I have created a new journal and would very much like for you to keep visiting me there.  Here is the URL:

http://blessedinsanity.mindsay.com

Now here's the deal...there are some things I will post so that anyone can read it.  I don't have much to hide, lol, so that is how it will be most of the time.  However, if you want to comment and you don't have a mindsay account, email me and I will give you a username and password so you can comment.  If you are a friend and you haven't received an email from me, please do not be offended.  I don't have everyone's email addresses, therefore a few of you have not gotten your special usernames and passwords.  If you will email me I will be sure to give you the info for you to have full access to all posts and commenting features.  Or, simply leave your request here in the comments section with your email addy and I will get it to you.  BE SURE IF YOU LEAVE ME A COMMENT THAT YOU SIGN YOUR NAME SO I KNOW WHO YOU ARE! 

Boy, have I been sick lately!  I am feeling much better, thank goodness, but only after I went into a semi-comatose state yesterday (Saturday).  I was so tired, I couldn't see straight.  The problem with being sick and having three kids is that those kids get sick too and keep you from getting proper rest.  Klara would be the main culprit last week in the "let's keep mommy awake" game.  She was really sick with croup and I know the medications riled her up, but good grief!  One night, she was up until 2:00 a.m. hopping around and bouncing off the couch and acting like a nut.  I finally had to give her a stern talking to and a good marching upstairs before she would finally give up the ghost. 

Saturday morning, when Rich got in from work, I was fried.  I was crying over every little thing and was just so tired I couldn't think.  He told me to go upstairs and go to sleep.  Oh!  This man is my hero!  I went upstairs, as ordered, and I don't remember anything until 7 pm that night!  I slept ALL DAY and it felt darned good!  Rich said he checked on me many times and that I didn't move AT ALL the entire time.  Now that is tired!

I got up today and felt much better.  I am still coughing and such, but that takes a bit to clear up.  I had more energy and even fixed a large breakfast.  I am a pretty good cook, but one thing I have never been good at making is homemade biscuits.  They always turn out as hard as a brickbat.  Today, I used this recipe and the family raved!  I highly recommend it!  They were soft, tender, and delicious!

After trying to catch up on a few household chores, I made homemade lasagna for dinner and we watched Extreme Home Makeover.  It is nice to start feeling better again, and I think my family's stomach's agree, hahaha...

I have had a lot of time to think about different things that have been on my mind, what with all this down time, and I am content to have some answers.  After praying and taking the time to reflect on the problems, I have now found answers that I can live with.  It's amazing how the answers don't seem so obvious when you are too busy to stop and talk to God.  I feel relieved and at peace with the decision I have made and I think it will be for the best.  I know this all sounds cryptic, but it's really not all that serious.  Just something that has been weighing on my mind lately.  Not to worry!

Well, I suppose I should get some sleep tonight so that I feel even better tomorrow!  I hope to write more then.  Take care!

So the kids couldn't go trick-or-treating on Monday night....Jared had croup and Klara has a cold.  What does one do in a case like this?  Why, you call "Triple T" to help!  Who is Triple T, you ask?  Triple T is short for "Trick or Treat Troll."  He's a pretty nice guy who goes around and trick-or-treats for sick little kids who can't go out.  When they wake up in the morning, they will find their bags full of candy. 

You should have saw old "Triple T" at the store at midnight trying to replicate an authentic trick or treat bag for three kids! 

This is what the "troll" came up with.  Or was that a "she devil" that brought it?  Oh, who knows, *giggle*

Can you say "kiddy crack" boys and girls?!  Oh my gosh!  Klara, especially, is a major candy addict and once she gets her fill she is a maniac!  Ritalin anyone?  Just kidding...

So, we averted crying and whining and everyone was happy.  Now the only challenge is to keep them from trying to commit suicide by eating the whole thing at once!  We don't keep candy in our house, usually, so when they get something like this they freak out.

On a sad note, the man who we went to church with who had the stroke passed away last night.  He was only 44 and has kids at home.  So, we will be going to a visitation tomorrow and a funeral Thursday.  I feel just awful and want to help his family so badly, but there is nothing that can be done to fix this.  I'm going to take food out there tomorrow and we will do anything we can...but it's just not something that is fixable.   Rich did make it to the hospital yesterday before he died and spent some time with the family.  It's just such a nightmare.  Not for him, of course, he is in Heaven.  But for his family, it will be a while before they adjust to life without him on this earth. 

I will end this entry with a tag from Donna

List seven songs you are into right now. No matter what the genre, whether they have words, or even if they're any good, but they must be songs you're really enjoying now. Post these instructions in your Livejournal along with your seven songs. Then tag seven other people to see what they're listening to.

1. Don't cha by the Pussycat Dolls
2. Hollaback Girl by Gwen Stephani
3. Somebody Told Me by The Killers
4. You Can Do It by IceCube  (Don't let her tell you any different, this is clearly Donna's fault...right click and save as to save bandwidth, please)
5. Island In The Sun by Weezer
6. This Love by Maroon 5
7. B.O.B  by Outkast

Cute conversation between Rich and the kids...

I hate to be so blunt, but this has been the worst birthdays I have ever had.  But, even though it was awful, I am realizing it could have been a WHOLE lot worse.  It started at midnight!  Will kept waking up and crying with his two-year molars hurting him.  This went on until about 4:00 a.m.  At that time, I went on to bed where Jared was sleeping because he had some coughing problems earlier that day.  When Jared gets around any kind of spray, he will wake up with a croupy bark and wheezing.  Well, he had fixed his hair the night before and gassed himself out of the bathroom with hair products. 

So it is 4 a.m. and I go to bed only to find Jared gasping for air.  I sat with him and gave him some albuterol, but it didn't seem to help.  I was very worried and phoned Rich at work.  I then took him downstairs and drug him outside to breathe cold air (this sometimes helps).  Coffee, benadryl, & motrin...a concoction that generally works...was given and he finally nodded off around 6 a.m.  Around 6:30 a.m. Klara woke up.  Followed closely by Will.  Suffice it to say that I got zero sleep last night.

When Jared woke up this morning, he was gasping again and I managed to get him into the emergency hours pediatric office for an appointment.  They had to give him a shot in the arm of steroids, which take forever to offer any kind of relief. 

The afternoon was no better.  I won't go into all of it, but it just sucked, in general.  I finally went to the store to pick up some portraits that I had made with Will.  It was supposed to just be Will, but he wouldn't cooperate, so I ended up sitting with him.  I cried all the way to the store and even after I was in the store.  There was a lady standing in front of me picking up her portrait package of her baby daughter.  The woman looked poor...her clothes were ragged.  Of course, they always try to get you to buy the big package by showing you all the nicer pictures that you didn't get into your promotional package. 

She particularly loved this one picture of her daughter; it was beautiful.  I was just about to buy the picture for her when the photographer gave her the picture!  I was so touched!  She was tickled to death.

My turn came and the package was *ok* but the others were, of course, nicer.  I noticed that the photographer put a huge handful of photo Christmas cards into my envelope and I wondered how much they were.  I had no intentions on buying a huge package because it was a spur of the moment portrait session and I was not in the mood to make decisions.  He could see that I had been distressed and asked me what was wrong.  I told him my little boy had been sick all day and I was just tired.  He asked me which picture out of all of them I liked the best and I pointed it out.  He picked it up and put it in my envelope.  I asked him how much it was and he said that it was free.  I broke down and started sobbing.  I was just so touched with his generosity and I was overtaken.  I thanked him profusely and shuffled off to the bathroom where I bawled like a baby for about 10 minutes.  After wiping my face off with a cold wet paper towel, I went about my business.

I decided at that point that perhaps I should just go to the frozen food section and pick out a few easy items for dinner, along with some nice chinette dinner plates and forks.  Easy was the name of the game.  I bought a jug of sweet tea and some apple cider; several of the things that I love the most.  The last thing I picked up was a chocolate sampler cheesecake.  Donna told me to be sure and buy myself some form of cake, so I did. 

As I was checking out, I looked behind me and saw a physician and his wife who attend my church.  Ironically, today is his birthday as well!  I wished him a happy birthday and he reciprocated, but looked saddened.  He told me that everyone missed us at church this morning.  I explained that Jared had been very ill and it was just not possible this morning.  He said that they could have used Rich this morning as an elderly lady member of our church fell down the stairs and broke her hip!  Oh my gosh!  I felt just awful and realized, immediately, that my little problems were very very miniscual compared to hers. 

But, that was not the worst of it...there is a very nice couple in their late 30's/early 40's who are members of the church and they have pre teen/teenage sons.  Apparently, the dad had a major stroke this morning and they are not sure he is going to live!  That is where the physician had been all day...at the hospital sitting with these two unfortunate souls.  He asked me to pray for them and I assured him I would. 

On my way home, I wasn't crying any longer.  I realized that even though I had a rotten birthday, yes, it could have been so much worse.  I thank my Lord that at least I am having a birthday and that everyone in my family is healthy and happy (even if Jared has croup).  Croup doesn't seem so bad anymore!

So here I sit, enjoying a piece of cheesecake (no, Donna, I have taken no pictures.  I don't want to put makeup on!).  However, I will share a few pictures with you.

Here is a picture of the kids dressed up last night to go to a block party:

I make an album of the rest of the pictures tomorrow.  Here are the two portraits I have.  This is the package special:

And here is the one the nice photographer gave me for free, just because Will was so adorable and he was a very thoughtful and caring man:

I will end this post with a birthday laugh.  I don't have the patience to relay the whole entire story, but you can get a little bit of it at Kathy's journal.  In the nutshell, I am now a she-devil.  For the occasion, Donna has made us some new icons (strictly for fun).  Take a look:

I have since went and read the actual post where Kathy, Donna, & I were referred to as "she-devils."  I think the saddest part about this whole thing is that Amy's father has had a stroke.  She mentioned this in passing and dedicated a whole two sentences to it.  She focused more energy and dedication to talking about her being thinner than us and how we are she-devils (keep in mind, Kathy is like 8 months pregnant and I am a good 6 inches taller than her).  I don't know, I just think this is really disturbing.  Amy, I know you are reading this (or someone is who will tell you all about it, HI AIMZ!)  I just wanted to tell you that I will be praying for your father to heal completely and be able to rehabilitate quickly. 

My doorbell rang today and I was surprised to see a package on my front porch!   It was HUGE and it was from Donna for my birthday!  I came right in and called her on the phone.  I just really didn't know what to think and wanted to call Donna and open it with her on the phone.  There were all kinds of wonderful things in the box!  Cookies, cheese straws, banana chips, raspberry lemonade, marachino cherries, a Faith Hill CD, 2 DVD movies, 2 tubes of facial mask, a lipstick, a fingernail polish, and a cosmetic carrying case.  It was so much fun to have her on the phone and go through everything...it was like she was really here.  Thank you so much, Donna, for thinking of me on my birthday.  I love you so very much!   You have brought a huge smile to my face today (and a couple of extra pounds to my hiney, lol).  You are too kind.