Brodie's Surgery Number Two

Brodie has Surgery number two on Thursday. We thought Dr Lee would just go in and drill a hole through his mastoid bone to help the air circulate throughout his left ear system. Well, when Dr Lee got in there he found some cholesteatoma which had pulled his eardrum into the "gutter" and damaged the back half of the eardrum. So, Dr Lee had to clear out the cholesteatoma and reconstruct the back half of his eardrum using some muscle tissue. Brodie had a tough day on Thursday and Thursday night. He was somewhat better on Friday. Today, he is almost back to his old self! It is amazing how fast children bounce back from these things! He is definitely my trooper! I am so proud of him! Dr Lee told us he was thankful that we were persistent in getting his second surgery so soon. We both carry insurance right now and we wanted to get him all taken care of before second grade. He said that if we had waited, his eardrum would be gone and his hearing bones would have been eaten by the cholesteatoma. Now, he will have to have an exploratory surgery in December to make sure the cholesteatoma has not come back. Thanks for all of your prayers!!

Ducklings

For those of you who don't know, I am a Store Manager for CJ Banks at The Streets of Indian Lake in Hendersonville. Well, outside our back door a mama duck decided to make a nest and lay some eggs. I only saw four eggs! Well last Saturday she had 11 ducklings! They were sooo cute! I talked about that Mama Duck for three weeks! I so looked forward to the Ducklings hatching! It was nice to look forward to something so simple!

Update

I have not posted anything in awhile so I thought I would give a quick update...

Brodie had his 1st hearing test since the surgery and he had amazing results! Before the surgery he was at 35db's which is a moderate loss, and now he is at 10db's which is excellent hearing in both ears!

Julia lost her first back tooth this week! The tooth fairy brought her five dollars! I think I got a quarter when I was a kid!

Work has been crazy for me! We had our friends and family event last weekend and had our biggest day yet! I am very excited about that! We are seeing new customers every day which gives me hope that we will be a top volume store by the end of the year!

Jason is almost done with his new cd! Meanwhile, he is doing a podcast once a month! You can check him out at www.jason-kabler.com

That is it for now! Happy Spring!

Encores and More North Children's Consignment Sale!

This is a post off of Brea Freeman's Blog! Brea and Jonathon have provided so many blessings by doing this sale!

Encores and More North
Have I mentioned I run a children's consignment sale?

Well, it's THAT time of year again. In a few short weeks, hundreds of women and men dropping off for their women will be bringing carloads of goodies to the old Goody's at Rivergate (between Old Navy and Best Buy). We will inspect every item that comes through our doors, display it all nice and neat in our 32,000 sq. ft. space, and then sit back and watch it all leave in a matter of 7 days. It's truly amazing and if you've never been, you must come this time.

It seems crazy to me that just four years ago we were having our first sale. We had just a little over 50 consignors (mainly friends of mine pittying me!). I just KNEW God was telling me to start a sale north of Nashville that was a service to the community. Honestly, it was NEVER about money. I just knew we had to do it. The first few sales, we grew 70% EACH SALE. Unbelievable and only GOD! Well, here we are four years later with over 700 consignors. The amount we are able to donate both financially and physically to the community is amazing. I love finding out about families that are truly in need and having them come pick up what they need. I love that especially in these tough financial times we are offering EVERYTHING AND ANYTHING you could ever need for a child at a fraction of retail.

I'm telling you all this so you can see the person and the heart behind Encores North. It is my passion. I give GOD all the glory, without him I am nothing and this sale is nothing.

I want everyone in Nashville to know how great Encores North is and I need your help. We are asking anyone and everyone to help spread the word by doing a blog post, post on facebook, myspace, etc. Tell everyone what you think about Encores North (and please, if you have issues with us, email me at cheapbrea@gmail.com-we want to address ANY concerns). We will be doing a drawing on March 1 for 3 $25 gift certificates. All you have to do to be entered is leave me a comment letting me know how you are spreading the word! Blog entries get you two entries, everything else is one entry. Be sure you put a link to our website www.encoresandmorenorth.com in your blog post, shout out on facebook, etc.

I have a feeling this will be the BIGGEST AND BEST sale yet. THANK YOU to everyone that makes this sale awesome.

My Husband is a Saint

Today it was bitterly cold! The wind would slice right through you! Your skin would burn it was so cold out today.

I had to take Jason this morning because he has a sinus infection and needed medication. We then made a quick stop at Sally's so Jason could get his special silver shampoo. Then on the way back through the center, there was a man wrestling with a donation sign for the Salvation Army. I said "that poor guy it is so cold we should stop and help him" so Jason said to please stop so we could help him. We pulled up and his sign and his tent were completely knocked over by the wind. We helped get the tent cover and sign back in his truck. Jason let me go back to the car because it was so cold. The man, Charles then asked if he could use our cell phone to call the office. The office told him to stay with the truck and not to worry about the sign. We then went and got Charles a coffee and hot meal to help him get through the rest of the day.

I just thought it was awesome of Jason to help after he had worked all night and spent the morning in the doctor's office! Jason you are a Saint!

If you have any donations, Charles has a salvation army truck by the Ethan Allen by Target in Hendersonville! Tell him we said hello!

Brodie's Surgery

Brodie's Surgery went well! Dr Lee was amazed at how there was not as much damage as we had thought. The Surgery only took about an hour and a half instead of 2 to 3 hours.

The Cholesteatoma was not fully formed, therefore there was not near as much damage or clean up as anticipated. The Mastoid never fully formed so they did have to drill a hole through it so Brodie gets air in the ear passages. The eardrum was repairable and did not have to be reconstructed. They will not have to do the second surgery right away now! Brodie will still be deaf in the right ear for two months while the eardrum hears. Apparently they put gel around it to help it heal and stay intact. The only rough part was the affects of the anesthesia, he had a lot of nausea and had to throw up a few times.

Today we took the bandaging off and the incision looks great. It looks much better than I anticipated! We had Brodie's hair cut rather short, so Dr Lee did not have to shave any of his hair. The incision is in the fold of the back of his ear. So, I don't think the scarring will be very noticiable, Dr Lee did a fabulous job, and was wonderful with Brodie, and great at explaining things to us!

Thank for all of your prayers! We believe in the power of prayer!

Brodie's Surgery

is set for Thursday Jan 22nd. It will be a 2 to 3 hour surgery. He will be deaf in his right ear for two months. Then they will do surgery on the left ear. Please pray for Brodie. We pray that it will only be two surgeries, and that it is only cholesteatoma and nothing worse.

Brodie's ENT Visit

Well...it did not go well at all! I was praying that it was not going to be in his mastoid. Brodie has cholesteatoma in both ears. It is a tumor/cyst that can develop from repeated ear infections and or the ear drum rupturing. The doctor has assured us that it is not cancer tumors/cysts. We had the CT scan today and all of his nasal, sinus, eye, ear passages are blocked with junk! Brodie has never complained about any of this... Also, the cholesteatoma has destroyed his mastoid or the mastoid never developed and it is still bone marrow. We will not know until he has his first surgery. Brodie will need at least two surgeries. Both surgeries will cause complete deafness in the one ear for at least two months. The other ear will be tubed while the other ear heals. Then when his that hearing is restored in the one ear, he will have surgery on the other ear. For now, we are looking at least two surgeries. We pray that will be all. We pray that the cholesteatoma is not what is clogging all of his passages. There is a lot to pray about right now. Please keep us in your prayers. Love Beckie

Happy New Year!

I hope everyone had a safe and happy New Years Eve Celebration! 2008 was challenging for my family this year, but we got through it!

Our first challenge of 2009 is Brodie's CT scan on the 5th to see how big or how much the Cholesteatoma has spread in Brodie's ears. I feel at peace that it is small and we will be able to take care of it in one surgery. I have been doing a lot of praying for him. I feel at peace that this will be our biggest challenge of the year and we will get it over with quickly! Thank you for all of your prayers! I do believe that the power of prayer can create miracles!

The best part of 2008 was finding a church family. The kids and I have been regularly attending Bluegrass Baptist Church in Hendersonville. It is truly a come as you are place of worship willing to take on any problem you may be facing. I am so thankful that my children have had a comfortable introduction to Jesus. Brodie especially really embraces it and loves learning more about Jesus! I am proud of myself for not caring what people think if my husband doesn't come with me! That had always been my reasoning for not taking the children in the past. My best friend, Nicole and her girls have been attending with us, and it is a site to see! The two mama ducks and the five ducklings that line up behind us to go learn about Jesus! I want to thank my friend Natalie for inviting us to BBC!

I hope everyone has a happy and healthy new year!

Please Pray for Brodie

Brodie has been having some behavior issues at school. We finally narrowed it down to a hearing issue and saw Dr Lee today. Well, Brodie has no eardrums, he has had so much damage that his eardrums are completely deflated and may not be repairable. He has at least a 50% hearing loss as of today. He has a CT scan scheduled for early January to learn more about the problem. We need to pray that there is no damage to his mastoid and that there are no bone fragments floating around in there. Please keep Brodie in your prayers!

Julia's Art Award

Julia won an Art Award in the Keep Nashville Beautiful Contest! She was one of the two students chosen from her school to have her recycling picture feature on a red river recycling truck! These masterpieces will be featured on recycling trucks around Nashville for the next six months! She met Mayor Karl Dean and got her photo taken with him! She also won Children's Theater Tickets and Frist Center Tickets! We are son Proud of Julia!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Obsession

I am hooked on The Twilight series! Is it possible to be in love with a fictional character?? I have read book one and two since Saturday! I plan to start the 3rd book on Wednesday! I can't wait to see the movie! I was going to go see it by myself on Sunday but Jason freaked and said I was crazy! Well yes honey, I am crazy! LOL!

Update...

I am feeling better...I was really down and headed into a depression rather quickly. Thanks to those who reached out...it really does help! I hope that anyone else that feels the blues will reach out to me or someone! Sometimes that is all it takes is a pep talk from a friend to help pull you out.

I don't get depressed too often, but I do on occasion. I think it surprises people sometimes that I get that way. I do, and I am not ashamed of it. I have had some very dark times in my life. Dark times that I hope I will never revisit.

Luckily, I can recognize when I am headed in that direction and I not afraid to reach out.

Thank you for being my friend! love, beckie

Happy Holidays???

Well I don't want to be a downer, but I have to get some things out of my system...The holidays were never a great time for me growing up. My parents were divorced, so there was always fighting or guilt trips over who got who and "I can't believe you are leaving me all alone", it sucked and it was never fun. My mother was always very particular about the decorations, they had to be a certain way and don't touch them or you will be beaten! So, I really dislike decorating for the holidays as it is just a painful reminder of my mother. My father has never has never had the Christmas spirit. I really only enjoyed the special things we did at church, and celebrating the birth of Jesus. I am thankful that out of all the horrible things my mother put me through, at least she took my sister and I to church.

Now that I have my own children, I really try and have the holiday spirit, but it is difficult. We have never regularly attended church so I have missed out on what I enjoyed the most as I child. This year the kids and I are going to church so we will have that to enjoy, and I am thankful. However, my husband does not have the need to go to church so we will be going without him. I love seeing my children enjoy Christmas, and I am so excited that they will be learning more this year about what Christmas is really about. I am thankful that I have a church to celebrate Christmas with my Children!

We don't have family here, and we will be by ourselves this year and that is very painful for me. My parents decided to go to Florida for Christmas this year, and Jason and I both have to work. I am always with my Sister for Christmas and we will not be together this year, and that is the worst part. We only had each other growing up, so we are very close. I have to work the night before and the morning after Thanksgiving so we don't even have time to drive to Bloomington this year.

For those of you that have family close by, be thankful that you have them to celebrate holidays and special events with. For those of you that don't, try to create your own special traditions that will help you get through the loneliness. That is what I am going to attempt to do.

It is my holiday wish that I can let go of the past, and truly enjoy the special time with my children.

My Charm School Witch (Julia)!

Little Red Riding Hood (Kinsey) and The Big Bad Wolf (Brodie)!

Dear God, Why Isn't My Dad Bill Cosby??

I used to pray that my Dad would be like Bill Cosby or Charles Ingalls. I would really get upset when I would watch those shows and wonder why he did not act like the Dads on TV. My parents had an ugly divorce so I came up with my own concept of what my Dad should be like. My Dad was far from Bill Cosby, he is not funny and is not overly affectionate. Dad kissed me goodbye this past weekend and I was very surprised. He never kisses me goodbye. Is it sad that I had to wonder why?? Does anyone else ever feel this way?? I wonder what our kids think we should be like.

Thank You for a Successful Grand Opening!

Thank you ladies for coming out and supporting my grand opening! It was very successful and my DM was very excited! I hope everyone enjoyed their purchases! Feel free to log on to http://survey.cjbanks.com/ you will need your receipt to participate. As a thank you for participating, you will get entered into the monthly $500 gift card drawing!