Well...
I've been thinking about it for quite some time now, and with some encouragement from Pat, and some nudges from some good friends over the years... I have decided to dabble in my own cake decorating business on the side.
I've made cakes as a hobby for quite a while, with a long break in between. I've made a few wedding cakes, small and tiered, lots of birthday cakes, and graduation cakes. Now - with our niece's wedding coming up very soon, and in helping with money-saving suggestions for the Big Day - my loving husband suggests that he knows someone "that if you talk real nice to her, would love to make your wedding cake!" Well, in not having made one in about 9 years, I "reluctantly" said yes, if I made some trial (single) layer test cakes since it had been soooo long. Well, it was a hit, and although I am always my own worst critic, I must say - it looked pretty darn good. Of course, with Jen being the individual that she is - is not having the stereotypical roses, but something showing her own individuality that I've never done. I think it will turn out beautifully and will have pictures up shortly after the wedding.
Of course, in the midst of all this, our neighbor does events planning at the local country club, and guess who volunteers my name as a cake decorator, should the need come up for showers, weddings, birthday parties, etc... yup...the Loving Husband.
I've decided to print up business cards, and keep them handy in case it should come up that someone is looking for a cake decorator. I suppose I will give Pat a handful, should he decide to volunteer me again in the future...
Either he really loves me, believes in me, and likes my cakes, and knows you will too... or it is a cruel joke. Maybe he just likes the cake remnants that get cut off the cake. I believe he really loves me :) He has even created a website just for the cake business that is currently coming soon... teamsowers.com/cakes
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Friday, November 7, 2008
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Ecclesiastes 3
A Time for Everything
1 There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven:
2 a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot,
3 a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build,
4 a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance,
5 a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain,
6 a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away,
7 a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak,
8 a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace.
A Time for Everything
1 There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven:
2 a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot,
3 a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build,
4 a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance,
5 a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain,
6 a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away,
7 a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak,
8 a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace.
NO, I'm not crazy... and it is not too early to say it...
Everyone that knows me and my family know that this has been a hard year. I was talking to someone the other day and we were briefly discussing that it has been a rough year, but I won’t wait for January to hope for a better one… Our year is up Nov. 7th. Yeah, I have a thing for numbers. Typically dates, birthdays, phone numbers, etc., I tend to remember.
Anyway, as of today, I believe it’s a new year. I need to hope and believe it will be a time of change, not to use that over-used word ‘change’ from the recent election season, but a more positive season this coming year is what I am looking for. A restoration of those things that had been lost.
Although I don’t need to spell it all out, but it seemed as though we couldn’t get a break. I know I don’t need to talk about the past 12 months, and what happened with/to whom. We all have experienced a sense of loss at some point. -of normalcy, of life, hope of life, of childhood, reminder that no future is set in stone… At the same time, with the loss of normalcy, a new normal has come about, and still moving forward. A new hope of life that (with lots of prayer) might finally come about, and a new life that is certain to come about. We have a reminder that God’s ways don’t always make sense, especially at the fork in the road, but once you are forced onto the detour, sometimes you see where the future is going. You may see how God is restoring those “lost” parts of life. Solomon wanted to let us know of the seasons here in Ecclesiastes.
One thing is I am trying to remind myself, some things you can’t change. I have to go with the flow and hope and pray for the best. Watching the election results on TV, no matter what happened, I could not change the outcome, but I can pray for the journey, and hope that God somehow can find his way into the decisions that are made. Watching loved ones go through hurt, physical and emotional, I can’t change how it happened, but pray for the outcome, and be there to support them in their journey when possible. I could not do anything to keep from losing my child, but I have to believe God needed them with Him more than me, and pray for a sibling.
Change… it can be a good thing, too!
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Psalm 113:9
PSALM 113:9 vs. PCOS
Psalm 113:9
(NIV) 9 He settles the barren woman in her home as a happy mother of children. Praise the LORD.
(MES) He gives childless couples a family, gives them joy as the parents of children. Hallelujah!
So this is one of the scriptures that we are holding onto as evidence of promises.
Another one is this:
Exodus 23:26 (NLT) 26 There will be no miscarriages or infertility in your land, and I will give you long, full lives.
Right now, all you hear about is how complicated it is to be pregnant after 35. Even in my last pregnancy, I had someone say “oh, so your one of the ‘mature pregnancies’ it’s more dangerous as you get older”. I really didn’t think I was that old, not to mention, I'm not quite 34 yet! Sure we have nieces and nephews that are now the age their parents were when they were born but come on.
The bible is full of barren couples unable to have kids, suddenly having them in older years. For example here are some of them… from the beginning, you have Abraham and Sarah… they were made a promise, and had Isaac. Of course first they tried to make their promise come by on their own, and therefore starting a never-ending war over 2000 yrs later… but we don’t need to go there. Then we have Hannah and Elkanah who had Samuel… Boy do I know how Hannah felt. I actually have had someone try to tell me that the reason I didn’t have kids is because God didn’t love me. You start to feel inferior the way Peninnah teased her all the time. Finally we have Elizabeth and Zechariah who had John the Baptist.
So not only were these people given kids… but look who they were… Isaac, Samuel, and John the Baptist. You can’t argue with that. If having kids at an older age means having an extraordinary child that could actually save the world...
We are holding onto the faith that this will happen again in the near future. We had given up trying for a few years before, when the last pregnancy happened out of the blue and caught everyone by surprise. We really do feel that God was sending us a message to get ready, and reverse our plans because he has a bigger one. He has us preparing our house to get ready for a bigger family. Cleaning up and rearranging furniture and what not. Pat also upped the bet from $100 - $1000 (see last post).
The reason why I put Psalm 113:9 vs. PCOS at the top is because in spite of a disease, or more accurately a syndrome… I believe I can have a healthy kid. Now, I had not heard of PCOS until about 10 years ago. It is polycystic ovarian syndrome. Originally, there was not much information about it, but over the years you can find out more about it on the internet. Luckily, I have a Dr. that seems quite knowledgeable about it and has become her personal challenge to help me beat it. I’ve had other doctors try to sweep it under the rug, and say things like, “no one gets that anymore” and “you’re young yet.” Well we covered that I’m not old, but I do feel like some of those young years were wasted, but that’s neither here nor there. In a nutshell, what PCOS is, is not a form of diabetes per-se, and I am not a diabetic, but insulin resistance has something to do with it. Basically, your ovaries cannot release eggs and therefore become cystic. There are many side effects that you wouldn’t think were connected to this disease but are, including type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol and other heart problems, and increased testosterone.
I am certainly not a doctor, but I have tried to educate myself to PCOS as much as possible. What my Dr. did is put me on a medicine that normally a diabetic would take, and it helps my body use insulin properly, and allows my ovaries to work normally. I did read that women with PCOS, if they actually can get pregnant, they are 45% more likely to miscarry than a normal woman (on a first pregnancy). However, a lot of times, after the first pregnancy, it is enough to jump-start your hormones and ovaries to work properly from then on.
With pregnancy related issues being the most emotional side effects of PCOS, I also wanted to put it out there that there are other side effects, and that overall health is extremely important in overcoming this. PCOS is an inherited problem, although not everyone gets it, chances are, someone you are related to has it.
Unfortunately, I was already well into my 20’s when this came up, but my thought is, if there is someone younger who may suspect it, get it looked into now before you wonder where the years have gone.
As you can see, as painful as my miscarriage was, I am looking at it as a healing, and a promise of blessings to come.
Psalm 113:9
(NIV) 9 He settles the barren woman in her home as a happy mother of children. Praise the LORD.
(MES) He gives childless couples a family, gives them joy as the parents of children. Hallelujah!
So this is one of the scriptures that we are holding onto as evidence of promises.
Another one is this:
Exodus 23:26 (NLT) 26 There will be no miscarriages or infertility in your land, and I will give you long, full lives.
Right now, all you hear about is how complicated it is to be pregnant after 35. Even in my last pregnancy, I had someone say “oh, so your one of the ‘mature pregnancies’ it’s more dangerous as you get older”. I really didn’t think I was that old, not to mention, I'm not quite 34 yet! Sure we have nieces and nephews that are now the age their parents were when they were born but come on.
The bible is full of barren couples unable to have kids, suddenly having them in older years. For example here are some of them… from the beginning, you have Abraham and Sarah… they were made a promise, and had Isaac. Of course first they tried to make their promise come by on their own, and therefore starting a never-ending war over 2000 yrs later… but we don’t need to go there. Then we have Hannah and Elkanah who had Samuel… Boy do I know how Hannah felt. I actually have had someone try to tell me that the reason I didn’t have kids is because God didn’t love me. You start to feel inferior the way Peninnah teased her all the time. Finally we have Elizabeth and Zechariah who had John the Baptist.
So not only were these people given kids… but look who they were… Isaac, Samuel, and John the Baptist. You can’t argue with that. If having kids at an older age means having an extraordinary child that could actually save the world...
We are holding onto the faith that this will happen again in the near future. We had given up trying for a few years before, when the last pregnancy happened out of the blue and caught everyone by surprise. We really do feel that God was sending us a message to get ready, and reverse our plans because he has a bigger one. He has us preparing our house to get ready for a bigger family. Cleaning up and rearranging furniture and what not. Pat also upped the bet from $100 - $1000 (see last post).
The reason why I put Psalm 113:9 vs. PCOS at the top is because in spite of a disease, or more accurately a syndrome… I believe I can have a healthy kid. Now, I had not heard of PCOS until about 10 years ago. It is polycystic ovarian syndrome. Originally, there was not much information about it, but over the years you can find out more about it on the internet. Luckily, I have a Dr. that seems quite knowledgeable about it and has become her personal challenge to help me beat it. I’ve had other doctors try to sweep it under the rug, and say things like, “no one gets that anymore” and “you’re young yet.” Well we covered that I’m not old, but I do feel like some of those young years were wasted, but that’s neither here nor there. In a nutshell, what PCOS is, is not a form of diabetes per-se, and I am not a diabetic, but insulin resistance has something to do with it. Basically, your ovaries cannot release eggs and therefore become cystic. There are many side effects that you wouldn’t think were connected to this disease but are, including type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol and other heart problems, and increased testosterone.
I am certainly not a doctor, but I have tried to educate myself to PCOS as much as possible. What my Dr. did is put me on a medicine that normally a diabetic would take, and it helps my body use insulin properly, and allows my ovaries to work normally. I did read that women with PCOS, if they actually can get pregnant, they are 45% more likely to miscarry than a normal woman (on a first pregnancy). However, a lot of times, after the first pregnancy, it is enough to jump-start your hormones and ovaries to work properly from then on.
With pregnancy related issues being the most emotional side effects of PCOS, I also wanted to put it out there that there are other side effects, and that overall health is extremely important in overcoming this. PCOS is an inherited problem, although not everyone gets it, chances are, someone you are related to has it.
Unfortunately, I was already well into my 20’s when this came up, but my thought is, if there is someone younger who may suspect it, get it looked into now before you wonder where the years have gone.
As you can see, as painful as my miscarriage was, I am looking at it as a healing, and a promise of blessings to come.
Thursday, July 3, 2008
KEEP MOVING FORWARD...
Moving on, moving forward. That's the important thing, right?
We went to the Dr. this week for a follow up, and all things considered, things so far are moving forward. Soon we will be able to start trying again.
After so many years, knowing that it is possible is a BIG step. We are figuring that this was probably God's way of saying "I know you gave up, but the time is now. Get ready!" At least that is what we are holding on to.
Me and Pat do have a friendly wager going...
He is betting me $100.00 that I can get pregnant by Christmas. If anyone would like to get in on that... please send cashier's check or money order to...
Just kidding! (Well - maybe)
In all reality, we are trusting that this will happen, and we will have a healthy child, who will one day soon be just as annoying as all the other kids in restaurants and grocery stores.
Thanks again for you all being there for us through this difficult hour, and for continuing to be there for us as we keep moving forward.
In the words of Walt Disney: ...Keep moving forward...
We went to the Dr. this week for a follow up, and all things considered, things so far are moving forward. Soon we will be able to start trying again.
After so many years, knowing that it is possible is a BIG step. We are figuring that this was probably God's way of saying "I know you gave up, but the time is now. Get ready!" At least that is what we are holding on to.
Me and Pat do have a friendly wager going...
He is betting me $100.00 that I can get pregnant by Christmas. If anyone would like to get in on that... please send cashier's check or money order to...
Just kidding! (Well - maybe)
In all reality, we are trusting that this will happen, and we will have a healthy child, who will one day soon be just as annoying as all the other kids in restaurants and grocery stores.
Thanks again for you all being there for us through this difficult hour, and for continuing to be there for us as we keep moving forward.
In the words of Walt Disney: ...Keep moving forward...
Friday, June 20, 2008
June 20th, 2008
Well,
By now I'm sure you have all heard our news. Both good, and tragic in such a short time. This would explain why the blog was originally taken down. I decided that taking it down would not make the situation go away. Ignoring it won;t make it better, or "not actually happen." Perhaps this would actually make things seem a little better. I know we are not alone in neither the situation, nor in just simply from those showing us they care, and are here for us.
By now I'm sure you have all heard our news. Both good, and tragic in such a short time. This would explain why the blog was originally taken down. I decided that taking it down would not make the situation go away. Ignoring it won;t make it better, or "not actually happen." Perhaps this would actually make things seem a little better. I know we are not alone in neither the situation, nor in just simply from those showing us they care, and are here for us.
I am normally a rather private person. Keeping feelings to myself. Not that I don't have any, just quiet about them. I am now going out on a limb, and opening up myself.
I do want to take a minute and tell everyone "Thank You". We've gotten flowers, cards, emails and phone calls from so many people showing support and offering help.
It was a month ago today when we went to the Dr. for the first prenatal visit, had a sonogram, and found out how far along we were. It was a week ago today that we found out we lost the one thing we had been hoping and praying for for so long. It was the happiest month we recall ever having. Filled with hope, excitement, and a very little nervousness. I would have begun the 18 weeks tomorrow. The baby was too little to know whether it was a boy or girl. That would qualify as an angel, wouldn't it?
I am comforted knowing that our little angel is in heaven, in Jesus' arms. I do have to say that I know that He has bigger plans, and must have had a very good reason for this to have happened when it did.
We can only hope that after waiting for so long, this is God's way of telling us to be prepared, He is starting our family.
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