A child with cancer. A husband out of work. A home lost to foreclosure. A sister, cousin, aunt, mother with breast cancer. A father-in-law near death. A son on drugs. A newborn recovering from heart surgery. A child lost to suicide. The list goes on and on...
Do you ever feel that you could justify spending your entire waking hours in prayer? I do. There are so many situations that need to be prayed for/about. When I am given a prayer request, I pray for it. If I hear myself saying "I'll be praying for you", I write it down to pray for later, or I pause right then and there and pray.
President Obama. Our military members. The people affected by Hurricane Irene. Residents evacuated due to wild fires. Farmers suffering through a drought...
I completely believe in the power of prayer. Does this mean that I believe everything I ask for will be given? No. I know that God says "wait" and "no" maybe more often than He says "yes". Do I understand why? No. I'm not deterred, I just keep praying.
My kids. My grandkids. My extended family. My husband. My friends...
I am completely humbled when someone asks me to pray for them. I see it as a huge responsibility. A privilege. A chance to share my faith. An opportunity to renew and refresh my faith.
Prayers of adoration, thanksgiving, praise, confession...
There are so many great verses in the Bible on the subject of prayer. A few of my favorites:
If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.
2 Chronicles 7:14
Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Romans 12:12
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. Philippians 4:6
Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
I have experienced the power of prayer in my life time and time again. I have been awed at the power of prayer in the lives of others through seemingly hopeless situations. I am confident in the assurance that God is always waiting, always listening, always ready for the prayers of His children.
8.30.2011
8.28.2011
Life Just Keeps Getting Better...
Katie and Gabe traveled to CA this weekend for a wedding.
Gramps and I had the privilege of watching Sunny and Thunder.
Yesterday, we invited Zach, Ashley, Skye; Gigi and Papa; Aunt Kelly and Uncle Mark; Tia Jess and Tio Adam over for lunch. The purpose was for the greats to see all three kids and for Kelly and Mark to meet Thunder.
It was such fun! Having all three grandkids together is just such a blast for me. They are all so sweet! I love each one dearly. Skye is really coming into her own personality and she has the sweetest smile ever. Here's some photos from our family fun.
Gramps and I had the privilege of watching Sunny and Thunder.
Yesterday, we invited Zach, Ashley, Skye; Gigi and Papa; Aunt Kelly and Uncle Mark; Tia Jess and Tio Adam over for lunch. The purpose was for the greats to see all three kids and for Kelly and Mark to meet Thunder.
It was such fun! Having all three grandkids together is just such a blast for me. They are all so sweet! I love each one dearly. Skye is really coming into her own personality and she has the sweetest smile ever. Here's some photos from our family fun.
Gigi and Skye
Sunny can't figure out Gigi's camera!
Tio Zach with Thunder
Sunny, Skye and Papa playing on the floor
Tia Jessica with Thunder
Gigi holding Thunder
Learning to share with Skye is challenging for Sunny!
Aunt Kelly holding Thunder while Ashley relaxes in the corner
There's that sweet smile!
Gramps with Skye
Sunny and Daisy ready for a nap when everyone has left
8.24.2011
Are You Prepared to Evacuate?
Hurricane Irene is coming. Millions of people along the East Coast could potentially be ordered to evacuate their homes this weekend. If you live in that area, are you prepared to evacuate? Here are some simple tips for evacuation suitable for any emergency situation from Marla Cilley aka FlyLady. You can learn more about FlyLady here.
East Coast Friends, please be alert this weekend and take every precaution necessary to be safe!
Here it is that time of year again when we are faced with the threat of Evacuation from our homes. We never know when this could happen because of fire, tornadoes, storms, floods, earthquakes or hurricanes. It is up to us to be prepared! Don't wait and think this can't happen to you. We have seen power outages from earthquakes, ice storms, thunderstorms and raging fires. Please take this plan and pull it together to help you stay calm in a storm.
1. PEOPLE: Have a plan for getting out of the house and make sure everyone knows it. Have an emergency bag of food and water for your family. Include wholesome snacks and treats for the children: dried fruit, nuts, peanut butter, crackers and granola bars.
2. PETS: Keep pet carriers and leashes readily available to lead pets to safety. Also take pet food with you.
3. PICTURES: Keep negatives or CDs of pictures in a lock box or at a family member's home. Have picture albums in one place ready to grab and go at a moments notice. Or keep copies on an Online storage place like Picasa or other photo website. Or a back up drive.
4. PAPERS: Have all your important papers in a lock box at a bank and only keep copies at the house. This keeps you from panicking. If you have them at home then put them in a folder that you can easily grab if you have to move fast. Color code it so you can find it!
5. PRESCRIPTIONS: Take your medications with you. Don't forget the ones that have to be refrigerated like insulin. Have small ice chest and cold packs readily accessible to pack and go. If you have babies; remember their formula or medications.
6. PURSES and PETROL: This is where you keep your identification, credit cards and cash. Keep a stash of cash for emergencies and grab it. You may not be able to use an ATM in the event of a power outage. Make sure your car always has a half a tank of gas.
7. PROPER CLOTHES and COMFORT ITEMS: According to the weather conditions; gather up a change of clothes along with outer clothing: coats, rain gear, boots, gloves and hats. If you have babies remember diapers. Remember to grab your children's favorite blanket, stuffed animal or toy. A game or a deck of cards could keep them occupied and calm too.
8. PLANNER/CALENDAR/CONTROL JOURNAL: These documents have all the information you will need from phone numbers, insurance numbers and important dates. They are small and filled with things you don't have to try to remember.
9. PERSONAL PROTECTION: Many of us still have that time of the month. Be sure and grab a box of your preferred protection. It may be hard to find if you have been evacuated. Stress can cause our bodies to do strange things too. So be prepared. Take medication for cramps too.
10. PHONES, RADIOS, FUEL FOR THE CAR: Many of us have cell phones now. Always keep them charged up and have a charger in the car or an extra battery. They may not work in the event of power outages, but then they might. Know which local radio station has emergency bulletins. Keep your battery powered radio tuned to that local station and have plenty of batteries for it. Also keep a old type regular phone that does not operate with electricity. GAS PUMPS don't work without power either. You can't leave if your car is on empty. So keep your car fuel tank topped off when it hits a half of tank. This way you will have gas to drive at least a couple of hours. Evacuation routes are usually bumper to bumper traffic. Having a tank filled will keep you less stressed.
11. PATIENCE: This is one of the most important things to pack. Keep it inside of you so that you have a clear calm head. Having your P's to Preparedness list guiding you will keep you patient. In the event of an evacuation there will be lots of displaced people. Being patient will make things less stressful. Your children need to see you calm and collected. This will help keep them calm too.
Don't wait till you are being asked to evacuate. Everyone thinks that it could not happen to them. Well it could and it is up to you to make sure you are prepared.
East Coast Friends, please be alert this weekend and take every precaution necessary to be safe!
Here it is that time of year again when we are faced with the threat of Evacuation from our homes. We never know when this could happen because of fire, tornadoes, storms, floods, earthquakes or hurricanes. It is up to us to be prepared! Don't wait and think this can't happen to you. We have seen power outages from earthquakes, ice storms, thunderstorms and raging fires. Please take this plan and pull it together to help you stay calm in a storm.
1. PEOPLE: Have a plan for getting out of the house and make sure everyone knows it. Have an emergency bag of food and water for your family. Include wholesome snacks and treats for the children: dried fruit, nuts, peanut butter, crackers and granola bars.
2. PETS: Keep pet carriers and leashes readily available to lead pets to safety. Also take pet food with you.
3. PICTURES: Keep negatives or CDs of pictures in a lock box or at a family member's home. Have picture albums in one place ready to grab and go at a moments notice. Or keep copies on an Online storage place like Picasa or other photo website. Or a back up drive.
4. PAPERS: Have all your important papers in a lock box at a bank and only keep copies at the house. This keeps you from panicking. If you have them at home then put them in a folder that you can easily grab if you have to move fast. Color code it so you can find it!
5. PRESCRIPTIONS: Take your medications with you. Don't forget the ones that have to be refrigerated like insulin. Have small ice chest and cold packs readily accessible to pack and go. If you have babies; remember their formula or medications.
6. PURSES and PETROL: This is where you keep your identification, credit cards and cash. Keep a stash of cash for emergencies and grab it. You may not be able to use an ATM in the event of a power outage. Make sure your car always has a half a tank of gas.
7. PROPER CLOTHES and COMFORT ITEMS: According to the weather conditions; gather up a change of clothes along with outer clothing: coats, rain gear, boots, gloves and hats. If you have babies remember diapers. Remember to grab your children's favorite blanket, stuffed animal or toy. A game or a deck of cards could keep them occupied and calm too.
8. PLANNER/CALENDAR/CONTROL JOURNAL: These documents have all the information you will need from phone numbers, insurance numbers and important dates. They are small and filled with things you don't have to try to remember.
9. PERSONAL PROTECTION: Many of us still have that time of the month. Be sure and grab a box of your preferred protection. It may be hard to find if you have been evacuated. Stress can cause our bodies to do strange things too. So be prepared. Take medication for cramps too.
10. PHONES, RADIOS, FUEL FOR THE CAR: Many of us have cell phones now. Always keep them charged up and have a charger in the car or an extra battery. They may not work in the event of power outages, but then they might. Know which local radio station has emergency bulletins. Keep your battery powered radio tuned to that local station and have plenty of batteries for it. Also keep a old type regular phone that does not operate with electricity. GAS PUMPS don't work without power either. You can't leave if your car is on empty. So keep your car fuel tank topped off when it hits a half of tank. This way you will have gas to drive at least a couple of hours. Evacuation routes are usually bumper to bumper traffic. Having a tank filled will keep you less stressed.
11. PATIENCE: This is one of the most important things to pack. Keep it inside of you so that you have a clear calm head. Having your P's to Preparedness list guiding you will keep you patient. In the event of an evacuation there will be lots of displaced people. Being patient will make things less stressful. Your children need to see you calm and collected. This will help keep them calm too.
Don't wait till you are being asked to evacuate. Everyone thinks that it could not happen to them. Well it could and it is up to you to make sure you are prepared.
8.23.2011
Dinner With Skye (and her folks)
Zach and Ashley are house-sitting on this side of town this week so we got to meet them for dinner tonight. A perfect excuse for Grammy to get some photos of Skye!
8.22.2011
Thunder Comes to Grammy Daycare
Naptime for Thunder
Coloring time for Sunny
Thunder sees the toys 1st time at Grammy's house
Blurry... but you can kind of see Thunder's smile
101 in 1001 Update
I am in the ninth month of my 101 in 1001 project. I have completed nine items. I have 26 items in progress. I have not given up on any, but I have modified four items.
My biggest issue with this list is that I forget that I have 1001 days to complete everything. I get panicked thinking I'm not going to get it all accomplished this year. Well, duh... I need to get it all accomplished by August 2013, I still have loads of time!
I must say I'm enjoying this project immensely. I worried that I might get bored with it early on. But I haven't. I enjoy recording my progress on the daily goals. I look it over once a month to see if there are any items I can begin, or better yet, highlight as completed.
I have an alternate list already in mind so that if I complete too much of this list early on I can add on some items. It's a great way to focus on the things that I want to do that seem out of reach. To focus on projects that I've talked about for years but never started (until now!). To keep track of dreams and goals that have eluded me in the past.
You can check out my list and progress by clicking the "101 in 1001" tab at the top of the page. It's fun!
My biggest issue with this list is that I forget that I have 1001 days to complete everything. I get panicked thinking I'm not going to get it all accomplished this year. Well, duh... I need to get it all accomplished by August 2013, I still have loads of time!
I must say I'm enjoying this project immensely. I worried that I might get bored with it early on. But I haven't. I enjoy recording my progress on the daily goals. I look it over once a month to see if there are any items I can begin, or better yet, highlight as completed.
I have an alternate list already in mind so that if I complete too much of this list early on I can add on some items. It's a great way to focus on the things that I want to do that seem out of reach. To focus on projects that I've talked about for years but never started (until now!). To keep track of dreams and goals that have eluded me in the past.
You can check out my list and progress by clicking the "101 in 1001" tab at the top of the page. It's fun!
8.21.2011
This is What Grammys Do
Katie and I went to walk the mall today with Sunny and Thunder. I also wanted to hit the Disney store to buy a Buzz Lightyear soft toy the same size as my Woody so she could play Toy Story with them. Plus I just like to see what new stores are at the mall.
We went into the Famous Footwear and they had four or five pair of Toy Story Cowboy boots. None in Sunny's size. They were so cute and of course she fell in love with them. The Sales Associate called another store in the area and they had them in Sunny's size. After our walk and lunch, we headed over to the other Famous Footwear location. The boots fit, so I bought them. Of course she had to wear them out of the store!
We drove over to Sam's Club to show them to Gramps. They light up when she walks. The fist photo is the boots, the second photo is Sunny laughing at them. What fun for Grammy!
We went into the Famous Footwear and they had four or five pair of Toy Story Cowboy boots. None in Sunny's size. They were so cute and of course she fell in love with them. The Sales Associate called another store in the area and they had them in Sunny's size. After our walk and lunch, we headed over to the other Famous Footwear location. The boots fit, so I bought them. Of course she had to wear them out of the store!
We drove over to Sam's Club to show them to Gramps. They light up when she walks. The fist photo is the boots, the second photo is Sunny laughing at them. What fun for Grammy!
8.20.2011
Fall Fever, Family, Future
I have fall fever so bad. It's not that I expect there to be a crispness to the air so I can put on a sweater. I'd just like it to cool down enough that I could clean out our garage without passing out! I'm ready for it to cool down to the upper 70s overnight so I can open the house up. I want to see a daytime high of 100 degrees. In the meantime, I'll just keep going to Hobby Lobby and walking up and down the fall decor aisles and pretending the chill of the AC is really the chill of my fantasy fall.
Dan's cousin Bev, her husband Al, and daughter Dani visited us this past week. Dani was down here to look at ASU West as a possible school to complete her Master's at. ASU didn't work out, but we had a great few days with them. We've kept in touch over the years with Christmas cards and the occasional family news update, but hadn't seen them in 18 years. It was so great to renew our relationship with them. They are a terrific family and we're determined to keep in touch from here out. Some of the kids came over last night to (re)meet them.
Along with my acute case of Fall Fever, I'm suffering from a severe case of "future-itis". I'm ready to move forward with our future. We want to buy a home. We want to change our lifestyle a bit. We want to travel a little. We are ready to add a little more recreation to our days. Oh well, someday...
Dan's cousin Bev, her husband Al, and daughter Dani visited us this past week. Dani was down here to look at ASU West as a possible school to complete her Master's at. ASU didn't work out, but we had a great few days with them. We've kept in touch over the years with Christmas cards and the occasional family news update, but hadn't seen them in 18 years. It was so great to renew our relationship with them. They are a terrific family and we're determined to keep in touch from here out. Some of the kids came over last night to (re)meet them.
Al, Dani, Bev (with Thunder)
Along with my acute case of Fall Fever, I'm suffering from a severe case of "future-itis". I'm ready to move forward with our future. We want to buy a home. We want to change our lifestyle a bit. We want to travel a little. We are ready to add a little more recreation to our days. Oh well, someday...
8.19.2011
Frustration
So, I've been blogging for almost two years now. You would think that I would have a grasp on the mechanics of manipulating the information contained in my blog.
You would think.
Apparently you would be wrong. Yesterday I was deleting a link from one of the blog rolls. For some reason after I removed the individual link, I also clicked "remove" at the bottom of the gadget.
I did wonder why it was taking so long to delete one little link.
Oh yeah, it deleted the entire list of blogs. Of course, I don't remember all the names of the blogs. I don't have their addresses saved somewhere else for retrieval.
Sigh. It worked out ok. I knew the names of a couple of my favorites, and I used their blog rolls to find some of the others (which is where I found them in the first place of course).
And in the course of trying to recreate my original list, I found some new blogs to add to it.
I felt so incredibly stupid... You can bet in the future I'll pay better attention to what I'm doing. Maybe.
You would think.
Apparently you would be wrong. Yesterday I was deleting a link from one of the blog rolls. For some reason after I removed the individual link, I also clicked "remove" at the bottom of the gadget.
I did wonder why it was taking so long to delete one little link.
Oh yeah, it deleted the entire list of blogs. Of course, I don't remember all the names of the blogs. I don't have their addresses saved somewhere else for retrieval.
Sigh. It worked out ok. I knew the names of a couple of my favorites, and I used their blog rolls to find some of the others (which is where I found them in the first place of course).
And in the course of trying to recreate my original list, I found some new blogs to add to it.
I felt so incredibly stupid... You can bet in the future I'll pay better attention to what I'm doing. Maybe.
8.15.2011
Monday Musings
SSMT #16: I will hasten and not delay to obey your commands. Psalm 119:60 This verse is short, but to the point. A point that I need to reflect on each and every day!
Birthday Celebration: We got together with the in-town kids on Saturday night to celebrate my birthday. It was great and we had a fantastic time together. I can't tell you how fun it is for me to see all three of the grandkids together. It's a dream come true! I'll let the photos tell the story...
Birthday Celebration: We got together with the in-town kids on Saturday night to celebrate my birthday. It was great and we had a fantastic time together. I can't tell you how fun it is for me to see all three of the grandkids together. It's a dream come true! I'll let the photos tell the story...
Skye
Grammy and Skye - Office Five Month Photo
Grammy with her girls
Katie and Sunny
Jess, Adam, Skye
Skye kept wanting to pull Sunny's hair...
... this distressed Sunny to no end!
Tia Ash and Thunder
Gramps and Skye
Vicki, Ashley, Skye, Thunder
We were trying to get Sunny to put her arm around my neck
Someone told her to touch Grammy's hair
Yeah... she was pulling it!
Gramps, Grammy with all three kids - what a joy!
Zach with his daughter
It's true - Skye likes Gramps the best!
The Greats: After the celebration, Sunny and Thunder were coming home with us to spend the night. So we stopped off at my folks house so they could see the kids.
Papa with Thunder
Gigi with Thunder
Official One Month Photo: Here's my official one month photo with Thunder
8.13.2011
Helping Tia Jessica
Yesterday Katie, Sunny, Thunder, and I helped Jessica set up her classroom for this school year. As you can tell by the photos, we were a GREAT help to her!
Jessica's classroom
taping the floor as a guide for desk placement
helping out by sleeping and letting us work!
climbing up in the desk...
...enjoying the view...
...climbing down out of the desk
some good old-fashioned flag waving
Mrs. Brill or teacher
working on an art project
Katie helping with decor
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