Has It Really Been A Week?

Has it really been a week since I last posted on my blog?! Wow!! I know we've been busy. The kids had their first week of school and enjoyed it. (Yes, school has already started. When we were in school, we started around the middle of the month, not this early.) I've enjoyed just having Andrew during the day. I miss Hannah and Will but not when they start fighting when we get home. Andrew starts MDO the week after Labor Day then I will have two days a week to myself. YEAH!! I already have plans in my head!!!

We finally got our new computer case in and Mike was able to get it put back together. We also downloaded an update to our photo program but it looks entirely different. Now I have to teach myself how to use it. Fun (said with a sarcastic voice)!!!

Meet the Teachers, Hair Cuts and Paw Prints

Thursday night we got to meet Hannah and Will's teachers. Hannah's teacher is Mrs. Browning. She seems really nice. Hannah saw one girl, Alexa, that she knew in her class. Hopefully she will know more when she goes to class on Monday. Mrs. Browning is also pregnant. She is due in October but said she will be here during the first nine weeks and testing. The paperwork has been filed for her sub but she doesn't know who it will be yet. Mrs. Browning said she will only be out about eight weeks. That would put her back just before Christmas break.

Will has Mrs. Scanlon as his first grade teacher and Mrs. Padgitt as his Teacher's Assistant. Mrs. Scanlon was Hannah's first grade teacher. When Hannah went up to her, Mrs. Scanlon was really excited to see her again. I like Mrs. Scanlon and I hope Will does too. She is a little strict but I think she and Will should get along great.

This afternoon everyone got their hair cut. Mike got his usual high and tight fade. Will got the same cut for the second time. It looks cute on him. Andrew just got a trim because he wouldn't sit still there towards the end. Hannah got her hair cut off at her chin and stacked in the back. It looks great. I had mine cut off to my shoulders with small layers. I like it so far.

Mike and I got something special from our vet in the mail last Saturday. Dr. Hooker sent us a framed paw print of Gracy's and a sweet card. We put it on the shelf with the kids' handprints. It is nice having something to remember Gracy by.

WOW

This blog is kind of random today. There are a ton of ideas running through my head about what I want to put down but it's hard to corral them all into different areas. So please bear with me.

The past few weeks at our house that been very crazy. We redid our bathroom (just have to touch up some paint and put a second coat on some trim), said our last good-byes to Gracy, took a quick trip to Pigeon Forge to get our furniture, unloaded it in a storage unit, rearranged some furniture at our house, fixed our computer (still have some more to do to it), and get the kids ready for school. Mike is heading up the church's softball team this fall. We are planning to sign up Hannah and Will for soccer. The Y is offering a soccer program for 2-4 year olds and we are thinking about signing Andrew up. He has been begging to play ball (softball, baseball, any kind of ball) and tells me he is going to his practice as I get him dressed.

I've also started blogging reviews for Waterbrook/Multnomah through Random House. It has been fun and interesting. My first one was posted on August 3rd. I have another one coming up on August 24 where I am reviewing three books. If you are interested, you must have a blog. (A blog is VERY easy to set up and keep. Let me know if you are interested in starting on and I will help you.) If your blog is approved by them, they will send you notices about books to be released. If you are interested in reading the book, let them know. They will send you a copy for free for you to review. You will have to post a review on your blog and send them the link. FUN!! I am able to get my book and blogging fix in! If you would like more information, click here to go to the Blogging For Books site.

End of an Era

This past weekend, Mike and I drove to Pigeon Forge to get the furniture out of our cabin. The bank is foreclosing on it today, August 4. We tried to work out an agreement to keep the cabin or take another route but Chase did not agree. Plus, their communication skills between each other and to us has been VERY POOR. So, Mom watched Hannah and Andrew while Dad and Joan kept Will so Mike and I could get our furniture. Two Men and a Truck came and helped Mike load a rental truck with all of the furniture, which helped us get through a lot quicker than we thought. It was a quick weekend. Mike and I left Friday morning and got home Sunday afternoon. Got to post more later. I'm on Mike's laptop and the battery is low. More to come.

Review of "The Hope of Refuge" by Cindy Woodsmall

Recently, I was given the opportunity to read a copy of Cindy Woodsmall's newest book The Hope of Refuge before it was released. The book centers on Cara Moore, a young widow and mother. Cara was raised in foster homes after her mother died and her father abandoned her. When she is stalked by a man from her past, Cara and her daughter flee to Dry Lake, an Amish community she and her mother visited just before her death. Little does Cara know, this small community is a major part of her mother's past and becomes a place of understanding and refuge for herself. As secrets about Cara's mother start to surface, Cara is forced to come to terms with long-held bitterness and anger towards her mother's family and her own father.

I liked the way Ephraim Mast listens to God and reaches out to Cara, even though it means his shunning from the Amish community. God uses Ephraim to show Cara He has always been with her and loves her in spite of her past. Oftentimes, doing the will of God will not be understood by those closest to us. Like Ephraim, we still need to follow God's lead and see what He will bring about through the trials and tribulations.

One thing I kept expecting as I got closer and closer to the end that didn't occur was the reappearance of Mike, Cara's stalker. When he makes his appearance at the beginning of the story, and later when Cara tells Ephraim why she fled to Dry Lake, Cara mentions that Mike always seems to find her, no matter how hard she tries to hide. Mike read her mother's diary, which held information about Dry Lake. I was expecting Mike to turn up in this Amish community and stalk Cara again but it never happened.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone. It is a pretty easy read and has a great story line. If you are interested in purchasing this book, you can go to the Random House website. Here, you can see all of the different options where you can purchase the book online.

The author, Cindy Woodsmall will be on a book signing tour in Nashville, TN on Wednesday, August 12 from 7 – 8pm at the Barnes & Noble Opry Mills. It is located at 515 Opry Mills Drive, Nashville, Tennessee 37214. Their number is (615) 514-5000.

Gracy

These pictures of Gracy were taken on July 19th.

Today, Mike and I had to make the hardest decision of our lives, so far. We had to put our dog Gracy down today. As most of you know, she was diagnosed with osteosarcoma (bone cancer) in March. In the last week or so, Gracy was having lots of trouble using her back legs. She seemed to have very little control over them and had great difficulty walking, especially across the kitchen floor and the outside patio. This weekend, Mike and I had to put a towel underneath the back portion of torso to help her get up. Mike had to carry her outside so she could go to the bathroom. Gracy went from a dog who loved to go outside anytime anyone was out there to only going out twice a day. She seemed and acted fine, like nothing was wrong, as long as she was lying down. We both knew that it wasn't fair to her to let her suffer like she was so we made the very difficult decision. Mike and I were both with her until the end, telling her how much she meant to us, that we loved her and that we would see her again.

So far, Baron has been acting okay. I'm sure it will hit him in a few days that Gracy is gone for good. They have been together since they were conceived. They were litter mates and have only been away from each other just a handful of times. We are just going to love on him and try to help him get through it the best we can.

The kids are all taking it differently. Andrew, of course, really doesn't know what is going on. We've told him what happened but I don't think he really understands. Will is just matter-of-fact. He says that Gracy died and is in heaven, but really doesn't show much emotion. It may hit him full on later, too. Hannah is just like her mom. She will be fine one minute and then balling her eyes out the next. I have been balling off and on since we arrived at the vet's. Mike cried while we were at the vet (it's the first time I think I've seen him cry in all the years we've been together). He had to go to work today and hopes to get off a little early.

Gracy is now in God's hands and He and Jesus are taking very good care of her until we get there. She has plenty of playmates: Brandy, Yogi, Pappy, Browser, Shadow, Stormy, Velvet, Barron (Mike's childhood dog), Lucy (Gracy and Baron's mom), and more I can't even list. I told the kids that she is telling everyone about her owners and what fun they were and how much she loved them. She can now chase the ducks, squirrels, birds, and whatever else catches her fancy to her heart's content. She is no longer in any pain and can walk and run perfectly.

Time is suppose to heal all wounds. But, from my experience, they don't heal but just get easier to deal with. We love you Gracy. You will ALWAYS be in our thoughts and prayers.

Grout

Last night, Mike started putting the grout on our bathroom tiles. We both thought it wouldn't take too long, but boy, were we mistaken. He started after dinner, around 7 p.m. He finally finished around 2:45 a.m. He never stopped. I was helping by changing out the buckets and bringing clean water. When he finally finished, Mike's hands were really sore and it hurt to move his fingers. Here are some pictures of the finished product.




We still have to seal the tile and caulk. The inside of the closet needs to be painted and I need to finish painting the trim. We both can't wait for this to be finished.