New Hairdo!

Still Waters decided to get her hair trimmed. So I scheduled an appointment. She tends to keep her hair loooooong. When I say trim, I mean like 1-2 inches cut off.

I had scheduled her appointment for Thursday, which I had forgotten is quilting day. Still Waters and Daughter of the King, help out in the quilting ministry. All the quilts that are made are sent to orphans all over the world. It's a wonderful ministry. Well, after lunch they were going to set all the quilts that were made, to display them and pray over them this coming Sunday. So, Still Waters ended up rescheduling her appointment for today. Little did I know she had a surprise in store for me. :o)

I think long hair is ABSOLUTELY beautiful. It's so feminine and flowy (I know it's not a word, but I like how it sounds). All my Fair Maidens look beautiful with long or short hair. But I've been after my Still Waters to "try" a new cut for YEARS!

Well, she did it. She looks absolutely GORGEOUS!!!!!! She had 15" cut off! She donated her cut off hair to Locks of Love. Her new hairdo fits her to a "T"! She looks like an anime character. Which is pretty incredible considering that she's studying computer animation. She loves to draw. Anime characters are her favorites.








I had a hard time getting these pictures of her. She (like the rest of my beloved children) are uncooperative when it comes to picture taking time. They tell me that they don't like to "pose" for pictures. Well, if I had a $1000+ camera it would take the picture when I click it. URGH!!! But I'm pleased with the "few" shots I got. Thanks for your patience Baby Girl. I know that it took "A LOT" out of you.

My All Star Players

The All Star tournament is over for the 9 & 10 yr. olds and the Juniors (13-15 yr. olds). The 11 & 12 year olds have moved on to sectionals. YEAH!!! I can't even begin to recount what has happened in the last 6-7 weeks. BUT I can say, just how very proud I am of my Squires.

My G.I. Joe's team, the Juniors, had a difficult time. I have to honestly say that it wasn't so much the players fault as the coaching. Players were being played in positions that they shouldn't have been played in. The assistant coach put his son in while he was still recovering from a badly pulled hamstring. He kept telling his dad he couldn't run, but he paid no attention to his son. The head coach didn't want to "meddle" in "father/son" issues, so he didn't get involved. The coach's attitudes were... ah... how can I say it... very poor. The flesh part of me wanted to say something else. If you degrade players you are NOT going to get the best performance out of them. The coaches did absolutely nothing to encourage and bring out the best in the players. The players all had potential. They were all "smack the ball" hitters and great fielders. They just didn't have good leaders and they fell apart. It broke my heart to see their brokenness. I hope and pray, that the coaches at not allowed to coach again. But then again, it's all on a volunteer basis. Needless to say, all this sent me into quite a flare up. I have to honestly say that my G.I. Joe's positive attitude and strong character is what kept me out of the loony bin. It sure helped to strengthen spirit.

My Warrior's team had over 6 players that were 9 years old. All the teams they played had mostly 10 yr. olds. Even so, they held their own. I have never in over 10 years seen a team come together like our little team. Well, except for the year my Knight coached. He has a way of bringing out the best in each player. I'm not just saying that because he's my Knight. This has been said by many other parents. :o) Any way, Coach Danny and Coach Todd were wonderful. They really balanced each other perfectly. They all played their little hearts out. There was this one team we had to play twice. During our first time against them, we played in their town. So a reporter from their newspaper was present. He wrote a big article regarding the game. The next time we played them, their coach had brought the newspaper and had given it to us. Some of our players names (including my Warrior's name) were mentioned in the sports section of the newspaper. A play with one of our players sliding into home plate was on the front cover of their sports section. We all thought, "This is what Little League is all about!". They other team had lost that game and still they shared the newspaper clipping with us. We were all touched. I should mention, that later on, I called the newspaper and ordered enough copies of that sports section for all the players and enough for them to share with other family members.

Like everything else in life, this was a growing and stretching experience. I hope and pray that each of us learned the lesson God intended us to learn. It's not fun having to go through the same lesson over and over again.

I'll update this post with some pictures as soon as I find them. :o)

Twenty Five Years Ago Today...

My Dearest Knight,

On June 19,1982, twenty five years ago today, I married you, my Knight in shining armor. I can and can't believe we've been married for twenty five years. It feels like we just got married and at the same time it feels like we've been together for as long as I can remember. You are my best friend, my soul mate, the man that has surpassed my "dreams". I didn't think it was possible to love you more than the day that I married you, but I do.

You know how hard it is for me to say with words just what you mean to me. Not because I can't express myself, but because you leave me speechless. You take my breath away. My heart skips a beat when I look at you. I treasure our time together. I thank God that he brought you into my life. I'm blessed beyond measure. Through the years, I've thought it can't get any better than this, but I've been wrong. You have made my dreams come true. I'm living the "happily ever after" that all women dream of.

On our wedding day , our first dance was to Kenny Rogers' song, Lady. The first verse says, "Lady, I'm your Knight in shining armor and I love you...". I called you My Knight and you called me your Lady before this song ever came out. So it was very appropriate for us to dance to this song. Years later, in 1999, Kenny Rogers came out with another song, Through The Years. When I first heard this song, I knew that it would become one of "our" songs too. Today I dedicate this song to you. I love you...

forever yours...
Your Lady


Through The Years
by Kenny Rogers

I can't remember when you weren't there
When I didn't care for anyone but you
I swear we've been through everything there is
Can't imagine anything we've missed
Can't imagine anything the two of us can't do

Through the year, you've never let me down
You turned my life around, the sweetest days I've found
I've found with you ... through the years
I've never been afraid, I've loved the life we've made
And I'm so glad I've stayed, right here with you
Through the years

I can't remember what I used to do
Who I trusted whom, I listened to before
I swear you've taught me everything I know
Can't imagine needing someone so
But through the years it seems to me
I need you more and more

Through the years, through all the good and bad
I knew how much we had, I've always been so glad
To be with you ... through the years
It's better everyday, you've kissed my tears away
As long as it's okay, I'll stay with you
Through the years

Through the years, when everything went wrong
Together we were strong, I know that I belonged
Right here with you ... through the years
I never had a doubt, we'd always work things out
I've learned what loves about, by loving you
Through the years

Through the years, you've never let me down
You've turned my life around, the sweetest days I've found
I've found with you ... through the years
It's better everyday, you've kissed my tears away
As long as its okay, I'll stay with you
Through the years!

A Day At The Beach

Scrapper, a close friend of mine and her two children have been staying at the beach all this week. She invited us to come over whenever we wanted to. Her son Airmen G attends the Air Force Academy. He's home for three weeks. Her daughter KT is good friends with my Daughter of the King. They had asked her to sleep over. Daughter of the King was really looking forward to it.

So yesterday, Soaring Amongst The Clouds, G.I. Joe, The Warrior and I took Daughter of the King to where our friends were staying. I only stayed for about 1 hour because I started not to feel well. Our Squire's had a wonderful time. It's been a few years since they've been to the beach. Still Waters didn't go with us. Thursday is "quilting day". Our church has a quilting ministry. They make quilts for orphans. They send them all over the world. Daughter of the King also quilts. She was feeling torn about what to do. I told her not to worry, because she doesn't usually miss a Thursday of quilting. That it would be perfectly alright for her to spend the night with her friend at the beach.

ALL my children take after their dad. He is a morning person, I'm the night owl. :o) Well, they were all up early this morning. They ate breakfast and started to get ready to head out to the beach, to spend the day there and to pick up Daughter of the King. I have to honestly say that I tried to help them get ready, but was quickly told, "Mom, don't worry about it, we're taking care of everything." I sat on the couch and watched them get ready. They did an AWESOME job! I'm so very proud of them. They even packed enough lunch items in case someone else wanted to eat what they were eating. The loaded up the car, kissed me and drove off. I didn't go, cause I really can't be in the sun right now. So I stayed home. It was just me and Nicodemus, our golden retriever. I can't remember the last time I was alone at home. I didn't know what to do with myself. LOL!

Once they got home they all had stories to share. They had a wonderful time. I'm thankful for good friends....

Airmen G, Scrapper and KT. I really wish I would of been able to visit with them a little long. :o(

KT and Daughter of the King. They both have a servants heart. They a very different but at the same time very alike.

They had a hard time staying on their feet. It was wave after wave. But they were loving every minute of it.

This has got to be one of my favorite pictures. All of our children had a wonderful time together. They all get along so well.

Here they started to make a "pool" of water so they could catch these little fish. My Still Waters is the one standing. She had her hair in a ponytail, but it fell off and got lost when one of the waves pushed her down. I love the way her hair looks. My Daughter of the King is the one kneeling down. Scrapper is sitting and enjoying the sun and cool water.

G.I. Joe and The Warrior wanted to get into the fun. They had never done this before.

Daughter of the King was helping The Warrior.

The Warrior caught one and....

Shared it with her sister, Daughter of the King. Once they started to lose some of the water, they were concerned that the fish were going to die. So they worked hard at catching the rest and running to the beach to "set them free".

Scrapper and I wanted our older ones to get together. But Airmen G and Soaring Amongst The Clouds are just friends. Only God knows what their future holds...

Quiet Heroes

My devotion for today really spoke to me. I'm not perfect. I'm a sinner saved by grace. I don't consider myself a hero in any way. I often wonder "how" my children see me. I'm just doing what I feel God is leading me to do. I'm attempting to be the mom He wants me to be. I daily ask forgiveness for my shortcomings and for His guidance on my journey. I pray that He blesses me with wisdom, knowledge, courage and strength to do what He wants me to do. I want to be the best mom, "I" can be.

When I was younger I looked up to my dad. Even thought I knew he had faults, in my eyes, he could do no wrong. Even now, that I'm almost 44 and he's almost 71, I still look up to my dad. He's one of my heroes to me... do I have others? Yes... Jesus Christ and my Knight.

Quiet Heroes
by Max Lucado

Quiet heroes dot the landscape of our society. They don’t wear ribbons or kiss trophies; they wear spit-up and kiss boo-boos. They don’t make the headlines, but they do sew the hemlines and check the outlines and stand on the sidelines. You won’t find their names on the Nobel Prize short list, but you will find their names on the homeroom, carpool, and Bible teacher lists.

They are parents, both by blood and deed, name and calendar. Heroes. News programs don’t call them. But that’s okay. Because their kids do … They call them Mom. They call them Dad. And these moms and dads, more valuable than all the executives and lawmakers west of the Mississippi, quietly hold the world together.

Be numbered among them. Read books to your kids. Play ball while you can and they want you to. Make it your aim to watch every game they play, read every story they write, hear every recital in which they perform.

Children spell love with four letters: T-I-M-E. Not just quality time, but hang time, downtime, anytime, all the time. Your children are not your hobby; they are your calling.

Your spouse is not your trophy but your treasure.

Don’t pay the price David paid. Look ahead to his final hours. To see the ultimate cost of a neglected family, look at the way our hero dies.

David is hours from the grave. A chill has set in that blankets can’t remove. Servants decide he needs a person to warm him, someone to hold him tight as he takes his final breaths.

Do they turn to one of his wives? No. Do they call on one of his children? No. They seek “for a lovely young woman throughout all the territory of Israel … and she cared for the king, and served him; but the king did not know her” (1 Kings 1:3–4).

I suspect that David would have traded all his conquered crowns for the tender arms of a wife. But it was too late. He died in the care of a stranger, because he made strangers out of his family.

But it’s not too late for you.

Make your wife the object of your highest devotion. Make your husband the recipient of your deepest passion. Love the one who wears your ring.

And cherish the children who share your name.

Succeed at home first.

From Facing Your Giants
Copyright (W Publishing Group, 2006) Max Lucado

Allergic Reaction?

Let me start off by saying, PRAISE THE LORD!!! My children are all better. No one else is ill or showing any signs of getting ill. Woooo Hoooo!!! Thank you Jesus!

As for me... well, the docs aren't sure, but they believe I've been having an allergic reaction. I haven't shared this because my focus has been on my children. I'm sharing this now because it might help someone else.

Back on 5/14, I had an upper endoscopy. I even journaled about it and why I have it done. Well, a couple of days later I noticed my left eye started to look puffy and red. Then it started to itch like crazy. It started to happen to my right eye too. Being that my children had been working on our yard, I thought I was allergic so something that got "stirred". I called my doc and he wasn't out due to an emergency. I wouldn't be able to see him until the following Thursday. I had started to take Benadryl but it wasn't helping any. The itching got worse and the my reaction was no long "just around my eyes", I was having a reaction all over my body. I can't begin to share how this all felt. My skin felt raw and in flames. Cortisone cream didn't even help. Nothing seemed to help. I was getting absolutely no sleep. I don't know why, but it made me feel "dirty". I'm very OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder) when it comes to cleanliness, but it still bothered me that my reaction was all over.

I saw my doc on the the 24th. *I will share something that happened during that visit, at the end of this post. God ALWAYS has a reason why things happen when they do. Well, I suggested that maybe it was a yeast infection. He didn't think so. He gave me a prescription for Halobetasol Propionate Cream and Hydroxyzine HCL 50mg. The itching did not subside, but where ever I applied the cream, it would alleviate it. By that, I mean it would take the edge off it. But I still felt like I was in flames and try as hard as I could to stop scratching but , I wasn't successful. God is good, cause during it all, I never blistered or had an infection.

Now I'm not one to run to the doc for every little thing, but this was getting out of hand. Nothing was helping. I called to see if he could just call something in for me. "Lady G~, he's going to want to see you, why don't you just come on over." URGH!!! Don't take me wrong, I'm glad and thankful that he's caring enough that he wants to see me BUT ..."I have to put on clothes AGAIN!" Not that I was walking around our castle in the buff, but I do have some very comfy lounge wear. Needless to say I wore one of my soft, 100% cotton sundress with no slip. I prayed, "Lord, I know this is nothing compared to what Job or your Son, Jesus Christ went through, thank you for your mercy." Well he gave me Prednisone. I've been on it plenty of times before, because I have Systemic Lupus Erythematosus better known as Lupus. Prednisone is a strong steroid, most call it the miracle drug. It instantly makes you feel like you are better.

Actually on Friday 6/8, it dawned on my Knight and I that I might be having a lupus flare up. I'm not a compliant patient. So all my "lupus" medication is outdated. I called my doc on Friday and asked if my Plaquenil could be refilled. He called me back and said, "Lady G~ ... you naughty girl, we haven't seen you in quite some time regarding your lupus. We need to keep an eye on that." My hands were slapped... my prescription was filled.

Today is June 10 and I'm still not better. But I have to tell you that I keep thinking about Job. What I'm going through is nothing. I know that I can't through this on my own, only with God's help and the love and caring of those around me. I know that this too shall pass... till then, I guess I have to grin and bear it. I have to keep telling myself, "There are others that worse off than me."

*My doc had to go on an emergency leave. His brother died suddenly of a brain aneurysm. It was his baby brother. He was a husband, dad, leader in his community and a leader at church. They lived in another state, so my doc and his family had to travel. When I called to set up the appointment. I was not told about the death in the family. I was only told he was out due to an emergency. I prayed for him every day. When I got to see him. He looked tired and worn out. It was his first day back and he had been seeing patients since 5a. He's an early bird. By the time I saw him it was 1p. I was his last patient before his lunch break. First thing I told him was that I had been praying for him because I had heard he was out due to an emergency. He sat down and just looked at me. He's a Christian. I'm not just saying that. He really talks the talk and walks the walk. You can see Christ dwelling within him. He told him he had not even had a chance to think. He was still in shock. He told me a little about his brother. I shared my story about my baby brother. I shared how God used my brother's death not only to save me, but my Knight (who believed in NOTHING!) and my children. We talked about how hard it is to see the bigger picture. But we gave God all the praise and glory for being in control. We both know that His ways are better than our ways. We both walked out of there knowing that God had wanted me to see my doc at that moment in time. We were meant to minister to one another. What a MIGHTY God we serve...

God Is Good... ALL The Time!

What a day this has been! Today was the first day of Vacation Bible School (VBS) at our church. Soaring Amongst The Clouds is working with Ms.Kimmie in the 5-6th grade class. Still Waters and G.I. Joe are working with the 4 & 5 yr. olds. Daughter of the King is working with bed babies-3 year olds which are the VBS volunteer children. The Warrior is too young to help, so he's enrolled in the 4th grade class.

After a night of very little sleep, I woke up and noticed that there was something wrong with the plumbing. Now, any other time, it would be an inconvenience. At a time when someone has the stomach flu... it's an emergency! My Knight wasn't home so I didn't even know if the problem was the septic tank or a plumbing problem. Who do I call? What is my G.I. Joe going to do when he has to use the bathroom?! I was beside myself. I quickly called my Knight and said, "try the plunger". URGH!!! If there is one thing that really gets under my skin it's the commode! I'm a little ah... OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder) about it. So off I went, I plunged so hard I got blisters! Nothing was working. In the mean time, I'm praying through it all. "Lord, help me."

I called Sheely's Septic Tank. I explained our "emergency" situation. I was thinking, "Yep, she probably gets that story all the time. She isn't going to believe me." She told me they'd be over after lunch. I politely thanked her, hung up the phone and bit my lip. "AFTER LUNCH! it's only 8:30am! What's my G.I.Joe going to do?!" I told him if he was going to get sick, he would have to use a bucket. We live on 5 acres, there is plenty of room to bury "whatever". Well, I think I scarred him out of going! LOL! All went well, no one had to use the bathroom until wayyyyyy after they they came to clean out our septic tank.

Oh and turns out that the septic service I called is owned by someone who volunteers with my Knight in the little league. He recognized our name and had them come right over. He even told his employee to give us a discount! God is good... ALL the time!

I believe this is a turning point for my G.I. Joe. As of tonight he's feeling much better. If I cursed, which I don't, I could probably say, "I scared the c--- out of him." Since I don't curse or use sewer language (pun intended), I have to say, "Thank you Lord for watching over us."

All Is Not Well... the saga continues

I have to start of with praising God. Thank you Lord for your mercy and grace. My Warrior is all better. He woke up Thursday morning, starving! No symptoms whatsoever. The only sign that he'd been sick was his loss of weight and the dark circles around his eyes. His appetite was insatiable! But I still kept him on a "BRAT" type diet.

Friday morning, while I was loving on my Warrior, I told him how glad I was that he was feeling better. He quickly told me, "Mom, feeling? (with a Daniel attitude) I 'AM' better." :o) His humor is back. We've missed it.

*Note: this picture was taken Saturday around 6p. Three days after he started to get sick. He's looking much better here.

G.I. Joe woke up Thursday morning at 4am. He came into our room and said, "Dad, I'm not feeling well." My heart stopped. Not only because he wasn't feeling well, but because, he didn't come to me. He came looking for dad. My baby is growing up. I believe he has it worse than my Warrior. He has awful abdominal cramping, the big "D" AND the big "V". :o( He was unable to keep anything down all day Thursday. We made him as comfortable as possible on the futon in the family room. He didn't sleep a wink. He was in too much pain and busy. I kept an eye on him all night. I wanted to make sure it wasn't an *appendicitis attack. (More on appendicitis at another time.)

Friday morning, after disinfecting the living room, we set him up in the living room. My Knight brought down G.I. Joe's mattress. We changed his sheets, blankets and pillow covers. Best to start off fresh. In the past week I've done over 20 loads of laundry. I'm not exaggerating. He has not been able to sleep. He was weak, tired and in pain. I know there is nothing that can be done other than letting the virus run it's course.

G. I. Joe was very upset that he fell ill cause our youth was going rock climbing Friday. He had invited a friend to come along. He's been witnessing to his friend. I know that God will bring other opportunities for him to continue to witness.

I spoke with *Boss Lady today. That's my sister. (More on this at another time) She reminded me that Abuela Caky always drank Anise tea when she had a belly ache. Now none of my family members are tea drinkers. Even so, I always kept some just in case. Even though I can't remember the last time any of us had a stomach virus. I made some Anise tea. He took some sips and felt a little relief. Now the symptoms didn't stop, but the tea took "some" of the edge off. We discontinued drinking Gatorade cause that for some reason made him worse. So we stuck to "itty bitty" sips of water, Anise tea or flat coke.

Today we see a difference. I was up all night with him, but the intervals of being sick were getting farther apart. He was able to sleep 1-1:30 hours at a time. Praise the Lord! He really needed the rest. He is a slim young man to begin with. Just being sick 2-3 days, has really taken a toll on him. Bless his heart. In the middle of the night he looked at me and said, "Mom, I love you. I'm sorry I'm working you so hard." I couldn't help but cry. To think that he's thinking of me at a time that he's so ill. First thing I did this morning is take a bath. Once I was done, he took one too. We wanted to start the day off fresh.

We were running low on supplies and grocery needed to be done. My Knight, Soaring Amongst The Clouds, Still Waters and the Warrior went to get what was needed. They also went to get a new softball bat and a baseball bat. Soaring Amongst The Clouds has put together a college & career summer softball team and we needed to get a new bat. The Warrior cracked his bat at his last game, so he needed a new bat too.

On Sunday our church is having a luncheon fund raiser for a Cuban mission trip. For $7 dollars you can have an authentic Cuban dinner. The meal includes, roasted chicken, black beans, white rice, salad and for dessert flan. Flan is a traditional Cuban dessert. It's almost like a custard, but BETTER! So I had volunteered to bake some flans. So while my Knight was out with three of our children, I got busy preparing to bake. I could only do part of it cause I had to wait on the main ingredient... a dozen eggs. I did do the toughest part which is making the caramel which lines the pan. I always have a hard time with it. Would you know it... it came out perfect the first time around. I can honestly say, that I was just going through the motions of getting it done. It was all God's grace and mercy getting me through the day. I did two more loads of laundry.

Today the cramps were starting to lessen. He still hasn't wanted to eat anything, but at least now he is keeping all liquids down. Praise the Lord. While he was resting, I was able to take a much needed nap in our waterbed. I have missed my bed. I've been sleeping, not wait, more like cat napping on our family room couch for 10 days.

When I woke up, all the groceries were put away. G.I. Joe had been able to take a much need nap too. Daughter of the King tended to her brother while I was resting. Lots happened while I was napping. Soaring Amongst The Clouds is meeting with some friends to night. They are going to watch a movie and have pizza at one of her friend's home. Still Waters is babysitting for a church member. I made sure they knew that one of our boys had recovered from the stomach virus, but the other one had it. I left it up to them. I told them our feelings wouldn't hurt, it they didn't want any of our girls to babysit, we would completely understand. They still wanted to got out. Before Soaring Amongst The Clouds left for her fellowship, she had made chocolate chip cookies to take and some for us at home. She also cooked dinner for the ones that were staying home. She made tacos.

I can't say it enough... I'm sooooooo blessed! My Knight is a Knight among Knights. He is ALWAYS there for me and our children. My children have such a servants heart. They're willingness to help leaves me speechless. They continue to give and give without being asked. My cup runneth over...

The Organizer

While Soaring Amongst The Clouds and I were running around getting much needed supplies for my Warrior, the rest of my children were home. Daughter of the King was cleaning the pool pump. She's been diligent with trying to keep the pool in swimming conditions. She also ironed some of my Knight's work shirts. G.I. Joe was doing his school work. The Warrior was resting on the couch. Still Waters was busy. What was she busy with... organizing my pantry. Did I ask her to do this? No, she noticed it needed to be done and did it.

Being that we are a, ah... larger family, our children take turns with house chores, kitchen duty and with pool/outside maintenance. When you have kitchen duty, you are in charge of everything in the kitchen. You are the one that plans the menu, does the grocery list, helps do the grocery shopping, do the cooking and keep the kitchen clean. The pantry is a "high traffic" area. It's not easy to keep it in order.


For now, only the girls have kitchen duty. The boys help at times, but for the most part the girls are in charge of the kitchen. Oh, the boys are in charge of vacuuming the kitchen though. This is Still Water's week to have kitchen duty. She has wonderful organization skills. So while I was gone, she took it upon herself to organize the pantry. It needed it.


Here's the end result. You see, being OCD "can" be a good thing. Just joking Baby Girl! You did a PHENOMENAL job! You ROCK! Now we can find the twinkies at a glance. ;o)

All Is Not Well

My Warrior has been ill since Friday. He started to complain of a headache. Well, he really didn't complain. I happened to looked at him and he was silently crying cause his head hurt so much. Took his temp and it was 102.9.

Off to the tub he went to bring the fever down. He had no other symptoms other than a headache. So I gave him some motrin. Throughout the day I kept a cold compress on the top of his head. I got up a couple times during the night to make sure he didn't spike a fever. He didn't.

He spent all day Saturday with a headache and a low grade fever 101+. Oh along came a belly ache. My poor Baby.

Sunday morning, not only did he have head ache and a belly ache but he had diarrhea to go along with it. Time to stop the motrin (too strong for the belly). Charcoal capsules does wonders on belly aches. So that's what I gave him. His belly ached all day and made a couple of trips to the bathroom because of the big "D". He had a temp on and off through out the day. His head started to feel better.

Monday morning started up with him vomiting and the head ache was back. Poor thing. Now not only did he have a temp, a head ache, a belly ache and the big "D", the "V" came into the picture. I spent the day running back and forth with him.

Last night I had him sleep in the living room. We have a nice futon bed in there. I slept on the family room couch. I can hear him better from there. Our bedroom is to far away. I kept getting up throughout the night. Making sure the cold compress stayed cold and on his head. He slept soundly. Thank you Lord.

My Warrior is a remarkable 10 year old. Through all he's been through and is going through he faintly smiles. On more than one occasion, he's looked at me and said, "Mom, thank you for taking good care of me." Be still my heart...

He's been sick with this virus for 5 days now. There is no sign of him getting better. Lord, I know that no prayer is too small or unimportant. Please heal my Baby.

Do more...

Do more than exist
...live.

Do more than touch
...feel.

Do more than look
...observe.

Do more than read
...absorb.

Do more than hear
...listen.

Do more than think
...ponder.

Do more than talk
...say something.

~John H. Rhoades~

8 Things About Me

I was tagged by Dolce Bellezza to do the, 8 Things About Me meme. Not that I like to talk about myself, but I liked being tagged. Why? That means that she wants to get to know me better. I enjoy getting to know people. I might not ever meet them in person, but we will meet once we get to Heaven.

Here how this works:
1-Each player starts with 8 random facts/habits about themselves.

2- People who are tagged, write a blog spot about their own 8 random things, and post these rules.

3- At the end of your post you need to tag 8 people and include their names.

4- Don't forget to leave a comment and tell them they're tagged, and to read your blog.

Now, with all that being said, here are 8 Things about me...

1~ I fascinated by the Italian language. Always have been. I think is sounds so romantic. I'm trying to learn it. My goal is to speak it fluently. I hope to purchase the Rossetta Stone: Language Learning cd's. Since it's so expensive, I will have to use whatever our library has and Alta Vista- Bable Fish Translation online as a resource.

2~ I enjoy traveling. Out of all the place I've been to, Italy was my favorite. Hope to someday visit it again.

3~ Steak & mashed potatoes and Lasagne are my favorite food to eat.

4~ If my Knight has to umpire a baseball game, I go watch him ump. Even if my children don't have games. I love to see him in his umpire gear. Like the saying goes, " I hate to see him go, but love to watch him leave." ;o)

5~ My children say I am predictably unpredictable. I take that as a compliment. :o) I'm spontaneous. I'll wake up and say, "We are going to.... today."

6~ I collect teacups. I don't like any kind of tea, but I love the art of having tea. So when we "have tea", I'll fill my teacup with coke, lemonade or pink lemonade.

7~ The only vegetables I eat are, potatoes, corn, lettuce, spinach (only in a salad or in a quiche) and tomatoes. I only like carrots if it's in chicken soup or if it's raw with some kind of dip. I know tomatoes are considered a fruit, but I have to list it as a vegetable so my list "vegetable like list" doesn't look small.

8~ Whenever I hear a song I like, I quickly jot down a verse from the song. Even if I'm driving. I then look it up online to see what the name is and who sings it. Music moves me. Not just physically, but emotionally.

I would enjoy tagging all of you. Since it's an 8 person meme, I can only tag 8. Let's see, who shall I tag? I'll tag 8 of the blogs I most frequently visit. My list is in no particular order. :o)

The Gate Keeper

Christine at: Are We There Yet?

Robin at: Around The Island

Boltbabe at: Raise The Cup

Rock Chick at: Life is RANTastic!

JAM at: Least Significant Bits

Emily at: Emily's 5 Blessings

Kate at: Just Another Day In Paradise

Armed Forces Day

Yesterday, Saturday, May19, 2007 was Armed Forces Day. Patriotic holidays are very important in our family. We know that freedom is not free. It's bought with sacrifice and blood.

Today in honor of our soldiers we watched, We Were Soldiers. My Knight and I have seen this movie a couple of times. My Knight has even read the book. I haven't read it, but I dusted it off and will start to read it. Our Fair Maidens have seen it before too. This was the first time we allowed our Squires to watch it.


As we were watching it, we made sure they understood what was going on. How we, the Americans came to be there. We talked about how some Americans did not want our soldiers there. How there were protests all around. How some soldiers came home and weren't welcomed back. We talked about how hard it was for them to do the job they had to do and come home to be hated for it.

My Warrior sat next to me. He sat there silently, with tears rolling down his cheeks. I too was crying. We were all silently thinking the same thing. How can man be so cruel? Why does man want to govern and rule over others? What gives man the right to elevate themselves and crush those beneath them?

My dad is Cuban. He came to the United States right when Castro was taking over Cuba. He came here legally, in search of a better way of life, in search of freedom. Freedom he didn't have in Cuba. I was born and raised here, in the United States. So I've lived in the land of the free all my life. I never had to endure what my dad had to endure. But I've heard him tell the stories. Not only have I heard him tell the stories. I've heard stories from my Abuelo Manolo (my grandfather), my Abuela Eugenia (my grandmother), my in law, my uncle, other family members and family friends.

We Americans take so much for granted. We have forgotten how we became the land of the free. It's because of the brave ones. The ones that stood their ground. The courageous ones that have fought and died so that we could be free. The valiant ones that lay their live on the line today, so that we can sleep soundly in our beds at homes. Because of their sacrifice, we are free to do and say. Every time I think about this, I'm filled with gratefulness and sadness. Grateful because, I feel unworthy. Sadness because others think nothing of it. My heart is heavy.

If you haven't seen the movie, We We Soldiers, take the time to see it. It has language and it's graphic. It will tug at your heart. Then take the time to see the documentary. You will get to hear from the actual Lt. Colonel Hal Moore, his wife- Julie Moore, Joe Galloway- the photographer (and author of the book this movie was based on) and Major Bruce "Snake" Crandall- one of the helicopter pilots. You'll hear first account of what went on. How the wives dealt with what happened. You will see actual footage from 1965, what happened in The Valley of Death- the landing zone X-Ray.

Lord, I want to thank you for your unconditional love, for your mercy and grace. I pray that you watch over our soldiers and over their loving families. Bless them ten folds. Help them to do what needs to be done. To help those that aren't able help themselves. Bring them back safely to their beloved.

Best Children In The World!

Yep, I've got the best children in the world. As I'm writing this, four of them are outside, weeding, raking and working around our pool area. The other one is inside in the kitchen getting ready to start dinner.

They are all doing this without being told to. I didn't suggest it. I haven't talked about it. I haven't complained about how it looks. They took it upon themselves to get out there and do what needed to be done.

I enjoy gardening. I find it very relaxing to be outside, messing with soil, planting and uprooting. I just can't do it. Being that I have Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE for short), I can't be out in the sun much or do anything that stresses me out.

Soaring Amongst The Clouds, Still Waters, G.I. Joe and The Warrior are all busy working outside. We don't like to use mulch. Mainly because roaches love it. Instead we use dried up dead grass. It does the same work that mulch does, it helps keep the plants moist. Also, it helps to prevent weed from growing. Still Waters is the one that read up on it. I know it doesn't look real nice right now, but once we plant some more, it will look much nicer.

Coming out of our pool patio to the right is this small area. Right now we only have a lavender plant. We are going to add some other herbs to this area. It's an accessible area. Our barbecue grill is on the inside pool patio. Our pool patio door leads to the family room/kitchen area.


These are our gardenias. It's one of my favorite flowers. My Abuelo Manolo ( my dad's dad) use to grow them. I remember their home always had the scent of gardenias. Sometimes on their dinning table, they would have a bowl filled with water, with gardenias floating in the bowl. It looked so pretty and smelled great. We plan on adding some other flowers too. It has to be low maintenance. We are a very busy family.

Daughter of the King is busy inside. She is cooking. She's making Grilled Chicken Breast, Roasted Zucchini and Tomatoes with Oregano and Lemon.

Here we have the zucchini and tomatoes. She didn't make lots of it cause she wasn't sure if the others were going to like it or not.


Here we have the grilled chicken. She seasoned it with oregano, balsamic vinegar and olive oil. I'll post an update later on.

* Update: The meal was a hit. Well at least with my Knight. He's a vegetable lover. I'm not a vegetable lover. The tomatoes were great, but I don't care for zucchini. None of our children (including the chef) liked the vegetables. Daughter of the King did a great job cooking. The chicken was delish! The veggies... ah... well... we aren't too into veggies.

Great job Baby Girl! We'll find a veggie we all like other than potatoes and corn. ;o)

The Warrior...

...smacked the ball and hit a line drive down between 1st and 2nd base. He was safe on first. What's the big deal? Well let me tell you... he's a 10 year old, who hit the ball off a little league age 12 year old who turned 13 during the season! HOOYAH!!!



This was his second hit off of Big Al. Mama was on cloud 9. Considering that my throat was not up to all the hollering because of the procedure I had done on Monday, I still belted out my usual, YEAH BABY!!! My Warrior had the biggest grin. He looked right at me... I know he heard his mama.


One of our family motto's is "Hard Work, Pays Off". The other one is, "Max Out or Block Out". Yeah I know, we are a little hard core. :o)

To celebrate his hit, he chose to eat BK. So, off I go to get lunch....

Slept The Day Away

In 1997 I was diagnosed with Barrett's Esophagus. Due to having that, I have to have an upper endoscopy done yearly. So I had it done yesterday.

It doesn't hurt and it isn't uncomfortable. Ok, two Benadryl put me to sleep. So anything else that they give me, really knocks me out. I slept most of yesterday away. I remember little bits and pieces, but that's about it. By the end of the evening, I was a little more ah... with it.

About Barrett's, the only reason I found out I had it was because I was having these chest pains, that made me think my heart was going to jump out of my chest. They ran so many different test. It showed that I had GERD. I was in disbelief! That can't be! I've never had any "acid reflux" symptoms. I never felt what they say is an "acid taste" in my mouth. My doc said the reason I didn't "feel" the symptoms was because that through years of having this, the acid had already eaten away some of my lining in my esophagus. Due to that, for the time being they are treating me with "the purple pill"- Nexium. URGH! I'm not a very compliant patient. I dislike taking meds or any kind of pills. But what example would I be setting to my children if I didn't do what's best.

So, for any of you reading this, if you have repeat heartburn, go and get yourself checked out. It might not be anything but it's best to be safe than sorry. Your loved ones would love to have you around longer. :o)

Oh and I just had a "flash recall" of when I was leaving the hospital. The nurse had wheeled me out and we were waiting for my Knight's car to come into view. When it did I pointed out to it and said, "There's my Knight". It was all like a dream, but I remember him laughing about it. He must of thought I was really out of it. Little did he know, that my Babe "really" is my Knight in shining armor. :o)

37 Years Ago Today...

On Sunday, May 10, 1970 a little baby boy was born. He was an answered prayer to two little girls. He was born on Mother's Day.

Soldier Boy's birth was joyfully celebrated. His proud dad took his two little girls to go see their brother for the first time. They were not allowed to go up to the room, so their mom had to
bring him to the window. The girls jumped for joy when they saw him. They waved and blew kisses. Their daddy took them to their favorite restaurant to eat dinner. They were allowed to toast their baby brother's birth with a sip of wine. It was their first taste. Their daddy asked the waiter to empty the bottle so they could take it home as a souvenir. The bottle is still in the mommy's and daddy's china cabinet.

He was loved by many. He had brown curly hair and hazel colored eyes. He had a smile that would melt hearts. His sisters loved him dearly. He was their little prince.

When he was born, his sisters were seven and six. The oldest developed a special bond with him. In her eyes, he could do no wrong. Many a times she would willingly take the blame for
things he did, to spare him punishment. He would cry and she'd tell him not to worry, that she
would always love him and take care of him. When he was afraid to sleep alone in his room, it was her bed he crawled into.

He grew to be quiet the charmer. He had charisma. Not only did girls love him, but guys wanted to be his friend. He was popular. He was an all around athlete. He played football, baseball and was in the wrestling team. He knew how to have fun. He lived life to it's fullest. He was in the Explorer Program. He hoped to be a police officer one day.

Once he graduated from high school, he decided to follow his father's and his brother in law's foot steps. He joined the army. He wanted to be all that he could be. His goal was to be a RANGER. He joined the 82nd Airborne Division. His family was proud of him. He was the apple of their eyes.

On Friday, March 17, 1990, he called his oldest sister. "Hey sweetie, how are my girls doing?" He always referred to his three nieces as, "his girls". They caught up on things that were going on. Just before they hung up, he told her, " I love you, thank you for everything you've done for me and thank George too." That's the last time she heard his voice.

Soldier Boy died in a car accident on Friday, March 17, 1990. He was 19 years old. He had gone to a party with some friends. He drank too much and had passed out. His friends put him in the front seat next to the driver. The driver was intoxicated too. So was his other friend in the back seat. While driving back to the barracks, the driver lost control of the car... he was speeding. The car hit the tree. The car was broken in half. Manuel's seat was ejected from the car. He was buckled to it. He died at the scene of the accident. It was twelve midnight. The driver walked away physically unscathed. But he was unable to deal with his friends death and was admitted to the psych ward. The young man in the back seat, lost one eye, had to have rods put on his back, broke his legs and arms. It was a tragic night for all three.

Since he was stationed in Ft. Bragg, it took 6 days to have him come home. When he arrived, there were orders saying his casket could not be opened. But we wanted to "see". We wanted to make sure. We were still hopeful it was all a mistake. We went through a lot of red tape, but we were able to see him. Gone was the handsome, young man we all knew and loved. He was not there. The accident had taken a toll on his body. Who we saw, didn't resemble my brother. They tried as hard as they could but even so, they failed. We buried him on March 23, 1990. My heart was buried along with him.

I miss him more than I care to even share. More than I can even allow myself to say or think about. My heart aches and cries. When the tears come and my heart pounds I want to let it all come out. Then I remember I need to be strong. There are others watching. I quickly wipe my
tears, put my shield up and put on my mask.

I try to remember... hope. Hope that one day I'll see him again. Hold him. Kiss him. Let him know just how much I've missed him. Till then... I cry, I ache... but I always have hope.

Lady G~
blessed sister of Soldier Boy

Fascinated By Names

I'm fascinated by names... people's names. I like to see how people spell their names differently. I like to look up the names and see what they mean. I like to hear the stories of how they ended up with their names.

I sometimes wonder if we "grow" into being what we are named or if we are named because that's how our parents perceive us to be one day. I know that sometimes we are named because it's a family name. I will share a little about how we came to be named.

My Knight was born in the United States. His parents were both Cubans. His sister was born in Cuban too. The wanted to give him a Spanish name, but his sister said no. He's an American, he should have an American name. So they decided to name him the English version of the Spanish names they had picked out. The origin of his first name is Greek, it means earth worker. His middle name is Hebrew, it means he will enlarge.

I was also born in the United States. My dad is Cuban and my mom is Panamanian. My mom named me after her. She believe it or not, was named after a character in a Spanish soap opera. You'll see how odd that is when you see it's origin. The origin of my first name is German. You see what I mean? A German name in a Spanish soap opera?! LOL! My name means grey. I've also read that it means battle maiden. I kind like that meaning better. :o) The origin of my middle name is Latin, it means miracle. My mom tells me that I was a premmie. By the calculations I've made, I don't think this to be true. I believe she was with child when she married my dad, but she won't admit it.

I got Soaring Amongst The Clouds' first from a James Bond movie. The actress what absolutely beautiful. I had hoped that she would also have her daddy's blue eyes and my dark hair. The origin of her first name is Greek. It means honey. Her middle name I got from a book I had read five years before she was even born. The origin of her middle name is Greek, it means very holy one.

Still Waters was named after a professional ice skater. The skater was so beautiful and graceful. The origin of her name is Hebrew, it means pure. Her middle name, like her sister's came from a book that I was reading. The origin is Greek, it means victory for the people.

I picked Daughter of the King's name because I thought it was fit for a princess. The origin of her first name is Greek and it means defender of men. The origin of her middle name is Greek and it means God is my might.

G.I.Joe has his daddy's middle name, as his first name. As a child, it was my favorite bible character. His first name is Hebrew, it means he will enlarge. His middle name is Greek, it means warrior.

The Warrior was almost named after Daughter of the King. But she wanted him to have his own name. He was named also after on of my favorite bible characters. The origin of his first name is Hebrew and it means God is my judge. His middle name is Hebrew and it means heart.

Our names fit us perfectly. I don't think that it's because that's what I'm use to calling us, but because their meanings are part of our characters. My Knight is a hard worker. Soaring Amongst The Clouds is as sweet as honey. Still Waters is a godly young lady, as pure as one can be. Daughter of the King looks out for others... defender of men. G.I. Joe is God's warrior. He boldly asked some of his teammates if they were saved. The Warrior has a tender heart. As for my name, many miracles have happened in my life. I see miracles happen every day...

The Good That I Want To Do, I Do Not Do

I often ask why do I keep messing up? Why do I keep doing the same mistakes over and over again? I know in my mind and in my heart that what I'm doing is wrong, and yet, I still do it. Why?

In Romans, Paul wrote:

"For what I am doing, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate. But if I do the very thing I do not want to do, I agree with the Law, confessing that the Law is good. So now, no longer am I the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me. For I know that nothing dwells in me, that is , in my flesh, for the willing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not. For the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want. But if I am doing the very thing I do not want, I am no longer the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me. I find then the principle that evil is present in me, the one who wants to do good. For I joyfully concur with the law of God in the inner man, but I see a different law in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin which is in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, on the one hand I myself with my mind am serving the law of God, but on the other, with my flesh the law of sin.
-Romans 7:15-25

I will never be perfect... not until my flesh dies and my spirit dwells with Jesus. Yes, I know that I'm a sinner. But that doesn't give me a free ride to keep doing that which I know I shouldn't do. Is it my lack of discipline? My lack of self control? My selfishness? I know that there is a lesson to be learned in all this. I would just like to learn my lesson and move on. My problem is, I've been stuck in the same lesson for almost 25 years!

Which one of my sins am I talking about... coveting... spending money on unnecessary things. It's not that I want what others have or that I want things that are on commercials or anything like that. It's when I'm at the stores, I see something and then I end up getting it. Majority of the time, it's not for me. It's for a loved one. Most of the time, it's not even something that is needed.

My hearts desire is to change. I do good for a little while, but then I mess up again. Lord help me to be a good steward.

4 things about me...

Lisa asked a group of us the questions below. Thought I'd journal about it...

A) Four jobs I have had in my life
1. Candy Striper- no... not a stripper.
2. Medical Records Technician
3. Receptionist for three Plastic Surgeons- one was ranked top ten in the world for his specialty: cleft palates.
4. Medical Office Manager

B) Four movies I could watch over and over:
1. Last of the Mohicans
2. Princess Bride
3. The Patriot
4. Saving Private Ryan

C) Four places I have lived
1. Miami, FL
2. Ft. Polk, Louisiana
3. Stuttgart, Germany
4. Winter Park, FL

D) Four television shows I watch:
1. The Unit
2. Amazing Race
3. Survivor
4. CSI

E) Four places I have been on vacation
1. Italy
2. Austira
3. All over Germany
4. Canada

F) Web sites I visit daily
1. Crosswalk
2. E Blogger
3. Google
4. Dictionary.com

G) Four of my favorite foods;
1. Steak
2. Lasagne
3. Daughter of the King's chocolate chip cookies
4. My Knight's roasted pork


H) Four places I'd rather be right now.
1. Sitting next to my brother and talking with him.
2. Hanging out with my Knight and my children
3. At the beach with my family
4. Skiing with my family


I) Four of my favorite colors
1. Pink- not bright pink
2. Blue
3. Lavender
4. Black