This is what I literally looked and felt like...

Only female....

But...Praise God...that's what my entire family was saying come yesterday. Listen...I was begging to be shot! I told David in the doctors office that I would rather give birth again without the epidural.

Did I have the flu, you ask. Nope. Tested negative!

This "crud" going around. Nope.

Chicken pox. Neg-a-tive.

I was working up here on Thursday with a sore throat and swollen lymph node that had greeted me first thing that morning. I took some Zycam and was really feeling better. But then, after lunch, I was typing and felt my entire body go limp. Sore. My eyes began to burn with fever (I thought). So I checked out of here.

Got home and took some left over Tamiflu because I just KNEW it was the flu. All the symptoms. Except...no fever. 97.something actually. So I climbed in bed and slept until David and the kids got home. By then I felt much better.

We grabbed a bite to eat and it hit. What "IT", you ask? I'm still not 100% certain.

I was laying on the couch with my little boy and had to run to the rest room. I grabbed the trash can, b'c I knew what was coming...but it never came. I just felt that way the rest of the night.

Plus delirium.

Plus shock (the medical kind).

Plus chills.

Plus violent shaking for about 6 hours while covered up with a heating pad, 2 blankets and a space heater blowing in my face.

All while running a body temperature between 95 and 96 degrees.

I'm stellar when it comes to being sick.

I went to the doctor the next day and found out I did not have the flu. Amazing. But I had an infected lymph node that was effecting my entire body. I headed home with some phenagren, Avalox, hydracodone and a hefty bill and slept for 3 days in my bed.

I'm much better today, but something still isn't right. I talked to my cousin who is a nurse in the ICU, and she is pretty sure I had something called "Sepsis" which is an infection in my actual blood. It is caused from an infection somewhere else. I have a couple of questions for my doctor and I'm none too happy after looking it up and seeing it is 100% dead on everything I was doing.

If that's the case, I should have been in the ER Thursday night.

But thanks to Tammy who brought us dinner, John and Alison who CAME AND CLEANED MY HOUSE, and to my in-laws for driving 3 hours to help David (who I might add...I was scared for him as he was a little scared himself). Plus to all the family and friends who kept his phone ringing to check on us and to all the kids in church who sent me get well cards yesterday.

Here's to recovery...

What Child is This?

This is seeeeewwww Cool! Begina did it on her blog to try to disprove everyone. I'm doing it because, again...totally cool!

MyHeritage: Family trees - Genealogy - Celebs - Collage - Morph

Alison...you were right...The scoffers can be put to rest

MyHeritage: Family tree - Genealogy - Celebrity - Collage - Morph

Now...who does he act like is a different meter all together!

Happy Valentine's Div-ay!

My BFF from Wisconsin and her hubs mailed the kids' Valentine's gifts off and called me to let me know what they were. I think I was more on the edge of my seat waiting than they were!

Finally, Tuesday...they arrived. Here is Lukey's gift:



It sings, "You make me wanna SHOUT" and when he says 'shout', his long loppy ears fly straight up. When we first saw it, we were rolling. We were kinda worried about Lukey because he is pretty skittish with the singing animals at Christmas. But, he loved it.

And Becomes Bust-a-Rhymes when it plays.

Belle's. Oh, Belle's. The first thing I showed her was a photo that was in the box. I covered one side and asked her who it was.

Belle: My Uncle Matt!
Me: And who is this (uncovering Mandisa)
Belle: ...speechless....huge
5 Minutes later..."THAT'S MANDISA WITH MY UNCLE MATT!!!!!!"

Then came this:



It says, "I'm a True Beauty!"
"To Belle"
Signed..."Mandisa"

And out comes this...



Amen... and Amen!

Let My Life...Be a Love Song to You!

David and I stumbled across this song to sing for our Valentine's Banquet Saturday night. It touched me in places I thought no longer existed! This speaks to everything that God has been doing in our lives and what our life needs to be back to Him for it!



Amen! Glory! Hallelujah! Amen! and Amen!

Super Mario Brothers Rules!

Oh my, I've about wet myself every time I Look at these few photos. The other day Belle and David broke out the Nintendo. I'm not talking any of this new fancy schmancy stuff that is throwing old folks backs out. I'm talking the old fashioned, original Nintendo.

Can't you sing the song in your head.

Any-who. They were done playing and Luke says "My turn". So, David turned on the demo of Tetris and gave the controller (unplugged) to the boy. He and his little boy chair and his tighty-whitey undies commenced to "playing" Nintendo.


Ok...it's all about STRATEGY here...


Concentrate...Concentrate....


Oh...JUMP!

A couple of weeks ago we were invited to attend a fundraiser promoting abstinence and excelling in the Conway Public Schools. It was "Dancing with Celebrities" and one of my girlfriends was dancing. So we got all dressed up and headed out for a night of dinner and dancing. We had a great time and Belle really enjoyed herself (even though our friend didn't win and she demanded a recount for possible hanging chads). Here are just a few photos.

Shout Out to My Hubs

Yes...you don't hear from me in weeks and now and suddenly you get 2 in one day.

I'm a veritable fountain of words now, I guess.

I just have to give a shout out to my hubs. I don't deserve him...really, I don't. He's too good to me.

Without getting into too many details, I am crabby. I know...I know...you all just are aghast as I type the words. Please don't adjust your monitors...I am. Oh, and while you are lying in the floor in unbelief...I'm VERY hard to live with.

Quit crying.

Oh, that's me.

Anywho...I realized something last night. God shows me this from time to time, but I all too often forget. David is such a picture of Christ to me and for me. As ugly as I am and as cranky as I can be, he daily...no...minute-by-minute forgets all my wrongs and tries again to show me just how much he loves me.

I'm one lucky girl...

Hi, My Name is Billie...It's Nice to Meet You...

Yes, I'm still here. And Yes, I do still plan to keep this blog going. And Yes, Brittney Spears needs intercessory prayer.

I'll blog soon about the fam, but I have to share something God spoke to me about thru a Bible Study I am in called "Lies Women Believe and the Truth that Sets them Free".

"Compared to others who commit "serious sins" (murder, adultery, embezzling money, etc), it's easy for us to feel that we aren't so bad. Our own sins of wasting time, self-protection, talking too much, eating or drinking too much, a sharp tongue, a critical spirit, overspending, fear, worry, selfish motives, or complaining don't seem all that major. We may not even consider them to be sins at all--preferring to think of them as weaknesses, struggles, or personality traits.

Eve easily could have viewed her sin this way. After all, she didn't leave her husband; she didn't curse God or deny His existence. All she did, when you think about it, was to take one bite of something God told her not to eat. What was the big deal? the big deal was that God said "Don't" and eve said, "I will."

That one, simple act of eating something God said was off limits produced enormous consequences--in her body; her mind, will and emotions; her relationship with God; and her marriage. That one "little" sin influenced her husband to sin, which resulted in the entire human race being plunged into sin. Like a rock thrown into a pond, the ripples caused by sin go on and on."

Whew! Talk about The Potter breaking the clay! It's so hard sometimes. We rock through life like we are ok and "good people". We don't commit those big sins. Sure, I worry all the time. Sure, I gossip, but I'm not as bad as them. Oh, grasshopper...but I am. Sin is sin.

Father, cleanse my heart and my mind of what I've tried to cover up all this time. For You knew anyway and love me still. Thank you, Lord. Thank you!