Stellan's TV Interview

Stellan is doing a little better, but continues to need our prayers as his heart is still in SVT. Jennifer was interviewed by the local news affiliate tonight and that news package can be seen here.

Please keep him in your thoughts and prayers.


Love and Prayers,

A Painful Footnote

Things we do while barefoot:

You ever stumped your toe on the couch?

Stepped on a small kids toy that was left out?

Accidentally stepped on a rock while walking down the street to the mailbox? Can ya say heel bruise?

Dropped a pot or something in the kitchen on it pinching it between the heavy pot and the hard tile of the floor?

Kicked the corner of the bed post while trying to find your way in the dark?

Had one of those things they call your kids slam it with a golf club while in the backyard?

Closed a door onto the top of it.

Dropped around 50 pounds of tile onto it shattering it into many pieces.

Dropped a rechargeable battery on it that was removed from a electric jeep that kids drive. Oh, and yeah it landed on the sharp corner of the battery.

So if you ever want to see me jump around and cry like a little girl, just come to my house and one of these things is sure to happen again soon.

What was your worst foot pain?



Love and Prayers,

Critical Situation

Stellans heart is beginning to fail. His heart is still in SVT and not able to supply all of his little body with blood. There is no longer any pulse at all in his feet. His body is beginning to turn pale as his heart continues to fail. It is a miracle in itself that he has made it a week now in this condition.



A new treatment plan is being put into place now. There are no details on this new plan yet, however we hope something can still be done in time. By the way, today Stellan turned 5 months old.

I appreciate all of you who have left comments that you are praying with us for little Stellan. He needs our prayers now more than ever. Please continue to lift him up as well as his family, and leave a comment here to let all know that you are doing so.

Will you pray with us?

Love and Prayers,

Support the Troops Giveaway!

One of our very loyal prayer soldiers Cari over at Two Under Two, Whew! is having a great giveaway! She is giving away a care package that includes: magazines, stationery, candy, cookies, coffee, tea, soap, lotion, lip gloss, pedicure kit, tea, partylite candles, just to name a few.



The best part about this giveaway is that by following the directions when you register, she will donate some of these care items to soldiers in Iraq on your behalf. How cool is that! So make sure you get over to her blog and enter this giveaway so that more comfort items will be sent to more soldiers. Support from back home to them is more important than you will ever know, and as you probably have gathered, Fort Thompson supports our troops! Make sure you tell her Tim at Fort Thompson sent ya!

Gavin Needs You! Update

God is so good, and Gavin is doing so much better that he didnt require a hospital stay this time. Thanks to all the prayer soldiers that prayed for Gavin. Please keep him in your prayers that he stays free of any more episodes.

Also, please make sure that you keep little Stellan in your prayers. He has been in SVT for almost a week now. How his little body is surviving without going into heart failure is beyond me. I am getting Jenn's twitters to my cell phone so I will let you know something as soon as I get the info.

Again, thank you so much for your prayers.

***********************************************

Tonight there is a little boy who is very sick and in need of all our prayer. His name is Gavin and he has become very close to my heart over the last several months. He has too many conditions (many quite rare I think) too list here. I can say that most of his stomach is paralyzed which in itself causes enough problems. He has to take as many as 42 doses of medication daily just to get by. I urge you to click here to learn more about him from his mother Carla.

Most importantly, please pray for my little buddy Gav! Gavin needs me tonight...... and GAVIN NEEDS YOU! Please pray!


Love and Prayers,

Constant Prayer

I'm choosing to keep this post short. Most of you already know the story of Stellan, as well as the serious life threatening condition he is now facing. So I am asking everyone who is a prayer soldier here, as well as those who aren't, to join us in prayer for one of God's true Miracle's. If you would like to be a prayer soldier, please feel free to grab the button to the left in the sidebar and post it to your blog.

So please pray for Stellan, and if you don't pray keep him and his family in your thoughts.




Please visit the Prayer Vigil Blog that has been set up for Stellan. You can find it here.



Love and Prayers,

Guest Post at the Circus!

Most of you are probably familiar with Angie Lee who is the author of Seven Clown Circus. She hosts the carnival Wordful Wednesday in which many of you participate.

She has taken a hiatus from the blog world and has asked many very influential bloggers to guest post for her during her absence. It should be some great reading so make sure you visit Seven Clown Circus to check it out.

I have to say that I am very honored that she asked me in the beginning to do this. I was asked if I would like to do the first post to open it or the last to close it. She gave me my choice, awwww. I chose the last so that I could welcome her back properly. Make sure that you dont miss my post which is scheduled to post on April 5th. I'm sure I will post about it again between now and then.

I can't even express how honored I am to do this for someone who I think so much of. Ang your the best, and get back soon!

Love and Prayers,

Not Me Monday - Prayer Request

I need all of the Prayer Soldiers to please join me in prayer.

Stellan who is the son of Jennifer which most of you know as MckMama is in the ICU with SVT which is an irregularly high heartbeat. This is the same thing he was diagnosed with in the womb, which doctors said he could not survive. They said he would for sure die in the womb.

Well with tons of prayer God performed a miracle in this child and he was born totally healthy, and he was indeed very much alive!

Now they need our prayers again. You can read more details on his status by clicking here.

This is my NOT Me Monday post. It will NOT BE ME that doesn't pray for this baby and his family. Make sure that it is NOT you that doesn't pray either.




Please lift little Stellan and their family up today. Let us all pray that his heart starts beating normally.

Please pray with us.


Love and Prayers,

Kristen's Creations Winners!

Our apologies for this posting so late. Not only to our readers, but also to our kids who we had up much past their bedtimes.

Big time thanks goes out to Kristen at Kristen's Creations for sponsoring this weeks giveaway. There have been many great comments on her frames, as well tons and tons or entries. Make sure if you haven't visited Kristen you do so soon. Tell her Tim from Fort Thompson sent ya!

For those who have products that they would like to have advertised here thru one of our giveaway, just email us here at Fort Thompson and we will get right back with you. Our email address can be found under our profile info.

Now on to the winners!

Are You a Prayer Soldier?

Do you pray on a daily basis? Do you get on your knees with your children and show them how to talk to God while explaining the importance of it? Do you meditate in prayer over friends and family who are ill or facing adversities? Do you say a blessing before you eat?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, you are a Prayer Soldier. We are all Soldier's in Christ's Army. However when we lift others up in His name we are Prayer Soldiers. We wage war against the enemy whether it be disease, finances, relationships, addictions, etc. The more of us there are the stronger our fight.

I know that many of you have seen thru prayer what kind of miracles are possible. So please grab the Fort Thompson Prayer Soldier button and proudly display it on your blog. Let others know that you too are a Prayer Soldier.

As prayer requests come in, all Prayer Soldiers will come together in prayer for the request that is made. Please feel free to email me with any of those friends or family of yours who might be in need of prayer.

I am also working in getting a subscription set up so you can have all prayer requests emailed to you as soon as they are posted. It is our hope that you will join us in prayer and grab your button today.

A special thanks to Hollie at The Drama Mamma (who designs everything at Fort Thompson) for the Prayer Soldier button she put together.

Let us all remember to pray.


Love and Prayers,

Taylor Talk

Today we were doing some homework. We are in the process of working with numbers when this funny exchange occurs:

I am holding a piece of paper that has every number from 1 to 100. I am pointing at random numbers and having her tell me what they were.

Me: Ok Taylor what number is this? (pointing at 14)

Taylor: Fourteen Daddy.

Me: And this? (pointing at 65)

Taylor: Sixty five daddy.

Me: And this one (pointing at 24)

Taylor: Ummmmmmm...... Tooty four?

Nice. I think tootin is all she thinks about.


Love and Prayers,

Giveitaway Giveitaway Giveitaway NOW!

This weeks giveaway is sponsored by Kristen at Kristen's Creations. I'm so excited to host this giveaway as I have always really liked the work she does with the frames she makes. So without any further ado, I would like to introduce to you Kristen.

Hi, my name is Kristen, I'm a mother of one and wife to a great guy of 15 yrs. I worked at an interior store for several years until it recently closed. I have done silk and fresh floral design and am now getting my creativity out by designing frames. Some of them are done in a 3d manor inside the frame, and others you can put your own picture inside. I started making these Christmas 2007 and sold several in the shop. When the shop closed, I decided to try selling them online and to customers in my hometown. I hope to come up with allot more designs soon. I can also custom make one of your choice as long as the materials are available. Please visit my blog at Kristen's Creations. Thank you!

Now that you have met Kristen, let me show you a few of the examples of Kristen's work. Please feel free to click on any image to enlarge for better viewing.

So now that you have an idea of what Kristen does, let me show you how we do it here. We giveitaway giveitaway giveitawaynow! There are two wonderful frames being given away, the first is this initial frame in which Kristen will fashion whatever initial you like to customize it.

The second is this great Spring frame:

Both of these frames will allow you to put your own pictures in them if you like. They are both being given away. There will be separate winners for each frame here are the rules:


This giveaway is open to anyone who would like to enter.

Leave a comment on this post and receive two entries one for each frame.

Giveaway ends Sunday March 22nd at 12:00 noon CST.

You can leave a comment each day during the contest period for 2 additional entries per day. Please only one comment per day per person. This is a total of 12 possible entries per person, if entered each day during the giveaway period.



That's it! So get on over to Kristen's Creations and check out her blog. Also go by her Etsy Store and view some of the other great frames that she makes. Many of these are customizable if the materials are available. They also make super Mother's Day gifts! Make sure you tell her you saw her giveaway here at Fort Thompson!

If you have a product that you would like to advertise here at The Fort in a giveaway, we want to hear from you! Send me an email if you are interested or know someone who might be.



Love and Prayers,

Wilibleu Winners!

Love and Prayers,

Loyal Commenter

My good bloggy friend Jo @ Life's Perfect Picture's bestowed upon me the award of Loyal Commenter. To me being a commenter has always been very important. I just wish I had more time to visit all the blogs I would like more often.

So if you are new to blogging make sure you leave as many comments on those blogs you read as possible. It is very encouraging to those you visit and they will appreciate your effort more than you will know. Who knows maybe you will be the next to get this prestigious award?

It is with great pleasure that I pass this award on to some people who have become great friends. Great friends they have become through loyal commenting, occasional emails, and most importantly consistent support. I must also add that if had not given me this award she would have made this list. For those of you who have already received this award, it wouldn't too much surprise me. In no particular order they are:

Mimi @ He and Me + 3

Courtney @ Courtney and the Boys

April @ Straight from the Heart

Melissa @ Home is Where Your Story Begins

Jennifer @ Rundpinne

Elizabeth @ A Nut in a Nutshell

Lolli @ Life is Sweet

Jill @ Sneaky Momma

Michele @ Out of the Rut

Wibeche and Rune @ Beautiful Days

Melissa @ Melissa's Heart and Home

Liz @ My Crazy Life with 4 Boys


There are so many others who I honestly don't have time to mention here, so please know that if you are a loyal commenter here at Fort Thompson you too are loved and appreciated.


Love and Prayers,

Monthly Miracles

This post is going to give you chills, and might even draw some tears. Let me provide some background:

I posted about my story of what happened when I died and how God performed a miracle in my life so that I could live. The post was titled Angels and Miracles in case you want to check it out.

So this brought up the idea of showcasing different peoples experiences with miracles or angel sightings in their lives. Thus Fort Thompson Monthly Miracles was born. It is my hope that this can go from monthly to weekly, but in order to do that I need your help getting the word out to others to send in their stories. They can be emailed to me.

This gives us all the opportunity to read about some truly remarkable things that have happened, and how God has worked in many different peoples lives. So please help us to get the word out.

This is our first Monthly Miracles post, and we are more than honored to share with you the story of a lady who has become a very close friend of mine. She is one of the most down to earth people you will ever meet, and would do anything for those she loves. She has a sense of humor that is unmatched, and almost every post I read on her blog makes me laugh in some way.

Again, I am honored to call her my friend and even more so to feature her story. So I give you our first Monthly Miracle post from Nikki Bullock author of Life as We Know It.



While I'm not exactly a religious person, I cannot deny that there is something after this life.

When I was about sixteen, we visited my grandparents to celebrate my grandmother's birthday, which was March 18th. Our family gathered, laughed, played games and enjoyed the warm spring weather together for a entire afternoon. Eleven days later, on March 29th, my grandfather died suddenly of a heart attack in the driveway of his home as he was heading out to run errands.

Fast forward a little more than three years...

My son was born with a birth defect called gastroschisis. Basically, his abdominal wall failed to close early in development leaving a hole and his intestines had herniated through it. In most cases, the doctors would simply slip the intestines back through the hole. My son was not so lucky. His intestines had twisted and died leaving him with only 10% of his small bowel. His only hope for survival was a new and experimental small bowel transplant. My boy's name was Joel Hays after his uncle and my grandfather.

Fast forward three months...

When Joey was three months old, he was strong enough to be evaluated for the transplant. I was barely twenty years old and scared to death. The doctors told my (now) husband and I horror stories about the transplantation process and it's risks. They pretty much told us that our son would most likely not survive...and even if he did, his life would be a struggle. We didn't know what to do. We were terrified and thought maybe it wasn't worth it...maybe we should just let him go now, without surgeries and medications and hospitals. Just let our boy rest in peace.

We decided to sleep on it and talk about it more in the morning. When I finally drifted off to sleep I had a very vivid dream...one that I can still remember to this day. I was at my grandmother's house visiting and I saw a light, roughly in the shape of a man. Even though I could not see his face, I knew it was my grandfather who had passed away. I was thrilled to see him! I ran to him and told him how happy I was that he was here and how we all missed him. I was talking faster than I knew was possible...

Grandy, we've missed you. Have you seen my boy? Have you seen him? We named him after you. What do you think? Aren't you proud?

He let me finish and said...

Of course I've seen him and you need to know that the boy has a fighting chance.

I awoke from the dream and sat straight up in bed. I looked at the clock...it was 5:00am on March 18th. Four years, to the day, that I had last seen my grandfather before he died. The fear and hesitation I had about the procedure was washed away. I woke my husband and told him that we had to do it. We had to give our boy a chance. He was placed on the waiting list for a small bowel that day.

Fast forward five months...

The pager went off. THE pager...the one that alerted us that organs were available for Joey. The bittersweet moment that somewhere, a family was suffering the ultimate loss, yet, they were willing to share the "gift of life" with us. This was his chance...our boy's chance at life. It was August 18th...my grandfather's birthday.

I DO NOT believe that these were just coincidences. Even my rational mind will not allow it. An angel was sent, and whether it was my grandfather himself, or a representation of him so that I would be comforted...I do not know. What I do believe...is that there is more after this life and it is warm and so, so peaceful.

Sadly, Joey's new organs didn't function as well as they needed to. He passed away when he was 10 months and 21 days old. We donated his heart to a little girl who wouldn't have survived 48 hours without it. While I had hoped that the "fighting chance" my grandfather spoke of was for a life for my boy...it wasn't. He was fighting for her. She is because of him...and it was totally worth it!





So if this story moved you as it did me, leave a comment here and spread the word to get others you know to submit their stories as well. Also make sure to pay Nikki a visit and send her your love for having the courage to share. She will know The Fort sent ya!

Make sure you keep an eye out for more Fort Thompson Monthly Miracles, and please consider organ donation as you too may also be a part of God's will to save another's life.


Love and Prayers,

Sited and Blogged

About two weeks ago or so I was asked to be a writing contributor for a social site called Sited and Blogged. It is a great site that I had been to before and I bet you recognize it when you see it.

For those of you who don't know what a social site is, it is a blog that is designed as a platform for bloggers to come together and meet and is usually started by several bloggers who got together. There are usually several authors whose content when put together gives readers a great variety of topics to choose from.




You will enjoy all the things you will find when spending a little time in this site.
So get sited by heading over to Sited and Blogged today! Who knows, you might be the next to be blogged also?!

Love and Prayers,

Award Me?

Over the past several months I have had the honor and privilege of getting two know two of the nicest people you could ever meet. They have been some of the most faithful followers I have, and seem to leave a comment on every post I write.

Today they gave me two awards. Please know that these aren't just any old list your seven things and pass it on to 7 people awards either. No, these are awards that they just made up on their own out of the goodness of their hearts to give to some of the bloggers that they consider good friends. To me this is saying something, and for it I am honored.

So please make sure that if you haven't already (and I know many of you have), get over to Beautiful Days and give them some love. Tell them you were sent by Fort Thompson.

They live in Norway and are two of the best people I know. Most of you know them as Wib and Rune. I know them as my dear friends.

So here's to you my Norway blogging buds, may God bless your Beautiful Days as you have blessed many of mine......Thank you so much!!

Love and Prayers,

Giveitaway Giveitaway Giveitaway NOW!

You guessed it, another giveaway. In addition to the one I am having now and the one I am starting next week, my really good friend Hollie @ Drama Mama Designs (she did my blog) is doing a giveaway for a FREE photgraphy shoot for those in the DFW area. Not only is the sitting fee free, but you get all the shots after editing on a disk. Anyone that knows anything about buying rights knows that this can cost up to 250 dollars an image. You can get all the images for free to post and print as you like. So get on over and check out her giveaway! Here are some images from this photographer who is sponsoring her giveaway.






And this is in Hollie's words:

So here's the scoop....Camily will do a shoot for an individual, children, or a family in the Dallas area (or if you feel like driving to Dallas). She will shoot on location at the Arboretum, or any of the locations you see on her photography blog (and is open to suggestions if you have another idea). She will spend about an hour with the winner or long enough to get some good photographs. Camily will then edit the images and give you a copy of a CD with all the good photos for you to print as you would like. The value of the photo shoot AND photo CD is $250!!!

Wilibleu Giveaway!

This weeks AWESOME giveaway is sponsored by Tania Wood at Wilibleu. Tania is an expert at interior design on a budget. She has chosen to start Wilibleu as a means of sharing with others her secrets for creating amazing looks without having to spend an arm and a leg.

So before I get into the giveaway, please take a moment to meet Tania.

My name is Tania Wood, I am a wife and mother of 2. I have always been a very creative and energetic person, with a strength in imagining how things should be put together to create an image. I use that energy and creativity to constantly search for items that match my mental pictures.



Now that both kids are in school and we are settled into our new home in Maine, it is time to share my creative thoughts and things that I have found. Over the years I have learned secrets about putting together a room or an outfit. I have learned how to reach the look without breaking the bank. I want share these secrets with you and my website Wilibleu.com will help me!

By the way, WiliBleu is a gift from my kids. The name was created from parts of their middle names.






There are two prizes involved in this giveaway. The first is this "My Bag Cares Bag".

The “Original” My Bag Cares Bag

100% Reusable and Washable

For every bag purchased at tree is planted in the U.S.A.
You will look Eco-Fabulous carrying this bag around!

55% linen and 45% untreated cotton.

The second part of the giveaway is for a Tiny Tiara.

Each ornamental crown has been reproduced by skilled glass craftsmen – completely made by hand! They are fragile glass. Not a toy..

These tiny little tiaras may vary slightly in color and shape. Each one is unique.. Approx. 3 inches tall

These two items will be given away to two seperate winners. Therefore you can enter to win just one or both depending on how many entries you want.

Here are the rules:

Leave a comment stating which things you have done so that we will know how many entries you are owed. You will be entered that many times into each items drawing, however you can only win one. In other words if you win the first drawing then you are not eiligible to win the second.

Entries:

Post a comment that you want to be entered. = 2 entries

Additional Entries:

If you are a follower of Fort Thompson or become one. = 2 entries

Post about this giveaway on your site. = 4 entries

Be a follower or become a follower of the Fort Thompson Blog Frog. = 2 entries

Visit Wilibleu and purchase something. = 10 entries

Tell someone about this giveaway and have them mention your name in their comment. = 4 entries.

Thats a total of 24 possible entries!!! Does it get any better?


This giveaway will end on Saturday March 14th at 12:00pm.


So get on over to Wilibleu and leave Tania some love! Make sure to tell her Fort Thompson sent ya!



Love and Prayers,

Not Me Monday?

Here we are again! So nice to see you back!! I might get in some trouble for this weeks post, but some things I just got to share.

When filming the video of my kids drawing names for my giveaway, it was NOT ME who hears my son say out loud.... "Daddy I poo pooed!!"

It was also NOT ME who watched as my daughter prolonged this pain during the video by holding her nose and saying EWWWWWWW! You must scroll down and watch the video.

It was also NOT ME while during an encounter with my son as he lay on the changing station in the buff legs raised, has this conversation:

Will: Da-da?

Me: Yes

Will: Das da poo pooooooooo. (as he drops the kids off NOT at the pool)

Ok so maybe that was TMI and you didn't think it was funny, but I was dying laughing. Of course I am realizing at the same time that if he can tell me about it as he does it then he can do it where it is suppose to go. Yeah right!

And it was soooooo NOT my daughter (my wife will say it was MY daughter) who while we were out to eat tonight with some good friends we don't get to see often did the following:

Got everyone's attention at the table by ripping ars at the Mexican Restaurant not once, not twice, but three different times. You know how noisy these places are? You cant hear the person next to you talking. However we all heard her her butt flappin up against the wood of that chair! Oh, and then laugh hysterically about it just to make sure those who didn't hear it knew what happened. NICE!!! That was NOT MY daughter! Ok so maybe it was. The sense of humor anyway.

Just to prove it... It was also SOOOOOOOOOO NOT ME that sounded so ghey redneck in that video. NO that was NOT ME!! Just scroll down to the Say it on a Sign giveaway winners post and see for yourself. Oh and Nikki you can leave this one alone.

So get on over to MckMama's and start your own Not Me Monday. If you don't do it you can at least read about all the others who do!


Love and Prayers,

Say it on a Sign Giveaway Winners!!

Today Taylor and Will drew names for the sign giveaway. I wanted to again thank April at Say it on a Sign for sponsoring this giveaway. Again make sure you visit her site, she has really great handmade signs that cannot be beat in price. The same type signs can be found at Hobby Lobby for triple the cost.

Please play close attention in this video to my son and daughter. I normally wouldn't give you a look into such things, however I want you to see Fort Thompson for how it is everyday. My son says in the beginning that he just poo pooed, and my daughter is making sure by holding her nose that I know about it. I normally would have edited this out and just shown the announcements of the winners, however I thought this would add some additional humor to your day. I had much difficulty trying to keep my composure through the entire thing. Also pay attention to my daughter at the end who chooses to throw in a few modeling poses of her own. And now for your WINNERS!!!!









So if you are one of our Lucky Winners please email or leave a comment with your contact info so I can get it to April. If no repsonse is received within 48 hours another name will be drawn. Thanks for playing!

Love and Prayers,

Get Cha Some!

Thanks to my good friend Jo over @ Life's Perfect Picture's, I have received the Kreative Blogger award. This award is given to those who have shown great creativity in their blog design. I must name 7 things that I love and pass it on to 7 bloggers so, here goes!

7 things I love:

1. My God.

2. My Wife.

3. My Children.

4. My Parents.

5. My Friends (all of you).

6. Playing Golf.

7. Oops left this one off origingally. Thanks to you who spotted it and brought it to my attention. I love watching my daughter play Wii fit as it makes me laugh.



I also received the Ain't Life Grand award from Jo. I am to list five things that make my life grand so here they are.

1. My life is grand because I am.

2. My life is grand because of my faith.

3. My life is grand whenever I laugh.

4. My life is grand when I'm with my kids.

5. My life is Always grand because of my wife.


I don't want anyone to be left out on these awards. If you are a Fort Thompson Prayer Soldier and you visit often this award is for you. Please take it and let others know that you got it here!

And if you havent registered for the giveaway, scroll down the page and get registered! There will be a new giveaway on Monday!!!

Love and Prayers,

Prayer Request

I am calling on all Fort Thompson Prayer Soldiers to lift this family up right now where ever you might be reading this. Have all your friends and family join with you in prayer for these three girls. The following is a guest post from my very good friend Jill @ Sneaky Momma. Most of you know her.


I want to bring your attention to a new blogger whose family is in need of prayer. Kaleena McNabb has three daughters, all of which are currently being hospitalized for different conditions:

15 month old Delaney- has been hospitalized several times in her short life and is now battling pneumonia

5 year old Paisley-has bacterial pneumonia and the flu. She is severely dehydrated. Has a fever of 105 that will go down and come right back up. She also is vomiting so much that she is dehydrating as fast as they can pump her IV fluids in her. Her fever was so high it caused white spots on her teeth.

8 year old Destiny- has been hospitalized since Sunday for unexplainable loss of consciousness; possibly facing brain surgery

Would you join me in praying for this sweet family? Kaleena and her husband are overwhelmed (to say the least) with trying to be there for each of their girls. Stop by and leave them a comment if you get a chance. She has her laptop with her at the hospital and could use some love and support in this crazy time.

Please consider grabbing her button for your blog to let others know of her situation. They need all the prayer they can get.em>



Thank you so much Jill for sharing this families need with us. Please do take the time to post about this family on your blogs. If anything just put them on your prayer lists at church, your blog, where ever you might list prayer requests. It will also be much appreciated by Carey and I if you would go visit Kaleena @ McNabb Land and leave them a comment of support and let them know that you are praying for them.

Love and Prayers,

Signs Say Giveaway!

I have had the honor of getting to know one of the sweetest people you will ever meet thru Fort Thompson. Her name is April Woosley and her blog is Say-it-on-a-Sign, and she is sponsoring this great giveaway! She makes custom antique signs that look just like they jumped straight out of the 30's or 40's. I remember wondering when I first saw them how in the world she does it. Of course I now know however I am sworn to secrecy so don't ask.

Take a peek at these awesome examples:

These signs are all handmade from the distressing, painting, sanding, staining and then repeating the process over and over until it is just right. April will not leave a sign until it looks just like it did indeed jump right out of the 30's as if in a magic time machine. Each sign is done in the size, colors, and custom text of your choosing within reason. They are all also wall ready with sawtooth hangers. She does not even start a sign until it is ordered. You can always go with one of the ones she already has made if decisions aren't your thing. However, customization to me is one of the things that makes this so attractive. So make sure that you hop over to Say-it-on-a-Sign and check them out. April has tons of signs listed on her blog. Make sure to leave her a comment, and tell her Tim at Fort Thompson sent ya!

There will be not only one winner, but two just to increase your chances!



Here are the rules:

Leave a comment on this post that you wish to be entered. One entry

Giveaway ends March 8th at 10:00AM Winners to be drawn and posted the same day.

Check back here at The Fort to see if you won!



It doesn't get any easier than that.

Good Luck!



Love and Prayers,

Attention Prayer Soldiers!

I'm calling out all Fort Thompson Prayer Soldier's tonight to pray for a little boy names Hudson. The following was written by a very good friend Hollie Anderson. Some of you may know her as The Drama Mama. These are her words:

Please fall on your knees and pray for our sweet friends, Amanda & Hunter and their little boy, Hudson. I do have some details, but I rather wait to post more until I speak with Amanda. But Hudson does that same vasovagal thing that Alexie does where they pass out, and evidently he had an episode of this earlier today and he would not come out of it (meaning he was unconscious and not breathing). He then started having seizures. Amanda had to call 911 and from what I understand, they had to work on him for quite some time before even leaving the house. They had to take him to the closest hospital to get him stable and then he will be (or was) care flighted to Children's. PLEASE pray for Hudson!Pray for wisdom in all the doctors and nurses working on Hud.Pray for Amanda as she waits for her family to join her (her husband was out of town at the time).Pray for peace and most of all healing!

So please keep this family in your prayers tonight. If you follow Fort Thompson and have read the Angels and Miracles post, then you know how sensitive I am about seizures. This family is heavy on my heart tonight and Hollie gave me permission to use her words. So please lift up this little boy and his family and I will update you as I receive word.

Thank you so much.

Gettin Froggy With It!

Another feature can you believe it?

Seems that God is smiling on us allot lately. He is so good.

I received an email from the owner of The Blog Frog telling me that he really enjoyed the Angels and Miracles post and would like to feature our blog on the FRONT page of his site. This is a true honor and I am so excited about it.

When visiting The Blog Frog (and I know you will) this is what you will see on the main page. Notice the awesomeness of the blogs that we are listed with? Crazy right? We're not worthy. :) This is what it says, but please feel free to check it out yourself.

Featured Users of TheBlogFrog
My Charming Kids was voted the #1 Mom blog of 2008

by MomDot. MckMama tells it how it is and uses TheBlogFrog

Community Widget to recognize her readers.

c jane enjoy it is the winner of the 2008 weblog awards.

Courtney blogs for NieNie and uses TheBlogFrog Community

Widget to help her blog feel more like a community.

Read about Tim and Carey as they try to hold down

the fort at Fort Thompson. Tim uses TheBlogFrog Community

Widget to increase his blog traffic.

If you do not have a Blog Frog widget then you need to get one QUICK!! Here is why:

It functions as an information piece as it shows whom has been on your blog that links to your site.

It allows you to market your site on other blogs by showing your name and profile info on others Blog Frog widgets that you link to. So every time you link to someones blog make sure that you register. So if you haven't registered here at The Fort make sure you do so now. This will allow you to advertise your blog here every time you visit which will send many Fort Thompson readers your way. All you have to do is put a link on your blog to Fort Thompson (having our button doesn't hurt either) and then go to The Blog Frog widget in my right sidebar. There you will see where others are currently already being marketed on my blog. Go to the bottom of the widget, and click on the button that says "become a Fort Follower". It's as easy as that! You are crazy not to do this. Trust me when I tell you that I have met many people through this social widget.

The Blog Frog community also provides another resource of marketing as others can find your site through different venues such as communities, friends, affiliations, chat walls, etc. It also provides a platform for expanding your followers by visiting sites that are already following many of the same sites that you are.

"The Frog" as I call it will drive traffic to your site and is a ton of fun. Don't just take my word for it, Jennifer @ My Charming Kids (aka MckMama) uses it too. Think of your exposure when people on her site see your info!

That's right, get to hoppin like MckMama and The Fort. Don't just be bloggy, be Blog Froggy!

I want credit for that one Russ!

Please leave a comment on this post when you get your own Blog Frog widget. This way I can come over and register as a follower on your frog! You can find The Blog Frog at www.TheBlogFrog.com. Also please feel free to click on the green "Visit the Fort Thompson Community" link and leave your comments and questions there! This is the part that makes if fun!

Not Me Monday

It's time again for MckMama's Not Me Monday. If you aren't already doing this you should get on over to her blog and get started!

It seems as though many of you are putting some pressure on me as you seem to think that you can't miss my Not Me's because you have found them so humorous. I'm glad I can put some laughter in your day, however I honestly don't know what you find funny or not. So I will do my best to live up to the expectation.

It was NOT Me that was sent a 400 dollar editing tablet (to be used for retouching photos by hand) in the mail by my wife only to find out later it was to improve her standing with me so I would agree to let her get a Blackberry Phone. Only to let her order it the VERY next day from Verizon. No that was certainly NOT ME. I'm not that weak am I? Yeah I guess I am.

It was also Not Me who had my nephew tell me that people were animals before they were people. Really? They are teaching 2nd graders about Darwin's Theory of Evolution? I set him straight on that real quick and made sure he understood that God made people and that they were made in his image. It was also not me who walked out of class in the 8th grade when my science class talked about that.

Then it was Not Me who at dinner tonight had my daughter ask me "daddy why doesn't everyone have a family?" It was also Not Me who replied "everyone does have a family" only to have her say "no they don't". Then to make things worse it was NOT ME who says (not thinking) "everyone does have a family because it takes a mommy and a daddy to make a baby." It was NOT ME that was thinking (WHAT DID I JUST GET MYSELF INTO!!) It is NOT ME that's about to have the birds and the bees convo with my 6 year old. NO WAY!!! It's NOT ME by the way that has a gun by my door, and wont let my daughter wear makeup until shes like 30. No way that is me! So I changed the subject and asked her to turn around at the table and quit talking. Or maybe it was NOT ME who needed to stop talking.

And lastly, for those of you who seem so enthused to hear about my daughters flatulence. It was NOT ME that laughed when I heard some butt slappin coming from her direction (only because she was trying so hard to hold it in and I could see the redness building in her face) only to have her come over and slap me a few times because it embarrassed her. Strange thing is its never embarrassed her before.

And since you all like to laugh at my expense so much, it was NOT ME that went to the bathroom while having a house guest standing right outside the bathroom door, try my best to do my business quietly only to have the sound of a dying seal emanate through the bottom of the toilet and then reverberate all through an all tile bathroom. NO WAY that was not even me! You know why? Because it was my daughter from the other room! Yeah! It was NOT ME that just tried to blame that on my daughter either.

So make you way over to MckMama's and join in the fun. Also, make sure you browse thru all the different Not Me's. Oh and tell me if you have or had grandparents that were that free with their gas. It's NOT ME that's asking that question.