One week to go

Today is Monday, we are two weeks into our fast. I gave up the most (facebook, fast food and sugar), while our whole family sacrificed eating fast food. Chayce was tempted many times hanging out with friends, heck I even had to drop her off at McDonald's once to meet up with them, can you say willpower? She really struggled with that one, she texted me and said that it was driving her crazy because everyone was eating and she wasn't. I told her to be strong, Jesus gave his life for us, the sacrifice we are making for three weeks is nothing compared to what He gave.

I myself have struggled quite a bit this time. I have realized how much I 'rely' on sweets for satisfaction. I even found myself angry at times because I just wanted some chocolate. I don't remember it being this hard last year...I have depended heavily on fruits and honey this go'round. It's amazing how delicious a glass of orange juice is when you are really wanting something sweet. To know that I can do this gives me strength...it shows me that I can find other alternatives, natural alternatives to processed sugar. I've been munching on plain oatmeal with fruit, drizzled with honey and sprinkled with cinnamon. I have noticed a difference in my body as well, my stomach is 'trimmer' and I know I've lost at least 2 lbs. I am praying that I can condition myself to stick with this and limit my sweets to special treats and not something I have to have daily. I even made a point to break it to my kids that I will no longer be buying weekly sweets to put in their lunch, that fruits are their new snacks and treats. (Except for the occassional chocolate cake, fresh baked cookies or muffins.) Channing wanted to know if there were exceptions for birthdays, (as if I were going to deprive her of her birthday cake in a few weeks!)

When it's all said and done I am thankful and pleased that I was able to keep in mind the Lord's sacrifice of His only son and Jesus' suffering. With this in mind I was able to change some bad habits and guide my family to a more healthy lifestyle.

The Lord will guide you always; He will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail. Isaiah 58:11

Our precious Chan

She was crazy bored today, even though we played multiple games of Perfection and several rounds of Old Maid. Bless her little heart, she jumped up and decided that she wanted to clean the house! She wiped down the bar, the kitchen counter tops, rinsed all the dishes in the sink, unloaded and loaded the dishwasher (all of this while standing in a chair so she could reach). She made my bed and took out the trash in both bathrooms...and now she's helping James and I with laundry! Can you say BLESSING!?!?

I truly believe she has a servant's heart. She has been cleaning for the last several weeks because we started giving the kids allowance. One day she jumped up and decided to start cleaning and I explained to her that you don't get allowance for everything you do, that some things are just expected of you, she replied with a "I know, I just want to help." Music to a mother's ears!

We went to Art Night at her school this past week to see the masterpiece she created: a mama camel, a baby camel with the pyramids behind it...she thoughtfully drew the baby camel some food as well. While we are at the art show, she decided that she wanted to help pass out refreshments. I told her to go right ahead! Instead of standing at the table handing them out with all the other volunteers, she was working the room, the cafeteria that is...walking around personally passing out beverages to anyone who wanted to take one. While we are at the art show, I go over to talk to the Asst. Principal, Mrs. Oliver. Mrs. Oliver asks Channing if she had told me that she had helped someone at school today. Channing shook her head no and I agreed, she hadn't told me anything about it. Mrs. Oliver proceeds to tell me that there was a little girl during the school day who had one of her fingers caught and smashed in a door. Our Chan went over to help her by escorting the wounded girl to the office requesting some ice be putting on the little girl's finger. I asked Channing if she knew who the girl was and she said no.

My sweet little 6 year old, always so helpful and going out of her way to help a stranger...this could be the beginning of many great stories to come!

What a week...

We had a crazy week, Camden woke up throwing up on Monday, he couldn't keep anything down. Tuesday was 'recovery day', Wednesday he started the day with a runny/stuffy nose...no fever though. Thursday he woke up with good energy and I asked him if he felt okay to go to school, he said yes...his breathing wasn't quite right so we gave him his inhaler and off we went. As the morning progressed his teacher brought him to me because he was in tears and I noticed his breathing hadn't improved (the way it normally does when we give him his inhaler). I called the doctor to get him in and they didn't have anything until 3:00 but I didn't think that would work since he was having such labored breathing. I called back to see if they had anyone call in and cancel and when I told them about his breathing they told me to bring him in and they would work him in.

We got to the doctor and by this time he was running fever (99.8). We had to wait for the doctor for at least 30 minutes and during this time he fell asleep on the table in the room. Bless his little heart, it wasn't a peaceful rest because of his breathing so he was making these loud noises the whole time he slept. I couldn't believe he didn't wake himself up! He sounded terrible so I had hoped that the doctor would make it in while he was still asleep so she could hear him. When she came in she sat down to ask me a few questions and he started making the noises again. (I was so thankful that she was able to hear them!) She woke him up and she said he felt really warm so she had the nurse take him temp again, this time it was 101.8. She immediately did a flu test and even tested his oxygen levels. Flu test came back negative so she sent us over to the hospital for chest x-rays.

The technician took pics of his chest and after she looked at them, she told me to wait while she checked to see if the radiologist wanted to look at the and call the doctor while we were still there. I thought that was odd and I had a feeling that she had seen something. She came back from talking to the radiologist and said that Camden had bilateral something or other. I can't even remember the second word she used but she told me that the doctor would be calling me and just to make sure that I got his prescriptions filled. We barely made it home and the nurse called to say that Camden has pneumonia in both lungs and the doctor wanted to see him again on Friday morning. He was given an antibiotic, a steroid and albuterol to put into a nebulizer. He had trouble with his first round of the albuterol because he is so used to taking the heaving breaths to suck in the meds from his inhaler...I thought he was going to hyperventilate!! It took several minutes of telling him to breathe 'normal' before he got the hang of it.

Anyway, he is improving...up and around like his normal self again.

Praise be to God for allowing us to catch his illness early on.

Ladies and Gentlemen, Channing Riece Watson...

Mom: Chan, what's your favorite color?
Chan: Purple

Mom: What is your favorite thing to do?
Chan: Ride my scooter

Mom: Who is your most favorite person in the whole wide world?
Chan: I'm not going to answer that...my family!

Mom: What is your favorite thing that I cook?
Chan: Bean and cheese nachos

Mom: What do you want to be when you grow up?
Chan: I do not know

Mom: What's your favorite song?
Chan: Firefly (By, Jimmy Needham)

Mom: What is something that alot of people may not know about you?
Chan: I like to sing

In the Name of Jesus

This story gave me chills as I read it:

Frisco shop owner invokes Jesus in telling gunman to leave
9:08 AM Wed, Jan 13, 2010 | Permalink | Yahoo! Buzz

Bruce Tomaso/Editor Bio | E-mail | News tips

CBS 11 has this story (complete with video) about a Frisco store owner who thwarted an armed robbery by telling a gunman that God wanted him to vamoose.

According to the TV station, the would-be robber entered Extravagant Necessities, a gift boutique on Legacy Drive, just as owner Marian Chadwick was taking care of her last customer Tuesday evening and getting ready to close up.

The gunman, wearing a hooded sweatshirt and sunglasses, demanded money.

Chadwick told CBS 11 what happened next:

"I looked him straight in the eye and I said, 'In the name of Jesus, I command you to get out of my store. You are bound by the Holy Spirit and you are leaving.' "

The gunman turned and walked out of the store. No one was injured.

He left in a silver car, possibly a Kia.

Police said the same man may be responsible for armed robberies in Plano, Richardson, Allen and Frisco.

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever! Hebrews 13:8

About me...

4 Jobs I have had:

1. A snowcone maker...technically, it was 'shaved ice'...WAY better than your average snowcone!
2. Customer service rep...answering incoming calls for Sears and then for Ford Motor Company
3. A shoe salesperson...I hated it, I'm not good at 'selling' anything!
4. A recruting assistant...best money I have made to date and I had free insurance too...I miss those days.


4 Movies I have watched more than once:

1. Sixteen Candles, I always dreamed I'd find my VERY OWN Jake Ryan!
2. Grease, the original one...I love, love, love, it. We named Channing after Stockard Channing who played Rizzo!
3. When A Man Loves A Woman, such a great movie...love that man Andy Garcia in that movie!
4. Twilight, yes I am addicted. AND, I will continue to watch it over and over and over again!


4 T.V. Shows I cannot miss, although I really don't watch much t.v., when I do, these are the shows I love to watch!

1. Dateline NBC
2. 20/20
3. Biggest Loser
4. Intervention


4 People who email me regularly:

1. James, the hubby aka "Muff"
2. My beautiful friend Shanna
3. My sweet sister-in-law Shelley
4. ???


4 Places I have been:

1. Las Vegas...for our belated Honeymoon
2. Many trips to Shreveport, Louisiana...mostly to see James' family
3. Aruba...James' company gave us a free trip there when he reached 5 years on the job...I had an upset stomach all the way to the airport due to my fear of flying.
4.Destin, Florida...family vacation, it was amazing and I can't wait until we can go back!


4 Favorite Foods

1. Mexican food, especially brunch at Mattito's in Dallas! You should try it!
2. Italian food, I LOVE Lobster ravioli!
3. Seafood...shrimp, shrimp, fish, shrimp...need I say more?
4. I also LOVE hamburgers...I crave them! Oh and ANYTHING chocolate! Ok, so that was actually five.


4 Places I would like to visit

1. Mexico, I hear the beaches are amazing!
2. Israel, I would love to walk the streets where Jesus once stood and see for my own eyes all the places I have read about in the Bible.
3. The Bahamas...BEACH!
4. Italy, for the food and romance.


4 Things I am looking forward to this year

1. Getting our finances in order and paying off some debt.
2. Starting my career!!!!!!!!
3. Growing more...spiritually, so I can be the wife, mom and person God wants me to be.
4. Cooking more and trying even more new recipes.

I know this girl...

She drives me C-R-A-Z-Y!!!!! One minute she's an angel, the next minute...well I won't call her Satan, or Lucifer or anything like that but OH MY GOODNESS! "Take me here, can I go there?, Mom this, Mom that", an eye roll here, an attitude there. She wants to stay up late yet she can't quite seem to get up in the mornings for school. She is so freaking smart, gifted actually, not just in my opinion...it's a fact, but sometimes doesn't apply herself. Her room stays messy, she leaves her dirty clothes on the bathroom floor, bickers with her siblings...cooks things on high so all the liquid in the pan boils over and makes a gigantic mess that causes the smoke alarm to go off continuously.

This girl (the one who drives me crazy)...woke me up last night with all the noise she was making, it was 1:45 a.m. to be exact. I walked to her room to get onto her and what did my ears hear? The very girl who drives me crazy witnessing to her friend...talking to her about God and telling her friend how she can just let everything go and hand it all over to Him.

I turn around and quietly walked back to my room. I then offered up a prayer of thanksgiving, thanking Him for this girl who drives me crazy.