MORE PRAYER REQUESTS

My poor parents have had a REALLY rough week. My stepdad has terminal lung cancer. He was diagnosed almost 3 years ago and has done sooo well. He opted not to do chemo as he is 87 years old now (84 when he made that decision) and they told him up front the chemo would not cure him, but "might" pro-long his life by a few months. Chemo itself on the other hand, 'COULD" kill him. We all supported his decision, and it has turned out to be a really wise one. He has always been a really healthy, sharp man. You would never know he was even sick. Until now. It is really starting to catch up with him. He can't eat much at all now and is losing weight rapidly. He is weak and out of breath…wants mainly to sleep. He has good days too though every once in a while and we still play cards almost every Friday night. This week has been REALLY bad, and a whole new set of symptoms seem to be coming to the surface. My mom is of course worried sick over him and fusses and pampers him as much as she can. Meanwhile, she has recovered REALLY well from her stroke, but not all the way. She still occasionally struggles with finding the right word for things, and reads really, really slowly. She too tires quickly, but has really been her old sassy self for the most part. They take care of each other the best they can. It is really pretty sweet and inspiring to watch. How connected they are. Anyway, as they were driving to the doc's yesterday to hear the results of my stepdad's latest test, my mother appeared to have what was another stroke. She was just soo upset and frantic over the results of the coming tests. The doc's called an ambulance and she was whisked to the hospital. After many tests they decided what she had more than likely suffered from was actually a mini seizure which I guess is really pretty common after the kind of stroke she suffered last Sept. She has been on medication to prevent that, but stopped it (with the doc's orders of course) 3 months ago as she was doing sooo well. We were all glad to see that happen as the medication makes her kind of slow and dopey. Anyway, this was all of course good news as it is soo much better than another stroke. She could not speak or make any sense at all at first and it appeared soo bad. She very quickly though began to regain her speech and by the time I left the hospital last night she was almost back to her old self. She again seems to be unable to read very well, but the doc felt that 24 hours would make a huge difference. My poor stepdad is soo upset. We are all soo glad that his daughter is taking good care of him while my mom is sick. She should get out of the hospital today if all goes as they are hoping. The care the two of them is going to require will again be divided up amongst us. I just hope it is enough as more time goes by. It is soo hard to watch your parent’s age and suffer. She looks so tiny lying there in her bed, and seems soo scared. I am anxious for her to get back to giving orders and being her old self. Aging and growing old is certainly part of life, and when you consider the alternative is really where you hope to be some day. But watching pretty much hopelessly is a little harder than I anticipated. Soo many of my friends are in the same boat, or have already lost their parents. I guess it is the age I imagine. I would appreciate your prayers on this. I am headed back to the hospital this morning as I want to hear the instructions and get them settled safely back in their house. Thank you Lord for watching over her yesterday....

AN UPDATE AND A PRAYER REQUEST

So many things have happened in the last few days that I can't quite decide what or IF I should even try to share them all. I honestly can't figure out sometimes what it is that I am ALWAYS doing, but I just can't seem to get more than one or at the most two posts done a week. I think my kids would say it is because I make my posts TOO long, so therefore it takes too much of my time. Might be. But whatever it is I really admire those of you who can seem to post everyday. Maybe that's what the problem is, I am ALWAYS busy reading and trying to keep up with all the wonderful blogs. And then, I've always got something to say so there is ALOT of commenting to do as well, haha....


In the interest of keeping this as short as I can I think I will just tell you all about yesterday. Let me start by saying is was my daughter's 25th birthday. Now as most of you know, I gave her birthday present to her when she was here recently. I got her a really nice diaper bag and I let her open it so I could see her expression when she did so. She was thrilled. So yesterday morning we were all up (my grandson Jeffie spent the week-end with us ~ see I told you there were LOTS of stories) early and hurrying around so that we could get out the door for church on time. I figured on the way down we would call her and put it on speaker and sing Happy Birthday to her. All of my kids know they will get serenaded on the phone by us on their birthdays. Anyway once we got under way to San Diego we called. She didn't answer but I knew she was there as I had seen she had been online earlier as we traded a couple of quick facebook messages. I figured she was in the shower getting ready for church so I told them (my hubby and little Jeff) we would try again in a little while. 20 minutes later I called again and Mike answered her phone. VERY unusual. He quickly told me that they were at the hospital and that Melody was getting checked and couldn't talk. He said she had been trying to call me, but hadn't gotten through. I of course asked what was happening, and he told me she was bleeding significantly. With promises that she would call as soon as she could he got off. I felt my pulse beginning to race and suddenly I wanted to head to the airport and jump a plane for New Mexico. My girl needed me. If you knew me you'd know this in and of itself was HUGE as I simply don't fly. Trust me....this is ANOTHER long post. But back to this particular story. I had no choice but to pray (which we quickly did of course) that all would be fine and we continued on our trip to church. I felt my mind going all over the place though as I tried to keep myself from flipping out. I went into church with my phone on vibrate and sat in the VERY back chair by the door so I could quickly step out if she called. I will have to admit that I did not do as well as I would have hoped paying attention, but I did follow along pretty well. Towards the end of the service she FINALLY called and I raced outside to hear what was happening. She was getting an IV, but she was fine, and was going to be going home after that if all was well. The bleeding had stopped, the baby was fine, and she had an appointment today at her docs for her regular appointment anyway which worked out great so that they could follow up with it all. She spent the rest of her birthday on the couch taking it VERY easy. The bottom line is this.....I have told you from the beginning she is considered VERY high risk; especially at the end of the pregnancy. Pre-term labor is a REAL possibility. I don't want to go into details as it is not my story to tell, but what she is has is really quite rare; though others with her condition have had safe and healthy pregnancies, so it CAN be done. She has done soooo well, and has not had a single problem, so I think we were all thinking we just might sail through this without a single blip. But yesterday was a fresh reminder that we aren't done yet. However, after she saw her doc today we found out that what happened yesterday really doesn't have anything to do with her condition, but do to the fact she has a low lying placenta. Her doc feels that there is EVERY possibility it will move in order for her to have a safe delivery. In fact he feels almost certain of it. But there are dangers that are complicated by the fact of her condition. However, while she does have to be careful with some things, he has not ordered bed rest yet. Sooo, we begin the waiting again. I soo covet your prayers about this. That the placenta will move as he feels it will, and that she will be able to carry that baby just as close to his Oct. 13th due date as she can. He did say she looked WONDERFUL and that she is very healthy. Her weight, blood pressure and measurements are as perfect as they can be, and that baby is VERY healthy. I have settled in (kind of) with a fresh peace about this as it really is of course in the hands of our Lord. But my mama's heart is still a little shaky. I will spend as much time as I can at His feet trusting Him for all of this.

I did want to tell you I DID work out the details to make a visit there next month. I will leave on the 18th, be there for the shower on the 20th, and then spend the entire next week helping her finish up the nursery and get everything ready for little Sam. I will be back on the 28th. I can't begin to tell you how much I am looking forward to this. I sooo need to be there. I will be forever grateful to my wonderful husband for helping me pull this off. I am married to just the best guy ever.

My washing machine is on its last legs I have found out (only cost me 130 bucks to hear this haha) but we are nursing it along till it finally keels over. But it is coming...sigh. The air conditioning is giving us some trouble today too, but my BRILLIANT hubby may have figured out the problem. Right now wonderously cool air is pouring out of the vents....oh how I pray he did.

I am going to get off for now....I will tell you of our beach picnic with church next time....and my week-end with Jeffie. But I am going to leave you with this DARLING picture of JD right after he caught his first fish ever. How darling is this little cutie?

 

WHY DIDN'T I SAY IT?!?

Well, time has certainly slowed down, and maybe even TOO much, haha....These last couple of days have been spent catching up on the phone, and laundry, just generally taking it easy. Our week-end was soo nice, and how grateful I am. Church on Sunday was just wonderful. I am soo enjoying getting to know some of the people. Having not been a part of a small church in over 20 years, I had honestly forgotten how wonderful it is to really know some of the members. This is such a difficult thing to do when the church is as large as Calvary Chapel of the Chino Valley, (our home church for over 20 years) and even more so when you have a personality like mine. I am actually somewhat shy and reserved in a group setting till I become comfortable with the people. That doesn't work well in LARGE crowds, haha. Anyway, this last Sun I was chatting with a few of the older ladies who have been attending there for quite a while. These women are all in their late 70's or early 80's. I LOVE this age group. I think because I just feel so many of them have got such wise things to say, and are never in a hurry, just soo sweet. Do you know what I mean? Anyway, one of the gals was asking me where I lived and all the other standard getting to know questions, and found out for the first time I guess (I thought everyone knew that by now, haha) that I was the Pastor's mother. She quickly began telling me how wonderful she thinks he is, and how she is learning from him even though she thought by now there wasn't much left to teach her as she has been a Christian all her life, haha...She loves his humor (which I was glad to hear... I think he is hysterical, but then I AM his mother, lol) and his heart, and feels like the church has been soo blessed to get him. These are all wonderful things to hear of course as his mother. But then she said, "How proud you must be to know you raised a man like him. You obviously did SUCH a good job, and now you can feel sooo pleased." I mumbled a thanks at the time, but truthfully I wish now I had said what I was really thinking. "If I take credit and responsibility for the good things James has become and done, then does that mean that I have to take responsibility and credit for ALL the bad choices he's made in his life as well, or for the rest of my children too?" And while of course I do feel like we did do some things the way we should have, and God has blessed those efforts, there is NO DOUBT in my mind who can take the credit for the heart he has today. For the man he is; that any of my children have a heart for God, and are living their lives hopefully to please Him. Jesus Christ is the ONLY one who can work such a miracle in someone's life. He is the one who is responsible for giving him the servant’s heart that he has, or the love that he wants to share with this church. He and He alone can take ANY man/woman and equip them what they need to live such a life. No matter how they were raised, or what mistakes they have made. Left to our own, no one can ever quite get the job done. I DO thank Him that He has done the work in the lives of my children that He has, and how I pray that it continues. And while it might be nice to pat myself on the back and say, "Yes, you have raised wonderful children" I (if anyone does) know just how much I have done wrong, and how many ways I have failed. I will be forever grateful that my God is as merciful and mighty that He is. So now I ask myself, "Why didn't I say it?"


Hope you are all having a good week. I am going to Joanne's later today for some fabric as I have some things to make for another coming baby (yeah!) and they are having a sale, AND I have coupons, haha. My washer seems to have bit the dust though this morning. Hopefully we can just get it repaired, though the burnt smell I smelled doesn't make me too hopeful. And one last thing....I am TRYING to work out the details that I might go to Melody's next month. I sooo want to help her get the nursery together (they are painting and putting the furniture together this week-end) and go to her Texas shower, and just spend some time at her house BEFORE the baby is born. I haven't been there in over 2 and half years. It is just time. But it just seems like it is not going to happen. I am still praying. And still hoping....And still dreaming about the time. So if you could say a prayer or two as well, I'd really appreciate it....Have a wonderful week! Till I write again....

A GRATEFUL HEART!

Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.

Can it be Thursday? Is it already July 14th? Time marches by and it seems as though I sit and watch it whip by, thinking that any minute I will catch up with the pace. I long sometimes to reach out and slow it down somehow and linger over moments longer than it seems possible to do. I have had much on my mind these last few days. We had somewhat of a family hoopla (as we would call it) these last couple of days and it has left me somewhat exhausted and drained; soo many things in this life that we just can't control. Just can't change..wish were different. And yet, the bottom line is it just isn't how life is, is it? Learning to accept what we can't change, and always be working on what we can, is really a big part of what life can be. My strength comes only from the Lord. How anyone could ever make it without Him remains one of the biggest questions in my life. Or why they would want to, or would try to, would seem even better questions. I watch people struggle with this, people that I love soo much, and know that they are questions that only they can deal with. I can pray, and I do, but I know I must also watch the way I live, the way I talk, and what I do if I want to represent what living a life with a risen Savior is really all about. I must pray daily to be filled with His Holy Spirit so that I might have the power and strength and the desire to live the way He might want me to live. It scares me how often I fail. It saddens me. But it also fills me with gratitude that He loves me no matter what. His grace and His mercy towards me are new every morning, and can never run out or fail.

Lam 3:22,23 Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; Great is your faithfulness.

I have soo much to be thankful for. Here are a just a few that come to my mind this morning….

I am grateful for Him first and foremost; for His love, acceptance, power, strength, mercy, grace, and never ending presence in my life when I don’t deserve it, even for one moment.

I am grateful for my husband who puts up with me, loves me, pampers me, takes care of me, and remains my forever best friend.

I am grateful for my family and friends who are always there for me and show me such love and acceptance. Soo many people don’t have this in their lives, and my heart aches for them.

I am grateful that everyone was well for the shower for my Melody and that it was as beautiful and as wonderful that it was. And for sweet Jessie who spent just hours and hours of her time to make it that way. And for my sisters who helped her that day.

I am grateful that my mother recovered as much as she has from her stroke, and that she has regained so much of her independence.

For the cool breeze that is blowing in my window as I type this…it has been soo warm.

am grateful it is summertime and that I am leaving shortly to get little Jeff and spend the afternoon enjoying him and going to the movies.

I could go on and on and on, but I will end this here. The bottom line for me today is that life is short. It whips by quickly. I want to live it in a way that pleases Him. I want to make a difference for Him. I don’t want to get caught up in the things in this life that don’t really matter. It is hard to do. My 47 year old cousin passed away quite suddenly this last week. We were not especially close, but I did love him and the time that might have been spent with him, is now gone. We all have our appointed times to die. We have to live our lives as though each day is our last.  I do ask that you might pray for my uncle and their family during this difficult time.

Hebrews 4:16 Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

A WONDERFUL WEEK-END VISIT



All ready to be showered with love!

What an incredible last 5 days it has been...It has gone soo fast, and yet so much has happened that is seems like a LONG time ago...Mike and Mel arrived late Wed. afternoon just as I was finishing all my last minute little errands and things I wanted/needed to get done. It was perfect timing. We visited for a couple of hours as they rested up from the LONG drive before they headed out to have dinner with one of Melody's good friends, and her new fiancé. On Thursday morning Mike & Mel & I spent a leisurely morning chatting and catching up some more. Then Mike left to go and visit some of his friends while Mel & I went to have lunch with my parents before heading down to Newport so that Jessie could do Melody's hair. She won't get another chance before next Christmas. Good thing Mel's hair is only slightly highlighted so that she can get away with this. I can't imagine what mine would look like if I waited 6 months between touch ups, lol. Anyway, both of these activities were enjoyable as always. Afterwards I dropped off Mel with Mike so that they could have dinner with his mom and step dad, his sister and her boyfriend, and his brother and his girlfriend. On Friday morning Mike & Mel and I had ANOTHER long visit and chat before we got busy on our day again. I felt bad that Jeff was missing these times, but he was working. Mike spent the day with his brother golfing, and Mel and I went over to my oldest son Joe's house so that she could visit with all of them. Mike joined us there later before we all met Jeff back at home where we then left to celebrate Melody's 25th birthday at a yummy restaurant we have been wanting to try for a while. The food was sooo good I can honestly say it may have been the best I have ever tasted. Sooo yummy. I stuck to fish and didn't feel like I could go to wrong with my diet. We chatted and visited the rest of the night away. On Sat. we ALL sat and had a yummy breakfast and visited away until it was time to go to the shower....And now to tell you about the shower....I am not sure I could ever remember to tell everything that made this day soo wonderful and special. It was just soo good.

Jessica, Mel's cousin, best friend, maid of honor at her wedding, hairdresser ect., could have a job making TONS of money as a party planner and coordinator. The shower was honestly the best I have ever been to. (and I have been to MANY!) Everything was just perfect. The place she rented was in the hills of Orange and just BEAUTIFUL....The food was spectacular, and the dessert table held some of the best sweets I have had in quite some time. It was soo darling in the way it was decorated too. The other decorations soo darling and cleaver I am sure I could never begin to describe it all. Every little detail that could have been thought of and done, she did! She had to have spent literally hours and hours doing it. Such an act of love was unbelievable. I wish the pictures we took could do it all justice, but they of course don't. I can honestly never thank her enough, and neither could Mel. There were over 40 some people there, so it was a LARGE shower as we combined both families and several of Mel's friends too. She got soo many wonderful things. It took her almost 2 hours just to open them all, haha. She is to have another shower in Texas next month, and I pretty sure I will be there for that too. What a blessed baby this already is. Mike came as the shower was drawing to a close to take some pics and load up their truck with all the gifts. There were soo many they didn't even fit, so after we got home we spent a couple more hours organizing everything in plastic containers so that they could get them all home. We all went to bed quite tired that night, haha. What a wonderful day, and one we will all remember with such warm hearts and big smiles for ever more. The next morning we headed down to San Diego so that Mel could go to her brother's church. She was soo excited as she has wanted to do this for a while. It was another just wonderful day. Church was great as always and afterwards we went to lunch at a WONDERFUL barbeque place. Oh my goodness it was good. We visited for a good 2 hours before we finally headed back home. We did feel bad as Larissa and the kids were at home as the youngest two were sick. I was glad Larissa didn't have to miss the shower so that she could see Mel while she was here. We all napped for a while when we got back as the busy days were starting to catch up to us all. That night Mike & Mel went to have dinner with his sister and her boyfriend. They got home, loaded up their truck, and went to bed early as they left about 4 this morning. I did hear the truck leaving and felt the familiar sadness at her leaving. I am grateful though for this time that we had, and if all goes as planned we will go there next month so that I can go to her other shower, and then help her get the babies things all organized. Mike will paint the room this week hopefully and then start in putting the furniture together. Yesterday morning as we were getting ready to leave for church, Mel had run back in to use the bathroom again before our long drive (you remember how that goes for pregnant ladies, haha) and Mike told me, "I didn't think when I married Mel I could ever love her more than I did. I was soo wrong. I love her more every day, and this baby just makes it beyond describing." It was just soo sweet, and soo what any mother wants to hear from her girl's husband. How blessed she is. I have put together a slide show that while kind of long is worth viewing (in my opinion, haha). Remember to click on full screen to really see it well, and hit escape on your keypad to exit. Also, you can always hit the pause if you want to view something a little longer, and then just rehit it for it to begin again. ENJOY....

KISSES FOR SAM!

I haven't gotten around much this last few days, but I am coming. I've missed you!

Make your own slideshow design

TUESDAY'S THOUGHTS...

6 months!  Wow...can't believe how big she looks.

Goodness, where did that last week go?  I decided I'd better try and write a quick update or I might get soo far behind I will just have to quit or start over, haha.  I spent all last week I guess trying to finish up all of my loose ends on my various projects so that I could get them all wrapped up before Mike & Melody arrive tomorrow.  As of yesterday afternoon, mission FINALLY accomplished.  Actually, I guess that is not completely true.  The bedroom is totally cleaned out, (sewing can make SUCH a mess) and ready for George and his crew to REALLY clean this morning, but I still have two presents to wrap.  Melody knows about this so I can write about it here, but I won't show any pictures yet as she does not know which one I settled on.  Her 25th birthday is on the 24 of this month and I decided (after LOTS of discussions) to get her a REALLY nice diaper bag.  She wanted one that looks more like a purse, and less like a baby bag.  Big enough to carry everything she might need, (wallet, keys, cell phone) and yet plenty of room for all those necessary baby items.  The two of us spent a few hours looking at all the possibilites on line.  Goodness, there are sooo many choices.  And some of the them would require a small loan to buy, haha, but I think she will be really pleased to see which one I settled on.  I LOVE it...Super cute.  Anyway, I have that to wrap, and the quilt that arrived on Sat. from my dear friend Noreen at Life's Blessings.  I can't even describe to you how much I love it.  It is just beautiful.  I think she is going to put up pictures of it today if you would like to check it out.  If you haven't met Noreen, trust me you will love her.  The name of her blog so suits her as that is just what she is to me.  The women I have met here in this blogworld have blessed me more than I could ever even begin to tell you.  She is just the sweetest woman and has the biggest heart.  And sooo talented too.  She has HAND quilted the quilt, and it is just sooo perfect.  (have I mentioned that I love it?)   I can't wait for Mel to see it.  And how it matches all the bedding I made for Mel....it was if they all came off the same bolt of fabric.  Oh, and I have been wanting to mention that sweet Becky from Junk to Joy, sent Mel a little gift.  Soo excited for her to get that too.  I won a little contest Becky did a while back, and she sent me my prize the other day.  It was a perfect WONDERFULLY smelling lavender sachet that she had made....Oh I can't describe how good it smelled.  I put it in my bathroom on the sink and it is just perfect there and scents the bathroom with the sweet aroma.  Well, she sent a little something for Mel too, but she doesn't know about this one so I am keeping it secret for now.  Becky spreads her joy all throughout blogland, and if you haven't met her you have been missing out so pop on over and take a look.  As I look around at the various different gifts that are in my home from my blogging buddies, my heart swells with love for you all.  What a wonderful experience this all has really been.  Just another way our Lord shows His great love for us as He connects our hearts and worlds no matter how far apart we live.

Soo pretty...

See it there behind the perfume bottle?  Soo perfect!  love it Becky!

I hope you all had a nice 4th of July.  It has always been another one of my favorite holiday's.  Right up there by Thanksgiving.  As I read around blogland these last couple of days, it seems as if many of us sang God Bless America at church on Sunday.  How it blessed me.  I will confess it moved me to tears a little.  How forunate we all are to live in such a place where we enjoy the freedoms and the privileges that we do.  I pray we never forget it, and that God continues to pour out His blessings on America.  James and his family were planning on spending the 4th with us, but both of his daughters woke up with fevers yesterday and they decided to stay home and rest.  I think ordinarily we would have insisted they come anyway (you can always be sick at Grandma's house just as well too right?) but I have soo much coming up in the next few days with Mel here I decided not to risk catching anything.  Summer time sickness is NO fun, and I pray everyone feels good soon.  I have a few things on my list still to get done before Mel gets her tomorrow so I will have to keep busy.  I am sooo anxious to see her and see how much bigger that tummy has grown in the last 8 weeks.  There is MUCH more that I could tell you, like how much we enjoyed my parents who came yesterday for the 4th of July and how good the t-bones were that we bbq'd, the garden that little Jeff has planted with his daddy this week-end and HOW excited he is about it, how warm the weather has been which means the air conditioning has been running A LOT, how the Lord has already begun blessing the church that James is pastoring as it was REALLY packed on Sunday, how excited I am for the baby shower for Mel on sat. and soo looking forward to seeing all the preparations that sweet Jess has put in to it, and I could just go on and on.  But I need to begin this day so I will stop for now.  I know I will be VERY busy this week, but I will visit in the early mornings as I don't want to miss a thing with all of you.  May the Lord bless you all with a wonderful week!

Just had to show this pic of this crane who has been hanging out at the lake by our house...Isn't it beautiful?