Happy Thanksgiving!!!



Hope everyone has a blessed day with family if you are lucky enough to be able to get together. If you are traveling, be safe. I am working so no traveling or spending time with family but we will be seeing Grammy and Pappa H my next weekend off. I picked up our dinner from Der Dutchman earlier today so everything is good to go, just have to heat it up and eat after work. I'll be thinking of everyone, love you all--and of course "family" includes you Nikksters! ;)

Much love!

Jesus answered, "The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent."

John 6:29

Hope everyone had a good weekend! This weekend was NOT what I was hoping for...I was HOPING to get something accomplished, I had scheduled a photo session on saturday and than I was HOPING to get a few things done around here, the house looks like a wreck to me although Johnny says it doesn't look THAT bad. 8-( SO what did went on instead? Saturday morning at about 4ish I ended up getting sick, stomach flu so now it has officially made rounds on all 3 of us. Even though I only got sick once I felt soooo bad all day, feverish, freezing to death one minute, finally comfortable and than achy and freezing again. I couldn't get comfortable for most of the day for the aches and that is just frustrating! Poor Maddie just doesn't get it, I just wanted left alone to rest and she still wanted to climb on me and hug and kiss on me --yes, I'll admit it, I'm a bad mom because I snapped at her on one than more occasion but the girl just doesn't get it! So today I am feeling half human but still fairly weak and unambitious to do anything. I've done a load of laundry because I HAD to but the house still looks a wreck. Good thing we aren't having company over for Thanksgiving or I would have that added stress.

We've been weighing out the options for Maddie starting school next year--HOLY CRAP BATMAN DID I JUST SAY KINDERGARTEN?!? *SOB* The dilemma has been that I need to find a program or someone that can help me get her off to school and keep her after school until I get done with work, there is just no way around it. Considering I haven't made friends with any neighbors per say and I'm not necessarily the type of person to go knocking on a door to get to know someone out of the blue the other option was to call around for a daycare that I can drop her off in the morning, they take her to school, pick her up and keep her until one of us get there. Hmm, yeah, sounds good but does anyone know how much that costs? 175 a week@! That is double what we pay the sitter! The other option is checking into a private school. Yep, I know, everyone is thinking, and you think that will be cheaper? Well, there are many reasons why this entered my mind. One reason is we always thought it would be a nice idea with all of the crazy things that are being taught in public schools and the other thing is I really think that with her hyperness she might actually do better in a smaller structured environment. So, I called one of the schools that some friends of ours at church sent their daughter too and after figuring out how much we pay a month for our sitter and what they want a month its not that much more. Considering Johnny will be working by that point we should be fine. Our budget is already used to the sitter money and it isn't like once she started school we wouldn't need someone to help so it looks like this is the best route. We are still praying about it so God will lead us to the final decision.

Haven't done much creating lately, hopefully I will get back on track and post something soon.

Hugs
But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

1 Corinthians 15:57

I've got the sickies at my house. Its been going around at work and Maddie has been having episodes of throwing up in the morning for about 3 weeks, averaging 2 episodes a week. For her its the weirdest thing, she gets up, throws up once or twice and than she is fine for the rest of the day. Because of her trend I have eliminated the stomach flu, but I began to think of other possibilities, such as some reflux going on. Another thing is she has allergies and her sinuses have sounded a little moist lately so I wonder if the drainage is souring her tummy during the night. Last but not least there is a psyching out theory. Lately Maddie doesn't want to go to the sitters, she just wants to stay home. No surprise honestly, she had horrible seperation anxiety until she was 3 ish, she is very emotional and dramatic, lol--the theory is this, she only gets sick on a babysitter day,never on the weekend, never on my day off, its almost instant when you wake her up and tell her its time to get ready to go to the sitter she starts throwing up. I called her doc, talked to the nurse and without me even mentioning the above psych stuff she started to ask questions like 'does it happen on the weekends' 'is there a trend' so we are going to keep monitoring it for a couple more weeks and see what we come up with. At first when it started to happen I figured I brought something home from work with me, the bug has been going around on my hall but the repeated episodes and trend of only in the morning and than eating and playing fine for the rest of the day kinda took care of that. Today Daddy is home sick though, he was up all night in the bathroom, so lets hope that after surviving not getting it at work and now with him having it that I don't get it!

Provided that everyone is feeling ok Saturday morning we are going to have family pics taken. When we first started I said that I would like to do it every other year so this keeps us on track. Of course I want to get some singles of Maddie too, I haven't had hers taken in the studio for what seems like forever.

I leave you with a pic of Maddie who learned how to cross her eyes, I dont know if you can really see it in the pic but it was soooo funny when she did it. I had to tell her that her face would stay that way if she kept doing it! LOL



Have a great day!
Love and Blessings

Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent.

Revelation 3:19

Happy Monday! Hope everyone had a great weekend!

It rained all day Saturday until I left work and than it was SNOWING! The other cool thing is that I got gas for 1.69 this weekend, WOO-HOO!!!! How freakin COOL is that!

So after the doc appointment this weekend we sat down and made up a behavior modification chart for Maddie. She can earn 25 points a day for good behavior and lose 30 points a day for bad behavior. Now we have to think of rewards....the only thing I have come up with so far is an extra movie at bedtime on a friday or saturday when she doesn't have to wake up early the next day. Any suggestions???

This is beat Michigan week ....GO BUCKS!

Love and Blessings!

In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps.

Proverbs 16:9

TGIF! Hope everyone has a great weekend! This is my working weekend so nothing planned here. =0( I noticed the moon is looking pretty full which means work will probably be a crazy one especially on the alzheimers unit, they are always more 'animated' over there when there is a full moon. =0P

Today Maddie has a doctor appointment, she is due for a check up but my main reason to making the appointment is her hyperness. I know that most docs won't even humour the idea of screening for ADHD until the child starts school but I am going to try to be as persistent as I can on this one. Her activity level only gets higher as she gets older which doesn't bother me when it is appropriate but the poor child can't sit still when she needs to to save her life, and forget "holding" her down, that only ticks her off and causes a tantrum and this child is STRONG! We are trying to work with her and get her ready for kindergarten because pre-k really isn't an option for us right now and it is really hard, after about 20 minutes she is done and when she reaches that point there is no sense in trying to keep going. At ballet when the kids are in a circle listening to the teacher Maddie is the one running around everyone like she is playing duck duck goose and the teacher even has to tell her to focus so she doesn't get hurt doing a new position. OH, and church? HA! We have to keep her with us in the sanctuary until they call childrens church which isn't long--just the hymnals and a prayer but it is FOREVER for me because when everyone is singing Maddie is doing twirls down the pew isle and pretty much out of control. Bedtime is still an issue, we just can't get her to settle down, we let her watch 1 movie to get her to calm down and I know they say that television is bad for the hyper kids but we have let her do it for so long it would cause a round of meltdowns that I don't know is worth the fight. We have been really watching her sugar content but to be honest I don't think that affects her one way or the other. I only let her have strawberry or chocolate milk in the morning and limit her sweets to the 100 calorie packs if she is really wanting something sugary or she loves pudding so I will let her have that. Ultimately it becomes a frustruation issue because even though I know that she can't necessarily sit still the way I want her too at times it makes me want to pull my hair out. She is so stinkin smart --if she sees something done once or twice she's got the concept down pat and even though I KNOW that ADHD and intelligence have nothing to do with it I don't want her to start school and become a victim of being pushed aside because the teacher doesn't know her the way we do. We have the time to really work with her until she officially starts school but I just want to know what we are dealing with. Know what I mean? Not to mention although it doesn't bother Daddy at all to see her acting up like that, he laughs and says, that was ME at her age--so he GETS her but for me I just want to pull my hair out and sometimes I find myself asking myself if I just suck as a parent.

ANYWHO--

Here is another christmas card I created:




I worked with some birthday pics yesterday:



This is with my Crate Paper kit from TSR:



Thats it for now!
Love and blessings

I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands.

Psalm 119:10

Happy Tuesday!

Hope everyone had a great weekend, we had a visit with Nanna and Pappa Richmond, Maddie had a GREAT time! We also got to meet Uncle Josh's girlfriends son Evan. What a cutie!!!! Maddie and Evan had a blast!

Today I ended up staying home from work because Maddie woke up and started throwing up. I'm starting to wonder if she doesn't have a little bit of acid reflux going on, we ate late last night and it was something with tomato sauce, of course she was ok after a few hours running around asking to go to Darla's. Hmm, go figure. Not that I don't enjoy staying home with her but its a day pay ...I have a vacation day I can take but I'm running low on those too. Wahhhh!!!

Official date for Johnny's graduation: March 1st! WOO-HOO!

Nothing else exciting in the Richmond house.

Scrappy Time:







Love and Blessings
Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.

1 John 4:11

Happy Monday! (is there such a thing?)

Hope everyone had a great weekend!

Nothing to exciting this weekend in the Richmond house, I had to work so that left Daddy and Maddie with quality time together. I'm a little excited to go to work today (holy cow what am I sayin?LOL) I am going to learn how to do MDS's--in the nursing world its a form of billing method, determines how much mula you can get for the care of one person. I'm just happy to be able to learn how to do something new and this will give me the chance to be able to do something other than working on the floor all the time.

Here are a few cards that I have been working on, trying to get my christmas cards done sooner than later! =0)




Have a great day all!
Love and blessings!

The wicked man earns deceptive wages, but he who sows righteousness reaps a sure reward.

Proverbs 11:18

Maddie on Trick or Treat night, she had so much fun!

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Just a few layouts that I completed:




I am hoping that with all of the card making I have been doing it will spark some mojo for me to create a layout soon!

Have a great day!
Love and Blessings

Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.

1 Timothy 6:17-19