[freebies: A Birthday Gift from Me to You ...]

Ok - SOOOO - it's my birthday today and I wanted to give you all something. Lucky for me, Funky Playground Designs has continued it's design contest and there are some cute free kits up!! You have to register, though – so simply have a user name and email addy and you’re good to go.

1. go to www.funkyplaygrounddesigns.com

2. click "gallery" at the top.

3. scroll down to "Capture the Flag"

4. there are PAGES of FREE KITS.

5. Enjoy!!

And thank you for your comments about the Swine Flu ... many of you contacted me privately to share your thoughts and experiences on the subject.

I decided to talk to a family friend, who is a doctor, and get his take on things. He said that there was nothing really to worry about, and that I should be more afraid of going to the doctor's office where people ARE sick, then on the airplane. Apparently, airplanes have very good air filtration - better than going to church, or the mall, or the grocery store.

He also said that the thing he would be more concerned about, would be blood clots. So he gave me instructions to get up and walk around every 1-2 hours - except when sleeping through the night.

In regards to air travel and the Swine Flu, I found this article on CNN and think that it was full of helpful information. Plus, I think I'll purchase one of those masks - just for some added protection.

And my mom - due to a recent flight from my city to Sydney having a 5000ft drop mid-flight, causing the plane to have to land in Hawaii due to 12 injuries on the plane - she was told that this is a VERY rare thing to happen.

So, am I going? Yes. Unless I am told to do otherwise. And I'm starting to get excited ... this is actually going to happen *smile*. Yay!

[vacations: Swine Flu. Not fun.]

I am keeping my eye on this "Swine Flu" thing.

My hubby's assistant is getting married this Saturday - and found out yesterday that her honeymoon plans to Cancun have been cancelled due to the ban on traveling into Mexico. Another friend of mine told me that her friend's vacation plans to Cabo San Lucas were cancelled as well. Them and a host of other unfortunate travelers.

And the numbers of the infected continue to rise in America. To see a global map of the infected, click here. But make sure when you view, you deselect "influenza" and just have "swine flu" - otherwise it may cause you more concern than necessary.

CNN has reported that the WHO warning levels have been moved up to Pandemic Level. Not good. I'm honestly not living in that fear of "oh my WORD. We're all going to die" thing that I would've felt a few weeks ago. But I am needing to be cautious. Concerned isn't the right word, but I'm AWARE of what's going on - and am praying that if it's unsafe to travel for me and my parents to Australia on Sunday, then the doors will close by then.

Not only could it be unsafe, Australia could close it's doors to travelers to help protect themselves. Or New Zealand could follow suit. That could potentially leave us stranded, or simply on an aircraft returning home earlier than planned.

I will be sorely disappointed if our trip is cancelled, but it's only a vacation. If this outbreak really does start making it's way into my own neighbourhood, then I'll want to be here with my family. I'm praying that I won't be the one having to choose ... I'm praying that the doors will be wide open for us to go, or slammed shut.

[talk: More Than I Thought ...]

You've heard me talk about this whole "fear vs. faith" thing over the last number of weeks - and as I continue to try and walk through these issues, I am realizing that I have more fear in my life than I had thought.

Fear, worry, whatever you want to call it.

I fear too many things - things that I cannot control. Which is SUCH a waste of energy, but I'm trying to call it like it is, and deal with it in such a way that I can have a positive outlook - as apposed to the silent doom I feel sometimes.

What do I fear? Oh - the list is ridiculous. I fear earthquakes ... being trapped, being separated from family, losing communication with loved ones, not being able to save my kids from being hurt ... see? Tiresome, pointless fear.

I fear flying. Another thing I cannot control ... and something that pretty much gives me anxiety every night when I think of flying to Sydney on Sunday. What am I so afraid of? Oh, just the basic plummeting in a fiery inferno with that insane dropping feeling ... *laughing*. Oooo - just writing this out seems to be making me smile ...

I fear losing our children to sickness or accident. I fear being alone. I fear being judged. I fear not living up to other's expectations. I fear, I fear, I fear.

And in looking at all of these things carefully, I think that a lot of it boils down to fearing death. Now THAT'S a strange thing for me to say - one who has grown up in Faith and something that I KNOW to be true - the reality of Christ. But it seems to me that somehow, somewhere I have let these thoughts fester and take hold of the silent part of me.

So why put it out there for the world to see? Because I feel it's a tangible way for me to say, "Enough." This whole concept of faith being unable to coincide with fear has been such a wake up call for me. And the truth in that both fear and faith deal with the future - something I definitely cannot control.

So why fear the future? Jeremiah 29:11 is plastered on our basement wall. It says, "For I know the plans I have for you. Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, to give you hope and a future." What powerful words ...

And perhaps we can look at different situations and say, "How can THIS situation be best for me?" or "How can I not fear when You've let me down?" or "It's hard to trust when so many bad things happen in this world." The Truth is still the Truth.

So that is what I am standing on and choosing today, and tomorrow and the day after that. I will not fear about the health of our unborn child. I will not fear this Swine Flu and the illnesses of my children or husband. I will not fear a declining recession. I will not fear because He knows my first and my last days - I will not leave His hand and there is such an incredible peace and confidence that happens when you surrender to that. He is ultimately in control of my future - whatever that looks like.

Hmmm. I think I've said that before ... but I'm finding that I need to remind myself often *smile*.

[digiscrap: Recent Pages & a Plug for a GREAT Restaurant]

I've had some pretty "heavy" posts as of late ... so I thought I'd lighten it up a bit with some recent digipages I've done.

Truth is, is that I haven't had time to scratch my nose - never mind digiscrap - in the last 7 weeks. But with my hubby back into his schedule, some of our evenings have been spent watching the Canucks and with me, digiscrapping.

OH!!! Except last night ... last night we went OUT!!! (How could I have forgotten??). My folks took the boys on a "date", so my hubby and I did the same. We tried out a new restaurant, COZA!, and friends - it is AWESOME. I've heard the locals talk about it, and I thought it was some fancy-schmancy restaurant ... but it isn't. It's very urban, very comfy and VERY delicious. And the value? I thought it was really good, for a fantastic meal. You can order shared platters, all different kinds, with different meats, pastas, veggies etc. And they were around $14/person. Other entrees were between $16 and $25. Not an "every night out" price, but great for a date night. I HIGHLY recommend it.

Ok. So here are some recent pages - not recent pictures *GRIN*. And I seem to like red, but remember - most of these were around Christmas.

Enjoy!

click images to enlarge

[talk: Getting Pregnant ...]

I was going to post on another subject today, but I have found myself in the same conversation with 3 different women over the last two days. All of these women have a desire to get pregnant and are waiting patiently each month. I thought maybe, if one person could benefit from this, then it would be worth posting on my blog.

I know what it is like to desire a child, and have to wait for what felt like forever. And the truth is, is that I really didn't have to wait long. But my first 3 pregnancies all happened within the first two cycles of "trying" - so when this last pregnancy didn't happen right away, I decided to try everything in my power to get things going.

Now - my personal belief is that a child comes in His perfect timing. And that goes for our loss of Shalom ... and our joy of Josiah. There are bad things in this world, but God's desire is for the best for us ...

That being said, I am also a believer in doing all I can in walking through the "open door" He's given. What I mean, is that He's given us a mind to make choices, He's given many the gift of "medicine" and wisdom in taking care of our bodies and such. So, in that, we made a choice to be pro-active while still submitting to the fact that He is ultimately in control.

My husband and I knew we wanted a third child, but started feeling the pressure when it didn't happen as easily as the other previous pregnancies. We chose to use an ovulation kit, and in complete honesty, I got pregnant that very month.

I say that, because maybe someone reading this hasn't tried that route yet. I completely recognize that this is NOT a sure-thing, by any means ... we all know that there are many, many factors in getting pregnant. I just wanted to share with you, what worked for us.

I used the Clearblue Ovulation Tests. I didn't use the digital ones ... and I should say that I actually had to use two kits back-to-back because the first kit never registered me ovulating. Which meant, that I was completely wrong about when I was able to get pregnant. I found that fascinating, because I was so accurate the other times. Perhaps my miscarriage last year messed things up a bit. Whatever the case, once I knew when I could get pregnant - I did.

Maybe this will help you ... I hope it does. And I also found a wealth of information at the Clearblue site. It had many questions, including "Myths and Truths" about getting pregnant. If you're interested ... you can find it here.

For those who have tried for months, even years - I want you to know that my husband and I pray for you. We know that feeling of loss each month, the pain of losing a pregnancy, and the joy of having a "positive" on the stick. We also know what it is to worry about miscarriages and ultrasounds. We truly do pray for peace for those who have a different journey than us, whatever that looks like.

So - I hope that for even just one, that this post is helpful.