a blogging break....

I am taking a blogging break this week. I am not sure when I will be back but it will be fairly soon. I have a surprise for y'all when I return so stay tuned....

a little time, unplugged...

I know that I have been MIA for awhile now but I will still be on a blogging/unplugged from the internet break for a little while longer. Thanks for reading and for understanding! Hope to see you back, soon! =D

Love,
Julie

Blogging break....

This week I will be on a blogging break. I have sooooo many things I need to work on around the house and we are starting school after Labor Day!!!!!!! Yay!! So, I really need to take this time off of the computer and focus on getting everything ready and in order for us to start our school year off right!!

I hope to be back next week and let you know how everything is going. I truly appreciate everyone's prayers over our new school year. And, a huge thank you to all of my bloggy friends!! We appreciate your constant loving encouragement so very much!!

Have a great week!

~Love,
Julie

Thinking of....

Shutting this blog down. I would still email pictures and updates to family and friends and blogger friends but I really don't have the time to maintain it anymore. Also, I feel like I have to be positive all of the time(I put this expectation on myself, no one makes me feel that way) and I just can't do that. My life is not perfect. It's great, it's amazing, it's blessed but it's not PERFECT.

I just really need to have some time to ponder things so I probably won't be posting for awhile, at least. I have SO many things that I need to pray about and work on. I am feeling a little overwhelmed right now, in good ways and in stressed out ways but just overwhelmed! I need to take a break for a while and refocus.

Also, I think not posting on here and sending the updates to people instead would force me to have more contact, to reach out to the people that I need to reach out too. If that makes any sense? I think that sometimes I hide behind my blog because it is easier. There are many reasons that I do this and they have a lot to do with depression and anxiety but the reasons should not become excuses for going into hiding. I need to face things and deal with life. I have watched many family members and people that I know, hide behind their depression and I do not want to be that kind of person. I want to face my junk head on! That's what God wants from me.

So, I am on a break. I don't know for how long. Maybe from now on. Just until the Lord tells me different. Until I see some clarity in the things I need to deal with. If you want to, you may email me at mama2clairelilydrew@gmail.com

Hope to talk to you, person to person (through email or phone, that is!), soon!!!

Love,
Julie

It's Friday!....

I am SO glad it's Friday! It has just been one of the LONGEST weeks, ever! We did LOTS of messy (but FUN) crafts this week and with Drew having a cold and wanting to be held all of the time, I just feel like nothing was really accomplished. But, looking at what I just typed, I realize that the most very important things were done. :)

Sunday, February 1st, I am joining Kelli, one of my very first blogging friends in The Husband Encouragement Challenge!! I did this last year and the difference in my husband was just remarkable so I am doing it again this year; come on and join us!!

And, I won't be posting on my challenge for a little while but I hope to catch up when I get back. I am taking a blogging break this week to focus and regroup. I need to spend ALL of my extra time praying for my husband and my children. I love Kelli's idea of praying on the bathroom floor if I have too; I HAVE done that before... :)

Well, so, I hope to see ya'll sometime after next week! I have some pictures to post so I may get back to that sometime this week if I have the time. Other than that, I won't be posting until after this week! Talk to you then!

Have a great weekend and next week, everyone and please consider joining us in the Husband Encouragement Challenge!!! It's life changing, I promise!!

Love,
Julie

give me a break, give me a break....

break me off a piece of that Kit-Kat bar!!! (Sorry, this commercial song is just stuck in my head right now!). Anyway, I will be on a short blogging break until Monday. See you then! Have a great week-end!! :)

love,
Julie

A sabbatical...

I am going to be taking a winter sabbath from blogging. I will hopefully be back sometime in the next few weeks. :) I am feeling some not so little "nudges" from God that I need to put blogging way farther down on my list this Christmas season. It's just consuming way too much of my time , time that I could be devoting to other areas of my life. I guess that "simplifying" would be the word. I just feel this deep need to be more "present" in the lives of these precious souls around me and I want nothing to distract me from that.Most of all, I feel like I have some problems and decisions that need an enormous amount of time in prayer and that doesn't leave much time for blogging. So, until I can become better at putting everything in my life into it's proper place, I must take a break.

I would appreciate your continued prayers throughout this winter as we are facing a lot of financial strain and just some very hard decisions as a family. I will not be able to post on the 1 Corinthians study because of my break. Please forgive me for such late notice for those who were planning to join me. I am grateful for your love and friendship. We will pick back up on that after I have worked through everything. :)

Much Love to everyone & I pray that you all have a Blessed Christmas & New Year,

Julie

*I will probably be back periodically to post pictures and I will be emailing, just not as much.

be back soon..

on a break now....

Be back soon! :)

Have a wonderful weekend!!

Julie

update on me:

. my bilirubin (sp?) levels are a little elevated (pancreatitis is acting up again)

. I have an infection in my body, hence, the abcess tooth. I have to take these high powered antibiotics to clear up the infection.

. My potassium level is low and it is making me feel even worse. Have to take potassium and eat a high potassium diet.

. tonight I am in my comfy pajamas, drinking hot chocolate and going to read books to Claire. Lily is tucked in tight and Drew is sleeping away until time for his next bottle, around 9:30. Then it's off to sleep for everyone.

Thank you so much for your prayers. I had planned on taking a blogging break and I still am going to be doing that. So, I will see you hopefully by the end of this week after I get some things straightened and worked out.

Ya'll have a great week!

Love,
Julie

taking a break....

Just wanted to let you know that I will be on a break next week. My sisters kids will be here all week and then my sister and her husband and some other family will be in. We also have a meeting (revival) planned for the weekend. I have a pre-op appointment for my tubal on Tuesday and my father-in-law has some serious dr's appt.'s this week. I just have A LOT of things that I need to be focused on this week and blogging is not on the list!

Also, I need to get everything around here in good order before I have my surgery. The girls need to start sleeping in the same room again (Claire has been on the hide-a-bed in the living room; LONG story). So, that may take A WHILE. =)

anyway, I just need to spend some serious time with my God, my husband, and my babies. In that order. blogging is just not going to fit in this week. and with the surgery and everything going on, it may be awhile before I can get back. But, I WILL be back!

I will try to get back and post pictures but that will probably be all for awhile. Thanks for reading & ya'll have a great NOVEMBER!! =)

Love and Prayers,
Julie

Update & a blogging break

Just a little update... I am still not doing anything major so it looks like it may be a little while before our son decides to make his grand appearance! He is just not in any hurry what-so-ever! =)

If he is not here by the 8th, we will talk induction. I want him to come naturally but I am being realistic. Both girls were inductions. So, the odds are not great that he will come on his own anytime soon.

Anyway, I will be on a blogging break for awhile. I just have so many things on my mind right now and things that need my major attention. I just feel a shifting of my priorities and right now blogging is not one of them. I don't know how long the break will be but I will be sure to post pictures and let you know of baby Drew's birth!! And, I will blog periodically after that, I am sure. Blogging is something I love but I just can't make it an idol. I have to take care of my family first. So, I will be back as soon as everything settles down and our schedule is going good.

So, I will still be commenting some on your blogs, I just won't be around as often or posting here quite so much. I hope you all have a wonderful month of September and a joyous and blessed Fall season. =)

Love to everyone & Thank you for your prayers!!!

Julie

My Computer is down so A Blogging Break!

I am on my Mom's computer right now. Last night, mine just went completely berserk! So, I will be on a blogging break for a few days at least. Which is fine, actually, because I really need one! =) I will be checking my email at my Mom's and I am still having the giveaway for the Applebee's giftcard. I will announce the winner sometime Monday! Good luck! (And I just realized that my Applebee's post is not on here! I will have to fix that!)

Love,
Julie

Blogging Break

I will not be posting a menu plan today. I am going on a blogging break this week. I don't know for how long, we will see! I have a lot of projects to get accomplished before baby boy arrives and I really need to focus on those right now and getting our life back on a really workable schedule that will work after Drew gets here. :o)

Also, with everyone being so sick last week, I didn't get to clean much, so I have A LOT of catching up to do there, as well. (Is that a run-on sentence?lol)

I have just been feeling really convicted about being on the computer so much with so much to do right now and a lot of the word of God I feel that I need to soak in. I promise to be back soon with some insights and a new outlook!

Everyone have a very happy, blessed & productive week!

Love & Prayers,
Julie

Lily...

Please pray for Lily, she spent all last night throwing up! She is feeling VERY bad right now so I am thinking that maybe this thing they have is viral. Claire's fever broke Saturday night late and so we went to church yesterday but by the afternoon, she was feeling pretty tired and just not good. No fever but just worn out. She says her throat doesn't hurt anymore and I have NO idea what the white spots could be? Maybe yeast?

Anyway, so now Lily is feeling really awful. I will be on a blogging break the rest of this week. I just have to much going on right now and sick babies. So, after we get everyone well and spend some time at church camp, maybe I will get back on here to blog. Well, I know I will! :o)

Have a great week, everybody!!!

*I have to tell you; Lily took about 5-6 steps last night!!!! She was walking from here to there and then sitting down and laughing! She's SO funny!!!