Popcorn, anyone??

Anyone who knows my husband knows he is a popcorn junkie! He will eat just about any kind of popcorn. He prefers Orville Redenbachers, but will even eat store brand. You can almost set your watch by him, because if we are at home in the evenings, he usually gets a popcorn craving around 9pm. You don't have to tell me about how eating popcorn that often could be bad for you...because this guy has normal cholesterol, normal blood pressure, and is at the right weight for his height.

Ugh.

Quinn, however, has never eaten popcorn....until a few nights ago. I just couldn't help snapping these pics of Quinn and his Daddy...sharing a bowl of popcorn.

Here is Daddy showing Quinn the popcorn.

Here is Quinn trying the popcorn for the first time.

Check this out....synchronized popcorn eating!

My two favorite guys!

Another Art Show by Quinn

I wanted to share some of Quinn's latest art projects. He has made these at school over the past few weeks.

The first one happens to be my favorite. Miss Lottie, his teacher, put some glue on a paper plate and then each child got a handful of tissue paper, the same kind you would use in gift bags. They got to crumple the paper, smush it up, etc, and then put it wherever they wanted to on the glue. Apparently Quinn liked the glue, until he realized his hands were sticky. And no, he did NOT eat any!!

Here is Quinn's creation.


This next one was done with red finger paint and sponges. I think it is very ironic that Quinn chose a dinosaur, as so many of his outfits that were my favorite had a dinosaur on them. Anyway, he created this, and then Miss Lottie let them get the paint on their hands and put a hand print.



Finally, this is what Quinn thought an Easter Bunny would look like. He put the eye on himself, and also helped with the tail.

Have you stepped out of your comfort zone lately?

On Saturday, I stepped out of my comfort zone.

I donated blood for the first time.

I have always been a fan of donating blood. My mother donated blood almost every time she could. I can remember the Red Cross calling our home, letting her know that she was eligible to donate, or asking her to come because they were in short supply. She was given pins for the number of gallons of blood she has donated.

My first opportunity to donate blood was when I was a senior in high school. I was turned down. At the time I did not know there was a minimum weight requirement of 110 pounds. I only weighed 95 pounds my senior year.

In my debate class in college, my “persuasion” speech was to convince people to donate blood. I barely met the minimum weight requirements at this time and was the smallest person in the class. My strategy was to tell the other students that while I wanted to give blood, I couldn’t, but they should, because they met the requirements. I got an A on my speech.

Our fire station has started hosting two blood drives a year. The first one we had I was pregnant with Quinn. The second one was within 6 weeks after he was born, when new mothers are not allowed to donate. The third one I was still nursing him and decided I had enough liquids coming out of me at the time. A few months ago my church held a blood drive too. I wanted to donate then but I chickened out.

This past Saturday, we held our fourth blood drive. I weigh enough now. I haven’t recently given birth. I had no excuses.

I was nervous. I was scared of the big needle. I was afraid of passing out afterwards. I was tired of hearing the “peer pressure” from my husband. :-) I was looking over the information and decided I just needed to do this---something I’ve wanted to do for a very long time. And you know what? It wasn’t bad at all!

Here are some facts I’ve learned about blood and blood donating. Many of you may be regular donors. Some of you may be occasional donors. And some of you may have never donated before. Regardless, you will probably find these facts as interesting as I did.

Someone needs blood every two seconds.

Only 37 percent of the U.S. population is eligible to donate blood – less than 10 percent do annually.

94 percent of blood donors are registered voters.

Children being treated for cancer, premature infants and children having heart surgery need blood and platelets from donors of all types, especially type O.

A patient could be forced to pass up a lifesaving organ, if compatible blood is not available to support the transplant.

Thirteen tests (11 for infectious diseases) are performed on each unit of donated blood.

Shortages of all blood types happen during the summer and winter holidays.

Blood centers often run short of types O and B red blood cells.

The rarest blood type is the one not on the shelf when it’s needed by a patient.

There is no substitute for human blood.

46.5 gallons: amount of blood you could donate if you begin at age 17 and donate every 56 days until you reach 79 years old.

After giving birth to Quinn, I found out my blood type is O-. This blood type is found in only 7% of the US population. While it is considered the “universal donor”, O- blood types can only receive blood from other O- people. That means people like me should be donating often, especially since we can only receive our own type of blood. Donating one pint of blood can save up to 3 people.

I think I have “persuaded” myself.

I am going to become a regular donor!!

Quinn's mailbox has been full lately.

Quinn must be the most popular boy in town. He got 2 packages in the mail last week!!

The first one was from my aunt and uncle. Uncle Jim is my mom's only brother and is very special to me. He lived with Grandma before he got married and I can remember sitting at the kitchen table with him, having graham crackers and chocolate milk, before he would go on a date with who would soon become my Aunt Louanne.

They sent this big box.

It had lots of paper stuffed inside, which Quinn took great joy in pulling out and leaving it all over the kitchen. Each little present was wrapped individually and he had fun opening each one as well.

As you can see, he got several gifts: a pack of chubby crayons, a board book, a wind-up toy of an Easter bunny on a track hoe, a frog holding a carrot, and the best of all...Noah's Ark Easter Eggs! Each egg is "egg-shaped", yet is molded to look like a lion, elephant, monkey, bird, etc. Quinn has had fun playing with these. The cutest thing for me, though, was the card. You see, I call Uncle Jim and Aunt Louanne, UJ and AL. They signed the card G.U.J, and G.A.L....as in Great-Uncle-Jim, etc.

But, like his momma, he liked the bubble wrap the best!

Quinn also got a package from Grandma and Grandpa (my parents).

He was quite excited to see that he got TWO videos. One was a Baby Praise DVD (very similar to Baby Einstein but with Praise and Worship songs...Thanks to Kim and Claire for getting us hooked!) and also a VeggieTales video.

Quinn wanted me to tell G.U.J, G.A.L, Rebecca, Hannah, and Grandma and Grandpa a big THANK YOU for his Easter goodies!!

He Lives, He Lives, Christ Jesus Lives Today!

In Christ alone my hope is found
He is my light, my strength, my song
This Cornerstone, this solid ground
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm

What heights of love, what depths of peace
When fears are stilled, when strivings cease
My Comforter, my All in All
Here in the love of Christ I stand

In Christ alone, who took on flesh
Fullness of God in helpless babe
This gift of love and righteousness
Scorned by the ones He came to save‘

Til on that cross as Jesus died
The wrath of God was satisfied
For every sin on Him was laid
Here in the death of Christ I live!!

There in the ground His body lay
Light of the world by darkness slain
Then bursting forth in glorious Day
Up from the grave He rose again!!!!!!

And as He stands in victory
Sin’s curse has lost its grip on me
For I am His and He is mine
Bought with the precious blood of Christ

No guilt of life, no fear in death
This is the power of Christ in me
From life’s first cry to final breath
Jesus commands my destiny

No power of hell, no scheme of man
Can ever pluck me from His hand
‘til He returns or calls me home
Here in the power of Christ I’ll stand

Lyrics by The Newsboys

And the angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that

you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified.

HE IS NOT HERE, HE HAS RISEN, just as he said.

Matthew 28:5-6

Today was a different sort of day

I think today could go down as one of the more stressful days I have had lately.


For the past almost 2 weeks now, Quinn has had this cough. More than clearing his throat, yet not quite the "barking seal". It started out sounding like the kind of cough you get when you have that dry spot on the back of your throat. The same kind of cough that would normally have me hitting the bottle of Nyquil. His cough was only at night. Over the weekend, it turned into an all-day type of cough. Yesterday, he was practically inconsolable at daycare and coughing his head off all day and all night. We decided he would be going back to the doctor today. (Keep in mind...I took him Friday to the walk-in clinic, and on Saturday to PrimeCare).


While I love my job, being a teacher makes it very stressful to try to get time off. In an office situation, if you need to be off, you walk out the door, knowing the work will be there when you return. As a teacher, no matter which age group you are working with, you can't just walk out on these kids. You have to prepare lessons for the substitute, arrange for a sub to cover your class, etc.


I went to school today, having already prepared some "emergency substitute plans", hoping to get Quinn an appointment at some point today. I was able to get a 2:15 time slot, which was perfect. I worked it out so that an assistant from another class could cover mine. After arranging all this, the doctor's office calls back. "The doctor has decided he wants to leave early today so can you come in now?"


Bring on the stress. Now I've got re-group and change all my plans around.

(Now I don't need anyone telling me that if I just stayed home I wouldn't be dealing with this. Trust me...the devil tells me this everyday. Today was definitely a day that he beat me down with this phrase...all....day....long. But like Pastor said on Sunday, this is what I've been called to do right now, and no one could do it better than me.)


Long story short, I was able to rearrange coverage for my class and was able to get Quinn to the doctor. Looks like we are dealing with a combination platter here. He's got a sinus infection which has started to settle in his chest. This is causing him to wheeze a little and accounts for the cough. Because of the wheezing, the doctor administered a breathing treatment right in the exam room! I know this is a routine type of thing, but it's not routine for Quinn. He did not enjoy this at all.

We came home with antibiotics for the sinus infection,and a nebulizer and albuterol for breathing treatments. Looks like we will be giving him breathing treatments at home for about a week or so. Luckily this is a medication the daycare is allowed to administer, and the director's daughter has to deal with this, so at least she will know exactly how to do this for Quinn.


Quinn's already in bed for the night (he's been down about an hour) and I have only heard him cough a couple of times. Please pray that these treatments will help him to get rid of his cough and will help him to breathe better. Anyone who knows Quinn knows he's not a fussy child. I can't stand to see him so miserable.


This is how I prefer to see him....he's my precious boy!

Biggest Loser--Week Three

Ok, I just realized I didn't update last week. Sorry about that.

Week one I lost 2.2 pounds. Week two I gained a pound.

Today, I found out I lost 3.2 pounds! WOOHOO!!!! Don't know my percentage because the teacher in charge of our weight had to leave right after weigh in to take her son to the doctor. But who cares? I lost weight!!

I am so excited about this. While I had purposed to work out and exercise over my spring break, the constant cold rain just did not motivate me. I stayed inside and cleaned my house instead. I scrubbed baseboards. I did some heavy-duty mopping. I did about a million loads of laundry. I played with Quinn a lot.

I also had Buddy's parents here for the weekend (more about that later), and we usually go out to eat. Then there was the Easter Egg hunt (more about that later). Not to mention the temptations to snack just because I was at home.

Regardless, I made a conscious effort to do better. I consider this a success!

Hodge Family Update--March

Here is my monthly update on my friends, The Hodge Family.

The Hodges have finished Orientation! This was an 8 week long process and they can hardly believe it is over. In the last month of Orientation, they had several exciting events. At the beginning of the month, their daughter, Alexis, accepted Christ as her Savior. (You can read about that here). They also went with a big group to Washington DC for a witnessing outing. They went to the train station where they hoped to run into people of various cultures. The goal was to try to spark a conversation and introduce them to Christ, provide a tract, etc.

The hardest part of the last few days has been saying goodbye to all the new friends they have made. Friends that they know they may not see again until Heaven, because now they are all leaving to either begin their missionary journey, or like the Hodges, they are headed to another country in order to learn the language of the country they will be working in.

The Hodges were commissioned on March 25th and will be heading home to SC for the next month. Alexis will be baptized tomorrow (April 5th) at the church the Hodges were serving in, which happens to be my home church! I was also baptized at this church, but what will make this special for Alexis is that her father will get to baptize her! How awesome is that?!?!

At the end of April they will leave for Costa Rica, where they will spend a year in language school. Here are some ways you can pray for them:

1. Pray for Terry Lassiter, the Affinity leader for the Americas

2. Pray for the Asburys, the Sheltons, and the Martins, who are the three other families on the Argentina team

3. Pray for the Warners, a missionary family that the Hodges became friends with at Orientation, who have already departed for Botswana.

4. Pray for safety, fun, and fellowship with their friends and family as they are in SC for the next few weeks.

As always, I know they appreciate your prayers. You can always follow their blog from my sidebar or click here.

If you wish to be added to their mailing list, just let me know!

March Update on New Year's Goals

Another month has come and gone. I can hardly believe it is April already. I say bring on Spring! March brought beautiful snow, warm weather just a few days later, and off-and-on rainy yuckiness. C'mon Spring!

Here's how I did in the month of March.

1. I have finished reading Leviticus in my Bible. I mentioned last time what a struggle reading this book was, but I figure you can't know where you're going if you don't know where you've been. I also read through Numbers. Thank goodness I was reading these silently. I can't begin to imagine how you are supposed to pronounce some of those tribes' names, and people's names. And we think people to do come up with some hard-to-pronounce names! They've got nothing on those children of Israel! Look it up....and on to Deuteronomy!

2. Being a better wife and mother is something that I think all of us women struggle with daily. I've really enjoyed reading a blog written by Tiffany, whose husband used to be our youth pastor. She has been writing about the Proverbs 31 woman, and that really ministered to my heart.

I have taught Quinn how to "help" me

do the laundry...

"load" the dishwasher...

and "sweep"

He loves to be near me while I'm doing whichever chore is currently on the list of things-to-do...hopefully he will still find it fun when he is older.

Financially, we continue to improve. Thanks to Dave Ramsey and FPU, we are continuing to make headway. We haven't paid anything else off completely like we have in the past, but our big money days are done for a while. We had Buddy's end-of-year bonus and tax refunds to help in January and February. Now we are using what's left over so it will be slower for a while. But we created our first "Dave" budget and started our envelope system. Can't wait to let you know how this goes at the end of April.

(In case you are wondering, here are our envelope topics: Food (groceries), Out to Eat, Diapers, Gas, Clothing, Kim's Blow money, Buddy's Blow money, Mother's Day, Kim's Birthday, and Easter).

3. The school version of Biggest Loser is going OK. I had a week where I lost and a week with a small gain. I'm home on spring break right now, so I am trying to eat healthfully and have been working all over the house. I wonder how many calories you burn for scrubbing down bathrooms and lifting baskets of laundry?

4. I'm continuing to be able to grade papers at school and have less to bring home. This gives me more time to spend with Quinn and Buddy. This has been the easiest one to do so far! I can't wait for the summer months when I can "forget" about this goal for awhile!

Do you even remember the goals you set for yourself 3 months ago? I think this is the first year ever that I remember what goals I wanted to complete. It's not too late for you to re-resolution yourself!