Baby time!

I would appreciate prayers for a safe delivery and healthy mom and baby! Micah is going to be induced tonight. Her due date is April 4th, but the doctor thought it wise to get things going. It has something to do with the fact that Micah's been experiencing lots of very low blood sugar episodes. Right now she's watching Audrey participate in gymnastics, then later this evening she and Adam will head to the hospital and I'll be babysitting Audrey and Hazel for a couple of days. No internet there, so I'll be back in a couple of days. (I've packed and repacked so many times. I think I need to consolidate and repack once more!)

Thank you, Lord, for surrounding Micah and Adele with your protection and bringing them safely through this birthing. In Jesus' name. Amen!

Shalom to all. :)

Easter thoughts from my son, Josh.

 

"I’m writing this on the first day of the week leading up to Easter. This is my favorite week.

Somehow, I get the day off in November to watch football and eat in the name of revisionist history but I do not get a day off for Easter. I’m not sure how that works but it’s my favorite day.

This week I remember how much God loves life. My friend, Ben, once said that we don’t serve a God of second chances, we serve a God of new beginnings. This is true. He’s not the God of second, third, or even fiftieth chances because He’s not counting. He is a God of infinite new beginnings because He loves nothing more than to take death and overcome it with life. One day, in “Aslan’s country,” there will be no death and no decay. In this world we will always have age, death and entropy but, by God’s grace, new life always springs up from death. Winter becomes spring, night rolls into another sunrise, flowers begin to grow out of the cold, dead ground. God has no shortage of life to overcome death.

Whatever death we are holding onto, it’s the week to let go. Do not be so easily entangled. In God is more life and new beginnings than we could ever need. This is salvation. This is resurrection. This is abundant life. Welcome to Easter week, friends. It smells an awful lot like Spring."

Reprinted from my son Josh's blog www.theusualmystics.com .

Shalom, friends. :)

Moon dog!

This is what we saw in the sky tonight. I wouldn't have known it was going on, but I'm glad Micah texted me. (This is a photo from Google. My little camera doesn't like to take pictures in the dark.)

Did you see it? Of course, we had a half moon and the inner circle was much clearer and the star to the left brighter. Prettier than this, I think. :)

Shalom!

Know What to Hope In...

"You have to know what to hope.

Hope in the everlasting, not the quickly fading.

Your hope is not that you're never going to die.

Your hope is that you'll live forever.

Your hope is not that nothing bad will ever happen.

Your hope is that you're an overcomer no matter what happens.

You have to know what to hope in and what not to hope in. Otherwise you will have a long list of reasons that you're mad at God."  (From a sermon by Troy Brewer, Open Door Church, Burleson, Texas.)

Because God never promised we would live forever in this broken world, or that we would live comfortably and without difficulties. He did promise to be with us through it all, and to take us home to a place that He's prepared for us. But this is only promised to those who become His children by choice. That involves humbling ourselves and admitting that we need Him to wash us clean so that we can come into His presence. No trace of this sin-filled world can inhabit heaven...or it wouldn't be heaven.

This is no exclusive club, being a child of God. Anyone can join in. The only thing that can keep us from entering in is a proud and rebellious heart that thinks we're good enough without God's help.
We've compared ourselves to the things of this world and think we look pretty good. But we haven't seen the things of heaven yet.

Hope in the everlasting; not in the quickly fading.

He's coming back. Don't let pride steal your hope.

Shalom.

The Project begins...

Remember this little project? I believe this (below) arrived last Saturday...

It's smaller than I imagined, but no less daunting.

I came up with the idea to make a storyboard to help me plan what will go on each page.

The first rectangle represents the front and back covers, which I hope to cover with art. Then the inside front cover and first page.

There are 15 two page spreads and then the last page and inside back cover. Lots of area to cover!

Now I'll have to do some brainstorming for ideas to fill all of those pages. I've got a list started, but it looks pretty short now that I see it all laid out in front of me. I'm thinking the title will be My North Woods, or something similar. It will be filled with animals, plants, places and activities that are a part of this area.

I've been visiting the website and browsing through other people's sketchbooks, which is the whole idea of this project. Some of them are quite fantastic, while others are very ordinary. I have a whole year to finish this and submit my sketchbook, so I'm going to try to rein myself in and take my time. I have visions of black bears and blueberries, foxes and lady slippers, loons and lakes, to mention just a few. But first comes a lot of planning!

I can quickly become obsessed by something like this, so I think I'll put it aside for tonight and do something else! :)

 

Micah is still in a holding pattern, though she reported some contractions tonight. She said that always happens when she's planning to go grocery shopping. I said, "Get them groceries, girl!" You need groceries when you babysit grandgirls while Mama's having a baby!

 

Stress levels at work continue to rise as our three full-time deli managers have 12 weeks of vacation between them which must be used up. It's ridiculous when we're so short of help! We just work like crazy trying to fill in and keep up. (I almost didn't mention work because I know I sound like such a whiner, but I need to vent to SOMEBODY!) So, I continue to pray that the Lord will help me to see it as a challenge and help me to hold on until such time as I have other options. Meanwhile, I'll be leaving them a little higher and drier when Adele makes her appearance, mwahahaha! :) (Taking a couple of days off!)

 

Oh, and here's a scary apparition I saw on my computer screen...eeeek!

I will let you go so I may prepare my evening repast. I took a nap after getting home from work, so my evening is flying past! Frying chicken all day tomorrow, and then my WEEKEND OFF! :)

 

I hope you are all well and that we all remember to lay our cares on Him, for He cares for us.  Thanks for allowing me to vent! :)

 

Shalom, friends and family!

 

Tying up some loose ends from last post...

Well, it seems that Micah just had a stomach bug, because now Adam has it...and he ain't pregnant! ;) She's feeling much better.

A couple of you mentioned that filling an entire sketchbook for the Sketchbook Project might be a little hard to do. Don't make me nervous! ;) I'm planning to do large two page spreads. I can't guarantee anything, but it sounded like fun. I got an email today saying my sketchbook has been mailed! Now I'm committed! I don't quite understand the theme thing. Apparently, they supply a list of themes to pick from? That won't be available until April 1 or so. I may just start and hope one of the themes matches up with what I'm doing. :) It will probably be animals of different sorts.

Well, it's fuzzy, but this is tonight's sunset with a couple of my friendly neighborhood deer grazing in the back meadow. I'm looking forward to things greening up! We had a little sprinkling of snow when I awoke this morning, but it melted quickly.

I'm really tired this evening. It was a day off so I can only account for that by saying I must have used up a lot of brain energy! Micah, son Josh and I are all planning a change in housing situations, so we've been doing a lot of brainstorming, trying to help each other figure out how to go about this. None of us has much experience. So many changes in the not-too-distant future! Praying for clarity and wisdom.

Y'all have a good evening and God bless you all!

Shalom on your household.

The Sketchbook Project...

(This is not a paid advertisement, hahahaha...)

I heard about The Sketchbook Project years ago and thought it sounded like a fun idea. I just came across it again by following some links on Pinterest. As I watched the video below, I thought, how cool this is! You fill up a sketchbook, you send it in, and they take it on the road for thousands of people to look at. I was amazed to see that they actually hand the sketchbooks out for people to handle and look at, spill their coffee on, etc. I like this aspect of the project!


The Sketchbook Project Mobile Library from Art House Co-op on Vimeo.

I'm cogitating on the possibility of joining up. I think I would get mine digitized, which is more expensive, but you can go and look at it online rather than just sending it off and never seeing your art again. Cool idea! Anyone else find this interesting?

I finally (after about 2 years of having it lying around) filled this photo frame with some pictures and put in on the wall. I decided not to be perfectionistic about it. I chose some photos which brought back good memories of my children and family growing up and slapped them in there. It brings a smile to my face when I look at these and that's the whole point, right?

I spent yesterday and overnight babysitting. Adam took Micah to the hospital because she was getting sick from not being able to keep food and water down for a couple of weeks. She said she didn't want to keep going in "for nothing", but Adam and I told her this wasn't nothing! They kept her overnight and pumped her full of fluids and then sent her home today. The little gals didn't get to sleep until about 11 p.m. and were up and at it again at 5:30 a.m. So, I came home and took a nap! The wait continues!

I just took this shaky, out of focus picture, hoping to capture the first star of the evening. You can just see it!

 

Earlier I just had to snap a photo of these beautiful clouds.

 

 

I had a short phone visit with my brother, Mark, and visited with son Josh via Facebook. I do appreciate technology insofar as it helps me keep in touch with family! :)

 

Blessings and shalom to all!

Working on my weekend off...

Eight days in a row of working by the time I get a day off on Thursday! Fortunately, I only worked 2 hours yesterday and 2 today. My fellow worker and friend, Barb, lost her mom last week and she had to take some time off, so I'm glad to fill in a bit.

I took the curtains down and washed them. I'm doing the last of them right now. Spring cleaning!

I just wanted to pop in and say hello. Still waiting on baby Adele. Micah said this is officially the longest pregnancy she's had. Well, at least we have a record! I'm glad Adele has taken her time. She is now fully equipped for her new life!

Enjoy spring everyone!
Shalom!

Five year plan?

Oh, man, my head is spinning at the possibilities!
Thoughts of moving are keeping me jotting notes and brainstorming options.
I've been busy visiting a popular real estate site. I found several 100 year old homes that looked affordable. Then the thinking kicked in. $9-11,000 down payment? Upkeep! (A lot can go wrong with an old house.)
What are my other options? My kids are looking into a USDA loan to buy a larger home across the road from their little farm. They would keep the farm and just walk across the road to do chores. They said I could buy their trailer and live right there. Great idea, but I'm not sure if I could even get a loan and they're going to live there until their loan goes through. I don't know. It's a bit of a headache to figure that out.
Now, I'm turning back to a mixture of something old and something new. (Old idea; new idea.) Maybe it would work to live in an apartment in Nevis (going to check them out) and then when my widows benefits kick in in fall of 2016 I will save up to build a very small house on my children's property. I'm sure Adam would be willing to build it. This is what I have in mind. I even like the paint job!

These cute little cabins are at the Green Valley Resort just a few miles down the road. I really just wanted to put this on my blog so I would have a record of my idea. I've lived a pretty rustic life for the past 34 years or so. I would even be game for no plumbing! (Chemical toilet;  water storage tank inside.) I won't be going without electricity, though. Are you crazy?

So there's one plan. My favorite one, actually. The apartments in Nevis might be for seniors, but they didn't stipulate that last time they placed an ad, so I'm going to check out the possibility. Do some research. (At 58 I may qualify as a senior anyway!) I can still stay in this house for a while, but it's time to start making plans! :)

I'll be babysitting the girls a little later so Micah can go in for her doctor visit. She went yesterday, too, thinking something was going on. Looks like this little girl might get fully baked yet! Prayers for a safe and uneventful delivery are always appreciated.

Let me know what you think of my plan, Papa Glenn. ;) (And anyone else who wants to venture an opinion.)

Shalom! And I hope you're all having warm sunny weather like we are! Relatively speaking, of course.

False alarm!

Micah and hubby Adam headed to the hospital yesterday afternoon while I settled in with the grandgirls. Micah had been in town for a few hours grocery shopping and was very uncomfortable, so she thought it best to go and get checked. Her doctor kept her overnight and she did seem to be progressing (5 cm), but then seemed to stall at that point. The doctor sent her home to wait a bit. It's nerve wracking when the hospital is 1-1/4 hours from her house. She really doesn't want to have the baby in the car on the way! So, we'll start the waiting game over again!

I didn't sleep too well perched on the edge of my granddaughter's twin bed, lol. That was the only way I could get them to go to sleep and I thought it was probably more comfortable than the couch. (No guest bedroom.) Little ones have a habit of thrashing around in the night, so it was very interesting. No wonder I had a headache this morning. Well, these little crises in our lives can be challenging, but we'll muddle through! ;)

Micah at the hospital.

Going in search of food and a hot beverage. God bless and shalom to all!

My son's new website!

Proud mama here! My son, Josh, has launched a new website called The Usual Mystics Supernatural Spirituality for Every Christian. He's a pretty mainline type of Christian, so don't let the name throw you. He's trying to attract some readers who might not read something which sounds too stodgy, I think. ;)

His first post is entitled "Grace" and he gave me a fresh perspective on that subject. I hope you'll read at least his maiden post. Thanks!

It's a day off for me. I'm about to check with Josh to see that he and his family are in a safe place since Kentucky is being clobbered with more snow!

I'm going to do some cleaning and be on call. Micah is due any time now!!

Y'all have a great day full of God's shalom! :)

Hecticity...

Made up a new word! (Rhymes with Felicity?) It is hectic nowadays. It seems like half of my coworkers in the deli are either quitting, going on vacation or in one gal's case, taking six weeks off to go to Europe for school! That leaves a small number of us running hither and thither trying to keep up. If Micah decides to give birth, (which she will in the next week or two) I'll be gone, too! It's beyond crazy.

After the dust settles from Micah giving birth, I'm putting my house on the market. We're just going to see if anyone shows interest. I won't sell unless I can get the price I need to have a little nest egg to take with me. Otherwise, I'll just sit tight, which would be A-Okay with me! Right now I'm cleaning like crazy. I have a few weeks to get the house ready, but I've made it harder on myself by being a neglectful housekeeper. (Drawing, painting and reading always take priority!)

Right now I'm going to take a much needed break and catch up on Downton Abbey. Was this last Sunday the season finale? I'm thinking it was.

We finally had snow this morning! I drove 40 mph to work with a string of cars a half-mile long behind me, but they weren't pushing me to go faster. They just wanted me to break the trail for them!

And just so I'll have a picture in this post...

Stay warm!
Shalom!