|
BerlinettaGal
|
read my profile
sign my guestbook
Name: Myklin
Interests: I enjoy being a homemaker, part-time student, freelance writer and website marketer for our online ministry and business (www.HeartofVirtue.com). I also love serving my Lord and Savior, spending time with my wonderful husband Travis, and our sweet baby boy Clarke (who entered this world January 11, 2007). :)
Message: message me
Website: visit my website
Member Since:
1/10/2006
|
|
SubscriptionsSites I Read
|
|
|
|
| So we've been in renovation/decoration mode in our home for the last several months now, and it's great. I love it! I've been color-swatching, picture-framing and wall-hanging like crazy. Inspiration for this began when we finally got our icky, old country blue carpet out and our beautiful hardwood floors in. (Before and after pictures to come SOON! I promise. :)
But the question remains as I hustle and bustle my way around with vases, flowers and rugs, what style am I actually going for? I mean, what is MY style? One thing I have discovered over the years is that my tastes are an evolving, ever-changing part of me based on the many different life factors going on at the moment. I can change my mind on a color I've been set on for months in a moment's notice given a sudden burst of inspiration in my sleep one night.
So, all of that is to say, I found this quiz online (a tip of my hat to Carkay!) that helps you determine your own personal style. I think the below results are pretty close to my current decor style...
43% Wine Country Style
Tuscan sun, here we come! The Wine Country style reflects the feelings evoked by the seaside regions of Europe such as the South of France, Spain, Italy and Greece. The style manages to be both refined and casual, such that you can mix beautiful antiques with more rustic wrought iron or wood and the result is both sophisticated and cozy.
Furniture is large and comfortable, colors are bright and cheery, and regardless of the color palette the spaces almost always feel warm. You can easily translate the style into the perfect family environment but you can just as easily emphasize the more formal pieces and make your room the perfect adult getaway.
29% Classic
What's old is new again! The beauty of Classic style is how well it takes all of the beautiful forms, colors and textures of the past and reinvents them in a way that feels both fresh and inspired. The style itself is a mix of European influences and French, English and Italian antiques and replicas are often used together. Furniture is well proportioned and comfortable and the rooms give off an air of sophistication and grace. Oil paintings depicting still-life or nature scenes and emphasizing symmetry of pairs helps maintain the traditional nature of the room. Windows are often covered with opulent fabric shades and/or drapery.
Traditional rooms give off an air of history that seems to say "I was here long before you, and will remain long after you've gone." And yet, even with this level of sophistication, the rooms are soft and inviting.
28% Cottage Chic
Who says that cottages can't be modern and chic? Who says that they have to be floral and cheesy? Not you! You love the carefree spirit that the cottage interior inspires, but you are also serious about your appreciation for modern art and hip treasures. You love old and new alike, and love to highlight them all to expose the uniqueness of each. What better way to show off these treasures than with a light background?
How about you? I'd love to see what your tastes are! You can take the quiz at: http://www.sproost.com. :)
| | |
| ...A tiny snippet of the countless mommy/Clarke moments that transpire throughout our day...
Mommy: "Clarkey, it's time to take a nap."
Clarke: "Nat. Nat. Take Nat."
Mommy: "No, Clarkey. It's 'nap'. Puh-puh-puh."
Clarke: "Puh-puh-puh. Nat. Take nat."
| | |
| My word. I am getting old. Time is truly only going faster and faster every single year of my life. My grandmother told me when I had my 10th birthday that once I hit those double digits, it would be all down here from there... Little did I know how right she was. To say that I'm shocked that it's been so long since I last posted would be quite the understatement. My head is just spinning these days. 
I cannot begin to catch everyone up fully on all that has transpired these last 9 months or so, nor would everyone like to know all of the itty bitty details of our little lives, but suffice it to say we have been moving at break-neck speed. It seems that things are settling down somewhat for the time being, though. And for that, we are extremely thankful!
So, how about just a quick little family update?
Health-wise, we are ALL doing well. Praise God, Travis is just doing fantastically. Between the two of us, we were in the hospital 5 separate times, not including 2 emergency room runs that didn't result in being admitted over night last year. I don't even think I ever told you all that during all of Travis's health trauma last year, my appendix decided to rupture, resulting in a 5 day-long hospital stay and then two weeks later another 3-day stay due to an infection that I developed from the appendectomy. What a wild year! Thankfully, the Lord healed and sustained us through it all and has blessed us above and beyond anything we ever could hope for.
Travis is still working and going to school, and is set to (finally!) graduate in May. He plans to pursue his Master's as well, but hasn't decided on a school just yet. He is still my heart song and the love of my life. I continually marvel at how lucky (blessed) I am to be married to such a kind, loving and strong man.
Little Clarkey is now 2 years old and really not that little anymore. Can you believe it? It feels like yesterday that I was posting blog entries about Baby V and wondering what day he would make his appearance. He is now talking up a storm and keeping us in stitches at his antics and great sense of humor. His favorite meal is beans and "bread-corn" (cornbread) and he truly is all BOY, which is evident by his favorite past times: the great outdoors, dogs, cars (he has a hard time understanding when we're in a parking lot why we can't just get into any car he likes and drive away in it), FOOD, his stuffed bear and any book he can get his hands on. We so proud of him. 
And with that, I will leave you for now with a few of our favorite pictures taken by a dear friend of ours. Hopefully next time it won't be next year when I post again!
| | |
| Wait! Don't give up on me ever posting again! I apologize for giving
ya'll such deep news about Travis last time (3 whole months ago), and
then practically falling off the face of the planet. Our life has had
so many, many, MANY things going on this year that I can literally barely keep
up. But, I DO want to share the tremendous news that we have concerning my
hubby, even though it's a little late in coming.
After the overwhelming and semi scary diagnosis of an immune disorder,
God sent us the PERFECT doctor for Travis. At long last, we were able
to sit down with an allergist/immunologist who looked at ALL of Travis'
health history and was able to see the whole picture. He had no doubt
that all of Travis' problems were a direct result of a severe allergy
to something that triggered an acute case of adult onset asthma. Going
without a diagnosis on this type of thing for so many months had only made
everything worse, causing more and more problems. Yes, he did have low
IGG levels, which means his immune system was having some difficulty,
but this doctor assured us it was totally within normal limits and that
with the right type of focused asthma and allergy treatment, Travis
would be able to bounce back without having to go through the costly
and extremely complicated IVIG infusions.
That was six weeks ago, and praise the Lord from whom all blessings
flow, Travis is now almost completely back to normal! Whatever special combination of asthma/allergy medications and treatments that
this new doctor gave Travis finally did the trick. Just two weeks
after the initial consultation with this allergist, Travis told me he
actually felt like SUPERMAN! 
Can you believe that? I nearly wept for joy when he told me that because it had simply been
ages since my baby had felt healthy, let alone like a super hero!
Travis continues to improve, with only relatively small set backs along
the way. The adjustments now are coming because he is learning to
live with asthma. He was able to go back to work a week ago and he
seems to be right back into the swing of things. He even finished up
another college semester with three more A's under his belt!
We truly feel that it is GOD who has done a
tremendous work in Travis' health and we give HIM the praise for
everything that has happened in our lives these last six months. We
also cannot tell you how much everyone's sweet prayers and
encouragement have meant to us. The love we have experienced from
the phone calls, notes, gifts, comments, etc., have
utterly overwhelmed our hearts.
This has definitely been a journey of faith, trust, patience and
seeking the Lord's face like nothing we have ever experienced
before. I cannot begin to explain how many times our prayers have been
directly answered as the Lord has provided for us in ways we never
thought possible. It is amazing how our family has been
strengthened through all of this, as well as our faith in our most
gracious heavenly Father. Of course, our journey of faith is not
complete, and will not end until we at last meet our Lord face to face,
but this one stepping stone along the way has taught us so very, very much.
There is still a great for us to learn (and most definitely re-learn!),
but our gracious Heavenly Father has most certainly revealed His love
and mercy to us in ways we will never forget.
~//~
| | |
| Hello dear ones!
It seems that I have been completely MIA these last few months when it comes to correspondence and family updates, and for that I am terribly sorry! Some of you may already know a little about the ongoing health saga we have been experiencing since November. Well, just yesterday, after months of Travis being mysteriously sick, having countless doctor and various specialists visits, ending up in the emergency room twice, being hospitalized twice (the most recent of which they kept him for nearly a week), a million needles poked in his body, and too many different tests run on him to count, it seems our prayers for a diagnosis has been found. (But now that we know what he has, in some ways I think it would have been easier NOT knowing... :)
The official diagnosis for my hubby is hypogammaglobulinemia, also known as Common Variable Immunodeficiency (CVID). Essentially, it is an auto-immune disease (appearing to be genetic in nature, although it has been acquired later in life) that is the milder version of the "Bubble Boy" disease where children have to live in plastic bubbles because they do not have enough immunities in their bodies to fight off germs and sickness. The dr. told us it was the opposite of leukemia, meaning he doesn't create enough of the components in his body known as IGG, where as someone with leukemia has too many of these in their body.
While there is no known "cure" at this time, the treatment is very expensive (it can be up to as much as $8,000 a shot) intravenous gamma globulin infusions, which normally people need every month for the rest of their life in order to stay healthy and out of the hospital with every little cold that simply won't go away. It takes 12 people donating blood to make one shot. Without these infusions, people with this disease are completely susceptible to sickness because their bodies have no way of fighting things off, which means they are chronically ill and in and out of the doctor's office or hospital.
The doctor was very honest with us about the serious implications of all of this for Travis and our family, but he did say he had a gut feeling Travis would improve, especially since he is so young. He said he has seen that happen before, but only a couple of times. He suggests doing the IVIG treatments for a year and then taking him off of them so they can see if Travis' body is able to take care of itself again.
So, we are praying and discussing our options and waiting to hear from the insurance company to find out if there is a possibility they will cover the IVIG infusions. In the meantime, they are also doing a little test for the next 5 weeks to see if there is any way that Trav's body can bounce back on its own when given a few small virus challenges to overcome. This will be the extra proof they need that he indeed has hypogammaglobulinemia.
Because this can be a hereditary disease, there is a possibility that Clarke could have the mutated gene as well. This is something we will be watching for as he grows, but thankfully it appears he doesn't have any of the signs right now.
I do have to say thank you to everyone who has been praying for us, giving us sweet cards, making phone calls, coming to visit, making dinners for us, leaving kind comments, and helping us watch Clarke during doctor's visits and hospital stays. Ya'll have been so sweet and encouraging with everything going on in our lives. We thank the Lord for you with all of our hearts!
While this is a new and seemingly daunting road that we are traveling down right now, we praise the Lord we do not have to do it alone! :) When I am tempted to worry about the future, the potential struggles ahead of us, I have to remind myself that our God is so faithful and loves us more than we could ever possibly know. He is our strength when we have no strength left at all (2 Corinthians 12:9-10).
How grateful I am for His unfailing love. :)
| | |
|
