Please Pray

Here is Mazie cleverly hidden by Mazie, Cookie, and Max the Cat...she was very cold...
and later in the playroom!

I have been spending some great times with my kids...I'll post pictures later: of my time with Jane, but for now

Please pray for:

Mazie: she is in the hospital. Lots of tests and a fever that just won't go down. She has an IV and is getting lots of fluids. She is on some tough antibiotics. She isn't eating. She IS drinking! Tomorrow, she has a test and can have nothing by mouth until after her test at 12:30. you have to realize that there are 2 phrases that are first to come out of her mouth in the morning: I am thirsty and I am hungry!!! This won't be easy for anyone. She is a trooper and she is a funny bunny even when she doesn't feel well! My heart hurts to see her. She can't go home until the fever is down for 24 hours. It was up at 9:00 tonight!

Simon: Sibling syndrome...his sister, mom and dad appear to his brain that he is the forgotten child. We know about this because this is how Jane

felt whenever Betsy was sick. Notice me...I am still here. Tonight was tough. He wanted his mom to put him to bed and she was at the hospital. His language failed him when he was explaining this to his mom and he did sound like he was being stubborn...poor little guy!!! Even with Nana here, mom is always better

Betsy: she has been staying in the hospital with Mazie. She is sleeping very little. She has been torn between work and family and hospital. She told me today that this isn't what she planned to happen when I came to visit. I just consider it another gift from God that I am able to be her this week to help. She hides her concern well but I know that there is concern.

Jon: Jon is trying to hold work and home together...and tonight said he was very tired. He spent the day at the hospital today and came home tonight.

I love this family so much and am well aware of God's hand in our lives. His almighty and wonderful presence surrounds us and I cherish the prayers of those who have known and supported us in prayer. I am thankful that my lonely husband encourages me and tells me that he is glad I am here even though I know that he is missing me. I praise Him for who He is. I thank Him that His arms are wrapped around this family and that the things that are happening are not a surprise to Him. I thank Him that much the same as when we struggled when we were going through medical concerns with Betsy, His hands are always the ones most competent.

It is late, I need to go to bed, pictures will come tomorrow!

A New Day....at Dawn

The house is quiet except for the fans running to cool it down. Steve is still in bed and for the past several days I have been awake at dawn...I know this because I have seen the sun rise for the last several days....at 4:00ish. I realized today that although I don't always get up, this is my favorite part of the day. I have tried to put my finger on what it is about this time in our house.

I used to think that it was because I felt alone, before we both rushed off to work. But that can't be it, because Steve still rushes off to work, but I am alone much of the day.

I think it is because for me, this is a time when I can feel my Savior's presence. I love doing devotions in the morning. I love praying in the morning. I love being alone with God in the morning. When I don't meet with God in this precious time, I almost feel like I missed Him which is silly because I know that He is ever-present.

There is just something that causes me to pause and praise Him in the morning. I think that it is the holy hush to my day. Thank you Father for your presence this morning and in my life. Thank you for this day that you have given me. Thank you for watching over those whom I love. Jesus, thank you for being here...at dawn...and allowing me to experience it with you.

The trip to the Acupunturist...by ME

Over the years I have seen several massage therapists. Each one has a unique way of describing my back....I have heard: cement, rocks, You-just-came-last-week-what-happened? You get the picture. I tend...tee hee...to keep all of the stress in my life in my shoulders. A couple of weeks ago, my chiropractor told me that I should consider a massage...I didn't tell him I had just come from an 1 1/2 hour massage, mostly working on my back!!!!! So my massage therapist gave me a name, I called, and today was my appointment.

I walked into his room and there staring at me the entire time during the interview was Buddha. (should have figured that out..eastern medicine...duh!) First came the interview. He asked questions and I answered them. Here are a couple of my favorite:
T: (because his name starts with T) Do you worry?
Me: no, I don't worry...later on I said...oh wait, I'm on meds for anxiety...maybe I did worry...


Later in the interview and my personal favorite....T brings up body image for people in my generation...okay, so that didn't sit well ya little whippersnapper! I told him that I had gained 35+ pounds in the last 5 years since we moved out here and that did bother me. Now here is the fun part.
T: Do you feel it or do you believe it?
Me: do I believe that I am overweight? YES Do I feel it? YES
Wrong answer...I was supposed to pick one. Believe or feel? Why yes, I feel better when I weigh less AND I believe I am overweight...confirming the whole body image for my generation (grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr)


After an extensive interview, he told me to lie on the table. He went out to get the pins/needles! I thought this was just an interview....I would have told him that Costco WAS an emergency. Here's what happened:


First he had to listen to my heart...with his fingers. He put his fingers on my pulse and then he got down right spooky. His eyes would grow large and then small and then large again. Didn't much like that! He "listened" to my heart in my ankles, again with the fingers and the spooky eyes. Then he started to stick pins in me.


I have heard that this doesn't hurt. Well, I would say...some of the areas didn't hurt, my feet and hands and arms....they hurt. Going in AND while they were there. After he had about 15+ stick pins in me, he put a bag of sand over my eyes and told me to relax.
The reason people SAY that it doesn't hurt is because, after the "treatment" and I expressed PAIN...he said, no I didn't feel pain. Pain is something that you want to run out of the room...hmmm....okay, so you know pain and I don't or was it...I was in PAIN but I'll tell everyone, it wasn't pain because I didn't run out of the room.


He then stayed in the room. Now, was when I felt very uncomfortable. I didn't know if he was praying to Buddha or doing paperwork, but I started singing every hymn that talked about the protection of Jesus Christ. For a while, all I said, (this is all in my head) was Jesus! It was now not only spooky eyes but creepy feelings.


He told me that I would take a nap...FAT chance!!! I waited and worried...okay so I should have answered that question differently. What am I going to say when he wants me to schedule the next appointment? (Song about Jesus) Do I make it and call to cancel it? (Song about Jesus) Am I polite? (Praying for protection from spooky and creepy) Do I tell him that this is the most spooky and creepy thing that I have done?


He said he'd wait for 20 minutes. Now, I can feel these pins, and they are not comfortable. It has been at least a day and half that I was laying there...(BTW: My top time limit on laying in the sun...about 10 minutes before I get fidgety) Finally I could stand it no more...I had to ask:


ME: Do people tell you they hate this?

He seemed genuinely surprised. He then asked what I hated. I told him. He said, okay, I want to look at your back. He did something...felt like a rolling pin going from my shoulders to my ankles. Then his fists...same pattern.


Diagnosis? My blood pools in my calves. My heart can get the blood down to my legs but it can't come back up. I asked: How did you know that? He said...well every time I touched your calves, you cringed and I didn't change my pressure.

Okay, Mr. In-a-younger-generation, do you think it is because I had just come from a class at the gym and we had done lunges and squats? Of course my calves are tender! (These were silent, in my head questions. After the hate question, I didn't think he could take these!)

My worst fear never came to pass (see it really doesn't pay to worry). He asked if I wanted to make another appointment or just call in. I couldn't get out of there fast enough. Will I go back? Not for a long time. My next worry? Tomorrow I go to get my hair low-lighted and I will be covered with tin foil....wonder if I will pick up alien reception...stay tuned.....until that time, the only pins that will be around me will be those in my pin cushion!!!!

Freedom?

It's Memorial Day. It's not just a day off of work. It's not the first camping weekend. It's not a vacation day where you get time and a half. It's a time to remember.

What do we remember? For some, it is a time to reflect on the past wars. Some wars are seen as mistakes and others seen as necessary. Although there are a lot of things that differ from war to war, some things are similar. In every war there are those who do not agree with the war.

In each war, there are those who go to foreign lands, never to return again. In each war, there are those who protest the war for the killing that is involved. The protests hurt the soldiers who come home or hurt families who have lost their loved ones in that foreign land.

Each war threatens our freedom and each time that happens, men and women will volunteer to fight so that we can experience freedom.

Today, we had our annual Memorial Day Festivities at Moles Greenacres Memorial Park. The 1422 flags lined the roads and once again took my breath away when we drove into the park. We had the fly over from the vintage airplanes. We enjoyed the speakers and the musicians. We had hot dogs and brownies. All in all, it was a typical day. But, somehow it was different.

Today, as the widows (ers), wives, sons, fathers, mothers, children, and siblings paraded up to get their flower because their loved one had died this past year...over 100 vets died this year. Today my "job" was to be available for the family to get down the steps after they placed a carnation at the Veteran's Memorial .

What I saw in the faces of most of the people was grief. I saw young widows with small children weeping because, their husband and father didn't come home. I saw the tears and open grieving in the faces of teens who had lost their dad. And I realized that many places place the emphasis on the soldier. Please do not think that I am downplaying the soldier's bravery. I am not. I am wondering about those left behind. Young mothers who are now single moms. Young families who need to have the guidance that is necessary.

Thank you. Each of you. For you the soldier and your bravery and courage to take a stand for our nation. Thank you to the families, the mothers and fathers, sisters and brothers, wives and children who remain and who are struggling because your loved one stood up for our freedom.

There is a cost for freedom. It comes at the price of loss and death. It comes at a great price. Thank you for serving. Thank you for putting your life on the line so that I might have the freedoms I enjoy.

Look at this picture taken in Arlington Cemetery. If you look carefully, you can see the heart made out of the tree branches to show people the love it takes for a man or a woman to dedicate their lives to being a solders.

Happy Memorial Day. Take some time to remember and to pray for the families who need the strength and the love of God. Pray for our country, its leaders, and for those who make crucial decisions. Pray that God will be the center of our lives. It is He that can give the orphans and widows peace. It is His peace that we desire. Pray that He will bless our land. Pray that we will be faithful to Him.

Just WHEN does it happen?

One day when you grow up, do you lose all of the insecurities that you have and you go out into the world and you don't worry about what other people think. Or if your hair is too short? Too long? Too fat? Too skinny (okay I have never worried about this.) When is it that you look around your world and say...I am who I want to be. I am loved and am satisfied with my life as it is.

I think I have addressed this topic before. I am taking an on-line class at ACTS Seminary. We are studying the book of Isaiah. So...part of the assignment is to post your answers on the class site...and then your classmates get to respond...and you have to respond to others also.

Today I finished lesson 2...I only have about 8 weeks left to agonize over what I said. Am I understanding the question? Am I putting too much information in the answer...too little? Am I even CLOSE to answering it?

Our teacher asked us to keep track of the time spent on the assignments...I did and sent it in for week one...he commented that if I had spent all that amount of time on the assignment...he figured I wouldn't have time to finish the rest of the assignments in the class. And my junior high insecurities kicked into high gear!!!

You know, I am the first one to tell someone that it is important to know whose you are...I am the child of the King, adopted daughter to royalty, and loved beyond measure...so WHY????? WHY?????Why am I so insecure in myself.

I guess that as we age, some faster than others, we just learn more and more to trust in God and His love for us.

Father, I can't be the only one who feels insecure today in their new job, the new place, maybe even the old place that still doesn't feel comfortable. Help us to realize that it isn't what we do, it isn't who we are, it is who we are in You. Keep our focus on You and open our eyes to our capabilities and the gifts that you have given to each one of us. Thank you for your secure arms. Help us overcome the insecurities that the enemy wants to place in our path. Thank you for your love and the strength that you give us each day...In your precious name, Amen...

weekend weeds and bark

This weekend Steve & I worked like crazy. We have decided that it is time to get our house on the market. For some, this decision means calling a realtor, setting up an appointtment, deciding on a price, and digging a sign hole to place the FOR SALE sign in the front yard.

This is NOT what we have to do. First, there is the outside of the house. We have a small yard, BUT we have LOTS of flower beds. One thing we have learned is plants grow to goliath proportions! Along with the irises that are 4 ft. tall and tulips the size of soup mugs; we have dandelions bigger than pom-pom mums. So, we began with the outside.

We have a stone path by our house that few people have seen...why, you ask? Because the weeds have taken over. Round-up appears to be plant food for our weeds on that side of the house. (One time, I sprayed round-up and then a couple of days later checked, only to see thriving weeds. However, Steve asked me why I killed the neighbor's grass!?! I denied that I had done that ... vehimately denied it and then I looked. Sure enough...Grass -> DEAD; Weeds -> triving!) My conclusion???? Round-up = Plant food.

On Friday I pulled all of the stones up & on Saturday, Steve and I pulled and poisoned the weeds, reset the stones, and began to cover with bark. By the end of Sunday, we had used 20 bags of bark AND 60 feet of edging and 2 gardens were weeded! The sale for the bark, of course, was over this week so off we went to Home Depot to pick up as many bags as the CRV would hold...15.

We got to Home Depot and stood looking at the bark...And then, Steve's eyes lit up, he saw the palate of bark and asked...do you deliver? REALLY???????? How much...oh, there's the catch. Too much. But the nice HD person said, YOU could use our truck and then YOU could take a palate home. WOW...for only 19.95...a deal at half the price. But, as with all things, there was another catch...we had to do it in 75 minutes or pay extra.

Palate loaded. We took off...okay, that sounds like the truck was fast...nope. We got home and unloaded...now remember...a palate of bark. We had already worked very hard all weekend and let me tell you...my body felt old. We unloaded 60 bags of bark. By the last 2 rows, I was doing a count down...8.....7.....ugh....6666666666666666.....ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh....ffffffffffffff5...you get the picture. With that, we have about 1/4 of the gardens done, we have a mountain of bagged bark in the driveway and a plethora of weed remaining.

We were dirty, tired, and could not straighten up, but we have a start on calling a realtor. After the gardens, we only have ROOMS full of knick-knacks, collections, memorabilia, treasures...call it what you like or just call it junk. We also have 10 sets of dishes, antiques, a couple of boxes labeled: Toys to save for girls, clothes to save for girls, or books to save for girls. Then there are the 17 boxes of Christmas decorations...whose idea was it to have a tree in every room of the house...isn't that a bit extreme?

So, we are pointed in the right direction for selling our house. Only the yard and several rummage sales or trips to local good will and we should be ready. My goal...September. If we get it done earlier...that's great. So if you have a burning desire to do yard work, or LOVE sorting other people's stuff OR it is your life's desire to have multiple rummage sales....give me a call...our realtor will thank you.

weekend weeds and bark