Bring on Spring!!!

BRING ON SPRING!
IT'S A PERSONAL THING

LET THE GRASS BE GREEN
AND NO SNOW BE SEEN

LET THE WEATHER BE FAIR
WITH TEMPS WE CAN BEAR

LET THE SNOW GO AWAY
AND THE SKY THAT IS GRAY

BRING ON SUNSHINE AND LIGHT
WHAT A GLORIOUS SIGHT

Ugh! 1*

I know it's winter, but it's 1* this morning and the weatherman says it may get to 25* today some time.. Brrrrrrr! It's cold!
Despite medication to help me sleep through the night, this has been a very bad night for sleep. Whatever happened to cause the aching and sore muscles/joints to return yesterday? The hi protein/low carb diet seemed to be working pretty well.. and now, a relapse? One thing I am thankful for is that there is no spasm in my hips as I had before.. I'll deal with general malaise..

Baby it's cold outside.. full moon too

I went outside tonite and looked at the Wolf Moon.. I think that's what it's called.. it's so huge and bright in the night sky. I decided to take a picture of it..this one was with the flash..

Same picture, but without the flash.. it was so beautiful and bright.. sort of reminded me of a sunrise. It's so cold out tonite. It's supposed to be 7* later on. Doesn't matter 7* or 17*.. it's still stinking cold out. So I bundled up and took my picture..

foto friday..learning

Join us for foto friday.. at Renaissance..
I really didn't think I'd have something to enter today.. but as I walked into the bedroom, my eyes caught a few items that we have had to LEARN to live with for the past year or so..
So, we are LEARNING to grow old.. let this be a warning ! :)


Much like a walker, this one is called a Rollator and is on wheels and has a seat in case one would not be able to walk any farther. It has a basket too, but it's not attached, of course. Note to the right of it stands my quad cane.. it gives me balance in the morning. Most of you take for granted your first steps out of bed, but my legs are wobbly and sometimes I need a support.

The wheelchair is for Wendell.. it is also setting in our bedroom.. when we go special places, we put it in the back of the car and go.. it gives him the ability to mobilize.

My friend and buddy for the past 6 years has been my CPAP- a piece of equipment I can't sleep without.

winter

Weather is probably the biggest thing on our minds today.. well, on MY mind anyway. It's cold out there- 3* in Butler, and likely less here as has always been the case. I need a thermometer for the hen house to keep track. At any rate, our car is again covered with about 2" of snow since I cleared it yesterday, and frosted. UGH. I haven't looked at the driveway yet to see if we are indeed snowbound.

Foto Friday will be on hold for me today. Learning was the topic and I just didn't have any imagination at all. I will hop on over to Renaissance later to see what ideas others had.

Tonite is the annual Congregational meeting and pot- providence dinner. I'm trying to decide if we will make it or not. It'll depend on how well Wendell and I feel this afternoon. In the meantime, we will plan to attend whether or not. I'll put some goodies in the crockpot.

Yesterday was Charlie's birthday.. happy belated on the blog! I did call him and talk to him yesterday even so.. and he's stopping by this morning for his gift.. I didn't forget.

Achy here this morning- fingers are stiff and sore. Yesterday I slept till 5am and went back to bed at 9am and slept till noon. I never did feel really alert all day. I cut back the sleep med last night and feel somewhat better this morning. I was up at 5am, but I'm not feeling 'snowed' like I did yesterday.
Keeping up with hi pro/low carb diet.. not as energetic as the 2nd day, and I am sore. I dont' think it's nearly as bad as last week. So many muscles in spasm at the same time that my hip felt out of joint- and that wouldn't surprise me a bit with my SI problem. It's not fun growing old.. and I'm the first one to admit I'm not doing it gracefully. How did my mother ever handle this? She never complained about her aches and pains.. or maybe I don't remember?
Time for a shower and dressed..

It's another good day here, though I have just a little bit of muscle ache.. very tolerable. I'm hanging onto the hi pro/low carb diet and praying for a relatively pain free day.

Snow is coming down fast and furious. We have 2 drifts in the driveway already, though I did pass around them today taking the mail out. It is just so windy and it blows right over the drive. Oh, well.. I'll get used to it. I'm thankful I didn't have to go to the office today.. so much still needs done here. I'm taking things slowly however.. I don't want to overdo my muscles just when they seem to be responding to meds and rest. Speaking of meds.. I used Ativan 1mg for sleep night before last and woke up so refreshed. I tried that last night and woke up at 4am ready for coffee.. but by 9am I was snowed and had to lay down. I woke up at noon. UGH.
No happy mediums here.

On to the day..

My heart is glad.. I woke up this morning feeling refreshed and having minimal discomfort in joints/muscles. Yesterday was likely the worst day for many months of this seige, but today is a new day. . .. so what was the difference?
1. New high protein low carb diet for 2 days
2. I took 1mg Ativan last night for sleep- haven't taken that for a year or more.
3. Prayer.. lots of it.. lots of folks remembering that I hurt and placing me at Jesus' feet.

4. combination of all of the above.. my guess is mostly #3.

I'm thankful for praying friends and family.. Today I am on my feet and walking freely.

What Do You Do When Hope Fades?
Save me, O God, for the floodwaters are up to my neck.
Deeper and deeper I sink into the mire;
I can't find a foothold to stand on.
I am in deep water, and the floods overwhelm me.
I am exhausted from crying for help;
my throat is parched and dry.
My eyes are swollen with weeping, waiting for my God to help me…
But I keep right on praying to you, Lord, hoping this is the time you will show me favor.
Psalm 69:1-3, 13 NLT

Praying when hope seems dim

David's prayer recorded in this psalm essentially amounts to a simple, "Save me, I'm sinking."
It's the cry of a desperate man who can't even think of helping himself.
But at least David knew whom he needed to ask for help.
Although he was exhausted from crying to the Lord in prayer, he kept on shouting to his God, the only one who could save him.
When waves of adversity threaten to drown you in despair, pray to God. Remember David's persistence, and keep on asking God for help.

Prayer for today:

Dear Lord, I am exhausted from crying for help, but I will keep on praying to you.

from The One Year Book of Bible Prayers edited by Bruce Barton, Tyndale House Publishers (2000), entry for February 9

Good news, bad news

There was good news and bad news today.. the good news is that I don't have fibromyalgia.. the bad news is that my lab results indicate that I have an immune system problem.. now to identify it. The doctor said I may have had mononucleosis at some point in the past few months.. and am healing from it and will continue to heal for the next 6 months or so.. OR I have some virus.. or infection somewhere.. OH, for evermore.
Now I need to find out what is causing my fatigue and body aches.. and inability to sit down and get up and walk without a problem..
I think a chiropractic visit might be helpful..

Is it spring yet?

It's 29* already this morning.. 30* is to be the high for the day. and ..oh.. there is an inch of the white stuff out there. It's pretty from the window, but I really don't want to drive in it.. or clear it off my car..UGH. Is it nearly spring yet?
Yesterday Wendell and I had to go for some groceries. When we walked off the deck in back, our feet sunk about 4" into the muck. We had flattened cardboard boxes layed down over that stretch to keep us out of the mud, but even when we walked on the slag in the driveway, you could feel the oozing underneath. The car wasn't anxious to go out either but at least we didn't get stuck anywhere. Today it'll be all frozen over again.. but come spring... yike.

Today is an office day for me. My start time is 8:45, but it'll actually be 9am since I can't do anything but prep before the good doctor arrives or our PA. I'll be there at 8am to do my prep work for the day- there are 8 patients to see. It was so good to be off last week- I needed that time and I can't imagine how I would have done it.

Physically, I remain about the same- poor sleeping and lots of total body aching and pain. I would prefer not to whine about it, though poor Wendell hears enough of it. I have had most of my testing done and provided the weather is good, I'll have the last part done this week. I have to go to the hospital to have this bloodwork drawn and the lab is on the 4th floor. I am at the point where I really don't feel able to hike all that way and yet a wheel chair would be unnecessary .. or would it?
Good news is that my cholesterol is 175 and my triglycerides are 192.. both not bad. I'm waiting to hear about the tests for the inflammation.. we shall see.
Yesterday I started the high protein, low carb diet program. It wasn't hard to follow until Wendell wanted popcorn.. then I smelled it.. mmmmm....
I got in the shower. I made us SF jello for later and for today. The carb counts for jello and topping are negligible. I think that was the only time all day I really craved something off the diet. The jello was all I could handle and then went to bed. I'm anxious to have some reaction physically to the change in diet.. watching and looking ... hoping for change in physical pain..
Jane has been my mentor. She's already been through this part of Fibromyalgia.. and she has good pointers for me. I need back to the YMCA for some exercise. Maybe Wednesday.

Coffee tastes good this morning.. pray for us today please.. for me and for my patients too. I am thankful for the opportunity to serve them this way.

God uses chronic pain and weakness, along with other afflictions, as his chisel for sculpting our lives. Felt weakness deepens dependence on Christ for strength each day. The weaker we feel, the harder we lean. And the harder we lean, the stronger we grow spiritually, even while our bodies waste away. To live with your “thorn” uncomplainingly—that is, sweet, patient, and free in heart to love and help others, even though every day you feel weak—is true sanctification. It is true healing for the spirit. It is a supreme victory of grace. The healing of your sinful person thus goes forward, even though the healing of your mortal body does not.
—J. I. Packer

FOTO FRIDAY- REACHING

I have to admit, I feel like a dud this week.. I had some good ideas and no way to complete them.. the topic was REACHING.. so here I am "reaching for some right answers".. well, I'll do better next time, eh?
Hey.. Join us at Foto Friday over at Renaissance and see some really GOOD interpretations of the topic Reaching..

Joy

[Jesus said,] "I have loved you even as the Father has loved me. Remain in my love. When you obey me, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Father and remain in his love. I have told you this so you will be filled with joy. Yes, your joy will overflow!"
John 15:9-11

Why should joy flow from obedience?

Because of the "never say die" misconception in some quarters that the Christian life is, at best, a dreary existence and at worst, a grim process of spiritual survival.

No! Jesus wants our lives to be rich and full (John 10:10).

The Bible demonstrates repeatedly that joy can be our companion—even during life's worst moments.

William Vander Hoven has noted: "Life need not be easy to be joyful.
Joy is not the absence of trouble but the presence of Christ."

We've all known believers who understood that truth.

Despite hard times they were filled to overflowing with joy.

Tell the truth—is anything more eye-catching or more attractive than that?

Whatever your current difficulty, the more you are convinced of Christ's unconditional love for you, and the more you are committed to loving him in return by obeying all that he commands, the more you will know the supernatural joy of Jesus.

You want me to know your love, Lord.

I demonstrate love and experience love as I obey you.

Rekindle my desire to live as you command.

You want me to overflow with joy.

Make my eyes dance with joy.

Despite my troubles, put a supernatural spring in my step.

Fill my soul with delight as I seek you and obey you and taste your goodness.

Make me attractive to those trapped in joyless lives.

adapted from Praying God's Promises in Tough Times by Len Woods,, Tyndale House Publishers (2002), pp 152-3

Pictures and stuff from our long weekend

These pictures are all out of order,
but Saturday we had a party for
Daniel, Paul, and Amy- birthdays, of course-
why, we even had 40 balloons!

Yep.. that's me

Esther and Amanda

Elijah in his Thomas PJs

My new computer room- Isaac liked Chicken Hunter

Ooops! back at the party on Saturday.. Eli

Annabelle would like a taste of that cookie and those cakes

Amy's cake

Each evening we continued the celebration at our house.

This was Joyce and Gayle at the Wii

Asher and Aunt Amanda

Asher, Uncle John, and Esther

Annabelle said her kitty on her shirt got chocolate all over it

Essie, Isaac, Eli

Wow.. I can't believe I have let housework interfere with my computer time.. :) hehehe
It seems like forever since I last posted here, but we have been super crazy busy putting our home together the way we want it, and then having family over as often as possible.
Bills got paid today, laundry (at home) finished, and breakfast and lunch are over and the clean up done. WOOHOO!!!
Time to play a while..

I am awake at 1am

Well, true to my diagnosis, I have slept 5 hours and am now awake. Something is different this early silent hour of the morning. I woke up and turned over by myself with little pain. I sense someone has been praying over me. It's a most wonderful feeling. I got out of bed since I was feeling wide awake, and took hold of my trusty quad cane waiting for me right there at the side of the bed, and made my way to the bathroom without a lot of difficulty- at least not like I have been experiencing. I feel balanced. When I realized I was not having the usual pain in my legs and back, I left the cane behind and walked the length of the trailer.
Wendell is sleeping. I know he'd be thrilled to know I am finally NOT hurting, but I won't waken him to tell him- it would be kinder to let him sleep. Instead, I'm blogging my story.
It may have been the massage of my shoulders and upper back that led to this, I don't know. I had him work on this area. I didn't know a body had so many 'pressure points' that could scream pain in such a small location, but he massaged each one and my neck too. I couldn't count the points, but I'm certain there were at least 16 or more.
I approached my rheumatology employer yesterday about the FM, and he has given me a long list of labs to be done before he will treat me. There is a drug out there that is used to treat FM- Lyrica. I checked my insurance formulary and it does cover it.
It's a brisk clear night tonite- 21* and really not any wind. Very cold outside, very cozy inside. We don't change the thermostat much, but hold it under 70*. The driveway is open for now, and the weather prognosticator says we shall have spring like weather on Thursday- 40* ! Wow! I feel like we haven't seen that kind of weather in a while.

I see that foto friday at Renaissance is back in swing. I may not get my 2 cents in this week, perhaps next week. I haven't taken many pictures since we made the big move Dec 21st. I just haven't had much time for anything but putting our house together the way we want it. It still has a way to go, but we are getting closer. I look forward to joining back in with the photography. This week's topic is ''snow''. We certainly have our share of that. I did notice that the individual snowflakes are so awesome.. not an act of randomness in them at all, but perfect geometric shapes.. I note also that some of the snow is heavy and grainy while other snow is light and fluffy.. we had that last night. It's drier and you can blow it away easily.. but it also piles up much faster than the grainy stuff.
We had major snow drifts these past 2 weeks and were snowbound for a while.. wish I'd taken some pictures of that. And then the strange footprints in the newly fallen snow would have been good too. I've pretty well agreed it was likely a large turkey passing through. Our front deck had so much snow that we couldn't get the door opened. I trudged out through the back where it came up to my knees or more with a shovel and made a path to open the door. Many good shots missed I'm afraid.

I really should head back to bed..

time for some whine...

I have a lot on my plate.. if you prefer, don't bother reading this post, as I just need to whine a bit...
I had my yearly visit with my PCP today.. and told him about all the pain I'd been having steadily for over a month.. well before we moved. It's in all my muscles and joints.. in fact, I can sit comfortably for about 5 minutes, and when I try to get up, my entire body revolts. It hurts pretty badly. I had gone in with fibromyalgia on my mind, and that's what the doctor thinks too. I have taken the 'big gun' pain meds with little to no relief most of the time. Sometimes I can actually feel better, but not often..
I enjoy sitting down to watch a movie, but when I try to get up, the pain shoots all over my body and when I do finally get on my feet, they don't cooperate.. and I am left just standing without walking. Very frustrating.
So yesterday morning I took the muscle relaxer Soma to help me through the day. It worked better than the pain killers, so I thought maybe I'd take one at bedtime. Big mistake. I felt as if my body was on overload all night, couldn't find a comfortable position no matter what, and my fussing and moaning kept Wendell awake too. Forevermore.
The doctor advises against taking this stuff at bedtime since instead of dragging me down, it does just the opposite.
Despite it all, other than last night, I have been sleeping very well. But I never move all night normally, and when I get up in the morning, I use the quad cane until I get moving better.
So I guess I have to make an appointment with my rheumatology employer and have him treat this with whatever.. Lyrica? Can't afford it.
Tomorrow is a long office day.. I'm really concerned about doing the entire day.. I don't feel strong right now.
I'll talk to my boss..

O Lord, hear me as I pray; pay attention to my groaning.… Listen to my voice in the morning, Lord. Each morning I bring my requests to you and wait expectantly.
Psalm 5:1-3 NLT

Waiting expectantly

In World War I, Field Marshal Foch, the Allied commander in chief, could not be found when a military conference was about to start.
An officer friend said, "I think I know where he might be."
Foch was found praying nearby at a bombed-out chapel.

Abraham Lincoln once said, "I would be the greatest fool on earth if I did not realize that I could never satisfy the demands of the high office without the help of One who is greater and stronger than I am."

David realized this truth too. Although he was a powerful king, he daily acknowledged his dependence on someone far greater and stronger than he was.
Not only did David begin each day depending on the Lord, but he waited expectantly throughout the day to see how God would work on his behalf. When you live each day looking upward, God often sends delightful surprises.

When we don't pray, we quit the fight.
Prayer keeps the Christian's armor bright.
And Satan trembles when he sees
The weakest saint upon his knees.
WILLIAM COWPER

adapted from The One Year Book of Psalms by William J. Petersen and Randy Petersen,, Tyndale House Publishers (1999), entry for February 7

tracks

I saw unusual tracks in the snow today.. in a single line , 3 'thumb prints' with a 4th thumbprint behind the 3. What animal would have made that print? Couldn't tell a left from right.. just one print ahead of another. Odd. I've never seen anything like it. The whole print was as large as my hand.

weather and stuff..

The snow has ceased for the moment. I had some bags of boxes / papers to take out front till they can be burned, but the snow was up over the front door on the deck. I thought I could sweep it off, but no, it was much too deep.. so I walked out around the house to the front with the snow shovel.. in many places, it is up to my knees.. I shoveled off the snow from the deck.. my best estimation is at least 18" if not more. I got inside and removed the bags/boxes to the outside.. gotta get those burned.
Hoping we will be plowed out today.. the sun is shining and the sky was blue about an hour ago.. it's wonderful!!!!
Master bath is clean as a whistle, though I still have boxes to be unpacked. The master bedroom.. ditto, but the bed is made and it looks more like organized chaos. Kitchen floor is swept, dishes washed and everything put in it's various places. Now to tackle the office and clean up the mess I made yesterday in the living room- boxes of stuff needing unpacked but not sure where. I may stack them for a while in the office till I find some book shelves. Many boxes are family history.. in fact, most are.
I need to get the Imm family newsletter going and if I complete my plans for the day, I will get to that and more.
It's a good day.
Hoping to have a dinner at Gramma's tomorrow, and hoping even more that we will be able to get to church this week.. I'm sure they will have the guest book out and waiting for us.. :(
If not , we still have another sermon tape we can listen to with breakfast.

Wendell's blood sugars have been in the normal range for a week now.. Happy day! The doctor changed his insulin to 3x day and this has helped a lot. We are working on eating healthy meals and moderate servings. I have been making us dessert each evening- chocolate pudding pie and apple pie.. all sugar free. I was concerned about last night's treat of apple pie with a scoop of ice cream, but his glucose this morning was 79.. well within normal. We must be doing something right.

I will see my doctor Monday if we get plowed out of here.. I'm going to ask him about all the pain I've had in the last month- enough for 'big gun' pain killers twice a day. It's not from moving, as I never lifted a box.. and when I did, it was less than 3#.. I just don't lift heavy stuff.. and yet, I am so very sore most of the time. Okay.. enough whining.. gotta get busy here.
Hoping to get our guest room together by the end of this week.. am working on it daily.

Hello.. it's snowing again.. still.... yet... so what else is new?
It's been a very busy day for me at home.. laundry, putting shelves in a cabinet, moving boxes out of the office so I can get my computer desk eventually.. and cleaning off our car which seemed buried in snow. .. ... .... 6" of the nasty white stuff.
That's over 10" in 2 days.
Hoping for a visit from our friendly neighbor and his quad with a plow.. Hoping we will be able to get a window where we can get out tomorrow and back before the wind blows the driveway shut again. It's like a game of skill.. can I beat the snowdrift?!
Supper was good.. spaghetti. I baked a sugar free apple pie too.. oh, yummy! It really was good.
I noticed that our front deck has snow above the bottom of the door.. hmmmm.. I guess I'll have to dig that out tomorrow. I've kept after the back deck faithfully. This morning we had over 4" on it, despite the fact that I've been shoveling it off every few hours all day. No wonder I get tired at 7pm and sleep all night.

Have a lovely evening bloggers.. stay warm!

Ugh.It's snowing out there..

Sure am glad I moderate comments to this blog.. I've had some weird stuff come by lately.. In every sort of foreign language. Delete. Delete. Delete. Reject... etc.

So there is a nasty storm coming with the weather advisories coming by every 2 hours. As it approaches us, they will come every 15 minutes.. annoying, but informative too. I do have a delete button.. :)
I am not anxious to go to work today. Don't misunderstand.. I love what I do, I just have this 'thing' about bad roads. Maybe I'd be better not getting the advance warnings and just go on blind faith? Hmmmm.. no.. I'd rather be informed.
Coffee.. more coffee needed here.
Ah.... that's better.
Daniel's birthday is this month as is Amy's and Charlie's.. I ordered gifts for Daniel and P3 yesterday and they should be arriving Monday hopefully. I also ordered the book 'Dare to Love'. I am looking forward to trying it out.
Gotta get breakfast..

Be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.
Joshua 1:9

Showers of blessings..

The body is weak, but the spirit is joyful and would leap for joy if it were physically possible.
This morning Bob the Builder came to do some repair jobs on our home. The major problem was one of the back door opening on it's own at the most unusual hours. Normally the wee hours of the morning when the wind is howling.. More than once I have felt the cold draft into our snuggy bedroom and gone to investigate only to find the back door standing wide open. Bob was very good.. corrected the problem, tightened the door and even brought us a new inside door to be installed by us- it's the door to the laundry / back door. It needs installed on the kitchen doorway. I have to get hinges and special knob/latch for mobile homes, but the door was delivered.
Good Neighbor Dave was here at the same time and has our driveway very passable now, widened, and the snow pushed away. We are thankful for good neighbors who care for us without even knowing us that well. I wonder if he realizes he is an instrument ordered by God's hand in response to prayer for help.. perhaps I'll tell him that next time, or when I take that cheesecake/plate of cookies over to try to repay him. I have a feeling he won't take money- he is having such fun out there.
I called the Medical supply and ordered Wendell's oxygen tank to be filled today, as the truck, no matter which one they send, won't have any difficulty getting out now. (or in, for that matter) I brought my car down from the end of the driveway.

Good neighbor Dave

Do you ever feel like everything you do is the wrong thing, wrong time, wrong place, etc? Yesterday I had one of those days. Though I was trying to enjoy my new home, I was struggling with a hip/back problem,and that makes me a bit owly. It seemed like I was tripping over my own feet or shoes.. dropping dishes, flatware, clothes... or just not making things work right. I finally decided to sit down at the computer, but when I came in the room the screen was black and the PC had turned itself off.. seemingly permanently. I couldn't get it to come on no matter what I did. I decided at that point to just go to bed and pray a while. I had so much on my mind.
Yes, Wendell would have the Sportage to get out the driveway, but would there be enough oxygen in the liquid tank for him to go out.. and yes, I got my car out on top of the driveway at the end.. but would I be able to hike up the driveway in the morning, and if so, would I be able to work after stressing my back so ..? God never sent anyone last night to help us get plowed out, but today, before Wendell went to the doctor, someone came down the drive and out again with a blade.. and then again.. the driveway was opened for him..
I didn't know this until I got home tonite. I saw it was plowed, but was concerned that it would drift over again, and I'd be snowed in again..
I took my little wheeled cart with me today in my trunk, stopped during a nearly blinding snowstorm for a few groceries, and then when I got parked again at home, I put all my packages in the cart and started down the drive.
It was our good neighbor Dave who stopped his snowmobile beside me and asked if he could plow our driveway out all the way tomorrow.. and said he'd watch it daily to make sure it didn't drift too far or get too deep.. 'it's fun, " he said.. He was the answer to my prayers.. Not that he plowed us out, but that he offered us so much more- watching over us to make sure we could get out or in. Tomorrow I'll be bringing the car down to the house. It has been a beautiful day.

Birthdays and winter

It's January 4th and that means that Annabelle is now officially 3 years old.. Happy Birthday girly!!!

It was really a cold night outside last night, but though the thermostat was set at 60* here, we were more than toasty. I was up 2-3 times last night just because the bedroom gets much warmer than anywhere else in this house. Don't know why .. maybe because it has 2 registers in the floor? or maybe the oxygen concentrator has something to do with it?
The Z's brought my printer over last night and informed me that we had some huge drifts out in our driveway.. I figured with the wind blowing so hard , it was inevitable that we'd get drifted in. I have been out to look today and figure we can make it halfway up the driveway before we have to get off onto the bank and out to the road. The drift at the halfway point is about 18".. far too deep for our little Honda to plow through. :(

Wendell's oxygen tank on the back deck is low- about 20% left. He has a doctor appointment with the pulmonologist tomorrow- not sure if he'll be able to keep it. I have office tomorrow- I wonder if I'll be able to get out at all? As far as food and provisions, as long as we don't lose electric, we are fine. We have enough to last us a month at least. Hope we aren't stranded that long!
I think when we get out, we may park at the end of the driveway or over at the Z's.
Pray for help from neighbors.. they are so faithful to give a hand.

I think I need some brunch..

In need of renewal

Are you in need of renewal?
For the Lord has driven out great and powerful nations for you, and no one has yet been able to defeat him.
Each one of you will put to flight a thousand of the enemy, for the Lord your God fights for you, just as he promised.
So be careful to love the Lord your God.
Joshua 23:9-11 NLT

When strength fails and we grow weary, we need someone to come alongside us, show understanding, cheer us up, and inspire us to have the strength and commitment to move on.

When bills pile up and money runs short, we need an encourager.

When we become single parents and the world seems against us, we need an encourager.

When friends and family turn against us, we need an encourager.

Our strength and resolve weaken.

Oh, for someone to come beside us and lift us up and comfort us.

Encouragers help us stir renewed commitment, renewed resolve.

They inspire us with courage and hope.

Encouragers bring a beautiful gift, often a spiritual gift, when they bring renewal through encouragement.

adapted from The TouchPoint Bible with devotional commentary by Ron Beers and Gilbert Beers, Tyndale House Publishers (1996), p 1188

NY dinner

We have these amazingly beautiful counters- they are much wider

than the ones in the 'big house'. I seem to have a lot of space. There is an outlet below my crockpot on the end of the counter.. what a great idea!

I bought a giant roasting pan (no lid :(.. hmmm). It held a large pork roast, 3# kielbassa, a package of hot dogs, and about 15# homemade sauerkraut.. it's in the background of this picture. It just fit end to end on half of the range. We had 2 tables set up for the meal and enough chairs to go around. That's something Wendell and I need to purchase- some folding chairs. We have room to store them now.

Annabelle is 3

Annabelle's cake was a princess crown..cupcakes.

she got balloons and a special cup just for her-

all princess, of course.

Snacking before supper- she wore her cheerleader outfit.

Joyce helping Annabelle unwrap her new dolls..

The mirror on the floor talks- it's a Snow White thing.

She got an apron, utensils, and a red bow so she can

dress like Snow White. The mirror says a number of things

including "Hello, Beautiful"..

Christmas gift

My gift from Wendell.. it burns CDs, plays cassettes,

has a turntable, and AM/FM radio.. I love it!!!

New Year 2010

Here we are in 2010. Awesome. We live in a truly awesome age. I wonder what the future holds for all of us.
Wendell and I are settling into our new home, have all the conveniences we have chosen to carry on our lives till we move on to our heavenly home.
Long way to go getting organized here however.. but each day I try to open and empty at least 2 boxes. The office is going to take a few more weeks.. it's a work in progress, though right now it looks like a storage cupboard.

We pray that this year would be a better one than last year in the world.. May God bless you all richly and give you all rest and peace.

The smell of Paul's home made sauerkraut is permeating the walls here.. ahhhhh... Paul, this is the best you have made yet. The family will be joining us here later today for a NY day dinner as is traditional. Sauerkraut, pork, kielbassa, and mashed potatoes are the main course. Afterward, we'll celebrate Annabelle's 3rd birthday- she was born on Jan 4.

I am finding it difficult to spend time at the computer these days.. really not convenient at all.. but I like to share with friends on FB and hear what is new with them.. love that community. I'm behind on my games there, but try to go to Farmville and Yoville at least once a day to give my gifts..
Have patience with me.. I'll be back again.
More later...