pregnancy and infant loss awareness day

Today is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Day. 

Please pray for the ladies you know that have suffered this loss.  Even if it was at an early stage in the pregnancy, it is devastating to a woman and a lot of the time we grieve in private afraid to offend someone or make people feel awkward.  Please let that person in your life know that you love them and will talk with them when they are having a hard time.  We all have our up days and our down days.  It is hard when we feel judged for having a down day and that no one is with us.  To us, even being able to express that we are having a hard day is a relief.  

Every life is beautiful.  

Cream Cheese Potato Soup Recipe

After you have a baby, you kinda go crazy... LOL!  When trying to figure out a new schedule and sleeping less and still needing to take care of the boys and the house and my photography business and the list goes on, I kinda let go of cooking.  I just didn't have the energy or the brain power to remember to have something ready.  I have been working on that lately.  I don't want to freak out every day because I forgot to plan dinner.  So, I am trying to do more to cook in the crock pot.  Here is a recipe I wanted to share with you.  It is super yummy and really easy to do.  Shaun loves it and that is a huge deal in this house.  

Cream Cheese Potato Soup

3 cups water

1 cup diced cooked ham

5 medium potatoes, diced fine

8 oz pkg fat free cream cheese, cubed

Half an onion, chopped

1 tsp garlic salt

1/2 tsp peper

1/2 tsp dried dill weed

1. Combine all ingredients in slow cooker.

2. Cover and cook on high 4 hours stirring occasionally.

3. Turn to low until ready to serve

I changed mine a bit.  I used regular cream cheese, and put fresh garlic and a little bit of salt.  I don't use exact measurements on spices. I just poor until I see what I like. :) There are probably tons of different things you could do to this recipe.

I have some ready to go in the fridge for tomorrow.  All I have to do is get the crock going in the morning and it will cook while we are at church. I am going to serve it with some sour dough bread too. Yum!

Just a little update of our happenings...

First off I have to say, YAY! It has started to act like Fall around here. :)  It has started to cool down and we had lots of rain last night and a bit of snow in the very upper elevations. That is exciting news and yet, I may start to miss the warmth faster than I thought.  But for now, I love hearing the rain hitting the house. 

It seems these days the weeks come and go so fast.  Home schooling is going as well as I could expect but we are still ironing out a few wrinkles.  I feel like there is never enough time to do it all, and I always feel like I should be doing it all.  God makes me slow it down though. 

I am trying to finish up my photography website while trying to keep the house clean and the kids fed.  I am learning time limits on things is good.  Do as much as I can in that time and leave the rest till later.  But things always sneak their way in to that time and I get distracted easy. 

I have to mention one more thing for now.  I am so proud of my friend Lisa.  She started a teen girls Bible study last night.  Shaun and I have gotten such great feedback from the teen girls who attended.  They loved what you taught and I am so happy to see God use you in their lives. 

My Angels first birthday...

I think I will always keep October set aside for my Angel.  When I talk about my Angel, I am taking about the little one I was not able to keep here with me.  It is a term many women have come to use for their babies that have passed away.  I have been thinking about my baby for the past few days.  I have a stuffed bear that I insisted on getting right after we found out we were pregnant... I think I knew I was not going to be able to keep that baby.
I am so in love with my Johnny.  He is so amazing to me.  And I wouldn't change anything that happened.  God truly knew everything and had all the details worked out.  I do not believe that it is God's plan to take our little ones away from us.  It just happens.  But His love and grace get us through.  We become stronger because of these things that happen in our lives. We also learn to trust in Him.  I do not believe I went through any of that alone.  He was right there with me. He is a loving God, an amazing God. 
I just needed to say Happy Birthday my Angel.  I can't wait to see you again.  But for now, have fun with cousin Audrey, Grandma Marilyn, Grandpa Mike and all the ones who have gone on before us.  Mommy loves you very much. Have fun playing at Jesus' feet. 

The photo above is Johnny at 1 month old with my Angel Bear.

Johnny and the Cardiologist

Before Johnny was born and I was having to go into the perinatologist (pregnancy specialist) for weekly checkups for too much fluid, the Dr. found fluid around Johnny's heart.  That all subsided but when the Cardiologist saw him in the hospital just to check things out, they found an abnormally shaped aorta.  His heart sounds and runs great, but because Shaun was born with a narrowing of his aorta, they are keeping a close watch on Johnny.  We had our 3 month follow up this past Tuesday.  
The Dr. was very optimistic and said everything looks good.  He wants to see Johnny in a year just to check.  I also made an appointment for Shaun to see this Dr because it has been so long since he saw an actual Cardiologist and the Dr. said it is really a good thing for Shaun to be seen every year.  The Dr. also wants to see James since he has never been seen either and since what Shaun has is genetic it is best we just make sure that there isn't anything going on inside his little heart too.  Here are some quick photos I snapped. 

 I remember taking Thomas into the Cardiologist when he was about Johnny's age.  He was born with an innocent heart murmur. Because of Shaun's condition, we had him checked at a young age.  But the Dr. said his heart is fine. 

If there are any other additions to the family, they will be looked over as well. :) 

Getting Caught Up!

 Do I ever feel completely caught up... NO! LOL!  Life just keeps coming and we just get more to do. But I am feeling more settled.  The last few weeks have been a roller coaster.  Learning many lessons and trying to keep my head attached to my body.  One of the great days I got to have was Last Saturday.  I got to go to the Genoa Craft Fair.  It is called the Candy Dance. Here are a few photos. 

  These are some of the church ladies/teens that came with me. :)

This is my grandma and me.  She lives in Carson City and it is on the way to Genoa, so I picked her up on the way.  It was so nice to spend the day with her.

 I took Johnny with me.  My Grandma (known as Nana to all the great grandkids) loves him very much.

Finally Couponing! :)

Everyone knows I love me some couponing. :)  I usually don't post it here, I post it on Facebook. But have decided to start doing it here.  I have not been able to go couponing for a few weeks but I did pretty good the other day. 

 So, here are the deals I got at CVS. :)

Everything in this photo is worth $93.10 (not including Tax) at CVS.  (Yes I know you can get things cheaper somewhere else but not the way I shop.)

I spent $30.66 + $5.14 on Tax (you have to pay tax on the entire purchase, YUCK!)  

I saved $62.44 (WOW!)

Here is the breakdown: 
My first purchase was for Pampers and 2 Johnson baby soaps.  Pampers on sale for $25. The Johnson soap 2 for $6. Spend $30 on Baby products get $10 ECB. I also had a $3 of Pampers coupon and 2 $.75 coupons for Johnson products. 
I spent $26.50 and got the $10 to use on my next purchase.

Second purchase was for the 2 Dawn dish soap. $.99/each and had a $.50 and $.75 off coupon. 2 Colgate kids toothpaste $2.99 with $2 ECB for each. Colgate toothpaste and Toothbrush. $2.99 with $2 ECB for each plus a $1 off coupon for each (making these items free). The Laundry Detergent $3.99 (No coupon, just a needed item). I used my $10 ECB from the last purchase. So my total was $3.68 and I got back $8 to use on my next purchase. 

My last purchase was for the Herbal Essence Shampoo and Conditioner at $3.50 each. I had a buy one get one free coupon.  The Pantene shampoo and conditioner at $3.99 with a B1G1 free coupon. (both of these were not the best deal I could have gotten, but very much needed. Plus with CVS, they give you the max amount on the coupon. So I got $6.99 off for each coupon). The Scott Tissue was on sale for $7.49 (which is a good price to begin with since it seems that paper products have gone up in price lately). I had a $1 off coupon for this as well. And I bought a pack of Gum because I had to make up for all my coupons. :)  So my total for this after using the $8 ECB I got back from the last purchase was $.48.  

Yup!  That's the way we do it!