My Iced Caramel Machiatto

Last night, my sweet husband brought me a new Starbucks drink. I had never thought much of iced drinks. (it always reminds me of ice in milk-YUCK!!) Anyway, he brought me an iced caramel machiatto and it is SOOOOOOO good. It was my dinner. AND, I went on the website and checked out the nutrition facts and it is more nutritious (if you use non fat milk vs. whole milk) than my normal Starbucks drink consisting of anything Frappuccino. So, I think we're going to B and N tonight to get another again!:)
This morning we went to our local salvation army thrift store to drop off Haven's doll house that she never plays with to free up some more room. I explained to her why we were doing it and when we got there, she had a bit of trouble letting it go. I again explained to her that we were giving it away b.c there were other kids that didn't have as much as she did and we were sharing with them, PLUS, she never played with it anyway. About a minute went by, and she said 'But mom, those weren't kids, those were mans.' (referring to the men that helped me unload my car. Usually the first thing she says when she first wakes up is 'Where's daddy'? Well, the other day, she woke up (in our bed) and said 'Mommy, why is your bed so loud?' (it sqeaks a bit when you sit up) But it has been good in the mornings lately b.c she has been cuddling with me when she first wakes up...putting her head on my shoulders and rubbing and patting my back, while I do the same to hers. It has been so fun! With all her crazy things she does, that more than makes up for it!
Enjoy the weekend and if you get a chance, try the iced caramel machiatto. YUMMY stuff!

Pickler Picked

Okay, one of my top four was voted off last night. Kellie Pickler......there was like 48 million people that voted. So sad. Check out the video on the A.I. site. It was kind of sad to watch, but she took it well.
Other than that, all is going pretty good. Still in the waiting period for the lupus results. The Lord and probably everyone close to me knows that I am not a patient person and I hate waiting, but in the waiting I know is when the Lord continues to refine me.
Random, but here is a picture of the Laney girls at the women's conference. I am so blessed to have such wonderful sisters and mom.




Enjoy the beautiful day, and remember to keep believing Him!
Kara

Haven in pink.

Haven at a few months old...

A funny face...:)

A weekend of craziness

Picture is curtesy of Stephanie Laney, as is her dog, Midas. We went out to Kelley and John Mark's new houses last night for dinner. Haven enjoyed playing with the dogs and running around the yard with Cambron.
The weekend was crazy, but good. Below is a picture of the Laney girls, courtesy also of Stephanie, at the Women's Retreat in Branson. We all had such a fun time being crazy and laughing together. I am still processing through everything the Lord revealed this weekend, so I'll post more later on that, but it was awesome! We also got to shop a bit while we were there. Saturday night we went on a family date to Old Navy and Wal-Mart. I was trying to find 'The Threshing Floor' by Juanita Bynum. I ended up not finding it at that Wal-Mart and just ordered it from on line. I am excited to get it!
It was a long weekend, but it was good and much needed rest at the women's retreat. (although we didn't go to bed before 11:00 both nights)
God is good!

5 things

I got this from Mindi's blog. Thanks Mindi.

5 things in my fridge:
1. plastic easter eggs filled with candy
2. orange juice
3. lunch meat
4. butter
5. jelly

5 things in my closet:
1. Christmas supplies
2. lots of flip flops
3. scrapbook supplies
4. rubbermaid tubs filled with summer clothes
5. Micah's golf clubs and fishing pole



5 things in my purse:
1. my pink planner from Target
2. my new MK lipstick and lip gloss (my sister in law sells it if anyone needs anything)
3. spanking spoon for Haven
4. my Isaac Mirahzi wallet from Target
5. my flip chart of index cards with verses to memorize


5 things in my car:
1. a car seat
2. a spare key to my aunt's house
3. Watermark CD's on the floor board
4. antibacterial hand gel
5. a mirror set by the rearview mirror so I can see Haven in the backseat



5 things on my TiVo: (okay, so i don't have TiVo, but if I did then this is probably what would be on it....also assuming that i had more than 12 basic channels)
1. Grey's Anatomy
2. American Idol
3. Everwood
4. One Tree Hill
5. Gilmore Girls

Anyone reading, tag, you're it.

I can't wait to see them...but I know they are being held.

Being 'Held'

Dr. Day

Today was Dr. day for me again. I went to see a rheumotologist about possible lupus. It was a bit of a frustrating morning, as we sat in there. In short, the DR. doesn't think I have lupus after a series of questions and the checking of my joints. He does, however, feel like the blood work from my OB/GYN was inaccurate and had me have more blood work done. They took 2 1/2 vials, and for a few minutes, felt a bit weak, but all went well. THEN, Haven tripped over some ladies exposed computer cords in an attempt to run away from her daddy, thus prompting the lady to fill out an 'incident' report so that we wouldn't sue the pants off of them. (the could've just paid for our hefty bill that we had to pay up front--and called it good) But, I must say that the tea I had at McAlister's for lunch just about made up for the yucky morning we had and the fact that I got to have lunch with my husband made the whole morning worth it! I love him so much, more than I ever thought I would!
Please pray for clarity for me as I try to sort out what the different DR.'s have told me. The information both have given me seems to contradict the other and it's hard to know what to do.....only He knows, and I am praying that He would reveal to me the right thing, as well as Micah and that we would both have a peace beyond our understanding. Also prayer for my mind, as I am a thinker, and that I would think on things above, period. Thanks for the prayers and encouragement thus far. I look forward to how He uses this for Him yet again! The verse He brought to my mind Monday night was the one about ....may the Lord bless you and keep you, may He make His face shine upon you....I prayed that over my friends and family and now, I have been praying that over myself as well.....
Believing Him,
Kara

The weekend was a bit crazy, but good. We went to the Razorback baseball game Friday night with my in laws. It was a really good one! Haven got some popcorn from her Bopa, so she had fun!:) We then saw my cousin and aunt as we were leaving there and chatted with them for a bit. Saturday, we did some home improvement on the house and played outside a bit. I cooked a dish for yesterday's lunch and went to Lowe's while Haven took a nap.
Yesterday was a bit busy and long, but good. We went to church and kept nursery and had a great time. There is this sweet girl who is half chinese and half american. (that sounds a bit weird) But her name is Hazel and she is so cute!! We had a good time. We then went to my aunt's for lunch and a quick easter egg hunt for Haven. She then hid the eggs again after she found them for us to find. It was fun! She of course got a huge easter basket with goodies in it (M & M's, garden tools, lip stick, ect.) and got to paint eggs. She took a 5 minute nap in the car on the way to my in laws house (we looked back in her car seat and she was asleep and then 5 minutes later she rubbed her eyes and said 'Daddy, I already took a nap--') So needless to say, by the time 8:00 came last night, it had been a long day. She hunted eggs at my in laws (or candy was more like it:)) and then we played baseball and everytime we looked over to check on Haven, she had candy in her mouth.:) She has to get it while the gettin's good I guess.:) She doesn't get it much at home, so she has to do it every chance she gets. We stayed outside for most of the evening/day and it was beautiful! Thank you Lord for such a beautiful day and that you sent your Son to die for us and that He didn't stay there!
As a result of my sugar overdose last night (not to mention the fact that I had caffiene for the first time in months, and I didn't realize it was 7:30) I couldn't sleep until 2 this morning........good times today I guess.:)
My sister in law Stephanie and my cousin Erin took some pictures yesterday that I will try to see if I can get to post.

ARKANSAS

I got this from a friend of mine and it's so true! Although even with the below information, I love living here. There's nowhere else like it!

Growing Up In Arkansas ...

You know you're from Arkansas if:

1. "How 'bout them Hogs" is a common phrase around your house.

2. Everyone you know has been on a "Float Trip."

3. "Vacation" means driving to Hot Springs or maybe even Branson.

4. You've seen all the biggest bands ten years AFTER they were popular.

5. You measure distance in minutes rather than miles.

For example, "Well, Conway's only 20 minutes away."

6. Up North to you means Missouri.(or Rogers)

7. The phrase "I'm going to the Lake this weekend" only means one thing.

8. You know several people who have hit a deer.

9. Your school classes were canceled because of cold.

10. Your school classes were canceled because of heat.

11. You instinctively ask someone you've just met, "What High School did you go to?"

12. You've had to switch from "heat" to "A/C" in the same day.

13. You think ethanol makes your truck "run a lot better."

14. You see people wear bib overalls at funerals.

15. You see a car running in the parking lot at the store with no one in it, no matter what time of the year.

16. You know in your heart that Arkansas can beat Texas in football.

17. You end your sentences with an unnecessary preposition. Example: "Where's my coat at?"

18. All the festivals across the state are named after a fruit, vegetable, animal or grain.

19. You install security lights on your house and garage and leave both unlocked.

20. You think of the major four food groups as beef, pork, catfish, and Sweet Tea.

21. You carry jumper cables in your car and know that everyone else should.

22. You went to skating parties as a kid.

23. You only own four spices: salt, pepper, ranch and ketchup.

24. You eat dinner at noon and supper at night.

25. The local paper covers national and international headlines in one column, but requires six pages for sports.

26. You think I-40 is spelled and pronounced "ah fahty."

27. You'll pay for your kids' way through college unless they want to go to UT

28. You think that "deer season" is a National Holiday.

29. You know that you can't get anywhere without going through Little Rock first.

30. You can't think of anything better than sitting on the porch in the middle of the summer during a thunderstorm.

31. You know what time to be home for curfew -- not because of the law, but because of the mosquitoes!

32. You've said, "It's not the heat, it's the humidity."

33. You know all four seasons: Almost Summer, Summer, Still Summer and Football.

34. You know if another Arkansan is from the Ozarks, Northern, Central, or Southern part of AR as soon as they open their mouth.

35. You know that Bill Clinton, Ted Danson's wife, and John Grisham are all from Arkansas.

36. You failed World Geography in school because you thought Paris, London, Bismark & Nashville were cities in Arkansas (& they are)!

37. You think a traffic jam is ten cars waiting to pass a tractor.

38. You know what "Wooooo Pig Sooie" means.

And speaking of the HOGS, the are playing Kentucky tonight in baseball. We are 12th, they are 19th! Should be an awesome night for it. And tomorrow is RazorFest. Should be a fun weekend.

I got it!

I got the new Bethany Dillon's Imagination CD this morning. It is really good! Not that I had any doubts. Some of the good ones are Hallelujah, I Believe in You, and Be Near Me. Oh yeah, and then there's the song, New. Here are the lyrics. Very timely.
Also, I found out this week that Nichole Nordeman is going to be in Ft. Smith on May 1st! I really want to go, but it's a Monday night.........blah. We'll see. What I would REALLY like is if the Female Artist of the Year (Natalie Grant) would come around here so I can go see her. Oh well. Maybe one of these days it will happen.

Movie Weekend

It was a movie weekend this weekend. It's so nice working close to Hastings....we rented Memoirs of a Geisha and Dreamer. We got Dreamer for Haven, and I wanted to get it b.c Bethany Dillon sings the theme song. I have yet to get her new album, but it's on my list to get very soon. She's the bomb! I enjoyed it. It was just a good movie, and I miss those!! Dakota Fanning of course was awesome in it and she is definitely wise beyond her years! She is so intelligent and really gets 'into' her movie roles. Memoirs of a Geisha was good too, a bit slow at first, but ended well. We then borrowed Kelley's Chronicles of Narnia and watched it on Saturday night. We are probably the only ones left in this area that haven't seen it, but it was good. Very powerful....
We went to my parents house yesterday for lunch and to hang out. It was very fun and a beautiful day just to be outside. We sat on the deck and let Haven play outside. Mom and I went to Centerton to look at open houses. It was pretty fun.
My Grey's Anatomy was a re-run. BLAH! So, instead, I tried to study more on my medical transcription stuff.
Enjoy the awesome day,
Kara

Dreams

It's sad when you are so into a show that you dream about it and it seems so real. I had a dream last night that I was McDreamy's little sister, and it even had Meredith (aka Ellen Pompeo) in it, and I hope that the season finale show ends like my dream ends. I'll let you know when that time comes......crazy, I also thought that Heath Ledger was in our local Panera Bread this morning. I about flipped, and then realized, it wasn't him, and if it was, he certainly wouldn't be in a Panera Bread in Fayetteville Arkansas.
I would be a bad aunt if I didn't post a picture of my nephew, Cambron, on his 5th birthday!! I can't believe he is 5! He is such a sweet, fun boy and we have had such a good time with him thus far. He is all boy, and him and Haven have the best time, especially now, riding their bikes together.:)
HAPPY BIRTHDAY CAMBRON! We love you so much and are excited to see how the Lord is using you for Him!!

Brian and Jill's baby shower for Ethan Paul is coming up here in a few months. I am busy trying to find the perfect invitations-it's been fun. They also registered @ babiesrus.com, and that's been fun looking there too! I enjoy looking at baby stuff anyway, so I've been looking at all sorts of different places on the world wide web.
My car is in the shop today getting the brakes checked out and hopefully replaced. That's always a good thing, especially since it hasn't been checked EVER, and I'm almost to 70,000 miles!
So, I know this is a boring post, but I don't have a whole lot to chat about today.
Later,
Kara