Mother's Day Cookbooks

So today at school we started working on the kids Mother's Day gifts. They are PRECIOUS!!!  We are making cookbooks.  Hannah took pictures of all the kids in an apron and chef's hat holding some kitchen utensils.  Then, we asked them what their favorite thing to do at school & at home.  Then we had them tell us why their mom is special to them.  Next..(the best part ever) we had them tell us what their favorite food was & how to make it!! HAHA some of their answers are AWESOME!! One boy said his fav food is chocolate chip cookies....this is how you make them: first you get the box down, then you open it, get the cookies out, & eat them!! A girl told me how to make Smashed Potatoes...well you get potatoes, you smash them, you cook them, and then you have smashed potatoes to eat.  Here's how to make mac & cheese: put milk, cheese, and macarroni in a bowl then it makes mac & cheese.  Anyways...it is really just so funny to listen to them tell us how they think things are made!!  The cookbooks are going to be super cute, but are going to take us FOREVER to make..good thing we started a week early!!  The kids will give them to their moms next friday at our Mother's Day Tea.  I lOVE my job!!! OH an speaking of mother's day gifts...Michael & I have picked out what we will be getting our mom's...we just have to go and get them haha!!

Here is a picture of my class from Dr. Seuss Week...it was Hat Day

#rainraingoaway

I feel like all of my tweets on twitter lately have had #rainraingoaway as the hashtag!! It has been raining in Northwest Arkansas for almost 5 days now!! Yesterday there was FLOODING everywhere and then horrible tornado storms near the Little Rock area.  Yesterday the U of A closed at 3:30 because of all the rain.  We were fortunate and it stopped today and we saw a little glimpse of the sun.  However, around 6pm it started back again.  I think we have just a few more days of predicted rain & then SUNSHINE all next week!! I really can't wait because all this rain makes me cranky and tired!! All the kids at school are going stir crazy...we are fortunate to have a projector in our room so we watch a few educational shows and books from the library to break up the day!!  Yesterday people were posting pictures on the KNWA facebook page this one just blows my mind....



This is one that someone else posted..it was taken from the 8th or 9th floor of the Baptist Health Hospital in Little Rock. 

This is all so crazy!!  There was a lot of damage done in the central part of the state because of the storms and a few deaths because of the flooding here.  Please pray for everyone that has been affected and for this crazy rain to stop!! It is crazy to me that there are areas in the country, that are having fires because it is too dry and we are receiving torrential downpours!!

Easter Weekend

Happy Easter!! I hope you all have had a wonderful day celebrating the fact that HE HAS RISEN for US!!!  This weekend has been very eventful & wet for us!! It started on Friday night, I was babysitting for H & S while Michael was with my family in Bella Vista (my family from Fort Worth was in town for the weekend).  H, S, & I were playing in their playroom when I got a call from their mom, she told me that they had just heard the rainy weather that we had been having for 3 days had turned into a tornado warning.  Insert me freaking out...I call my mom aka the weather queen!! She told me that it wasn't really near where we were so not to worry.  I get on twitter and Weather Dan is FREAKING out haha!!! A few minutes later I went downstairs and looked outside..I heard the SIRENS.  My mom calls me back and says that a new cell is coming our way...I get the girls, they put their pj's on we get a baby, blanket, & pillows. We headed downstairs to the safest place that their mom & I talked about...their half bath. I think we were in there for about 25minutes or so.  It wasn't terrible, I hope they weren't too scared!! H asked me if I had ever done this before, I said yes. Then she asked if I had ever done it with kids I was watching..I said no!!  After we were safe and the storm passed it was time for bed. Their mom told me today at church that they didn't seem too worried about the whole situation the next day.

My cousin Megan & her fiance Sheldon stayed with us this weekend because my Nana doesn't have enough beds anymore.  It was fun hanging out with them because we haven't seen them since our wedding.  On Saturday we went shopping and hung out with the family for dinner/Nana's 75th birthday party.  My brother was with us & he has an awesome Michael Jackson voice so since the 5 of us were feeling a little neglected we named ourselves the Jackson 5 and had lots of laughs and good times at our end of the table haha!!  Afterwards Trevor decided that he wanted to come back to our apartment and stay with us.  We stopped by Andy's in Rogers and all got a free cone.  Trevor was enjoying his...

Today I gave (the Easter Bunny) gave Dickson a new toy...

I think he liked it!!  Also, on Saturday before we went to dinner Trevor & Michael decided they needed to get bow ties to wear for Easter Sunday.  We spent 30 minutes watching YouTube videos trying to figure out how to tie them..it was funny haha!! I wish I had taken a picture of the 2 of them this morning at church, but I forgot.  I think they will be wearing them again at Megan & Sheldon's rehearsal dinner so I will make sure to get photos then!!  Our First "Married" Easter...

Trevor & Michael were a hit in the nursery with their bow ties!! After church we headed to Bella Vista and had lunch with my family.  Everyone headed back to Fort Worth, but I can't wait to see Megan again in a few weeks for the shower that my mom and I are throwing for her!!!  Michael, Dickson, & I have just had a lazy afternoon watching TV and taking naps.  It is still raining/storming we are praying it will end soon!!  Hope you all have a FABULOUS week!!!

A few things

1. My ankles are doing AWESOME!! Thanks for the thoughts.

2. We had the house inspection and everything went great & the government did NOT shut down so we are still on track for our May 31st closing.

3. I am lOVING this warm weather we have been having!! It is even better since I don't have to wear my tennis shoes everyday!!

4. I am working on 2 showers for Megan..more on those later!!

5. I am leaving you with the best PICTURE TEXT I have recieved in the last few weeks........

Painful March

In my last post, I mentioned that I was having some health issues.  Well, I went to hopefully my final doctors appointment for a long time last night and was finally given a DIAGNOSIS!!!  The first week of March my right heel area was starting to become very sore.  I was talking to my mom about it one day and she was like why don't you call and make an appointment just to get it checked out.  So, luckily I did because that night I woke up around 3:30 in the morning to go to the bathroom.  When I got back in bed my right ankle begin to hurt & I mean like I have never been in so much pain in my life, it was a shooting pain and was going all the way up to my knee. I told Michael that we might need to make a trip to the ER.  We ended up not going, but when I got up to get ready for work my right ankle was completely swollen & I wasn't able to walk.  I called my principal and told her I wouldn't be making to work.  I had my first appointment that afternoon March 9th.  My doctor diagnosed it as an Achilles tendon problem.  He gave me a medrol pack that I was to take for 6 days & some exercises to stretch out my tendons.  So I did all of that and the problem seemed to disappear.  However, a few days after my medicine ended I started feeling the pain again.  The Wednesday of Spring Break my ankles begin to swell, the next day they were even bigger.  Thursday night my foot looked like this...

I sent those pictures to my dad & he was like ummm I hope you are going back to the doctor!!  The morning of Friday March 25th, I called and left a message at my doctors.  They called me back & set up an appointment for me to come in that afternoon.  I didn't see my doctor because he was on vacation so I saw his partner.  She x-rayed both of my ankles and then said I had some kind of soft tissue problem.  She said I needed to see an orthopedic surgeon.  I also was given more medicine.  On Saturday, my ankles looked like this...

My parents & Michael said I was not allowed to move on Sunday. I woke up, went to the living room & propped my ankles up all day long.  I went to work on Monday and my right ankle looked like this...

I sent this picture to my mom & she freaked out!! We went back to the doctor that night and he wanted to do blood work.  He was worried about rheumatoid arthritis & lupus among other things.  I didn't go to work for the rest of the week.  On Tuesday I had blood work done.  On Wednesday I went to the orthopedic..he said I perplexed him.  He tried to aspirate my right ankle...he stuck a needle into my right ankle and tried to drain fluid.  This was by far one of the most PAINFUL things I have ever had done to me!!!  He said he wanted to do an MRI.  I had that Friday morning.  On Monday I got the results for my MRI.  Basically all that was seen on my MRI was edema, which is inflammation and it was obvious that I had inflammation without doing an MRI.  I was very thankful that rheumatoid arthritis & lupus were ruled out, but frustrated because I still didn't have an answer.  I was suppose to call my regular doctor on Tuesday April 5th. I did & never heard back, so on Wednesday morning I called and just made an appointment.  This is what my ankles looked like yesterday during lunch...

I went to my appointment and my doctor gave me a DIAGNOSIS!!! He said he believes that I have Erythema Nodosum....and that is what?!?!?!  Basically it means 1 of 2 things.  1. I caught a viral infection, most likely being strep throat which is very highly likely considering what I do. Basically, this means I caught a viral virus and never showed symptoms for it and this is just how my body dealt with the virus inside of me.  2. My birth control. He said usually it is seen in the shins, that is why he didn't really think about that in the beginning.  So my first question was do I need to stop my birth control?!?! He said no. He wants me to take predisone, a stronger version of the other 2 medicines I have already taken. If it goes away then awesome, if it comes back then I will stop my birth control and we will see how it goes.  So as of this morning, I was able to walk without pain..without my tennis shoes on!!  I am so thankful to finally have this diagnosis, I am excited that I am starting to feel better.  This has been one of the most painful things that I have gone through.  I have felt guilty because I have literally not been able to do hardly anything.  Michael has been great and has been doing things for me & around the apartment.  I am hoping and praying that the medicine works and that this problem goes away quickly!!  I have a few weddings this summer and I don't think my tennis shoes will go very well with the dresses I have!!

780 Reisling

I haven't posted in awhile because I have been having some health issues that several doctors are try to figure out...PRAYING for an answer & hope you will too.  Well, in the midst of all of the health issues, Michael & I met with a Gini a very dear family friend to get pre-approved for a mortgage loan!! After that, she suggested a realtor to us and we met with her and........WE PUT AN OFFER ON A HOUSE & IT WAS ACCEPTED!!! We are THRILLED to OFFICIALLY be under CONTRACT.  The house inspection is scheduled for this Friday @ 1pm.  I will not be able to go because I was out all last week with my health issues, but Michael will for sure be there when the inspector is.  If all goes well with that then we will close on MAY 31st.  The first time we went to this house I wasn't too thrilled because it was not really one of my favorites, but as soon as our realtor opened the door and we walked in OH MY GOODNESS...I was in lOVE!! That day we went and saw a few other houses that just did not even compare we went back afterwards and I think Michael and I both knew that this was going to be our first HOME!! I told her I knew my parents would want to see it also, so last Friday we took my parents. We made our offer on Sunday afternoon and by that evening we knew the sellers answer. We had to sign another paper and then on Monday afternoon, we were officially under contract!! It is a really weird feeling, but it is an awesome feeling at the same time!! So..now for some pictures.

The front of the house..landscaping will be one of the first things we do.

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The entryway...my FAVORITE part of the house.

The living room, it's good to know Michael's TV will fit. :)

The kitchen, I lOVE the black granite and appliances.

The dining area, the floor plan is awesome because it is so open.

The master bedroom, it has 2 very LARGE closets so that is a plus.

The master bath, it has 2 sinks which was one of my top requirements!!

The first guest room, this room has a huge closet & will eventually be home for a little Ivers.

The second guest room, this will most likely be Michael's office.

The guest bathroom.

780 Reisling...HOME SWEET HOME

Please pray that the home inspection goes well for us.  Also, one of my dear friends Barbie & her husband Peter are in the middle of negotiations for their first home also, please pray that things will work out for them as they have for us!! Lastly, for my health issues and for the doctors who are trying to figure out what is wrong with me!!