Durgan Daily Dose

Decorating Projects COMPLETE!!!

2011-08-19T16:02:00.003-11:00

This summer I had several decorating projects that I wanted to get done before school starts again (kinda pushing it, school starts Monday). Anyway, I thought that I would share some of them with you. I've had fun. This is probably it for awhile. Gotta buckle down now and be a teacher!

First project was our kitchen table. We bought this table before we were married, so it's been around awhile. It is our main surface for doing school work, so it had lots or permanent marker (no, I didn't know they were permanent until I tried to clean them off). Anyway, I was ready for a "redo". I first sanded down the top, then took the top off, took the legs outside and painted them. I applied several coats of stain, and it just wasn't soaking in. Anyway, finally it got to a tint that I was happy with. Then I started applying polyurathane. After three coats of that, I realized that "this is not working". The polyurathane was all blotchy and uneven (even though I had sanded in between coats). So, haul the top outside and start striping the polyurathane off. YUCK! Long, long story. After all of that, I sanded it down AGAIN, and since I've never really refinished anything before, I sanded deeper in some spots than others. Stained it again, and then let it cure for several days. Finally, yesterday, I applied ONE coat of polyurathane

and this is what I got....a wonderful "farmhouse" table. I really love the way it turned out.

Next little project is this dresser that was FREE sitting out along the roadside. It is solid wood, but pretty beat up. And there was even

writing on the top. It was really, really dirty and it didn't smell the greatest, but hey, it was free. So I scrubbed and scrubbed, etc. and

This is the final result. Painted it, and then distressed the edges.

Some of the drawer pulls were missing and I really wanted to go with something that looked like glass drawer pulls. Do you know how much they want for those things? Anyway, my remedy was to go to the dollar tree, pick up a bag of these, glue two of them together with really strong glue, back to back, let them dry overnight, then glued them on the dresser today. Really like the look I got with them. Got eight drawer pulls for less than $1 because I have several left over! Wooo Hooo!

Next little thing I did, noting major, but I found this jar at GW. As you can see it was filty, covered with a film (cigarette smoke maybe), and filled with '70's plastic fruit, but I really liked the look of it, kinda like an apothocary jar. Brought it home, cleaned it up, and...

here it is "repurposed" in my entry. LOVE IT~~

Next project. Found this at GW too for $1. It was half price. Saw a gem in it too. Checked to see if the paint would scratch off, and it did, so brought it home, scrubbed it up. Glued the plate to a candleholder that I had floating around and...

this is the final result.

Added a sofa table to my living room. The table that I wanted to use here was too short. It was basically a side table. Anyway, I had an old kitchen table that I wasn't using, so I used the legs off of it and replaced them on this table, and it was perfect. Notice my basket from the "outlet" under the table. This is where I store extra throws that we use alot when the weather is cooler. I am really enjoying the warmth this addition has added to my living room.

Tried something new. Silicone dipped mini lights. Also made them "grungy" this time. They fit in really good in my "new" country bath (pictures of that coming up).

Here is a picture of the bathroom before. It was kinda a safari theme. Lions, etc. Been thinking about changing it to a country bath to fit in more with the majority of the rest of my house.

Picture #1
Jonathan help me with the "Country Bath" sign.

Picture #2
Made a wreath to match the border.

Picture #3
Put up a shower curtain. Didn't have one before. This is one of my "outlet" finds. The rod is an old oak handle from a broken hoe we had.
Cut it to fit, smeared some Old English on it, and it's perfect.

Picture #4
Old, CLEAN chamber pot for holding extra toilet paper.

In my other bathroom, I did some Shabby Chic updates. My neighbor gave me one of her husband's old tool boxes. I took the handle off, turned it on it's side, and it makes a perfect little shelf for my bathroom.

Another one of my "outlet" finds. An old door knob. Didn't know at the time what I would do with it, but got it because I loved it. It found the perfect spot on this shelf.

Jar from Hobby Lobby on Clearance $2 something.

And another GW find for cheeeaaappp!!!

Thanks for looking! Hope you've enjoyed the tutorial.

Little Bride

2011-08-19T15:02:00.001-11:00

The other day DaNae dressed Makayla up in her "dress up", did her hair and then took her out and shot some photos. I have done some slight editing, but I thought that they turned out really well. She did an awesome job for a 12 year old. Someday when Makayla really is a bride, it will be fun to look back at these and smile.

Enjoy!~

More Kid Pictures

2009-03-12T06:38:00.010-11:00

Today I took some more pictures of the kids. Some of Jeffrey, Jeffrey and Makayla together, and Makayla looking in the mirror again. Hope you enjoy them.

Here's my big 7 year old.

Hugs and snuggles

Kisses...

and more Kisses!!!

Two cuties!

Makayla looking in the mirror...again. This time in color.

Love this one!

Have a great day!

New Pictures of (some of the) Kids!!!!

2009-03-11T16:22:00.007-11:00

We recently bought a new camera and I've been experimenting with it. Trying some new things. Thought I would post some of the pictures here. Still have to take some of Jeffrey, but here are some of the others.

Makayla...she's 2 now, can hardly believe it. Growing, growing, growing, sooo fast.

She's laughing at herself in the mirror.

DaNae is growing up on me. Soon to be 10.

And then there's Jonathan. He's growing into such a wonderful young man. I can't believe he'll be a teenager next year. And he's already wearing a size 12 men's shoe!!!! Love this picture of him.

Hope you enjoy these experiments. I'm having fun.

PUBLISHED!!!!!

2008-08-21T14:43:00.010-11:00

Let me just say from the get-go that this is going to be a brag session about my husband. If you're not interested, don't read it. But if you are, here's the way it goes.

A few months ago Paul realized a need for a custom surgical prep tray for the surgery department where he works. He began working on this project, customizing it, as well as implementing a new prep solution in the prep tray. The details are many and I don't know them all, however, through this customized prep tray that he designed, he has been able to save St. Vincent 29% over their previous tray cost, lowering the price by $2.78 per tray. This saving is significant. His work has not gone unnoticed by those around him. This month, in a national magazine published by Medline Industries, Inc., they published a two-page spread article about what he has done. They have a web-site, but you cannot access the article unless you subscribe. However, if you click on this link you will see the cover of the magazine in which this article is published. And if you click on the little link in the lower left corner of the screen where it says "OR Issues", you will see that this article is one listed there: "Great Ideas from Your Peers: Surgical Skin Prep Soultions". http://www.medline.com/orc/default.asp

Here are a couple of pictures of the two page spread that I just scanned into my computer.

The name of the article is: "Great Ideas from Your Peers", and you can see his picture at the bottom of the second picture. Let me just say, I believe that Paul is one of the best in his field. This is not just my opinion, it is the opinion of his peers and his boss as well. A couple of weeks ago he had his annual performance review. Here are some of the exact words from his boss on this evaluation:

"Paul provides safe, quality care for his patients. His excellent assessment skills, years of experience, including ED and technical skills have resulted in quick critical thinking skills that have saved patient lives." (On more than one occasion, I might add.)

"Paul’s ability to circulate or scrub provides increased staffing flexibility to meet patient or surgeon needs. Paul also seeks opportunities to develop himself as well as others. Paul is truly an asset to the Surgery Department and organization."

Not only did she say these things, she also backed it up by giving him the highest possible rating on his evaluation: 4.0! On this same evaluation one of his peers said: "He is genuine...he is very motivated".

Honey, I'm so proud of you, and I love you so. You truly have earned a standing ovation! You are awesome at what you do, and you deserve to be recognized and congratulated!!! Please help me congratulate him by posting your comments. I will certainly pass them on to him!

Side note: About three years ago he designed a special helmet for surgery. The engineers came and met with him, and took down his prototype. The engineers went back and made one, brought it back for him to "tweak". It is being marketed by Stryker, and is set for national distribution soon. Unfortunately, he didn't hire an attorney, and he won't be receiving any type of kick-back. We live and learn!!!! Next time there WILL be an attorney!

Here Again, Finally!!!

2008-08-21T06:54:00.012-11:00

I really don't know where to start, so I'll just start. We had a wonderful time at camp. It was great to be spiritually refreshed and physically rested as well. The kids had a great time and spent hours and hours in the sand. Jonathan and some other children getting buried in the sand...yuck!!! Jonathan said he had sand fleas in his ears. DaNae, Kallie and Jada at camp. "BFF" !

We made it home from camp, and the next morning I headed to the chruch to begin the decorating for our VBS. Since I lost the day to getting unpacked and laundry caught up, I spent the next several days doing so. My kids thoroughly enjoyed VBS, and it seemed to be a great experience for all.

Also the week immediately following our return from camp, along with VBS, my sister, Cyretha, and her family made the tremendous move to Overland Park, KS. Her husband got a job out there and thus the move ensued. Unfortunately for my sister, he had started his job back in June and was already in KS. She stayed behind to sell their house, etc. So the move in August fell mostly her responsibility, and she is wore out. They made the move safely, and they are now trying to "get settled". Lots of adjustments and emotions, to say the least. Here is a pic of moving day, and one of her and Sammy and Elizabeth.

While we were at camp we found out that we were expecting again...and she would arrive the weekend after we got home from camp. We have made the cutest little addition to our family, and her name is "Sparkle". She was 7 1/2 weeks old when we got her and she is just adorable. She has a personality to match her name, and we are in love. She loves the kids and is doing well with her obedience.
She is a "yellow/white" lab. If bred correctly we should get all white pups. Of course that will be a couple of years from now, but we're enjoying HER as a puppy.
Sparkle promptly got a UTI the day after we got her. So forget trying any of the potty training stuff. It was not an option. She's all better now and doing well.

The next week we spend getting ready for school, buying uniforms, purchasing crayons, glue and hand sanitizer. Jeffrey started first grade Thursday, and is really enjoying it. Jonathan and DaNae started on Friday with a half day. This week was back in full swing. Here's Jeffrey ready for his first day of 1st Grade!!!

Also, Paul's parent flew in last Wednesday and was here for about a week. We put up 1 1/2-2 bushel of corn, rearranged the boys room, went to the state fair, had a picnic in the park on Sunday, just to name a few of the things we did while they were here. They are back home in NY now, but we had a great time, and always enjoy them being here. Makayla and grandpa sure are buddies.

So that's pretty much my last two and half weeks in a nutshell...laundry, VBS, looking at houses (we want to get a place with a little more land and at least another bedroom), helping family move, freezing/canning, company, getting ready for school, going to PTF, school open house, nursing a sick puppy, potty training the puppy, state fair, etc., etc. I'm ready for another 10 day vacation. I feel like Makayla looks. (After we got back from camp, she was so wore out, one day as I was trying to get caught up on laundry, I turned around and she had crawled in the laundry basket, just "chillin".)

Bits and Pieces

2008-07-24T16:28:00.008-11:00

Just wanted to hop on here for a few minutes to let everyone know that I still am blogging now and then, and also to let you know that tomorrow we leave for 10 days at family church camp. This is always a hightlight of our year. The kids look forward to it so much, and I must say, this year I am going with an intense desire to be refreshed and renewed spiritually in a way like never before. This has been my prayer for the last several days in preparation to go. This week has been full of packing, doing up all of the laundry, running to the store for one more thing that we need, and then packing some more. Tomorrow evening we pull out of here, and thus begins a much needed time of R&R. (Stole the picture from Ladonna's blog...thanks Ladonna.)

The other day Jonathan and Danae were in a silly mood and decided to dress up like old people. They even did a little skit for us, which was quite comical, I might add (I think they got the whole "skit" idea from when we were at youth camp). Anyway, we took a few pictures and shared several laughs and made some happy memories. It was great seeing them using their imagiations. I thought I would share one of the pics.

Then the other day, for the first time, Jonathan got Makayla to leave a pair of sunglasses on. She was just too cute. And when I took her to the mirror to see herself, she just laughed, she thought it was so funny. She looks like the "wild child" doesn't she? Hair everywhere (she won't leave hair accessories in).

And then a couple of nights ago, right after supper, she began playing with this little hat that belongs to a doll of DaNae's. She was cracking us up, and enjoying all of the attention as well.

And one final, parting shot...

Good night to all.

Bedroom Make-Over, June, 2008

2008-07-14T08:42:00.006-11:00

I told you that I would post some pictures of my bedroom makeover that I did. I did it as a surprise for Paul for Father's Day. On Friday morning as soon as he left for work, I got up, and started stripping wallpaper. After that I ran to Wal-Mart to buy the paint that I needed. Came home, and got the painting done. Then ran to Joey's wallpaper store and hunted down some border. Came home, we ate lunch, and then after lunch the boys helped me hang the border. The rest of the afternoon was spent hanging new curtains, shelves, pictures and mirror, putting on the "new" comforter, etc. The kids really enjoyed helping and being part of the big "surprise". I had just finished running the sweeper and putting the final touches on when Paul arrived home from work. It was fun, and he was sooooo surprised. Here is a picture of the "before".

And here...drum roll please...is the "after"

It is completely different than it was before and I just have to tell you about my bargins. As many of you know, I love to get bargains wherever I can (my neighbor acquses me of carrying a gun). So here goes...the comforter, pillow shams and bed skirt all came the local thrift store. The decorative pillow in the middle (which matches perfectly, same design, etc.) I got at the Salvation Army store in Indy. The lamps above the bed I got at a garage sale. The shelves they're sitting on came from Hobby Lobby 50% off. The canopy I got at a garage sale as well. The beautiful lamp sitting on the table on the right side of the bed I got at Goodwill for $4. The wall paper border was 5.99 a roll. So all in all, I did the whole make-over relatively inexpensive, and it was a blast. The picture really doesn't do it justice. It is much more impressive in person. But, oh well. At least you get an idea. I'm thinking about re-doing my bathroom next. We'll see!

Has It REALLY been that long?

2008-07-13T16:30:00.008-11:00

Oh my!!! I just got on my page and looked at the date that I last blogged. It's been so long, nobody is probably even coming to this page anymore. I guess maybe I'm about to find out. Anyway...let's see if I can give you a quick overview of some of the things I've been doing over the past few months.

In May DaNae turned nine. It doesn't seem possible.

Then, of course, it was just finishing up the school year with all of the year end school stuff. Then we hit June and I'm not where the last month and a half have gone. The seventh of June a girl in our church got married and I did her flowers (real ones. She ordered them on-line and they never came in. She had to go to Sam's on Friday and buy theirs). I did her decorating as well, and Paul did the cake. On Friday night, as I was working to get the flowers done, and Paul was working his tail off as well, our electricity went out. We ended up moving everything to the church and finishing up there...very late that night, I might add. It was fun, and everything turned out very nice. Here's a pic of the cake Paul did for that wedding. The wedding was for Brent Stetler and Denisa Campbell.

Here's a pic of the bride's bouquet.

Then after re-couping for a couple of days after this busy weekend, I did a total room make-over in our bedroom as a surprise for Paul for Father's Day. I don't have a picture of the room re-d0ne. I will have to post it later, and I can give more details then. I got up early on Friday morning, and by the time he got home from work at around 4:30 the project was complete. It was fun. The week immediately following Father's Day, myself and the children when to Friends Youth Camp for the week. They were in need of some help in a couple of areas, so we were gone for that entire week. The kids had a blast, and Jonathan, who will be old enough to be a camper next year, got to see first hand what "youth camp" is all about. He can hardly wait until next year. It was an interesting week, all five of us in one room, and the bed breaking in the room directly above us at 12:30 a.m., and thinking for sure they were coming through the ceiling. But we made memories that we will never forget, and it was worth it.

The week after we got home, Pilgrim Holiness Camp was going on right here in Frankfort. The children enjoyed going to the children services, and we enjoyed the services we were able to attend as well. Shortly thereafter, of course, was the holiday weekend. We went to my parents and went to Shipshewanna, Indiana for the day. Had a blast shopping and enjoying being with family.

The past several days have just been more of the same...getting Jonathan to piano lesson, taking DaNae to violin lesson, running Jeffrey to summer tutoring, taking Makayla to the doctor (she had an ear infection), and on and on the list goes. Summer is flying by and the kids are having a blast in the new pool. (Jonathan accidentally put a huge gash in our other one while mowing the yard...he felt so bad, but it turned out ok, cause now they have a bigger one.) It seems the days are filled with making sure music lessons get practiced, reading books with Jeffrey to help him with his reading, keeping Makayla from getting in the pool and keeping a diaper on her (I think it's time to potty train). Oh, last week I did do some redecorating in my living room as well. Got some great inspiration when we went to Shipshewanna. I'll have to take a picture and share it later. Also, I was able to give a facelift to the Sunday School class where I have been helping at church. Painted a couple walls, and had a beautiful 4x8 bulletin board installed. Got it painted and decorated as well, and it looks awesome. Thank you, Mike Peck for installing it for me. Also, Paul did another cake on Friday, and I was also able to help him with that as well. Another beautiful job...of course.

In about 10 days we will be packing up the motorhome and heading to family church camp for 10 days. Can't wait to get some much needed R&R as well as family time. We look so forward to this time in our year. Great time of spiritual renewal and rest. Then when we get back home it wil almost be time for school to start again. It's been a fun summer, but it has flown by.

I'm going to close this post for now. Thought I would post a recent picture of Makayla as a parting shot. She's growing by leaps and bounds, and is no longer a baby...she is now a toddler, and prematurely entering the "terrible twos". She sure is a sweetie though. Be sure to let me know that you stopped by, so I'll know if it's really worth it to keep the blogs rolling.

Room & Furniture Make-overs!

2008-04-21T07:35:00.017-11:00

Some of the reasons I haven't blogged very much lately is because I've been working on some decorating projects. Last week, I was able to do a bathroom makeover for a friend of mine. She has some vintage wallpaper in her bathroom that seemed to overpower everything in the room. The other walls were white. I suggested painting two walls a blush pink, and then just accent with pink here and there. It took me a total of about 3 hours, and it was a blast I love doing things like this. It is great therapy for me. Here are several "before and after" pictures.

Before:

After:

Before:

After:

Before:

After:

Before:

After:

It may not be that impressive in the pictures, but in person it really was a huge turn around.

Another project I've worked on recently...a coffee table for my living room. When I bought it, it looked like this, and was a regular dinette table. With a little bit of hammering (to give it a distressed look) and a few coats of paint, and having my best friend cut the legs off, here is the final result (looks redder in the picture than it actually is). It matches my entertainment center. It's more burgundy in person than it looks in this picture. I'm planning to sand the edges after the paint has a few more days to dry good.

Then, this is a little lamp that I re-did to use in my friend's bathroom. This is the picture before.And now after.
Maybe it's because it's spring, but the creative juices seem to be flowing. We have a major landscaping job to do in the next couple of weeks. I'll try to post pics of that as well.

"Titanic" Birthday

2008-04-21T06:31:00.007-11:00

Jonathan turned 11 last week. He is really "into" the story of the Titanic and all of the mystery and uniqueness that surrounds that story in history. He can tell you details about this incident that you probably didn't know. So this year he asked for a Titanic themed birthday. He really wanted a "Titanic" cake, meaning, a cake in the shape of the ship etc. I knew that I didn't have the time and wasn't sure I could actually make it look like the Titanic anyway, so I opted for a sinking bow of the Titanic as a centerpiece on the table. With two cardboard boxes, a 1/4 of a can of black spray paint, a string of white Christmas lights and some fast work, this is what I came up with. He was pleasantly surprised, and very pleased.

I poked the white lights through the cardboard just a little to make it look like the lights from inside the ship.

You can see a little bit of the iceberg (lower left corner). After it was all said and I done I realized that I should have made it bigger, but by that time it was too late.

Here is what we came up with for a cake...thanks to Sam's Club. He was really happy with it as well, and it tasted delicious.

And here is the happy birthday boy. Can hardly believe that he is already 11. Don't know where the years are going. And when I stop and think about it, in 5 years he'll be driving!!!! Now that's just unbelievable.

He had a couple of his buddies from school spend the night, grandma and grandpa Hudson came, and my sister and her family came as well. We had a nice evening, and Jonathan enjoyed HIS day.

Family, Fun and Food Poisioning!!!!

2008-04-20T17:40:00.012-11:00

Sorry, guys, it's been so long. Life has been crazy. Anyway, I figured I'd better blog about Gatlinburg. We had a great time. The first weekend we stayed in Townsend with two other families: Joe and LaDonna Covert, and Darrell and Michelle Jones. It was a great time of catching up, and relaxation. LaDonna also took our annual family pictures (the new ones you see pictured here on this page). It was fun, they turned out great, and it's always good to get that little "chore" behind us for another year. On Monday, we headed over to Pigeon Forge to find our other cabin that we had rented for the rest of our time away. The name of our cabin was "Mountaintop Splendor". Well...they didn't give it that name for nothin'. It was a long, steep, steep climb to the top, but it was really nice once we finally made it to the summit. Here is what awaited us when we finally "arrived".

On Monday afternoon we decided to go to Dollywood for the afternoon. If you go after 3:00 you get the next day free. Monday was very chilly (as you can see the children all have their coats on), so since the Festival of Nations was going on, we decided to do the "inside" things. We enjoyed several things that day. It was nice, and the kids really enjoyed it, as they had never been to Dollywood.

On Tuesday, the weather was a bit warmer, and we decided to go to Ripley's Aquarium. We spent several hours there enjoying all there is to see there. We ate a late lunch, then headed back to Pigeon Forge to ride go carts and then go to the Comedy Barn. On the way back to our cabin we stopped at Kroger and decided to grab some frozen dinners to fix back at the cabin, enjoy the hot tub, and relax for a while. We did that. Paul had decided on a chicken dinner, and while he was eating it, he mentioned that it tasted like it had been frozen and thawed several times, it tasted "mushy", as he put it. The bed that was in the master bedroom was not very comfortable, and was hurting my back, so I decided to sleep upstairs that night in a more comfortable bed. The next morning, I'm awakened to the sound of my dear husband being violently ill. Unknown to me, he had been up several times in the night, etc. Well...since Dollywood wasn't open on Tuesday, we were planning to go back for our "free" day on Wednesday. Now that he's sick, I'm wondering what to do. Do I go to Dollywood with the children by myself. The day was already paid for, and we didn't feel like we had gotten our money's worth on Monday. Besides, what about all of the rides (we hadn't ridden any on Monday because it was so cold). Needless to say, we all ended up going, while Paul sat in the van for a while, then later decided to accompany us in the park for awhile. We must have been a site. Paul rubbing his stomach every little while, parking himself frequently on a bench, and constantly looking for the nearest restroom. We are certain that it was food poisoning from the frozen dinner that he had eaten the night before. It was a bum way to end the vacation, but there must have been a reason.

Thursday morning we woke, and started the process of loading everything up to make the journey home. Oh, I forgot to tell you, Makayla threw up while we were in the park at Dollywood. As certain as we thought we were about Paul having food poisoning, we began to question if this could possibly be a virus of some sort. My prayer Wednesday night was that the Lord would get us home safely and without anyone else getting sick along the way. I was dreading the trip, but God answered both of those prayers. We arrived home about 5:45, unloaded the van, and Paul and Jonathan made a flying trip to Lafayette, as I had gotten a call while were away that they were out of gift baskets, and needed the next order ASAP. I was scheduled to deliver more on Monday, but they said they couldn't wait. So...Friday night I assembled 100 gift baskets, and fell into bed.

Here are some pictures of us on some of the rides that we enjoyed at Dollywood.

Makayla ready to get us "home". We're pretty well loaded up and ready to get home.

It was great to get away, and can't wait to do it again. Minus the food poisioning next time, please!

I have lots more to blog about, since it's been a month since I've written. I will try to get those things posted soon. But for now, since it's after 1:00 a.m. I best call it a day. Good night.

Gatlinburg, Here We Come!!!!

2008-03-21T08:03:00.003-11:00

We are leaving...momentarily...for the great state of Tennessee, and the beautiful town of Gatlinburg. We will be spending this weekend with wonderful friends...Joe and Ladonna Covert, and Michelle and Darell Jones. On Monday, we will make our way to Pigeon Forge to spend a few more days for some much needed R&R. We have been looking forward to this vacation for months, and can hardly wait to get there. LaDonna will be taking our family pictures again (it's becoming a tradition), and so I'll have some of those to post hopefully soon. We'll be returning on Thursday, March 27th, so no blogging for a while. But, when I get back, I should have lots to tell about and hopefully some great pictures to post as well.

Happy Easter, everyone!!!!

New News!!!!

2008-03-16T08:44:00.005-11:00

About two years ago, when Maplewood Bulk Foods was still in business, we were approached about placing a bid to do gift baskets for the St. Vincent Orthopedic Hospital. They give each patient a gift basket. Each out-patient gets a basket filled with a meal to go home: pasta, sauce, dessert, etc. Each inpatient gets a basket filled with snacks to enjoy with their families during their stay at the hospital. We gave them a bid, but were under-bid by about $.30 per basket. Well...a month or so ago, Paul received an e-mail from the Director of Patient Services of the Ortho Hospital, asking us again, if we would like to bid. So, we did. Well, after a week and a half or so of waiting after our bid was submitted we received an e-mail stating that we...(drum roll, please) had WON the bid! YEAH!!!!!!!!! I do 260 gift "baskets" a month. I deliver them on a bi-weekly basis, so I do 130 every two weeks. It is an awesome "stay-at-home" job for me. This is one reason I haven't blogged in a while. Just been busy getting everything rolling with this new undertaking. Hopefully things are going to "flow" from here on out.

A few days after we found out that we had won the bid, the Lord spoke to me one day while I was doing some house work and said: "I answered your prayer". As I stopped and thought about what He had just said to me, I realized that He really had! Several months before I had started praying, asking the Lord to use me, to be able to do something that was fulfilling and allow me to use the abilities that He has given me. He did answer that prayer for me back in November in an awesome way when He allowed me to decorate for the Faith Investment Dinner at UBC, and I enjoyed it so much. But now He is allowing me to do something that I thoroughly enjoy, on a regular basis, and now I even get paid to do it. Never in a million years would I have even imagined that this opportunity would be an option for us. He has shown me that "serving Him" isn't always in the ways, or places, that we think it should be. He is such an awesome God, and I just marvel over and over at His goodness and the awesome ways that He works in our lives to bring about His purpose, as well as give us the desires of our heart.

I should mention that when we bid on the project, we bid to do the "baskets" in gift bags instead. It is a lot less time consuming, and is not so tedious. Here is a picture of my first batch just getting started.

All complete and ready to go.

And more ready to head south!

On a sad note. I am asking you to pray for my parents and the church where my dad pastors. On Thursday, a man in their church was killed in an accident at work. They don't know exactly what happened, but he worked in maintenance, and had gone to the "bag room" (a filtering room for the entire plant. It is a plant that makes insulation.) to do some work. Because the room is a "filter" and it is like a vacuum, he was sucked into the room, which I understand is extremely hot, and the door was shut, and he was trapped in the room. He died of carbon monoxide poisoning. It takes 40% in your blood to kill you, he had 75% in his blood. Because of the extreme heat, his body was badly burned as well. The church, his family, as well as my parents, are devastated. My dad said that he thought Terry was the best friend he had ever had. Tuesday morning is the funeral, and my dad is to preach. I talked to my mom today and she said she doesn't know how dad will ever make it through the sermon. She said that my dad really needs prayer. Please pray for Terry's wife, Jane, and her children and grandchildren. Terry was my dad's "right-hand-man", and will be so desperately missed by everyone that knew him. Please pray for my sister and I as well, as we will be playing and singing for the funeral. If you'd like to read the article in the local paper, click the link:

http://www.wabashplaindealer.com/articles/2008/03/15/local_news/local1.txt

I'd be rich if....

2008-02-27T02:48:00.008-11:00

I would be able to go on a great shopping spree if I had a dollar for everytime, in the last few days that one of my children has something like this:

"How many days until Spring?"
"When is it going to be warm?"
"Only ___ days until February is over, right?"
"Is it almost summer?"
"I think we should pray that the weather gets warmer."

The children are really getting cabin fever. Jeffrey was talking this morning about wishng it was warmer so that they could play outside, plant things, and play in the pool. Oh, I'm longing for those days too. Can't come soon enough.

Out of the mouths of babes...Con't.

2008-02-18T06:20:00.002-11:00

The children are home from school today, have the day off because of President's Day. Jonathan and Jeffrey were in their room playing, when I walked in. They told me that they were doing "surgery", and Jeffrey informed me that "no one is to interuption us". After I made sure that no irreversible mess would be made, I left so I wouldn't "interuption" them. I realize surgery is a delicate thing, and concentration is of the uttmost importance.

Hope everyone has a good day!

Out of the mouths of babes...

2008-02-17T16:17:00.000-11:00

In the past several days my children have said some of the funniest things. I just thought I'd share.

The other day while sitting at a stop light, a semi truck, without a trailer, passes through the light in front of us. Jeffrey says, "Mom, that truck didn't have any pants on!" I asked him what he meant, and because the truck didn't have a trailer, he said it wasn't wearing pants. Not sure where that came from, but it gave me a good laugh.

Also, tonight after church, Jeffrey came to me and said, "How many more days until I get married, about 20?" I said, "No, lots more than that", and he said, "Well, how many?" I told him I had no idea. I wanted to say, "20 more YEARS, maybe!"

Today DaNae came to me and said, "Mom, what's an empty 3 player?" I just wanted to laugh. I didn't correct her, but I did manage to explain to her what it is.

And tonight, Jonathan was reading off the name of a percussion band that he was watching on YouTube. It was something like "Black Lightning Percussion", and he said "Black Lightning Pursecution". After listening to it for a while...well, yes it could be persecution.

Can't wait to hear some of the stuff Makayla comes up with.

County Romantics

2008-02-14T14:47:00.000-11:00

A couple of weeks ago I entered "our story" in our local newspaper. They were searching for the most romantic couples in Clinton County. We did not win first place, but our story was "worthy of mention" and we were acknowledged in today's newspaper. If you're interested in reading the article, click on the link below.

In the post directly below, I included more excerpts from the "story" that I submitted. It was a nice surprise to open the newspaper today and see it recognized there.

http://ftimes.com/main.asp?SectionID=88&SubSectionID=244&ArticleID=43537

Happy Valentine's Day - Valentine!

2008-02-13T19:01:00.000-11:00

Today I would like to say Happy Valentine's Day to my very best friend, my wonderful husband, Paul. I am so blessed to have him in my life. He is so supportive of me in everything that I set my hand to do. He is always there for me, and quite frankly, he spoils me. I don't know how I would ever make it without him. Just recently I sat down, and put on paper some highlights from the day we met, until now. I am including just some short glimpes into that story here today.

The first threads in the tapestry of our love began to mingle on April 21, 1993. My husband, Paul, is from Upstate New York, and I am from Indiana. At a conference in Dayton, Ohio, eight hours from Paul’s home, and two hours from mine, we both convened, and the shuttle on the loom of our love began to weave our story.

On that day in April, we exchanged addresses and pictures, and I said good-bye, for the first time, to the man that I was destined to marry. I walked away from him that day with lots of questions and doubts, truly wondering if I would ever see or hear from this young man again. Through the years, as we’ve looked back, we have been amazed over and over again how that two people, who lived hundreds of miles apart, attended a convention of nearly 5,000 people, whose paths casually crossed, and our lives were changed forever. Meeting him that day was no “twist of fate”, it was providence.

Over the months our relationship had grown stronger and deeper and in October 1993, I flew to New York to be with his family for the weekend. In past conversations we had spoken of marriage, and I was somewhat suspicious that he might propose soon. In anticipation of this event, I wrote my answer, which would be “yes”, in the form of a poem. (I later stitched this poem in cloth…my own tapestry, of sorts, which now hangs on our dinning room wall, and gave it to him as a gift for Valentine’s Day.) As I suspected, on this visit, he did propose, but it wasn’t just any ordinary proposal. You must understand I’m married to an extraordinary man. He had a master plan. For dinner he took me to a lakeside restaurant with candlelight, live music, and fine cuisine. Dinner was delightful and the he decided to take me for a drive. Before we ever met, he would often drive through the country, enjoying nature, and one night he happened upon this “spot”. It was on the top of a mountain that overlooks Canandaigua Lake (one of the Finger Lakes), and off in the distance you can see the lights of the city. He decided then, when he ever proposed, this would be the place. Of course, I did not know it, but this scene would be the backdrop of our destination that night, October 23, 1993. When we arrived he asked me to wait in the car for a few minutes, and told me that he would come and get me when he was ready. After what seemed like an eternity and a lot of thumping in the trunk, he returned for me. As I got out of the car and turned around, what greeted me made me melt. There along side this country lane, he had set up a table covered in white linen with a candle burning there, and a dozen roses lying on the table. To the side was a chair draped in a white cloth as well, illuminated by white, battery operated Christmas lights. He guided me to the chair and told me that this chair was for me. I don’t think I will ever forget how I felt in that moment, on a mountainside in upstate New York. This man had done all of this for me, and I felt like a queen. He knelt down on one knee, took my hand, and with trembling voice, and tear brimmed eyes, he asked me the most important question of our lives. As I mentioned earlier, I had written a poem as my answer, which was quite lengthy. It wasn’t until I got to the last line that he found out my answer. He has admitted that it was a long wait. That day threads of lasting memories, and total commitment became part of the tapestry of “us”, and every thought of those moments strengthens the very fiber of what we were and what we have become.

I don’t think that I will ever forget the way that I felt two days later when he took me to the airport to fly back to Indiana. Those were the days when everyone could go to the boarding area and wait for the plane to depart. We spent those last few moments together, and then the moment to say good-bye had arrived. We clung to each other until we could cling no longer, and through our tears we said good-bye. Carrying a dozen roses, memories of a marriage proposal, and a breaking heart, I turned and walked away from my husband-to-be. It was one of the hardest things I have ever had to do. I boarded the plane, took my seat, and then raised and lowered the window shade three times to signal that I loved him. We backed away from the terminal, took to the skies, and more threads, dark colors mingled with bright, found their place in this showpiece that we continue to weave.

On September 24, 1994, another golden thread was added to our tapestry, and our journey of married life began. I wouldn’t trade one day of it, for the journey has been remarkable. Oh yes, there have been tough places, like uprooting our little family to relocate to Indiana and all that that entails: new job, new home, etc. We’ve faced hospital stays with two infant children, wondering if they would live through the night, had our financial reverses, and wondered if the sun would ever shine again. But through it all, the threads that we are weaving just seem to make the fabric grow stronger. You see, he still brings me flowers, or surprises me with my favorite candy bar. I tuck a love note in his lunch box, start his car on a cold winter morning, or fix him a candle-light dinner, served after our four children are tucked snuggly in bed. We also regularly give each other S.H.M.I.L.Y. (See How Much I Love You) gifts. We purchase little gifts for one another and leave them for each other in obscure places for the other one to find. We still like to go on dates, since we didn’t get to do much of that in our “dating” days. We work hard at having these alone times, and over-night get-a-ways as often as we possibly can. In addition to all of these things, we still keep in touch very closely throughout each day. The thread of communication was securely woven into the foundation of our relationship. It is one that has not unraveled or frayed, but has grown stronger with every passing day.

Everyday I am amazed at this beautiful tapestry we are creating. It is a piece of artistry that will adorn the passageway of my children’s memories for the rest of their lives. It is an heirloom of love and devotion that we believe they will aspire to pass on to their children. Day after day, thread after thread we are weaving a piece of art that is second to none. A delicate piece of art is beginning to emerge…and it is a masterpiece!

I love you, Honey! Happy Valetine's Day!

Be sure to check out the next post about our Dinner Party!

Valentine's Dinner Party

2008-02-13T17:53:00.000-11:00

Last Friday evening Paul and I hosted a Valentine Dinner Party at our home. This is something that we have done several times. It's kind of a special thing that we started back when we lived in New York. One year we did a "50's Hop", and it was more a Valentine party. That was the very first one we did. Since then, we've tried to be more formal, and go with a dinner. This year we did that as well. I made between 40 and 50 ice luminaries that lined the porch and driveway. Unfortunately, it was not dark enough to get the full effect, but they looked better as the evening darkened.

This was the entry table. There were three roses on this table, they're just hard to see in this picture.

We started off with fresh fruit and chocolate, stuffed mushrooms and punch. There was a short "get acquainted" time, and then we went into the dining room for dinner.

The menu for dinner was: greek salad with feta cheese, chicken parmesean, linguine with alfredo sauce, and homemade breadsticks with more cheese sauce.

Dessert was: flourless chocolate cake with raspberry sauce.

And we never would have made it without our wonderful waiter: Jonathan. He did a wonderful job keeping drinks filled, removing plates, clearing food from the table, as well as serving dessert. Thank you, Jonathan for a job well done. You truly are learning how to have a servant's heart.

I asked everyone to bring their wedding pictures along. We had a great time looking through each album, and finding out how many ties we had to one another through this one and that one. We were reminded over and over again just how small our world really is. We played a game about how well we know our spouse. We also did a quick evaluation to find out each other's love language, and we also found out that every seven minutes there is a lull in the conversation. :) Later the ladies spent time in the kitchen together, cleaning up the mess (thanks everybody for your help), and the guys hung out in the living room. Around 11:30 the party was over, with lots of memories made, friendships strengthened, and hopefully each one felt a deeper appreciation for our mate. We had a wonderful time, and will look forward to doing it again. Guests who attended were:

Rhonda and Dan England

David and Sarah Fry

David and Cathy Watson

Kevin and Beth Wilhelm

Happy Valentine's Day Everyone!

Birthday Get-A-Way Weekend!

2008-02-04T13:17:00.000-11:00

This past weekend, Paul took me to Indianapolis for the night. He took me to dinner at the most wonderful place I believe I have ever eaten. It was Maggiano's. Another couple friend of ours met us there, and we dined "family style". We had two appetizers, two salads, two pasta dishes, two meat dishes, and two desserts. Everything that we had was absolutely wonderful. There was nothing that we ate that I would not recommend. We will definitely go again.

The atmosphere was wonderful as well. There was live music, and it was definitely a "dinning experience". One that I will not soon forget. You ought to go!

Then we stayed at the Hilton. It wasn't extremely fancy, but was nice, just the same. It was great to be away and "re-group". We went shopping for a little while on Saturday morning. We were afraid we weren't going to get to go because of the weather forcast, but everything worked out in the end. Thank you Mom and Dad, Cathy, and Sarah for making it possible so that we could go away, and for all of your help with our children, and thank you Honey, for a wonderful time away.

Here is a picture of my birthday cake. Now that's my kind of cake...total CHOCOLATE!!!! It was really good. Thanks honey!One last picture of the little "old lady". I'm not getting any younger.
Since Paul took it upon himself to tell everyone that today is my birthday (in a post earlier today), I thought I might as well share it with you in pictures. Be sure to check out my other posts that I added today as well.

"Little Mother"

2008-02-04T13:06:00.000-11:00

It just amazes me how young little girls know how to "mother". Makayla is only 14 months old, just now starting to take her first steps, and the instinct to "mother" is just there. On Friday, she was in her room. She saw her little doll laying on the floor, she toddled over to it, picked it up, grabbed her blanket laying nearby, then toddled over to the cradle, laid her baby down, and covered the baby up. I stood and watched her for a few minutes and was just intrigued by what I saw. She's already being a little mother. Here she is covering the baby up.
A-oh! (she says).

Cuddling her baby. It was so cute because she was in her own little world for quite a long while.

Sitting down to rock the baby. She would pat the baby. It was all just so cute.

Fun Cookies, Food & Funny Faces!

2008-02-04T12:47:00.000-11:00

Thought I would post a few pictures of some of the things that have kept me busy this past week. Our church school has a missions fundraiser every year, and the kids are to bring things in to sell. We've been making cookies for the kids to sell. Here is a picture of our giant M&M chocolate chip cookies. I thought they turned out cute, and they sold them all.

Then I made some Amish Sugar Cookies and put hearts made out of sanding sugar on them. They are ready to go to school tomorrow. We'll see if they sell as well as the chocolate chip cookies did.Then a few of decided it was time to do another food exchange. I made chicken casserole for the exchange. Now I have a lasagna, a chicken casserole, and Shepherd's Pie all in the freezer ready to eat. I love it~!

And then, on Thursday night we were having pizza for supper. Makayla wanted a bite of my piece. When she tried to take a bite, she got pizza sauce all over her nose. It was so cute, because then she tried to lick it off. She's quite the ham.

Happy Birthday Catrena

2008-02-04T09:33:00.000-11:00

I finally figured out how to get in my wife's blog but don't have any electronic pictures of her here at work to post. However, I would like to take this opportunity to wish a very Happy Birthday to my lovely wife and let her friends know today is her birthday too! This may get me in trouble but it's worth the risk!

Firemen and Helpers

2008-01-30T04:18:00.000-11:00

Jeffrey has been so excited. On Monday, he got to visit the fire station. He came home full of information, and filled us in, to the minutest detail. Yesterday, Tuesday, at school, his teacher gave him a fireman's hat because he returned his homework. When he got home from school, she donned this "get-up". His outfit consisted of his hat, boots, coat, gloves, and "oxygen tank" (his back-pack). He was excited to go to school today because they were going to be turning his classroom into a fire station. I'm anxious to hear all he has to say today when he gets home.
And Makayla, just recently, has been helping the children with their chores, more specifically, emptying the dishwasher. Here she is, hard at work. She thinks that she is the biggest duck in the puddle.

Talking to WHO?

2008-01-28T14:11:00.000-11:00

Tonight we had read a story to the children, prayed with them, they had enjoyed their snack, and we had given them eight minutes to be in their beds. After a few minutes, I saw that the bathroom light was on so I went in there to see who was still up. As I walked into the bathroom, DaNae was standing in front of the mirror. I walked in and pointed to the clock and said, "You're supposed to be getting in bed". She said "I had to go to the bathroom". I said, "You weren't going to the bathroom when you were making faces in the mirror". She said, "I was talking to my twin sister!" I thought that I would burst out laughing. My, my, my!!! You just never know what is going to come out of their mouths.

First Ponytail!!!!

2008-01-26T05:09:00.000-11:00

Last night when we were getting ready for church (revival), I decided to try to put Makayla's hair in a ponytail. She held very still while I put it in, and surprisingly enough, she did not touch it one time. I figured she would try to pull it right out. Anyway, we tried to get her picture. It didn't turn out real well, but maybe if you look real close you can see it. I just had to take a picture. And as you can tell, she LOVES to have her picture taken.

Makayla and I are both feeling better, but now Paul has really got it bad. Jeffrey's had a cold for two weeks now. I think we're just all run down after the holidays, etc. Looking forward to Spring!!!!

Card Making

2008-01-24T11:53:00.001-11:00

I haven't felt good the past several days, just dealing with a bad cold. So I decided to "sit" and do something that I enjoy. Some of you know that I love to scrapbook. Doesn't seem like I get to do it much these days. Anyway, I tried my hand at card making, and finished these up today. They are Valentine Card/invitations. I really had fun and I was real happy with the way they turned out. I love Valentines' day anyway, and this was a good excuse to try my hand at something a little different. (If you click on the picture it will enlarge it and you can see the detail much better.)

Birthday Boy

2008-01-22T16:34:00.000-11:00

Jeffrey turned six yesterday, but we celebrated it on Friday night so that Grandma and Grandpa, aunts, uncles, cousins, friends and other family could enjoy the celebration. We had a house full of company, which made for an interesting evening, to say the least. Jeffrey had a dinosaur theme for his birthday this year. His cake had two dinosaurs on it that actually lit up and made some vicious sounding noises. Here is a picture of the birthday boy waiting to blow out his candles.

Here are a couple of pictures of the table and room decorations. I used his new slippers as "candle holders" and they went well with the theme. I added a "safari" hat, and binoculars to add to the effect.

We had "vines" growing everywhere. He really like it all.

He had a couple of his buddies over to help him celebrate. Here are the three musketeers. From l-r, Jeffrey, Dylan Waggoner and Ethan Wilhelm. They had a great time playing cowboys and shooting Jeffrey's new cap guns. Dylan didn't get to spend the night, but I know that Ethan and Jeffrey slept like logs. They simply wore themselves out. (Looks like a lot of mischief to me, what about you?)

On Friday night my cousin and her husband from the southern part of the state came and spent the night with us. On Saturday we went north to Fair Oaks Dairy Farm and everyone enjoyed the "mooooooving" experience. It is very educational and the kids never seem to get tired of seeing it all again and again. My cousin, Lori, and her husband Jamie, are getting ready to make a huge move. They are moving to Alabama where he will begin a new career with Hyundai. We are excited for them in this new adventure they are about to embark on. We had a wonderful time with them, and we all hated to see them go. The children really loved spending time with them. (He used to play the piano for Tony Gore and Majesty in case he looks familiar to anyone.)

Sunday was another busy day with church and company again. Tonight we started revival with Steven and Nichole, so this week will prove to be another busy one as well. Please pray for Makayla. She is struggling with a really bad cough with some squeaks in her lungs. Paul figures she probably has pneumonia/RSV. We've been giving her breathing treatments three times a day. Hopefully tomorrow will be better, if not, we may make a trip to the doctor. It was just a little over a year ago that we spent a week in the hospital with RSV. I'm not ready for a repeat. Take care, everyone, and thanks for taking the time to stop by.

Still Here

2008-01-17T04:48:00.000-11:00

It's been a very busy week since I last blogged, and I just wanted everyone to know that I'm still among the living. Jeffrey started at a new school on Tuesday, so there has been a lot to do to get him ready for that. Monday Paul decorated another wedding cake for a girl in our church. On Tuesday evening she got married. I've posted a couple of pictures of the cake. Everything turned out real nice.

Imporvising for a "cake topper".Here is one of the "reception coordinators". Must be she had just had "enough". Finally time to hit the bottle. Actually she was taste testing the punch and there were no cups around to put it in.

Of course, last night was church, tonight is WOW, tomorrow night we are having a house full of company to celebrate Jeffrey's 6th birthday. Also, my cousin and her husband are coming, and they will be spending the night and the day with us on Saturday. Sunday will be more company and fellowship as well as worship and maybe a little nap. I'll plan to post pictures of the weekend at the beginning of the week. Have a great weekend, everyone!

Little "Smiley"

2008-01-10T15:24:00.001-11:00

Too cute for words (I know I'm prejudice). Hope this brightens your day like it did mine.

My "Medical" Family

2008-01-09T15:28:00.001-11:00

Today the children were playing and Jeffrey was the "sick and afflicted" one. Makayla got a wagon for Christmas. It was his hospital bed or stretcher or something. Anyway, DaNae was his nurse, and as you can see, he has a "broken" leg, and she used a mask to hold the "cold pack" on his head. As you can tell by the picture, the nurse looks like she's hurting more than the patient. Anyway, they had a good time.

They had to dress Makayla up as a "nurse" as well. I thought she looked so cute.Then, when Paul got home he brought a "bunny suit" home for the children to play with. Jonathan came out and said "I'm daddy's twin. I'm Paul Durgan." He had found an old pair of Paul's glasses. I had to take their picture so that you could see just how much they DO look alike.
As for me today, browned several pounds of hamburger to put in the freezer to have on hand. I love having it already cooked, so that when I'm fixing supper, that step is already complete. It just helps to speed the whole dinner process along. I also put several dozen frozen "clumps" of cookie dough in the freezer to have to pull out when we want some "fresh" cookies, and I don't have time to mix up the dough. Also, I've been basking in the Lord's presence as He has been ministering to me through a new CD that I received for Christmas. I truly am amazed that He loves me, and I'm amazed how He cares. He is an awesome God.

I'm BACK...Finally!!!

2008-01-09T05:40:00.001-11:00

Well, you may ask where have I been? For the first three or four weeks I was just too busy to blog. Then when I did finally take the time to sit down to blog, I couldn't get any pictures to upload, and was having trouble...so I just quit for the night. Then several more days/weeks went by and I tried again, and for some reason could not access my blog. My password/sign in name all seemed invalid...thus the new blog address. I apologize for this, but if I was going to blog again, this was the only way I knew to get things going again.

Where do I begin to catch up on the past three months? There is no way that I can include everything. Life has been soooooo busy, as I'm sure everyone of you can attest too. While looking through my pictures, I've decided to just hit the "highlights" of the past three months, and then I'll try to start doing better from here on out.

It all started going down hill when I was totally swamped decorating for the Faith Investment Dinner at UBC. This was my first year to take on such a responsibility, but it all came together very well. Here is a picture of part of the entry way.

Here are the decorations behind the head table.

Then in late November, Makayla turned one year old. It's so hard to believe that a whole year has come and gone. Here is a picture of her enjoying her cake. I also thought that it was sooo cute, when it came time for her to blow out her candle, she did it without any help. She loves to go around the house, and when she sees a candle burning, she tries to blow them out. She's growing up.

Then in mid-December, DaNae performed in her very first violin recital. Here she is (sorry the quality isn't better) playing her solo. She played "Amazing Grace" with a soundtrack, and she did wonderfully. She has a great teacher (she prayed for a violin teacher for two years), and the Lord sent Sara Fry to our church, and DaNae's prayers were answered.

Then there was Christmas with all of its activities. Here are just a few pictures of the holiday season. Here is our family picture Christmas Sunday.

Just one picture of some of my house decorations. You can see one tree (of six) in the background. Last year I didn't do much decorating because I was pregnant, but this year we were back in the swing of things.
Here's a picture taken on Christmas day. It is my dad, and my brother-in-law, Mark and my niece, Elizabeth, along with Paul and our two boys. Then this past week Paul flew to Minneapolis for work. Here he is in the cockpit of a 747. Paul asked if he could take a picture of it, and the pilot invited him to sit down in the seat, and he would take the picture. Jonathan was quite impressed, I must say. Paul has dreamed of being a pilot for a long time. Maybe someday that dream will come true.

Also, right around Christmas, Makayla got two teeth in on the top, and then they both got extremely infected. Paul took her to the dentist, and he put her on an antibiotic. Thankfully that cleared up good, but Sunday afternoon she started with the stomach flu. I think that things are finally back to normal again. She seems to be feeling much better. Below is a picture that Danae took of her a few days ago.

Thanks to all who cared enough to drop by. I'll try to do better from now on. Let me know you were here.