tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-68116165612247109582024-03-13T13:29:56.219-04:00Case CrossingsJoyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05666088812496826653noreply@blogger.comBlogger381125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6811616561224710958.post-59651681021250206142015-09-02T13:50:00.000-04:002015-09-02T13:50:53.760-04:00What's up with your back, Joy?Hey y'all, I just wanted to give everyone an update on my back. So after my last Prolo appointment in July my doc gave the all clear to try out Spinal Decompression. We went yesterday for a consultation which ended by getting my first treatment.<br />
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I am hopeful that the Spinal Decompression treatments will get my back back in shape. The owner was so kind to explain the procedure and answer our questions. She has actually gone through the program herself and enjoys normal activities and sports now. I am praying that I will soon be able to say the same.<br />
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It is going to be some kind of crazy in my house over the next 8 weeks with multiple appointments each week added to our schedule. Michael has continuously reminded me though that in the end it will be all worth it if this is what it takes to heal my discs. So please, if we act a little crazy or stare off into space while in the middle of a conversation, give us a little bit of grace. :)<br />
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After two treatments my pain level is already down to a 3. I am actually noticing more range of motion without pain racing up and down my back. I only noticed one major muscle spasm last night... So YAY! My legs are really achy but we are hopeful that the nerves will begin to heal quickly and that the achy pain will subside soon.<br />
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Thank you all for your continued prayers on behalf of our family and especially my back.<br />
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<br />Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05666088812496826653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6811616561224710958.post-28337809803982710782015-08-28T20:28:00.000-04:002015-08-28T20:28:08.616-04:00Kitchen Makeover: It's FINISHED!!!This summer one of my goals was to re-decorate our kitchen. The kitchen is easily one of my favorite rooms in my house but it was in sore need of an update. I was tired of the fruit and to be honest... fruit really wasn't "me".<br />
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I have no idea how much we spent... I bought a few things but we did a lot of re-purposing of items I already had in my garage. The thrifty me loved it! I am so happy with how it turned out.<br />
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The Before</div>
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The After</div>
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My dear friend, Becky made the bag holder that is hanging on the door! I love it!! I found the chalkboard art for 75% off. <br />
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JARS! I love jars. I've been storing them in the garage for when I needed them and now they are helping my kitchen look cute. They are much easier to get to now when I need them.<br />
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We also added knobs to every single cabinet. Y'all, life is so much easier now. I heart knobs. (FYI: we went and bought more knobs this week for the bathroom cabinets. It was necessary for my sanity.)<br />
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(Above) I made that sign which is why it looks homemade. haha :) New jar salt, pepper, and toothpick shakers... they make me happy.</div>
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(Below) I showed Michael a picture of the jar holders and he said "No problem" and whipped them up for me. All we had to buy was the hardware. I tinted the jars blue. :)</div>
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The whole kitchen makeover actually all started with that light fixture. The old one started to shoot sparks so a new one was needed. I still love it!<br />
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The curtains were re-purposed. I cut the fruit off and added the burlap ruffles to the top. Such a fun and messy project. <br />
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I made the soap dispensers. The only thing I had to purchase for that project was glue. Yay!</div>
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I love, love, LOVE how my new paper towel and dish towel holders turned out!!! I showed my hubby a picture of one that was going for $50 online. Yikes! He told me he could easily make them for me for much less. He did a fabulous job! All we had to buy was the pipes.</div>
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*Happy Sigh* First off... Michael and I re-did the bakers rack. It was a beige color beforehand with a drawer that didn't work. We painted that booger and I'm in love. Michael dismantled the shelf and drawer and made me a new shelf.<br />
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My crates and pallet shelf was purchased at one of my favorite stores here in my little town. I snagged the rolling pin hook at a little gift shop in Sarasota while on vacation. The picture was a free printable put into a frame that was sitting in the garage.<br />
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*More Happiness* That mirror was a Salvation Army find a few years ago and I gave it a new paint job. The shelf was also sitting in my garage.<br />
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While out shopping I showed my AWESOME hubby some jar lanterns. They were $24 for a set of two. Michael came home and made them for free! Well... I spent a dollar for blue candles. <br />
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Now this picture you are about to see is probably my number one favorite part of the remodel.<br />
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Are you ready?<br />
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My beautiful crate shelves... <br />
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The K-cup holder was completely my husband's idea. I marked the circles and he drilled them. Teamwork! It just cost me the price of a new hole saw....<br />
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OH WAIT. No. He bought a variety pack of hole saws instead of one. Not sure I am going to let my hubby go to the man store without me again when he is spending my money. hahaha! Just kidding! I really don't begrudge my hubby some new tools when he spent so much time helping me. :) <br />
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Another Hubby idea was the spoons for hanging my cups and the lanterns. He spotted them out when we were shopping and he thought they were awesome. Then when we ran into the "what are we gonna do with my cups" problem he mentioned it. We had extra spoons and TADAAA!<br />
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I am so thrilled with how everything turned out. I walk into the kitchen literally sigh with happiness. I think the only thing that I still want to happen is a new wooden garbage can holder. (I can hear my hubby groaning already.)<br />
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Thanks for making it to the end of the post. You're a brave soul. ;)<br />
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~Joy Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05666088812496826653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6811616561224710958.post-61011061711864756482015-08-25T13:38:00.000-04:002015-08-25T13:40:04.984-04:00Enjoying LifeI figured I would share some pictures of the kids from this past week that have just made me smile. Hope you all have a great week. ~Joy<br />
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1. Josiah loves to read. It just blesses my heart to see him curled up with a book.</div>
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2. Joanna doesn't want to be left out so anytime she sees Josiah with a book she goes and grabs one for herself to look at.</div>
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3. Being silly at a staff luncheon.</div>
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4. My kids (and me) love, love, LOVE the library. It truly is one of their favorite places to go and its free. We were trying to kill some time last week so the kids got to play on the tablets for a bit after they picked out their books. Joanna made friends with the little girl beside her.</div>
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5. I am so thankful we were able to get a pool this summer. The kids have really enjoyed swimming. They are so fun to watch and listen while they splash. They come up with the most hilarious games and love to tell stories to each other. </div>
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6. Me: "Josiah, go get a book to read until we are ready to leave." Josiah's response is to bring out a huge stack of books. I laughed. It doesn't take me THAT long to get ready. ha!</div>
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7. Little Miss Sassy keeps me laughing and shaking my head. She is so full of personality. </div>
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8. More silliness provided by the Godparents.</div>
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<br />Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05666088812496826653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6811616561224710958.post-89563243694101507142015-08-22T19:54:00.002-04:002015-08-22T19:54:39.375-04:00First Day of School!<div style="text-align: center;">
Y'all, my baby boy is a second grader. I am just in amazement at how fast time is going. The days are long and the years are short. For real. </div>
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Monday was our first day of school. </div>
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Lady J is also doing school this year.</div>
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The Principal :)</div>
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We began our day with our traditional trip to the store for doughnuts and chocolate milk.</div>
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Then off to our local park to have our breakfast and to have a little play time.</div>
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After the park, we came home and got down to business. </div>
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We had a great first week of school. J and Jo both just fell right back into our school routine. It was actually a pretty wonderful start to our year. Both of the kids just seem so mature this year.</div>
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We are all looking forward to this school year and what we will learn together as a family. </div>
Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05666088812496826653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6811616561224710958.post-62784686001055630172015-05-26T13:29:00.000-04:002015-05-26T13:29:15.628-04:00Long Boat Key (Pt 2)<div style="text-align: center;">
Monday of our vacation we spent the early morning jumping from the pool to the beach. </div>
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We had a lot of fun watching the crabs come out of their little holes and scurry across the sand.</div>
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After everyone cleaned up we headed to Sami's place. Michael was super sweet to babysit all four kids for several hours while Sami and I headed to a new mall. Sami and I had lunch at Cheesecake Factory. We reminisced of the last time we ate there together right before I got married. Ah, good times! They sat us right in front of the display case... cruel.<br />
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Sami and I may have stayed out a little later than planned. Ha! </div>
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We blamed our tardiness on the traffic. lol </div>
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After having a little rest at our hotel, our little family headed to an Amish restaurant Yoder's for supper! I have wanted to go there for years and I was so happy to have the chance to go. </div>
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On the way there is this huge statue! Pretty cool!</div>
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We were NOT disappointed with the food! haha! It was love at first bite. They had homemade apple butter on the table... we may have eaten half the bottle.</div>
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We, of course, had some pie! I tried the coconut cream. SO SO YUMMY!</div>
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The kids split an apple pie.</div>
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And Michael had the butterscotch.</div>
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We missed watching the full sunset that night, but we managed to grab a few pictures.</div>
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We asked Josiah to take our picture and he was bossing us around telling us to kiss and to use our hands to make "a love heart". It was pretty funny.</div>
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Then a nice man stopped and offered to take a picture for us. :) </div>
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After that I was exhausted so I found a chair while Michael took the kids for a walk down the beach. It was such a lovely way to end the day.</div>
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<span id="goog_1812186081"></span><span id="goog_1812186082"></span><br />Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05666088812496826653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6811616561224710958.post-62997122104132727132015-05-21T19:06:00.000-04:002015-05-21T19:06:53.562-04:00Long Boat Key (pt.1)<div style="text-align: center;">
We were so excited for our beach trip to finally get here! We left Saturday morning and headed to Long Boat Key! It was a decent trip. I don't do well with lots of traffic but my sweet husband survived my side seat driving. ha! </div>
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We showed up a little bit early so while we waited for our room we ate lunch and watched a manatee swim by. That was a wonderful start to our vacation! We spent the afternoon in the pool and ocean. </div>
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Before we headed to Sami's house for dinner we took a walk down the beach. </div>
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We had a great visit with Sami and her family. The kids enjoyed playing while the adults talked and talked and talked. :) <br />
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Sunday morning snuggles!</div>
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On our way to Church!</div>
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I think everyone should spend Sunday afternoon listening to the ocean waves. It was such a relaxing day.</div>
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Jo took a little nap before we headed back to the evening service...</div>
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She didn't quite get her nap out. haha! </div>
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We were hoping to make it back to our hotel that night to see the sunset but the rain had its own plans. </div>
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Although we didn't get to see the sunset watching a storm on the ocean was pretty cool too.</div>
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Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05666088812496826653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6811616561224710958.post-82550048800567603022015-03-14T19:09:00.000-04:002015-03-14T19:09:11.612-04:00Finding The SparkleI don't know about anyone else, but sometimes it is hard to find the good. The last year has been a tough one for me (and my family). As I am looking ahead to another round of shots for my back this coming week it makes me slightly grumpy. (You'd be grumpy too if you had to get shots.)<br />
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I have had a tough week, not that it was bad, it was just tough. I have nothing to complain about!!! I have definitely experienced the "Even in the valley, God is good!" in my life. He continues to provide for our needs, He continues to provide the finances for my shots, He continues to guide my hurting heart with gentle hands. Sometimes, I just need to remind myself that He does.<br />
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On Thursday, while my kids were happily playing outside, I had the thought that at this moment life is good. And it was. Am I still hurting? Yes. Am I still dreading 40 shots in my back? Yes. I just need to realize that there are still beautiful moments in life. I never want to get to the point where I miss those sparkly gems.<br />
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I am well aware that I will have to tell myself the same thing again tomorrow. I will have to choose to find the sparkle but you know what... sometimes it will find me. (Even if it has to smack me upside the head first! Ha!)<br />
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Just some Sparkly moments from the last few days. :)</div>
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Joanna playing 'house' and having a whole conversation with herself.</div>
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Josiah is enjoying a toy that was lovingly bought by his Aunt Becky. It makes noise. Nuff said.</div>
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I got to enjoy some reading time outside in the cool breeze. </div>
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Inspecting their fossils. </div>
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Prayer time before bed. These two are goofy and have to copy each other on everything they do.</div>
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Who is that handsome man who is laying tile on my back porch?! That would be MY man! :) So excited about my new sparkly tile!</div>
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Look for your <i><span style="color: magenta;">SPARKLE</span></i>, my friends!</div>
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~Joy</div>
Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05666088812496826653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6811616561224710958.post-35035140858587692122015-03-12T15:01:00.001-04:002015-03-12T15:01:36.368-04:00Warning! Men Cooking!<div style="text-align: center;">
I just LOVE this time of year for so many reasons! One of them being fresh strawberries. We just love strawberries in our house. </div>
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We were down to only one jar of homemade strawberry preserves. My hubby enjoys his homemade preserves so he was <strike>tricked into</strike> willing to help me out over the weekend to make a new batch of preserves.</div>
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I cleaned the strawberries really well and then we set to work getting them sliced. I then got to enjoy watching as Hubby got to do all the mashing, stirring, and lifting of pots.</div>
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It was so much easier having someone help that it didn't take nearly </div>
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as long as when I do it by myself. Plus since he did all the hard work I wasn't completely exhausted.</div>
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While the filled jars were processing, Snow White came to visit. :)</div>
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I love hearing all the "pops" when the jars are done! </div>
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I look forward to our family enjoying these preserves in the coming months! I think I will mostly enjoy knowing that Michael and I were able to spend time and work in my kitchen together (without wanting to strangle each other) to create something yummy.</div>
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By the way, He only burned his tongue once! hahaha! He keeps me laughing!</div>
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:) :) :)</div>
Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05666088812496826653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6811616561224710958.post-21175124215935621012015-03-01T21:34:00.000-05:002015-03-01T21:34:07.804-05:00Create Your Own Sunshine<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>1 Red Umbrella</b></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">by Michelle Moore</span> </div>
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1 red umbrella, 1 yellow hat,</div>
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1 shiny rain coat, look at that!</div>
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2 yellow rain boots, 1 big smile,</div>
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I think I will go and walk for a while.</div>
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1 wet puddle just down the lane,</div>
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1 big SPLASH-</div>
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I love the rain!</div>
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~</div>
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Sparkle On, My Friends! </div>
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Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05666088812496826653noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6811616561224710958.post-24761561540248180292015-02-28T16:46:00.003-05:002015-02-28T16:46:48.627-05:00Oh Me, Oh MY!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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That is what my Monday looked like ^. You used to not be able to see those pipes. It was leaking all night long and washed away a lot of dirt. If I had to look on the bright side, at least my lemon and peach trees got a good watering since they were downhill of the leak. <br />
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Jo really enjoys playing with play dough and her Sofia. She is so excited to peel the dough off of her dress and see all the shapes. I love letting her play with it while Josiah is busy with school.<br />
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Tuesday night we had a family activity since we were not going to be seeing Michael the rest of the week. Josiah emptied his piggy bank of all his quarters (Thanks, Nana!) so he and Joanna could play in the arcade. They had so much fun!!! Lots of giggles, squeals, and smiles.<br />
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Its obviously been a long time since Michael has been in an arcade. He sat down to start counting the tickets they won. I let him get to ten or so before I told him that the counter has a nifty little machine that does that for you. haha!<br />
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They enjoyed picking out a bunch of junk they they have seriously played with every day since. Ha!<br />
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The kids got to bowl and eat pizza... eventually. They made us wait forever! Ugh!<br />
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Thursday morning began our radio station's Restorathon! Michael left at an ungodly hour in the morning, but he was so sweet to leave me a note and one of my favorite breakfast items that we hardly ever have. Toaster Strudels!!!!<br />
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I'd just like to take a moment to say that I remember during College when he surprised me with a special Toaster Strudel breakfast during the Soul-winning Marathon. A month later, we were engaged! I found out that the night before that special breakfast he asked my Dad's permission to marry me! Toaster Strudels! They bring back memories and taste yummy!<br />
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The kids enjoyed their breakfast while watching the web cam feed of their daddy acting like a nut on the air.<br />
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And I am just going to throw this out there. I have the BEST FRIENDS EVER!!!! A flat of strawberries and two vidalia onions made its way to my door step.<br />
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I don't want to sound brag-a-docious but those berries are probably the best I've ever had. Me and the kids ate several with supper last night, and I made a strawberry milkshake for Jo for dessert. <br />
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They are all washed now and I've got a bowl of them soaking in sugar water. Yum! Strawberry Shortcake here we come. I have some in the frig for snacks and then I put a little bit in the freezer. <br />
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After I was done and they were all put away Jo came in the kitchen and was so heartbroken that the strawberries were all gone. There were tears! I had to show her that I put them in the frig before she would believe me. Oh my!<br />
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I know I have some wonderful people praying me through this week with Michael being gone so much. Thank you!! My back is out of whack but I am not in <b>intense</b> pain. So thankful!<br />
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See Ya Later, Alligator.<br />
:)Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05666088812496826653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6811616561224710958.post-34235002611838604062015-02-21T18:44:00.001-05:002015-02-21T18:44:41.986-05:00My Week Was Filled Up With...<div style="text-align: center;">
Messes</div>
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Training,</div>
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Painting,</div>
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Reading,</div>
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Snuggling,</div>
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Protecting,</div>
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Laughter,</div>
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Cleaning,</div>
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Sass,</div>
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and Happy Tummies.</div>
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Psalm 71:8 </div>
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"Let my mouth be filled with thy praise and with thy honour all the day."</div>
Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05666088812496826653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6811616561224710958.post-57821932127110264772015-02-16T20:31:00.001-05:002015-02-16T20:31:36.777-05:00I'm Back!Oh, Bloggy World! I have missed you so so much! So much has happened over the last year and I have missed sharing with you all the ups and downs. It will probably take me a bit to really get back into the swing of things but I look forward to it!<br />
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One of the main reasons I've been so quiet with the blog is my computer situation. Back in the day when my hubby and I were traveling all summer long I needed a laptop that had a good battery life. So my only option was to get one with a huge battery pack. It worked. It was heavy. It was awkward to move about with. But it worked.<br />
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Fast forward to present day.<br />
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I am not allowed to lift or carry anything. Including a heavy awkward laptop. With my back injury, I can not sit for long, so sitting at my desk after doing school with Josiah just didn't work for me. I said goodbye to blogging and instead posted a little bit more on Facebook. And by a little bit more, I mean I posted more pictures. ha!<br />
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My wonderful hubby and I sat down and made a list of how we wanted to spend our tax return (Can I get a HALLELUJAH?!). Top of the list was a new laptop for me!!!! So here I sit in my comfortable bed against the pillow chair we stole from my moms house last year, typing away on my new shiny laptop. I have named her Sparkle. (Not to be confused with our dog, Sparkles. Why? Because I am THAT creative. bahaha!)<br />
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So who knows how often I will blog but the good news is I have what I need so I can! I look forward to sharing 2015 with you all.<br />
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<br />Isn't she just... SPARKLY? :)<br />
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Until Next Time!<br />
~Joy<br />
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p.s. Feel free to comment and let me know if there are things or topics you would like to read about here on me ole blog. Otherwise, you will be left to read stuff that I come up with and we've already had a taste of my current creative juices. ;)Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05666088812496826653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6811616561224710958.post-24341670976935415312014-08-06T12:45:00.001-04:002014-08-06T12:45:32.509-04:00The Journey Starts We started school Monday in the Case house. (I love how so many of you have contacted me asking how its going!) Josiah is beginning First Grade and Joanna is doing a bit of Pre-school. We started our day by heading to the P to pick out a special doughnut for our breakfast.<br />
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I'd like to just insert here that my son also decided to sleep in for the first time in months. What's up with that? <br />
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We headed to our favorite park to enjoy our breakfast and a little bit of family play time.<br />
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This is just too cute for words!<br />
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He is growing up so stinking fast!<br />
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The principle. haha :)<br />
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Josiah's math has a section named Thinking Cap. So what's a teacher to do except have him make his own hat to wear during that section. He loves it! :)<br />
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I threw together a special lunch for the kids. Josiah was not too sure about it at first, but he soon dug in and had fun with his "octopus and seaweed".<br />
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Don't worry about all the junk food; my kids eat lots of veggies and fruits normally. :) <br />
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That is the end of our first day. Josiah has really enjoyed getting back into the swing of things with school. He practically kicked Michael out of the house on Tuesday so he could have school. Ha! I enjoy his enthusiasm for learning. Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05666088812496826653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6811616561224710958.post-72017829048500688892014-07-30T12:18:00.001-04:002014-07-30T12:18:17.836-04:00A Pirates Life for Me!Arrrgh! Mateys we had a splashing good time Monday night celebratin' the Captain's birthday. In other words, We had a late birthday party for Michael and we were all pirates. <br />
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"Josiah the Pirate" practiced what he was going to say when Michael walked in.<br />
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"Arrgh! You shall walk the BLANK!"<br />
"Josiah, the word is 'PLANK not blank."<br />
"Arrrrrgh! You shall walk the BLANK!"<br />
"PL- PL- PLank"<br />
"Plank"<br />
"Yes! Good, now try again."<br />
"Arrrgh! You shall walk the blank!"<br />
"mmmkay."<br />
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Lady J was "Tinkerbell" for the night. She was so fun to watch. The excitement got to her right when Michael was unlocking the door. She just took off running and screaming down the hall. She made it back just in time to yell "Arrrgh!". <br />
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I took off my pirate stuff and gave it to Michael. Ugh! It was so hot with that thing on my head. <br />
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Michael and the kids went outside to play pirates until supper was ready but it was really just until our surprise guests showed up. <br />
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And two of them came dressed as pirates and this is just another reason to love them.<br />
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This was probably the best part of the night. I am kicking myself for not turning on the video. Josiah asked his Daddy to pray "in pirate" and it was HILARIOUS! As soon as he finished we all started laughing. It was great and will forever be a memory!<br />
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My parents were there as well. They joined in heartily with "Aarrrgh's" when we sang happy birthday to Michael. <br />
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The night was so much fun! I am thinking themed gatherings are a must now. I mean... the kids had so much fun. heheheheJoyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05666088812496826653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6811616561224710958.post-85901728082460805512014-07-07T15:21:00.000-04:002014-07-07T15:21:13.650-04:00Human AgainAh, Its been a while since I've written to you bloggy world. I thought I'd pop in for a few minutes to give you an update.<br />
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I would just like to say I feel human again! I've been able to leave the house a bit more lately and come home exhausted but not in terrible pain! Hallelujah! The house is staying relatively clean (shocking!) and we are staying fed with the help of some friends and family. Tonight I plan on actually making a meal for the first time since Amy left. (Eek!) It'll be nice for me to be able to cook real meals instead of frozen "stuff".<br />
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I am hopefully going to be seeing a Chiropractor tomorrow for the first time since February (at my doctor's suggestion, of course). I'm a bit nervous about it so I am trying not to think too much about it. I have a stubborn muscle in my shoulder that has been giving me grief since Thursday when Joanna appeared out of nowhere and we went ice skating in the kitchen together.<br />
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In other news, Josiah's school books are all in and I've s-l-o-w-l-y begun getting things ready for FIRST GRADE! He was very excited that he gets his own books this year. He wanted to start right away but I nipped that thought in the bud. Ha!<br />
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Joanna continues to amaze us at how much she is speaking now. She says cute phrases combined with her silly faces that just make you laugh. "That's so beautiful" is one of my favorites. "It's okay, I forgive you" makes me smile every time. "Be right back" is another one that just cracks us up. She holds her hand up when she says it and you just can't help but laugh at the cuteness. Sometimes when she prays she mentions Snow White.<br />
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Michael has a few house projects going on right now. First is painting our bedroom!!!!! I am so excited. Last week, we (mainly Michael) got the room cleaned out of all the junk. I look forward to whenever he gets time to paint! He is also trying to figure out what needs fixing with our irrigation system. (I see flower beds in our future... maybe. haha)<br />
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The kids had fun today with "snake bubbles". While Josiah and I were getting it all ready Joanna did a cheerios on spaghetti noodles activity which she was really good at. They were so tired after that so we just watched a couple movies until nap/quiet time. :)<br />
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Well, I am off to put more biofreeze on that muscle... <br />
Thanks for stopping by! ;)Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05666088812496826653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6811616561224710958.post-59956652589810166992014-06-15T10:43:00.000-04:002014-06-15T10:43:38.350-04:00Happy Super Daddy Day!To My Man, Thank you for loving your family. For constantly seeking God on how to deal with issues that arise. For making hard decisions. For guarding your children's hearts. For playing princess with Joanna and legos with Josiah. For using silly voices when reading to them. For being a good sport when we attacked you with squirt guns. For always choosing to do whatever is necessary in order to provide (and spoil) and take care of your family. We love you so much! So. Very. Much.<br />
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<br />Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05666088812496826653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6811616561224710958.post-87878211478174413352014-05-17T15:20:00.001-04:002014-05-17T15:20:41.423-04:00Project I John 4:11- AprilI was not very good about taking pictures of last months project so I pulled a picture off of Pinterest of what we did. :) And apparently I blog about it behind schedule. haha<br />
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For April we did something special for our Mail Lady. Probably wasn't the best idea to put chocolate in the mailbox this time of year (haha) but we did it anyway. :) I don't even know what all the kids did but there was a pack of papers wrapped around the M&Ms.<br />
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Last Saturday I went to the mailbox to get the mail and found a sweet thank you note and two coloring books for the kids from our Mail Lady, Julie. I was so surprised and I couldn't wait for the kids to get home to see them.<br />
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Then on top of that I have been getting some boxes this week and one day I met Julie at the door. We actually had a conversation besides "hi" or "thank you". It is amazing how something so simple can begin a relationship with a person.<br />
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Me oh my. Trying to teach your children a thing or two and you learn a thing or two. :)Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05666088812496826653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6811616561224710958.post-47890173964502229732014-05-16T14:10:00.000-04:002014-05-16T14:10:04.137-04:00Goodbye, Kindergarten!Today Josiah finished his last day of Kindergarten. CRAZY!!!! It doesn't seem so long ago that <a href="http://casecrossings.blogspot.com/2013/08/josiahs-first-day-of-kindergarten.html" target="_blank">we had our first day.</a><br />
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We had a small celebration lunch followed by ice cream cones to mark this milestone. Michael presented Josiah with his diploma, Josiah made up a graduation song which kinda almost sounded like real song lyrics, and we took a few pictures.<br />
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We are so pleased that Josiah had such a great year and that we all survived and learned from the rough days and thoroughly enjoyed the great days. I am so blessed to be able to share such sweet memories with my Jman! <br />
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I am definitely looking forward to starting First Grade with Josiah in a couple months. Until then, we are hopefully going to have some SUMMER FUN!!!!!<br />
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Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05666088812496826653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6811616561224710958.post-76855974318943673792014-05-12T15:15:00.001-04:002014-05-12T15:15:03.640-04:00A Dream is Fulfilled!Three years ago we were house hunting and God supplied our home to us at a great price we could actually afford. We closed in July and moved in on the fourth with the help of some pretty fabulous people. (Not everyone will give up a holiday to help someone move, yet we had a great crew of people!) <br />
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We made a list of things that needed fixing, replaced, painted etc. On that list was a long term goal of getting a fence installed. Today that dream came true!!!! We are huge fans of Dave Ramsey so to see an invoice with PAID IN FULL WITH CASH is so completely wonderful!!!!<br />
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When I started having issues with my back I thought for sure we'd have to use the fence fund to help pay for my MRI, Dr visits, and the therapy shots. But God kept us from having to touch that money!<br />
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We have an enormous back yard so it wasn't cheap getting it fenced in so we will obviously be eating beans and rice for a while! haha ;) I am just so so grateful that we were still able to get the fence and come in just under budget too! <br />
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So here are some pictures of my dream becoming reality!<br />
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Front Side A</div>
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Back Side A</div>
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Front Side B</div>
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Back Side B (And my Lemon Tree is still alive!)</div>
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Side Yard A</div>
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Side Yard B</div>
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I am so happy and so thankful!</div>
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And another wonderful thing is that I am physically able to be up more. I walked the yard twice while drooling over my new fence. Praise God for progress! :)</div>
Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05666088812496826653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6811616561224710958.post-57034938479271165902014-05-11T19:34:00.001-04:002014-05-11T19:34:57.060-04:00Happy Mommy's Day<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Happy Mother's Day</div>
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to some special ladies in our life.</div>
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Thanks for nine months of discomfort, hours of horrid pain, and a lifetime of love and prayers.</div>
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and babysitting</div>
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and clothes shopping</div>
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and hollering at sporting events</div>
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and sacrificing for special occasions</div>
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and making biscuits and chocolate gravy/ chocolate chip cookies</div>
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and ....</div>
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Michael and I (and of course your grandkids) appreciate you both so much! </div>
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We Love You!</div>
Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05666088812496826653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6811616561224710958.post-80051728281334198782014-05-11T12:49:00.000-04:002014-05-11T12:49:19.775-04:00Modge Podge + Glitter? GENIUS!I am in the midst of redecorating Joanna's room. She got big girl furniture and her ghastly pink room totally clashes with it. (The pink has clashed with everything since day one, honestly. Although it is better than what the room was originally.) Hubby has given his permission to repaint it sometime this summer so I have decided to go with a light purple princess type theme.<br />
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I am slowly doing some DIY decorating projects and the latest was turning the switch/outlet plates into something fun and girly. <br />
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I took all these pictures with my phone so please excuse the quality. :)</div>
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All you do is mix the modge podge with glitter of your choice. I used purple and white. Now obviously the white doesn't show up but I used it so I could throw in a different shimmer of blue and green here and there.<br />
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You are supposed to use a paint brush to apply evenly but I had to settle for my fingers so its <strike>bumpy</strike> a bit textured. Ha! Let it dry and then do touch ups where necessary. When I was happy with the results I used a spray sealant. <br />
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Once again the pictures are blurry and you can't really tell how cute they are. I am looking forward to new paint in the future and then I will turn my attention to the master bedroom. We haven't done a thing with it in the almost three years we've lived here. I am way past ready to have a room that I actually like. <br />
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:)</div>
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Bye for now.</div>
Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05666088812496826653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6811616561224710958.post-20375366283793443322014-05-06T14:48:00.000-04:002014-05-06T14:48:34.248-04:00Current HappeningsWe had some special visitors come by the house Sunday night before church. Michael's two sisters and their families are in town for vacation for the next few days. Josiah has been very excited that they were coming. <br />
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My sweet Lady J likes to sneak into my room from time to time for some snuggles. We had fun yesterday taking pictures. Her giggles were so sweet.<br />
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Michael caught a picture of Jo doing one of her chores... putting away socks. I remember when Josiah used to be little and do this same job. My how time is flying.<br />
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As far as my back is concerned I am finally feeling like I am recovering from the shots that I had last week. Yesterday I walked to my mailbox and back and today I've been able to sit up a little bit. Yay for small improvements. :)<br />
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The shots do seem to be helping overall. I am not in extreme or constant pain all day and night anymore. I am also regaining some movement and starting to get very antsy to get out of the house when I am not in pain. <br />
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So many of you have asked how long will it take for my back to heal. The best answer I can give is an estimate. The doctor says that hopefully between the 4 and 6 month mark that I will feel better and can start to resume life. He also says that total healing will not happen for a least a year.<br />
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I have been banned from lifting anything remotely heavy, bending, twisting, driving, or any heavy exercise for quite a while. I have to mentally retrain myself to walk properly. I've gotten into the bad habit of shuffling since it was easier on my back.<br />
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I am hoping to be able to go to the beach next week with all the family before they leave. I can lay down on the trip there and lay down on the beach so I am praying and being very careful not to do anything stupid that would prevent me from going. I am so ready to get out of the house. My hubby is ready for me to too! He says the longer I'm stuck in the house the longer my Pinterest inspired honey-do list gets. :) <br />
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Well, that is all for now. Its time for a little rest. ;)Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05666088812496826653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6811616561224710958.post-86349577674474435582014-04-14T21:43:00.000-04:002014-04-14T21:43:01.837-04:00Leaving the CaveSaturday my brother's family had an Easter get together at their house. I REALLY wanted to get out of the house so we decided to give it a try and see how my body handled all movement. <br />
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It was nice to see everyone. Aunt Becky brought eggs and baskets so all the littles could do an egg hunt. We stayed about thirty minutes and then came home. I spent the rest of the day in bed with my heating pad and pain pills. haha.<br />
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My body isn't quite ready for being out and about just yet. We have more family coming down in May for vacation and we are hoping that I am well enough to do a few things with everyone by then. If not, while I will be bummed I will keep trusting that Christ knows best.<br />
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I am LOVING having my sister in law with us for a few days. We get along so well and have been talking almost non stop. haha. I am SO glad she and Isabella was able to fly down with Amy!<br />
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Poor Joanna seems to have caught the stomach bug. :( We are praying like crazy that no one else catches it! Sarah and the baby fly out Thursday and the last thing they need is to be sick! So for tonight Lady J is sleeping in our room. She is quiet as a mouse but has yet to go to sleep. <br />
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The Lord has continued to supply our every need and even a few wants! We are so truly blessed by the love and generosity of those that God has placed in our lives. I won't list names or anything because recognition is not what they want but I pray and truly believe that God will bless each and every person who have been an encouragement to our family through our journey.<br />
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I sign off for the night with a few pictures from Saturday... <br />
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<br />Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05666088812496826653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6811616561224710958.post-17512618033017359412014-04-11T16:02:00.000-04:002014-04-11T16:02:41.443-04:00T is for TigerSchool has been looking a bit different for us the last two months. I have just been doing the bare bones without all the frills. I thought Josiah would really miss the games and the variety of stuff we did. He was always disappointed when we had to skip the fun stuff before, but he has really surprised me!<br />
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We had a few rough days here and there but for the most part he has adapted well to the new schedule of... well... no schedule. We do school at whatever time of day we can whether its in the morning, right before bed, or scattered throughout the day.<br />
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Michael moved Josiah's desk into my room and I have all of my supplies piled in a basket on my nightstand. It is not ideal, homeschooling in bed, but its working! Josiah loves the freedom to snuggle, sprawl out, sit or stand.<br />
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This last picture is my favorite!!!!!!!!! It was a proud mommy moment and I couldn't help but get excited. Up until this moment, Josiah just would not read something without being told to. He does not hate reading but it is work. He has to actually stop, focus, and think.<br />
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If he wants to know something he always asks me what it says but I tell him to read it if he wants to know. (I'm mean, aren't I?) So today when he wanted to know what his paper said he didn't even ask me! He just sounded out the words and read it!!! <br />
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I told him how pleased he made me by reading his paper when he wanted to know what it said. I can't believe in another month he will have finished kindergarten!<br />
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This coming Monday he will have day one of achievement tests. This will be a completely new experience for him. I am praying that he will adapt well and that the teacher administering the test will not be annoyed with his non stop movement and talking. hahaha PLEASE behave, Josiah! hahahaJoyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05666088812496826653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6811616561224710958.post-47968993197773492202014-04-04T13:32:00.000-04:002014-04-04T13:32:55.346-04:00Project I John 4:11- MarchFor March the kids did a bookmark craft for all the wonderful people at the library. We happen to really love our library! The ladies involved with the children's programs are fantastic! They give so much of themselves to make library time a highlight of my kids week. <br />
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This was such a cute craft! There are a ton of variations that you could do but Michael kept it pretty simple for the kids sake.<br />
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I hope these ladies know just how much we love and appreciate all the work they do, and the love and attention they give to my kids each week.<br />
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<br />Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05666088812496826653noreply@blogger.com1