Night School

As far back as I can remember, I wanted to be a labor and delivery nurse. Somehow, life got into the way of my plans and I never accomplished my goal. I had two kids, worked as a Medical Assistant, a Pharmacy Technician, and even a Correctional Officer. Then I got married and had three more kids. I have been a stay at home mom for the past 7 years and I am finally going back to school. Four nights a week I will find a spot in the classroom and absorb, to the best of my ability, all that the instructor has to offer. I am excited about this!

Finally a new post

WOW where does the time go? I cant believe my last post was in March! I have been super busy with...life! I am enrolled in school again. Finally decided to get serious and do what I have to do to become an RN. I love to help and take care of people. Guess thats why I have 5 kids huh? LOL My goal is to become a labor and delivery nurse and a lactation consultant. I am horrible with other languages, but speak with my hands ALOT, so figured I will learn sign language. I think thats a pretty cool combination.

My son is now stationed in North Carolina and wont be deployed to Afghanistan until September of 2010. My grandson will be 4 months old in a few days and my own baby will be one year old next month! Yes, time flies!

I haven't had much time for blogging, sewing, or even taking care of myself. I recently had a consultation to see if I could have the lap band so I could lose all this extra weight I am carrying around. I was told that I do not qualify to have the surgery at this time because I dont have any co-morbidity problems. I cried and cried. Oh, I wanted that surgery so I could lose this weight. But I guess its time to make some lifestyle changes and seriously make the effort to lose all 90 pounds on my own. Yes, I said 90 pounds! Thats like the weight of my 4 and 5 year old combined! Heck, I might as well be carrying them around in my arms all day every day. Oh my gosh, I never thought of it like that.

Well, if you dont hear from me again for a long long time, just know that I am working on ME. Wish me luck and say lots of prayers for me. I need all the support I can get.

Until next time,
take care and may God bless you and your family as he has done for me and mine.

Hugs,
Crystal

Baby is Home

I haven't had a chance to write in a while. But things are good with my family. Aside from everyone having this bug that is passing around, we are in good spirits. My grandson spent a total of about 3 weeks in the NICU but was finally released! Praise GOD! He literally just grew before our eyes. He became more active, more alert, and started taking all of his feedings thru his bottle. I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who said prayers for our family and who sent words of encouragement. I believe in the power of prayer and I do believe my grandson was blessed!
Love,
Crystal

Bumpy Roads

They say that God never gives us more than we can handle...At times I am almost afraid of being a strong person, because I wonder how much more I will get dumped in my lap. Last week my daughter in law was admitted to the hospital and told that she had pre eclampsia. Her blood pressure was sky high and she still had 5-6 weeks til her due date. After 4 days in the hospital and her condition worsening, the doctors decided to deliver the baby. My first grandson was born on February 12th. This beautiful baby, so tiny and frail, captured my heart in one single glimpse. I am in love.

The arrival of my grandson has led me to feelings that I never really knew existed. The fact that the doctors said there might be some "issues" with him, make me love him even more. The emotional roller coaster that I am on would probably tear me down if I did not have FAITH in God. Let's not forget that my own baby boy is only 7 months old. So emotionally, I am at my witts end!

I pray in the morning, in the evening, and all throughout the day. I trust that God is doing all of this for a reason. We may not understand it, but it is all part of His plan. As scary as it was to hear the doctor explain her "findings" wrong with the baby, we have been blessed to get good news about my grandson on a daily basis. Each night I go to bed in peace, knowing that God can do anything! He will heal the sick, He is always by our side, and He does everything for a reason.

I don't know why we have to tread thru heavy mud. But I do know that God is with us every step of the way. I guess we can only overcome the thing that is bothering us the most, if we face it head on and give Glory to God for all that he does.

My grandbaby is no longer on a feeding tube. He can drink from a bottle! His test results keep coming back normal. He just might be able to go home in a few days!

God is AWESOME!

Making some changes here

My son graduated from the Army basic training today! He was so excited and of course, so am I! I only wish that I could have been there to see it all. Makes me feel bad thinking that he didnt have any family there with him on such an important day. Flying across the country all the way from California to South Carolina just was not in our budget right now. My husband is one of the many state employees getting the 9% paycut. So, like many people right now, times are tough for my family.
On another note, I have decided to take a break from selling my dolls in Country Fried Primitives and Lemon Poppy Seeds. Seems that I just never had enough time to meet the deadlines and I felt rushed to list new things. So, I figured I would give myself a break and see how things go the next few months. However, Rusty Belles is open and I will be selling my dolls there. At least there I won't feel rushed or have any time lines. I can take my time and create at my own pace. I may end up going back in a few months or so, but right now I just need the break.
Since I have not been sewing lately, I have been trying out a few new things. I made my first ATC's and participated in some swaps. I have also been dabbling in my paints and even started an art journal. Now this has been fun! I love getting my hands dirty and slopping paint around. I can not paint worth a darn, but this is definitely something that I want to get better at.
I am also going to change the name of this blog, since I had originally started this one using my business name. It seems that every time I come here to share my thoughts, it ends up being about my personal life. So using my business name just does not seem fitting. I will be starting a second blog that will be all about my art. Once I get it up and running I will post the link here.
Well, I think have said enough. It is late here and I need to get a few hours of sleep before morning creeps up on me. Tomorrow is my little girls 4th birthday party and I am expecting a full house...so, all of you moms out there know what that is like. Rush to clean, rush to decorate, and before you know it, the house is in shambles and you get to start all over with the cleaning.
Oh, a woman's work is never done. lol
Until next time,
Hugs
Crystal

Rusty Belles shoppe now open

I am proud to announce that we have recently opened our new online shoppe, Rusty Belles! We have a few items up for sale and are working hard to get the whole shoppe full. We are offering FREE shipping to anyone here in the United States or to Canada. Please feel free to take a look and let us know if you ever have any questions. We would love to hear what you think.
Blessings,
Crystal

A stirring in my soul

It's funny how God can stir your soul, speak to your heart, lead you someplace you never planned on going...

For a while now, I have been doing some soul searching. I have been feeling something stirring inside of me and it's giving me the urge to make some changes in my life.

A few days ago we had a small family emergency and when the day was done, I saw things in a whole new light.

Today I made a decision regarding one of my childrens' education. A decision that I am hoping will have a positive impact on her own outlook on life.

I am starting a personal journal, setting new goals, getting my priorities straight, and listening to the quiet corners of my soul.

When God reveals more to me, I will be back to share with you, the parts I want to share.

Hugs,
Crystal