I'm out...

We all got some type of Bronchitis type illness the week of Martin Luther King day.  Before we were all better from that we got the stomach flu again.  I have been taking care of caughing, fever-running, puking, whining, waking-up-several-times-a-night kids for weeks now.  All the while I've been sick too.  I just can't keep us healthy and I can't keep all of the balls in the air.  My heart is acting up again too.  Something has to give and if I'm not careful it's going to be me.

I have no other choice but to strip my life of all of the non-necessities and hopefully things will get better in the spring.  So, once again I have to say goodbye to my blog friends.  I will talk to you all again once it's warm and we aren't sick...if that day ever comes.

Reason #421 why I am AWESOME...

Remember how we re-did our fireplace?  If you missed it, you can see it here.  The whole reason we decided to redo it was to be able to burn wood to help heat our house.  The first winter here just about bankrupt us.  Well, in order to burn wood, you have to have wood.

We just ordered some from a super cute little old guy last week.  He dropped it off in the driveway and since we were all sick, it just sat there.  Well, I looked at the weather today and saw that we are going to get at least 12 inches of snow by Wednesday night.  Guess what that means?  The wood can't stay in the driveway because I am certainly not digging it out from under 12 inches of snow!

So, I just spent 2 hours moving a huge pile of wood and stacking it neatly on our porch so I can get to it without having to dig for it.  I'm going to pay dearly for moving it all myself, but at least while we are snowed in and I can't move I'll be warm and toasty!  :)  Sounds like the perfect time to get some crocheting done.

Oh, you want pictures?  Oh, okay...here you go.

My article is being published!!!!!

Several months ago I submitted an article to an online journal, The Power of Moms. I didn’t hear from them, so I just assumed my article wasn’t accepted. Just this week I got an email saying that it was accepted and would be published TODAY! I realize this is just a tiny little article, but I am very excited abut it. My life long dream is to write a book and I see this as the first of many steps. If you would like to read it, you can follow this link.

I'm sure many of you didn't know that becoming an author is a dream of mine because I never talk about it.  I guess it means so much to me that I’ve been afraid to share it for fear of it not coming true. Now my confidence is boosted. I feel that with LOTS of hard work, maybe my dream can come true. So to all of you who love me and support me...THANK YOU!!!

Now go read my article and tell me what you think.  :)

Devastation

Some very good friends of ours went to get their little 20 month old boy from his bed Saturday morning to find that he had passed away in the night.  I am so devastated for them and for their children.

We have been friends since before any of us were married and have continued to be friends all of these years.  We were pregnant at the same time with my 4th and her 3rd...due within days of each other.  We spent that summer throwing up and growing big together.  She went on to have another little boy and he is the one who is now an angel.  Seeing them go through this is heartbreaking!  Yet at the same time, the faith and poise and strength that has always drawn me to them is ever present.

At this time I have 2 requests.  Please keep their family in your prayers that they will find the peace and comfort that only the Lord can give.  Please take a minute to tell the people you love that you love them...you never know when you won't get another chance.

If you would like to know more about their experience, you can read her blog here.

Feature Friday -- Smart Seat Chair Covers

This past fall Becky from Smart Seat Chair Covers contacted me about a awesome new product on the market and asked me if I would be willing to review it on my blog.  As soon as I saw what her product was I said "YES, please let me review it!"  I got it in the mail 3 days later.

It is a seat cover that is stain resistant, waterproof, and washable. Did you catch all of that?   It comes in 3 colors, navy blue, khaki, and black.  Their website shows exactly how to use it on different types of chairs and their customer service is excellant.  It is slightly narrower on one end and has velcro strips so that it can strap on under the seat of your chair.  It is very simple to use and is quite versatile.  I've had this since November and we have put it through the ringer.  It still looks as good today as the day I got it.

This will be perfect for those of you who have real dining room chairs.  We had lovely ones when we first got married, but 10 years later, they are no longer with us.  They've been replaced with the plastic folding chairs from Costco which are so easy to clean, but not even a little bit attractive.  This is how I used it on those chairs.

As you can see, it didn't fit perfectly on there, but it did cover the seat and kept it clean.  What I really loved it for was putting it under our booster seat that straps on to the chair.  We have used this booster seat for all 4 kids and nastiness always collected on the chair underneath it.  I HATED taking it off to scrub the chair, but with this little beauty, I didn't have to.  I just took the booster off, took the seat cover off and shook the hard stuff into the trash and then threw it into the washer.  Perfection!

Just for kicks I also tried it on the back of the chair too.

I also tried it on a chair in my family room.  My puppy likes to curl up on the chair and I didn't want it to get gross.  Again, it didn't fit perfectly because the chair has T cushions, but it covered the important parts.  The dog didn't like it for some reason and wouldn't sit on the chair with it on there.  So I guess it served it's purpose, just in a different way than I was expecting.  :)

I think you should give these a try.  You can order just one to try out before you buy enough for all of your chairs and Becky and everyone else at Smart Seat Chair Covers is so great to work with.  Want to know my favorite part?  She is a stay at home mom who had a good idea and supportive friends.  They ran with it and now they have a good business.  I am much more likely to support "One of our own" than to run out to the nearest store and buy something similar...not that there is anything similar.  I absolutely think this is a great product and worth looking into.