hurricane of puke hit.
Ah, yes. These are the glamorous moments of life!
Good thing is, the extraordinary love God gives us for our children provides us the strength and fortitude to not only clean up the puke hurricanes, but also hold their hair back while they throw up time after time for 12 hours straight.

If that wasn't glamourous enough... after all of that,
Last night was my turn... luckily, I did not throw up in my bed.
I made it to the porcelain god, thankfully!

So, let's re-cap in the last two weeks: I had a piercing pain in my stomach that ended up being a ruptured ovarian cyst that landed me on bed rest for a few days... then I mustered the energy to put together Thanksgiving dinner for 12. In the middle of the night after Thanksgiving was over and all cleaned up, Meritt awoke to vomit EVERYwhere... she laid on our floor by our bed and vomited all night long. She recovered fairly quickly. We convinced ourselves she must have eaten too much Thanksgiving dinner and dessert, and cleaned up the horror and moved on, praying that it wasn't a virus. Monday night, Bella vomited half asleep & half awake in her bed, got up vomited two more times on the way down to us. Woke us at 1am with vomit dripping from her poor little pathetic shaking body... we put her in the bath, cleaned up the hurricane, made her a bed in the basement, and stayed awake with her cleaning her bowl out every 20 minutes or so while she got sick all night long. By morning, I wasn't sure if I was just exhausted or getting it too, but I made it through the day sanitizing and caring for sick B and bored feeling much better M... by the time Matt got home, I was done. By 8 I was vomiting too, and here we are today... feeling much like that pug eyed face above. Praying that God knows that this is all I can handle for a while.

So, if you feel so inclined, would you pray that this is the end of the sick people in our home?!!!
It's Christmas time. I have a retail store that needs me... and a slew of other things that really need my attention. Please let this be the last day, I look like my pug dog with my hoodie on my head. I can't take anymore!!!

grateful...

I am so thankful for all of the blessings in my life. My cup truly does run over! I have happy healthy kids, and a great husband. Together we make a family. When I was a little girl, I dreamed of the day I could have my own family. No where in my dreams did I imagine all the blessings that God would provide me. Life is definitely not perfect. But, in the moments when I feel like life is unraveling a bit, I think of those who have real problems. People that don't know where their next meal will come from. People that spend more time in the cold than in warmth. Those who don't have clean water to drink. When I look at life from this perspective, I know how blessed I truly am. It is with a thankful heart today that I will celebrate this Thanksgiving. Happy to have family and friends, good food, and a warm home to celebrate with and in.

My prayer is where ever you are today, that you too have blessing that are great. Happy Thanksgiving! Have a wonderful day full of love, and laughter, and lots of good foods to eat!

warm at my feet...

On cold, stormy nights like these, I am thankful for having these little creatures, my friends, warm at my feet.

 I can't even imagine what my life would be like without my pets.

A lot of people don't understand it...

you know why you'd want so many things to take care of...

but, I can't imagine living without the love that they give.

The day we lost Addie Kat, I came home, and I was so thankful that I had these three to come home to.

I can't even imagine how wrecked I would have been had the house been empty of animal life...

I am thankful for their quiet, unconditional, love and friendship.

My life is better because they are in it.

what's for dinner tonight....

I saw this last week on someone's blog... don't remember where or who. SO, I went to my trusty best friend Pinterest, and searched for baked chicken spaghetti, and wha-la! The original recipe from the Pioneer Woman. www.thepioneerwoman.com - So, I ran out this evening got the ingredients I didn't have, and it looks like it's gonna be a baked spaghetti kind of night. Yumm-o can't wait!

I love cozy days at home. Especially in the Fall because there is something guilt free about naps, and good cozy comfort foods, and curling up and cuddling with a good book and a dog by your side. That is my idea of a good day!

Happy Friday, hope you are having a lovely start to your weekend!

Kat...

Today, the planet, our hearts, our home, and our lives lost a sweet soul, and heaven gained an angel. We said good-bye to our sweet girl Addie-kat, known to those who loved her just as 'Kat'. Her name is inspired from Audrey Hepburn's cat in Breakfast at Tiffany's. I just love how Holley Golightly called for her cat... makes me laugh every time I think about it!

Matt and I picked her out of a box of kittens in my neighbors garage the year we graduated from High School. She was with us every step of our lives as he and I. Today after spending 13 years and 8 months loving her, she passed away. She left this earth peacefully holding on to my shoulder... her happy and safe place. I am glad she is no longer in pain... my heart aches for my own loss, and for the loss of Matt, and the girls, but I am thankful for her. No more pain, no more suffering, no more hurting...