We are on our way to bigger things ......

Last weekend our realtor took us into a home that was open for owner finance. It would come out to be $700 a month for 5 years and then we would own it flat out. The home itself is cheap at $40,000 and the owner said he would only charge us a 6% interest rate. I was excited. Eugene wasn't and that kinda hurt my feelings. I am tired of the process and just want a place to call home. Well when we got there my excitement went out the doors. The home has tenants in it. They were trying to make their point. I wasn't scared one bit by them. Kinda funny though cause that is exactly what they were trying to do. They had 2 pit bulls tied up right at the front door and told us they would bite. So we couldn't use the steps to get up on the front porch. Then they had the whole house pitch black. They told our realtor the lights went out and no longer work. Funny thing is though when we tried one of the lights...WHALA ! The light came on...they stuttered well yeah, that is the only one that works. In the back yard they had 5 more pit bulls tied up so we couldn't actually go back there to see. Oh and did I mention they had open bags of trash out and it was making the place stink ? lol They did everything they could to steer us away. We didn't really get to see the house properly. Our realtor was upset and he was nervous. He later told us he was carrying a gun on him cause he went back and got it out of his glove compartment. I thought that was funny. In the past these people would have shook me up but not now. I just acted real nice. When the big guy that lived there shook my hand he about crushed it. I remember thinking you can squeeze all you want but I do not feel threatened by you. In fact even though the house was gross inside there was a teensy little part that wanted to buy that house just to make my point that you all don't scare me. lol But alas we shouldn't really buy an overpriced home just to make a point to someone who chooses to make their money illegally that they don't scare us. Our realtor then said "listen, I really want to show you what else is out there for a much better price if you can come up with cash". He then proceeded to take us to a different home. This home that was under half the price was much more nice !!!!! But it is bank owned so no owner financing. Anyway it just made me all the more determined I am going to wait until God opens the door and not rush into a overpriced home that is super yucky just because it has owner financing. I believe something happened in the past week and a half. Something in the spiritual realm. We had the opportunity to go into a new home in a development. The lady who owns it also is the developer. She was handing us everything on a silver platter to go into that home. I mean it was almost to good to be true. Like a Wow, I can't believe what God is doing for us kind of home. Only thing was it was a more expensive home and so we would have been tied into it for 30 years. ( or until God gave us a big check to pay it off ) I have always wanted a new home in a development. But what I realized over the past months and ex specially in the last 2 weeks is what I use to want is no longer what I now want. I know God has plans for us. I am not going to go into details on those plans but I know that we are to buy a home and pay it off as quick as possible. That I know for certain. So I walked away from the home that was the "perfect" one. It was hard telling Chad cause he so desperately wanted it but I knew as soon as we stood our ground and said no that something happened in the spiritual realm. I didn't even realize there was more to the picture until we said no. I can't explain it but it is like God wanted to see if we were going to settle for 2nd best. Second best being the new home in the development. I believe we could have taken that home and lived there being happy but then God would have never been able to take us to the next level. Our next home most likely will NOT be a new home in a development (LOL) but it will be a home that starts taking us to our next journey :) I know that even more, now that we have passed the test. By taking a stand it actually made me all the more determined to not miss out on living debt free. Like after I walked away from temptation I realized my heart is in a better place then I even knew :) I praise God for that ......God is good !

No title :)

I am really trying to hang in there and not get discouraged. I keep reminding myself that God is bigger then my situation. The other morning I got a phone call saying we had the $ to get into the house we wanted. I called the realtor and told him we would like to meet and sign papers. He said ok. One hour later he called back to inform me the house went under agreement the night before. That house sat on the market for over 2 years yet it managed to sell in the 2 days it took us to come up with the money! Every time I look at the homes for sale I get so frustrated. There are so many good deals right now. Houses that are bank owned for cheap. Yet with our situation we need someone to owner finance and so bank owned ones are out. I ask all my readers to please pray for the doors to open for us. We will soon be here half a year. That is about 5 months and 3 weeks to long for me ! LOL

Here We Go Once Again.......

I am sitting here wishing I had a cup of coffee in my hands. I know that if I get up and make one it will wake up my son though. So far I have opted for quiet alone time over the warm soothing therapy in a cup. After yesterday I really do need my coffee and time alone with God. I am not sure why BUT these two definitely go together. As sure as the earth is round you need coffee when reading your Bible. Eugene had off yesterday with the intentions of signing an agreement on a home. The $3,000 we thought was coming in to us never did and so no papers were signed. We did take a look at the home again. Also re looked at another home we could possibly still get in and rent until ready to buy but that home is $400 MORE a month. We really don't want to have to rent mainly because it is so much more expensive. I am trying to remind my hubby and I that God sees the whole picture and He has it all under control. Even if we don't understand. Anyway, we are going to look at switching hotels for now. Also might just suck it up and opt to pay more money and rent. I mean what else can we do ? So once again I ask for your prayers.

We are going into battle.......

First off spell check is down so I apologize :)************************************Thanks to a new found relationship with a friend of my parents I have been learning some very interesting and important things lately. As God's children we can can walk blindly through life allowing the enemeys tactics to have power in our life or we can learn how to be aware and fight back. I always considered myself well versed in this area but have found lately there were topics I wasn't even aware of. One of them being a victim spirit. When I first heard about it I honestly thought it meant someone who goes through life thinking they are a victim and saying o poor me...blah blah blah.....we all know people like that. So at first I thought ok, this doesn't effect my family. We have always been so blessed in the past and only recently ( past few years ) had real difficult finacial isssues. Even through it all we have spoken God's praise. Not to say there were not moments we haven't felt down but we have always allowed the Lord to pick our spirits back up. Well, I have to say after reading and digging deeper into the topic I realized what the victim spirit actually is. I am so glad that the Lord has allowed us to be taught on this subject. It is amazing how much the victim spirit is apparent in our previouse generations. The Lord has been teaching me the power and authority I have as God's child. I am so excited ! Cause now I have on a full armour and I am ready to fight ! The enemey will no longer have a idle family sitting on the side lines ! We are prepared and ready to fight ! I find myself so excited because even though we are at war I have the winning tools by my side ! I know we will find victory ! It is ours. I have been praying out to the Lord teach me how to take back that which is ours, all that has been stolen from us. And he has faithfully put someone in my life to teach me ! God is so good ! I had this dream some time ago where we our land was stolen from us and being gaured by men with guns. They would only let us a few feet onto our property. In that dream I had such fear and wanted to walk away from it all and start over. I knew that the Lord was showing me I needed to get over my fear and take back that which was rightfully ours. The fear is gone and I am going into battle ! Not only am I going into battle but praise God my husband is right there beside me. Satan is going down !

Quick update on the housing situation.....

I wanted to quick take the time to update my readers on the house situation. Our realtor has spoken with the owner and has reassured us the home could still be ours if we want. We are now just waiting to see how long it might take. The owner himself has yet to return any of our calls and is still busy with his mother. The realtor explained the owner has been called out of town due to his mother being admitted into the hospital. We have been praying for the Lord to lead us. We have started looking again. We like the house and have no problems purchasing it but as we were to have gone to settlement in July and it is soon September we are starting to wonder if we shouldn't purchase it. We really don't want to buy it if the Lord has something else in mind. So if you think about it please keep us in your prayers as we decide what to do. There are some other homes available but we need $3,000 to $5,000 more then we have to get in. We really want to get into a home of our own as the homes we are looking at are super cheap. The mortgage payment would be half of what we would pay in rent for a 2 bedroom condo at the beach ! We would be able to pay off our home within 5 years and live mortgage free :)

First day of 3rd grade for Chad

Today was our first day of school. Chad wasn't to sure about summer vacation being over but he admitted to having fun today :) Of course the first day of school doesn't require near as much work as other days ! lol We did basic stuff. Talked about the upcoming school year. Did some seat work. Oh yeah and got in some swimming and a trip to Ihop ! Chad has been in bed sleeping for some time now after a nice long shower and a warm cup of milk. I on the other hand had grading and preparations to do. The school year is a busy time and I pray the Lord soon blesses us with a home and yard of our own to complete the 3rd grade in. I have so many plans for the year. I have lots of activities I want to carry through. Many which require a yard of our own. Well tonight my writings will be short. I am exhausted and the lull of the dishwasher washing dishes is putting me to sleep. The soft lullaby music that is still playing from when I put Chad down doesn't help either. Goodnight dear readers. Be blesssed.

Back to square one ?

Back to square one ? That's where we think we are. Last weekend we were suppose to meeting up with the guy on our house to sign papers and get the keys. This week we were going to be moving in. When we showed up for our scheduled meeting he wasn't there. After many messages and days later his secretary finally called to say he is held up with his sick mom at the hospital and she needs surgery. Told us that he will call us when he is available. It has been over a week since we have heard from him personally. Even more weird is the realtor wouldn't tell us anything either. (He is friends with the business/home owner) Something doesn't seem right to us. We are wondering if God is just trying to spare us from something and delaying the process until we get the hint. Not going into to much detail because I need to get ready for church. Please pray that God gives us wisdom and leads us into the right direction. We are really frustrated and just want to settle down for once.

The places ones heart can travel........

As I sit here before an empty screen, my hearts wonders if there are really any words to describe all that my heart is feeling. ***** I wonder how long it would take for us to drown if we as humans would bottle up and sit in every tear we have ever cried. For some would it be at a tender age of 4 ? I think of a young child I love so dearly. My heart longs to know she is safe and happy. Has she already experienced enough grief to drown in her own tears ? When I think of my own sorrows and the many haunting nights of grief I have experienced in my lifetime I can't help but feel sorrow for others. I have had my own griefs and pain no doubt but there are so many others I know who have had more. I can't imagine a lifetime of the intense sorrows some seem to find bestowed upon them. A life without love is really no life at all. I find that the very air I breathe seems to be generated by those whom I love the most. For me to live without those I dearly love would be like living without air. As I allow my memories to travel down distant lanes I find myself being reminded of a little girl. I remember holding her in my arms and feeling such intense love. As my memories fast forward I then see my empty arms wrapped around myself. I will never forget that emptiness. My arms literally ached for months. My heart for years. I can't even begin to imagine the pain one must feel when having lost a baby they have carried for nine months and then raised into adult hood. I can't imagine being the parent or grandparent of a precious child and having them stolen from me. When my mind wonders to that scary night when I was just 12 years old I thank God that His loving arms were there to protect me. I can't even begin to imagine the pain a child's heart must go through when their innocence is so abruptly stolen. Even more, as a mother I can't and do not even want to try and imagine how one must feel holding their hurt baby knowing that life took from them something they could never get back. Holding their child and feeling the intense pain that must come from knowing you were not there to protect them when they needed it the most. My thoughts toss and turn as a wave. Each new one bringing into mind a thousand more. In all my pain and grief I have never come close to the feelings of what some others have had to endure. A few weeks ago I found myself laying in bed wondering what it would be like to have my grandchild taken from me before I ever even got to know if it was a boy or a girl. At that moment lying in bed I realized that we all go about our daily lives never coming close to truly understanding the pain another heart is feeling. When I think of so many people I love my heart breaks for them. At the same time my heart places them in my hero category. I think of one lonely and very very lost soul in particular. He has been fighting his own demons for years. As hard as I tried to pull him into the light I failed. I have since come to realize that only he can reach for that light and grasp it. I might have never known a more lonelier soul then this one. While others may look at him and see brokenness I look at him beyond all the brokenness and see a hero. He has continually lost all that is so dear to him yet he chooses to get up every day. Alas, he might choose to drown himself in more demons but he is a survivor. And one day he will walk into that light and he will be set free. I believe this because I believe in him. He might not see himself as a hero. He might not be able to see past all the demons, period. But he is definitely a hero in my book. As I sit here my mind wonders to my childhood. How I longed to know of that which helped bring me into my very existence. The pain I found in that. Yet I grew up in a loving home with two parents. My heart aches for those who lost the one who had carried them close to their womb for nine months. The one who fed them as babies. I can't imagine the pain of not being able to share your new found joy as a parent with your very own parent. I think of how whenever my heart tries to imagine loosing the very breath within me I am brought to tears. To have to place your soul mate into a grave is something I beg God to never allow my heart to experience. Then there is something I will never forget because my heart continues to remind me of that one particular day when I was 16. I remember sitting in a car with someone almost twice my age. He was a strong man who I looked up to. I will never forget as he wept and cried to me like a baby. He looked so beaten and worn. He was broken by circumstances that no husband should ever have to endure. Throughout my childhood and adult years I have watched so many people I love be beaten by the ugliness of this world. If one were to write a story of the peoples lives that I know, the reader would convince themselves that it couldn't possibly be all true. That one woman and her decedents could never experience so much tragedy in just 3 generations. Yet it all happened. Some things even too horrendous to allow ones heart to remember on a little old blog. As I sit here looking back on my life and on those whom I love I can't help but be amazed by all the heroes in my life. The people I know who have refused to stop living. All those who chose to go on just one more day. Yes, my heart still aches. I am human and my pains are real. Others have no idea and I guarantee it is harder then they think. Yet I continue to find this heart aching for others in their pain that also is so real. I questioned in my blog the other day whether life is just life and bad luck or if there is more to it then that. This heart knows that this family has seen enough heartache. It also knows it has nothing to do with bad luck. The enemy has stolen to much already. This heart is going to get back up and fight. It will not allow the enemy to continue to steal and destroy. I will fight for my spouse, my children. For my loved ones. It might not be easy but I will fight and I will receive the victory.

Being Real........

As I sit here trying to drown my sorrows in a cup of coffee I can't help but quietly scream inside"God make yourself real" ! This past week was one full of much anticipation and excitement only to be slapped in the face again this weekend. I am so tired of feeling like every time we get just about standing on our own two feet again to be pushed down. I find myself sympathizing with those who have been knocked down and just never seem to get their life on the good track again. Once you are down life and people seem to try their hardest to keep you there. It makes me wonder what is the spiritual take on it or is it just life and lack of luck ? I keep praying. I have even begged God to show me how to pray, what to rebuke, what to do period. I know deep down inside somewhere that God will totally bring us out of this to a better place. I do know that. Right ? Stacy, you do know that. I mean we are not gonna stay in this ditch our whole life. God is not a liar. He is good and His promises remain true forever ! I do know that yet I am not gonna be so religious that I can't admit I have serious doubts some days. Last night as I laid there and cried to my husband I explained that the thing that makes me the most sad is that Chad shared with me the other day sometimes he just wonders if the whole God thing is really true. Now this in itself wouldn't be so sad to me except I myself have never dealt with this at all in my childhood. Or early adult hood. I never ever doubted that God existed, ever.........until.... well until the past year. Now I am not to ashamed to admit this. I mean in my doubts I know God is real because He has shown himself to me in such ways that I could never say He doesn't exist. I have heard Him speak out loud to me. I have seen Him move on my behalf. I have had dreams from Him. So I know He is real and yet I have to say there have been days where I questioned myself. I have thought what if I imagined everything ? What if it was all coincidence ? What if we are all just believing something because ...because why ? Now in the past I have been around people who think this is something horrible for any person to say or admit but let me just remind everyone that God knows our hearts and our feelings better then we do ourselves. We can hide things from others and even try to hide things from ourselves but God knows. So for me or anyone to admit this isn't horrible to God. He already knows my doubts and fears. It might make me horrible to others but frankly I just don't care about that. But I feel as if I have lost the main point in me admitting this. I was saying all this to say that it made me so sad when Chad shared that with me because I knew I myself have recently struggled with those same thoughts. Just didn't expect him too at such a young age. What has made me so melancholy this morning ? We were suppose to sign papers yesterday and get the keys to our new home. That didn't happen. Eugene has already taken off this coming Monday and Tuesday ( in a week from today) so we could move in. We already planned to come to Pa over labor day weekend and get all our stuff from storage. I am tired of having to tell my son he we are not getting the house after all. I am tired of seeing his crushed face. I am tired of saying "soon" whenever he asks when we are going to get his stuff out of storage. I am tired of living in other peoples houses and hotels. It has been over two years since I said goodbye to our Marion home. Chad was six when we packed up everything on that life changing day. This October he will be nine. We are tired. NOTE : I am not saying I do not think God exists. I know God is real. I am simply being honest with the mind struggles I have. I know that God exist and I know that the doubts that come into my mind are simply a ploy from the enemy. I know God is taking care of us and will continue to do so. I know that we are still so blessed. I love God with all my heart. I am simply being real.

Burn on the hand... OUCH !!!!!

Last night I burned my hand. I heated water up in the microwave. Let it sit some and then heated it again for 5 minutes. Problem is I then forgot to let it sit some after the 5 minute reheat. When I picked up the cup and went to pour the water I spilt some of it on me. I have a blister to show for it today. It hurts but the itchiness of it is worse then the pain ! On to a better note, I am happy to report my sons tiredness won over the sugar yesterday :) He actually fell asleep on the couch and I had to wake him up and move him over to the bed ! It was so wonderful ! He had so much fun at the warehouse and it was so good for him. Chad said he should go every day ! I know one of the things recommended to me for Chad was activities that incorporate exercise. After we move and have a permanent car I will definitely schedule lots of activities to keep him busy :) Eugene is on his way home from North Carolina. He is feeling tired and sense I don't feel like a cooped up hen we are going to just stay in tonight. Or so are the plans right now. Our plans do seem to change quickly sometimes though. lol It is amazing the difference of having a car this week. Usually by this point I just need to get out and see something other then these four walls. It was definitely nice to have been able to get out this past week and just do something. I am not sure when I will have a car again or if we are just going to buy the one that I have here. But I am thankful for the week I had :) Oh one more thing before I go. I am excited because I am getting a new Lia Sophia ring ! I can't wait until it comes :) I loved doing a book show for my friend and I am super excited as I think about the possibility of selling it myself. I love their jewelry pieces. They are great quality and come with a life time warranty. They will be coming out with some new pieces for the fall and winter. Just in time for Christmas gifts :) Makes Christmas shopping a whole lot easier cause I know I can give something that will be truly enjoyed by the receiver. Hard part is narrowing it down to just one or two pieces per loved one ! lol And for my mom.....your Lia Sophia necklace is on the way here too ! A little late but none the less, so Happy Birthday ! Love ya !

What a busy day we had !

Today was quite the busy day. Chad had a friend spend the night last night. They were wound up and noisy. I do not enjoy sleepovers when we are all sleeping in the same room! I made the mistake of letting Chad have HALF a slushy and a small piece of chocolate yesterday. He had the slushy around 3 pm and a real small piece of chocolate around 5. I thought it would be ok. I am still experimenting with what effects Chad more and what doesn't. I have been doing research. I really don't want Chad on meds. I know that certain dyes can effect him and stuff. Well whatever was in that slushy I think is a definite no-no ! That is on our MOSTLY do not touch list from now on! I say mostly because slushys are Chads favorite and I feel bad thinking that I will never ever let him have one again. I can't even describe how he was last night though. He just gets to this point where he is crazy but NOT like just a hyper crazy. Most people who haven't a clue what I mean just say well that's children with sugar. But it is beyond that. I use to not understand it so much myself but after being encouraged by a christian counselor ( who is also a friend ) to do research on the matter I now understand it better. She explained to us that we should not get mad at Chad but understand he really can't help a lot of these things that we find to be a struggle. Anyway, I cried myself to sleep last night cause it was so bad. I know some people feel and even have suggested I just put him on meds but I just really don't want to resort to that. I was told that with a lot of patience and by watching his daily activities and diet we can have better control of things naturally. I figure when he is older if he decides to go on meds that is up to him but as for now I don't want him to. I just pray that when we get into a home with a yard it will get better. To have him in one room just adds to the daily struggles of the whole thing. I think we will be moving soon :) Hopefully tonight he can lay still and get his brain to slow down. I took him and his friend to the $1 movie this morning. Then we went to the warehouse nearby to meet up with more friends of ours and play. It has "indoor" soccer fields, volleyball, basketball,boxing, jumpy houses, slides, ext. They were running non stop for four hours. But the place only has huge fans and big garage like doors they open. Chads friend got sick from heat exhausting and we had to leave then so I could take him home quick to get in a cool shower. Anyway at the warehouse I realized that one of the other boys gave Chad a soda. I realized it to late though...arhhhh. One thing I am extremely thankful for : plans that have not been approved yet ! Eugene is actually going to come home tomorrow night. The next set of plans have not come back approved yet so they get the weekend off :) YAY !!!!!

Don't want to forget............

I want to blog today mostly so I never forget this. Last weekend ( I believe it was when we were on the boardwalk watching the waves and the tourists ) Eugene turned to me and out of the blue said " you know when I watch all these couples I can't help but feel bad for them. Most couples just never get there. You know to the point we have ...." I don't think he said it to be sweet or anything but I just found it to be one of the sweetest things. I am so happy to have the same best friend I had at the age of 13 still by my side at the age of 30 :) We have been best friends for 17 years and married for 11 years. It hasn't always been an easy road. But in the last year we have finally got it ! We have finally reached that point. I can't explain it but even when we thought we were so in love when we first got married it just wasn't what we have today ! I hear wives say they just need a break from their husbands sometimes. Need a girls night out. Now I have nothing against a good girls night out but to be honest I love being with my family and wouldn't choose that over anything ! I love just being with my husband. I love just doing nothing or doing everything ! I never realized what we were missing but man I am so glad we found it :)

Having a car.....

Having a car this week is making life so much more fun ! It is amazing to know I am not stuck in this hotel room all week. Like last night I got in the mood for ice cream. I didn't go out for any because I didn't want to spend the money but just knowing that I could have went out if I really wanted to was nice :) This morning the fire alarm was going off once again. This time though when the fire men turned it off it went right back on. We were told it was going to be awhile to fix it. I was like cool, we can leave if this gets to annoying. By time I got ready ( it took awhile ) the fire alarm was fixed. So we stayed here for awhile longer. We did get to go out some though this afternoon and tonight I will take Chad to kid's night at Chick-Fil-A. We can take advantage of our season passes so we will also do that in the evenings. It is to hot here to go to Nascar or Broadway during the day but we can go in the evenings as they are open until 11 pm. Oh, goodness, the stupid fire alarm is going off again. It is sooooo loud and hurts ones ears. If this keeps up I am fixing to leave again ! lol Oh and later I will post the ugly duckling for ya !

Moody Mondays

Today is a Moody Monday. This Monday is a little less moody then previous ones thanks to the ugly beast out in the parking lot. Chad and I took advantage of having the thing already. We spent some time reading at our local bookstore this morning. Walked around the mall and then stopped by Walmart for some bread and a few other small grocery items. Chad already asked if we couldn't please go out again tonight but I think we had enough fun for one day. We will have to see :)

19 days ..... I don't think so !

I finally fell asleep last nigh/this morning. I kissed my husband off to work and around 4 am fell asleep, finally ! I really need to get into a routine at night to help my brain slow down. Does anyone else have this problem ? I would like to do something natural if that is at all possible. I woke up this morning around 7:30 am but allowed myself to go back to sleep till 10:30. So hopefully tonight I will fall asleep well enough. My hubby is gone for the week. In North Carolina. Nothing new except that they want him to work 19 days straight ! My husband assures me he will NOT go 19 days straight without seeing me. He says he will NOT even think of going one weekend without seeing us :) I reminded him we have had to do that in the past and survived but no way, he is not up to doing that again ! Right now I am feeling pretty good and feel like however it goes, I will be ok. It is amazing how seeing a "finish line" can alter ones mood so drastically ! I have a car ( at least for a week ) and we are going to be moving ! When ? I don't know but we WILL be moving ! I feel good ! Plus I know my husband is right....he will NOT go 19 days without holding me ;)

Not so savy .....

Ok, So I am not as savy I would like. Can't figure out how to add the link. Here is the web address I want you all to check out...... www.liasophia.com Thanks ! After taking a look let me know what you think and if you are interested in taking advantage of the great sale going on right now. Remember till the end of this week you can buy 3 and get 2 highest priced items at half off...only pay full price for lowest priced item. Did you know that labor day is comming up and after labor Day there is only like 16 weeks untill Christmas ? With this great sale you could do some Christmas shopping !

life as it is 1:30 in the morning.......

It is 1:30 am Monday morning. I should be sleeping but alas, I am not ! I was in bed at a decent hour but couldn't fall asleep so here I am. I have so many thoughts swirling around in my head. Plus it doesn't help that when I told my hubby I wasn't feeling well he went and bought me a big cup of Pepsi........and then I drank the whole thing! I mean goodness, they shouldn't be allowed to even serve that much soda in one cup. At this rate I might just be up at 3:30 when Gene gets up to go to work ! I have a few things to share with ya'll tonight..... uhhh I mean this morning. First off Gene brought home a vehicle this weekend for me to "test drive". It is a big messy thing by the name of an Rodeo Izuzu ( spelling ? ). It is the companys he works for and they thought maybe if I drove it this week I would then want to buy it. The other vehicle we were going to buy is still sitting in some mechanics grass and you don't even want to ask about that...trust me you don't want to know and even if you did I am not sure I really know whats up with that ! As for the one sitting outside my stomach dropped the first time I set eyes on it. I wanted to cry and complain to God. "Is this what we have been reduced to ?" each day it has gotten less uglier though. I think it is tryingto be pretty for me, really :) So, I came to the conclusion I can drive it and keep my head up enough to see out the window. Ha. Eugene on the other hand isn't so sure after this weekend. He paid the gas :) He messed with the stupid window over and over and over when it wouldn't go back up and then he paid the gas again ! So, I will have to let you know what happens with that. But either way I get a car for the week. So yay ! My second thing to share is we decided to go look at 2 more homes that would be an option for us to buy. One being a huge modular on land and another being a stick built home on little over an acre. We set it up to go see them Sat. ( yesterday ). Friday night I was a mess. I was so upset and crying and wow, so upset. As I laid in bed I had to calm myself down and ask myself what was the problem. Was it the big ugly duckling sitting out in the parking lot ? Yes?hmmm...... well no not really, I guess. So what was it ? As I went through this thought process I finally came to the relization I was sad we might turn our backs on the poor modular that obviosuly so desperatly needed my loving care ! When I realized I was sobbing over that I also knew that was stupid because if we chose another home it would be because I wanted the other home. This thinking couldn't keep me from being sad though. Really, what is up with a woman's emotions ? Saturday we went and looked at the homes and guess what, the stick built home was like ahhh, its ok. I mean it could be nice if we really gutted it, ripped off the enclosed porch, cleared off the overgrown and wooded land, ext. But you know what...it just wasn't there. You know the feeling in your heart that you know it is home. And then the second home we looked at was just to much $. I mean it is still like half or less then what we paid for our last home but I just really want a home I know is feasible to pay off in 5 years. So I realized that even though that feeling was not there the first time I saw the modular I previously blogged about. ( on half an acre ) It has definitely grown to be there now. Yesterday I just knew that I wanted to love up that place. That I didn't need to look at any other places. That we have found the place for us. When we picked up the paperwork later Sat. and my husband saw the monthly payment he knew it too :) Our payments on the place for the month will be about what we paid on our old home every week ! And we are doing a 15 year loan when on our old home we had a 30 yr ! We felt so happy. Then to just add icing on the cake I had this certain number in my head I wanted to pay. I told the Lord if He really wanted to confirm it in my heart that He is watching over this situation and us to please give us that #. A few weeks ago I thought ok Stacy, don't get so hung up over $4,000 it is only $4,000 over what you keep saying you want to spend on a home. Well, I wanted Gene to ask for the place for $4,000 less if he felt comfortable doing so. Gene never asked. The owner wrote up the papers with our mortgage amount and payments. He put the amount owed for $4,000 less then the original price quoted to us by the realtor !!!!! I just knew then that it was meant to be. I expressed to Gene I finally am starting to feel like God is smiling down on us again. Not that he wasn't blessing us before because He was but ya know what I mean ! So, by next weekend the paperwork should all be finalized. So keep it in your prayers if you remember. Thanks ! Oh and one more thing.... I am having a book show of Lia Sophia's jewelery. they have beautiful pieces and they all come with a life time guarantee. This month my "guests" will have the chance to take advantage of only the greatest sale ever ! If you buy 3 items you get half off the 2 HIGHEST priced items ! That's right ! You only pay full price for the lowest item. This sale only lasts till the end of this week. I really need a couple more orders so take a look. You won't be disappointed. Think Gifts. These items really are the perfect way to show someone you care :) I am enclosing an link with my blog. Take a look and then let me know what you think. When placing an order contact me first so I can give full details on how to do so. That way you are guaranteed to buy from my show and benefit from the great sale !

Wondering Thursday update 7/22/2010

It is "wondering Thursday" but i am not wondering because I know that my hubby is working tomorrow. He will be home some time tomorrow evening. This week has gone by kinda fast even though I have only left this room once I think ! Chad has been sick this week. He started off at the end of last week with a cough and then fever. This week he has also been acquiring some new symptoms on and off. Poor guy ! He seems to be doing better today though. he had no fever last night and for that I am glad. In fact today all he really has is a cough. He has been up playing and jumping all about the room. That is an improvement as he has been laying around on the couch or bed all the other previous days. Last weekend we revisited a home that we have been thinking of purchasing. It wouldn't be my first choice but I believe we could be happy there. The guy who is willing to owner finance it has been taking some time to get the paper work done. Nothing new for down here. Yet I have to say I keep wondering if God is going to bring something else along. Honestly I am ok with purchasing the modular on half an acre. In fact the only thing that I am not happy about is I know for the same price or even $5,000 cheaper we could buy a stick built home. There are some with even more land. It is just that we need someone who is willing to owner finance as we recently have had a short sale and other mishaps to our credit. Nothing I am ashamed of as my husbands unemployment for the whole month only equaled what he use to make in one week. There was nothing we could do about it. Anyway, I am even excited about having a new project to work on. I would love to give that modular a new makeover. The poor thing is crying for one. I love to decorate and I would welcome the challenge. I guess I am just not getting to excited until I know this is what God has for me. If I know that is what He is going to bless me with then I will jump up and down with joy. If he brings someone our way to owner finance a stick built home OR a home with even more land then I will jump up and down and cry with joy ! LOL Either way I will be jumping up and down with joy. I really want a place outside of the city limits. In fact that is the one thing that has kept me from begging Gene to owner fiance this big beautiful home in Mullins we have looked at. Eugene could probably get the down payment needed for that home and then in 5 years we would own it out right. It is a huge home that in the end would be worth showing off in a magazine. It sits on almost half an acre. I absolutely love it ! LOVE IT ! Yet it is in town. So technically I wouldn't be allowed to have chickens there. I might get away with it as it looks like the old owners had some but I could be told I need to get rid of them. Also no mini goats or anything. As silly as it sounds I really want to be able to get Chad these types of animals. I have just found in the last two years what I think is important in life. I really want my son to enjoy more simple joys in life. To be out playing with his animal friends instead of playing video games, ext. One of the reasons Eugene and I decided to go back a little ways from the beach is so we could enjoy the best of both worlds. The beach and the country. What could be better ? I have already looked on the internet at the seeds we could plant in a garden. All the different types of fruit trees and such. Oh what fun that will be :) We can play around in the yard and still do day or half day trips to the beach ! I am so happy that God has allowed us to come back down here ! God is good !

Half way through the week Wednesday

As I look at these pictures I wonder how on earth could I ever feel like these four walls are closing in on me ! LOL This has been our "home" for officially over three months now.......

So it is half way through the week Wednesday. And boy am I glad ! I have to say this has been by far the hardest week (staying here) so far. Well, except for the whole bed bug ordeal. I think I might forever have a fear of traveling and staying in hotel rooms after that ! I was told by a friend that a well known clothing store had to shut down due to the bed bugs. A store where a pair of Jeans for Chad is over $50.00 ! Now I have not checked into this to confirm and because of that I will not mention names. But it is a store where we have occasionally shopped and next time I go in there I suspect I will shutter a little. But anyway enough about that. As I was saying this week has been tough. Tough in a new whole way. I stocked up on ideas and projects this week for Chad. He has been doing well as I have been keeping him occupied. So far he has

almost suceeded at finishing a puzzle........

and made himself a yummy lunch. He has also had fun with other activities. I on the other hand have been extremely board. I think this week our walls have started getting smaller ! With the hot weather I just can't take Chad on the walks like we use to. They were far for him as it was and with the heat just not smart. We have not walked to the mall in over a month now. It took us 40 minutes and bottles of water on a good nice breezy day. The one pool here gets extremely crowed now that the hotel is almost sold out every night. I am so tired of tv and facebook and this room ! LOL Eugene says by this weekend he is hoping to know more of where we are going to live. We have found one home we could purchase. A modular actually. It sits on half an acre. It is in the town of Marion where we use to live. Well actually in the country outside the town. We are not sure if we are going to take that or look to maybe rent in NC where Gene is working right now. We just are not big fans of N.C. as we feel S.C. is our home. The Modular is cheap and we would be able to pay it off in 5 years so that would be a plus. I am hoping that we will know something more after this weekend. I am just getting anxious for a more permanent home. Exspecially because I realized in a little over four weeks school starts again ! I think another reason this hasn't been the best week so far is because Eugene is really busy. There was some talk of him not coming home at all this weekend and working 12 days straight before coming home. Then it became he will only work till Saturday and come home Saturday night and have off Sunday. This is his birthday weekend. Last night though Gene said there is a chance he can come home Friday evening :) So while Monday and Tuesday were long and dreadful Wednesday is now about over and then if I am lucky I will see my hubby and best friend the day after tomorrow :)

Moody Mondays

I have decided that just as much as Fridays are for family Monday's are for moodiness :) Monday's are like Oh a whole week to go. Tuesday are hmmm one day behind me. Wednedsays are like ok, half through the week now, I can do this. Thursdays are full of wondering if Gene will come home midnight tonight or work 2morrow yet ? Fridays are happy :)

Family Fridays :)

It's Friday ! Hip Hip Hooray ! Today is the day ! As you may already know I pretty much live for the weekends right now. With my husband working out of town we are stuck here all week by ourselves. No hubby. No car. Just one hotel room , a few mere belongings , one overly active 8 yr. old boy and one praying for strength mom ! When Fridays come my heart sings ! I am like a bird being let out of a small cage. I can fly ! My husband tells me soon we will be in a home of our own again. I just laugh considering the last two years. I mean it is either laugh or cry and I don't want to cry. I don't want to make Eugene feel sad. I have the most wonderful hubby. For real. I am amazed at how much our relationship has changed from three years ago. The Lord has done wonders ! God is amazing ! Last weekend was amazing. I tell you what else will be amazing....when we have our own house with our own bedroom again ! LOL But until then I will just be content with my weekends :)

Shout Out to new BlogFrog friends !

I am so excited to have found a new family in BlogFrog :) I am fairly new to Blogging. In fact to be honest I only started the whole blogging thing to keep friends and family updated. I have found though that blogging is a type of therapy for me. My blog post usually have to do with what my family and I have done lately or my feelings. As I read other's blogs I see that is fairly common :) So, today my blog is just a shout out to all my new found friends !

"PRAY FOR JONAH"

To all my readers, I have just linked my blog to BlogFrog. Through BlogFrog I have found many other bloggers. One of which really stood out to me. She is a young mother who lost her first baby only to find out 10 weeks after her loss that she was pregnant again. Her second baby was then born with a very rare disease. She blogs not only about the trials but also about the blessings. Her and her husband have a close relationship with our Father in Heaven. I was really encouraged by her story. I realized how much we have to be thankful for ! Here is a mom who has faced many hardships yet continues to praise her creator. I encourage all of you to go on the link that takes you to my actual blog. Once you are on my blog page you will see some pictures of Chad. There is also one "button" of baby Jonah with a "pray for Jonah" over his picture. I encourage you to grab a cup of tea or coffee and take the time to read his story. You will feel blessed by it. Just click on the Pray for Jonah button. P.S. While you are at it you can join my community on BlogFrog if it is something you think you will enjoy. You do not need to have an actual blog to join. You can just join to find friends and discuss things of your interest.

Riverwalk, Conway July 5th 2010

More pictures from July 5th :)

We picked up Chad from our friends house. ( He spent the night after the fireworks ) Then we headed to the River Walk. In the past it would have really bugged me that Chad had to wear the same clothes two days in a row. I wouldn't have been able to post the pics because I would have cared what other people thought. Not anymore ! LOL

I am having problems turning my pictures around. Does any one know how I can do this ?

July 5th 2010 River walk in Conway

These photo's were taking on Monday July 5th. We decided to go up to Conway. We walked along the river walk. Chad also had a chance to play at the park there. It was a nice way to end the holiday weekend. I really enjoy spending the weekends with my family. This one was exceptionally nice.

4th of July 2010

These pictures were taken on the 4th of July. We were at our friends, The Watson's home. We went over to eat and play games. We kept it simple. It was simple but so much fun ! We had BBQ chicken, a veggie tray, corn on the cob, star shaped rice krispie treats ( that Chad helped make :) ) and lot's of other snacks. Then we made water balloons and had bubbles for the children. I do think us adults might have played with the water balloons just as much as the children ! It was a wonderful afternoon. I am amazed how the simple things can be the most sweet things in life. We were having so much fun that we didn't even realize it was past the time we were all suppose to leave and go watch the fireworks ! We still made it though as we were allowing plenty of time to get there.

4th of July 2010 weekend pictures

These pictures were taken at our friends home on the 4th of July.

Our 4th of July weekend 2010

These pictures are from our day in Georgetown on the 3rd of July ( sat ).

Our 4th of July weekend started off Friday evening with Chad spending the night with my parents. It was the last night my parents were down here in their condo. He had the chance to spend some time with his grandparents and Eugene and I had the chance to be alone :) We did some grocery shopping ( lol ), went to old navy and then went down to the boardwalk. It was a really cool evening. Cool as in chilly ! We bought some coffee, sat on a bench to talk and watched the waves crash in. It was a perfect night. Saturday afternoon we went out thinking maybe we would take Chad down to the boardwalk. After getting in the car we realized Chad was very tired. We decided to take a longer "trip" so Chad could fall asleep for a while. We drove to Georgetown. We walked along the water, watched the boats, and enjoyed hot dogs and ice cream :) Sunday was the 4th. After church and lunch we went to friends for a fellowship and fun. We brought water balloons. I am not sure if the adults are children enjoyed them more ! That evening we all went to Cherry Grove to watch the fireworks. It was only in the 70's. A perfect evening for sitting on the beach with friends and watching fireworks. Chad then went home to spend the night with our friends. It was already around 11:30 but Eugene and I wanted to take advantage of the night alone together, so we went out for pancakes and coffee. We were so tired and we thought the coffee and food would wake us up so we could go home and spend some much needed time together. That night as we laid in bed I remember Gene holding me and then we were both out ! lol The coffee and pancakes didn't work ! We are getting old , I guess ! I usually have a hard time falling asleep but I was so exhausted that even I zonked out for the night ! Oh well, at least we got to sleep in and enjoy the morning together :) Haha

After picking up Chad, we spent our last day (of the holiday) together in Conway. We went up to the river walk. A perfect and relaxing way to end our busy weekend.

I will post more pics then :)

cool 'n easy strawberry pie recipe at kraftfoods.com

cool 'n easy strawberry pie recipe at kraftfoods.com

It's official ! We celebrated my 30th Birthday !

Yesterday we officially celebrated my birthday. ( According to my husband, lol ) Eugene took me shopping at Old Navy (where they were having excellent sales, I might add ). I was able to add to my summer wardrobe a little. I think I could maybe wear a different outfit each day of the week now ! (LOL) For lunch we went to Red Lobster. Yummy ! Then to finish our day we went to a 9:40pm showing of the movie Killers. Oh yeah, did I mention that Chad went to a friends house and spent the night :) Unfortunately when we got back to our hotel room Eugene was then stressed about the money we just spent ! So we fell asleep on opposite sides of our King size bed. That's right, nothing but sleep ! Men, sometimes I just don't get them ! But hey my life isn't perfect and I don't pretend it is. The good thing about it is we can now laugh about it today and Gene realizes he totally messed up that one ! This afternoon after we picked up Chad we then returned $15.00 of clothes I bought because I volunteered to do so if that would make gene feel some what better. (LOL again, what else can we do but laugh ) After returning some items we headed "home" to make some lunch. Eugene cleaned out his work truck ( which took him 2 hrs ! ) and Chad and I relaxed. Then my mom called. They came down and got in town today ! So we headed over to the beach and chilled on the sand for a while. Chad and my dad had fun playing in the waves. My parents had some other things to do so Chad , Eugene and I did one of our favorites and went to the arcade on the boardwalk. We finished up our evening with Pizza Hut. While we were there the table next to us which had 8 people plus a baby ordered a ton ( I bet almost $100. worth ) of food. They ordered wings, bread sticks, pizza and drinks....and a lot of it. Then they sat there, ate all the food and walked out without paying or leaving a tip ! I couldn't believe it ! I knew what they were doing as they did it. I was telling Eugene but he though I was confused. I wasn't. The poor waiter, I felt so bad for him. I heard him telling another employee that for the last hour that was his only table because the party was so big. I went over to him and talked to him a little. Then I gave him some of my birthday $ and told him to keep it. At first he didn't want to but I insisted. So between giving him $ and our waitress a nice tip ( I didn't want her to feel bad if I gave the other guy more $ then her ) we "tipped" OVER 50 % of our total bill ! Man so much for just a cheap meal ! But the one thing the Lord has been impressing on me is to Always be ready to give or bless another. Do you know the only thing in the whole Bible that God tells us to test Him in is giving ? Anyway, I found that interesting. So now I am gonna get ready for bed. We are meeting my parents, Steff and her boyfriend Adam at church tomorrow. Then we are going back to my parents condo for lunch. So Goodnight dear readers. Be blessed.

My 30th Birthday

Today is my 30th Birthday. Thanks to friends I did not have to spend it alone. ( or should I say that Chad and I didn't have to spend it alone in the hotel room ) We went to see Toy Story #3 and then went back to their place for burgers and such. Oh, and yummy cheese cake. It is almost 8 pm and Eugene is on his way back from North Carolina. I think we are going out for a late cup of coffee yet tonight. This week was a great week and I feel blessed that we were able to spend so much time with friends. It has also been a tiring emotional week though. I do believe Chad and I have been cooped up in a little room for way to long. Only getting out on the weekends is not near enough. Chad has been so busy and full of energy. More then usual. He just talks and talks and talks. We do much better when we can have a little routine. When Chad can have his toys, his room, his life so to speak. I know we are blessed but to be honest after a week like this I just realize how different things are without our own home or without a car. Those of you who know Chad well, know his personality. Well, when we have routine, structure and daily activities it keeps him calmer but without that he has way to much energy. I feel so tired and overwhelmed right now. Please pray for us as we try and find the best solutions for us and our situation. And so is My Life as it is.......

Fathers Day weekend 6/2010

After noon and feels like 5 am to me. I am so tired ! I had the most wonderful weekend with my friends and family. It sure was a busy one though ! My poor hubby must really be exhausted. I do not know how he does it some weeks ! We started off Friday evening with a fun trip to Chicago's pizza. We met up with some friends from Pa. They were down here all last week for vacation and fixing to leave first thing Sat. morning. Some of their children were sick the whole week and finally by Friday they could have 1 good day. I was happy they chose to spend some time with us. Their son is a good friend of Chads and we love them all so was a great night for all of us ! Saturday we started off our day by going to Toys R' Us for a two hour Lego event. They had activities and free prizes. Chad built a "plane/boat" out of Lego's and then was able to keep it ! We played some games and Chad won some Lego stickers. He had a lot of fun and was able to spend his gift certificate that we have been holding onto since last Christmas. After we left there we made an impromptu stop to Broadway at the Beach where we took a stroll, checked out our new Ron Jons surf shop, and Chad had a few rides. Got in some grocery shopping and came back home to eat and relax a little. We ended our Saturday evening at Nascar speed park with a game of mini golf and go carts rides. They are open to 11 pm so we often head over there around 8 pm for a few hours. Sunday ( Fathers Day ) we started off our morning by taking Gene to Friendly's for breakfast. Then we went to the water park where we met up with some other friends that just came down from Pa. We stayed there for 5 hrs. I had so much fun and truly enjoyed myself. We never did anything one on one with this family before and I am so glad we were blessed with the opportunity to do so. We were able to get 3 people into the water park free on Fathers day and after praying about it Gene and I felt like we were to invite them. They have 2 children around Chad's age. Very sweet children. I felt truly blessed to be able to spend the day with their family :) They have invited us to spend a day at the beach with them this week and I look forward to that . After the water park Gene, Chad and I went out for Japanese food. After a tasty supper we then decided ( as we do every Sunday evening ) we were not quite ready for our weekend to end. So we took a drive down by the beach. Of course once we were down there we decided to park and take a stroll. ( once again as always happens ) So we did just that and also added a few arcade games into the mix ! I love spending time with my friends and family ! There gives me no greater joy. I feel so blessed. It is amazing how blessed I feel even though all I have for summer wear is 2 casual summer dresses and 2 pr. of shorts here. All my stuff is in storage and I had to give up a beautiful home. The joy that I have found in the last year is a joy only found in Christ. Don't get me wrong. I have my days of stressing. I am not near perfect ! But I do feel so thankful. Even though we went through some really difficult times I am thankful that we went through those things. Well, we were just invited out tonight for tacos and a evening at Barefoot landing with friends so I better go and start my list of things I wanted to accomplish today. Blessings to all my readers !

And I am back !

Dear readers, I am alive and well and back ! To all those who called thinking I died and you missed the funeral, I apologize ! Whether I am apologizing because there was no funeral or because I just stopped writing, is up to you ;) LOL Alas, I am alive and very healthy indeed. Unfortunately I can not say the same for my lap top. There was a funeral for her. I placed her on the floor for a minute and at that precise minute my wonderful son backed up and stepped right onto it. My husbands laptop has been in remission for some time but hurray, he has now recovered ! ( we finally purchased a new cord for him ) So, I am back.......hurray for me as I have been missing my free therapy sessions. Maybe not so big as a hurray for you my wonderful listeners. But you know I give you permission at any time to just stop reading ! So what is new you may be wondering ? ( if you were not then tough luck ! ) There is much new and at the same time not much at all. My wonderful husband (and best friend) is still working in North Carolina. We are still here in our suite ( minus the bugs ....thank God ! ...you don't know how long it took me to just relax and sleep good at night after all that drama ! ). Eugene bought our family season passes, to Myrtle Waves water park and Nascar speed park. Chad's also includes the rides at Broadway at the Beach. So pretty much our weekends consist of the beach, the water park, racing go carts, mini golf and watching Chad enjoy himself on the amusement park rides. I have to say That Life as it is......is pretty good right now ! No, we have not gotten a house yet but interestingly enough i came across a verse this past week that says we are to be content with food and clothing. It was like God was speaking right to me. Telling me to stop worrying about a house and just to be content. I thought hmmmm....if I would have wrote that verse I would have said to be content with a house and food and clothing but alas I did not help write the Bible ! So I have decided even if we live here or rent a home I will be content in what I have. God will provide all of our needs. I have been taking advantage of this time to spend more in the word. I am able to do this as I do not have a lot of house work to do ! LOL I know that will not always be the case so I am going to take advantage of this time right now. God has been really challenging me in the last little bit. I am sure I will write about it in the days to come. But for now I just want to say to all my readers I have found such freedom in Christ ! What joy it brings to no longer be bound by religion and other peoples opinions ! I had no idea I was even under such oppression. Which really led it self to depression. It occurred to me how in the first 8 yrs of my marriage I dealt with depression on and off. In the last 2 yrs it has really left me alone. God has shown me how to deal with it and to put it under the devils feet where it belongs. People talk about freedom in Christ but I am learning dear readers we will find true freedom once we put aside our and others thoughts about what church and life should be. How often we let church and church people dictate our thoughts and actions. God has shown me to stop comparing myself to the other people in the church and compare myself to Jesus instead. Even good people can keep us down and in their form of religion. We are going to answer to our Father in Heaven one day. Not our friends, best friends, family or even our pastors. Now don't get me wrong I love all the previously mentioned people but God is showing me that if we are content to just go along with every one elses ideas in our life we could very well miss out on the wonderful things God has for our lives ! Did you ever notice how cookie cutter we all can be ? I don't want to be cookie cutter anymore ! I want to be different ! I read a story the other day about a homeless man. It made me sick and sad and question my own relationship with the Lord. This man is an older man ( like really old ) he is an ex convict, ex drug user, ex alcoholic and a current chain smoker. He lives out of his truck on the beaches of California. What is so remarkable about this man is he is homeless by choice. He has the $ to have a home. Yet he chooses to use his $ every month to buy food for the other homeless. He lives out of his truck and every night preaches as he cooks up food for the other homeless. He tells them that if Jesus can save him he can save anybody. The first thing I thought was if I or most people in the church saw this man down at the beach how quickly we would probably turn the other way. Try to avoid contact with him. If your like me you will put your arm around your child and gently steer him away as to create more distance between him and you both. Maybe we would turn up our noses at him or maybe not but I'm sure we would deep down inside have some kind of negative thought.......... then I felt sad and sick because it occurred to me that this man most of us would walk the other way from is probably a better christian then me ! Picture an really old dirty man, tattoos all over, ex convict with a cigarette hanging out of his mouth living out of a truck then picture me......chubby but kinda cute ( come on, I am KINDA cute right ? I mean compared to him ! and I am clean ! ) Do you see where I am going with this......I mean what if God asked us to live out of our van and give all our $ towards making food for the homeless. To be really honest I do not think I am yet a place where I could say yes. And what if I would say yes....what do you think most people ( yes, church people ) would say about that ? I mean if a friend of ours came to us and told us they heard God tell them to do that we would probably think they are taking it a little to far ! So funny, when I shared the verse I shared earlier I had no intentions of sharing this story but there in that story is a man who is truly content with just food and clothing. Just a little something to ponder......and for those who think maybe I went a little to serious in my blog today.... I do NOT apologize ! :) Well, I need to let you go as we are fixing to leave soon. So until next time be blessed as we are all truly blessed !

Can you give me a second.....I need to scratch !

Well my dear readers, can you guess what I did yesterday ? Probably not, so let me tell you. I spent the day moving out of our suite into another. I had to bag up everything and tie the bags tight so that if there are any bugs or eggs they will die. In addition to having to bag up every single belonging of ours I also had to REWASH every single piece of clothing, our pillow, blankets, and Chad's stuffed animals that I washed just the day before ! Oh, what a day ! It started with waking up, scratching my arms, legs, fingers, back, ( you get the picture, so I will stop there ) and thinking to my self "OK, hopefully these are all old bites itching" to only roll over and see there on my son's face a huge welt/bite. Arhhhh, that was definitely not there the night before ! So, I marched Chad down stairs ( holding back tears AND fury ) to show the front desk my son's face. There was someone on duty who did not yet know what was going on and when he saw Chad's face I could tell he was stunned. He said he was going to get a professional into the room. He did that and we moved out. (Hopefully without the bugs.) Chad didn't wake up with any new ones that he or I can see but I am not sure about me. I am itching and scratching and I can't remember where every single bite was before ! I have this huge one on my foot and I'm scared it wasn't there before. I am begging God it was. Hold on..... OK, sorry I had to pause to scratch my neck and face.....and now my arm and back......and leg..... And so is my Life As It Is....... P.S. - I would take and post a picture of Chad's face but my camera is in some bag all tied shut along with everything else of ours !

Oh, What A Day !

Today has been a difficult one, to say the least. I had to wash everything we own. $30.00 and a day later and I am still not done. I have clothes hanging up all over to dry. I have still one load left to wash but no cash left to do it. Then to top it off I told Chad we would go to Chick - Fil - A for kids night. We walked there last Tuesday night and Chad had a ton of fun. They have games and misc. activities for the children. Also buy the adult meal and get the children's free. This evening I had to tell Chad we couldn't go because I spent our money doing the wash. All so frustrating ! Why did I have to tear everything out and start washing perfectly good clean clothes you ask ? Well about a week ago Chad started off with bug bites. Then Gene starting getting them and alas I followed. We were not sure what was going on. First we wondered if they were in Gene's new work truck. Gene bombed it last week. Also he took a step further and bombed his room at the house he is staying at in North Carolina. Well, this past weekend we were still finding new bites on us. Last night while on the phone with Gene I told him I didn't think it was in my head and I was being bit while laying there in bed. So this morning I told the hotel manager that I believe we are being bit in our room even though I couldn't see or find anything. I wasn't sure even what kind of bites they were. Spider ? Flee ? All I knew is Chad woke up with 2 welt size ones on his arm and I had welt size ones popping up all over. I saw some guest here have dogs. In fact a little boy walked into our room with Chad a little while ago with a dog in tow. Well in case you didn't guess yet they found some bugs behind the headboard in our room. When we first came here we were staying in another room. When we switched to this room I requested a new bed blanket because the one in here was ehhh. I know it sounds like we are staying in a dump but we are far from it. In fact we could stay in a much cheaper place then here but Gene put us here because he wanted to know we are safe. This place is safer and cleaner then many other hotels here. Anyway, they found bed bugs in our room. Bed bugs ? I didn't even know these things were real. But they are and I ( along with Chad and Gene ) have small and big welt bites all over us. They itch and swell and get red all around......they can make you miserable ! The hotel people said they found them in the beginning stages but anything that came in contact with our bed needs to be washed. I put Chad's blanket from the weekend into our closet here the other night......yup, so every single piece of clothing , blankets, pillows, Chad's stuffed animals......everything needed to be washed in hot water. Uhhhh, as I write this I feel like I am being bit ! I think it is in my head. Please pray it is in my head ! Please pray for me all together ! LOL I am very tired from all this. I didn't even tell my son yet that his stuffed frog ( I had to wash ) no longer works/ ribbitts when you press his arm. To be honest I feel extremely tired from this and just want to sit down and cry....yet I'm afraid if I do some bugs might go on living ! LOL

So, Dear readers if you think about it, please say a prayer for me tonight :)

Chad and Gene down at the boardwalk ***April 25, 2010

Myrtle Beach's New Boardwalk * April 2010

Playing football on the boardwalk.

Here are some pics from yesterday. Sunday, April 25th. Chad had fun playing football with daddy :)