Caring that leads to praying

I have had several sweet families on my mind lately as they are experiencing a lot of stress right now.  Watching a loved one suffer through Cancer or some other dreadful disease is practically unbearable. I have been thankful for the websites that these families have been using to communicate updates to friends and families.  Caringbridge www.caringbridge.org and Carepages www.carepages.com are two that are great resources and free.  When Ann was in the hospital, we used the carepages site, it was so comforting to read messages of encouragement at the end of a long day.  Once she was home, we were able to print out all the messages from our family and friends.  We created a book to keep those precious words of Love for Ann to enjoy one day.  It was also very therapeutic for me to write each day about what we were going through. 

I think that these sites are wonderful tools to let people know how to pray for loved ones and to rejoice in progress that is made.  Take some time today to pray for your loved ones that are experiencing difficulties... there is nothing like the power of prayer! 

Thankful

As I am preparing for our move to Texas in June, I have had a lot of time to reflect.  I won't lie, I have spent a lot of time arguing my case with God of how Texas is not the place for us.  Daily, He convinces me that He does know what He is doing.  It amazes me that day after day, month after month, year after year, that I think I know best....

It dawned on my that this week 5 years ago was a major turning point in our lives.  This week marks the last time that Ann was in the hospital.  We were living in Dickson, TN at the time.  Ann had a major asthma attack and aspirated and had to be in ICU at Vanderbilt's Children's Hospital www.childrenshospital.vanderbilt.org/ for 14 days. We received the best care imaginable.  That period of time was such a whirlwind, it was hard for me to focus on what was happening or how serious the situation was. 

What I found out in those days, that seemed never ending,was that God was in control.  There was nothing that I could do to make things better or worse.  Having to go through that situation was obviously not fun or on my bucket list, but it finally gave us answers on how to care for Ann.  We found wonderful doctors (www.gppa.net) that have been able to control her Asthma with medication. 

As, I look back on my life, there are many events that I would have never imagined the Lord allowing to happen in my life - good and bad.  I have learned a lot.  I thought moving to Tennessee was a big deal, and now we are packing for Texas.  Who knew!?!  God has brought so many special people into our lives.  Our short time in Tennessee was very special and helped David and I to grow.  I am so thankful for our special friends in Dickson, TN. 

I am so thankful for Ann's health.  We still deal with Asthma on a daily basis, but she is a very active 6 year old.  We started off rocky, being told during pregnancy that she would be severely handicapped, then in and out of the hospital for the first several months of her life... you would never know it today.  God is so good!  Thank you to those of you that have prayed over this precious angel.

Confessions of an Eggplant Lover

Today, Kate and I found an eggplant at the store, she was curious, so we bought it.  She promised to help me cook it.  I love eggplant!  I really love it fried, but tonight I wanted to take a healthier route.  A few weeks ago, we visited my dear friend, Trellis Payne, in Savannah, GA.  She took us to an Italian restaurant called Bella's (www.bellascafe.com), which is fabulous!  I had a grilled eggplant dish that was to die for, I thought I could recreate it tonight...

Instead of grilling the eggplant, I thought I could just pan sear it and then bake it for approximately 30 min. It was pretty hard to cut up, as you can see.  Kate thought that she could have done a much better job... I have to agree.

I layered with spaghetti sauce and cheese.  Now, doesn't this look just fabulous...
I even made a smaller casserole with just eggplant and cheese, because my girls don't like sauce.

Well, I guess you have figured it out by now, this meal was an epic fail.  The girls took one bite and hated it!  I choked down mine thinking it had to be better with the sauce, but I was sadly mistaken.  Trace did eat his portion, but I really think that he is part garbage disposal.  So, friends the lesson for tonight, when trying to introduce your children to a new food, make sure you know how to prepare it! 

Welcome!

I decided to start a blog in hopes of recording our new adventure in moving to Texas. My world has been turned upside down since the birth of my 3rd child, Trace. The Lord has blessed me with more than I deserve and for some reason thinks that our family needs to move Texas. It is going to be an amazing ride, so I invite you to stop by when you have time for a quick glance into our world. There will be lots of prayers, tears, but mostly laughes! Enjoy!