I made keychains for the teachers and therapists that work with Izzy.
I put two swarovski crystals in Izzy’s birthstone,
A silver charm of each of their initial,
and a believe charm…

Here is a close up of Camilla’s (izzy’s physical therapist)

I then made little notes to each person telling them thank you
for different qualities they exhibit and an
explanation of the gift…

Here they are, all packed up and ready to go to school with
Izzy tomorrow for her last day!

Emelia wanted to get in on all the pictures being taken so
here she is, notice her new cut and highlights as well…

I’m so relieved to have this project completed. I am not a jewelry maker, so this was a challenge that I’m sure would be so simple to someone who ‘does’ this… but, they turned out cute and my goal was just to give a token to show my love and appreciation for their love of Isabelle.

So, TTT yesterday was fun! Great participation! I think Karen was the only one with a suggestion for next week and it was one I had been thinking about. It has to do with firsts~that’s all I’m saying for now :0)…

Well, the kids’ bunny had baby bunnies the other day. Right now they are just movements in the ‘nest’ in the rabbit hutch. I’ll have them take pics when they are more out and about. They read in a rabbit care book not to handle them for two weeks. I’m glad emelia read that! She’s excited to get her hands on them.

The three legged pit bull had to have surgery last week. Yes, that means I actually had to spend money on that beast my hub loves so much. She had a prolapsed uterus. Gross right? It was. She had a complete hysterectomy or whatever you call it in the dog world. She’s fine and back home… happy, and ugly :o).

Here’s a pic of Amanda, I foiled and cut her hair the other night… I love it. (yes, she has on my new shirt!)

Took Izzy to bear Monday. He does really neat things. He tried to teach me some techiques to work with her hips and legs this week. I just tried some of them before her therapy and I’m getting the hang of it. He is really good at what he does. I took him some tortilla wraps this week. His wife said something about him not having sweets so I hesitate to take him something sweet. But, the wraps turned out great so that worked. I’m going to cheat and take him some of mom’s cinnamon rolls soon.

Tomorrow is Izzy’s last day of school. I’m off to work on her teacher and therapist’s gifts. I’ll show a pic of it tomorrow (I hope).

For time travel Tuesday we are going back to our first blog post, posting it again, and telling about how we got started blogging…

I first started blogging because of Isabelle (pray for izzy). We had been emailing updates out for about a year to hundreds of people. With such a big list, it became hard to keep it all straight when addresses changed, etc. I started her blog so that anyone interested in her progress could just look whenever they wanted at the updates that I posted. It made my life a little easier. This first post was actually typed by Matt.

5 20 05
Isabelle continues to do really well.
We had a neurologist appointment today, I was really hoping she would be perky and alert today.
She was tired and not really very alert at the appointment, but still continues to make improvements.
The neurologist said it was ‘dramatic’ that she is not on any medication and not having any seizures, she also said it was ‘huge’ that at one year out from her accident she is not being fed by a tube anymore.
It was a year ago yesterday that Isabelle got into the pool. Since yesterday, I keep having these overwhelming realizations of how much God loves us and has blessed our family. That may sound a little strange, being as my baby drowned in a pool and all… but this last year with all it’s trials has been filled with more blessings than trials. I don’t quite know how to articulate how I am feeling. I am getting some sense of how deep & how wide His love is for us.
That Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; to the end that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, may be strong to apprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which passeth knowledge, that ye may be filled unto all the fulness of God. Ephesians 3:17-19
The last couple of days I have had some small sense of what I think this scripture is talking about. Also I have found lately that my prayers have been filled with more praise than with requests. In the beginning, it was more of “Lord get me through this night.” and then “Lord get me through this moment.” with a little praise sprinkled in there and from there it went on with prayers and petitions for Isabelle’s recovery. Now my prayers are full of extreme thanksgiving and praise, so much so I can not find the words to express the gravity of the knowledge I am beginning to grasp. I have started to study the Psalms to find words to speak what I am experiencing. Some of the words I have been using to describe God are: shield, shepherd, refuge, stronghold, helper, King, defender, rock, deliverer, savior, dwelling place, and resting place. I’m not finished, but that’s what I have come up with so far.
This may sound like a lot of rambling, but I guess what I am trying to say is that the Lord has lavishly and richly blessed us here in Choctaw and has blessed us with the love shown to us by our family, church family, friends, coworkers, and all of Isabelle’s new friends in cyberspace.
Please join us in praising and glorifying God for what He has done for us this last year and what He continues to do.
Sincerely,
Matt P.
p.s. When wondering why Isabelle’s recovery is slow, I realize that a slow-cooked miracle probably tastes a lot better than a microwaved one!!!

Psalms 34

I will bless Jehovah at all times: His praise shall continually be in my mouth. 2 My soul shall make her boast in Jehovah: The meek shall hear thereof, and be glad. 3 Oh magnify Jehovah with me, And let us exalt his name together. 4 I sought Jehovah, and he answered me, And delivered me from all my fears. 5 They looked unto him, and were radiant; And their faces shall never be confounded. 6 This poor man cried, and Jehovah heard him, And saved him out of all his troubles. 7 The angel of Jehovah encampeth round about them that fear him, And delivereth them. 8 Oh taste and see that Jehovah is good: Blessed is the man that taketh refuge in him. 9 Oh fear Jehovah, ye his saints; For there is no want to them that fear him. 10 The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger; But they that seek Jehovah shall not want any good thing.

11 Come, ye children, hearken unto me: I will teach you the fear of Jehovah. 12 What man is he that desireth life, And loveth many days, that he may see good? 13 Keep thy tongue from evil, And thy lips from speaking guile. 14 Depart from evil, and do good; Seek peace, and pursue it. 15 The eyes of Jehovah are toward the righteous, And his ears are open unto their cry. 16 The face of Jehovah is against them that do evil, To cut off the remembrance of them from the earth. 17 The righteous cried, and Jehovah heard, And delivered them out of all their troubles. 18 Jehovah is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart, And saveth such as are of a contrite spirit. 19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous; But Jehovah delivereth him out of them all. 20 He keepeth all his bones: Not one of them is broken. 21 Evil shall slay the wicked; And they that hate the righteous shall be condemned. 22 Jehovah redeemeth the soul of his servants; And none of them that take refuge in him shall be condemned.

After a while, I started seeing fun meme’s and other things I wanted to participate in. I didn’t feel like Izzy’s update blog was the place to do that so I started my life as annie. I have met some really good friends and neat Christian ladies since I’ve been blogging. It has been a great way to be social when I am home with Izzy. I am so thankful for all my bloggy friends who encourage me, pray for me & izzy, and read my blog. I also have a few friends who blog too, and it is another way to keep in touch with them. I love blogging! This is my first post to my blog. It is an odd post huh?

11 29 06

I started a new bible study a few days ago and I am learning a lot. King Uzziah was King when Isaiah was growing up. His story is in 2nd Chronicles. He was a great leader and became too full of himself. He ended up going into the temple and burning incense, which was only permitted by priests. He was stricken with leprosy and died alone. Wow, pride can really inhibit a real relationship with God and ruin your life. This week is less hectic than last. I still have not been inspired enough to face pulling out all the Christmas boxes (ugh). I did look at them today while putting away the containers of Fall decorations…and I did hang the Christmas flag… I made a wreath for the front door. I love all the believe signsI am seeing this year. I bought just a cheap (inexpensive…) wreath, put the believe sign and red bowalong with some silver stars. I think all together I spent $7 and it really is cute. Hopefully I’ll get the drive to do what I need to do.I also really really really need to clean out my closet (double ugh). It is cold and rainy today which is great. I took Iz to school today. When I picked her up it started thundering and lightening so much that we sat in the car for a little while waiting for the rain to let up a bit. I’m still trying to diet. I want to start exercises but haven’t figured out when. I could during Izzy’s school, but right now I have been using that short time to run errands. I guess I need to prioritize. I think I’ve lost about 15-18 pounds in the last month or so. I made a pretty good new recipe last night Matt’s mom gave me during Thanksgiving. It was black bean cakes with spanish rice. It was really good, matt & emelia loved it.

Okay, I have a few ideas for next week… but could really use your input!

I received a double blessing from my bloggy friends Saturday!

It was so much fun to get the mail to not only find some ‘good mail’ from my friend Judi,

but also a package from my buddy JennaG.
a new believe sign!
&
a bow for izzy! (how sweet)

Thank you so much girls, you made my day!

Monday
JennaG’s Chicken Spaghetti
garlic bread
something green :o)

Tuesday
taco waffles
spanish rice
refried beans

Wednesday
cream cheese chicken enchiladas
mexican corn
salad

Thursday
Sandra’s chicken cacciatore
broccoli
pasta

Friday
sloppy burgers
mac & cheese
corn on cob

Family~

• I posted an update on Izzy’s blog earlier about her week…
• The 3 year anniversary of Izzy’s near drowning came and went…
• Bailey got an award for all A’s & B’s! He is not the studier of the family so this was great! Although he is very smart. He just doesn’t ever bring homework home… hardly ever….
• I know it is almost Summer, the kids are out playing and riding bikes until dinner and then out again. They take time out for a quick swim and play more. I love this time of year when the weather is so nice for outside play time. It is so much better than being stuck in front of a video game or television set.
• Matt and I did two fasts this week and I really felt like they were beneficial to our spiritual lives. I think there is a lot of power and revelation in fasting.
• I got my hair cut Thursday and my eyebrows waxed… yeah!
• Amanda made a 100 on her Algebra III test today!
• Emelia wrote me a note for mother’s day that she forgot to bring home for several days after mother’s day but this is what it says…
• I love my mom because she makes me good food. She helps me learn stuff. she is very nice to me. Love, Emelia.
• Amanda left a handwritten card on the table (she cleaned the house while we were in Dallas) and bought me a elephant candle at target… Her card says:
• HAPPY MUTHA’S DAY!
• XOXO
• AMANDA- (yes, I assume my NHS straight A valedictorian daughter does know how to correctly spell mother… oh well, we take what we get right?)

Kitchen~

• I stayed with my menu pretty well this week… except on Tuesday it was so hectic I didn’t get the chicken roasting in time so we had it Thursday… but I invented another recipe I have called “sloppy burgers.”
• The rosemary chicken was delicious by the way. I usually make it in the roaster, but did it in the crock pot instead and it was fabulous!
• I blogged the other day about the new immersion blender from kitchen aid… it is really wonderful. I love it. I have made Izzy’s shakes and it works so well. I used some of our spaghetti and veggies tonight and was able to make perfect food for her with that thing and then used it to make Matt & Amanda homemade cookie blasts (like sonic).

Blogville~

• I’m enjoying the time travel Tuesdays… we went to 18 years old this week and next Tuesday we are planning to go back to our first blog post, post it and then tell about how and why we started blogging. I’m always up for suggestions on travel destinations btw.
• got tagged by K.C. and Lori to do the 7 random things meme …. I’ve already done it, but here are 7 bonus facts you will be dying to read about me!
• I love Sung perfume. I use it pretty much everyday (I’m out of laugh/Brighton my favorite btw)
• I am very good at french braiding. I used to braid everyone’s hair for basketball games and at church camp. I taught myself on my mandy doll.
• I make a killer spinach dip! I’m kinda famous for it even though it is almost exactly what is printed on the knorr soup mix (just a few secrets).
• My laptop died several months ago and I couldn’t find anyone to work on it, so after I found out from Dell it had just run out of warranty… I took it apart and fixed it (Matt helped me solder the part) and reassembled it all by myself by looking at the schematic on the dell website and then reloaded all the drivers by myself!
• I buy most of Izzy’s clothes at gymboree, usually online. I love their outfits and matching everything and they are soft and comfy for her.
• Most of my good IRL friends have been my friends for a very long time.
• I like to fold t-shirts directly out of the dryer martha stewart style. They look so nice and neat.
• I joined up with the good mail girls and have mailed out about 7 or 8 packages this week. It is so much fun to send things out and I know it will be fun when mail comes here too!

I’m thankful for~

• Beautiful days.
• Happy kids.
• healthy kids!
• Air conditioning.
• coke with sonic ice.
• my friends IRL and bloggy ones too.
• God’s love!
• you, for reading all the way down to the last line :o).

Thanks Judi for hosting WR.

I was tagged for this meme by Sandra over at Family Corner (she’s my favorite slow cooker diva)…

These are the rules:
1. Link to the name of the person who tagged you.
2. Include the state and country you’re in.
3. List your top 5 favorite places to eat at your location (locally).
4. Tag 5 other people (preferably from other countries/states) and let them know they’ve been tagged.

We live in Choctaw, Oklahoma. It is very close to Oklahoma City and Edmond, Oklahoma… both of which have tons of restaurants…

1. Old Germany~This is the best German restaurant I have been to, ever. It is in Choctaw, which is amazing enough considering there is basically a sonic, mazzios, braums and mcdonalds… but, it is authentic 4-star german food. My favorite meal is the pan fried breaded chicken schnitzel with mushroom gravy served with either german fried potatoes or german potato salad, depending on my mood. I try to eat lunch here because dinner is pretty expensive.
2. Pelicans~This is a mainly seafood restaurant in Midwest City which is about 10 minutes from home. It is a place that Matt and I both like to go to. They have a wonderful salad bar and I love their onion soup. I usually order shrimp scampi, it is delicious. They have a fun outside deck, it’s fun to eat outside when the weather cooperates.
3. Poblano Grill~Also in MWC… this is a great mexican restaurant. I love meeting friends like Melody here for lunch. We usually order lunch chicken fajitas. They have wonderful homemade tortillas!
4. China King Buffet~this is a relatively new Chinese place in Choctaw. We were surprised (pleasantly) when we ordered carryout for the first time, it was delicious. We always order garlic broccoli, general’s chicken, sweet & sour chicken & egg rolls. It is really good and feeds us two or three meals.
5. County Line~This is a bbq place in Oklahoma City, close to the Cowboy Hall of Fame. I love going to this very historical building and eating in one of the private little rooms. I usually order the lunch platter that has a little of everything with double potato salad because it is so great. They have huge cups for iced tea and bring warm mint wet towels to wash up when you are finished. That plus hot baked bread is enough to keep me coming back.

I’m going to try to follow the instructions and tag people from all over the place :o)…

Irene - because she lives in Greece and I love reading about Greece.
JennaG - because she lives in the south, and we all know they know food down there…
Julie - she’s in Dallas, and they have some of my favorite restaurants (el fenix!)
Marcia - she’s in South Africa, I’m sure she’ll have an organized way to eat out…
Susanne - she’s in Canada! I was looking for someone North, that’s about as north as it goes.

Appetizer

List 3 emotions you experienced this week.

I’m not a very ‘emotional’ person… you can ask any of my ‘friends’ who actually have voiced concern that I don’t show much emotion… but here are three I can think of:

Joy-I have felt very joyful at my walk with Christ and the revelations I have recieved.

Sadness-I read a post at another blog (I think Jill’s) anyway, she was talking about weaning her baby from his bottle. I lost it. It was the day after the three year anniversary and I had a good day on ‘the’ day, but I was typing a comment about how when Izzy’s accident happened she still took a nightly bottle and how she would knock on her wall from her crib and call out ‘baba.’ As soon as she had a bottle in hand she would dismiss me and be happy with her bottle. I had breastfed her until she was about 10 or 11 months but wanted to wean her because I waited too long with Emelia and it was hard. Anyway, I had several bottles made up in the fridge and I came home to get clothes and saw those bottles. I stood and poured out the milk, washed them, and put them away while crying. It all came back typing it and I was very sad, but only for a moment and then I snapped out of it.

thankfulness-I have been thankful this week for all the wonderful blessings that I have received and continue to receive. I am thankful to God and know that He is good, all the time.

Soup

Name a car you’d love to have.

I like my suburban fine. It’s big, so maybe a suburban that gets good gas mileage…

Salad

Describe your typical morning routine.

Wake up… pray … bathroom… teeth… make Matt’s breakfast… get Izzy up… get Emelia up… say bye to Bailey & Amanda… fix Izzy & Emelia’s breakfast… get a coke!…check email…feed Izzy… say bye to Matt… get Emelia ready for school… watch for Emelia’s bus…get Izzy ready for school… get dressed… take Izzy to school. (I do a lot of things the night before to make our mornings go smooth. Like lay out clothes for Matt Emelia and Izzy, program coffee maker, make lunches if needed, etc.)

Main Course

Have you ever emailed someone famous? If so, who, and what did you say to them? Did they reply?

Not that I can remember.

Dessert

Do you listen to podcasts? If so, which ones?

I don’t listen to ‘podcasts,’ but, I listen to different lessons available on the internet.

Wraps…

2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1 cup sour cream
1 (4 1/2-ounce) can chopped green chiles
1 (4 1/4-ounce) can chopped olives
1 cup (4-ounce) shredded pepper jack cheese
2 tablespoons salsa, plus salsa for dipping, optional
1/2 cup green onion tops, sliced
1 cup chopped fresh spinach
2 packages flour tortillasIn a large bowl, beat cream cheese until creamy. Then add sour cream, green chiles, olives, pepper jack cheese, salsa, and onion tops. Beat at medium speed with an electric mixer. Stir in spinach. Spread mixture evenly over the surface of each tortilla. Roll up tortillas tightly and cut each tortilla crosswise into 6 slices. Skewer each wrap with a wooden toothpick. Serve immediately or chill. Serve with salsa for dipping, if desired.

Broccoli Salad…

1 c Mayonnaise	2 1/2 lb Broccoli (or 2 big bunches)
1/2 c Sugar	1 c Shredded sharp cheddar
1/4 c Vinegar	1/2 lb Bacon, crisp fried and

Directions
Whisk together mayonnaise, sugar and vinegar and set aside. Cut broccoli into florets and combine in large bowl with cheese and bacon. Toss with mayonnaise dressing. Cover and chill overnight before serving.