We celebrate Mother's Day for me the day before Mother's Day, as I feel Mother's Day is really about our parents and grandparents. So today I got a surprise...
Hello. Well, we are now all sick except my sweet husband. Thankfully we seem to be in different stages of this thing. I coughed all night and feel like going back to bed, however, I am thankful for the strength that I need to keep going today for life must go on.
What life you ask? Well, I am babysitting today and tomorrow. Lessons will have to get done too, as we took yesterday off for a Christian service day. Tomorrow night we work in the nursery. The only thing that might be put off is visiting my grandma on Thursday. I so wanted to go see her again this week. Yesterday she was doing much better at cooperating with her therapy. We will go on Sunday regardless. It's Mother's Day after all!
I hope you all have a great day. I'll be watching a long movie this afternoon...
Hello and thanks for asking about how Grandma is doing. The kids and I went for a visit yesterday and found her better than I had imagined, yet still she has a GI bacterial infection that keeps her close to her bathroom right now. She seems a little depressed and wants to go home, but I would expect that. I am trying not to be fearful for her life, yet at the same time I am aware that all of our days are numbered.
My dear mom remains faithfully by her side day after day. I know she is really weary, but won't think of leaving. And I am sure it was a great help to Grandma yesterday as the nursing staff can't be there to help her to the bathroom at the drop of a hat, if you know what I mean! Dear Grandpa is doing his best to be a constant presence. I was able to bring him some meals for his freezer, which is something I am happy to do. All in all, if they get the right medicine to help her infection go away and she is strong enough to continue with her therapies, I am still hopeful that she will make it home in the original time frame of 3 weeks. IF.
Blessings to you all.
Please continue to pray for my grandma. She now has an infection and is feeling really bad, not eating either. I am going to see her today. I'll post more when I am able.
Apr. 11, 2008~ A Thankful Heart is a Happy Heart ~
Thank You, Father, for the endless loads of laundry and an old washing machine that keeps going.
Thank You, Father, for the dirt that is constantly tracked in by little feet. I love those little feet.
Thank You, Father, for the process of composting. It fascinates me how scraps of this and that turns into rich soil with enough time, air and sunshine. (Yes, I am easily amazed. I like to think of it as child-like faith. )
Thank You, Father, for the green grass getting greener every day. I can't wait to mow! Yes, that is odd, but I am looking forward to the first mow. After that I will be complaining.
Thank You, Father, for the tough moments when I just don't know what to do or say to help my children see their sin. Praying through them helps me be a better parent.
Thank You, Father, for another week with my family.
I know it is not Thursday, but I felt all this thankfulness welling up and wanted to write it all down.
I debated about taking a spring break and then the question was answered for me when I agreed to babysit three days this week. I knew if I babysat our lessons would have to be put on the back burner, so this became a perfect time to take a break from our normal routines and earn a little extra money. Learning never stops, so I felt comfortable with this arrangement, plus we have no OT, PT, or Olympians this week too! Yippee!
The kids and I spent time outside yesterday after church getting our backyard "play ready" while our hard working daddy was at his second job doing taxes. We emptied the sandbox of the green sand, washed it out and let it dry. Then we sprayed the deck that it sits on and used a squeegee to get the water off. By the time we went to pick Daddy up from work, it was dry, so we stopped at Lowes and got our annual play sand fix.
We had such a nice evening playing outside that it was hard to go in. The kids needed rinse off showers, so I had to relent and go inside early enough to get them to bed before the end of Sense and Sensibility started! (That was dh's plan! He is really into those Jane Austin stories now.)
The next few days I am going to work on a some projects while keeping an eye on the kids. Today, I am going to make chicken and noodles for dinner in my crockpot. And sometime this week, I want to start a compost pile without spending any money. Anyone know anything about easy ways to compost?
Today was one of those days you don't ever want to forget! I got to have a lovely lunch with my grandparents to celebrate Grandpa's 89th birthday this coming Tuesday. It was one of those days when we just had fun being together. After our great lunch of meatloaf, mashed potatoes, carrots, coleslaw, deviled eggs, and chocolate cake, we played Yatzee! (My mom got two Yatzee! I came in dead last.) The time flew by so quickly. I love being with them. There was one more blessing of this day, as the weather was so beautiful that we stopped at a favorite park on the way home. Of course I am kicking myself because I left my camera at home. Oh well. Thankfully, my mom remembered hers!
I hope you are having a blessed weekend.
Good day to you. I trust you had a wonderful Easter. We sure did, with lots of worship, love, food and too much candy. Today I am hoping to get us back on track.
There is lots to do with laundry, lessons and raking some leaves this afternoon. I am determined to get those leaves finished. They came down so late last fall and it was too wet and then too snowy. My plan is to attack them little by little this week. I figure the kids and I can get them done. I hope! As long as it stays dry we will make good progress.
I am also determined to be a better mom this week, so I am not going to be able to spend as much time on the computer. It always happens when I am working on a new look for my blog, my family suffers. That should not be. So this week I am purposing to be busy at home and less busy on my computer.
Have a blessed week. See you Wednesday for Wordless Wednesday.
On a hill far away stood an old rugged cross,
The emblem of suffering and shame;
And I love that old cross where the dearest and best
For a world of lost sinners was slain.
So I'll cherish the old rugged cross,
Till my trophies at last I lay down;
I will cling to the old rugged cross,
And exchange it some day for a crown.
O that old rugged cross, so despised by the world,
Has a wondrous attraction for me;
For the dear Lamb of God left His glory above
To bear it to dark Calvary.
So I'll cherish the old rugged cross,
Till my trophies at last I lay down;
I will cling to the old rugged cross,
And exchange it some day for a crown.
In that old rugged cross, stained with blood so divine,
A wondrous beauty I see,
For 'twas on that old cross Jesus suffered and died,
To pardon and sanctify me.
So I'll cherish the old rugged cross,
Till my trophies at last I lay down;
I will cling to the old rugged cross,
And exchange it some day for a crown.
To the old rugged cross I will ever be true;
Its shame and reproach gladly bear;
Then He'll call me some day to my home far away,
Where His glory forever I'll share.
So I'll cherish the old rugged cross,
Till my trophies at last I lay down;
I will cling to the old rugged cross,
And exchange it some day for a crown.
Words & Music: George Bennard, 1913 The Old Rugged Cross was written in Albion, Michigan. Or Pokagon, Michigan. Or Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin. All three towns claim to be the birthplace of this hymn.
Not lots to blog about today. I did want to post a couple pictures from yesterday afternoon's visit with my father-in-law and his mom. Great Grandma Margaret is 90 years old and gets around pretty well for her age. What a blessing it was to have visitors. They live a few hours to our North, so we don't get to see them often. Here's Trevor and Grandpa looking at Trevor's fire truck.
What a weekend. We jammed packed a week's worth of fun into 2 days! So this morning when the alarm went off, I did not want to get up. It doesn't help that it was still so dark out either. So, my plans to start my day in the Word fell through again. (Argh!) However all is not lost. I did study Proverbs with the kids.
This afternoon, Jeff's dad is coming down to spend a little time with us. He is taking the week off and so wanted to spend some time with his grandchildren. We've been so blessed with grandparent interaction the last two weeks!
We finished our lessons quickly today so that we could get the house tidy for Grandpa. I mopped the floor while the kids did some of their work alone. Something the younger two can't do a lot of. Now we are going to bake some cookies for St. Patrick's Day and Grandpa.
If you'd like to see some signs of spring...click here.
Hello friends. Just a quick note to let you know that I won't be around much today or tomorrow. *gasp* We have family from out of town visiting us. Have a great start to your week. I'll try to catch up as I am able.
If you have a moment, please go visit his blog to say hello. I know he'd love to get some comments today. Thanks!
(Think of me tonight at Chuck E. Cheese. At least I'll get some good photos from the sketch machine. And Please scroll down for my Wordless Wednesday, a rare photo of me!!!)
We had a great weekend. Saturday, the kids bounced for 3 hours at Bounce Planet. It was an awesome reward for completing the Silver level in Olympians and Gophers. I was quite impressed with this massive blow up world, myself. It was just amazing! They even gave the kids pizza. I can't imagine how the Gold reward could top this morning of fun.
After Bounce Planet, we ran some errands, birthday errands! We got our party supplies for Sunday's party. And Trevor and Grace got hair cuts. This was the first time Grace had her hair washed professionally! I did not get a picture of her "after" yet, as she is a bit illusive like me!
Next we had to stop and get some ice cream for the (early) birthday boy!
Sunday was the family party, this Wednesday is the BIG day! "Club Penguin"
So you can see that we had a big weekend, lots of sugar!
I really liked that phrase, Slice of Life Post, from my friend Kelliann's comment yesterday. That is what they are, truly, a slice of life. I was able to have some down time yesterday and I feel better. I appreciated all the encouraging comments.
I did go to Bible study last night after lots of debating. I am really glad I went because it was a good reminder lesson about loving your husband and keeping him a top priority. I needed those reminders!
Today is another busy day with lessons, visiting mom's cats, getting groceries, cleaning the house. And we are getting some wintery weather, too. I'll not call it snow because it is such a mix of snow, rain and slush. It is enough to cover the trees and roads, but not enough to cause a lot of trouble, thankfully.
I also have a lot on my heart today. Our friend Lori (Miry Clay) lost her dear mother this week, suddenly. I am not sure how to minister to her family except to pray. I have no idea, nor do I want to know, what it feels like to loose a mother. So if you think of Lori and her family, please pray for them.
Exhausted!
Oh my goodness! This weekend was just way too busy. (No down time.) I am a big fan of down time and I need lots of it too! Today I am dragging. I also had 2 restless nights of sleep this weekend due to my allergies, I think. I kept coughing and waking myself up and I know I don't have a cold. I wish I could say that we could take it easy this week, but we can't, so I am hoping to at least get some down time in between the tasks that have to be done.
I took a couple pictures at the nursing home the kids sang at on Sunday. I had to be really quick and discreet, so I am afraid they are not the best. After the kids sang, they handed out heart pillows that they made for the residents. It was a special moment. I loved watching the older people's responses. You could see that they loved having the children there.
We are working through the issue of having one vehicle this week, so that adds to our busyness and juggling of our schedules. Jeff's 15.5 year old truck is now retired and the bakery van he was borrowing last week is now in the shop after blowing out a tire today. (Thankfully it happened right as Jeff turned into the bakery parking lot.) Update: Jeff called. The bakery van is fixed and they'll even come get him so he won't need me to pick him up tonight. Not that I would have minded. It just saves gas and time this way.
So we are praying for a gently used vehicle to come our way. I wish we could manage with one vehicle, but we live too far from Jeff's work to make that practical for very long with gas prices. We have a good prospect on a car and will get to see it this coming weekend. In the meantime we juggle.
Thursday we go to Trevor's yearly visit to see his surgeon. He had an xray done a few weeks ago and his pediatrician thought it should be seen by his surgeon too since his pediatrician wasn't sure if it was normal. Makes you feel really good as a parent, but I am just not going to worry about it until I have something to worry about.
So, you can see this week is off to a great start and you are probably sorry you stopped by after all this whining about being tired, vehicles and doctors. Check back on Thursday and I will be thankful again. That's a promise.
Good Monday afternoon to you, depending on where you are reading this and when you read this, I guess! But it is Monday here and still afternoon for me, and yes, it has been a good one as well. The kids and I were convinced to give up our school work and head to the Children's Museum with Mama Karen this morning. ( She accepts full responsiblibity for our delenquency. )
We were not the only ones who wanted to spend the morning at our favorite museum. Let me just say that I am so spoiled. I usually know better to go on a day when the masses are off from school and a free day to boot! However, my desire to spend the day with my mom and children won out my knowing better.
In addition, It was a chance for me to see just how much work I need to do on my quest to be meek and quiet in my spirit. Let's just say, I am not where I want to be in that area and today it was totally clear. Because in my heart, I was grumbling that others would dare to go to "my" museum on this day that I wanted to be there with my family! And I have been going to this museum for the last almost 10 years and I have never been there on a more crowded day!
All this to say, I did enjoy our time together and I am thankful that we had the chance to go. I did bring my camera, but the battery was not charged, so I am afraid you'll have to wait to see Mama Karen's pictures when she gets to it. (Right now, she is cutting out paper dolls with Grace while the boys play with Legos.)
It's kind of sad when we get all excited about a little snow, but here it is. One year ago from tomorrow we had 16 inches of snow. Now that is a snow! This post is for my southern friends who have to live vicariously. (lol) Did I do alright, Vicki? Scroll down for my first Wordless Wednesday post.
Feb. 11, 2008~ Monday Journal...it was bound to happen ~
I knew we were doomed last week when in our Kindergarten Sunday School class 2 children were obviously sick. And then yesterday a boy kept sneezing without covering himself, even after repeated reminders. (Where was my can of Lysol?)
It's been since the second week of December, since anyone was sick in our house, for that I praise Him! However, things are about to change. Grace woke up coughing yesterday (still is coughing) and said she had a sore throat the day before that. I woke up with a scratchy throat this morning myself.
Dread comes over me, but then, I really have nothing to complain about with so many of my friends being sick for weeks at a time. We are taking our zinc tablets (They lied about the great tasting strawberry flavor says Grace. ) and staying in as much as possible this week. Usually the zinc really curtails a cold, shortening its duration and severity. I pray it works its magic once more.
So, this is how we start our week. We shall see what plans need to be adjusted. I hope you have a great week, free from germs!
Hello. My name is Jenn and I am striving to be a servant of Jesus Christ. I am a wife of 13 years to my best friend and a stay at home mom of 3 wonderful home educated children ages 10, 8, 6 here in beautiful Central Indiana. Titus 2:5 says to older women that we are to teach younger women "to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God." This blog is my way of encouraging others to be Busy At Home.
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green sand, washed it out and let it dry. Then we sprayed the deck that it sits on and used a squeegee to get the water off. By the time we went to pick Daddy up from work, it was dry, so we stopped at Lowes and got our annual play sand fix. 
That should not be. So this week I am purposing to be busy at home and less busy on my computer. 
Here's Trevor and Grandpa looking at Trevor's fire truck. 
Here is Grandma looking at Trevor's school books. 
Now we are going to bake some cookies for St. Patrick's Day and Grandpa. 
Have a great start to your week. I'll try to catch up as I am able. 
Our little baby boy, newly arrived. 
It was just amazing! They even gave the kids pizza. I can't imagine how the Gold reward could top this morning of fun. 
This was the first time Grace had her hair washed professionally! I did not get a picture of her "after" yet, as she is a bit illusive like me! 
"Club Penguin"
(Thankfully it happened right as Jeff turned into the bakery parking lot.) Update: Jeff called. The bakery van is fixed and they'll even come get him so he won't need me to pick him up tonight. 
