Saturday is hard work!

And I didn't even go to the garage sales this morning. After finding a very low spot in the NE corner of the house, where the water came in, I started to move dirt around. After Larry came home for work, he was moving stones and dirt along with me. I had to sorta redo the little rock garden in the front. Went to the stone store and got some retaining wall topper stones to add to the stones that we had. I didn't like how there were spaces where the walk curved around this and that, so I began to cold chisel the stones to fit. Well, the brick didn't want to break were I wanted it to so after lunch I went back for 4 more. I finally have it where I'm too tired to argue how it looks. I think it looks fine. 

Larry is shoveling more of the mounds of dirt on the north side. Then there is all the dirt on the back of the house that needs to be spread out. I am a person that wants to get a job done and get it done NOW! This one is going to take many short bursts of labor to accomplish the task. 

Came in the house and gave my furry friend a clipping and a shampoo and moisturizing rinse. Oooooh he smells so handsomely fantastic. My other two men in my life need clipping also.

Dad seems to be doing better. Plan on giving him a "ear lowering" job tonight, that is if I still have some steam after supper.

Supper is going to be slim pickings tonight. Pancakes and ham slice. 

About the change in color. Just wanted to see how it looked. Probably will go back to the other style or something altogether different. Just to keep things lively.

Have a blessed day in the Lord's house tomorrow.

Time Flies!

Time this week has been spent taking care of Dad's needs. Haven't had much time for anything else. Praise the Lord, I do think that things are getting better. He is still in pain while walking. 

Larry arrived home just in time for a big storm. Had straight winds in excess of 70 mph and 3 inches of rain in the gauge. A ditto session for this evening. Have a bit of water in the basement in a different spot than when the February "thaw" took place. Have most things up on "wheels" in the flower shoppe so that it is easy to move things around. With the dehumidifies and fans, I think things will get back to normal quickly. 

There are several mounds of dirt around the perimeter of the house that are in need of being sloped up against the foundation. Hopefully when that is done, the leakage problem will be next to nothing. Guess I better start eating "Wheaties" so that I can go rake dirt. 

VBS starts on Monday. I think that the Craft Department is ready. We had a working seminar last evening and I think have most of the surprises worked out. 

It's so good to remember that God is the Giver of strength and that we don't have to do things in our own strength. The Apostle Paul said that when he was weak, he was strong in the Lord.

God is Good and I'm excited!

I have some wedding flowers to do!

Thankfulness times Two

Another visit to the Emergency Room was in God's plan for my Monday. Dad was not doing well, having symptoms of another stroke. We weren't sure if it was a stroke or the pain medicine making him act the way he was. After a CAT scan of his brain and back, a chest X-ray, blood test, and another urinary evaluation, the results showed ONLY a urinary track infection. Medical personal tell me that those symptoms he was exhibiting are common in the elderly with bladder or UTIs. He still is in quite a bit of pain from the fall on Friday night, but last evening was walking a bit better. This morning he walked down to the dining room without assistance. PTL!

We enjoyed the evening with our friends, Steve and Janet. Spent some laughing time watching the movie, Daddy Day-Care. It was nice to just sit and sorta unwind after a very stressful day. 

Larry is going to use his wings today and fly to South Carolina for the week. So I'm manning the post by myself and the Lord.

Back to cooler Spring weather. It was so warm on Sunday that I gave in and turned the air-conditioner on. 

Thot

You will not stumble while on your knees.

Thankfulness abounds to the Lord!

I am so glad for God's Word. He never fails us. The note in my Bible for Job 42 says, " If we know God, we do not need to know why He allows us to experience what we do. He is not only in control of the universe and all its facets but also of our lives; and HE LOVES US. (my emphasis) Though His ways are sometimes beyond our comprehension, we should not criticize Him for His dealings with us or with others. God is always in control of all things, even when He appears not to be."

Saturday morning I was rousted out of bed with a phone call from my Dad. He had fallen the night before and because of circumstances beyond my control, I was not notified. I spent the morning with him and after consultations with the Director of Nursing and the Administrator, Larry and I took Dad to the ER for evaluation. Dad has been able to walk at a good pace without too much grunting and groaning. I have also been able to get him into the van by myself without any problems. Well, not so. He could barely walk down the hall to the door, so I got the wheelchair. It took 3 of us to get him in the van and 3 to get him out. We were in the ER for approximately 4.5 hours. No broken bones. Everything checked out okay.

Dad was brushing his teeth and lost his balance. He had put his call button on the dresser and was in the bathroom without it. God had it that a staff member was in the room at the time of the fall. The Lord shoved him over so that he didn't fall backwards, bending his neck against the wall and banging his head. Dad fell "kattywampus" through the doorway of the bathroom out into his bedroom. He fell flat, only grazing his shoulder on the corner of the doorway as he went down. 

I praise the Lord for His goodness. Dad took a pain pill last night before we left him. I was with him from 8:30 a.m until 8:00 p.m. It was a very long day. 

Psalm 48:1 - "Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised...." Thank the Lord and Praise His name with me.

God's Band

I have a problem calling thunder, lightening, wind, and rain a symphony. Anyway, God's band got together early on this morning. I woke up hearing it off in the distance and it was interesting as it came closer and closer. There were several percussion bangs accentuated with flashes of light on the darkened shades. I never like the wind blowing unless it's in the dead of winter. Guess being on scene of destruction of a tornado just hours old as a child, still has an affect on me. Only got three quarters of an inch out of all that noise.

So then what do I do with the verses that talk about God being a refuge. Well that must something on which I need to work as well as run to. The last week been in Psalm 46,47,48. Emphasis on refuge and praising God. Goes back to Sunday's message thought, "The absence of complaining is Joy." "When I complain I've not yielded to the Master's will."

Well I couldn't go back to sleep this morning, so I started down my mental prayer list. Prayed for each of my 4 kids and 1 grand-Wesley. By that time, I guess I drifted off again. Well, I prayed that they would have good work days and get there safely.  Then just finished up with the rest of the list. 

My Dad had a better day yesterday, he said. Not in so much pain. My Aunt Betty had a rough Wednesday night as she was in the ER again. But all is better now and things have settled down. Continue to pray that she will regain strength, have a better appetite, and that digestive functions will resume in proper fashion.

ONLY 5 garage sales today. Well I need to make a sample bridal boka today for an appointment that I have on Monday. So maybe I'll have time to work on it.

Thot

"I'm so blessed, I can't be depressed."

Tomorrow is Friday.

Today was a good day. Much accomplished. The land got rain, the birds got a bath, and the cars got rain-washed. The sun even peeked it's face out late afternoon. The temperature was cool, so praising the Lord that it's not Hot yet. Even got to kiss Baby Wesley through the car window. He and his folks were out for a walk as we went by in the van. 

Midweek

Spent quite a bit of time with my Dad today. His right shoulder is giving him lots of pain. The right side is the unaffected side and gets a workout walking, getting up and down, and doing things in general. I gave him a good rub down massage, then got him a bean bag of sorts that you can warm in the microwave. Heat feels good.

Worked on a missionary deputation presentation for our friends. Trying to make in DVD format so that it eliminates some of the hassles that they have been having. It is fun doing it but takes so long to get things the way I want them to look. Guess I am a fussy boss for myself. 

This morning's weather report said today was to be a "perfect 10 today." Well it was. Not too hot and not too cold. LD, Benny, and I went for a nice brisk walk after Prayer Meeting. 

Well going to put the "rat race" to bed for now.

Day's end

I just love technology. After getting 2 prayer letters ready to go out with Steve and Janet's help, I turned to inventory. What Janet and I did last week was written in disappearing ink on the computer. Zip! Nada! Zilch! Nothing, that we did was still in the file. I think I know what happened but not real sure, so spent a couple of hours and think I am back where I would have started today.  I just love technology. Garbage in garbage out. An id-10-t error for sure.

Sunday leftovers

Something that stuck with me from one of Sunday's messages. "The absence of complaining is joy." Another good one is "Thanksgiving is a choice." Somewhere in Psalm 46, think it is 10, "Be still and know that I am God," or "Cease striving." Warren Wiersbie's devotional book on the Psalms said that "Faith is living without scheming." Boy do I have my work cut out for me. Guess the preacher stepped on my toes yesterday.

Been a busy morning already. Didn't seem to get much accomplished. Ordered a few things online for my Dad. Scanned some pictures in for a photo job. Have 2 more prayer letters to do and must make a sample bridal bouquet for next Monday. Have a wedding consult. Then there's the ever present inventory that I hope to conquer this week. 

Both sets of kids were away for the weekend. Wesley got to see his Uncle Aaron who is home for 2 weeks from Afghanistan, and Aunt Rachel graduated from High School. The Karas clan got together in NE Iowa for the weekend. 

I know that where ever I am, "underneath are the everlasting arms" of my God and refuge. Deuteronomy 33:27.

This is going to be a good week. It is a good day today, God made it.

Weed & Feed plus

Weed & feed is on, or getting on. The dew had left some of the yard, so I walked ahead of Larry and sprinkled on some moisture with a mix of Basic H so the weed and feed would stick. Now I itch. The pollen count is 10.4 on 12 point scale. 

Now down to more serious business. There are 4 garage sales to go to. Then comes the laundry, deep house cleaning, and other fun stuff that needs to be done. First things first, though.

Baked some oatmeal cookies yesterday. They only have 24 calories each. Been watching the calorie count lately. Then baked 5 loaves of no-yeast bread. Boy it tasted good right out of the oven. 

Off to my adventures for the day. 

The end of the week.

Good thing there's an end to the week. New things can begin starting on Sunday. Finally got a DVD to work with the 43 pictures that I took of Wesley yesterday. My Dad just sat, looked, and didn't say much. He just had a big grin on his face. 

Weekend plans call for putting weed and feed on the two lawns. Maybe weeding my berm garden and the ever present inventory. Just can't keep at that silly venture for very long. 

Well headed out for a walk. This type of weather could stay for all year round.

Morning with Grandmom in Picture!

I have tried several times to get a movie of the pictures that I took of Wesley this morning but couldn't get it to upload. So here's several pictures. He is so soft and cuddly. He and I talked quite a bit. I sang him several songs that came to mind. Going to have to refresh my mind on several. Words not quite coming back. "Oh who can make a flower, I'm sure I can't can you?" "The Birds upon the treetops" "Only a boy named David" (This one is gonna have to be looked up.)  It's been 26 years since I sang some of those songs. (Joel, you are going to be that old in December.) 

It is amazing how much time one can spend on getting a project completed. Seems like just a small thing, but when you get to working on it, you have to tweak it here and there, and then start over some times. Spend more time spinning the wheels in one place than going forward. Either you make a rut or learn from the experience and move on just a "wee" bit. 

MacDonald's is having a free sandwich with purchase of medium drink, so Larry, Steve, Janet, and I are going to go. We'll have to see how good this new sandwich is.

The clock just keeps on ticking

Don't get me wrong, I'm glad the clock hasn't stopped, cause that would present some different scenarios. Pastor said on Sunday that VBS was just 3 weeks away. The other craft person that works with me has a wedding in between now and VBS, some of our good workers aren't going to be available this year, and for me, it wasn't a wedding, but I've had other things that have kept me going in other directions that VBS. Just have to put things into my schedule -- make a list and stick to it.

Melissa, when she is in list making mode, always rolls her eyes at me and makes some comment about my lists. My lists made her realize that lists aren't all bad, but when your lists have other lists and those lists have lists of their own....... then I begin to spend time looking for the lists that I just had. (refer to the drawing from yesterday's entry.)

One section of the flower shoppe is inventoried. My dear friend, Janet, came to help me yesterday. She is such an encouragement to me. I will miss her when they move. Have some prayer letters to get done today, so inventory will go on the back burner.

By the way, the bedding got washed, dried, and back on the bed. Hate to keep anyone in suspense. :-)

Okay, I did not spend ALL my time looking for this. I knew I sent it to Melissa in an e-mail. She didn't have it. So I went through my "Sent" ones, hoping that I'd come across this. I had done some e-mail house cleaning, but it finally came up. Smile with me. 

Don't know where the "spizerinctum" (good family word = get up and go) came from, before breakfast the bed is stripped, first load in washer, back room floor washed, 3 more loads sorted and piled up, and I haven't finished my breakfast.

Read some newsletters on Allergies. Says "SUPPOSED" to clean, vacuum, and dust bedrooms once a week. Yeah, Yeah! Like any normal person has time to do that. Well guess anything that you are "passionate" about, when you put it in your schedule, you accomplish it. 

Guess the same goes for things of the Lord. If we - I - am passionate about my Lord then I won't have a problem finding time to spend with Him and His love letter.

A sunny start to the day has turned to gray. Gonna remember the "Son"shine today.

Cool Monday

Early morning doctor's appointments are getting to me. Today it was Benny's turn. Needed to have a liver function check. His levels are down, but not enough to stop the medication. If one pill a day along with a special mix of squash, cottage cheese, egg, and oatmeal keep him frisky and loving, I'll do it. 

Had a good time with Joel, Amber, and Wesley yesterday at lunch. Larry played for Dad's afternoon Church service, then Larry had Deacon's meeting. I got Dad for Church and then got him back in time for the eye doctor to take a look at his eye. I called because there seemed to be too much bright red to his eye. All okay.

Monday is back to Japan call for Larry so he won't be home until 8:30 or so. Long day. 

Been fighting with my computer over quality of photo files on screen. They were looking terrible. Getting ready to do a missionary prayer letter. Finally in frustration, I called Joel. Bless his heart, he has patience with his mother. I thank the Lord for my two kids that made me a mother and for their spouses. 

Must get back to my work in the basement. Have one corner looking better. I know why one has to do inventory. Not just to count the beans, but to get everything back in order so you know where to find things. Hmmm........

Saw something that says that we spend 75% of our time looking for something we "just" put down. Boy, that's the truth.

Wesley O

Such a precious bundle,

and growing so fast.

Drizzle changed to Sunshine

Dad came through surgery just fine. He is miserable have one eye shut. He won't take anything to that the edge off the miserableness. All I can say is that I am beat. I thankful that everything thus far is okay.

Drizzley Day

Missionary circle was last night. Put some sewing kits together for the Farlows in Brazil. 

Headed off for Dad's surgery. Boy it's early. 

We have a "date" with Wesley O tonight. :-) :-) :-)

Will add to this later

Sunny and Bright

Thank you, Lord, for the sunshine. To be colder here in Iowa for next couple of days. Yesterday I was a "dizzy blonde." My inner ear was kicking up a fuss from the mold that I breathed. I started new allergy shots in December and have not been able to build properly because of shot reactions. Oh well.

Talked to Creston's finest last night. Our neighbors left early morning for Arizona. A call originated from their home phone at 5:30 p.m. The sister that got the call phoned me to have the police check the house. Crazy. House all locked up. Don't know how the call went through. The neighbors were still in the air at the time of the call.  Technology!

Check out Just Silks web site. I put a biographical blurb on Visit the Shoppe - 7th picture. Been trying to get the search engines to have my web site come up with common words. Well I think I may have found the solution. More on that later.

Today is going to be another busy day. Trying to squeeze all of Thursday and Friday activities into Thursday so I can spend time with Dad tomorrow. 

Well must get on my horse and gallop down the trail. Happy day to you 'till we meet again!

Surgery

Aunt Betty came through surgery fine. Doctors were pleased. The repair work wasn't as extensive as first thought. Thanks for praying.

Very Late Start to Wednesday

Well I have to confess. I slept in after Larry went to work. I must have had a close encounter with some mold, because I have the typical mold reaction, swollen nose and throat membranes. Forgot to wear a mask. Been working in the basement and the sewing room upstairs. Stirring up thinks and moving "STUFF." Trying to get rid of some of that stuff so that I don't have so much stuff around.

I think that it's time to set out the rain gauge. I trust that it is past time for freezing. We had a good rain in the night, not to boisterous of a pass over. 

My Aunt Betty is having surgery right now. 10:30 a.m. Wednesday in Wyoming, Michigan. Would appreciate your prayers. My Dad has cataract surgery Friday at 9 a.m. and then Saturday I take him to the eye doctor here in town (Praise the Lord! I don't have to take him to the surgeon in Omaha) to take the patch off and see how things are progressing. 

My niece's daughter has written a book about their adopting a youngster from Ethiopia. I helped a bit with computer work. It's fun to use one's God given talents to help others. I enjoyed it. 

With my very late start to the day, I best be heading on my way.

Thot-

"In the Bible, whenever you see God loving, you see Him giving."

Sunshine

When the sun doesn't shine things look on the dark side. But there is the promise that "Back of the clouds, the sun is always shining." 

GOOD THOT

"Keep your face to the sunshine and you cannot see the shadow." - Helen Keller

Well accomplished a bit yesterday in the flower shoppe. Joel and Wesley came over after supper to help Larry move 2 metal cabinets from north and south to east and west. Then he and Wesley were going "Mother's Day Shopping." Also moved some sewing notions upstairs to clear out room for flower shoppe stuff. Seems like it all takes too much time and that there is "too much stuff." 

Found this essay many moons ago, but it is a good one.

"Every Spring I start stirring in my stuff. There is closet stuff, drawer stuff, and basement stuff. I separate the good stuff from the bad stuff. Then I stuff the bad stuff anywhere the stuff is not too crowded, until I decide if I need the bad stuff.

When the Lord calls me home, my children will want the good stuff, but the bad stuff, stuffed wherever there is room among the other stuff, will be stuffed into bags and taken to the dump where all the other people's stuff has been taken.

Whenever we have company, the always bring bags of stuff. When I visit family , they always move their stuff so I have have room for my stuff. They always clear a drawer of their stuff so I'll have room for my stuff. Their stuff and my stuff--it would be so much easier to use their stuff and leave my stuff at home with the rest of my stuff.

This Fall, I had an extra closet built so I would have a place for all the stuff too good to throw away and too bad to keep with my good stuff.

You may not have this problem, but I seem to spend a lot of time with stuff--food stuff, cleaning stuff, medicine stuff, clothes stuff, and outside stuff. Whatever would we do if we didn't have all this stuff??

No there is stuff we use to make us smell better than we do. There is stuff to make our hair look good. Stuff to make us look younger; stuff to make us look healthier; stuff to hold us in, and stuff to fill us out. There is stuff to read, stuff to play with, stuff to entertain us, and stuff to eat. We stuff ourselves with food stuff.

Our lives are filled with stuff–good stuff, bad stuff, little stuff, big stuff, useful stuff, junky stuff, and every one's stuff. Now when we leave all our stuff and go to Heaven, whatever happens to our stuff won't matter. We still have the "good stuff" God has prepared for us in Heaven!"  - copied

Well have a great day, and I'll travel on trying to rearrange my stuff.

Wesley Patrol

Grandmom is caring for Wesley so Mom can get some extra sleep. Some cuddle time coming.

Grandmom and Wesley read a book and talked quite a bit this morning. Then he shut his sleepy eyes and drifted off to dreamland. 

 Just another arrangement that Just Silks made for advertising purposes. There are 4 businesses that allow me to display flowers. 

Beautiful day here. Warm.....Hmmmmm.....makes one think Spring might just be here. Tomorrow to be rainy and cold. So much for Spring in Iowa.

Sunday

Grandpop and Wesley

Snuggle time!

Red, White, and Blue Sunday was terrific. There were 15 or so members of the EMTs, Fire, Sheriff, City Police, State Patrol, DNR, and Juvenile Court in attendance. They all introduced themselves and then were given a rose. One representative from each branch accepted a framed print of an eagle over the flag done by Larry Zach. The serving committee had a meal for everyone afterwards. We only had one service this morning so the sanctuary was packed and overflowed into the foyer. 

Dad wanted to attend the service so I got him there early enough to get a seat in the back of the sanctuary. We then went to Prairie View for an afternoon church service. Larry played his accordion to accompany the hymns. 

A story that come out of Larry's travels was about the chocolate cake on the menu of the Claim Jumper restaurant in San Diego. The cake was 6 layers tall. Each piece of cake was $9.95. I "Googled" it and came up with the recipe. If you want a very rich and large chocolate cake look up Chocolate Motherlode cake. Calls for 6 3/4 cups of flour and 3 cups of chocolate chips. Wow! Don't count the calories.

Well this week is stacking up to be as busy as last. Getting VBS projects settled. Still have some work to do. Have dentist appointment and Dad has cataract surgery at 9 a.m. CDST on Friday. Pray for Dr. Madson as he does the surgery and that Dad will be calm. He already is expressing concern about some things that have to be done to get him ready. Will be an interesting weekend for me.

Hopefully I will be able to begin flower shoppe inventory and spring cleaning this week. Plan to do just a bit here and there. 

~ AN INTERESTING THOT ~

YOU CAN'T CHANGE YOUR CIRCUMSTANCES, BUT YOU CAN ALWAYS PRAISE THE LORD.  Psalm 42-43

Cold and Blustery Day

Just got back from the garage sales. Didn't spend too much, thus didn't come home with a whole lot. Found some goodies. A nice jacket for next winter that was new. Also found a new sweater vest with collared shirt for Wesley. Picked up a three drawer plastic storage unit for a corner. 

Larry arrived back in Creston around 4 p.m. We had Steve & Janet over for supper. They left and Larry gazed at the same spot in the paper for about an hour. Then he was able to snore all night long. Not sure how he does it. If I nap, I don't sleep. 

Well Saturday is usually catch up day, so guess I'd better get to catching up. 

Tomorrow is our Red, White, and Blue Sunday. 

Friday at Last!

Well overslept to start things off. Got up and Larry called. He's been in Mexico all week. Its 6 a.m. out in San Diego. He got up at 4 to get to the airport on time. Much like Tuesday morning when he left. Up at 3:30 to get to Omaha by 7. Oh me. So am in a rush. 

Forgot to mention---- Larry's car was in a string of 13 that got stopped at the Border coming back across. Guess they had some sort of thing-ma-bob that went along side the car and x-rayed the contents.  An experience.

 

There are two columns of Garage Sales listed today. Going to get my hair cut and fussed with this morning so won't be able to rush right out there. Fiddlesticks.

After supper went to Dad's to show him some flower arrangements I had completed. He has his first pastel drawing finished. Looks good. He is planning another. 

Last evening went for a walk with Benny and he was panting hard. It is lots warmer and he still had his winter coat of hair on. Came home, clipped him,  and gave him a bath. So he is good for another month. Looks like he went on a diet. Maybe the scales will be lighter after I get my hair cut today. Will have to check. 

Have a great day in the Lord!

My busy day

Yesterday, someone sent me some cute and hilariously funny e-mails and Youtube videos or whatever that site is. I forwarded several of  them on to Melissa at different times within the space of an hour. She jokingly asked if were "really" surfing the web and "just" sitting in front of the computer. So here's what I wrote her and I have added what I really did.  

"Today I put 12 bows on pew clips, after searching for same said clips, got my allergy shots, visited my Dad, ate lunch, sat for 2 episodes of Decorating on a Dime, finished the other wreath I had to make, made hangers for the wreaths, went another friends to borrow wreath hangers, stopped at Dad's to show him the wreath, took Dad's special friend home, took Benny for a walk, ate supper, went to Prayer Meeting, came home, delivered baby gifts to Wesley, came home, kicked my shoes off, read book I started while at the clinic waiting for my shots to not react, waited for a call from Larry, read book, read, read, finished book (11 p.m.) crawled into bed, and fell asleep."

There's a Thursday Garage Sale. Whoa! A Must Go. 

(later--not a great sale- lots of stuff but nothing I was interested in.)

Well the rat race starts all over again today. Thinking about a new day. It's a comforting thought that God's mercies are new every morning when we awake. Not left over ones, NEW ones. 

Found out that some dear friends, Steve and Janet, are moving October 1. Sad day, but feel blessed to have known and fellowshipped with them for the last three years. They have become a dear brother and sister in the Lord. I will just have to bug them via e-mail and cell phone. This move puts them closer to their goal of ministering in the New York City area.

Well must get in the starting gate with the other rats and start the race for today. Hope your day is great in the Lord.