United Methodist Church of Lake Hopatcong

Once upon a time there was a girl who loved living on the lake and loved her Church family. I have been thinking about my childhood church a lot lately. Maybe because my own church is growing and changing every week and I'm comparing this new church to the one I grew up in. It was the foundation of who I am today. I went to Sunday School and later the United Methodist Church of Lake Hopatcong UMYF Youth Group. The leaders we had made such an impact on my and my leading of the Moosic Alliance church youth that I can't help be keep thinking back to Julie, Bevan and Heather who lead our youth group, took us on retreats, camping, rafting and a host of other things. I never got the get saved, get life message from Julie and the rest of them but I did get a fellowship that I cannot forget. I logged back into my blog after a very long absence to thank them for their dedication so many years ago. If you happen to be one of our fearless leaders from Lake Hopatcong please message me....I'd love an opportunity to thank you personally! The picture is from a retreat I recently took with my current church.....my students thank you too because I talk about you with them quite often.

Back to work.....

I took a big step to regaining my sanity a month ago. I started a new full-time job on Feb 15. I am now a Contract Manager at Cigna here in Scranton, PA. I was very hesitant at first to do this. I really, really loved being a stay at home mommy to Emily. However, I did not love never having enough cash on hand to do what was necessary.
I will keep everyone updated and please pray for my family as usual....we are entering some very trying times.

David has asthma

It was Wednesday night of this past week and I was sitting at my desk helping David with his homework. He's been coughing for months (since his mom resumed smoking I think)and regardless of the medicine we've given him, the cough gets worse. We call the doctor, they prescribe a short term fix usually cough medicines to be take for a week or two. Nothing works.
Homework is moving along, David's coughing is pretty bad this particular night and after a pretty good coughing fit he begins to wheeze. My asthma thinking kicks in, wheezing is bad news and usually does not improve without albuterol or a breathing treatment. I call his doctor and demand an appointment. We get said appointment and David's doctor plainly says, "David has asthma." Something I have suspected for years, but as a step-mother my hands are pretty much tied. We are given a script for Advair and a chest x-ray. David's mom starts up with the "I don't have the money" speaches pretty much right away. Chuck gets mad, doctor tells mom to quit smoking ASAP. Her response? "I don't smoke around David" Right! David chimes in "Mom, you smoke when I'm in the car with you."

As I'm in the process of checking out at the doctor's office. Dr Davis (David's doctor) takes me aside and tells me "You did the right thing in getting him here tonight." This makes me feel a little less like the evil step-mother.
We get home and David's mom meets us there to take him for his x-ray. Pretty much, right off the bat mom starts yelling at David. This isn't his fault and he can't quite figure out why everyone's mad. Chuck is yelling at her saying "Don't yell at the kid, it's not his fault."
I'm pissed because David's mom doesn't seem all that concerned that her 7 year old has just been diagnosed with a potentially life-threatening disease. Granted, asthma, when controlled is pretty benign.
Such is life in one of today's modern mixed up families.
I pray that David is well and that what we're doing is best for him.

Dogs will be dogs.....

I woke up a little before 5 this morning, tossed around for a while and finally got out of bed around 6. I let the dogs out, made my coffee and sat down to catch up on the news. I hear Tyler start to bray (bark, howl, agitate) then Rufus chimes in. It's now 615 and I have to pull them in already! Neighbors are not pleased at howling hounds at 6am on a Saturday morning.

Why is it that they want to play and make noise that early in the morning??? Rufus usually will not let me sleep beyond 630 and Tyler will sleep all day if we don't push him off the couch and out to the yard.

I love my dogs, but does the noise really need to start at 630? Tyler takes a seat and just barks to hear himself and Ru can't help by join in with his deep baritone howl.

Christmas...part two

Life is certainly difficult with a "Modern, Blended Family". In our case two of my husbands three sons live in Ohio and we see them occasionally between Sept and July each year. Last year Christmas for "The Boys" happened closer to Valentines Day than Christmas.
This year we get to celebrate Christmas and New Years all on the same day! We are anxiously waiting for their arrival. Emily loves her brother Charlie and will bring people who visit the house over to his picture and say "See, See, Charlie" and thanfully Charlie loves her right back! Merry Christmas, part two, to all of the modern families out there! Hope Santa's second run is as good as his first!

A dog got swine flu....

As I was reading the headlines this morning I noticed one story that struck pretty close to home. An elderly dog (13 years old) on Long Island has swine flu. The story was light on details about how the dog aquired the bug and whether it can pass from canine to human or vise versa.
As a mother to a micro-preemie this is particuarly alarming.....I have three dogs and a few other furry critters. Do I now have to worry about them getting Emily sick? Emily has been vaccinated with the H1N1, however the vaccine was recalled because it wasn't strong enough!!!

Merry Christmas to all....

It's the Holiday Season.....

That silly little song from years past has been playing through my head the past several days.....Typically, I love the Holidays. This year I'm not feeling the joy and celebratory atmosphere.

Emily turned two at the beginning of this month and is maturing daily. Now if only she'd grow!! She has to be one of the only two year olds still in a rear-facing car seat! She is talking in mostly clear sentences now and is becoming the little Diva we all knew was there while she was in the NICU.

While Em has been growing up she has also developed a love for the four-legged critters in our house. Her favorite is Rufus with Tyler taking up a close second. Ru, does not realize that he is 60+ pounds and tends to knock her over in his joy to see her.

Tyler usually steers clear of her unless she has food in her hands! This is evident by the picture that accompanied this post. Tyler is downright grumpy to have this little girl and her musical chair in "HIS ROOM" near "HIS BED"....aka the computer room and the futon!

Merry Christmas to all.....and here's to a fantastic 2010!

November is here...are you ready?

Well, November is upon us and I totally feel like the year is slipping away from me.

My 15 year High School reunion is coming up in a few weeks and it has me thinking where did the time go? I can still vividly remember being in High School, going on Band trips, writing term papers and the general day to day things too. Now I have a step-son in High School!!! Damn but I'm aging, and I have the grey hair to prove that!!

Charlie passed his driver's permit test this week and I now know how my parents felt when I took my test! Scared to death! I keep remembering the flying litter box and the "How do I give the dogs water?" incidents and can't help but think that the world is not ready for him to be behind the wheel of anything, let alone a car!! BTW>>>>said car is still sitting in my back yard in pieces. He has 4 months until he's 16 and ALOT of work to finish!!! See the pictures for proof. We have pieces and parts scattered all over the place and Charlie is still talking like he's going to have a car when he gets his license!! Santa may bring presents, but I don't think he works miracles!!

Happy Halloween!!!

I'm going to teach a class!

Several months ago I was asked to make a wedding cake for a couple at my church. Once the pastor's wife saw the cake I think she realized I had some crafty talents. I made an off-hand comment about wishing I could make my living doing the things I loved.....at that point I was making new bags each week in hopes of selling them. Doris said something along the lines of "you'll have to pray for it." I took her advice and started asking how to use my talents to gift others.

The solution wasn't in making cakes or handbags.....it was in quilts and the ladies of my church. While I will not be paid in a monetary sense I will be rewarded....The class is going to be incorporated into an outreach campaign "Connections". The plan is to invite the public to our classes as a way to introduce the community to our little church.

We are going to learn together. I am going to teach a class on howmake this beautiful quilt! I am so excited.

September 1 2009 is fast approaching....

Happy third anniversary!! My love.

Thank You SP....

We rec'd our SP exchange gifts yesterday and what a lovely collection of "Basset Crap" it was! My very favorite was the blue metal magnet shaped like a basset hound! Very cool and locally made in NM,near our SP Judy along with Abbey and Pumpkin. Tyler, Ru and Hunny do love their treats and Emily's reaction to her book was priceless. Thank You for being a wonderful SP!
Our box went out but due to a "Rufus mis-hap" I had to re-make a good portion of the goodied inside! I left the box (about to be shipped) in our van which had the sliding door open. Didn't even think that Ru would climb up there to grab it. Usually Rufus waits for a lift into the van because his legs are weak. Apparently that was not the case when there's treats involved. Our SP's package was strewn over the lawn in shreds. Just imagine this.....me on my way to the post office and I see a tattered goody bag and the super pretty gift for our SP covered in mud!!!! Off to the basement I go to begin cutting blocks and sewing new SP gifties. I guess this all part of being owned by basset hounds. I love them but they can frustrate you to no end at times!!

Bassets 0, Bunnies 1

I have neglected my blog for quite some time and I feel terrible about it.
The hounds have enjoyed their summer, even if it has been a rainy one. Tyler and Hunny have discovered the bunnies that live in our yard and will spend hours trying to get them. Thankfully the bunnies are smarter than they are!
We have two wood piles in the back where the bunnies have made their homes. Tyler and Hunny know this and will shove their snouts in as far as they can go. While the noses are hidden the bunnies make their ways over to the second woodpile and make sure the dogs can see them just before they scoot inside! Tyler takes off to the other side of the yard, Hunny follows, bunnies go back to the other location. This takes place for hours and I get such a kick out of watching it.
I jsut wish I had some pictures or video of this crazy event! More to come when I can snap some stealthy pictures!

It's Secret Pawtner Time!!!

We love Secret Pawtner time here in the Cruse household. The hounds get some treats, the kitties usually get something too! Best of all I get to add to my "BassetCrap" collection!

This year we're going to surprise our pawtner with some zany clues rather than the usual hints about their hometown and distance between us.

Our pawtner is relatively close to us this year and she is going to get a beautiful hand crafted gift this year.

That's all for now.....Enjoy the Exchange Droolers!

Where does the time go????

I have been strangely absent for quite a while. I guess we just had more things to attend to than time to do it.

In the time I have been gone, I have accepted a part-time job which I am sure I will love. No pressure, no stress and working for a lady I genuinely like.

Emily has made leaps in the last two months! She's walking, almost talking and into everything.

For my basset loving friends out there, the hounds have been active too! We went to Mid-Atlantic Bassets Trout Parade in Livingston Manor, NY. It was flat out one of the best events I have attended. Although, Mr Rufus did suffer from heatstroke. Talk about scary for a basset mom and her elderly basset hound. Rufus is doing just fine now and is back to his old routine of lounging in the sunny backyard.

A huge thanks to Suzanne Fitch for caring so much for this hound! I don't know what I would do without him.

...that doggy in the window

So, I found a new fabric and sewing store recently. One that has thousands of bolts of quilting fabric in every style imaginable. My first purchase was a panel of a couple of cute doggies in a window. The colors are a little dark but it was so cute I had to buy it. Check it out and tell me what you think! Plus there's something special on the back for all basset lovers!

Help us raise money for March of Dimes

Emily and I along with my mother in law, Rosemarie, and Katie and Andrew are walking on May 16 to raise money for March of Dimes. You can see that their work is valuable and lifesaving by looking at the two pictures above. One this weekend at Gramma's house and the other on the day after Emily was born! Visit this link to donate.....http://www.marchforbabies.org/Emily_Brenda

Help Emily and I raise money to prevent premature births. As many of you know Emily was born at 26 weeks and 1lb 11oz and benefited from the March of Dimes. We want to give back for all of their lifesaving research.

one day... all babies will be born healthy
today... too many moms and families know the heartbreak of having a baby born fighting to survive
I've joined March for Babies because the March of Dimes champions the needs of moms and babies in our community and across the nation. The money we raise for March for Babies will help:
- support all-important research offering preventions and solutions for babies born too soon or with birth defects
- educate women on things they can do to increase their chances of having a healthy baby
- provide comfort and information to families with a newborn in intensive care
- push for newborn screening and health insurance for all pregnant women and children
Please help by donating today!
It's easy, safe and secure - just click to make your donation.
The mission of March of Dimes is to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth, and infant mortality

Little Boy Lost....part two

Last night around 6 we discovered that someone, has again, opened our gates and let the dogs out. Our neighbor, Staci, called us to let us know she had just put Rufus back in the yard. This is the third time in two months someone has done this to my dogs, excluding the hubby accident from a month ago. Tyler, of course, was the lone missing dog. We started our usual patrol of the neighborhood. Chuck in the car, myself with the two munchkins on foot.

This time I called the police and reported it, even though I was low on information. I just hope that somehow the culprit sees how devastating this can be to a dog owner. I had such a helpless feeling while Tyler was missing. I talked to anyone out on their porches soaking in the warm evening. No one has seen him. All of his usual spots had no Tyler. We cruised the neighborhood and further for almost three hours. Just past 9pm our neighbor, Ernie, brought our boy home.

Ernie found Tyler about 3 blocks away in someone's fenced in yard with two little yappers. I'm hoping that she didn't plan to keep him and was just waiting for the morning to call the number on his tags. I guess I will never know, but I am very thanful that Ernie joined in the search this time around. Tyler has returned to his futon and is lounging again as only a Basset Hound can do.

Busy Busy....

It's been a few weeks since I took some time to post....In that time I've had quite a few very attractive contract job opportunities presented to me. I'm at the point where working is something I want and need to do again. The last 5 months have been fantastic with my munchkin, Emily, but I need adult contact again!

I've also been busy on the crafty side too....I've made a new bag and I'm getting complements on it where ever I go. I'm working out ways to make this one dog-themed too for my dog lover friends. I've got two orders already! I've also put some of my projects up on the internet craft fair I spoke about a few weeks ago.