Keep Your Hands and Feet Warm (review)

There is nothing that I dislike more that cold hands and feet. It seems the older that I get the colder my hands and feet get and going outside with the daycare kiddos to play in the snow is just no fun if your extremities are freezing.

So Jennifer from HandWarmers.net and FootWarmers.org sent me some awesome things to try out. She sent me some Toasti-toes, insole warmers, HotHands-2 Hand warmers and Foot Warm-ups. Oh it was so nice to have these to go outside with. My hands and feet were so warm and cozy. Heck, I even used them when I came back inside to keep my feet warm. The kiddos loved them too. When they came in they asked if they could use them to warm their hands. They all
thought that they were really neat. Kids are funny that way.

A little info from the company:

The best place on the web to find Hand warmers, Foot warmers, toe warmers and body warmers! Many people find that when the weather turns cold, no matter what they do they have a very difficult time keeping warm. No matter how many layers they put on they still can not beat the chill factor, but the good news is now there is a way! Our hand warmers are 100% natural which means no harmful chemicals or batteries. Composed of iron, water, salt, wood fiber and activated charcoal these all natural products make our hand warmers, safe and environmentally friendly. Once the warmer is removed from its package, it is air activated to produce a warming all natural heat keeping your hands warm for up to ten hours. Our hand warmers are perfect for the hunter, fisher, skier or snowboarder, the snowmobiling enthusiast or anyone who enjoys enjoying the great outdoors regardless of the temperature. Because of their air activation they are easy to open and activate, even with gloves on! They are perfect for sticking in your pockets for some added warmth. However, most people find when their hands are cold, so are their feet. That is why we carry our line of Insole Warmers, and our heated insole Toasti Toe Foot Warmers! These products are the perfect compliment to our Heatmax hand warmers. Made out of the same ingredients as our hand warmers, our foot warmers and toe warmers have special adhesive to stick in your boots and enjoy warm feet all day! Our larger size pad body warmers are great for all over warmth, or to helps soothe back and joint pain. Heat is a known relief from a sore back or aching joints and these body warmers do just the trick. They have a special adhesive that easily attaches to wherever the pain is for immediate, 10 hour relief. So whether you are looking to spend some time on the slopes, on the river, need some heat relief, or are just sick of having cold feet and hands, try our hand warmers, foot warmers, toe warmers, and body warmers and do not let the cold bother you anymore!

Now, back to what I think:
At first I was worried about the Insole Foot Warmer being too bulky but it wasn't. It was nothing more than having an insert in your shoe.

They are self activating, which means you just open the package and expose to air. What could be more simple than that? Another wonderful thing about them is that they stay warm for hours. What I am saying is that some items stay warm for up to 6 hours, but the Hand and Body warmer stays warm up to 18 hours. Another good thing about these products are that they are cheap, oh and you can buy them by the case.

I am giving some of what I received to my daughter who is 21 and is driving about 45 minutes to work in a two wheel drive car and has to leave at about 5:30am. I gave them to her to put in her car just in case she would get stranded in the snow and freezing weather we have been having here in Ohio.

If you know anyone that has to be out in the elements, whether it is to work or play, I recommend that you get them some of these to keep them warm.

I was not paid in anyway for this review, however I did receive the item free in order to complete this review. I do honest reviews and the opinions are mine and only mine. If I do not like an item that I am doing a review on, I will let you know.

Doctor in Petticoats ~ Sophie's Daughters Book One - Book Review

Author: Mary Connealy
Title: Doctor in Peticoats
Subtitle: Sophie's Daughters Book One
Publisher: Barbour Publishing, Inc.
Publish date: 07/01/2010

About this book:

Doctor Alex Buchanan is a wanted man--a deserter from the army stalked by a bounty hunter--but he'd rather be dead than inflict any more pain on his patients. Beth McClellan is idealistic, believing the nursing training she received will be enough to help her serve as doctor to her home town in West Texas. When Alex and Beth meet in a stagecoach accident, they find that they work well together. But are his demons and her dreams too deeply rooted for either of them to pay the price required for a future together?

What I think about this book:

First off, I have loved every book that Mary Connealy has written that I have read so far. I loved this one from the first page and I loved even more how some of the characters in this book are from her other series called, Montana Marriages, but you do not have to read that series first to get the whole story.

Beth is a very strong individual while Alex is very complicated and has excess baggage that comes with him. Beth comes from a family that is very well put together and each individual is more than strong enough to stand on their own. I love the fact that there is actually two stories running together in this book that includes Beth's sister, Mandy and her new husband, which I am not to fond of. He is quite a fool in my mind. There are times in this book that you will be holding your breath wondering what is going to happen next.

Mary Connealy is definitely an author that writes books that you just can't put down. I am looking forward to reading the next book in this series.

You can buy this book at:

Amazon.com for $10.39
ChristianBooks.com for $9.69
Barbour Publishing for $12.99

Images and excerpt are from NetGalley and Amazon.com.
I was not paid for this review, I did however receive a copy of the book in return for the review from NetGalley. The opinions of this book are mine and mine alone.

Win a Nintedo DS or Littlest Pet Shop 3 ~ Twitter party

There is an awesome twitter party going on this Friday night and you don't want to miss it.
It will be over at My Four Monkeys!

So here's the rundown ...

WHAT: Kids & Video Games Twitter Party
WHEN: Friday, December 17th, 8 PM - 10 PM EST
HASHTAG: #LPS3
PRIZES: 10 copies of Littlest Pet Shop 3 and one pink Nintendo DS (You must be present and RSVP to win.)
HOSTS: @MyFourMonkeys and @EAPlay


You must to RSVP over at My Four Monkeys to be eligible to win!

You can read my review about Littlest PetShop 3: Biggest Stars, Team Pink here and you can read the review posted by My Four Monkeys here.

Help spread the word by tweeting the message below and you can have an extra entry in every current giveaway over at My Four Monkeys (good thru 12/17)!

Join @MyFourMonkeys and @EAPlay 12/17 (8-10 PM EST) to chat about kids & video games - win a Nintendo DS! RSVP at http://bit.ly/g9OXgL #LPS3

This information was received from My Four Monkeys and Caitlin at RocketXL.

Cookies In a Jar ~ Tutorial

I have made these with the daycare kiddos are they are a great idea for gift giving.

You can check out more videos by VanillaJoy over on YouTube.

How To Tie a Christmas Bow

I just wanted to share this video with you on how to tie a Christmas Bow.

You can check out more videos by VanillaJoy over on YouTube.

Two Tickets to the Christmas Ball ~ Book Review

Two Tickets to the Christmas Ball

A Novella

Written by Donita K. Paul

• Format: Hardcover
• Other Formats: eBook
• On Sale: Oct 5, 2010
• ISBN: 9780307458995
• Categories: Fiction - Christian - Romance

About This Book

Can mysterious matchmaking booksellers bring two lonely hearts together in time for Christmas?

In a sleepy, snow-covered city, Cora Crowder is busy preparing for the holiday season. Searching for a perfect gift, a fortuitous trip to Warner, Werner, and Wizbotterdad’s (a most unusual bookshop) leads to an unexpected encounter with co-worker Simon Derrick. And the surprise discovery of a ticket for a truly one-of-a-kind Christmas Ball.

Every year, the matchmaking booksellers of the Sage Street bookshop host an enchanting, old-fashioned Christmas Ball for the romantic matches they’ve decided to bring together.

This year, will Simon and Cora discover a perfect chemistry in their opposite personalities and shared faith? Or will the matchmakers’ best laid plans end up ruining everything this holiday?

What I thought about this book

This was a fast reading book. Right from the beginning it had me hooked. Then it took a little turn for me when it started talking about the booksellers. For about a chapter I was wondering if I wanted to continue reading. But I did and I have to say that I am glad that I did.

This book really kept me interested in everything that was going on. I loved how the author, Donita K. Paul kept you wondering what was going to happen next and and how she brought the whole story together towards the end. Cora is the main character and she has come from a family of non-believers and has some baggage that she has to work through. Simon, who she works with has an amazing family, which is completely different from the family she comes from. Simon's sister, Candy Sandy is a huge part of Simon's life and he would do anything to make her life happy.

I absolutely loved the last chapter of this book. There were so many things said that makes perfectly wonderful since. I would love to share the whole last chapter with you because that would ruin the whole book for you but I will share this part, "No matter who your earthly family is or how they failed you, your heavenly Father will never deny you nor forsake you."

I have to admit that this is only the second Christmas book that I have read but I am sure that I will be reading more of them.

You can download Chapter One of this book now, just to check it out and see if you like it. If you have read it let me know what you thought of the book.

Download chapter one of Two Tickets to the Christmas Ball now!

You can purchase this book at:

WaterBrook Multnomah Publishers for $14.99
Amazon.com for $10.19

I received this book from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishers for the sole purpose of reading and doing this review.

Vaseline Intensive Rescue

Now, if you visit Everyday Health you can get a free sample of Vaseline Intensive Rescue for you and one for friends.

My thoughts:

I have issues with lotions because they seem to make me itch worse than the dry skin itself does but this seems to be doing okay on my skin. So far so good. I like the softness it gives my skin and the non-greasy feeling. I am not big on the greasy feeling that you get from some lotions. I don't want to feel like applied lotion and it's actually been a few hours. I am excited about continuing to use this throughout the winter months.



This information was received from Everyday Health and Rocket XL.

GIVEAWAY ~ $20 SCENTSY Gift Certificate

Sarah, over at Small Town Girl is new into blogging and she is doing reviews and giveaways. She is having her very first giveaway and it is for a $20 gift certificate to Scentsy. If you all don't know what Scentsy is you can check it out here. But let me tell you what I think.

Since I am In-Home Childcare Provider, we are not allowed to have candles burning anytime we have children in our homes. Well, I happen to love the smell of candles and since I am not allowed to burn them I started to using the Glade Plug-Ins and such.

Then along came Sarah, with her Scentsy. Scentsy is a paraffin wax that melts over a warmer and the smell is awesome! They do not get hot and the warmers are beautiful. I do have to think my dear Hubby for getting me my first warmers and scentsy bars. Ahh, the smell of fresh Apple Pie, yummy! They have tons of wonderful scents, too many to mention that is for sure.

Now, this is what Sarah says Scentsy is:

Scentsy consist of beautiful warmers that warm scented paraffin wax. Now these are not the typical ‘wax tart’ burners that use a tea light to melt the wax; these warmers us a low watt light bulb to melt the paraffin. You can actually stick our fingers in the melted paraffin and it wont burn you! Scentsy also has other great products including Scent Circles, Travel Tins, Scent Paks, Room Spray, Anti-Bacterial Fragrance Foam, and Adorable Scentsy Buddies.

Now, hop on over to SMALL TOWN GIRL and enter to win that $20 gift certificate so you can enjoy some of their wonderful scents of Scentsy!

What is the FRESH AIR fund??

FACTS ABOUT THE FRESH AIR FUND

THE FRESH AIR FUND, an independent, not-for-profit agency, has provided free summer vacations to more than 1.7 million New York City children from low-income communities since 1877.

Nearly 10,000 New York City children enjoy free Fresh Air Fund programs annually. In 2010, close to 5,000 children visited volunteer host families in suburbs and small town communities across 13 states from Virginia to Maine and Canada. 3,000 children also attended five Fresh Air camps on a 2,300-acre site in Fishkill, New York. The Fund’s year-round camping program serves an additional 2,000 young people each year.

FRESH AIR CHILDREN

Children are selected to participate in The Fresh Air Fund’s programs based on financial need. Children are from low-income communities. Fresh Air youngsters are registered by more than 90 social service and community organizations in all five boroughs of New York City.

Listen to Brandon's story:

Summer may seem far away, but NYC children are currently participating in Fresh Air programs, from weekly tutoring sessions to job shadowings to weekend retreats at Fund camps in upstate New York! Our Career Awareness Program serves more than 300 youngsters in middle and high school. We also have new leadership programs for young women to develop their “can-do” attitudes!
No matter the season, Fresh Air children remain involved, excited and forward-thinking. We need loyal friends like you to continue serving thousands of New York City children throughout the year. Thank you!

To make a donation, please click here.

Every year, The Fresh Air Fund gives thousands of inner-city children the priceless gift of fun – and opens the door to a lifetime of opportunities.

Whether it's a two-week trip to the country to visit a volunteer host family, or a fun-filled and educational stay at one of our fund camps, our programs make for unforgettable memories – and open a world of new friendships and fresh possibilities.

• Just $10 will send one child on a bus ride to his or her Friendly Town host family.


• $24 provides a child with a week of swimming lessons.


• $42 provides a day of Career Awareness classes.


• A gift of $50 can fund a camp counselor for a day.


• If you can give as much as $91, you provide a child at camp with meals for a week.

We are a not-for-profit agency and depend on tax-deductible donations from people like you to keep our vital programs flourishing.

All information for this is from FreshAir.org and Sara at the FreshAirFund.

GIVEAWAY ~ KitchenAid Artisan Stand Mixer at 3KidsandUs

3 Kids and Us and KitchenAid want to make your holiday wish come true and offer you the chance to win a brand new KitchenAid Artisan Stand Mixer, in your choice of over 20 colors, valued at $349.99!

Enter the KitchenAid Stand Mixer Giveaway and check out the Homemade Holiday Feast recipes that show all the ways the KitchenAid Stand Mixer and attachments can be used to create unique family dishes and save you counter space with one appliance that can be converted to meet your every need.

Littlest Pet Shop 3 ~ Review (by kids too)

As most of you who follow me know that I am a Home Daycare Provider, certified through my local county. I have kids who range from 3 months to 9 years old and the older kids love to play the Super Nintendo (yes it is archaic) and the DS that belongs to my daughter, so when I was contacted about doing a review for the Littlest Pet Shop 3: Biggest Stars Pink Team, I was excited and so were the kiddos, even the boys.

See more Game Videos at EA.com.

Game Info

Get ready Team Pink Hearts to go for the gold! It’s time to hit the arena for the LITTLEST PET SHOP Biggest Stars competition—and this time your pets are in the spotlight!

Ten fun and challenging mini games are your pets’ tickets to the big time. Practice makes perfect as you help your pets become the best gymnasts, models, ice skaters, dancers, flyers, fashion designers, and more. Then pack up their cute team uniforms and the dozens of super-fun accessories you’ve customized in two tints of pink because it’s time to hit the road!

The Biggest Stars competition is the event of year, when the pet-triplet judges look for teams that are a triple threat; cute, peppy and totally talented! Good thing that with your help, all your LITTLEST PET SHOP pet’s Biggest Stars dreams really can come true!

The Pink Hearts star six exclusive pets including the cuddly bunny and the playful cocker spaniel.

Now, I was the first one to try out this game and it was killing the kids. lol As I was trying it out, I was thinking to myself, "How much fun can this actually be?" Well once I got going and playing, it actually pretty fun. The best part for myself was the dancing.

After I was done, I gave Miss BB, who is 6, a turn and this is what she had to say, "My best part was the all the games and the coloring parts."

Then along came Miss O, who is 7 and she said, "It's a good game and would be fun to play everyday. Can we play it everyday? Oh, and I like the surprises that you can get."

Then along came Miss B, who is 9 and she said, "I think it has cool games and you can go into different little shops and play."

And finally today, Mr J got his turn playing and he said, "It was pretty fun and pretty cool and I liked it a lot."

Needless to say they are arguing about whose turn it is to play. lol

You can purchase Littlest Petshop 3 at EASports for $29.95 and is rated E for Everyone.

I would like to thank Caitlin of RocketXL for providing me the Littlest Petshop 3: Biggest Stars Pink Team for the sole purpose of doing this review. I have stated MY honest opinion and that is that.

Caress Whipped Souffle ~ Review

I love to use body wash, but I have to be careful because my a lot of body washes makes me itch afterward. I can not use anything that would dry my already dry skin out any more than it already is. Therefore, the generic brands are definitely a no-no.

Recently I was contacted by RocketXL about the Caress's Ultimate Girls Night Out Campaign on Facebook and wow, wouldn't that be a great event? Hop on over and enter to win a Caress's Ultimate Girls Night Out for you and your friends. I am not a party girl so I am thinking some relaxing pampering would be totally wonderful. I definitely entered to try to win.

In the process of all this, I was sent a bottle of Caress Whipped Souffle body wash to try out, and let me tell you..........I am hooked. I have used the whole bottle. I call it a bubble bath in a body wash. It is so awesome. It leaves your skin feeling so velvety and smooth and does not leave you or your tub feeling greasy.

The Caress Whipped Souffle comes in two fragrances, White Peach Cream, which is deep hydrating moisturizers whipped with white peach and silk blossoms and Blackberry Cream, which is a blend of deep hydrating moisturizers whipped with blackberry and vanilla. I tried the Blackberry Cream and loved the scent and feel.

Now don't forget to hop on over the Caress's Facebook page and enter win a Caress' Ultimate Girls Night Out for you and your friends.

Let me know if you have already tried Caress's Whipped Souffle and let me know what you think of it.










I would like to thank Athena of RocketXL for providing me the Caress Whipped Souffle body wash for the sole purpose of doing this review. I have stated MY honest opinion and that is that.

New Blog In Town

I just wanted to let everyone know that there is a new blog in town and we all know how it was when we first started. We all needed follower and then things grew from there. She is a current Scentsy consultant and is working on getting into doing reviews and giveaway. So hop on over and check Sarah out!

Lexi Update you don't want to miss!

Here is some wonderful news from Jen, Lexi's mom!!!

Sunday, November 7, 2010 9:22 PM, EST

Boy has it been an excited month for us! The week Alexis was in the hospital for her line infection she also had her scans completed. As some of you know, the results of the scans have finally shown that Alexis is in remission!! Since then she had another bone marrow aspiration and that also showed no signs of cancer! We have waited over a year to hear those words and I can't even begin to explain how it makes Alexis, Scot and I feel. We have overcome this part of the battle against cancer and what the future holds know one can for see, but at this moment what the future holds doesn't matter we are enjoying each moment we have.

Alexis will now follow up with her oncology nurse practitioner only once a month. She will have scans completed every 3 months. We thought Alexis was going to have her central line broviac removed on October 27th, but as it turned out she didn't. Now we have to wait until November for it to be removed! Luckily, the central line will be removed 11 days before the day we leave for our trip to Disney. Alexis's Make a Wish trip was rescheduled to leave xxxxxxx. This means that Alexis will get to swim sometime during our trip. Usually kids can start swimming 10-14 days after the broviac is removed. Alexis is very excited about the fact that she will get to swim. She has always loved swimming and this has been one of the hardest things for her. When you ask her if she is excited about getting the broviac out she says no because she is afraid it will hurt. She has felt much better knowing that she will be put to sleep to have it taken out. When we told her she should be able to swim during our trip she said that she isn't going to swim until after 14 days because she doesn't want to take any chances that the site isn't healed. Throughout all of this, Alexis's number one priority is avoiding as much pain as possible. This is why she wants to take her own bandages off and never wants anyone to help her up when she is in pain. Thankfully most everyone that has taken care of Alexis has respected this and allowed her to be in as much control as possible. It can be trying on your patience as times but I would want the same thing myself.

So back to our trip. We would have liked to have gone sooner, however this was the first availabilty at Give Kids the world where we will be staying. The extra wait should be well worth it. I am pretty sure the Christmas decorations at Disney will already be up and it should be amazing. It took Alexis 2 weeks after we were suppose to leave for our trip to ask when we get to go. Aaron has asked about 5 times since we were suppose to leave! Yesterday, we received an information letter in the mail from Give Kids the World again like we did the first time around so this helps the kids know it is right around the corner.

Last week on Wednesday, Alexis went back to school half days for the first time since she was diagnosed in 7/09. So far so good! She was a little shocked by all of the behaviors in her class the first day but she hasn't said to much about it. Today she said that she is ready to go back full days but we need to iron out bussing, babysitting and things with her teacher Ms. Kilgore first. We are extremely grateful to Alexis's first grade teacher Mrs. Tucker because she been extemely influential in helping Alexis be where she is academically today. With Alexis's hard work and determination and Mrs. Tucker's help she is right where she needs to be in class despite it being a year and 2 months since she has been in a classroom with others. Alexis was very scared about going back to school the first day. I stayed with her for an hour and a half before she felt comfortable enough for me to leave. Since then she seems to be fitting right in. It has been comforting to me to see her classmates say Hi to her as we walk to class and them help her if she doesn't know the routine. Alexis has infomed me though that she knows the way to her class! If she wants tomorrow I will be dropping her off at the door. This process hasn't just been scary for her though. I felt like this was her first day of kindergarten all over again!

Well my computer is acting crazy, so I am going to go for now but I hope to get back on soon to share some of the special things we have been doing lately. Thank you again to everyone who continues to support Alexis and our family in your own special way. It has been with the help of all of you that has helped us get through this.

Love,
Jen

If you would like to catch up on Lexi's story, you can read all about her here. Please keep her in your thoughts and prayers.

So EXCITED!!

ALL I CAN SAY IS...




....MISS LEXI IS GOING BACK TO SCHOOL

AND

COMING TO MY HOUSE AGAIN!!!!

Lexi Update, part 2

Tuesday, October 12, 2010 7:58 PM, EDT

Sorry about the abrupt end to my last entry. The PICU nurse came in and told me we were being transferred to J5 right then so I went ahead and posted my post so I wouldn't lose anything. (If you haven't read my post from earlier today go down and read the post right before this one first.)

Anyway, Alexis arrived to the PICU from the ER at 6:45am. Since it was almost shift change we had to tell our story twice in an hour. After that I was finally able to get an hour and a half of sleep.

Around 5pm on Monday, Dr. Ranalli, Alexis's oncologist visited us in the PICU. When he arrived I reminded him of our scheduled Disney trip beginning on Sunday October 17th. He immediately picked up our room phone and called Make a Wish to let them know that Alexis was in ICU and that we may need to postpone our trip. The unfortuante thing in all of this is that Alexis finished her 6 month antibody protein therapy on October 2nd. The next step was already scheduled for Alexis to have all of her final scans this week before her trip to Disney. Then if all went well she was going to have her Broviac removed. After Dr. R called Make a Wish he decided that he wanted to continue with the original plan of having the scans completed this week. Then after Alexis receives her IV antibiotics to treat the infection he is going to remove the Broviac. Since she is done receiving her treatments there is no need to have the Broviac line in after the scans.

Today we learned that the infection growing in Alexis's lines is a bacterial infection. This is a very serious infection. The positive thing is that it is curable but it will take an aggressive treatment approach to fight it. As soon as the infection was found, Alexis was started on 4-5 antibiotics to fight each time of potential bug. Then additional bood cultures were taken to determine specifically which type of infection she has. Once it is determined what caused the infection then the lab will determine which antibiotics will treat the specific bug Alexis has. At this point Alexis's infection was narrowed down to two possible bugs. For the mean time she is on two antibiotics. The plan is for her to go home by the end of the week. Alexis will then receive two weeks of IV antibiotics at home.

Dr. R and I talked this afternoon and it was confirmed that our Disney trip will be postponed. We are just thankful that Alexis caught this infection now and not while we were at Disney. Dr. R told me we could still go to Disney if we wanted to stop in between the rides to take IV antibiotics. It didn't take me long to veto that idea. We definitely want Alexis to be feeling well during our trip.

The newest issue is that since yesterday, Alexis has been struggling with frequent diarrhea and terrible cramping. When we arrived up to J5 I was talking to the nurse and Dr. R about this symptom and it was decided immediately to test her for C diff. Alexis has had this before and it can come back easily when you are on a lot on antibiotics. It was decided to start treating Alexis for C-diff before the results come back. If any of you remember the treatment is another antibiotic called Flagil. Ironic isn't it.

Today was another rough day. Alexis still hasn't ate anything. she has been drinking some but very little. She even passed on a massage which doesn't happen often, even when she is feeling crummy. Her temperature even keeps going up and down from having a fever. Hopefully tomorrow will be a better day. When we arrived to J5 we were given a nice welcome. Before we arrived to our room, I think 5-6 people stopped to say Hi to Alexis and I and find out why we were here. I am sure the Picu nurses that were taking us to our room quickly understood not to take it personally that we would rather be on J5! It is just like seeing family that you haven't seen in a while.

It is 11 pm right now and Alexis has another fever of 103.4. The nurse an I tried to get her to take the tylenol but she got sick on it. She has already had Zofran and pheneregan recently tonight for nausea. It looks like their is blood in it, so I don't know hwat is going on. The docs already started her on zantac so hopefully that will stop any issues from blood being in her stomach.

Thanks for all of the thoughts for a quick recovery for Alexis. There is a lot more I could write but I will write more later.

Love,
Jen

If you would like to catch up on Lexi's story, you can read all about her here. Please keep her in your thoughts and prayers.

Lexi Update!!

Jen, Lexi's mom just posted this on their CaringBridge website:

Tuesday, October 12, 2010 10:38 AM, EDT

Well, for the past week and a half I kept meaning to update the site to share all of the positive things that keep happening and changing almost on a daily basis. Unfortunantly though, the news I have to share now isn't the greatest. Alexis has a double line infection in her central line (the broviac port in her chest). For precautionary measures she was admitted to the PICU, but they just told us that since her blood pressures are now stable and she is doing so well they are going to move her up to J5. It has been 14 months since Alexis has had a broviac and this is her first line infection. Even our nurse practitioner, Faye, just told me how impressive this is! Sometimes kids get line infections after each round of chemo. Unfortunantly though this infection picked a bad time. We were suppose to leave for Disney on Sunday the 17th. At this point it looks like the trip will be postponed.

It all started on Friday night at 1:30 in the morning. Alexis woke up and started vomitting for the next two and a half hours. When she woke up on Saturday morning she didn't feel so well, but before lunch she convinced herself to eat something. Alexis had an incentive for eating. Her and Aaron were invited to Sydnie's birthday party (a little girl they know from their babysitter Tammy's house). Alexis felt pretty good at Sydnie's party and really enjoyed seeing Sydnie and Abby another old friend. Aaron stuck right by his sister at the party but had fun making a glitter guitar and a boy necklace!

Then on Saturday night, Alexis had another vomitting episode, a killer headache and low grade fevers. Sunday was a horrible day for Alexis. She felt pretty miserable for most of the day. She didn't have a fever but she wouldn't eat anything. Then around 10:45pm Sunday night, as I was goingto bed for the night I found Alexis in the bathroom. She started chugging water, had some diarrhea and asked for a drinkable yogurt. I was excited that she wanted something to eat. Then after, I touched her skin and realized she was burning up. She had a fever of 104. I called the hematologist on call at the hospital and they advised me to bring her in for evaluation.

Alexis and I arrived at Children's ER at 12:30am Sunday night. Her temp had dropped down to 103 but her blood pressures were irratic and a little low. We waited in the ER forever and then they decided to give her an IV antibiotic that runs over 1 and a half hours before we could be transferred to another floor. Alexis was able to get some sleep in the ER but I only managed to get abnout a half hour worth. The chair I had to sit in, in the ER was a hard wooden rocking chair. I had the chair covered with blankets but even that didn't help much. Finally around 6am the ER told us that the Hem/Onc doctors (J5) felt more comfortable sending us to the Picu to be on the safe side since Alexis was so sick. I didn't want to be transferred to PICU because the nurses on J5 know Alexis and are familiar with her normal low blood pressures but after I had some sleep I felt better about the situation. Once in the PICU, Alexis became stable rather quickly. Within a few hours they had given her so much fluid that her blood pressures rose to numbers that I have never seen them.

If you would like to catch up on Lexi's story, you can read all about her here. Please keep her in your thoughts and prayers.

Book Review ~ A Case For Love by Kaye Dacus

Title: A Case For Love
Subtitle: Brides of Bonneterre Book Three
Publisher: Barbour Publishing, Inc.
Imprint Date: 2/1/2010
Author: Kaye Dacus

About the book:

The Alaine Delacroix that all of Bonneterre knows is the carefully polished image she puts forth every day on her noontime news-magazine program. When her parents’ home and small business is threatened by the biggest corporation in town, Alaine is forced to choose between her image and fighting for the life her family has built.

Lawyer Forbes Guidry is used to making things go his way. But when he’s asked to take on a pro bono case for a colleague, he’ll learn that he can’t control everything—including his feelings for his new client: Alaine Delacroix.

Alaine’s only option to help her family is hiring Forbes, but can she bring herself to trust the handsome, disarmingly charming lawyer? And will Forbes Guidry be able to make a case for love before losing his job and family? Can both trust that God will present a solution before it’s too late?

What I thought about the book:

This book was a wonderful follow up to the other 2 books in the series. I am hoping there is a fourth book to keep it going. Alaine is a very busy person and does not have much time for love in her life. But when she comes across a handsome man, things in her life start to change as do they for Forbes. Forbes along with Alaine are workaholics and in this book, their paths cross and never seem to seperate.

Images and excerpt are from Kaye Dacus website.
I was not paid for this review, I did however receive a copy of the book in return for the review from NetGalley. The opinions of this book are mine and mine alone.

Lydia's Charm ~ Book Review

Title: Lydia's Charm
Author: Wanda E. Brunstetter
Subtitle: An Amish Widow Starts Over in Charm, Ohio
Publisher: Barbour Publishing, Inc
Publish Date: 9-1-2010

About the book:

Autumn is a lovely time of the year in the Amish community of Charm, Ohio, but ever since losing her husband, Lydia doesn’t feel at home in the community where she felt forced to move. When mysterious gifts start appearing on Lydia’s porch, could they be from a nearby widower? Or are they from someone else—a man who would sacrifice romance in order to care for his family perhaps?

What I thought about the book:

This is truly a book about giving. When tragic strikes, it leaves Lydia and her mother needing help, so Lydia moves in to help her mother out. Lydia and her mother seem don't see eye to eye, making living together a little difficult, but they make the best of it.

Wanda E. Brunstetter is such a wonderful writer. Once again as I read this book, I could feel what Lydia was going through. The Amish community is so forgiving and giving that it amazes me more with every book I read. This is a stand alone novel so you do not have to worry about making sure you get all the books in the series, which sometimes is nice but trust me, if you start reading Brunstetter's work, you will continue to get more and more of her books.

Images and excerpt are from Wanda E. Brunstetter's website.
I was not paid for this review, I did however receive a copy of the book in return for the review from NetGalley. The opinions of this book are mine and mine alone.