World's oldest person dies aged 115 - Europe - MSNBC.com

World's oldest person dies aged 115 This caught my eye. Herring. I've heard a lot of different things that will keep you going strong. What are the ones you all have heard?

Thoughts On Books

Dr. Laura
I was listening to a CD I got from Focus on the Family in which Dr. Dobson did an interview with Dr. Laura Schlessingler. She was talking about her book, "The Proper Care and Feeding of Husbands." I would like to read this book. She says many of the same things that Debi Pearl says in her book, "Created to be His Help Meet." It was very encouraging and interesting to listen to.

Something that I have been thinking about on this issue of husbands and wives is how universial the principles are. When a wife treats her husband right, whether either one of them are Christian or not, the marriage is strengthened and has a much higher chance of success. In the case of Dr. Laura, her book has been mostly read by non-christians. The ones that have embraced her advice have seen dramatic changes in their lives. You can get the CD or a cassette of the interview. Like I told my husband, getting more than one person's perspective on the same subject is very good. Dr. Laura comes from the perspective of one that has had the worldly mindsets and had some very interesting arguments on the feminist agenda that were more than just quoting the bible and sounding like a weak-minded woman that has been brainwashed. (Her audience is mostly non-christian and the things she says speaks to them in their world.) She has some very good things to say about men and women and what the differences are. She is not a Christian but I think she has some very good things to say on the issue that are very helpful.

CT Scan
The clinic didn't have my test results from the hospital yet yesterday. Maybe today?

Morning Musings

Hurricane Katrina
Wow. I have been reading news stories about Katrina this morning. My husband woke me up to show me the radar picture of Katrina. Scary doesn't quite describe the feeling you get when you look at that storm. From what I understand, some of the places around New Orleans could be simply wiped off the map from a storm like this. Wouldn't that be weird? To leave your home and come back and the place where it was is totally gone? Even the land it had been standing on? I can't imagine it.

Erin and Rene, are you are seeing some of the evacuees down there? One news story said that there was a river of headlights streaming away from the storm and into Texas.

CT Scan
Hopefully today I will find out the results of my CT scan. And I hope I don't have to go in, it is an hour drive and gas is so high. Sigh. We will do what we have to do.

Picture
I am trying to get a picture of my posted to my profile. I'm having to figure it out and it is going to take me a bit.

In the meantime, here is one of me making bread just before I got pregnant with my youngest.

My husband says it looks like a Crisco advertizment! LOL!

New Orleans Braces for Powerful Hurricane - Los Angeles Times

Click here if you want to know about the storm tonight. I guess this will all be different in the morning. Lord, be with LA.

CT Scan And Other Fun Stuff

Well, Friday I went in and had a CT scan. Yay. If any of you have ever had one you know what I mean. The scan itself wasn't too bad, but getting ready for it was not something I want to repeat. I had to drink an iodine drink. It looked like powdered lemonade drink and tasted like 10 year old powdered lemonade that had gone really bad. I had 4 big strofoam cups of it to drink. I did okay on the first one, but halfway through the second one I started feeling sick. I had to drink them pretty much all at once. I got 3 down and they told me I could take the other one with me and come back in an hour. I tried, I really did. But I couldn't get the last bit down. When I got back I asked the nurse if I had to finish it. She told me to go ahead and dump it out. For my test it would be okay, but usually I would have to get it down. YUCK!!! And then I had to have an IV while I had the CT scan.

I don't know the results yet but probably will tomorrow.

I got my schedule worked out yesterday, or most of it that is. David gave me some good advice to use this time to get my schedule all written down. So I got busy working on that. I have some more fine tuning to do and then will post it here.

It is not very long until time for us to leave on our trip. I am so glad that I have been learning not to get so worked up about the little stuff 'cause there is a lot that I am not going to get done it looks like before I go. I wanted to be able to get the house back in order and leave with a spotless house. This would be reasonable and I may still get it done, but if I can't I can't and I am not going to worry about it.

I am really looking forward to going. I have a hard time believing that we are really going to go. It just seems so far out there that we could really get on a plane and go to Oregon/Washington! It is going to be so exciting.

Some Stuff About My Buttons

I have some new buttons on the side of my blog, and I thought I would let everyone know about them.

Ix-webhosting

This is an excellent company in my opinion. We have our business website hosted by Ix-webhosting and we have been very satisfied. We never have had it be down during the time we have been with them. The features are great and the prices unbeatable.

ClubMom

This seems like a good thing so far. You basically recieve points for stuff you buy online through them from major companies, like Avon, Old Navy, etc. You can then redeem your points for fun, free stuff. There is a lot that I have not checked out yet that looks like it would be good. And best of all, I have not so far recieved any junk email from signing up with them. :-)

Sub with Bloglines

This is a cool site. I found this through a comment that was left on Rene's blog. Basically you set up an account, for free, and then add blogs that you want to look at and keep up with, and it does all on one page. I am really enjoying it. I still go to the blogs that I like to read, but sometimes I don't have time to go look at them all, waiting for pages to load. With Bloglines I can just look at them all and see if there is anything new and if it is something I want to read at the moment. Very handy. I think it could have a lot of value for those of us with not much time that can get lost in computer-land reading blogs.

Yesterday...

I had an appointment with the doctor yesterday. Yay. I'm back on yucky antibiotics since the lymph nodes were not down as much as she thought they should be. Really, they are not down much, just that nasty infection is gone. So, it's back to being drained by Levaquin. I do not like this stuff. I don't like it one bit.

While we were in Abilene yesterday we had fun, though. We stopped and ate with some friends after my appointment and that was fun. We had a really good time.

Also, we have been thinking about our up coming trip. We did go ahead and get the double stroller we wanted. It was free shipping and so I shipped it to my grandma's and will be ready and waiting when we get there. We were thinking about getting a single then to push Keilah in, but weren't sure. The cheapest one at Wal-Mart was $20, and $20 is $20 when you are trying to pinch pennies. So, we were driving down the street and I saw one in front of a second-hand store. I looked it over and although it had been in the weather and wasn't the prettiest stroller I had ever seen, it did look good. It was a Graco, which is the brand that the other one is. It looked even better when I asked the guy the price. A stroller for $12 instead of $20, yeah, that sounds good to me! We tried it out at the mall. It worked great. And while we were there, we found shoes for the kids, and so the $6 we saved went for shoes. A very good trade in my opinion.

The funny thing was, you know how when you go shopping and get some something that you have been really wanting or needing and you come home with this happy "I got some new....fill in the blank?" That was what I came home like yesterday, but I didn't get anything! I tried on some shoes that I really needed and we got the kids some shoes, but I didn't get anything. So last night and today I have to keep reminding myself that I didn't get new shoes, although I feel like I did! And I am thrilled to pieces with my second-hand stroller. Go figure!

We had a funny episode last night in Wal-Mart. We were in Wal-Mart shopping and David was telling me about something that somone at church had said. We got pretty engrossed in our conversation and all of a sudden I realized what we were doing. I could help but laugh at us. We were standing by the formula, clogging the whole aisle, talking like we hadn't seen each other for a week or more. And then we walked around the rest of the time in Wal-Mart discussing stuff. My husband is home more than any guy I know and we talk about stuff all the time. Why we needed to block people from getting formula for us to get to talk, I don't know!

Anyway, just some random thoughts and ramblings for you!

Not doing anything real?

I was reading something on a friend's blog the other day and something she was saying reminded me of something I went through about a 2 years ago.

You moms know how this is. You work all day, 24/7 really, and pour your self into your home, husband and children. You love what you do, but there is something that says that you are not really doing anything. So and so is going to college, somebody else is building a career in a cool field, another someone is working and helping out with the income, really doing something. Somehow you are not really doing something big or real but maybe someday....

I had dealt with some of this myself and it was hard sometimes to see that I was really doing something. Then I got this phone call. It was one of those telemarketers that want to ask you all kinds of info so that they can give you some great deal. I don't remember now what it was she was wanting, but she started asking questions about our business. Was my husband the owner, how many employees did we have, etc. Then she said, "And ma'am, was is your position in the business." I was a bit taken off guard. "Uh, my position...?" Then the humor hit me. "Well, I'm the diaper changer, secretary, I answer the phone, do the laundry, cook meals, clean the house, pay the bills, work in the greenhouse, I'm in marketing...." By now the lady on the phone was laughing. "Okay, ma'am, I understand. Just tell me one to write down...." After I hung up, I got to thinking about it.

What if I were to look at everything I do all day, and night, and look at it as a profession? I started thinking of what I do from a corporate standpoint.

I'm on call 24/7 with no days off. I must be able to not only take care of all that needs to be done, but also decide when to do it. It a split second I can be thrust into a situation that demands fast reaction and seeing what needs to be done for a small child to avoid injury or to take care of an injury. I must make sure that there is food supplies ready to be fixed, and am in charge of getting them. To properly manage this job, I must be able to see needs and find ways to meet them, in the house, the family and any other area that could spring up at anytime. I also must help run the business that makes the income to be able to take care of the home and people in it. I have to attend to throw up at any hour, day or night, and any other sickness or problem that might arise. Also, the daily maintenence of the house in are such as laundry, dishes and general cleanup falls to me and my department. The list is too long and if I got it all down, there would be more to add at some point as it is an industry that is always changing and flexibility is key.

Now, how much would you have to pay someone to do a job like this, if you could find someone to hire? It would be upwards of $150-$200 an hour, with raises and benefits of course. The turnover rate would be huge.

So, I finally got down to this: I am doing something. I am in a profession that few would be brave enough to be in. If I were to be paid to do what I do it would be a huge amount and I would be stinking rich in no time. 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, in 3 months would be 324,000 at $150 an hour. In a year it would be 1,314,000. And there would be few expenses out of that since you would be living on site and eating meals at work. If that is not a good income, I don't know what is! I realized that I am really doing something worth while, even if I'm not getting paid cash to do it. Really, I don't think I could do the job I just described. But for my family I can, and what I do no one else can do for my family.

So, when you think about not getting to something real, think and ask yourself if most of the women you know could do what you are doing? You are doing something real and are not insignificant at all.

Well, I'm off to earn the big bucks!

Oh Boy...

This is a post I wrote on my livejournal and I thought maybe someone would like to see it. It is hilarious, don't read unless you are really ready for a good laugh. :-)

I'm not going to write a book...

So much has happened since my last post. I will try to update!

Infection

I finally found out what has been going on with me. I will try to keep this short. Basiclly, I do not have a utrine infection or a uninary tract infection like I was being told and treated for. I have swollen lymph nodes, which was diagnosed as a strained ligament, in my grion. The swelling was from something somewhere, I don't know where, and then the nodes got infected. That was what was causing my low fever all the time and tiredness. But since the lymph nodes went untreated they got really infected and it started turning red around them. We went to a different doctor and they knew right away what was wrong. They put me on some high powered antibiotics, a different kind than I had been on and told me to come back in a week. It is working, today the nodes are not as big and the redness is almost gone. I am having to feed my baby formula and pump so that I will be able to resume feeding when I am well. Not fun by any means but I am really glad that I have something to feed her while I can't breastfeed.

So, that is it in a nutshell. I'm really glad that we found out what was going on. I was headed for some bad stuff, folks. And the worst part is that I was being told that this big lump where these lymph nodes are swollen up was nothing to be concerned about. If it had gone on much longer...well, I'm glad it didn't! I feel pretty drained right now but I think it is the antibiotic making me feel that way.


Trip

We are going to Oregon!!! We bought our tickets and will be leaving the 13th of Sept and coming back the 27th. We got an awesome deal on them. If you can't tell, I am excited! I have not been to Oregon/Washington for almost 11 years. *bouncing and counting the days*

Come With Me And Play

This post is a must read for any moms that read my blog. It is a good reminder for me to play more. *drops mouse and heads off to read books and play blocks*

Well, we are officially done with the peach crop. David cleaned the trees yesterday and took a load to Abilene today to sell. This wraps it up for us. We did good. It was our best year yet. I have really enjoyed the fresh peaches and will be sad to see them go. But they will be back next year.

You know, I have been thinking about seasons lately. I don't really like change. I like things to stay the same. But they don't. And some things I would like to change faster seem to take their own sweet time. :-) But I have been thinking some about not fighting the times/seasons I am in. It really does no good anyway. If I want summer to stay longer, will fussing and fretting make it stay? Not even for a little bit longer. Why spend my time chaffing that I am not in a place that I am not? I need to live where I am and be thankful in the place I have been placed. It will change, but when it does, will I be happy if I was miserable the whole time waiting for it to change? Nope. I will find something new to want to be different. Contentment where I am at is really priceless. Not to mention that it is easier on my family if I am content even in tough times.

I am not saying that it is wrong to have goals or dreams that you try to attain. But I have found that when I focus on the things I don't have yet, it is sooo easy to fall into a trap of discouragement and dissatisfaction. But when I am looking at Jesus and happy with where I am even though I am looking forward to the next season then I find contentment. Times are always changing. Only when I am content in Christ will I enjoy the ride!

And quite a ride it is right now! I am still not feeling quite well. I am tired a lot and don't feel good moving around. I am taking an antibiotic and I think it is making me feel more tired. Needless to say, my house is suffering and it is a bit hard to take care of everything. So here I am wanting out of this time and trying to learn to stay content in the middle of it. It is an aggravation not be able to do the things that I want to do. But I have to remember to not get aggravated. It does no good, actually it makes it worse.

On another subject, we are planning a trip! We were planning to go to Oregon at Christmas. My grandma and a few other relatives live up there. We got thinking though. It would be more fun to go sooner since the weather would be nicer than in December. So it looks like we will be going to Oregon in September! I am sooo excited. Oregon is where I grew up. I lived in Portland until I was 15. My family then moved to Oklahoma. I haven't been back to Oregon or Washington since then. I have been really looking forward to the trip and am really happy that we are planning to go soon.

If anyone reading this has any tips on flying with kids I would really appreciate it. I have never done this before. The last time I was on a plane was when I was 7. :-) I loved it, but it really didn't equip me to know what to do with a 3 month old, 19 month old and 3 year old! Any tips on flying period would be great!

Happenings Today

I haven't had time to write for a few days. As I told below in another post, I have been reading, and also I have been busy taking care of my people.

I made bread Sunday, bread that took about 1 hour from start to finish.

Right now my house is a wreck and I am determined to get it back in order. I haven't felt good this weekend and things kinda fell apart. I feel a bit better and am wanting to get this place straightened up.

Jakin is chasing a super ball all over the house. He loves those things and is perfectly happy to play with one for a long time. Until it hides itself anyway. :-)

Time to feed the baby and get on with things. :-)

Oh Boy!

I finished a book yesterday that I have been reading, "Created to be His Help Meet," by Debi Pearl. I really enjoyed, even though I was challenged to a higher plane than I had been on in some areas. I might try and do a review here later. For now I will just say that it is not a book the modern feminist would enjoy unless she is so frustrated with her lifestyle that brings her no joy and is grasping for hope.

My plug for the book is, if you have ever wished you could sit down and talk to an aged woman that had a succesful marriage and perhaps invite her to come sit and talk to you in your kitchen so you could ask her all sorts of simple and tough questions, read this book. If you long for godly advise from someone that has been there and walked in tough places and is not going to tell you just what you want to hear, read this book. If you grew up with a mother that was dissatisfied with your dad and everyone knew it, you must read this book. If you are married now and you find yourself being irritated about things your husband does, even if they are little, this book is for you! Debi Pearl wrote this book from depths of her heart, her experiences as a wife and mother, and her experiences as a woman that many women have turned to for counsel in their marriages.

Fair warning: she does teach that wives are to submit to their husbands. (gasp!) But by the time I got done with the book I did not pity the women who submit to their husbands, I pitied the women who will not. They are the ones that are truly weak and losing out on who they are and can be as women.

Also be warned: this book is roll on the floor funny sometimes. Debi writes in such a sweet way, though very direct and sometimes blunt. If she is wanting to write something funny, look out. She had me in stitches a few times!

I think every bride should read this book and am so glad I ordered it. You can order it from Crystal or right from the Pearl's.

Some interesting thoughts

I found this on Erin's blog and decided to link to it here. It got me thinking again about things that my husband and I have talked about before. Read it and clutch your purse/wallet a bit tighter and shut your eyes!