Going Green?

We've never been what I would consider a 'green' family or household. But with a husband and one child with horrible allergies and same said child with eczema that has had a recent flare-up like no other, we have been implementing some changes around this place. And one of those changes, I decided needed to be the chemicals I have been using to clean and do laundry with.

And I use the words clean and do laundry very loosely.

A few weeks ago I went on the hunt for the best products to use without the harmful chemicals. And the company Shaklee kept coming up. I did a lot of research and fell in love with their products. I wanted everything! But alas, didn't really have the funds to sink into it at the time, so I did what any responsible mother would do, I stopped cleaning and doing laundry. Totally kidding. Kinda.

So fast forward about four weeks and Jenn at Livin' the Simple Life was hosting a give away for Bonnie at House of Grace. I have been 'stalking' both blogs for a while and was super excited about the give away. Bonnie is pure genius with her cleaning and organizational skills. The giveaway was for a 30 dollar gift certificate for the Shaklee products, lifetime membership, and free shipping. And get a load, I won! Can you believe that? I never win anything. Seriously! Needless to say, I was beyond excited! Bonnie, if you're reading, thank you so much!

So, I got my loot a couple of days ago, and I am thrilled! I got it all out last night and took a little pic for all you tens of readers out there. And by took a little pic, I mean resident photog got out all his gear and had a mini session. Love that guy.

The products that I started out with are the laundry detergent, dryer sheets, automatic dishwashing detergent, dish detergent, Basic H2 cleaner which is a concentrate that is used to create the Degreaser, Window Cleaner, and the All-Purpose Cleaner. Can't say enough about Basic H2. This stuff is the macdaddy of all cleaners! And then there is the Scour Off for those tough jobs like a beyond nasty oven and a very neglected sink. Not that I have either of those.

I have already run a load of laundry, run the dishwasher, washed pots and pans, and wiped down all of my cabinets and table. And people, I am in love. And one of the best parts about these products is that they are concentrated so a little goes a long way. And while their cost is a little more up front they are a much better value and last longer than commercial cleaners without all of the harmful chemicals or side effects. So it's cheaper and safer and best of all, they work!

Wordless Wednesday

Grateful

God has been showing Himself to me over and over through these last weeks. He has revealed parts of myself to me that lets be honest, aren't so pretty. He has used circumstances, and He has used people. When we got the first phone call about Ryan's mom we knew we had to go. Without a second thought, we called some of our closest friends to come be with our kids. And of course without hesitation, they stopped and came to help. We left without knowing what to expect, how long we would be gone, or what the next days would hold for us. That is an overwhelming feeling, especially if you are a planner like myself with a touch of 'homebody.' We have spent our entire married life away from family. So consequently, when we went, our kids went. It is not second nature to me to leave my kids. Now, don't get me wrong, I love love love some time away for myself. I think me and my kids are both better for it. That having been said, when I am away from them, I kinda feel like something is missing. Like something is just a little off. So driving off that night was tough in more ways than one, but I knew they were in good hands with people that love them like we love them.

We owe a debt of gratitude to the Browns, Hales and Stewarts for juggling our kids and loving on them while we had to be gone. And beyond having our kids, they, along with others in our small group, put together a care package for us with quarters for machines in the hospital, magazines, books, snacks, germ-x, and some cash for expenses. OH MY WORD. I am not a crier, but when we got that, I lost it. We have never in our married life been anywhere were we have had friends that have loved us like these people were loving us. I was, Overwhelmed. Humbled. Convicted. Overwhelmed by the sacrifices that these people were making on our behalf. Humbled by the generosity and thoughtfulness that went into that package. And convicted by the thought, 'would that be my first instinct?' would I love and give without a thought and expect nothing in return?

I most definitely buy into the philosophy that we are "blessed to be a blessing." I am also a firm believer that kids learn from what you do a lot more than from what you say. Which is a sobering thought to say the least. My prayer is that we are a giving family. Not just in dollars, because sometimes quite honestly that is too easy. But givers from a place of sacrifice. Givers unconditionally, with no strings attached. Givers out of gratitude. Givers out of obedience. Just givers.

I am grateful for God's love in our lives. My heart overflows with gratitude for the friends and relationships that He has chosen to bless us with. People who given to us sacrificially when we were not in a position to give back. People who have been the hands and feet of Jesus. People that allowed Him to use them to be a blessing to us. May I be a better Christ-follower and friend for it.

Mimi and a Miracle, part II

The days following the two surgeries were full of a lot of waiting... waiting for test results, waiting for any response from Karen, waiting for the next visitation time. Just waiting. hoping. and lots of praying. Asking God to glorify himself through our family but bottom line, asking for complete healing.

On Monday afternoon we got the news that the hospital lab had found NO cancer in the pathology report from the initial surgery. Dr. Alexander had been under the assumption that we were dealing with more than likely melanoma, and yet the pathology came back clean. To be thorough, they were sending to Mayo Clinic for a second opinion. Another miracle. Another answered prayer.

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and through most of Thursday we kept the four hour visiting schedule going in to see Karen. We would spend the 30 minutes singing, talking to her, and praying. Karen had been asleep since the initial surgery on Saturday night and had not responded to any of our voices or any communication with her. Those were long hard days, and it was difficult not to let your mind go to the "what if's". But on Thursday afternoon, just about an hour after we had finished the 2 p.m. visit Ryan got a call from the nurse in ICU. She says, "I need you to come back; you are going to want to see this." We of course load up and haul tail back to the ICU. When we walk in, she has open eyes, still not speaking, but is shaking her head yes or no, holding up fingers, and blinking in answer to our questions! Oh my word, I never in my life imagined to be so thrilled over a thumbs up, but we were ecstatic! The next morning, Friday morning, when we got there, the tube had been removed from her throat and she was whispering to us. Her other movement was minimum at best, but she knew us and was communicating with us. Another answered prayer. Another miracle.

And from that day forward she has continued to improve beyond what anyone ever hoped or imagined. She was moved out of ICU about 9 days after being admitted, to a regular room for about two days, and then to physical therapy floor after that. We all knew she had a long road of recovery ahead of her, but we were beyond grateful, first of all that she was still with us, and secondly, that she had a fighting chance and with a lot of hard work and prayers she had the potential for a FULL recovery. She stayed on the physical therapy floor for 3 weeks relearning activities of daily living. She did fantastic and made remarkable recovery in such a short time.

She was released from the hospital on March 6, 2010 just one month after walking through the emergency room door within minutes of death. Another answered prayer. Another miracle.

She and Steve stayed with Karen's sister for another three weeks while Karen completed more outpatient therapy in Mobile, AL before being release to fly home. Fly home! They had flown into Nashville on January 18th and had a short visit with us on there way to a conference in Jacksonville, FL and then on to Susan's, Karen's sister, in Mobile when the initial trauma happened. So, they arranged their tickets to be able to have there return flights from here on their way home. What a joy it was for us to get to see her again after all of the physical therapy and see how well she was doing! Walking on her own, feeding herself, reading to P, and talking like there is no tomorrow! And then on April 7th getting on a plane to fly home. Another answered prayer. Another miracle.

Karen still has 80% vision loss in her left eye and some vision loss in her right eye as well. She is still doing physical therapy and learning to compensate for the loss. I know it is frustrating and difficult for her but she is doing great! And we continue to ask Jehovah Rapha, the LORD our healer, to continue to heal her vision as he has the rest of her body and mind.

I think it is impossible for a person or family to go through such a situation and come out the other side the same. Death has a way of putting things in perspective. Priorities, relationships, values, choices...the list goes on. You find yourself, or at least I did, letting things go, and extending grace and love in place of frustration and anger. Relationships can be tough, especially those within families, so I am grateful for the lessons that God taught me through this. He is a sovereign God and 'knows the plans He has for us.' He proved faithful to our family time and time again and I stand in awe of His favor over our lives. To Him be all glory and praise!

Wednesday Wish

May you always have a shoulder to lean on.

Mimi and a Miracle, part I

Devotions for every day of the year...Jesus Calling by Sarah Young
February 6
Come to Me and rest. I am all about you, to bless and restore. Breath Me in with each breath. The way just ahead of you is very steep. Slow down and cling tightly to My hand. I am teaching you a difficult lesson, learned only by hardship.
Lift up empty hands of faith to receive My precious presence. Light, Life, Joy, and Peace flow freely through this gift. When your focus turns away from Me, you grasp for other things. You drop the glowing gift of My presence as you reach for lifeless ashes. Return to Me; regain My presence. Matt. 12:28-29; I Tim. 2:8.

Saturday, February 6th, 2010 we got a phone call that would change our lives in a big way. Ryan's cell phone rang at 10:35 p.m. It was his Dad, Steve, informing us that they were in an emergency room in Hattiesburg, MS. His mom, Karen, had suffered two brain hemorrages, and she most likely would not make it through the night. She was being taken into emergency surgery.

Complete shock. So much emotion. So many questions. So much disbelief. And the grief. Pure, gut-wrenching grief.

The surgeon's name was Dr. Alexander, and he informed Steve that "the list of possibilities are short, and none of them are good." He then said there was small window of time to save her life, prayed with Ryan's dad, and then to the operating room they went.

The statement, "We are all only one phone call from our knees" was made very real to us. We called friends to come be with our kids, threw some clothes in a bag, and drove through the night to get the hospital. Without a doubt some of the most difficult hours of our lives and most certainly our marriage as we drove to MS. Praying, crying, hoping, and begging God for a miracle.

We got a call from Ryan's dad about 3:30 in the morning saying that his mom had made it through surgery. The surgeon had found a tumor the size of an egg that had hemorrhaged. He went on to say that the tumor was malignant, and that they had gotten all that they could see.

Praise Jesus, he had spared her life! We were so grateful, yet apprehensive with the diagnosis of cancer and what that was going to mean for her and the potential for a full recovery. We knew there was potential for brain damage and vision damage as well. We began to ask God for more miracles. And we were not alone. Prayer chains all over the country had been called. From the East coast to the West coast and even over seas, we were truly overwhelmed with the response of people, many who knew us and/or Karen and many who didn't-- going before the throne of Jesus on Karen's behalf.

We got to the hospital about 5:30 in the morning and met Ryan's dad in the waiting room. We sat with him for a while as he retold the events as they had unfolded earlier in the night. And then at 6 a.m. we were able to go in and see Karen. Incredibly difficult, to say the least.

Ryan's sister, Kari, arrived with her husband and their baby the next morning, Sunday, around ten and then Ryan's brother, Scotty, and his wife, Dawn, flew in the next night around 8. So grateful that all of us were able to be there together.

Karen had to be taken back in for another surgery on Sunday night to remove more of the swelling and hemorrhage from the previous surgery. We waited in the ICU waiting room until 1:30 a.m., when Dr. Alexander came in to tell us that it had gone as well as he had hoped, and he believed that she would survive this to fight the bigger fight of cancer. Another prayer answered.

The following days would prove to be the most difficult...

Wednesday Wish

Grateful for the 'messes' in our life...