As We Sail...

A Question of Power or Plan?

2011-10-25T09:10:00.000-07:00

My poor mom is hating having to take her new blood thinning medicine. I know how hard this is for her because as so many tend to believe, she feels she isn't giving God a chance to heal her if she resorts to medication. Also, "If I feel good there must not be anything wrong." even when the tests prove otherwise. But I have learned these ideas aren't what God teaches, scripture can be so easily distorted. In my past I also have felt this dilemma and hurt, so I understand and my heart goes out to those under these teachings.

God can do it, He can do ANYTHING that He wills and even before we decide to use other means. We don't have to give Him a "chance". When He doesn't give instant healing He has given us doctors and medication for our use. He doesn't have to explain to us why He does or doesn't, and He has never told us to not use one means toward health in order to see if He will use another more desirable means down the road, or else He might withhold it from you altogether. I have known some who have held off until it is too late to use any other means He has provided. I realize that even the medical route is no guarantee, this just proves to me that the One who created my body still owns it for His purpose and He is the ultimate decision-maker. He has given each of us a certain number of days and He is the one in control. Medications can work good for one problem while at the same time possibly cause another. So it can be a hard decision to weigh and I wouldn't judge anyone who has to make it. For mom's case she needs to prevent blood clotting, a very present threat for her condition. A threat not worth ignoring, so she dreads having to actually stick to it's regime, especially because of what it does to her energy level. My niece has been on blood thinners for most of her life. God is allowing it to prolong her life and although it causes other problems it is a Godsend and meant to be taken advantage of.

Our limited knowledge can't understand why God doesn't always allow healing but yet allows medication, procedures, and doctors to help us while we are here, and we'd be foolish not to put it to use. As we see in Job, whatever concerns us has to be OK'd by the Father who does all for our good, and we see that He DOES okay it. If He truly never wants to allow sickness He does not lack the power to accomplish this and no one would ever have to experience the end result of man's fall. We would also have one less reason to draw still nearer to Him, to realize our gratefulness for the mercy He showers on us, and to wonder at why He would even give us our next breath.

I am saddened for those who are deceived into thinking they have deficient faith when in truth being forced into a position to REALLY trust His purposes when we cannot see "why" requires even greater eyes of faith. There are sadly so many who are being manipulated to live in frustration over their illness, being taught that they are the one limiting God's power when it is bad enough that they have to learn to cope with their thorn. We all have some health issue even if it's on & off, it would be sad if all I would think about that situation is that if I can work hard to whoop up my faith some more God might think I love Him enough to deserve His healing touch. Funny how most from that camp will of course urge you to get a broken leg fixed instead of waiting to see if God will heal it miraculously sometime later. My faith will never be great enough to will something into happening that God isn't, and He certainly doesn't require the measly power of my self-will or "visualization" to help Him accomplish anything. So, better to use it for good as He intends. To draw so close to Him that we can experience what it means to be content in our circumstances, and yes, to find those reasons to give thanks in everything. To cause others to see God's glory through trials.

In scripture God healed people lacking in faith, just as He does now, often, so I know that is not the requirement. We are shown that His main purpose while here was not to physically heal, but spiritually heal (salvation). He even walked away from multitudes that He was healing, through it He had proven He was of God, He was more importantly drawn to go to those who needed to know Him. If this seems puzzling it should lead us to find deeper answers in His word as to what He is all about, not to the twisted interpretations of an unqualified and blindly elevated "leader" who create their own hype for fame and income, as so many have proven about them-self. I know God weeps with us over our pain even though He can end it. Would He really want us to glide by with no thorns? No reminder of the effect of sin which is the proof of our need for a Savior? No reasons to draw us into learning of His nature and His will? Have us not to be used to show others God's glory through hardship? If being His child had to be sufficient enough for Paul (as if being His child isn't enough) and God chose a doctor for his companion, I guess us disillusioned so-called "sub-faithers" are in good company.

I could go on with multitudes of scripture about God's will concerning illness but there are many other resources that say it more intelligently and eloquently than I. The hard part might be in finding the ones that know how to rightly divide the truth of God's own teachings and not people that just make them line up with their own traditions, for their own purposes. But you would also have to learn how to 'discerningly' find those authors and to choose your leaders.

Will I Ever Fully Trust God?

2011-08-23T07:18:00.000-07:00

Not until I'm perfect and in Heaven. Because then I'll have shed everything that hinders REALLY knowing Him.
When I think things go wrong, my spiritual immaturity causes me to fear - be angry - confused - (insert other distrust here). Even though we grow in trust by learning more about God and experiencing His hand in our lives, we aren't going to ever "arrive" at the end of spiritual maturity. The Holy Spirit enlightens my understanding enough to see things only through a dark glass until the day I get to understand how HE sees, and experience that perfect trust.
Sometimes I will get impatient with the slow growth of trust in an area of another believer's life and have to think that God must get impatient with the lazy areas of my pilgrimage. Sometimes I forget that He wants me to become like Him, but more often than not I just get lazy with the fight that requires. It means letting go of the importance of my own daily concerns. Maybe I think God won't take care of my own concerns the way that I like, so again, not trusting enough to accept HIS outcome.

When God allows those hard things into my life it takes real focus to know He is totally in control even when He allows things to remain "bad", or lead to death which we usually think of as "bad" also. If He wasn't in complete control of everything He wouldn't be sovereign and worthy of our trust. Therefore these hard things have to be meant for my good, in some way that I may not know while I'm alive. Probably mostly for concreting my trust, and for bringing me to a place where utter helplessness forces me to accept His control. Sometimes the way in which I handle devastation may be for the sake of those who are on the sidelines. When we come through the end of a trial we say "God is so good", but He is also good when He sees fit NOT to bring us through it here on earth and the ending is when He brings us home, even if for many people that end is after a whole lifetime down the road.

I hope someday my life shows enough trust and growth to be pleasing in His sight a little more than me being a hindrance to those who need to see Christ through me. It is what our Father created us for, to glorify Him, and to learn how He wants us to do that.

Here are some good songs on the subject of trusitng God through trials.

Blessings by Laura Story

He's Always Been Faithful To Me by Sara Groves

Living Out Your Salvation

2011-06-24T04:48:00.000-07:00

"Holy living is not only the refraining from doing the wrong and the doing of the right, but an insatiable desire for God's will that can only be put in the heart by the Holy Spirit, manifesting our true sincerity by glorifying Him through obedience." Chas. E. Orr - Ps 42:1, Php 2:12, 1Thes 1:7, 1Jn 2:4, Num 15:30

I wish I would ask myself more often "does my life read as a letter from God or a memo of my intentions?" when i hear people say that God doesn't make us His puppets I always wish He WOULD make me one so that the cares of this world wouldn't effect my decisions, making so many of them hypocritical. If I want to be "so heavenly minded that I'm MORE earthly good" why don't I?

I once heard that ALL sin is based in self-centeredness. so I started thinking about all the kinds of sin (even seemingly benign character flaws) and I couldn't find one that didn't have it's root cause in "self". In the garden satan appealed to Eve's ego ("you will be like God"), and then second-guessing God ("did He say...?)is really our way of getting around His authority so we can do what WE want. ME! That's the only desire of a newborn baby, to learn how to get what he wants. His parents have to gradually tame his selfishness throughout his childhood. Teaching his will to submit to authority not only prepares him to avoid horrible consequences in a lawful society, in the workforce, in a marriage..., but prepares his heart to submit to the Holy Spirit when He convicts him to repent and continues to convict him to live out his salvation, thus avoiding more horrible consequences.

I definitely don't have enough "fear and trembling" when living out my salvation, or as the amplified version says "...reverence and awe, serious caution" Php 2:12. We all have a human nature, that tendency to quench what we know is right in favor of our own desires. For some it is a stronger personal trial than it is for others. In chapter 7 of Romans Paul tells of his battle with "self will" even though he was a more determined and courageous warrior. As impossible as it seems God wants us to set Himself as our goal (1Pet 1:15-16), not so we'll feel defeated and overwhelmed, but exhorted and enthusiastic to please Him (1 Cor 9:24). God doesn't give us what we can't handle, it's just that a lot of times I don't want to step out of my comfort zone or quench my tendency for self-pity, in order to decrease ME and show God's power in my life. -Jn 3:30-31. when Paul asked "who will set me free from this body of death?", I feel so connected to that expression of shame. He knew the answer though, that battle won't be forever, but realizing our inadequacies teach us to rely more on a loving Father's daily grace. He gave us a gift when He captured us. A shared hatred for the sin in those He loves. Hatred for sin stirs our heart for obedience, and at least some level of growth, in spite of our numerous shortcomings. So, if a thirst for obedience is not manifest in your life....you know what scripture says about a faith without works (the obedience from the heart)? The book of James has a lot to say about that.
If we all could just be rid of ourselves and live like this earth is not our home! As much as we want to be His puppets, He would rather have our struggling push that reinforces our love. We are on a Pilgrimage, ambassadors for Him. It's hard to keep all these ties in perspective but when we return to our forever home, this life we have built for ourselves will be like a blink. What really mattered will be what is there with Him.

We're Still Valentines

2011-02-14T04:24:00.000-08:00

People might think that Steve and I are a little delusional but after all these years we're still in love with each other. Well, I think Steve is lupie anyway, he still tells me I'm pretty, haha. Along with all the years of happy and loving memories we've had our share of fights and sometimes long periods of distancing. But making the choices each day to tough it through no matter what, teaches us to actually live out our love, and seems to produce some kind of a glue. There is no promise of having good without taking the bad as long as we're in this ol' world.

Along with those romantic candlelight meals we also have to learn to eat crow and swallow pride and unfairness. Sometimes marriage can be a battle ground (battle of the wills anyway) and making the decision to stay and care about the person God chose for you has brought us a closer friendship and a comforting assurance of our love, knowing what we can expect and hope in each others commitment. Marriage is more than giving your word to someone, which doesn't seem to be as highly honored as it used to. It is more importantly a vow made to your Father (who wants to help you keep it, and Who will hold you to it) and trusting the outcome to Him.

My heart goes out to those who have a lot more hardship in their marriage than we've had. My previous words don't imply that God won't tolerate divorce within His described guidelines because we are imperfect people, but there are consequences for rebellion, and blessings for obedience. Although we like to give God a deadline He brings us those blessings in His timing, which is more perfect than whatever time we are counting on receiving them. He created time and He created what He wants time to bring to us. The ultimate end and blessing? Our time of eternity with Him.

True Happiness

2011-01-29T09:18:00.000-08:00

"God cares more about your obedience than your happiness" Warren Wiersbe

A lot of people say God just wants us to be happy. He does of course but to reach it through a different route than we are used to attaining it. True happiness and peace is the result of being in fellowship with Him. So I guess that means our obedience is His main concern since we can't achieve (true) happiness without it. After all, would you be experiencing the true meaning of happiness if you hadn't obeyed His call to repentance? And that is only the beginning of His blessings.

I remember this song being popular back when I first became a follower of Christ, and I still love the words, maybe if just for the sake of reminiscing.

37 - And Counting

2011-01-21T04:12:00.000-08:00

For my Steve - always in my corner, assuring me that you'll be here no matter what. Thanks for being my #1 fan, my comforter, encourager, buffer, my leader and "hang-out" buddy - and just whatever I need for whatever I/we are going through. You've made me your #1 fan, too! Another happy anniversary Honey.

And of course I have to add OUR song.
I guess we relate to this so much because being immature (and against wise counsel), we got married after only knowing each other for 4 1/2 months. I'm sure people thought we wouldn't last, statistics really are against it so we are against doing what we did. Shouldn't that be our view for all our mistakes? But in spite of ourselves, with determination and with the Lord's grace, for His own reason He kept us together.

God Has Blessed Our Love

2011-01-20T18:33:00.000-08:00

As with many couples there's been a few times that we haven't always thought that we were there for each other, who hasn't had those rough waters, but when the fog cleared it proved that we really were still willing to be there, learning to hang on to the beacon of God's grace.
I think being the only one for each other ever since we were 18 (37yrs) and never throwing in the towel on each other is a whole lot to be thankful for. We spent a lot of years figuring out compromises and tolerating quirks to make it work, so thanks for staying the course with me. I am blessed.

Thinking about all the good stuff

Eating / Testing Snow

2011-01-12T08:22:00.000-08:00

I got a snow ice cream recipe from Sharleen, right when I was about to look into if it is okay to eat snow, in large quantities that is.

We all probably ate snow as a child (and a lot worse things than that) and were told to watch out for the yellow stuff. nowadays there is more pollution in the air but it is still fun to catch the flakes on your tongue or even grab a handful to melt in your mouth.

Most sites I visited said just be careful if you live around large cities or industrial sights. We live near the bottom curve of Lake Michigan, outside Chicago and a few nearby steel mills. So I tested the snow according to instructions on one site.

Fill a large bowl with freshly fallen snow, let melt, strain though a coffee filter fitted over a glass.
If you can't see any debris on the filter, check with a magnifying glass. In my case I could clearly some see tiny dark, and lighter, specs.
It may not be a good idea for folks in my area to eat more than small amounts of fresh snow at a time. But you can make your own judgement. After all, our immune system takes care of some amount of pollution every day, in our foods & water, breathing, etc... The FDA allows a certain amount of rat droppings/hair, as well as other items to be in our food when tested because they cannot keep it all out of our food supply, so I don't think a little pollution is any worse. I once watched a medical show describing all the yucky stuff we live with every second of every day, yet we have no idea because our immune system either gets rid of it or helps our body accommodate it. We need to be exposed to a certain amount of it in order to build resistance. Depending on your age, health, the amount of pollution in your area and your portion size, it's up to you. I think I will make the snow ice cream recipe as a fun thing to do. There are recipes all over the internet.

SNOW ICE CREAM made with fresh milk
1 gallon fresh clean snow
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 cups milk

When it starts to snow, place a large, clean bowl outside to collect the flakes. When full, stir in sugar and vanilla to taste, then stir in just enough milk for the desired consistency. Serve at once. Serves 4.

SNOW ICE CREAM made with evaporated milk
1 (12 ounce) can evaporated milk
2 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3/4 cup sugar
1 gallon fresh clean snow

Slowly combine first 4 ingredients in large bowl until smooth. Gradually stir in snow until mixture reaches desired consistency. Serve at once.

Homemade Bread

2011-01-12T08:20:00.000-08:00

Butter sandwiches for lunch.
That's like a ham sandwich without the ham.

Deliverance gave us some yummy wheat bread she made with crunchy bits of millet all through (it made the house smell heavenly).

I decided to make sandwiches for lunch so I could have 2 slices. Then I thought, "forget the meat, it might take away from the bread".

Stevie, my bread-lover, was happy to discover the warm "butter sandwiches" I invented, open face, with a cup of hot chocolate.

Movie Date

2010-12-28T11:43:00.000-08:00

Stevie has known Charlie for many years, and ever since she was his high school prom date I have chaperoned them on a couple of dates each year. It's usually a movie and dinner.

This time they went to see the movie Tangled, a funny version of Rapunzel. I laughed as much as they did.

Then off to The Chocolate Cafe. After all that popcorn, we only got a cup of hot soup and dessert. The "Fondue For 2" was just enough for the 3 of us.

Yummmm!

Christmas Eve

2010-12-24T20:00:00.000-08:00

Our family had Christmas dinner and gift exchange on Christmas Eve this year because Deliverance had to work on Christmas day.

Well, she had to work on Christmas Eve too, but not in the evening.

Deliverance and Josh hosted downstairs with a cozy fire in their fireplace and mellow Christmas music.

As usual there was lots of good food and sweets. I think the star of the show was this chocolate cake Deliverance made with peppermint mousse filling and ganache coating.

Stephen received some karaoke games and microphones. He loves to sing, mostly alone in his room.

(Oh, btw, Steve requested I cut him out of the photo on the internet)

Poor Scooby, why do we torture him so?

Stained Glass Sugar Cookies

2010-12-21T19:37:00.000-08:00

While we were art my parents house I found myself with nothing planned one day so I made my grandma's sugar cookie recipe,
only I altered it slightly by adding a pane of stained glass in the centers.

This takes a lot of extra time but is pretty easy.
Just crush a hard candy (Jolly Ranchers are best) to fill into each center cut-out just before they are done cooking.

It is easiest to get them off the cookie pan if you bake them on baking parchment so you can slip it off the pan to cool before you peel the cookies off.

I also made my mom's cream cheese cookie recipe. One of my all time favorites.

Michigan Family Pre-Christmas Visit

2010-12-20T19:27:00.000-08:00

We took a few days to run up to Michigan to visit my family a few days before Christmas since Steve managed to actually get this time for one of his vacation weeks..

Besides my parents, this also included seeing my brother, sister, niece and her husband.

We don't often get to see them around the holidays so it was a special treat.

Mom's Nursing Home Christmas Party

2010-12-17T19:03:00.000-08:00

The Alzheimer's unit sponsored a Christmas dinner for clients and their family.

There was plenty of food and gifts, songs, and cute children to give the clients lots of joy.

Barb, Stevie and I had a memorable time with mom. As for mom, she forgot about it the next day,

It was worth seeing the joy on her face, because she thought it was all for her birthday, which is 2 weeks later.

Being the good hostess, she had to play the social butterfly and visit each client and visitor to ask them if they were having a good time.

Thanksgiving 2010

2010-11-25T17:26:00.000-08:00

Deliverance and Josh invited us downstairs to their place for Thanksgiving dinner, and Josh's brother Chris was there too.

It is the first year they have their own completed kitchen. I welcomed it gladly, since it would mean a lot less cleaning up for me.

I decided to try a recipe I found on line for sausage stuffed mushroom caps. They went over very well.

Deliverance's chipotle-augratin potatoes are always a big hit, as well as her sweet potato casserole with pecan praline topping, and pumpkin cheesecake.
Sooo easy to partake in the traditional Thanksgiving over-indulging.

It was also too difficult to choose just one of the yummy desserts, so I allowed Stevie to have a sample of each one. His favorite course.

Survival of the Fittest Flower

2010-11-08T20:24:00.000-08:00

Petunias are pretty hearty. When I forget to water my flowers for a few days in a heat wave, most of them don't survive, but after a while my petunias will make a comeback.

When I don't dead-head them they tend to loose all thier leaves and die back, but if I cut them back short they may take a month but will come back to their former glory.

Our first real snow that stuck around for a few days before the weather warmed up again, snuffed out my other flowers for the rest of the year, but this amazing pot of petunias don't seem to be phased a bit.

Nursing Home Halloween Party

2010-11-04T16:25:00.000-07:00

If Steve's mom leaves the Alzheimer's unit someone has to be with her.
Her unit was having a little celebration but more fun was to be had where the singer and visiting children were.

So Steve, Stevie and I helped mom attend the party in the larger common dining room.

She loved watching the little ones go trick-or-treating from table to table where the patients could give them something from the bowls of candy on each table, and then watch them dance to the songs the visiting singer sang throughout the hour.

She wanted to hang on to the cat ear headband I made for her costume. The aids said she played with it for days, putting them on her as well as any client who would let her put it on them.

9th Anniversary

2010-10-13T18:49:00.000-07:00

So proud of our kids Deliverance and Josh.

They have been through a lot of hardship and experienced a lot of blessings packed into the 9 short years they have been husband and wife.

They have experienced a lot more than Steve and I did in our first 9 yrs.

The Lord has blessed us with giving us them.

Stephen's 27th

2010-09-10T16:53:00.000-07:00

Of course he had to have a double fudge cake with chocolate ice cream.

He asked for balloons and streamers this time.

He still gets a kick out of the trick candles that re-light themselves.

Enough super soaker water guns to have a war.

Power Ranger multi-function weapon.

Deliverance & Josh took him to see the play Pinocchio.

Brookfield Zoo With Friends

2010-08-13T12:14:00.000-07:00

I haven't been to one of the Chicago zoo's for many years, so when my friends Linda and Pat wanted somewhere to go together that's what we decided on.

A zoo is about the only place you can get a good look at God's wonderful creations that live in other parts of the world that we will probably never experience. I don't like animals to be caged, but these all had nice habitats to roam around in.

Despite it being a scorcher of a day, we had a good time seeing as much as we could before the heat would stop us. So we cheated and took the trolley around a lot of the areas and then picked out a few areas to take a closer look at, including the dolphin show.

While we ate a late lunch in the shade, the younger of the 4 of us, Stevie and Linda, went to a couple of the exhibits that Pat and I weren't up to pushing ourselves to, before we made the trek out to the car and head home before rush hour.

Happy Birthday To My College Sweetheart

2010-08-02T09:06:00.000-07:00

Steve - you have never given me cause to wonder about your love and devotion to me.

...and by the way, you have a great smile

Berry Picking Season

2010-07-22T18:40:00.000-07:00

Look at the pretty sky, this farm is called Blue Sky Blueberry Farm.

I picked the biggest ones I could find, but most all of them were big and delicious.

I put one on a penny and one on a nickle to help you see how plump these beauties are. I'll only need a few for each blueberry pancake or muffin (but I like more than a few in them). Enough for fruit salads until Easter.

The bushes were so full and ripe you constantly heard all the little thump sounds as berries just fell of the bushes. I didn't know whether to pick the bushes or pick them off the ground,

Stevie and I got to the red raspberry field at Grandma's Berry Patch just as they were dwindling out but managed a few pints, the black raspberries were already gone. The blackberries and blueberries are still going good for a couple more weeks.

A few days later to Garwood orchards for blackberries, the blackberries at Grandma's were a little sweeter.

You can tell Stevie wasn't too happy to be there. The days we picked were extremely hot, so we didn't stay long. the hottest day was 95f but heat index of 105.

After we eat a bunch I freeze them on sheet pans and bag them to use throughout the year.

Being Content Doesn't Come Easily

2010-07-18T08:38:00.000-07:00

When are heart breaks because our plans are shattered, peace can only come from trusting that the One who created our life is controlling it for His own magnificent plans. His ways are much higher than our ways. This has always been hard for me, because I tend to be a bit controlling, Each time He breaks our plans we can try to go it alone or save time and get on the path He is preparing for us.

verses on being content, at peace:
2Co 12:10 Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ's sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.
Php 4:11 Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am
Heb 13:5 Make sure that your character is free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, "I WILL NEVER DESERT YOU, NOR WILL I EVER FORSAKE YOU,"

lyrics to Break my Plans:
The praise songs of a nation flowed from his hands
and in a world of dark repression he made a stand
they told him to be silent and led him away
ten years was the sentence, a prisoner of faith
as he waited for God's timing another winter chilled the air
and as he thought of his own family he was filed with despair
so he cried out for justice "was there any other way?"
but then he gave it all to Jesus as he began to pray

"break my plans, shape my heart, take my will to where you are.
Move my mind through your Word, til all that I am
lives to love you, Lord."

I know I'm called to suffer and to take up my cross
but sometimes I grow so fearful when I count the cost
still my heart wants to follow and to walk in Your ways
to be counted with the faithful, Lord guide me today.

with all my heart, my strength and my soul,
I will love you God, so use my life and take complete control.

"break my plans, shape my heart, take my will to where you are.
Move my mind through your Word, til all that I am
lives to love you, Lord."

Romanian hymnist and pianist, Nicolae Moldoveanu, served 5 yrs for his Christian faith. While in prison and without pen and paper, he composed over 360 hymns. He's credited with 8000 songs, they are still sung throughout Romania today.

Michigan Visit

2010-07-10T13:52:00.000-07:00

Stevie and I went to visit family for a few days near the Detroit area. I picked up a few Buddy's pizza to bring home in the cooler. Then decided to bring home a couple more so dad loaned me his cooler too.

When dad and Stevie went to pick up the extra ones he took a photo of Stevie in front of the building. Then a guy waiting for his take-out volunteered to take a photo of them together.

My mom is a Chaplain at a medical care facility. She organizes church services for the patients 3x a week with various pastors and others who can sing and teach. When they forget to show up sometimes she has to fill in for them, which makes her a little nervous, but doesn't want to let them or the Lord down so she does her best.

The preacher she had scheduled this time was also a great singer. And guess what? He grew up next door to me. I've known him since we were little, but I hadn't seen him since I went to college and moved away. We wouldn't have recognized each other on the street. I was good friends with his sister, so it was good to catch up for a few minutes.

It was also good to see my sister and niece who always make an effort to come over while I'm there. My brother has now moved out of state. I miss them all.

The flower tree "snake" that my parents make every year is always beautiful to see. It is so much work that each time they wonder if it will be the last year they can do it.

Poor Baby!

2010-07-09T19:09:00.000-07:00

My mom has a Quaker parrot named Carmen who fell and broke her leg. The vet put a cast on, so she has a difficult time getting around on the bottom of her cage.

Carmen would usually be on mom's shoulder a lot during the day, but since she can't stand now mom made her a sling to sit in so she can still ride along.

It's made from cutting a nylon knee-hi so it can be tied around mom's neck, and making a hole for each foot and tail so she won't slip out the bottom.

It's so funny to see.

Puzzling Time

2010-06-28T17:18:00.000-07:00

On our most recent ladies night we decided to work a puzzle before dinner (pizza) and then our usual card games.

We've become used to half focusing on the movie playing in the next room where Stevie is sitting close by.
He is half watching the movie and half trying to interact with us, because Pat and Linda like to tease him, and they know he so enjoys it.

It's nice to have a Christian support system.
When you're with those who have the same values you feel comfortable discussing what is going on your lives. You know they understand what you are feeling, and will have the kind of advice or encouragement you can really use. You can rely on them for good clean fun and meaningful relationships. When we have a conflict, God has instilled in us the desire to reconcile because we are part of His body.
Part of our maturity comes from being accountable for our failings. When we don't have that warmth from each other we are like a lone coal, our spiritual life grows cold.

Happy 57th Anniversary

2010-06-21T09:59:00.000-07:00

...to my mom & dad.

I was their 3rd anniversary present, on the longest day of the year. When I was little it always felt like a festive week with 4 celebrations, cause it was just after Father's day and my mom's birthday was 2 days after mine.

My mom always had a party every year for each of us kids' birthdays, she didn't have a very happy childhood. I always thought that was the norm for everyone until one year a friend commented on how cool that was.

So, now that I look back on it, their anniversary never overshadowed my day, isn't that just like good parents.

They would still go out to dinner and a show, or a weekend getaway. When I turned 12 they went on a week long trip and mom sent my cake (she was a cake decorator) with me to stay at my grandma's, where we watched the moon landing.

Spider Bite

2010-06-10T17:03:00.000-07:00

Be careful. I thought I was, didn't even see a spider, or realized that I was bit. Saw this hours after coming inside from cleaning our pool cover.

The next day it started getting hard, itchy and a little purple. The ER doc said it really looked like it was from some kind of spider.

20 hours in the Hospital. IV of 2 antibiotics, steroid and morphine.

DO NOT WAIT.
I was told if the swelling area gets bigger than 2" diameter, seek help.

Mine ended up being 6" while I was in ER.

An Overdue Visit

2010-05-23T10:54:00.000-07:00

Since my good friend Bonnie lives further away now that we've moved, our visits are further apart too. But it is always so refreshing to finally enjoy the fellowship of a friend that you don't see very often.

That meant that Stevie also got to visit with Shawn for a few hours and play some Wii while his mom & I got caught up and walk around to see the changes we've made in the yard.

Stevie looks angry because he doesn't like me to take his picture. If someone else does it that's fine, but not mom. I think he also did not want Shawn to go home.

Black Squirrel

2010-05-23T09:48:00.000-07:00

I woke up one day last week to see a black squirrel feeding under our bird feeders.

Unlike some people, I was thrilled to see a squirrel of any kind. We've only had one (a red one) when we first moved in a year and a half ago, but he only stayed for a couple of months, and no sign of one since, so i had a bag of corn cobs sitting around until I threw it out a month ago.
I enjoy seeing them forage around, but I might feel differently if there were more than a few and they destroyed the bird feeders. I've read that black squirrels aren't very common and are more territorial than others, but I will welcome it if that's all I can get.

He was eating the oilers and peanuts that is in the weatherproof feeder I just put up. It fell off it's hook and spilled out the top.

This weatherproof feeder is designed to not let blowing snow or rain get into the holes. It has a slit all the way around the bottom for the birds to pick out the food under a shield. I got it on-line.
I didn't tighten the top hook enough and when the wind blew it around it came undone. It would be better if it had a swivel hook so the wind couldn't unscrew it. I don't like the wasted food after it rains or the holes get covered with snow and gets the food wet and clogged, so I splurged on this one since I really enjoy keeping the wide varieties of birds around.

River Of Life - Second Post

2010-05-10T01:19:00.000-07:00

I've had a few friends ask me how to make it from a previous post so I got the instructions from mom and dad for putting together the tree snake that they like to call the "river of life".

On your tree, measure where you want it to go, plus a few extra inches. Get that length of landscape fabric (not punctured plastic) and chicken wire with 2" holes. cut the fabric to the circumference that you want, maybe 2-2 1/2' around is easier to manage for your first time. Lay the chicken wire down flat and the fabric on top of it. Use hot glue or a strong waterproof adhesive along the edges of the fabric to connect the sides to make a long sack. Also seal up one end, that will be the bottom. Fill the sack with perlite planting mix (perlite, shredded coconut shell & peat moss) or other LIGHTWEIGHT planting mix. Lay this "snake" back on the chicken wire and wrap the wire around it. This will keep the flowers in place once they start getting bigger. Pinch the wire tightly closed at each end. *Do not cut the chicken wire width-wise because it become like a Chinese finger trap and not hang right, just overlap when you wrap it around the fabric snake.

You should now have a long snake of chicken-wire-wrapped landscape fabric, filled with lightweight planting medium. Gather top of the snake's chicken wire together to make a wire "rope" then make a loop out of it to hang it from. Get on a ladder and position this on the tree, secure the top of the wire loop to the tree with a large screw or nail or tie around a low limb with strong wire.

Now poke small holes in the fabric (through the 2" chicken wire holes) wherever you want to place an impatiens plant. these don't have to be real close together because ea plants will get big enough to fill in about a 6" area. make sure to get the roots well within the soil.

This snake took about 5 flats of impatiens, but you need less if you are making a smaller and skinnier snake, which would be best to do if it is your first try. Check the moisture daily by poking your finger through some of the holes. If it gets dry the plants won't fill in good and you'll have bare fabric showing. On very hot days you will need to water extra. It's easier to lay a soaker hose or drip irrigation tubes on top of the snake and let the flowers cover it as they grow. you can cut the hose to the exact length of the snake so you can just attach a garden hose to it for a couple hrs when it needs moisture, (or most of the day during heat waves) and then disconnect it again, leaving the soaker hose in place. Because of gravity you may need to water the top portion of the snake more often, or only position the hose on the top half of the snake and let gravity bring the water down. The hose can be attached to the snake by using zip ties from Home Depot electrical section. Fasten it every foot or so.
My dad uses Rapid Grow with a hose attachment once a week to keep them nice and full.
This snake should last about 5 yrs, they just leave it in the tree over winter and put more plants in the same holes every year.
Any questions? just leave it in the comments.

I still haven't tried one yet myself, but am planning on making a round one to put around the base of a tree that nothing will grow under. I'm thinking this should work because it is a big ring of good soil that stays in place, and being on a flat surface easy to water and fertilize. We'll see.

He Rewards Trust With Peace

2010-05-01T16:43:00.000-07:00

Take the words of this song to heart. I love how this hymn emphasizes God's sovereign ordering of our life. If we accept the honor of being His vehicles to carry out His magnificent plan we can have peace that our life is for a great purpose.

Only the one who created my life has determined my trials and my end, from Dan 5:23b, Ps 139:16, ex 4:11

He Orchestrates My Life - some favorite quotes on trust

2010-04-20T07:11:00.000-07:00

The Chisel - Ron Dicianni
Trust isn't trust until it's the hardest thing to do.

"God cares more about our character than our comforts. He is more concerned with who you are than how you feel." Warren Wiersby - (from Jn 1:2-4, Mt. 16:24-26)

"Accustom yourself in everything that happens to recognize the hand and will of God. Whether it be a great wrong done to you or little offenses in daily life. Before you consider the person who did it, be still and remember, God allows me to come into this trouble to see if I will glorify Him in it. This trial was allowed by God and is His will concerning me, so let me submit to that. Then with the peace which this gives I will receive wisdom to know how to behave. With my eye turned from man to God, suffering wrong takes on a new dimension. Jesus saw beyond the temporal injustice and was satisfied to leave vindication in God's hands (Peter 2:23). Let the believer follow Christ's example in this. It will give him such rest and peace." Andrew Murray

"If the disciples had known that Jesus was watching them would they have been frightened of the storm? suppose you expected your boat to be swamped at any moment. If you saw Him watching you from some hilltop would you be afraid? He might mean for you to go to the bottom, you know. But would you mind going to the bottom with Him looking at you? Floating on the sea of your troubles, see's He not your little boat now tossed with the waves? You are now as safe in your troubles as the disciples were. If you would only ask what God would have you do, you would find your confidence growing."
"The ship will go where the wind will take it, for He made the wind as well as the ship."
George MacDonald - The Parrish Papers

"the waves and winds STILL know His name" hymn -Be Still My Soul

"We may make bad choices and have poor judgment, but the ultimate consequence is controlled by a God whose sovereignty nothing has power to limit." This is the meaning of "all -powerful" and I can have peace knowing my life belongs to Him.

Happy Ressurection Day

2010-04-04T10:45:00.000-07:00

Also see one of my previous posts.

Some Good Down Syndrome Videos

2010-04-03T19:37:00.000-07:00

Good Friday

2010-04-02T11:03:00.000-07:00

April Fools Day

2010-04-01T09:28:00.000-07:00

There doesn't seem to be any well documented facts about how this day became a day for foolishness, but many conjectures. One being the turn of the seasons creates a lightheartedness, causing people to be silly and wanting to play pranks. Another is that when the Gregorian calendar replaced the Julian calendar, New Years Day changed from April 1st to January 1st. The people who refused or didn't know of the change were called fools.
I talked a little about Spring Fever in a post from 2008. I don't know why people say that many hearts turn to love in Spring, but maybe for some this day is to tease those who become fools for love.

Americans condemn Obama's rudeness, reach out to Israel

2010-03-27T13:16:00.000-07:00

I think he's trying to show his Muslim friends that he's more on their side. You tread on dangerous ground when you tread on Israel.

Americans condemn Obama's ru deness, reach out to Israel

God Is Still In Control

2010-03-22T07:27:00.000-07:00

The future of our health care has just become scary, "But God......."

This is my Father's world. O let me ne'er forget
That though the wrong seems oft so strong, God is the ruler yet.

Socialized medicine has meant rationed care and lack of innovation. Small wonder Canadians are looking to the market...read more

I just heard on the news that so far 60 hospitals across the country scheduled to be built have been abandoned and many doctors are beginning to leave their profession.

There are so many similar stories.

Good Songs

2010-03-15T12:36:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted in so long so I at least want to put up a song we sang at church

Church Youth Drama

2010-02-28T22:56:00.000-08:00

My daughter Deliverance posted this on one of her old blogs a while ago and I really like how it portrays how the concerns of this world can take our attention away from our 1st love.

Happy Valentine's Day To My Sweety

2010-02-13T09:55:00.000-08:00

This has been "our song" since before we were married. You can see our new song since our 25th anniversary on my facebook page.

It's Throwback Thursday

2010-02-11T12:32:00.000-08:00

My mom liked to perm mine and my sister's hair. Oh, these are my grandma and great grandma, they had nothing to do with it, other than maybe lots of tongue-biting and sympathy-showering.

And why can't my bangs look as good as my sisters in that bottom photo? Being the older, controlling sister, I was jealous!
By that time we refused the home perms but she still cut our bangs, by holding them down flat with one hand and cutting with the other.
Looks like Susan is about due for getting her's messed up again.

This photo was when we had to tolerate having our pony tails being held in place with "Dippity-Do" for that sleek, shiny plastic look.
Mom liked playing with our long hair.

Then there were all the fads we actually WANTED to do to our hair. Remember ironing our hair straight? the "Shag"? (Brits had fun with that one) spiral perms? sky-high bangs? and the "spiked" rats nest? My mom did the "bee-hive" thing for a while.
Why do we keep going along with the fads when we end up laughing at the old photos?

I never really liked to follow fads, too quiet to draw attention to myself. My other photos won't be of much interest or provide much giggle time, but you can always view the old movies with their stylish stars. Or get your hands on old beauty salon hair style books.

BTW, it looks so goofy when they used to make older era movies but give the women the hair styles of the modern day in which they were producing the movie. Glad they try to be a little more accurate with most of the movies now.

What A Workout!

2010-01-24T18:14:00.000-08:00

Ever feel like doing this in front of a store camera? iJustine does it a lot. Check out some of her other clips on youtube.com I also like her "ask iJ" show.

It's Been 36 yrs Baby

2010-01-21T07:02:00.000-08:00

No matter what we have gone through and will go through, you're always be the only one.

Our favorite song -

I Like This Song

2010-01-17T11:23:00.000-08:00

How Great Is Our Love For God?

2009-12-06T16:24:00.000-08:00

These holidays inspire us to be more in thought of the indescribable grace that our Heavenly Father loves us with. The Bible says there is nothing we can do that is worthy enough for the daily gifts and care from such a Holy and perfect God. Many of them we expect without a thought, such as everything that keeps us alive like breathing, protection from the millions of things that could happen but don't, or even a sunny day. Other times He chooses to make us more aware of His existence and daily interventions, if we are in the mindset to recognize them. There are the times when we feel overwhelmed by God's omnipotence and can't help but spend time in praise and awe as He deserves, though being human it's impossible to do it enough.

by Mercy Me
Atonement: Christianity. The reconciliation of God and humans brought about by the redemptive life and death of Jesus.

Big Root

2009-11-29T14:03:00.000-08:00

As I was clearing out a section of our black raspberry patch to put in some red raspberry bushes in their place when I found this really long deep-yellow root. It lifted out of the dirt easily and it trailed all the way into the line of trees that border our yard.

It got to where it was too deep for me to keep pulling it out so I can't tell which tree it is coming from for sure, but maybe this one that has a yellowish hue to it. Does anyone know what kind of tree that is? I can't tell what kind of leaves it has.

I wonder if the tree will die if I cut that root off so I can plant my raspberry bushes?

Facebook Addicts

2009-11-23T23:14:00.000-08:00

These are funny, but also makes you think. Be careful how much of your life you waste and how much information you give people on a daily basis.
I do enjoy facebook but just like this blog, I'm not on it that much.

Freedom Isn't Free - Veterans Day

2009-11-11T10:23:00.001-08:00

Another Birthday Already?

2009-11-07T22:52:00.000-08:00

I don't wanna believe she's 33
Not only are you a great daughter, but it's saying something when your brother thinks you're a great "Sissy".

Happy birthday Deliverance! We love you.

Officially A Country Girl?

2009-11-06T08:54:00.000-08:00

Well, maybe not, but I felt like it, a little.
I haven't birthed a calf, plowed the lower 40 or cleaned stables, but Steve taught me how to use the tractor -mower to sweep up leaves. We've had this large yard for a year now so I thought I otta learn how to use it. Steve loves to mow the lawn and it's his new toy so he still considers it fun. Well now I know what he means, I had a blast. When the yard was more than half way done he wanted to finish it up (do ya think I made him beg?).
Most of the leaves come from these 2 huge Maples, and it does cover most of the back yard. There are some small deciduous trees along the sides mixed in with all the White Pines but we don't bother raking under there. All that can grow under them anyway are weeds that the pine needles can't kill off (including poison ivy).

Stevie had to help pick up apples from our tree so the mower wouldn't squish too many of them. I didn't realize there were so many, we've got them piled under the tree, thrown under the pines, in the compost pile (behind the leaf pile), and even in the brush pile that we're trying to clear out by burnings in the fire pit that Josh made.
With this being our first summer here we didn't try to learn about spraying the apple tree so there weren't any edible ones.

Nursing Home Parties

2009-11-02T11:04:00.000-08:00

Steve's mom has been in the nursing home for about 6 months now and seems to be comfortable. She doesn't complain anyway but one of us checks in on her every day so we now when something is not good with her. Here she is at a Halloween party there with me and with one of the nurses in costume. Below, she's with Barb and Lee at a Red Hat party (and kissing the guest singer).

We have each taken our turns at being mom's mediator with the dr and nurses. Steve's sister Barb is especially good at making them accountable so I think they now know that we aren't going to let things slack off where mom is concerned.

Her dementia is not bad during the day, but she gets a heavy case of Sundowners syndrome as evening comes on. She's still sweet and polite but during that time she gets so confused you can't really talk with her. There's been occasions where I think she is trying to place my face, though she won't say so, but she is always so grateful for our visits and concern for her. She's been a good mother-in-law to me.

Picture Me...

2009-10-20T00:50:00.000-07:00

A woman's work is never done, especially if you're never doing it because you always feel like this.

p.s. this is no-one I know, just an internet photo

BUMBLEBEE!!!

2009-09-22T00:48:00.000-07:00

We got our first NEW car ever. It was such a great deal it would have been foolish not to this time.
Anyway, Stevies favorite movie is Transformers but he couldn't find BumbleBee anywhere (yellow Camero). Then when we needed to come back in to the dealership, not only did they have one on the floor, but it had the Transformers logo on it - as you can see Stevie pointing to. To him this meant it was the real Bumblebee. That made his day!

A Trip To See Family

2009-09-18T00:23:00.000-07:00

My family is in eastern Michigan, a 4 1/2 - 5 hr trip for us. We usually stay a few days. It's always a nice time of reconnecting.
(Stevie with mom & dad, and his aunt Sue, me with them, my niece Nicci and her grampa, mom & dad's back yard)

Happy Birthday Son

2009-09-10T18:12:00.000-07:00

Stevie picked a steak dinner at Chili's for his birthday meal.

He informed me not to call him Honey anymore. I tried Sonny, but that didn't go over to good either.

Buddies and Berries

2009-09-04T08:58:00.000-07:00

Stevie and Shawn didn't get together all that often before we moved, and since we've moved even further away it's even less. That means it's the same for Shawn's mom (Bonnie) and I, too. That won't affect our friendship though, we can't afford to lose good Christian friends.
During our first summer here I picked and froze a lot of our wild black raspberries anticipating Bonnie helping me make some jam. She has a big garden and cans lots of stuff.
The kids played Wii while we canned and had a good time. Thanks Bonnie!

Summer On The Deck

2009-08-16T23:59:00.000-07:00

Happy, Happy Birthday Baby

2009-08-02T15:10:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday to my college sweetheart, hubby, and best friend of 35 yrs, and you will always be.

Steve doesn't like his picture on the internet so I put up his favorite dog star Petey from the Little Rascals, because he is the same breed as our dog Scooby, Pit Bull.
I chose this song for him this time because he always tells me how much he loves me and needs me.

You are the love of my youth and my old age honey! IOU

Finch Feeder

2009-07-28T21:11:00.000-07:00

I moved the bird feeders off of the deck because of the mess they make. That is except for the humming bird feeder and one of the finch feeders, because they are just so pretty to watch.

Maybe since they are little birds they won't make too much of a mess???

We get gold finches and house finches.

Black Raspberries

2009-07-27T18:07:00.000-07:00

Our thicket has dried up. The last time I picked, a week ago, I got about 2 handsfull of berries. I'm still learning how to prune them for a better yield and maybe next year I can learn how to keep the bugs from sucking so may of them dry. I heard that a heavy rain we had during the harvest period interfered with the yield also. They are a blessing, and everytime I picked a couple of quarts I thanked God for the gift He was giving us. I have enough in the freezer to make a few jars of jam and maybe some ice cream topping.

Visiting Amish Land

2009-07-25T20:54:00.000-07:00

Stevie and I went with my friends Pat and Linda to visit an Amish tourist site near here (though no Amish live on these particular grounds). It was a nice calming retreat to yesteryear, and the tour guide was very informative. Most Amish no longer live in the old style houses that we saw and are allowed more conveniences than they used to, but many of them do still have farms to tend without some of the modern machinery. You can find out more about the Amish here.

We watched a film explaining Amish history, took a walking tour through the various buildings and a wagon tour of the grounds. Stevie wasn't thrilled at all to go see the inside of the school house, he thought graduation was the end of having to go to school.

We then indulged in the Harvest Meal they offer, Stevie's only goal for the trip. The food just kept coming, but we could pick only one dessert from such a big assortment. Needless to say we had to make up for it the rest of the week, but it was worth it.

They are famous for their cinnamon-y apple butter, which we smothered all over their homemade bread and rolls.

After the meal I went straight to their store and bought a jar to take home.

Bird Retreat

2009-07-15T04:41:00.000-07:00

This feeding station was a birthday present from Steve. I can add more hooks and attachments to it if I like, or even take some off. There's something for everyone so I get a nice variety. I've since added an Oriole feeder since I saw one observing a couple of times. There is a Wild Birds Unlimited store here, or I can go online here.

I could sit on the back deck for hours just listening to them communicate and watching the different personalities as they all mingle.

A beautiful birdbath from my parents, made out of pebbles, has added to the bustle of this little retreat. I'll add a picture of that when I get one and put it on this same post.

Cardinals

2009-06-15T22:00:00.000-07:00

We get a lot of cardinals, but I read that they get territorial in mid summer when they nest, so some of them will get driven off.

I also read that the male will feed the female not only when she's on the nest, but anytime he's driven to. So I watched them more and saw it happen several times. I wanted to get a photo of it but it happens so quickly. The closest I came was when he just did it and their beaks are still very close.

Hummmm

2009-06-15T19:14:00.000-07:00

I think these are male and female Ruby Throated Hummingbirds. We get more than one pair.

When I'm out on the deck taking care of the flowers I hear that Humm or Buzz sound they make, like a huge bumble bee only louder.
If I'm real still sometimes they will fly up to my face to check me out before they decide it's alright to go to the feeder or the flowers nearby. They are precious.

Sometimes one will come and knock another off the feeder and I hear little chirps.

Assorted Birds

2009-06-14T22:35:00.000-07:00

We have a variety of birds visiting our yard so I will be showing a few of them at a time.

Downy Woodpecker w/ Chipping Sparrow, Grey Tufted Titmouse, Nuthatch

Someone's Always Watching You

2009-06-14T19:24:00.000-07:00

That's what my mom always reminded us kids when I was growing up. She was meaning God. I, in turn, always told my daughter that, meaning God and anyone else that we may not notice, and (in this day and age) even surveillance cameras.

Well, we have a pair of strange Cowbirds. In April this pair started perching on our deck rail right beside our picture window or on the hummingbird feeder hook that is suctioned to the window. Then they would constantly fly at the window. But not just fly at it, they would flutter up and down the height of it, tapping or pecking at the window 4 or 5 times as they did. If they thought their reflection was another bird they were fighting with I would think they would be more aggressive, but they just gently tapped at the window as they fluttered up and down. It was driving me crazy because it went on all day every day. After a month they shifted their interest to the sliding door off the dining room. They would sit just outside it and peer in, occasionally tapping. I could always feel their eyes on me. Even when it rained they'd be there, looking so pitiful. I came very close to letting them come in.

Another strange thing I noticed is that every 20 seconds (I timed it) the male would puff up and let out a strange noise and sway off balance, then the female would chirp at him. I began to wonder if he had some kind of mental or neurological defect and was staying at our door asking us for help. I know, that's a childish thought, but they were in my face for so long I began to humanize them. They started reminding me of Bible verses, which made me feel more guilty.

behold I stand at the door and knock... Rev. 3:20
ask and it will be given... Matt 7:7
because of his persistence his friend will give him as much as he needs. Luke 11:8.

One day I decided to change the bird food in our deck feeders to get rid of the flock of Cowbirds and Grackles because they take over the feeders and keep the prettier birds away. They do not like safflower seed but the cardinals and other birds do like it, so that's all I put out. I also put up a finch feeder (which the big birds can't eat from) to keep the gold and purple finches around.

The flocks of grackles and cowbirds eventually went away, but it took this pair much longer to part themselves from our windows. I only see them on the deck occasionally now. I hope they've grown out of it.

My sister in Michigan said she had a bird constantly flying at her sun room window for 3 years. It has now directed it's attention to her neighbors car window.

Animal Rights

2009-05-05T10:09:00.000-07:00

"Okay Joe, on 3 we jump that thief." This Grackle and Cow Bird look like they're ready to run off this squirrel. I love to observe the critters on my back deck and imagine what they are saying.

Well, they achieved their goal.

Grackles, Cow birds and Squirrels would be on my hit list if I had the nerve to use a beebee gun. They scare off, and eat all the food that attract, the pretty birds. When my grandpa was alive he did shoot squirrels and Blue Jays so that his favorite bird, Cardinals, would have more of a chance. He let us kids take home a squirrel tail once, which my mom promptly threw away. Being a mom now, I would too.

Male and female Cow Birds.

The squirrel was the first thing to find the bird food when we first moved here in November and wanted to start attracting pretty birds. Even though he was a baby, he ate a big part of the daily supply, Along with the raccoons that came at night. But the birds eventually started coming and the raccoons seem to have backed off.

I will be posting more pictures of the variety of birds we have around here. Somehow they all manage to fight for their right to the rations.

"When I was your age, television was called books".

2009-05-02T09:12:00.000-07:00

The Princess Bride
I don't usually steal other peoples posts but since I like funny movie quotes, I wanted to share this post with you over at Life With My Special K's.

Would you like to tell me some of your favorite funny quotes?

Remember; no matter where you go, there you are."- Buckaroo Banzai

Wary Bird

2009-05-01T06:02:00.000-07:00

I caught this Rose Breasted Grosbeak spying on Deliverance preparing her garden beds down below him.
I could just imagine he wanted to make sure there was no threat of her coming after him before he would go for the food.

The Lord sure made an interesting variety of birds. They are all unique and beautiful. The longer I watch them, the more personality I see in them.

I guess Mr Grosbeak liked the assortment I had because he came back the next day and braved the rain. It looks like he spotted me in the window with the camera.

One For The Memory Book

2009-04-29T18:52:00.000-07:00

Remember at Christmastime when I said we took in Steve's mom to live with us because she can no longer safely take care of herself? My sister-in-law Barb and I had to take her to a Dr appointment one morning so Barb thought it would be good for mom to get a hair style, while we had her out, that would be a little easier for me to take care of. One that Barb wanted her to get for years now, a little more stylish. We also talked her into going with a more natural looking color for her age.

Since we would have to wait around while she had this make-over Barb made the appointment for all 3 of us to get some color highlights, a trim and a quick curl with the iron. Barb and I had about 4 different colors put on, and mom had 3. She was very hesitant to go shorter and gray-er, but she trusted Randy (our hairdresser who works wonders) and ended up being very pleased with the result. These are the before and after pics.

Mom's dementia has been effecting her more often so we thought she would like a soft stuffed animal to keep on her bed for all those spur of the moment hugs she always feels compelled to give. She picked out "Pinky" because she is so squishy. Mom has also been obsessed with having a watch that doesn't ride up her arm since she's lost a lot of weight. Barb has brought her so many that were still too big, but we happened across some childrens watches while looking for her "handy hugger" and she picked a pink one with angels (pink is her color). It thrills her to pieces that it stays on the wrist.

On the way home Barb stopped to pick up her husband Lee and they decided to treat us all at a Mexican restaurant. Mom was so tired she couldn't eat much, but was happy to stay out and show off her new "Do"

The events of that day had created a memory to cherish, because now mom is bedridden and suddenly over the last 2 weeks the dementia has her in constant confusion, so there will be no more special outings with her.

Everyone Has Something Going On

2009-03-12T17:46:00.000-07:00

Deo Volente has a touching video clip on her blog.
This man had his own very heavy heart, but he chose to focus on lightening someone else's burden, and took his mind off of his his own in the meantime.
Click here to see it (hope you have audio).

Scooby's World View

2009-02-16T20:45:00.000-08:00

Scooby's world is basically the deck area at the back of the house. He has a leash long enough to run around a small part of the yard until we make a fenced in area for him. He often gets tangled around a bush or a post which prevents him from getting back up the steps until we go get him, so a fenced area will be nice for him and us.

He likes to try to look through the trees for the dogs that live on each side of us. They make little noises when they hear me let him out through the sliding doorwall.

Steve and Josh make paths in the yard to be able to walk around, get to the shed, and for Scooby to ---you know.

Scenery In Our Yard

2009-02-12T15:35:00.001-08:00

Steve took these pretty photos

Snow, Snow, Snow

2009-02-06T21:54:00.000-08:00

This being our first winter in an area that gets a lot of lake-effect snow, plus a winter with a heavier snowfall than usual, we've been amazed by how much we've had so far. So during this latest blizzard we took pictures.

I have to be careful how often I say how beautiful it is, because Steve and the kids have to keep it cleared, and drive in it every day. Steve's mom and I get to stay inside most of the time. I just help keep a path brushed off on the deck so Scooby can get through it.

When it's really cold like this I can use a cooler on the back deck for our freezer food over-flow.

We Had A Blizzard !

2009-02-05T08:44:00.000-08:00

I thought I'd get some errands done before it started, but all stores are a 15 min drive from us and I got caught out in it. It was a white-out on the way home and I could barely see the tail lights of the car ahead of me, so everyone was going about 15 mph, which took me 3x as long to get home as the snow got deeper and deeper.
It continued through the next day also.

Here's what Stevie saw through his bedroom window.

After a lot of work from Steve, Josh and Deliverance - a nice clean driveway.

35 Years With My Steve

2009-01-21T18:49:00.000-08:00

A lot of "stuff" can happen over a period of 35 years, and the Lord has blessed me with a man to love me through all of it. He has been the closest person to share all the wonderful and disastrous times that comes with life.

I can no longer imagine living any part of my life without him living it with me. It never ceases to amaze me how much continuing grace our Heavenly Father has to decide to bless me as much as He does. I wish I could be perfect enough to never complain about anything again.

Happy Anniversary honey!!

Auld Lang Syne

2008-12-27T20:44:00.000-08:00

I have to apologize to all those who keep stopping by to check my blog for new posts. I'm afraid I have to take a long break from blogging. My mother-in-law has become a semi-invalid and is now living with us so we can care for her. We really feel the Lord wants us to take care of disabled parents for as long as He makes it possible for us to do so. I realize there may come a time when we will no longer be able to, but for now it is possible.
I have enjoyed blogging and will get back to it when other priorities permit. I will still be peeking in on the blogs I have always enjoyed reading, now and then.
Please continue to visit Deliverance's blog. Since we live in the same house you might hear what's going on with all of us. (here's our black raspbery patch)

Our First Real Snow Fall

2008-11-17T17:54:00.000-08:00

We've had little flakes come and go a couple of times, but this morning it actually stuck to the ground without disappearing. It was a steady dusting of powdered sugar for a while.

Scooby couldn't wait to go out and take a better look, but quickly came running to get out of the cold. He has short hair so it couldn't keep him warm for very long. Then in the evening it came down almost like a white blanket for a short time and made sure everything was covered, but I didn't take a picture of that.
It is so pretty, like a gift floating from heaven. I know that shortly we will look at it differently, forgetting how pleasing it is today. We'll get tired of it's coldness and trying to drive in it, and having it limit our time outdoors.

Does that remind you of how our attitudes change about the many new things and experiences that come into our life? Like maybe even our first desire to learn everything about the One who had just redeemed us. That hunger to study every word and dig as deep as you can go. That thirst to be what He wants you to be. That attitude of gratitude which kept Him in the forefront of every decision and emotion.

There are so many different things that can slow down our spiritual maturing process. We all probably know what our weaknesses are, it doesn't take very long for the devil to figure them out and use them against us. It takes an effort to make the decision to rejoice in the day that the Lord has made (Psalm 118:24), and to do what is necessary to grow my spiritual life and attitude. God says if I acknowledge (know, depend on) Him in all my ways He will direct my paths. Keeping that desire to become like Christ doesn't just come upon us with our physical maturity. He said I need to use His words as my guide in all matters. When I know Him more I will love Him more and will walk in His path.
So when our growth has been stunted, and spiritual attitudes are getting off track, God has graciously provided the way for us to continue being guided by Him in a new life as a new creature - Pro. 3:6.

Tuesday morning - after having fun jumping around in the beautiful new snowfall, Scooby is ready to get warmed up.

Recipients Of His Blessings

2008-11-12T16:21:00.000-08:00

I promised some pictures and finally had time to take some and put in a couple that Steve took, too. The 2nd one is a view of our street. Most of the houses can't be seen until you come up to their yard. Getting our new house in order has been going very slowly. Since we no longer have a basement to "pack-rat" in (the kids have thier aparment on the lower level), I'm constantly deciding what I can live without. When I'm done, having less "stuff" in my life will be a good thing. But, right now it feels overwhelming and makes me want to ignore it. That's why I think this may take me several months.
One nice thing is, when I do want to escape for a while, there is plenty of yard to meander around and find a small project to get interested in. Like pruning some of our overgrown black raspberry thicket, that will be in another post.
Here are the views of our back yard that I get to look at every day, all day. The first one is from the entrance stairs of our bi-level (we have different chairs ordered). The living room picture window and the dining room doorwall are like large frames for the serene landscape. The next two are the view from our kitchen. We hope to see deer sometime.
I don't know why the Lord has blessed me with so many good things in my life. Like great family and friends, His protection time and time again, etc. . . and especially salvation!
Every time He heaps another one on me I think about how much I DON'T do for Him. He knows it will turn my thoughts to how gracious and merciful He is, that He would lavish so much on the undeserving. He knows, that being yet unperfected we will fall short of living the life He deserves from us.
It makes me remember songs like "Oh the Deep, Deep Love of Jesus" and others that praise His amazing grace.
1. O the deep, deep love of Jesus,vast, unmeasured, boundless, free!
Rolling as a mighty ocean in its fullness over me!
Underneath me, all around me, is the current of Thy love
Leading onward, leading homeward to Thy glorious rest above!

2. O the deep, deep love of Jesus, spread His praise from shore to shore!
How He loveth, ever loveth, changeth never, nevermore!
How He watches o’er His loved ones, died to call them all His own;
How for them He intercedeth, watcheth o’er them from the throne!

3. O the deep, deep love of Jesus, Love of every love the best!
’Tis an ocean vast of blessing, ’tis a haven sweet of rest!
O the deep, deep love of Jesus, ’tis a heaven of heavens to me;
And it lifts me up to glory, for it lifts me up to Thee!

Birthday Girl

2008-11-07T19:43:00.000-08:00

Today I reflect on all the great characteristics that makes our little girl such a wonderful young woman. We love you Deliverance.

When It Rains . . .

2008-11-01T18:16:00.000-07:00

As of yesterday, we have all our things moved over to our new house, but most of it is still in our new garage. Although the rooms here are a little bigger and the house is in perfect shape, we have less storage areas here and have to sort through more of what we can do without, and look through the home stores for organization ideas. But we are just going to relax and take things slow for a while because things have been too hectic for too long.

During the last week of our move, we consistently felt overwhelmed with how much we had to do. To save some money we hired a couple of moving men to move only our heaviest things. Well they never showed up and never returned my calls. (stress #1). But another company squeezed me in for the next day. They sent 2 very young men that seemed like they had very little practice at it and I was afraid for their safety when they struggled with our refrigerator. I was as unsure of them as they seemed to to be of themselves (stress #2).
One of Steve's friends let him borrow his truck so we could get a lot moved over ourselves in less trips, and while following him in the car I bumped into the back of it when Steve had to stop suddenly when someone cut him off. The trailer hitch of the truck poked a hole in the front of the car, but it was Steve's work car instead of our good car, and we were relieved it only left a small dent in his friend's bumper, but I felt horrible about it. (stress #3). Then when we were returning the truck, it was dark and a deer popped out of the woods and into the front side of the same car. Of course it shocked me since I didn't even see it come out of the woods, and for a split second I thought it might kill me. But it rolled onto the hood, and as I braked it rolled onto the road ahead of me. For a few seconds it tried frantically to get up, which broke my heart. Then suddenly managed to run back into the woods (stress #4 - and a cry, poor deer). Steve hadn't seen me hit the deer and didn't notice I was no longer following behind him, so when I started down the road again I called his cell phone. After a mile, I realized I should have waited there for the police and I pulled over at a cross road, out in the middle of nowhere (stress #5), until Steve came back to me and called the police. Well, the car is still in the shop, and since we still had stuff to move, we opted for our insurance to pay for a rental. They didn't have any cars, so they gave us a deal if we took a truck (which we really needed anyway) for $5 a day. I ended up finding out from our insurance claims person that we didn't need the extra insurance the rental guy persuaded us to buy, and I think the stresses had my nerves wearing thin, so I confronted him pretty firmly (for me) and insisted he take that charge off our bill for the 7 days we've had the rental so far (I even told him he lied to us, which shocked Steve). I know Steve was embarrassed but in the end he was glad the bill would be $85 cheaper now. So, I DID have to put up with a day of Steve calling me "Iron Lady", making me walk in front of him so I couldn't shove him around, and whenever I seemed agitated with something he asked me not to hit him.

Finally, with only a few days left to finish things up and needing about a week, Steve's mom's boyfriend died from a breathing problem. I took the funeral day off from moving to be with her and our family, and Steve ended up cutting his moving time short to help his mom with a problem. But we were glad to be with his them during their own stressful time.

For most people these interferences wouldn't seem like much, but I'm not used to having stress in my day, I usually avoid it quite well. I know things don't happen unexpectedly to my Heavenly Father. He knows what I'm going to have to deal with daily and that it will all be used to shape who I become. He is an umbrella, protecting me from more than He has prepared me for, and it's good to know He has the power to make things go the way He wants it to.

UGGGHH - Moving !!!

2008-10-28T06:07:00.000-07:00

We are almost done with moving to our new house. We are doing it all ourselves, with Deliverance and Josh helping us get things into the garage and house. We only paid for movers to get the really heavy stuff like our fridge, stove, couch etc...
Now we are finishing up getting the smaller stuff, and then cleaning our old house so the landlord won't be too grossed out. It is a very dusty older home, so there is a lot to do in the cleaning department.
We have just now got our internet out here in the country, about a 30 minute drive from wher we used to live. But I won't be able to spend much time on the computer. It will probably take a year to get everything situated here.
I'll be sending some pictures later, whenever I can. Thanks for continuing to stop by.

Farwell, Lady Grey

2008-10-17T22:36:00.000-07:00

One of Deliverance and Josh's rabbits, Lady Grey, died last week. I found her like that in the morning when I went to feed her and her sister Céilidh (Kaylee). Their hutch has been on our back porch until we all get moved over to our new house. We don't know what caused it. She had fulfilled her purpose, which was to purely be a pet. Letting those around her feel the rewards of giving love. Just as her sister continues to do. The Lord only knows why she wasn't allowed to stay a little longer.

Birthday Boy Josh

2008-10-09T07:56:00.000-07:00

We are blessed with a wonderful son-in-law. Happy birthday Josh, we love you!
We're thankful that the Lord placed you in our family. He knows who we need in our life.

Wordless Wednesday

2008-10-08T03:30:00.000-07:00

This summer, somebody's pet pigeon got lost near my parents house in Michigan so on the way home to Indiana we dropped it off with a veterinarian who loves pigeons. It was a sweetie that loved to cuddle.

Celebration and Repentance

2008-09-30T10:10:00.000-07:00

Today is Yom T'ruah, or Rosh Hoshanna. You can Google it for yourself, but here are a couple of sites that I found with some explanations. This one is audio.

What I could understand is that it is a day to celebrate the next 10 days of reflecting on your spiritual condition to prepare for atonement. Whenever this horn was blown it was for specific reasons and everyone's attention given. Some info on the shofar horn said that it may have also sybolized God's own voice.
Since Jesus the Messiah became my attonement, I appreciate the need for times of remorse for my daily sinfulness, remembering my unworthiness, because it draws me closer to my Lord. But God doesn't want us to "dwell" on this because He deserves my joy and gratitude for redeeming me in spite of all my garbage. I'm often overwhelmed with the realization that He has actually made me His precious heir, and that He has very intricate plans for my life.

Flooding

2008-09-16T20:25:00.000-07:00

After days of steady rain, many counties around us (northwest Indiana/northeast Illinois) have been declared a disaster area. We have to boil our water and stay out of the flood waters. Our home escaped with only 2 inches of water in our basement, which is nothing compared to those who have lost everything.

When waters started receding many of our townsfolk came out to look over the damages in our little downtown area, which is situated beside a lake where our dam broke. Some streets are still closed off from flood or sink holes, and some bridges are crumbling apart. According to the weather history for our area, the last flooding this bad was 100 years ago, so we may not see it this bad again in our lifetime. Maybe that's why everyone was walking around taking pictures, like Steve and Deliverance were.
For more pictures visit Deliverances flicker pictures.

Slacker

2008-09-12T11:41:00.000-07:00

... that's been me lately. For those of you who were faithfully checking my blog for new posts, sorry for wasting your time by not having anything new for long stretches at a time.
At first I was just under the weather for a while, then we got excited about looking at new houses on the internet, and visiting them.

Deliverance and Josh asked us if we would like to go in with them as co-owners for a house that has related living and we are looking forward to it (since we have the greatest kids in the world). We looked at some that wouldn't work out, but just recently we found a nice Bi-level out in the country that has a flat on each level, and an acre of land. All the others we looked at needed work done and things replaced, which we were prepared to do anyway, but this one has been kept up nicely and is in perfect condition. Even though it is a little more than we wanted to pay, we eventually decided it was a great buy.
We still have to wait about 6 weeks before we can move in, so that part will be tough, but we are very excited to move into such a nice home. I probably won't want my old furniture to go into it, but there isn't anything we can do about that - until later.

Related living is more popular in some other countries where it is probably more of a necessity. It seems like a good idea for family members to pool their incomes in order to have a better place to live. I've heard that families did that a lot in our own country's history, and some obviously still do since I saw houses listed as such. It keeps the family support system close at hand. I imagine it also teaches patience and tolerance.

Well, I will be busy clearing out all the stuff I don't want to pack so I don't end up storing things in our new house that I haven't used in years. After 30 years in a house and 34 years of marriage, we have plenty of stuff that we can live without, which haven't seen light in almost as many years.
I won't be blogging much for a while, but I hope you will still check in on me from time to time. I will try to make an occasional post until I can get back to normal after we get settled in a couple of months. We'll have fun putting our personal touches into that huge yard, too.

Have You Forgotten

2008-09-11T21:59:00.000-07:00

It's not politically correct to remember, but I've never been able to understand politics anyway.

Awwwww

2008-09-07T12:18:00.000-07:00

When Deliverance and Josh moved into an apartment for a while, there were no pets allowed, so I get to have their rabbits parked on my back porch. It's very convenient whenever I get an urge for cuddling something cute and soft. Ceilidh and Lady Grey are irresistible, and so sweet you could get a toothache!

They also have a play yard to jump around in. Stevie stopped by on his way to the car to pet them. He still works at the cinema 2 evenings a week and has made friends with his co-workers who watch out for him.
Bunnies are natural prey for our dog Scooby, so we keep them away from each other. Even though he's a gentle dog I don't want to take the chance.

The bottles of frozen water can cool them on a hot day if they want to cuddle up to it.

Angelic Eyes

2008-08-28T17:54:00.000-07:00

Steve often experimented his photography techniques on our daughter Deliverance, when she was little. Which resulted in some of my favorites still today.

Ultimate Percussion

2008-08-15T20:41:00.000-07:00

Some people enjoy a nice symphonic concert, but I'll choose a precision drum corps routine any day.
Top Secret Drum Corps from Switzerland

River Of Life

2008-08-04T00:00:00.000-07:00

Stevie and I were gone for 4 days to see my family outside the Detroit area. It takes just over 4 hours to drive there if I make no stops, which is easy if I have some interesting tapes to listen to.

Steve goes with us a couple of times a year, and he doesn't mind me going extra times so I can see them more often. I wait til he has some time off work, that's easier for both of us.

For at least 12 years my parents have had a tree "snake" of Impatiens in their front yard by the street. Mom calls it a river of life, it looks like it flows out of the tree. Dad puts a soaker hose along it so it doesn't dry out and stays full and showy. It makes for a pretty photo when we get our pictures taken by it.

The top picture is with the one they made last year when it became a little sparse, so you may be able to see how the flowers are planted into the snake.
For some reason the photos appear fuzzy, but you can click on some of them to see them clearly and bigger.

It is quite a job to plant the holes each year but the display all summer is well worth it. Mom always used to make the "snake" every 5 yrs or so (because the chicken wire rusts and breaks, then dad would tie it to the tree and place the soaker hose on top, then she'd plant the flowers in each hole. This year my sister Sue (pictured at top), her daughter Nichole and dad made a new snake, hung it and planted it.

The materials are landscape cloth, a 2" chicken wire, hot glue (to make the cloth into a sack), a "soil" made of pearlite and coconut bark, something to tie it to the tree and a black soaker hose. Depending on your tree size you make it as skinny or wide as you want, and as long or short. Theirs took 5 flats of Impatiens. If anyone has questions about specifics just leave a comment.

Wouldn't we all love to have this beauty in our own yard? Maybe someday I'll have the enthusiasm to attempt it. Mom says it wasn't difficult, especially if you have someone to help it go faster.

My Man

2008-08-02T07:45:00.000-07:00

Today is Steve's 53rd birthday (sorry, but he says he doesn't like his picture put on the internet for all to gawk at). He often teases me with witty remarks about being older than him, (just 6 wks) so I lord it over him by reminding him to mind his elders. Best friends can joke around like that occasionally without feeling bruised.
I respect the effort he puts into our relationship. He's my gentle leader, confidante, comfort giver, hard working provider, and I could make a list long enough for you to begin rolling your eyes at my gushing. He brags on me to his co-workers, but this is one of my only soap boxes to voice my declarations. He makes it clear to me that home is always where he'd rather be than anywhere. Isn't it true that each time we realize our husbands' efforts it inspires us to demonstrate our love for them even more?

That's how the church should respond to Christ's love. His daily blessings surround His own children whether we recognize and appreciate it or not. Our willing responses of obedience, our admiration and gratitude for all that we realize about His attributes, cause lifestyle changes as we mature, which is true worship, all that he desires of us. To be a living example of Himself.

I want to give Steve this song, and I think it will be enjoyable to all you romantics as well. I find comfort in knowing that we like to take care of each other.

I Used To Hate Parallel Parking

2008-07-25T12:40:00.000-07:00

As you can see in our home videos, my husband and I have been taking parking instructions. We really got the nack of it, so my daughter Deliverance learned to do us one better. Isn't she good?

Air Conditioning

2008-07-18T20:18:00.000-07:00

I think he's trying to tell us something.
We like our house cool in the summer, but I don't think it's THAT cool.
Scooby is sensitive to heat AND cold, so he's not an outdoor dog. I guess it wasn't "just right" for him, poor baby!

He seemed more comfy after I tucked him in.

My Shamrock Plant

2008-07-13T13:09:00.000-07:00

I have never been able to keep houseplants alive for very long. I had given up on trying for a few years when I decided I wanted to have a Shamrock plant, also known as Iron Cross, or Oxalis. Some people call it a good luck plant, but shamrocks only have three leaves and is simply a symbol of Ireland. It's the four-leaf clover that is known for giving good luck, if you're superstitious.

I bought it before St Patrick's Day and divided it in half to share it with my friend Bonnie. It looked pretty bad for a long time but I kept it moist, misted, fertilized and in front of the window (indirect light). It not only perked up, but about the time that my houseplants usually start dying, it THRIVED. It's practically a small bush.

Hmmm, I wonder if it's really a weed, now those I can't seem to kill.

A Wild Time

2008-07-10T08:42:00.000-07:00

I wish I had taken pictures last Friday night, but I forgot to take the camera out of Steve's backpack that he took to work that night. It was his 6th 12 hr night, and 7 more scheduled (with a couple days off in between) because of people taking summer vacation weeks. Oh well, he will have his vacation weeks too.

Deliverance was shooting away with her camera, though. Deliverance, Josh and my friend Linda came over for dinner (Josh grilled, mmm). As usual Stevie stuck to Josh's side like glue the whole night. Then we went to the almost empty Walgreen parking lot for a perfect view of the city fireworks. It's easier than fighting traffic, searching for a space to sit or to park. Turns out, there were lots of other people setting off firework displays around the area that we could see from there too. What a show!

After that, we went back to our own street to set some off. This one Stevie is holding was the biggest one. As it was going off the residue rained down on us, but a lot of it missed those of us who were standing under our tree. There weren't very many mosquitoes either. The next day Deliverance said the city recycling bin for paper was overflowing with fireworks packaging.