Winner of the Giveaway

Thank you to all who entered the giveaway.  I seriously wish I had one to give to all of you.  I took all of the commenters and assigned them a number in the order that they commented.

1. Sarah

2. Julie

3. Kim

4. Brandi

5. Shawna

6. Cindy

7. Amanda

8. Angie

9. Jamie

10. R Jarvis

11. Stacie

12. Sarah

13. Jill

14. Shelley

Then, I went to www.random.org and entered in 1-14 and. . .

True Random Number Generator Min: 1 Max: 14  Result:2

The result was 2!  Julie, you are the winner!

I have to contact My Memories Suite to obtain your promo code that will enable you to purchase the software package for free.  As soon as I get that, I will contact you.  Thank you for entering!

To those who didn’t win (don’t worry, I never seem to win anything either) you can still purchase the software at My Memories for $10 off with promo code STMMMS18517.  You can also click on the link on my sidebar and it will take you to the site.

Thanks again to those who entered and who have continued to read my little ‘ole blog for 4+ years.  I really appreciate it. 

Somebody’s Praying

I put this video together a few weeks ago with the first Praying for Paxten pictures that I received.  Who knew that we would eventually receive almost 200 P4P pictures!  Paxten meant so much to so many people.  Blake and Libby continue to need our prayers and support.  Together, let’s carry them through this extremely difficult time.  Let God’s love shine through each and every one of us.  May we touch their lives the way they have touched ours. 

 

The Weaving

My life is but a weaving, between my God and me;
I do not choose the colors, He worketh steadily.
Oft times He weaveth sorrow, and I in foolish pride
Forget He sees the upper, and I the under side.
Not til the loom is silent, and shuttles cease to fly
Will God unroll the canvas and explain the reason why
The dark threads are as needful in the skillful Weaver’s hand
As threads of gold and silver in the pattern He has planned.

–Anonymous

Paxten Reede Pearson

March 10, 2010 -  January 29, 2012

Many of you have come to know Paxten.  She is the niece of my very best friends growing up and her family is like my own.  She was diagnosed with leukemia in December 2010.  She underwent a bone marrow transplant about a month and a half ago.  Although the transplant was successful, she suffered many post-transplant complications.  I’m so sad to tell you that sweet Paxten is now in the loving arms of Jesus.  She passed away earlier this evening.  Sometimes God does not answer our prayers the way that we want Him too, but He does have a purpose for it all. We just have to trust in that and in the fact that God does love us even when we are faced with unimaginable pain.  This is seemingly an easy thing to understand. . .until the thing you want most in the world is not to be.  I prayed and prayed for my son to remain on earth and yet that wasn’t God’s purpose for him.  I’ve spent the last four years trying to make sense of it all. It will probably never make sense to me. . .on earth.  God’s purpose is bigger than what our minds can comprehend.  But, God is in control and trusting in that is what faith is all about.  Paxten was such a special girl and her impact on this world will be felt for a long, long time.  Please continue to pray for her parents, Blake and Libby, and their entire family.  Keep them near and dear to your heart.

Here is a link to their caringbridge site. 

http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/paxtenpearson

There is also a facebook group set up called Praying 4 Paxten:

https://www.facebook.com/#!/groups/308943799148496/

Saturday, January 28, 2012

Olivia has known her letters and letter sounds for a really long time.  She has never, however, grasped the concept that letters go together to make words.  This week, in true Olivia fashion, she suddenly got it!  I was so proud of her!  Word after word, she would tell me what letter it started with by sounding it out.  Of course, she wanted to know how to spell the names of our cats and Autumn threw her for a loop.  Olivia guessed that it started with an O (like octopus) and I had to explain that it was a great guess and yet Autumn starts with an A.  Wait until she learns that Autumn ends with an n.  In retrospect, maybe I should have given Autumn a more phonetically correct name. . .LOL! 

I’m such a proud mommy. . .for too many reasons to count.  I love this girl!

Pizza 4 Paxten

Mark your calendars to remind you that Tues night, Jan 31st, is pizza night!  If you are interested in going, you must print out this flyer and take it with you to the Pizza Huts in Goddard, Maize, Valley Center or Park City.  I was thinking of reserving the room at Goddard Pizza Hut and a bunch of us could meet up, enjoy some pizza and raise money for Paxten.  Please let me know by Saturday if you are interested.   

Digital Scrapbooking Software Giveaway!

I am one of those people who tried paper scrapbooking, but I never latched on to it. I realized that I didn’t have the patience, time or space for paper scrapbooking. I, however, love to create designs online and I’m always looking for fresh ideas to create headers for my blog. So, about a year ago I started searching for a software program that was easy to use, reasonably priced and with many design options to choose from. I found that My Memories Suite (at that time was version 2) was ranked #1 out of 11 in digital scrapbooking software. After reading the stellar reviews, I placed it on my Christmas list and received it Dec 2010.

I have been quite pleased with this software and recently received the version 3 that I will be giving away. It doesn’t compare to programs such as Adobe Photoshop in terms of what it is capable of, but to me Adobe Photoshop has too high of a learning curve and too high of a price tag. Plus, I wanted something I could create without asking my husband for help every 10 minutes.

The software comes with quite a few templates, paper patterns and embellishments. If you are looking for something more specific, their design shop has hundreds of downloads that are reasonably priced for just a couple of dollars and many are even free. Downloading new kits is a simple, pain free process as is importing pictures to use in your designs. You can easily rotate images and add text boxes wherever you see fit and create a truly custom design. One of my favorite features is the color editing tool by using the Color Picker. It displays a preview of your page and you can click on the color that you wish to match, creating a truly uniform page. I used it below on my daughter’s 4^th birthday invitation.

Another creation of mine using the My Memories Suite software is the family tree that I made for my family. I printed it out, framed it and gave it as a Christmas gift.

Here are a few of my other creations, but you can also create photo albums, greeting cards, calendars, and even videos.

Nothing truly compares to the look of a paper scrapbook. If, however, you’ve decided digital scrapbooking is the better option for you, look no further than My Memories Suite. You will truly enjoy every aspect of this software. . .especially sharing your creations with your friends and family.

Not only is it a great digital scrapbooking software, but a great company who is giving one free copy of My Memories Suite version 3, valued at $39.97, to one of my blog readers! Simply leave a comment stating why you would like a copy of this software and/or what you would like to create. The winner will be randomly chosen from http://www.random.org/ Contest ends on January 31^st, 2012 at 10 pm CST.  Good luck!

Sunday, January 22, 2012

I sat down to write a post on a  issue that’s been tugging at my heart.  Sadly, I just don’t have it in me tonight to put it all into words.  Another time, perhaps.  So, I’ll keep this lighthearted and share a bit about what’s been going on lately.

The other day, Olivia was counting and I asked her how high she could count.

Olivia: 1,2,3,4,5 (she spoke really really fast.)

Me: No, not how fast you can count. . .how high can you count?

Olivia: (in a high pitched voice reaching up into the air (1,2,3,4,5. . . .)

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Olivia enjoys going with me to the pet store to buy supplies and food for the cats.  She loves looking at the animals.  The other day, she came upon a big barrel of pig ears. . .ya know, the kind dogs chew on?  It horrified her and intrigued her at the same time.  She’s been talking about it ever since.  This morning, I wanted to take her downstairs to show her a surprise (we re-organized the play room.)  With a look of horror, she asked, “Is it pig ears? I don’t want to see pig ears!”  Poor girl is going to have nightmares about pig ears.

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Yesterday, Olivia informed me that it was Ducky’s birthday.  She talked about it all day.  She even got out the wrapping paper and asked me if I’d help her wrap Ducky’s present.  So, we wrapped a few presents and sang happy birthday to Ducky.  If only I’d known, I would have baked him a little cake.  He’s 5 now, by the way.

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The Lost Broom

Sometime around Christmas, I lost my favorite broom along with the dustpan.  It was just a little hand broom with a dust pan and I never realized how much I used it until it was gone.  After preaching to Olivia about the importance of keeping track of your stuff, I go and lose a broom.  I have no idea what happened to it.  I figure that someone broke into our house, bypassed the tvs and computers and went straight for the broom.  They must have realized how awesome it was.  Yes, that must be it because the chance that it got thrown away with the Christmas trash just doesn’t seem very plausible.  LOL!  So, after a broomless month, I tried to find my exact broom on Amazon and ordered it.  It came last week and sadly, it’s not the same.  They must have cheapened it because, like most brooms, I’m back to chasing that little line of dust that doesn’t seem to get swept up.  But, it will have to do and I’ll always wonder what happened to my broom.

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

I took Olivia to the dentist today.  On Sunday, she started telling me that her tooth was loose.  A few weeks ago, she watched The Berenstain Bears Visit The Dentist and Sister Bear had a loose tooth.  I thought she was kinda pulling my leg.  But, Olivia consistently pointed to the same tooth and I noticed that it was really bothering her.  I called the dentist who said it’s not uncommon to lose a tooth this early.  Then, you know me. . .I start worrying that it’s a cavity or something else wrong, so I got her in today.  They took an x-ray (with Olivia screaming and three people plus me holding her down. . .it was awful.)  No cavity and no sign of the tooth being loose, so we have NO idea what’s going on.  It’s one of her bottom front teeth, so that kinda rules out sinus problems or an earache.  I’ll just give her Tylenol when she complains a lot about it and see what happens, I guess.  What we did learn, after seeing the x-ray, is that Olivia’s permanent teeth are HUGE!  They are about twice as big as her baby teeth (that currently have no spaces between them.)  So,  they are about 100% sure that she will have to have her jaw expanded sometime between 7-9 years of age.  Her jaw is so narrow and tiny.  As soon as I get my dental work paid for (which is an insane amount of money!) it looks like we’ll be paying for hers. LOL! I laugh, because, what else can you do?  :)  Pray that her tooth gets to feeling better soon or that we figure out what is going on. 

My Memories Suite

Within the next 2 weeks, I will be reviewing the new version of the My Memories Suite software that I’ve been using for the past year.  I create all of my headers using this software and absolutely love it!  But there is so much more that you can do with it. . .photo books, cards, etc.   But the best part is that My Memories will be giving away one software package (valued at $39.97) for FREE!  So, keep your eyes open for the review and this awesome giveaway coming soon!  I also have a special promo code for you to use (and share with your friends) that will save you $10 off your purchase.  Click the link on the right to learn more.  I’m super excited about sharing this with all of you and to give this software away to one of you?  Awesome!

PROMO CODE for $10 off:

STMMMS18517

The Year 2011

I thought I would post my favorite pictures from each month of 2011.

January – Playing the piano with Grandpa Sailing

February – In Arkansas visiting family.

March – All pretty after a hair cut.

April- Warming up with cousin Izzy at the March for Babies.

May – Adorable in her jacket and hat.

June- Having a ball in Izzy’s pool.

July – Taking a break from the fourth of July festivities.

August- Sending a balloon to her brother Logan on their birthday.

September- All dolled up and ready to go.

October- Admiring her costume.

November- All Smiles

December- Loving Santa this year!

This past week, out of the blue, Olivia has started talking about wanting a baby sister.  She has never shown any desire before now.  It breaks my heart because this month the baby that I miscarried would have been due.  And Olivia would have been sooo ready to be a big sister. . .just in time for her sibling to be born.  We just don’t know what the future holds.  In life, we rarely get exactly what we ask for.  I prayed for God to bless me with just one child. .. I never asked for more than that.  Just so I could be called “mom.”  And I gave birth to two babies.  And I get to raise the most amazing, miraculous daughter.  It’s not that I don’t long to have more children. . .I do, but it’s out of my control.  And my heart is content with what I have. 

This and That

We spent the day yesterday fixing up Olivia’s room.  It is now officially switched over to a big girl room (and Olivia continues to tell us how she misses her toddler bed.)  We still have a bit of tweaking to do.  But, it’s decorated in owls, flowers and butterflies and pink.

She is sick today.  I felt bad because this morning she kept telling me she was sick, but was acting fine (and she had just watched a show where the girl was sick.)  I kinda shrugged it off, then felt her and she was warm.  Took her temp and it was over 100.  She has gotten worse throughout the day.  So, she wasn’t able to go to my grandma’s birthday party today.  But, I really didn’t want to miss it. 

I haven’t let Olivia out of my sight since and we just woke up from a nice, long nap.  Hoping she feels better really soon.  I hate when my baby is sick. 

Thank you all for your prayers for Paxten.  Our prayers for Paxten signs have taken off and are bigger than I ever expected.  Amazing.  Paxten is the niece, by the way, of my very best friends growing up.  I remember when Paxten’s mommy was born.  I was 7 1/2 years old. . .to the day (because she was born on my half birthday.)  Their family was like my own and when they brought Libby home from the hospital, they were saying, “Oh, she has this person’s nose or eyes, etc.”  I asked, “What does she have of mine?”  I was so disappointed that she didn’t have anything of mine. . .seriously, I remember that.  I didn’t have any little brother or sisters, so Libby (and her sister) sort of became mine.  This family is very special to me and I thank you for all of your love and support.  Here are some of my favorite pictures:

So, thank you, thank you to everyone.  Now, back to cuddling with my sick girlie.

Facebook Page

https://www.facebook.com/groups/308943799148496/members/#!/groups/308943799148496/?notif_t=group_r2j

I now have a group set up on facebook where everyone can share their Praying for Paxten pictures!  Please join and keep the pictures coming!

Keep On Praying

So, our Praying for Paxten campaign is proving to be a huge success.  I’ve already received about a dozen pictures and judging by the number of hits on my blog. . .I am going to receive a ton more.  Here are just a few:

This last picture was taken in Paxten’s new room! 

We are working on posting all of the pictures to a separate facebook page for Paxten.  We’ll let you know the details in the near future.  In the meantime, keep them coming!!

Praying for Paxten

I saw this done on a blog a few years ago and really wanted to do this for Paxten.  It only works, however, with your support.  As someone who saw my own children fight for their lives, it truly does help to know that other people are taking time out of their lives to pray for your children.  Let’s not just TELL Libby and Blake that we’re praying for their daughter. . .let’s SHOW them! 

It’s really simple.  Make a sign (or you can use mine below) that says: Praying for Paxten in: (wherever you are)  and take a picture of yourself holding the sign.  The more people we get to participate, the greater the impact.  Tell your friends and let’s try to find people from all over the world who are praying for Paxten.  And be creative. . .write it in the sand on a beach, find a celebrity to hold a sign, hold a sign in front of a famous landmark, etc.  You can email the picture to me at jsail63@hotmail.com or to Libby directly.  I haven’t quite decided what to do with all of the pictures, but I’m working on it.  Let your creativity soar, but most of all. . .pray for Paxten and show her and her family how much you care!!

We’ll go first.  Now, it’s your turn!

The latest on Paxten can be found here:

http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/paxtenpearson/?ref=nl

Parenting

I thought parenting was going to portray my strengths, never realizing that God had ordained it to reveal my weaknesses.

-Dave Harvey

Wow, how true is that?  Parenting is very humbling and definitely shows you the areas in your life that need improvement. I just pray every day that God helps me to be the kind of parent that Olivia needs. 

Then, I see this face and realize I must be doing something right. 

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Olivia:  Can we go to Logan’s park today?

Me:  Where is Logan’s park?

Olivia: It’s in heaven.

Me: Does he have bouncing animals at his park?

Olivia:  Yes!  They are farm animals!  His favorite is the pig!

Olivia is increasingly talking about Logan every day.  It warms my heart and breaks my heart at the same time.  Not sure I’ll ever get over Olivia saying his name. . .

Prayers for Paxten

Lots of prayers for Paxten please!  Paxten is the niece of my two best friends growing up.  I’ve known Paxten’s mom, Libby, since she was born.  Paxten is 22 months old and has been fighting leukemia for over a year.  She underwent a bone marrow transplant 24 days ago and is really struggling right now.  Please please say a prayer for Paxten and her amazing mommy and daddy.

Libby’s latest update:

Day +24
First off all thank you so much prayer warriors for the extra prayers and support. It has been another rough day. Paxten's oxygen and breathing had been slowly deteriorating throughout the day along with increased and higher feavers, increased fussiness, throwing up, gagging and grabbing at her chest. We were thinking it may be acid reflux but after the CT scan I think we have bigger problems than heartburn. The doctors were very concerned about the fevers and decided they did not want to wait until tomorrow for a scan. The scan showed another accumulation of fluid in her belly but it wasn't nearly as much this time. They decided to drain it and only got about 430ml off this time. But after looking at the scan I believe we have found a source for the difficult breathing.
The Dr. found what was described as "diffused nodes" throughout her lungs. Meaning, she has either some sort of fungus or a-typical bacteria all through her lungs. This could be some form of pnemonia or fungus (I am not familiar with what kinds of fungus is common in transplant patients). She said even a virus of some kind could do this to a transplant patient. She also has a small pocket of fluid in the lungs. They have no idea exactly what it is just by looking at the scan and would have to draw out some fluid to determine exactly what it is. The dr doesn't feel that Paxten is stable enough at this point to do that test. They will also be doing a respiratory panel to test for any viruses. Essentially Pax has some sort of lung disease and we don't know exactly what it is. They have started her on two additional medications to hopefully cover whatever it may be. They are watching her very closely right now since her breathing is very shallow and she is "pulling" for breath as the dr. described it. If it gets any worse we may be going to the ICU. They also saw a slight accumulation of fluid around the heart but she didn't even say much about that because I think they are more concerned with the lungs at this point.
I don't even know what to say...please just keep praying.

You can keep up with Paxten’s progress at:

http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/paxtenpearson

Please please keep her in your prayers.

Olivia’s New Room

Chicken Fried Steak

One of my all-time favorite foods is chicken fried steak.  Last night I was pretty proud of myself for making it for the very first time.  I actually hadn’t made any new recipes lately, so I’m trying to get back in the swing of things.  Yummy. . .not healthy, but yummy.

Chicken Fried Steak and Gravy

You have to scroll down a bit when you click on the link to get to the recipe.  Enjoy!

Thursday, January 5, 2012

Today was Olivia’s first day back to preschool.  When I picked her up, we headed to the “bouncing animals” park and I tell ya, we had so much fun.  We drew letters in the sand and tried to see who could find the biggest rock.  It’s not a fancy park or a big park, but Olivia loves it. . .especially the bouncing duck. 

I love it because it reminds me of the parks of yesteryear with the old fashioned slide and merry-go-round and monkey bars. No high tech playground equipment there.

I guess it made me nostalgic for the days when I could walk to the city park or swimming pool.  We do not even have a park within walking distance of where we live.  I miss that smaller town feel. . .granted we live in a small town, but technically it’s on the outskirts of town in a subdivision. 

And it was then. . .at the top of the slide that I had an epiphany.  We need to just sell our house and move to a small town near a park.  It doesn’t have to be far away.  It doesn’t have to be a bigger or better house. . .just something different.  Sure, when I was telling Ryan about it, it no longer seemed very practical and I was probably only half serious by that point.  But, for a moment it made perfect sense.  Don’t get me wrong, I love my house, but sometimes wouldn’t it be great to just start anew?  Amid our struggles with depression over the past few years, sometimes it feels like we just need a big change in our lives.

Who knows what came over me, but as the sun was starting to set we decided it was time to go home.  Olivia had a hard time saying good-bye to her duck and hugged him and told him she’d be back to see him soon.  But I think both of us had just the kind of day we needed.