2010

It's already a brand new year. It really is true that as you get older time goes much quicker. I can remember being in school and thinking the summer was a nice long break. By the end of August, I was ready for school to start again. Sunday afternoons seemed to be longer than they are now. My Mom celebrated her 82nd birthday this week. I'm thankful I still have her. Sometimes she seems like the energizer bunny, but other times I can tell she is slowing down. At 82, you are entitled to slow down. Julie and I took her to the Serenity Tea Room for her birthday. We had High Tea - didn't even know what that was. Basically, it was: soup, little cucumber sandwiches, shrimp salad in tiny filo cups, chicken salad in tiny filo cups, golden raisen scone, pumpkin nut bread, chocolate covered strawberry, caramel pecan cookies, and a special treat (filo cup with custard filling with kiwi/strawberry/blueberry sliced topping. It was delicious and we couldn't eat it all. We each tried a different tea. Julie had pina colada something, Mom had the Queen's Buckingham Palace Garden Party, and I had the Earl Grey Cream. Julie and I really aren't hot tea drinkers, but we drank some to celebrate with Mom. She loves her hot tea. She enjoyed hers so much, she even bought some to take home. After celebrating like the Queen, we took Mom to a paint your pottery place. I told her she had celebrated 82, now she was returning to kindergarten. Mom and Julie painted a vase; I painted a little tea pot which I plan to use as a spoon holder. It was fun and we made lots of memories. We are anxious to see our creations next week after they have been fired. God is good and we had a blast!

Snow and Jesus

We had our first snow fall of the season. It gently fell to the ground all day and was absolutely beautiful. I have a tradition where I go outside and dance around in a circle for the first snow of winter. I don't even remember how long ago it started, but I love to see the snow falling and covering the ground. It makes everything clean, pure, and white; it always reminds of Jesus' blood that covered my sins and made me white as snow. We are each unique and different like each snowflake; and Jesus loves each one of us. Thanks God for making snow and sending your Son to die for me. ! I love you with all my heart!

So busy...

It seems I get so busy I don't keep up with this blog like I want to. Facebook, emails, volunteer work, etc. all seem to soak up my time these days. I don't ever want to be so busy I miss the blessings God gives me each day. I'm thankful for my family and the wonderful love we share. Christmas is always a busy time. I'm practicing the cantata and the excitement grows at each practice. How awesome that God sent His only Son as a baby? He chose to send Him as a baby - what excitement a baby brings!

A painted picture...

Every day God paints a new picture for us. How blessed are we to never see the same thing twice. This week I've noticed how beautiful the sky has been. Maybe it's because we had so much rain, I'm appreciating the sun shining more. One afternoon, it was as if the sky was a striped shirt - a beautiful blue with white stripes - I just had to take a picture. Soon after I took the picture, the clouds began to float into another more abstract shape. Then on the way home, the sunset across from our home was beautiful. It was as if there were swirls of fire right above the horizon. Isn't it amazing how it is the same sky or canvas each day, but God paints and changes the picture for us? Oh how blessed we are to enjoy God's awesome creations...

Busy summer

Wow, this summer has flown by. It's hard to believe the grandbabies are back in school. Because I had surgery, I've only been swimming once. I love to swim and it's been difficult not to be able to get in a pool. Last week was my first time and it is already the end of August. It's been a busy time at church, but very rewarding. We did a Vacation Bible School outreach in Baker Park - met some great families. Had a church planning session to plan our activities for the coming year. I've been busy picking a new book for our ladies small group which starts the second week of September. I picked Victoriously Frazzled by Cindi Wood - I think we are going to have fun and learn how to have a more balanced life by letting God handle the chaos. She gives us a scripture to memorize, multiple-choice questions (my fav), and compares a Bible character to our daily situations - reminds us how they handled it (how God helped them handle it). Exciting times ahead!

Family time

We went to the local park yesterday afternoon for a picnic. Potluck with the family. We had a great time. Missed Scott's girls - Katelyn has strep throat and Jessica thought she might be getting it. Hopefully, we'll get to see them later this week. We enjoyed roasting hot dogs and marshmallows - Abby & Stephanie roasted a couple to perfection; nice light brown where the insides come out and leave the shell - yummy! Then the family played volleyball. We had a blast! We were at the park for almost 5 hours! Thank you God for a beautiful day and a beautiful family.

What a great country!

I can't believe I missed the month of June. Time is flying by so fast. My Uncle Archie is staying with my Mom right now so there are a few challenges. My Mom had an episode where her blood pressure dropped suddenly and we had to take her to the hospital. She spent the night, was released, and has seen her cardiologist. Everything seems to be fine now. There for a moment I thought she was heaven bound. Then I had some more surgery and I guess I just lost track of time. Now it's July...We are so blessed to live in the USA! I've been patriotic all my life and proudly wear the red, white, and blue (wore it to church this morning). I think our flag is the prettiest one of all. It's a reminder of our freedom and what it has cost for us to enjoy this great country. I can't help but think about the music - God Bless the USA, It's a Grand Old Flag, America The Beautiful, The Star Spangled Banner, etc. Along with the freedom we enjoy in this country is the freedom we know through Jesus Christ. How could it get any better???