Reflecting

I had a bad time with my arthritis this past week. I had to spend a lot of time just sitting or lying around. The doctor had ordered me to stay off my feet until the medicine had time to take effect.

I had a lot of time to reflect upon things. I thought about Christmas. Somehow I always think Christmas should be a problem free time. Yet if I look at that first Christmas it was anything but problem free. Mary had to ride at least 100 miles on a donkey or walk some of the way while heavily pregnant. There was no where for them to stay and the winter nights were bitterly cold. She gave birth in a barn -probably a cave and had to lay her baby in a manger! That baby was God's son! How can I expect any different for me?

What if part of the message of those circumstances is that God sends us light into our darkness. He sends us love and miracles in the midst of our chaos. No matter how many things are wrong or go wrong he is still there and still offering his gift to us.

And what a gift it is!

I thought about last year. Like any family we had our good and bad times. I like to think there were more good times than bad. I lost my mom. My husband and I lost his dad. Our oldest son lost his job last summer and has not been able to find another. His marriage is in trouble due to financial issues.

However all fourteen grand kids are healthy. Most of them are doing well in school. My daughter-in- law has a good job. My youngest son is self employed. By God's grace he has enough work to provide for his family. Husband and I both have steady jobs.

I've found a church that teaches the Bible. The members are welcoming.

Tyler visits Mom-maw every Saturday.

2010 was an okay year.

What about this new year? The new year is fraught with possibilities.

What will I change as i go forward? What will I keep?

I want to address some of my health issues. I don't make resolutions but I am going to jot down some goals. What I want to happen and what small steps I can take to ensure something happens.

I think it's better to have a few goals and be able to accomplish something than have too many and accomplish nothing.

An old Chinese proverb says a journey begins with a single step. What step are you willing to take?

Photo credit-open photo.com

Family photos

This is Erica who is sitting in the tree in our front yard
They say kids need all kinds of toys with bells and whistles. She looks perfectly happy playing in the tree.

Thanksgiving

On Thanksgiving Day my family gathered at our home to give thanks for all the blessings in our lives. There are 22 of us all told plus Danny's mom, sister and aunt.
I love decorating for the holidays. The picture on the left is a little corner decorated with autumn garland and an old tableware set I've had for years.
It was a bittersweet day without my mom and my father-in-law. We lost both of them last month.
My father in law loved my cooking especially my pumpkin pie. My mom's favorite was my cranberry salad.
We made a new dish this year. The girls and I made a turkey cheese ball. I found the recipe in last weeks Woman's World Magazine. The picture on the above left shows our finished product. He's was almost too cute to eat.
I hope everyone enjoyed the day. It meant so much much to me to have all the family here.

Gratitude

I'm celebrating a month of thankfulness. Even though my life is far from perfect I have been well and truly blessed. I thought it would be fun to make a list of the little or big things that strike a thankful note in my heart this month.

Here's my list:

I'm so thankful thatI can choose to believe in Jesus and attend the church of my choice

I have a wonderful husband

My children aren't perfect but they are awesome

Autumn leaves

Pumpkins and Winter Squash

Grandchildren to keep me young

Warm sweaters

Wood fires

Good friends who would be here fast anytime they're needed

Homemade soup

New Cookbooks

My local library

Pets who love us no matter who we are

a steady if not inspiring job

Hot cocoa on a cold day

To be continued........

Winter in the valley

The big news is the huge snowstorm. We have received around 24 inches of snow with more falling.Currently we're accumulating an inch of snow per hour! We've not had snow like this in years!
The snow should last thru Christmas. It will be nice to have a white Christmas. I can't remember the last time we had one. And there's more snow predicted for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day
I did not make it into work today. Instead I did some last minute online Christmas shopping, some cleaning and some cooking.
It's been a good day to stay in and keep warm. I'm thankful the power has stayed on. We have a heat pump and an electric range so we would be in a pickle without power.
For dinner tonight I'm cooking pork tenderloin with mashed potatoes, gravy and steamed broccoli. I'm making a lemon pound cake for dessert. Tomorrow I'll be making bean soup in the crockpot.
It'll be good with some cornbread.
I think I'll try to wrap a few presents and address some last minute cards after dinner.
I hope everyone stays warm and dry. Enjoy the snow!

Summer Doings

I can hardly believe it's August already. The summer has flown by.

We have canned green beans. We will continue to can as we harvest our tiny garden. Right now we are enjoying cucumbers, spinach and tomatoes. Is there anything more delicious than a vine ripened tomato?

I went back to work on August 3, 2009. There have been numerous changes and it quite a challenge to catch up.

Our son married his love in a very simple, very beautiful outdoor wedding last Saturday. What a joy to see this child settled. We welcomed two new grandchildren by love as well. That makes a total of 14 grandchildren!

I 'll try to past pictures as soon as possible. Now I'm off to water the flowers.

Friday

Today the valley got a taste of the heat wave the rest of the US has been suffering under. It's 92 degrees and very muggy.
I'm still recovering from my Wednesday overdo. You would think 10 weeks out from surgery my knee would be all better. That's not the case. It still wants to be a crybaby knee.
Today I did my range of motion exercises and RICE.( R-Rest, I-Ice, C-Compression,E-Elevation) The rest of the time I tidied up a bit and read. .
I'm just starting Terri Blackstock' s Cape Refuge series from the local library. The book is about two Christian mission workers who are murdered on an island off the coast of Savannah Georgia. This work of fiction is fast paced with plenty of twists and turns. I'm usually good at figuring out who dun its but this one still has me guessing!
Sure hope my knee is improved tomorrow, It's Addison's first birthday party. Don't want to miss it!