sometimes i wonder

sometimes i wonder how i do the things i do.  i mean, really, come on now.  while many are thinking, she doesn't work, she doesn't do this or that, think about the amount of stress she may or may not be under.  while i don't work out side of the home, i have more stress on me on a daily basis than many can imagine.  i have had more sadness in my lifetime than i would wish on anyone, yet i am expected to pretend that nothing is going on.  i am given the opportunity to have threats thrown at me more often than any other person should, yet i'm not supposed to be upset by those threats to me and my family.  while they aren't life or death, they hurt just like if they were.  i wish that my life were easier, i wish i had an easy button, but fortunately, i know that god will never give me anything i can't handle and everything that happens to me goes through his hands first.  thank god i have friends who can remind me of that.  while i will not disclose all that is going on i will say this, hold firm the the love of the savior because you never know when you will need him.  don't question what he wills for you, as he wills only what is going to be best for you.

bling bling BAM!

ABck almost 11 years ago, we got married.  My mother in law had given an engagement ring to my husband to give me.  She had won it in a raffle when my Sister in law was getting married to my brother in law.  Fast forward a few years, we are living in Port Richey, and I go to my jewelery box to get my rings as I did every morning that I wasn't working at the nursing homes, and found that not only was my engagement band gone, but so was my heart ring that Mackenzie and Ryan had gotten me when she was almost a year old, my wedding band, and my new cross necklace that I had gotten for christmas.  I hadn't gotten the chance to wear it because I was looking for a longer chain for it.  Stolen.  It broke my heart.  So much so that I hadn't even thought about replacing it.  I had looked with Ryan, but we just couldn't replace it knowing that the other set had meant so much.  Well, now about 2.5 to 3 years later I found this:

and my hubby said to get it!  Woo Hoo!  I'm in love with this set!  I hadn't even told Carol the story of my jewelery going missing because I was so broken hearted over it.  It had meant so much and she had saved that ring for years before giving it to Ryan to give to me.  It had more than monetary value, it had sentimental value.  When I e mailed (because she doesn't live locally anymore) I got a response that I wasn't expecting.  Carol had some good jewelery go missing too!  I almost couldn't believe we both had the same story, while I don't know what all was taken, I know it had sentimental value to her.  And while we couldn't afford a $25,000 set, the set we got, I love! I've had it for a day and a half and it already is giving me sentimental value! 

Now for the BAM!  

CONGRADULATIONS Mackenzie!  She got nominated to run for student council!  Wow!  Go girl!  More details on that as the whole process goes on I've never had anything like that and she hasn't either, so we are VERY proud of her!!!!

70 X 7 Women's Conference

While I haven't been good with updating this blog, I wanted to share something that I went to last night.  It was an amazing night!  I'll first start with some background info...

What is 70 x 7?  It's a ministry started by a dear friend of mine, Donna.  It was birthed 5 years ago, but last night was the first time that the team was able to hold the conference was held in the United States.  In the past, it has been done on Mission Trips.  So, I was touched just knowing that I was part of the first 200 women to experience this on our home soil!

Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?”

22 Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.  Matthew 18: 21-22

This is the verse that the conference was birthed on.  When we go back to the greek it translates to forgiveness!  Not 490 times but unlimited forgiveness!  

So, on to what touched me.  First, the footwashing!  I had never experienced it.  It was something that Jesus did for his disciples, and to be honest, I wasn't sure when I went there that I would participate, but I did and came away highly blessed for allowing a young lady to minister to me!  She did it not because I had dirty feet, afterall I had just showered, but because she has a servants heart and wanted to serve the Lord in this way.  While she was washing my feet, she was so cute, see, I had worn stockings with my dress, and she was sure I would ask not to wash through them, but I wanted to experience it, so I allowed her to wash through them.  The prayer she prayed really opened my heart to experience the conference in it's entirety!  Thank you special lady!  You know who you are!  Love you lots!

There were a few skits about the woman at the well, the woman with the issue of blood and the prostitute.  they were all forgiven their sins, as we must learn to forgive those who have tresspassed against us.  It's hard sometimes to do, and we struggle daily, but as this conference goes on, there's music that speaks to us, but one of the biggest points is when my best friend and sister in Christ signed NOT GUILTY!  It really spoke to me.  In everything I do, I must remember that the verdict is NOT GUILTY!  God forgives me!  

In posting this, I'm encouraging you ladies, if this conference comes to you, please, by all means go to it!  It's an amazing experience, from the leaving your issues on the cross, to tossing your stone to the foot of the cross where it belongs, all the way to the prayers, communion, etc.  it's a wonderful 

Not Guilty Video

Updated list of todo's

I thought I would show you the updated to do list for the Nursing program, it's been a fun transitional time in my life.  I can't wait for this program! It will feel great to go through the program and come out on top of my life finally!  I agree, I shouldn't have waited so long to go back to school, but God has a plan, and he needed me to go through life down this path for a reason.  I will succeed!  

Submit Application
Placement Test
Fafsa
Teas (nursing placement test)-- I took a practice teas yesterday, and if it were the teas for getting into the program, I would be in right now!  LOL  So, I have some registering for the teas and studying to be able to score that good on the longer test.  
Submit any transcripts
College Experience Course
Immunizations
CPR certification
Interview with Dean
Enrollment Agreement
Background Checks
Meet with the financial aid appointment
Nursing Orientation
Schedule
Start Classes

Just a quick update on the girls and Ryan:

Ryan is still plugging away working out of town a lot these days.  Some days are more stressful for him than others, but he's providing for his family and that's all that matters.  He can't wait til he gets to come home for a visit I am sure, but he knows that he has to provide, and that's what he is doing. 

Kenzie is getting bigger and bigger.  She can't wait for 4th grade to start!  I can't wait to see what she'll accomplish this year!  She's becoming closer and closer with Ariel, her bff!  They are like sisters anymore!  To the extent that she's gonna go to a cheerleading practice later this week to see if she wants to try it out for a season.  

Maddie is my lil peanut who LOVES animals!  Right now she's sleeping on the couch with Skylar!  We stayed last night with Diana.  And Maddie curls up on the couch with the dogs and cats all the time.  She loves them so much!  Sometimes I wonder if she's gonna be a vet when she grows up LOL!  

And that's about the update.  

So excited!!

I feel like a combination of a kid in a candy store and santa delivering gifts on christmas eve!!!

I passed my entrance exam!!!  On to the teas!!!  it will happen SOOOOOON!

Nursing School Update

Hey there fans!  I finally have an update about my nursing program!

I've taken lots of time to think it over.  I compared both the RN and the LPN programs.  So, I've visited several schools, called many others.  Today I went to an Info Session on the RN program at a school I am highly interested in.

So with that said, I have a few steps to go through, and the first is applying to that school.  Once accepted, the real fun begins!  Here's my list as of now:

Submit Application
Placement Test
Fafsa
Teas (nursing placement test)
Submit any transcripts
College Experience Course
Immunizations
CPR certification
Interview with Dean
Enrollment Agreement
Background Checks
Meet with the financial aid appointment
Nursing Orientation
Schedule
Start Classes

So with this said, I've done a lot of homework and getting things in order.  I've spoken nothing but good positive things about wanting to do this for a long time now, and yet, I still have others who I thought were friends who want to try and bring me down.  So for the last time I ask, IF YOU CAN'T BE A POSITIVE PATTY ABOUT THIS SITUATION KEEP YOUR NEGATIVE NANCY COMMENTS TO YOURSELF.  My school isn't going to be a perfect match for everyone, but if you were a true supportive friend, you wouldn't try to drag me down about where I choose to go.

sorry

so sorry for dropping off.  i'll get to the recipes.  i ended up going to the hospital so much this week to stay with a friend that i just wasn't able to cook any of the recipes i had picked out.  i'll get them posted in the coming weeks though. 

i found out that i only have a few things to do to get into nursing school this september.  praying everything falls into place!  can't wait! 

will keep you posted as to what happens there! 

Corndog Casserole

This is super easy and yummmmy! 

In a skillet, sautee 2 cups of thinly sliced celery in 2 tbsp butter for 5 minutes.  Add 1.5 cups sliced green onions.  Saute 5 minutes.  Place in large bowl.  Set aside.  Cut 1 pound of hot dogs into bite size pieces, add to skillet.  Saute for 5 minutes or until lightly browned.  Add to vegetables.  Set aside 1 cup of the veggie mixture.  To the remaining mixture, add 2 eggs, 1.5 cups of milk, 1/4 tsp pepper, 2 tsp rubbed sage.  Stir well.  Add 2 boxes corn muffin mix and 1.5 cups shredded cheddar cheese.  Mix well.  Put into prepared casserole dish.  Top with remaining veggie mixture.  Sprinkle 1/2 cup cheese on top.  Bake at 400 for 30-35 minutes. 

A week of menus

We all sat down and made out the dinner menus for the next month.  For this week we chose taco salad, corn dog casserole, chinese, pepperoni pull apart bread and crazy bread, grilled cheese with tomato soup, sloppy joes with french fries, and quesadillas with corn. 

I also made cappucchino muffins, banana chip muffins, and cinnamon donut muffins!  Wow!  Ill be posting recipes and pics all week. 

Since i dont have a pic, it was ate too fast, heres my rendition of taco salad: 

Brown a pound of ground beef.  Drain.  Prepare according to taco dinner kit.  Toward the end of meat cooking, add 1 tbsp ranch dressing.  Bake shells while doing meat.  Put a bag of salad in a large bowl with a chopped onion, salsa according to how u like it, and 2 cups shredded cheddar (more can be added later if u need it)  crush shells on top.  Pour meat mixture over it all.  Toss and serve with refried beans.  Garnish with sour cream if desired!  Mmmm  the fam goes nuts for it!

What a week!

Last week was a busy week for us.  I am gonna recap it day by day to catch you up...

Monday we had our first tutoring session for Maddie.  So we trekked to the library.  Thinking we would get books before, we got there at 915 only to learn they didnt open til 10, so we walked to the park, played, and came back just in time for the doors to open.  That was a crazy hot walk in blue jeans for this momma!  After tutoring we learned that we couldnt get books because we were at the only remaining CITY library in the area and it isnt connected to our county library so books would have to wait a day. 

Tuesday we went to the state attorneys office to have a meeting and learned of more charges they are filing against the man who stole our vehicle in april.  Thats a huge mess and a whole other post will be coming after its all over.  Back to the library we went to get our library card and check out books.  Kenzie signed up for the summer reading program they have there.  I started studying boundaries. 

Wednesday, we took a much needed day to rest. 

Thursday we prepped our walls for painting! 

Friday we had our errand day and Maddies evaluation.  We learned she has adhd and ocd.  We are adapting to her needs now and the house is running smoother.  While i was cooking, the girls were playing outside with the neighbors child who began bullying maddie, i drew a boundary line because this wasnt the first time only for that childs mother to get irate to the point that by the end of her rant she told my kids they were nothing but mental retards with a fat lazy mother.  It took all i had to not get into a physical altercation, but in the end, i dont want to teach my kids that fighting is ok, so we came in and painted our frustrations away. 

Saturday, i put the second coat on the paint and we hung out with one of the nicer neighbors who also has issues with yesterdays neighbor. 

Sunday was a regular sunday for us minus church. 

Monday we were back at the library for tutoring.  Exchanged books and that was that.

Today Kenzie started Summer Reading Camp. 

Frustration is not how i wanted to start the day!

When working for a company, you would think they would be up front with you about your direct deposit.  Instead we never know if the money will be in the bank or not!  How can bills be paid or groceries be bought if there is no money in the bank when its supposed to be?  Really people get it right already!

Tropical storm

Yep, we had our first tropical storm for the year.  Her name was Andrea.  She brought much needed rain, gusts of wind and even a few tornadoes to the tampa bay area.  Thank god we fared well.  We took a day off of walking today due to the weather and will resume tomorrow after our errands.  Lots of fun things coming up, but im not gonna spill the beans just yet!  More to come as more develops.

School is OUT!!!

Today was bittersweet for me.  I am happy its summer break, but that means we only have 2 years before we have a MIDDLESCHOOLER!  I cant believe we are that close already! 

Both girls had a great day.  I got soaked walking to get Madispn, then the rain slacked off enough for me to have buckets of sweat rolling into my eyes!  It has been so humid here that i sweat as soon as i go outside let alone walk the more than 1/2 mile to her school.  We are starting a new walking track tomorrow... not sure how far but its gonna be fun to see

Air conditioners have temper tantrums too...

Or at least mine did today!  I woke up to a flooded bathroom, an overflowing drip pan in the attic due ti the drip pipe being clogged with algae.  I just pray it really cools after all the work on it today! 

Rainy day Saturday

As the hurricane season starts, mother nature has decided to remind me to get my hurricane kits ready.  Yes, i said kits.  One for each of us, one for my bird. 

In the mean time I am closer to deciding on the LPN program.  Its going to be tough, but I know I can and WILL do this.  It has taken longer than i wanted, but I needed to allow the Lord to work things out in HIS time. 

More updates to come.

Friendships

If you were a girlscout, as a brownie you would have learned this song:

Make new friends, but keep the old.  One is silver and the other is gold.

So now, take a moment to think... do you cherish your friends?  I think this is something we need to reflect on ever now and then.  We all have our friends, best friends, fair weather friends, etc.  I challenge you to look at how you are a friend to others.  Are you there no matter what or are you simply there when it will benefit YOU. 

Rainy afternoon

Today turned out to be a beautiful rainy afternoon.  We got to use the sock monkey umbrella on our walk home from school.  Jumping in puddles along the way!  Brings me back to my childhood when we did just that. 

Last days of school

As the school year dwindles down, it seems we get busier every year!  I have my little Madison repeating first grade to help her get caught up, Mackenzie heading on to 4 th.  And nursing school is a closer reality for me as I narrow down the programs I am interested in.  St Pete College is out.  PHCC is still in the running with 3 other schools.  Lots to do but in time it will happen.

Ryan is doing pretty good, but cant wait for me to get thru my schooling...  and thats about it.

Cold snap please go away!

Another cold snap hit our area, and I'm not a fan of it!  I just wish the weather would decide if it wants to stay warm or cold.  This back and forth stuff is for the birds!  So other than that not a lot going on.

We are continuing our house search.  We've wanted to find a nice house at a good price, and well, we are still on that search.  We aren't sure where in the area we will find our house, but it's a continuing process.  Keeping the budget in mind while we look is really the deciding factor there.

I'm continuing my job search.  It's been a tough market for a couple years so I'm hoping that I will find something soon.  I don't HAVE to go back to work but it just would make it so much easier as far as our budget goes.

Kenzie is doing great!  She was in a mainstream class for the first time since Kindergarten on Friday and LOVED it!  I'll be e-mailing the teacher she spent the day with to see how it went from a teacher's perspective.

Maddie had a rough week, but that's also a work in progress.  Sometimes kids have better weeks than others.  So we are working with her on following directions.

And Ryan is still in South Carolina... Status quo.

I'll update more as more things develop here :)

One crazy week!

Last week was just that.  ONE CRAZY WEEK!  It's been that kind of year so far!

The week started out normal.  School was out on Monday, but other than that it was status quo.  Until Thursday that is.  I had made arrangements with our friend Kevin for him to come pick me up to go after the Camry.  It was about an hour away each way, so he was taking me on his day off.  On the way home, I had a blow out just before our exit.  He was about 1/2 mile behind me I guess.  But due to the laws here in Florida and my spare being flat, I had no choice but to tow the car.  It was a lesson learned that looking back was a good one.

So since then I've been doing TONS of shopping around for the best tire prices and alignment prices too!  Who knew how expensive tires were getting these days!  I'm finding the average price PER tire to be around $100!  Crazyness!  I remember buying tires for the Contur and the prices were around $40 a tire!  So, to replace the one that's blown as well as the other tires on the car and the spare, we are looking at around $500-$600!  And the alignment I have to make a decision... I have the opportunity to do lifetime alignments for a total of $169.  I can take it in every 6,000 miles and they will align it free of charge from the time I purchase that package to the time I sell my car.  I just don't know what I need to do there because we have had the Camry for 2 years now, so I have to weigh if it's worth doing that or just getting a regular alignment because how many more years are we going to keep the car until we trade it in for another newer model?

Ryan spent the weekend with his parents in North Carolina and the girls and I made a game of getting them cleaning in their room and doing their chores.  It was WONDERFUL!

So this week's goals:
Make the decision on the new tires.  I have the damaged tire replaced with a used one for the time being.
Make the decision on the alignments.  This is something Ryan and I will discuss.
Get the office and tax information all Organized so that we can file as soon as the other 3 papers come.  I think Ryan has 2 more w-2's we are waiting on and I have one.

That's about it.

Cox Family Crazyness

So far this year, we have had a bunch of crazyness followed by some forgetfullness on my part.  I do apologize for not updating you sooner, but I'm gonna try and hit the highlights for the month and then I think I am going to make a goal to get 1 post a week in here.  Keep you updated on our lives.

Update for 2013 so far:

January Happenings

Week 1:  We had a great week 1.  We started the year off by going to our annual New Year's Party with our friends Scott and Juanita.  This year, it was lower key than last year and that's good!  Ryan had to leave on New Years Day, so we didn't make a big to do about it.  We took some games over and had a nice family game night with them and Scott's brother Patrick! It was nice!  Then New Years Day, the girls and I dropped Ryan off and he spent the week in either Georgia or South Carolina (I honestly can't remember which.  He's been so many places lately I get confused!).  And we had a low key final few days of the girls being out for winter break.  They enjoyed the quiet time!  And so did I!

Week 2:  The girls had a time of getting back into the swing of going back to school, but did well and were rewarded with a fun craft night!  We did some scrapbooking on the 12th with our friends Deb and Juanita while the guys went fishing!  Followed that with the girls watching a movie in our room while the adults played Gesstures!  Too funny!

Week 3:  We got the report cards and were pleasantly surprised!  Mackenzie improved her "C" in Science to an "A"  so she is doing great!  She's now got 2 A's and 3 C's.  Slow and steady wins the race my friend!!!  Maddie is also doing much better in school!  We are so happy to see they are both improving so much!  And we started planning Mackenzie's birthday party!  It's hard to believe she's gonna be 10 already!!!  Doesn't seem like she should be that old, but it's the price you pay for time going by so fast!  We are doing it on the 17th of Feb.  At the local park and she's chosen Monster High for the theme!  This should be quite interesting!!!

Week 4:  I've been doing tons of soul searching and so has Ryan lately.  We both know we don't like him being gone, but we understand the need for him to be gone in order to provide for his family.  So, I decided it was really time to go out into the work force.  I applied at 9 different places today.  I had a goal of 5 and ended up doing 9!  We have been quite selfish in our attempts with work and have only been looking within 5 miles of our house.  Quite selfish, yes I know.  I have expanded my search to include Clearwater.  I love that city!  Even though I am not from there, Clearwater is what I consider home.  It just fits for me!  So, we are looking at jobs and possibly housing in Clearwater!  We just need to do what's right for our family and I don't think that being where we are now is condusive of a great amount of success for us.  We shall see where the Lord leads us.

And Finally Goals for this year:

* Lose 40 Pounds.
*Walk 3 times a week (or run)
* Enroll kids in before/after school care with their schools
*Register truck and get it on the road (new battery)
*Get a job and get Ryan home
*Evaluate, Pray about and decide what to do about our housing.

Flashback!

This week, I am telling you, I've been having flashbacks to my childhood through my own daughter's eyes!!! Not only is she loving saturday morning cartoons on CW, but she's in LOVE with Wrestling!  She can't wait to see Saturday Morning Slam!  Loved Smackdown last night and is sitting on the edge of her seat while watching POWER RANGERS right now!  Love this!  Transformers is next!  She's such a cutie!  I am so happy that we are able to give them some clean fun that they can look forward to each day wether it's watching wrestling or crafting with mommy!

Ryan is out of town again and while we don't like him being gone so long, it's what has to happen if we are to get a pay check.  I just can't wait until he gets through his goal for the new year!  Once he does that, we will totally be happy campers!

So my goals for this weekend:  Cuddle time, tidy the house, cuddle time.  Get the kids ready to go back to school next week.  And lastly get my house ready for my open house next week! Can't wait for that one!  Gonna be so much fun to show my friends some of the newest prints available!  Such fun!