UGH!!!

This weekend has been difficult. Yesterday I awoke to an upset stomach, which went into a very nasty stomach flu. I will spare you the details, but I will say that this flu is enough to make the toughest man you know, cry, in pain. I am still not feeling that great. My stomach has been very rumbly all day. Nathaniel also ended up with it, late last night. He & I started out with things coming out opposite ends, now he's where I started. Poor kid is asleep in my bed, right now. Our puppy, Haven, is keeping him company.
Matt is on a shoot in Cuyahoga Falls, of which I'm not happy about. Now it looks like he will be stuck up there, due to the snow storm we are in the middle of. If it's as bad as it is down here, I can't imagine what it must be like up north, where he's at. Oh well, had he stayed home and taken care of his family, like I requested, he wouldn't be stuck. But hey, what do I know.

We are going to be decorating our tree tonight!! I am so excited to share this time with my boys and husband. I can't wait to see Benjamin's face when we light the tree! I just love everything about the Christmas season. Everything seems so much more magical during this time of the year. Especially when a toddler is experiencing it for the first time. I mean, truly experiencing it. The sounds, smells, tastes... I love Christmas carols, my favorites being The Little Drummer Boy, What Child is This, Do You Hear What I Hear, just to name a few. I love walking into the stores and you're hit with the smells of cinnamon, pine, and baked goods. And the foods during the season, yummy!! Honey-glazed ham, fudge, various Christmas cookies & desserts. And don't forget the decorations throughout town and the Christmas scenes in front yards and in the stores! We love to just drive around and see all the light displays in people's front yards. Some are so extravagent. They're beautiful. I even put lights in my boys' rooms! What a wonderful holiday. And these things don't even touch on the major reason for the Season. We get to celebrate Christ's birth and remember what a glorious gift we were given through Him. We have the happy memories to make with family & friends. Spending time with loved ones, when, in this busy world, it's hard to set aside time during the rest of the year. We get to reflect on the year past, and look forward to the year ahead and the many joys and surprises it has in store. And at the same time, we can remember loved ones who have passed before us, and share memories of times when they were with us. So as this season progresses, remember to share your love with the people closest to you. Enjoy your time together, for we never know when it will come to an end. It may be years from now, or it could be tomorrow. Let's make good use of our time on this Earth. And don't forget those who are less fortunate than yourself. Do a good deed today.

Christmas Countdown by Christmas Gifts.org

We've got the sickies

Ugh, so Matt got home from his shoot today. He's been on the couch since 4pm, and has only moved in order to expell ickies from his stomach. Apparently he caught a stomach flu bug while away this weekend.
And Ben has a cold, poor baby. He's been snotty all weekend, with a dry cough. Peanut & I are trying to avoid the other two! ::Sprays Lysol throughout the house::
I've been down all weekend with a fibromyalgia flare-up. Lucky me. I called Mom today and asked her, near tears, how she deals with the pain on a daily basis like this. I'm climbing the walls, here. Even my fingers and toes hurt. It's ridiculous.
So that's about all that's going on. I have to get the paperwork together for Thursday. Peanut is having an ADHD evaluation at his pediatrician's office. Then Ben has speech therapy again, on Friday. That's all for this week. Nothing else planned. An easy week, yay.

The holiday season is in full swing! Everyone is so festive lately! Stores are decorated, the Salvation Army Bells ring loud & clear, snow is on the ground, holiday parties are planned, presents are being bought and wrapped and placed carefully under the tree. I'd say it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas! Such a happy time of year!!

Maybe it's the season...or recent events in my family's life...I'm not sure which, maybe both...But I have a longing in my heart for family this year. Family that has not seen each other in years. Family that had a falling out many years ago and has just went their separate ways. Why do families treat each other so badly? What happened to the old saying of "Live and let live"? I truly do not understand how adults can act so childish.

This has been weighing very heavily on my heart. I truly miss the big family gatherings at Christmas & Thanksgiving & for summer bbq's. Why is it so hard for some people to let the past be in the past and start over? It's so sad.

You know Mom had her cancer scare and her surgery, and the only people there for Dad was me, my brother, and their pastor. At a scary time in my parents' lives, when they should have been surrounded by loving, caring family, they basically stood alone. What happened to the basic human spirit of compassion and love?

What happened to "blood is thicker than water"? I would truly love to see my family mended this holiday season. But how? Who takes the first step? Should apologies be demanded? No, I think they should be freely given from a remorseful heart. And if no apologies are made, but an attempt at starting over is? Do we completely ignore the past hurts? How does one move past the very hurtful and damaging words and actions that have been said and done?



I am hoping for the best in this situation. Hoping that hearts and minds will be open. Hoping that love will prevail.

After all, isn't that what a big part of the Christmas holiday is about? Hope.

It's December!!

My oh my where does the time go!? Okay well, Halloween & Thanksgiving have come and gone already! Now we are preparing for Christmas & the New Year! I have a tree here, from my inlaws, that I'm going to set up today. We'll wait for Matt to come home Monday to decorate it. We still have our Christmas shopping to do yet. We have ideas for everyone, it's just finding the money to buy them! We don't know if Matt will get a bonus thru this job or not. He certainly deserves one! Well, I guess I will update when I'm more in the mood to do so.

'Tis the season...for colds???

Oh how I neglect my blog!! Before you write to me and holler at me, know that I have been very sick! I've had a horrible upper respiratory infection for 2 weeks now. I am on 10 days of mega-doses of Amoxicillin now. I'm so hoping to get rid of this soon! The day after I first got sick, my wonderful sister-in-law, Stephy, gave birth to her 2nd daughter!! Baby girl Valek finally has a name...Lilyana Evoli . I haven't gotten to see her yet, and I'm so bummed about it! I'm hoping to have this cold kicked by the end of the week so I can pay Lily a visit. I've been wanting another baby because Ben is not in that little baby stage anymore. I miss it. But it does help that Ben is a big cuddler and still nurses twice a day. He's definitely a mommy's boy and I'm fine with that!!




Matt is in Michigan, heading home in the morning. The original plan was for him to come home Sunday night, but then he developed a stomach virus and thought it best to stay one more night, and head home in the morning. So the boys & I can't wait to see him tomorrow!




My Mom is having surgery on November 12th. She is having her remaining ovary and fallopian tube removed due to a large mass on her ovary. Mom is a special patient because of other medical conditions that she has. So say a prayer that she does well through this surgery, that the surgeon's hands are calm and guided by God, and that her recovery time be quick. They are going to cut her hip to hip, so that they can see everything and check things out. Once the mass is removed, it will be tested for cancer. If it's cancer, then the doctor's will go over her treatment options at that point.




Well it is late and the alarm clock goes off early to get Peanut ready for school. Adios for now!

CONGRATULATIONS TO MY BEAUTIFUL SISTER IN LAW, STEPHANIE, WHO GAVE BIRTH TO HER SECOND BABY GIRL THIS MORNING!! WEIGHING IN AT 6 LBS. 1 OZ, AND 18 INCHES LONG, WE WELCOME BABY GIRL VALEK TO THE PLASTER FAMILY!!

Here are my kiddos, Benjamin on top & Nathaniel on bottom.

Ahhh, what a day!! I had a late night, just couldn't fall asleep, so in turn, I had a late "morning"...or, errr...afternoon. My 18 month old son, Benjamin, woke up twice last night, in tears. So both times I had to rock him back to sleep. So since he was up late, he slept in late, as well. So it worked out well for me. Nathaniel, my 7 yr. old, took on puppy duties this morning, again. We got a puppy about 5 days ago. She's beautiful. She's only about 7-8 weeks old. Our live-in friend named her Haven. She's a Siberian Husky/Black Lab mix...her coat is so fluffy and soft. Haven is jet black and beautiful black eyes. She does have the husky head & face, but has the lab ears. She's adorable. Nathaniel has pitched right in, to help out with her, so that's been great.

So I got to work on the kitchen and living room today. I've neglected them the last couple of days. Tuesday afternoon, a lady from Help Me Grow is coming over to evaluate Ben for ELI , because he's not yet talking. So the house needs to be cleaned. I straightened the bathroom after I put the boys to bed, but still need to swipe the toilet and sinks. I've got a ton of laundry to work on tonight and tomorrow, too. My next house will have first floor laundry!!

I've also been in a Christmasy mood...painting gifts for family. But I can't say what they are, in case my family reads my blog! But I can tell ya about the square candlesticks I painted last night! I know, you're thinking square?? Yes. They're square, and they hold a tealight in the top. I got the bright idea to paint one like a candy cane. Not a bad idea, you say? Sure...not until you really get into it, and realize you penciled the lines wrong! *LOL* So I had to kinda play with that a little bit. It was just a big project. I had fun doing it, but decided NOT to do the 2nd one the same way. Now I wish I would have! I did the 2nd one in green & red checkers. It's okay if you put it an angle, kinda looks like a chimney. But I like the candy cane one much better.

So that was my day! I'm waiting for Matt to get home now. I'll have to fill you in on our lives in my next blog. Until then, blessed be!

Hi there! So this is my first blog on this site. I've had other blogs in the past, on other websites, but I haven't really kept up with them in quite a while. So I thought if I started over on a new site, maybe I'd stick with it this time.

So here's the general run down on who Tawnya is.

• I'm a 28 yr. old woman who's lived in Ohio all her life.
• I am married to my soulmate, Matthew. We've been married for 7 1/2 yrs.
• We have 2 wonderful, beautiful, smart boys together. Nathaniel is 7 yrs. old and Benjamin is 18 months.
• We have 2 pets. A cat, Sylvia. And our newest addition, a puppy, Haven.
• I'm a SAHM and very proud!
• I tend to run along Republican lines, but vote on the issues, not the party.
• I've been addicted to applesauce all of my life.
• I am addicted to chatting online.
• I love my life!!

So I'm not sure how this blog thing will go. What format I will use. If I will just ramble...I'm good at that...or if I'll have specific topics. We'll just have to see what direction this takes me.

So hang on, it may get bumpy! Please keep your hands within the vehicle at all times and please, do not feed the animals!