Last month was especially stressful. It seemed like my girls were fighting constantly. Actually “constantly” is the norm. Whatever more than constantly looks like – that’s what we were experiencing here at home. Add to that more drama with their biological father, and some small but palpable health issues of my own, and I was at my wit’s end. I attended mass, which was calming, but I still couldn’t shake off the extra stress.

Then my friend, Tracey invited me out to a “Moms’ Night”. Basically she organized an outing where moms could leave the kids and husbands at home, and go out to have fun together. What a wonderful idea, I thought. I love my family but I hadn’t gone out without them in ages. So I put leftovers in the fridge for them to re-heat for dinner, and met up with the other moms.

For the inaugural outing, we went bowling. I hadn’t bowled in years but I didn’t care. A handful of the women were good, but the rest of us showed up just to have fun. In fact, many of us bonded over how bad we were. Apparently, my specialty is gutter balls, which cracked everyone up – all in good fun.

It was great. For the most part, we didn’t even talk much about the kids, which was part of the point, I think. We got to be silly and escape our worries for a couple hours. I can’t say it made everything better, but I definitely recommend it to any mom looking to blow off some steam. If you’re not sure how to organize your own Mom’s Night, just start by calling a friend. Now your network is doubled.

Fibromyalgia: HOW did this happen to me? How did I become so sick? The road to discovery has been paved with PAIN!!!

I took so many things for granted when I was younger.

I thought there would always be time for the things I didn’t get to do or say. I thought my kids would stay babies. I thought my husband and I would always be madly in love. I thought my Grandma would always be able to do everything with ease. Perhaps the thing I took for granted the most was my health. I thought I would always be healthy. I could eat and drink whatever I wanted. I mean why not I didn’t gain a pound in those days. I thought I would always be a healthy, energetic person. Not even in my wildest dreams could I have imagined what my life has been like for the past 5 years.

It all started in June of 2008, after a day of helping with vacation Bible school I ended up in the emergency room. I was in severe pain and could not stop vomiting blood. It turned out that I was having what is called a pancreas attack or pancreatitis. Which basically means an inflammation of your pancreas. Often a pancreas attack can be treated with pain meds and a liquid diet if not to severe. However, my pancreas was VERY inflamed. According to Webmd a normal Amylase (which is an enzyme that is measured by a blood test to determine if there is a problem with the pancreas) is between 25-125 units per liter and my level was 6,400. Because of this severe inflammation in my pancreas I was sent to a local teaching hospital where I could be seen by a specialist.

The day after I arrived there I was approached by a group of doctors that were responsible for my care. They proceeded to tell me after reviewing all of my test results such as blood, urine, ct scan, MRI, and EKG, that they felt it was necessary to give my pancreas a “rest.” They went on to explain that I would need to have a feeding tube placed and kept in for at least a few months to give my pancreas time to come back to normal size and try to function properly again. I remember feeling like a ton of bricks hit me. At first I was angry and responded cruelly  I told them they were crazy I wasn’t going to need a feeding tube I just needed to rest a little longer and I would be fine. I was scared because how was I going to care for four children while hooked up to a pump to feed me at all times. What kind of crap were they trying to feed me? I mean who wanted something like this sticking out of them for months.

 

 

I have to give them credit where credit is due. They did not push the issue they gave me time to think about my situation. But there was one doctor I came to really trust during the time. I could tell he had my best interest at heart. The next day he came in my room alone with some pictures and test results. He sat down with me and showed me everything. He explained everything very thoroughly. And he said the one thing I needed to hear to put things in perspective. He told me that I was worried about my children and how I was going to raise them, but if I did not take the feeding tube I was taking a chance that I would not live much longer. He explained that my pancreas was very swollen and damaged, that I would not be able to eat because as soon as I did my pancreas would try to work and send me straight back into another attack. He explained that another attack in the condition my pancreas was in I would not be able to survive!!

As a mother there was no way I could take that chance. A few months of difficulty was definitely worth being here for my babies.

Oh but little did I know HOW much difficulty was too come!!!!

Stay tuned to here the rest of my story. Learn how one doctors mistake almost cost me the life I was fighting so hard to keep and how chicken noodle soup is the DEVIL!!!!

I will have Part 2 for you all tomorrow. I know you are so anxious to hear the rest BUT you will have to wait BAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Until Next Time

TT

*****Click on photos to view the sources*****

13 Years, it can not be possible!!! My baby girls are 13 today.

I was 16 years old and scared out of my mind. Now I had two babies to be completely responsible for 24 hours a day. Heck I didn’t even know what it was like to have to worry about a bill or buying groceries or anything remotely adult like but now I had the most adult responsibility there could be times TWO!!!

 

 

 

 

 

This is when labor had just began and it wasn’t too bad yet. 

 

 

 

 

 

My Grandma and I. Her and my mother were so supportive of me through pregnancy and birth. 

 

 

 

 

 

Time to PUSH!!!!!!!

Even though it was scary, no not just scary terrifying, I knew I was being given a blessing. It was one of the best times in my life. I could not believe that God was trusting me with such precious life. It seems like just yesterday they were these tiny little babies. Look at how precious!!!!

 

 

 

 

 

Jennifer right after she was born

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hannah right after she was born. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hannah is on the left looking like she doesn’t know what to think and Jennifer on the right has a mischievous look!!

Time has flown by so fast. They have grown into such beautiful young ladies. I know the next few years are going to be really hard because they are ……. TEENS AHHHHHHHH!!!!  I ask my self all of the time if I am ready for this part of their life. I wonder if I am going to be able to show them how to be good people who love God. But I know the same God that trusted me with them 13 years ago trusts me with them now. Look at how beautiful they are now.

 

 

 

 

 

Jennifer on the left and Hannah on the right. They get their attitude from me LOL

All I can say is thank you God for the last 13 years with my daughters and the many more to come with them.

 

 

 

 

 

Happy Birthday Hannah and Jennifer!! I love you more than words could ever begin to describe. I hope that 13 is the best year yet for you.

Until Next Time

TT

I LOVE a good link up!!! And I think I have come across a new fun one.  I really like ones like this because I get to share more about myself that might not get shared in my other blogging. If you are also a blogger please hop on over and join in with the fun.

 

1. I laughed so hard I cried when…my son puts his underwear on over his pants to act like a super hero.  Tell me this isn’t funny

2. My high school…is in Stuarts Draft, Virginia and I miss being in High School even though I hated it at the time.
3. It really pisses me off… when
4. In ten years..My twins will be 23, Oh no I can not even go there the mommy tears come immediately. My middle daughter will be 17 and ready to graduate. My son will be 15 and ready to get his learners. I hope I still have my sanity by then.
5. If I could erase one thing… the weight I keep accumulating.
6. In 1999…  I was pregnant with my twins. It was a crazy year.
7. Honestly… I am obsessed with Doctor Who right now.
8. To me, Sushi… is not something I have ever ate before so I guess I can not have an opinion.
9. Someone really needs to invent…a x-ray machine that can detect all forms of illness, wouldn’t that be awesome!!!
10. The first time I drank alcohol… I was 7 or 8 I believe and it was totally an accident. I thought it was Mountain Dew and got sick immediately after taking a big swig.
11. The one question I would ask God is… how can I be the person you made me to be?
12. Lindsay Lohan… really is a lost person, full of so many hurts that we will never understand. I pray to God one day she will understand why she does what she does.

Until Next Time

Love,

TT

About a week ago I attended a ladies night at my church. We had dinner together and spent some time in worship together. I had a really great time connecting with the women I know as my Sisters in Christ. I realized a few things through out the evening. One is that I have been craving the togetherness with other women who understand what my life is like. Even though we all do not live the same life, we all have one thing in common. We desire a relationship with God, a connection like no other. We all also know the feeling of failure, the distance of sin.  Second, in that room full of women some I just met and some I have grown to love over the years I realized I am not as different from all of them as I thought I was.

Every since I came to know Christ about 7 years ago I have felt like I was the wayward child who would never be able to “be” good enough to actually be loved by God. It’s not at all that I doubted His love for me, it was doubting my deserving His love for me. Actually I even told myself that my doubting God’s love for me due to my sin was a lack of faith, because it is written in His word that He loves me no matter what. However, I was choosing to think and still do think He loves me based on my performance in life. Based on how good of a person I really am. My logic was and often still is why would God love someone who struggles with  many things such as anger, depression, prayerlessness, lack of faith, and the list goes on. But on that night I realized I am not alone. I really am not alone. Every single one of those women struggled with something. Many struggled with a lot just like me. While we were there we all made a list of things that are keeping us from the fruit of the spirit. It was so awesome to put into words the things that I feel on almost a daily basis, and seeing that others shared in my pain. It was so freeing to not be alone anymore.

That night when I got home I decided I was going to share with all of you my struggles. I am not going to hide anymore. I am going to find truth, as we all know truth is the only thing that can set us free. And there is only one place in this whole universe where we can receive 100% truth and that is the Bible. So I thought once or twice a week I would share with you one of my struggles that is on my list and along with that I will share the truth I have found in God’s Word about that particular struggle. I am committing myself to researching what God has to say about every struggle I have that keeps me from the glory He has created in me when I was born again.

It is time to do my part!! God has been waiting for me to want to study His word and know the truth. I invite you to join in with me. Search your heart, do you have a struggle that is holding you back from God or many as I do. Make a list if you need to. Tackle one at a time. Find your truth, you deserve it.

If you have any questions or would like to talk please feel free to let me know or email me at the address listed on my contact me page. I love to hear from you.

Until Next Time

Love,

TT

Please click on photos to see original source. 

SNOW SNOW SNOW!!! It has been snowing here where I live for about 24 hours now. We have about 16-20 inches of snow depending on where you measure. So being that I live in the south of course we had a snow day. We have had a great day. The kids, the hubby, and I played in the snow for a few hours followed by HOT CHOCOLATE for everyone. I love a good snow day!! Now that my kids are in bed I am excited to announce that I am a Co-Host this week for the Mommy Brain Mixer Blog Hop, which by the way is one of my favorite things to do when my kids go to bed.  So please take the time to share you blog if you are a blogger and if not please take some time to check out some of the great blogs share in the hop. You will not be disappointed. I read a few of these blogs regularly and LOVE THEM!!! I hope you all enjoy.

Welcome to the Mommy-Brain Mixer! So happy you’re here.

Let’s face it, it’s fun to share stories about motherhood and our littles. As mamas, we understand one another. At the Mommy-Brain Mixer, we invite your to share about anything and everything motherhood or little people related. Be sure to visit one another. —->>This mixer is all about building community between moms.<—

This is a perfect place to find great blogs to follow, make wonderful new blog friends, and enjoy entertaining reads!

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Good afternoon everyone!!! I have been blessed again with a great article from my friend Amber Collins. She is very talented in the world of gardening at which we all already know from this post that I am not. I love partnering with someone who offers ideas and tips for my readers that I can not offer. Amber wrote a post a few weeks ago about indoor gardening and she had the brilliant idea of offering a career path to those of you out there who are blessed with a Green Thumb. With the job market still being unsteady I think this is a great idea. If you have any questions please feel free to leave them in a comment and we will answer as quickly as possible.

 

Turn your Green Thumb Into a Career

If you are one of those people who are lucky enough to have a green thumb, then you can look into the opportunities this could give you. If you have only considered this a hobby, why don’t you try to turn your hobby into a profitable career? The talent to grow and take care of plants and flowers is not that common – it’s a special talent that only few feel as a natural part of their being. Managing a small business with flowers and plants could be a great way to escape the usual 9 to 5 work day and have another option in life.

Starting a small business doesn’t require a big investment, but you need to invest your time and effort. One of the perfect ways to start is by building your own green house or setting a garden. It could be an exhausting process, but the effort it definitely worth it. With the right business plan and sense, your hobby could easily turn into a part-time job. Consider the market conditions in your area – there is nothing worse for a starting business than bad or no research on the matter. Think what the town and the area needs in terms of fruit, vegetables, flowers and plants and whether you can provide that.
If you are creative enough, you can start a business with wedding flowers and flower decorations for various events. Consider how the business works and estimate your options. For a flower business, the biggest demand is a few times a year – in late spring and summer because of the graduations and weddings, around Mother’s Day and Valentine’s Day and around Christmas. Would that be enough for you to make a good profit and stay in the business?

How about starting a fruit and vegetable business? There are plenty of sorts you can grow successfully in a green house. Moreover, you could grow spices and herbs – these are always in demand on the market. You need to understand how each business field works in order to find your own place. Focus on what you are good at and what you are passionate about. If you are turning your green thumb into a part-time career it’s all about the passion and your own unique contribution. Don’t listen to what people tell you, but do your own research instead. Concentrate on understanding the business basics and learning more about it. Gradually the results will start coming. If you have no idea where to start, ask a grocery store’s owner or manager which foods get sold the fastest. Talk to wholesalers, event managers and supermarket owners – build a network of potential clients and don’t forget to leave a business card.

Bio: Amber Collins is a professional freelance writer and devoted mother and housewife. She loves writing about any daily activities part of most women’ lives and agendas, regarding gardening and home arrangement. Having her own indoor garden in her home in South Kensington, she constantly search for ways to enhance her quality of life. Her recent story gives an idea about how we can turn our hobby into a part-time job that we love doing.

P.S. If you need ideas on marketing or where to get business cards please let me know and I can lead you in the right direction.