It was another good night at the hospital last evening. All went well even with admissions. There weren't many, and I believe I had 3 .. all after 7pm, and well spaced. Too bad that can't happen more often.

It's 55 degrees outside and to be 64 today. WOW! Springy type weather.. but I'm not fooled, this is just the annual January 'thaw'. February will bring the bad weather, which is really not bad as it is a necessity to have the cold spells to kill the viruses floating around. Have you had a flu shot?

Today is my appointment with the orthopedic surgeon. I don't believe I'll have the surgery, but I have to make the visit anyway. Wendell and I plan to go to lunch and then he'll go with me to the doctor.. More on that tonite.

I believe I have 9 more working days to go.. Yippee!

Have a great day, bloggers.. pray for us please..

I can honestly say that last evening was one of the best evenings I've had at work for a long time as far as staff and workload go. The charge person sets the pace for the department, and if she/he is comfortable and confident in that spot, things tend to go well even on the worst of days. The same goes for the secretary who actually keeps things running smoothly as long as he/she doesn't become totally overwhelmed. Last night was the perfect example. Patients were unruly, and the suggestion of a full moon was brought up, but the department ran smoothly otherwise.
I am gainfully employed again today, though I'd rather be in church. This is definitely one of the things I will NOT miss.. work every other weekend. One more working weekend to go.
I never thought I'd get this far, but here it is.

I'm thinking about things we can do for Gramma Camp this year. I'm considering a paper tepee or a cardboard castle.. any thoughts on that? These would be lifesize and large..
Do you remember pet rocks? I think we should do that too.. I think they are cute!
Perhaps newspaper baskets?

Time to hit the shower..

and the number for today is...

That's the number for today..
Chilly here.. 35- hovering over the freezing point. One really can't tell except it's cold.
The weekend has arrived.

There was a glitch in my retirement information. UGH.. but it won't be a major obstacle. The paperwork they sent had my birthdate wrong..totally.. not even close. When I called in to find out what the scoop was, we also determined that the paperwork they sent me was for someone who was applying for straight COBRA insurance and not the bridge insurance that I was supposed to have. It was a matter of about $500 more per month we would have been paying after I retired for our medical insurance. So new paperwork is being issued and this should straighten out the problems.
If that's the only problem we have, it can be considered a 'bump in the road'.
John is helping us with our new budget. It's gonna be a little tight for a while till we get organized, but it'll work with God's help and His blessing.

I had my first 'gas pump shock' yesterday when I filled the tank on our car. It's a little car, and when we first bought it, it took $9 to fill it on an empty tank. Yesterday, it was over $25 !!!
YIKE!!! And the tank wasn't empty! My little Honda gets super gas mileage thankfully..no gas hog here.

I was thinking that we should have our first NY resolution as
1. following the budget carefully
Sounds like a good idea, eh?

On to the day.. time to hit the shower!

Having a cup of coffee here.. I like that in the morning. It's a chilly one today. 18 degrees at the moment.. but no snow, so I'm a happy camper here!
I'm also happy because today marks 28 days till I'm terminated at the hospital. And.. only 12 of those are gainful employment days.. Getting closer.
Smiling all the way.. at least so far. I don't believe it will change..
Today is one of those days, and when it's over, there will be only 11 days to go.
Even though my official day is January 31, my last official day to work will be January 28, so it's really much closer than I mention above- more like 25 days.
I am content as long as there is no big snowstorm arriving.

This is also my weekend to work. UGH.. Soon, very soon, I will have all my weekends to do the things that I desire to do .. like going to church for instance. As I think about it, there will be 1 more weekend I'll have to work.. and then no more!!

I have to say that I've been considering NY resolutions, and can't come up with any good ones that I can decide on- too many changes coming up, and I don't really know how things will be.
I do know that my days are much more pleasant knowing I will have the time I've always wanted. It seems like my entire life has centered around a hospital schedule. Indeed, no matter what plans I have had for the past 30 years.. it's all been a matter of checking the schedule to see if I had to work or not.

Joyce wants to learn to crochet. She's asked ME to teach her. I am so honored. So yesterday I stopped on my way home from the office and bought her hooks, yarn, and a book to instruct. I haven't picked up a crochet hook for many many years, but I figured I'd better 'brush up' on it if I was going to teach someone else.. so I bought myself a skein of yarn too, and last night made a granny square 12" x 12".. just to refresh my memory. It's amazing how my fingers remembered how to do the stitches with just a little coaxing.
Who knows, I may just get 'into' this again myself and end up with a new sweater or an afghan for our new home.
My friend Sandi is the 'crochet queen' and she actually teaches a class to others to help them get started. You can check out her blogsite , Hugs & Stitches. You can see how many scarves, mittens, hats and the many afghans she and her group make for the homeless. Amazing and wonderful things come from this group of women- and all for charity. They do take donations of yarn, but request no wool yarns. So if you have a store of it and don't know what to do with it.. let me know.. I'll get it to them. It all goes to a worthy cause.

Gotta get a move on .. things to do.. places to go... people to see.. phone calls need made this morning and the morning is fast passing me by.

ANNABELLE'S BIRTHDAY

HAPPY 1ST BIRTHDAY
ANNABELLE
JANUARY 4

Presently, my very favorite picture.. a very happy, smiling baby
with chocolate on her face from her birthday cake..
The truth be known, I wish I could do that.. hehehehe

Birthday presents

Annabelle ROCKS!!!!

David, older brother and really proficient in getting gift wrap off packages,
gives a few pointers to Annabelle~ really quite the helper.

Modeling one of her several new outfits..

Oh.. My First Purse and all the accessories!!

Sippy Cup.. she's reading the caution label on the back:
Caution- do not use while sleeping
or
Caution- cup is breakable if hit with cement block..
and other crazy warnings..
But it's always best to read the label..

You see the little red sleeve of David's in a lot of the pictures. When we were about done partying, John made us all a CD of the day. We popped it into the DVD player and looked at all the pictures. David was so excited.. "Gramma! That's ME!!! That's my arm helping Annabelle!"

New jacket and sippy cup

Lots of new duds.. and a big brother right there to help if she needs him.

It's all about cake

Cake is great on birthdays .. especially 1st birthdays when the little ones get their own 'smash' cake.. There is always a reserve cake for others..

Annabelle's smash cake was chocolate..
We all sang 'happy birthday' to her, and then somehow the candle went out..
David may have been breathing heavily in the vicinity. I don't think Annabelle did the blowing however..

"Well....maybe just a little taste".....
Oh, so good

"It's MINE! ALL MINE!!!!"

I believe she liked her first birthday cake..

A fun and crafty day

Today , Annabelle joined the big kids in her first craft session. She had self sticking farm animals and as I peeled the papers off the backs, she pasted them on paper.. sounds simple enough, but...
Most of the stickers stuck to the paper...

And then others got stuck on her fingers, hands, shirt, and almost her hair.. eeekkk!!!
She never fussed though and took it all in stride. She was very interested in the little critters and liked sticking them on her paper.

David likes to do crafts too, so I try to select ones that fit his age. Today I cut out a tree from fun foam (thank you, Sandi) and gave him a pile of loose stickers to decorate it.
He did a wonderful job, and was quite proud of himself.

the Christmas Train

This one is Joyce's she made last night. Paul 2 was making one of his own to match it.

David had cake on his face..

Daniel and David play with Star Wars characters

It was such a fun afternoon..
Joyce asked me what Mandy got me for Christmas.. I excitedly told her "tea towels!!!" I love new ones and the holiday ones just make me smile all over.. I had forgotten to mention that the Z's also gave me the little critter above.. he's a squirrel and he has a nut in his paws. He sings "I'm gettin' nuttin' for Christmas".. and the kids loved him!

Jane and John took all the pictures today.. thank you, both of you.

It's a family thing.. P2, A, Charlie, and J

David was enjoying whatever John had on his camera.. hmmmmm...

Joyce at the table with the gifts, cake and balloons

Mandy and David..

Paul 2 and Annabelle having lunch.. it was mashed potatoes, sauerkraut.. and you know the rest.. It's traditional NY day fare.

Joyce, Mandy and JJ

Daniel had mashed potatoes

HAPPY NEW YEAR

January 1, 2008.. that's today! Happy New Year wishes to all my family and blogger buddies!
Joyce and I watched the big ball drop in Times Square. On the TV, that is.. we aren't crazy enough to make that trip to watch a ball come down at the stroke of midnight. No, I will watch it on the TV..
Today we shall enjoy the company of our family with a noon meal. As per tradition, we have sauerkraut and pork and kielbassi with mashed potatoes. Paul made the kraut.. it's always delicious. Thanks Paul !!!
Joyce is going to help me set things up in the morning. We have lots of food here and it should be more than enough to feed a large crowd.
Resolutions anyone?
I have my own "list"... I'll not share it yet, but perhaps tomorrow. I'm tired and need to sleep.

NY EVE 2007

It's NY eve.. the eve of a brand new year. As of tomorrow, we shall have to remember to change that 7 to an 8. 2007 was a trying year physically for me, but a glorious year too in that we added to our family 2 new babies.. Annabelle and Elijah. It was also a year for major life changing decisions.. like finally taking a plunge to plan for retirement in just about a month now.

Lots to do today for our dinner tomorrow. I've torn things apart here.. put some away and filed other things for later. There are floors to be swept and washed, and then the Christmas decorations have to be packed away till next year. Hopefully, next year we will be in our new little home. I certainly have a lot of little things to decorate for the holidays.
I am thankful and grateful for all the gifts we have received along the way for decorating our new place. It will be fun starting out anew.
That's for 2008.. looking ahead to a bright new year.. new home likely, new office, retirement, and who knows what else?
God blesses us daily with all sorts of wonderful things. I look to Him for the day, and feel encouraged.
Pray for us.. pray a new year will bring encouraging news to our world, our country, our family.
Thank the Lord of all for preserving us this year, for his provisions, for his mercy, his forgiveness, and for his Son..

MY FAMILY BLESSES ME

My family has always been a blessing to me. It's not a new revelation, but needs to be acknowledged now and again.
We have been a very family-centered group. We joy with every accomplishment the other acquires, and we weep together when there is reason for sadness. We celebrate holidays and birthdays together and when there isn't a good reason to celebrate, we picnic together.
The church has brought us together even closer. We meet on a common ground of love of our Savior. It gives me reason for joy.
When I find myself feeling down, I try to remember to count my blessings. You might think it's a waste of time, but I assure you, it is uplifting in every way. It's been that way this weekend.
I am hurting. I have physical pain that tends to make me feel sorry for this sad old body~ truly the words 'the spirit is willing but the body is weak' have meaning for me. If I didn't understand it in my youth, I certainly do as I age. So, my 'count your blessings' list grows and is a source of comfort and real joy to me.
I immediately count 9 blessings right off the top- Joyce, Isaac, Paul, Esther, Daniel, David, Gaylie, Annabelle, and Eli. I don't get to see them all as much as I would like, but then that doesn't limit the blessing. Seeing my 'children's children' is a promise God gave me in scripture.
Though 5 of the 9 live relatively close, the other 4 live 6 hours away, but are every bit the blessing. Hearing the children pray earnestly and asking blessing on others and food makes my heart glad. Knowing their parents are actively teaching them about Jesus is one huge blessing to Wendell and me.
I'm blessed with 4 children who have married well, and their spouses are very loved. Each one blesses us in different ways, caring for their parents as they age. We must have done something right, or is it just Grace? We feel their love for us in so many ways.. laundry, cooking, sharing, a willingness to help in any situation when needed, praying for us, and just being there. A phone call, pictures of the kids, and just understanding the difficulties we face as we grow older.

The blessing of siblings who also are included in our local family, but many are scattered across the nation. California, Arizona, Michigan, and North Carolina; aunts , uncles, and cousins abound!
And don't forget nieces and nephews and their children too!

The blessings of friends too.. Rick and Sandi who live in Maryland and bless me almost daily by internet. Friends that are more like family. Everyone needs a friend like Sandi. She is patient and listens to my complaints and still loves me. She joys in the things that give me joy, and grieves when I am sad. Sandi prays for me daily as I do for her and for Rick.

These are just a handful of our multitude of blessings. We need to concentrate on these things/people and not be so concerned about the things that we can't change.
We are blessed with a home, family, friends, a car to take us where we need to go, plenty of clothes, a warm bed, and sufficient financial resources. A church family completes the circle.. a pastor who is attentive to our spiritual needs and well being, who prepares the gospel message, and presents it weekly.

The blessing of retirement comes to mind.. 33 days today and 12 more working days at the hospital. The hospital has been a blessing to our family in providing employment for over 30 years. The financial stresses of our life could never have been met without the 'extra' income from that institution.
I look to retirement as being a blessing, opening new doors and a new start on our lives. It's an encouragement to us.

Perhaps by today's financial standards we are not even close to being wealthy, but we are rich beyond compare with God's mercy and blessings poured out on us daily.

Has your family been a blessing?

The godly walk with integrity; blessed are their children after them. Proverbs 20:7 NLT

A heritage of blessings

What better motivations exist for us to be people of integrity than that our children will be blessed for it! Parents who are godly, who live with integrity and truthfulness, are wonderful examples to their children. Granted, this does not always guarantee that children will turn out perfectly, but children will nevertheless receive a great blessing from having such parents.

So what does it mean to "walk with integrity"?

It means that "walk the talk." In other words, plenty of people know the right thing to do, but when the right time comes, they don't do it.

They know they should tell the truth, for example, but if telling the truth will hurt, they opt for a lie instead. Children learn best from models they see and hear, but if they learn to bend the truth whenever needed, they set themselves up for problems in life.

But if they learn to follow God and walk their faith, then they will have been greatly blessed.

WISE WAYS

Are you willing to walk with integrity in front of your children or those over whom you have influence?

What kinds of blessings will they have from following your example?

Today, Lord, help me walk with integrity so as to be a good example to others.

adapted from The One Year® Book of Proverbs by Neil S. Wilson, Tyndale House Publishers (2002), entry for February 20

It's been one of 'those days' today. The weather has my joints in an uproar, and I've had to use the pain meds and the muscle relaxers to get it all under control. It helped to have Wendell massage the sore points too.
I did accomplish some today. Not much, but some. I got the dishes under control and then made a pumpkin roll....

I don't often make pumpkin rolls.. they are high in calories and so delicious I can't stop myself from eating it till it's gone. This one is for NY day. It's in the refrigerator wrapped in saran. It looks sooooooo good!
I washed up a couple of little chests of drawers to put in the bedroom.. at least temporarily. 3 little units.. and I had to sit down during and after. It puts a strain on my back for some reason.
I didn't stretch or strain while I was cleaning them, but just standing and moving around trying to hit all the insides seemed to put some stress on the back.

I made supper and then made jello and some pudding for Wendell and me.

The jello is setting up.. we are having pudding right now as a snack. It's all sugar free, but tastes refreshing anyway.
Lots to do here yet tonite..
Gotta get moving on it.