Time Flies

Crappy years.  After the election of Trump, my youngest daughter and her husband just cut us out of their lives and the grandchildren's lives.  Because we voted for Trump, so they thought we were racists.  Really we just don't want to vote on people who support abortion.

When this happened my granddaughter was 2 and I haven't seen her in years now.  She won't know us anymore.  My grandson was just a few months old and he surely won't know us.  I don't even get to see pictures of them either on Facebook.  There is just no communication.  That is the crappy part of the past few years.

Here are a couple pictures of them from before we were cut off.

Bea

Leo and me

Here are pictures of my daughter Lori and her daughter, Suzy.  Good news, my daughter has been blessed with another baby, Sam.  She lets me see him often and I get to babysit too. 

Suzy and Lori

Suzy

Suzy

Suzy and Friend

She is growing into a beauty.  She is goofy and funny and intelligent. 

AND HERE'S SAMMY! 

Questions to Parents

What is happening to American families?  It used to be unusual to hear about families that were splintering.  Keeping grandparents and grandchildren separated using threats of revenge for imagined slights as punishments. Shunned grandparents are in every state, and each of their situations is unique. But they have one thing in common;  they are heartbroken to be kept away from their grandchildren.

It is one of the 

most painful things I have experienced.

When snap decisions to "withhold" grandchildren happens, Grandparents are stunned and confused.  After expressing an opinion different from what their adult child believes, they received an unexpected, negative reaction. The next thing to happen is that communication was simply stopped and they are not allowed to see the grandchildren. 

A child deserves to have as many loving adults in their life as possible. Children are not pawns, and neither grandparents nor parents should use them in that way.

My heart breaks a little more each day. 

Distress and loss can feel heart-wrenching and never-ending.  Disbelief and shock are natural reactions. Losing contact with grandchildren (and adult children) often results in a stew of emotions.  Thoughts fly through your head trying to make sense of it, every day and almost every hour.  Both mental and physical complications can arise as you try to sort out the unexplainable and confusing events that led up to this.

You will feel grief as long as the separation lasts.  

Shock and Anger

If the separation from your grandchildren occurred suddenly, you will be in shock.  You may be shocked that the parents are willing to take such a drastic step.  It will be followed closely by anger.  But anger may cause you to do something to worsen the breach.  At the same time, unexpressed anger can be physically destructive.  Stress is a killer.

Helplessness and Hopelessness

This anguish may turn to hopelessness.  And it seems absolutely certain that nothing can undo the situation.  

Envy and Jealousy

You may feel envy & jealousy toward other grandparents you meet in your daily life who are able to be with their grandchildren.  Especially if the other set of grandparents you run into are also your grandchildren’s other grandparents and allowed to see your grandkids.  Emotions may be especially despondent.

Grief
Grandparents who have been denied contact go through the five stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. 

You will also definitely feel grief of what is lost and will be lost; the memories to be made, hugs, laughter, and joy.  But unlike the grief associated with a death, there is no closure.   

There is no doubt that alienated grandparents feel many painful and conflicting emotions.  It is genuine grief that no one can understand if they haven’t experienced a sudden loss have your adult child TURN ON you without explanation is a devastating betrayal, the deepest type of wound.  It hurts so deeply and completely.  It can happen suddenly when you least expect it.  For them to think grandparents are so stupid, unfeeling, untrustworthy to be around the kids is crazy.  We aren't a threat to their kids.  I personally wasn't a great and wonderful mom but I didn't ruin my kids. 

Honor thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.  Exodus 20:12

Laundry Soap

This makes a lot!  Most of the ingredients can be found in the detergent, fabric softener, household cleaners aisle.  Baking soda may be found there but if not try the baking aisle.
The bar soap can be purchased at Wal-Mart, Lowes, hardware stores, grocers, discount stores, etc.
** Note that there are 2 types of Arm & Hammer products in the mixture: A&H Baking Soda and A&H Washing Soda.

•  1 (4 lb 12 oz)  Borax
•  1 (3 lb 7 oz)   Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda
•  1 (about 4 lb) Arm & Hammer Baking Soda 
• I found a 5 lb bag in the cleaning section of Wal-Mart 
• 1 (3 lb)  Oxy-Clean 
• optional, but highly recommended
• 2 (14.1 oz)  Bars of Zote Soap 
• pink or white, or Fels Naptha, Ivory, Dove or any combination of them together.  Its your recipe so use what you want or have available.

* Note if you can't find the exact size boxes/packages, just get close or buy more of smaller sizes to get close to the amount listed.  It isn't that important to be accurate.

 

Use a hand grater (be careful!) or food processor if you have one. Do not use a hand mixer. Use a large mixing bowl to grate into and use the fine side of the grater. I only had one bar of the Zote (pink) soap on hand, so I had some bits of Fels Naptha, Dove and 1/2 of another Zote (white) bar that I "borrowed" from my husband.   Its not a precise recipe, a bit of this and a bit of that.  As long as it cleans your clothes that is all that matters.  

2.  Mixing
Use a large bucket (we bought a 5 gallon one at Wal-Mart for a few dollars in the paint section) Pour some of each ingredient into the bucket, layering and stirring.  Then repeat.  It works better to add it in bits like this and stir than to  dump all together and then try to stir.  

3.  Pouring
Use a funnel to pour into your jar or bottles.  You might need a slender stick, straw or pencil to push it through the funnel if the soap bits clog it. 

This smells so good!     Use one to two tablespoons per load.

Faithful to the End!

Be Faithful to the End!   by George Whitten, Editor of Worthy Devotions

A careful reading through the life of the Apostle Paul will yield insight concerning those who surrounded him. In this brief devotion, I want to focus on two of Paul's friends — Luke and Demas.

Luke was a true and faithful friend to Paul, staying with and supporting him to the very end of his life, even through the worst adversities (2 Timothy 4:11). Then, there was another friend, whose name was Demas, about whom Paul wrote positively at first, (Col. 4:14; Philemon 1:24) but who did not remain faithful to the end. Paul records that Demas forsook him because he "loved this present world." (2 Timothy 4:10)

As the end of the age approaches, we also will be tested as to where our love lies; with the Father, or with the world. The apostle John writes, "Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him." (1 John 2:15)  I do not believe that Demas lost his salvation, but he did lose his capacity to sense and express the love of the Father, which damaged his testimony, his spiritual relationships, and undoubtedly cost him heavenly rewards. What kind of friend will we be to God? Will we be faithful, or will we allow the love of this world to quench our fire, and compromise our relationships?

My encouragement to you is to be faithful until the end. Don't forget that Yeshua gave a warning to end-time saints, saying, "because iniquity abounds, the love of many shall grow cold." Become a friend like Luke, and learn from the life of Demas — do not allow love for the world to quench your love for God.  Don't forget, a true friend loves…at all times!
Proverbs 17:17 A friend loveth at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.

Blessings of Old Age

Here are a few things that happen as a woman gets older:

• As you get older your leg hair hardly grows, so shaving is rare. 
• As you get older you can't see any leg hair because eyes are going bad; so you won't have to shave if you can't see it, or you can just shave by feeling if your leg is hairy ~ LOL!
• No one should get close enough to your legs to see it is hairy, and when you are this old no one wants to see your legs anyway.
• As your legs produce less hair, your face will compensate and grow more :(
• The older you get, the more clothes you should wear.  Your legs should be covered by long dresses or pants, so less need to shave them.  
• Make sure you wear some sort of half sleeves, a sweater or cover-up of some sort since arms start getting jiggly or like loose crinkly hanging sacks of skin.  Gross.

Homestead Heritage Village

I went to Waco yesterday to tour this "village".  There is so much to see and do.  Woodworking, Quilting, Weaving, Knitting, Blacksmithing, Gardening, Cheese Making, Soap Making, Candle dipping, pottery, a working gristmill, farm animals, etc.  Lots and lots to see.  There will be a big fair on Thanksgiving weekend.  I'm sure it will be a fun and informative with hayrides, carriage rides, seminars, etc.  These looms were my favorite things.

Outside my window...everything is busting out in new greenery and the sun is shining on it
I am thinking...?
I am thankful for...being alive one more day
From the kitchen...time to clean, it never ends.
I am wearing...Jeans and large tee shirt
I am creating...
I am going...
I am reading...
I am hoping...
I am hearing...
Around the house...
One of my favorite things...
A few plans for the rest of the week:  

Good Wife's Guidelines from 1955

Funny the way things were back then.  I, of course, follow all these (yeah, right!).  

1. Have dinner ready. Plan ahead, even the night before, to have a delicious meal ready on time for his return. This is a way of letting him know that you have be thinking about him and are concerned about his needs. Most men are hungry when they get home and the prospect of a good meal is part of the warm welcome needed.

2. Prepare yourself. Take 15 minutes to rest so you'll be refreshed when he arrives. Touch up your make-up, put a ribbon in your hair and be fresh-looking. He has just been with a lot of work-weary people.

3. Be a little gay and a little more interesting for him. His boring day may need a lift and one of your duties is to provide it.

4. Clear away the clutter. Make one last trip through the main part of the house just before your husband arrives. Run a dustcloth over the tables.

5. During the cooler months of the year you should prepare and light a fire for him to unwind by. Your husband will feel he has reached a haven of rest and order, and it will give you a lift too. After all, catering to his comfort will provide you with immense personal satisfaction.

6. Minimize all noise. At the time of his arrival, eliminate all noise of the washer, dryer or vacuum. Encourage the children to be quiet.

7. Be happy to see him.

8. Greet him with a warm smile and show sincerity in your desire to please him.

9. Listen to him. You may have a dozen important things to tell him, but the moment of his arrival is not the time. Let him talk first - remember, his topics of conversation are more important than yours.

10. Don't greet him with complaints and problems.

11. Don't complain if he's late for dinner or even if he stays out all night. Count this as minor compared to what he might have gone through at work.

12. Make him comfortable. Have him lean back in a comfortable chair or lie him down in the bedroom. Have a cool or warm drink ready for him.

13. Arrange his pillow and offer to take off his shoes. Speak in a low, soothing and pleasant voice.

14. Don't ask him questions about his actions or question his judgment or integrity. Remember, he is the master of the house and as such will always exercise his will with fairness and truthfulness. You have no right to question him.

15. A good wife always knows her place.

March 22

Outside my window...darkness, I waited too late to do this.
I am thinking...
I am thankful for...
From the kitchen...baking a pizza
I am wearing...
I am creating...
I am going...
I am reading...
I am hoping...
I am hearing...
Around the house...moving things around
One of my favorite things...morning glories
A few plans for the rest of the week:  Michaels & Half Price Books


Here is a picture I am sharing...

Cute kids, if I do say so myself (the girls are my daughters, the boys my nephews)

Outside my window...a dreary, cold day, trees without leaves.
I am thinking...
I am thankful for...being alive
From the kitchen...
I am wearing...
I am creating...
I am going...
I am reading...
I am hoping...
I am hearing...
Around the house...
One of my favorite things...spaghetti
A few plans for the rest of the week: 

Road Kill

     Driving to town today, I started thinking about all the dead animals we have driven past on the shoulders of roads and highways. People pass by usually never knowing what type of animal it was or if it belonged to someone; until eventually it disappears. Never to be thought about again by the thousands of people who drive past that spot. Like it never existed. Just think in our country of the thousands and thousands of animals this has happened to, run over, gone and forgotten. (and I'm not talking about just dogs and cats)
     In a way we are like that; here one minute and gone and forgotten the next. When we suffer a loss, it affects so many. After a while it gets put to the back of our daily thoughts and then years later, those that mourn will go on with their lives. Eventually they will pass away too. It might take a hundred years, but eventually there will be no one to remember individuals.
     Think of all the generations and great nations of the past. We read about their famous leaders, warriors and others, but there were millions of ordinary people too. They were once just as alive and passionate about life as we are today. Yet, they are forgotten. They had the same feelings, fear, love, happiness, sorrow that we do. They loved parents, spouses, children and grandchildren. They may be forgotten by man, yet, they aren't forgotten by God.  Every person is important to God.

The following verses say it so well.  If only we would read God's Word, everything is right there, everything we need to know.


“All people are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord endures forever.” And this is the word that was preached to you. 1 Peter 1:24-25


"Show me, O LORD, my life's end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting is my life. You have made my days a mere handbreadth; the span of my years is as nothing before you. Each man's life is but a breath. Man is a mere phantom as he goes to and fro: He bustles about, but only in vain; he heaps up wealth, not knowing who will get it. "But now, Lord, what do I look for? My hope is in you. Psalm 39 4-7

Mortals, born of woman, are of few days and full of trouble. They spring up like flowers and wither away; like fleeting shadows, they do not endure.

A person’s days are determined; you have decreed the number of his months and have set limits he cannot exceed.

But a man dies and is laid low; he breathes his last and is no more. As the water of a lake dries up or a riverbed becomes parched and dry, so he lies down and does not rise.....

If only you would set me a time and then remember me! If someone dies, will they live again? All the days of my hard service I will wait for my renewal to come.
You will call and I will answer you; you will long for the creature your hands have made.
Surely then you will count my steps but not keep track of my sin. My offenses will be sealed up in a bag; you will cover over my sin.

If their children are honored, they do not know it; if their offspring are brought low, they do not see it. They feel but the pain of their own bodies and mourn only for themselves.”
                                                                                                     Job 14: 1, 4, 10, 13-17 and 21- 22


For the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing; they have no further reward, and even their name is forgotten.  Their love, their hate and their jealousy have long since vanished; never again will they have a part in anything that happens under the sun.                                                                                             Ecclesiastes 9:5-6


So count your blessing that you are alive today!

Ancestors

Yesterday we went on a quest to Azleland Cemetery to get pictures of the headstones of our family members.  Many people post pictures of ancestors' burial places to connect their family history on Ancestry.com.  A really great site is Findagrave, you can look up a relative's name and possibly come up with a photo of the headstone and the name of the cemetery.  It is a really great community of people helping people in their searches.  Just request a photo from a cemetery and others will go and locate/photograph it for you.  This is really important for people who live many states away.  I took a list of names that were requested for Azleland, but I could only find one with a headstone the others on my list were not marked.  So I could only take a picture of the one to post.  But at least I did get 8 of our relative's headstones, Mom & Dad, Jody & Granny, June & Jonnie, and Jon's grandparents too.

Today we hit 3 different yard sales but didn't find a thing.  Just as well, since I'm trying to go through this house and get rid of stuff.  The wind is really blowing today, about 35 miles per hour.

Japan has been hit by the largest earthquake in 150 years, and terrible tsunami and fires, also the nuclear power plants are becoming dangerous.  I'm so glad I live so far inland from the ocean.  It can be so dangerous and when it happens it is often so unexpected. 

Gadget Extinction

As each year brings tinier (and tinier), shinier toys, it's easy to forget that not too long ago typewriters were the professional alternative to freehand, Walkmen ruled the portable-music market and extra-long phone cords would let you speak to friends while standing 10 feet away from the wall-mounted base. Each of those marvels was a wonder of its time. Now each is obsolete. We don't even realize something's obsolete until we realize we haven't seen it in a while. (from Fox News)

Here are 10 technological dinosaurs that went extinct, or will be before you know it.

1. Landline phones: Walk into any college dorm room and ask to use a landline. You'll be met with blank stares. With cell-phone technology, only a handful of people are still moving into a new house and having the landline turned on.

2. Floppy disks: People were astounded by the usefulness of the 5 1/4-inch wide, 360-KB floppy disk. A decade later, the disks had shrunk to 3 1/2 inches and their capacity multiplied to a whopping 1.44 MB — enough for a minute and a half of an MP3-file song. If you still have a few lying around, they make great coasters.

3. Wristwatches: Throwing on a fancy watch may make you look professional, but let's be honest. Cell phones and iPods tell you the time when you're out and about, and virtually every appliance in your home — from your refrigerator to your coffeemaker to your television and your DVD player — has a clock. No one wears a wristwatch anymore, unless he or she grew up with one.

4. VHS tape and VCRs:— met a sad death in 2006 when retailers decided there was no room left on their shelves for the big, bulky cassettes. Digital video recorders and DVDs let you skip the previews on rented movies. Many people still keep VCRs around for when grandparents ask to see that old tape of little Bobby — who's now 22

5. Beepers: Annoying devices designed to beep any and every time anyone felt like reaching you, it wasn't sad at all to see these disappear.

6. Film cameras: When Polaroid announced in February 2008 that it would stop selling its famous instant-developing film, people ran out to buy up the remaining stock in order to preserve this unique form of photography. Kodak and Fuji still make film, but they, like Polaroid, are counting on their digital-camera lines to keep them afloat.

7. Typewriters: Once one of the most powerful means of mass communication, the typewriter claimed a spot near the top of the technological food chain for more than 100 years. Initially entirely manual, electric typewriters caught on after World War II, and the distinctive clickety-clack-whirr of dozens of IBM Selectrics going at once defined corporate life in the 1960s and '70s. Typewriters did have drawbacks — smudged fingers, only two or three copies at a time and gallons of whiteout to correct mistakes. But today, all that remains is the illogical QWERTY keyboard, which was created to force the typist to go more slowly so the keys wouldn't jam up.

8. The Walkman, Discman and MiniDisc player: The multitasker's dream, the Sony Walkman portable cassette player changed the way the world listened to music in 1979, quickly becoming the hottest accessory of the early 1980s. In 1984, Sony trumped itself with the introduction of the Discman, the CD version. Discmen were killed off by iPods in the early years of this decade.

9. Dial-up Internet access: It's hard to see why anyone would use a phone line to connect to the Internet when there are so many feasible alternatives. Dial-up may seem to belong with smoke signals and carrier pigeons on the communications scrap heap, but if all you're doing is checking your e-mail, it may make sense.

10. DVDs: What's that, you say? How can DVDs be obsolete? Facts don't lie — DVD sales fell off the proverbial cliff in the first three months of 2009, with some retailers reporting a 40 percent drop from the same period a year earlier.

Some of that could be attributed to the recession, but sales of video games, which cost two or three times as much, actually went up about 10 percent. The fact is that with broadband Internet, you don't need a disc to watch a movie any more. Netflix and Blockbuster have recognized that by rapidly ramping up their online-download services.

From Fox News article, Wednesday, April 15, 2009 By Mariel Bird (abridged to shorten it)

French Soup

My Mom (who was a French woman) used to make the most delicious soup that was dubbed French Soup by her kids.  That is not the official name.  She told us when we were kids what it was but it was in French so I can't remember.  This soup she said was served almost daily.

When she would make this we were in heaven.  It is so perfectly wonderful to eat.  Just 3 basic ingredients.  At the end of the meal there would not be any leftovers.  It's one of those things we kids would have fought over to get the last bit.  She would also make homemade biscuits to go with it.

The Recipe:
3-5 pounds of potatoes
1 small carrot or two (depending on how orange colored and carrot flavored you want it. We like ours to be a light pale color so not much carrot)
Onion or leek.

Peel, wash and cube potatoes.
Prepare carrot by peeling, slicing.
Cut up the onion or leek
(if using leek, clean -http://www.ehow.com/how_2087322_clean-leeks.html )

Boil vegetables in a large pot until done.  When done, place a food mill over a large bowl.  Dip out the soup vegetables and broth with a ladle and pour them into the food mill a little at a time.  Pour a few ladles of soup into the mill and start spinning the handle.  This will puree the soup into a nice thick consistency.  Continue this process until all the vegetables are pureed, adding more of the boiled liquid as needed.  Try not to use too much liquid, it should be a thick, soup, but if you prefer it thinner, you can add more of the liquid as you are pureeing it.
When finished processing it, add lots of butter and salt to taste. Sprinkle parsley on top to give it a little color.  I've also experimented with adding things after it was cooked.  I've added cooked rice and cooked alphabet noodles; both were very good.

I suppose now I'll have to make some so I can post pictures with this.  Unfortunately, I now have diabetes and potatoes are a basic no-no.  So I cannot enjoy this like I used to, now I can only have a little.  Oh I think she was cooking Thanksgiving in this picture. 

Stray Cats

A new stray kitten showed up here two days ago.  Brings our total to 3.  Two of them are strays that showed up out of nowhere, and our white & orange cat was given to us by John Webster.  So Peanut, the white cat is our only official cat.  He gets to come in, the other two don't. 

Iced In for Days!

     Ok, this is the 4th day we have been stuck at home.  It started sleeting on February 1st.  There were very high winds, thunder, sleet, and snow!  I woke up at 2:30, when I thought I heard water running somewhere in the house but it was sleet pounding on the windows.  It was strange hearing thunder with snow.  Its been almost into the single digits during the nights.  Our water in the well-house froze but Jon managed to get it going again.  He had taken precautions and wrapped all the outdoor pipes and other things like preparing the anti-freeze in the vehicles but still, it froze.  The first night the wind caught the back door and busted out the lower window.  It is sitting in the frame still in giant shards, a few on the ground.  Last night it snowed again.  At least it wasn't more ice.  I think we only got an inch or two, but the storm system is coming back, so who knows what the total will be.  Our food seems to be holding out ok.  We haven't missed a meal which is unusual since it seems we are always having to run to Wal-Mart for food.
     Schools have been closed everywhere for 4 days now.  News reports that parents are about to go bonkers being stuck at home with kids for that long.  The big babies!  I'm here every day.  Friends on Facebook complain about cabin fever after two days.  Jonathan didn't even feel like he was getting cabin fever.  I told him it's because the people who complain, are always out and running around, going here and there.  They aren't used to sitting home.  But we are, so for two days it doesn't bother us too much.  After 4 days though I'm starting to worry.  If the food runs low is my only concern.
     They had to do rolling brown-outs on the second day because the demand for electricity was so great.  Whole sections of cities would suddenly just lose power.  It was supposed to be for 15 minutes, but sometimes it was an hour, two, or more.  Also some people had no electricity because of the ice and wind damage to power lines and transformers.
     It sure has been a mess here.  Jon tried to leave yesterday but didn't get very far.  He said cars were in the way trying to cross that first little bridge on Silver Creek, some in ditches or blocking the road.  So he managed to get back home safely without trying to go past all the others having trouble.  Last year we had tons of snow, it was so pretty but at least it wasn't ice.  The cities (big ones like Ft. Worth) don't worry so much about the side roads or residential areas.  They try to sand or salt the main highways and overpasses.  They were getting in sand/salt from many other areas of Texas because they couldn't keep up with the demand.  Yesterday they showed on the news, 8 snowplows scraping the ice off of the highways in a convoy, side by side.  Since you don't see snow plows in Texas, that is just very unusual.  They had to borrow them from other communities that do get snow.  We are a small city and I haven't seen any city trucks at all on these back roads.
     The main news (according to the tv)  is that this is the first year that the Super Bowl will be here and oh, no, how will this affect people getting here, shopping, partying, etc.?  That is all the news talks about.  The celebrities who are having trouble getting here, and then once here, yada, yada, yada.... I know all the tourist type businesses and restaurants have prepared to have a whooping sales boost because of all the fans from other states coming in but for 3 days everything has been pretty much frozen and at a stand-still.  Those that do venture out are really risking it.
     Vendors have had to make new plans and move things to other times and places if they could.

New Year Thoughts

Well, well, well....I made it to 2011.  Time flies doesn't it.  Can't believe that on January 14th  my first baby turned 32 years old.  Time seems to fly but also at the same time to stand still.  Strange.  Wonder how that is to God?  He sees it all from beginning to end at once.  We look back and feel like it was so long ago, but in reality, even 100 years is just a blip on a timeline.  What seems to be long is actually speeding by us.  Look at your child, turn around and they are grown and gone.  Maybe that is why God gives us the blessings of grandchildren.
I like the scriptures that talk about how fleeting life is, what man is in comparison to time.  How about these scriptures:

“Show me, LORD, my life’s end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting my life is.
You have made my days a mere handbreadth; the span of my years is as nothing before you.
Everyone is but a breath, even those who seem secure."  Psalm 39 4-5

People get so busy they don't realize how time is passing them by, but it says:

Now listen, You who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money."  Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow.  
What is your life?  You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes."  
James 4: 13-15

Life is short, much shorter than most of us realize. I'm at 52 years now and I realize that if I make it another 20 years I'll be really old.  I'm older now than the years I have left.  Scary thought.  I may not make it.  Who is to know?  Lisa surely didn't expect to have a major heart attack at 50.  She is now in the nursing home and maybe there for the rest of her life.

She hopefully doesn't realize it.  Who is to say what she thinks about, what she remembers and for how long she remembers it.  Sometimes I think that at least her worries are over.  She doesn't have to worry about a job, transportation, buying food, cooking, cleaning.  I think she remembers herself as young and skinny.  She doesn't even know that she is aging.  I think that is how it is with her.

Us "normal" people out here worry about so much stuff.  It can be overwhelming sometimes.  But life just keeps on going, doesn't it?  You can't just jump ship.  You are in it and there is only one way out.  Guess I'll just wait and see what the future brings.  That is what most people do, they live moment by moment and deal with whatever happens.  Could be good, could be bad.  Like wedding vows, we take the good with the bad.

People may have fears about the future but if taken moment by moment it can be handled.  The whole situation can change in a moment.  Besides if you have God on your side why worry?  And if you only have so much time, why waste it?

Oh, So Happy!

Since Jonathan and I are both taking piano lessons, it was time to upgrade our keyboard.  After scouring eBay and Craigslist for weeks I finally bid on a keyboard.  I almost didn't bid because I was still undecided about what would be the best for us, getting a keyboard or a piano.  Tough choice.  There are a lot of pros and cons for either one.  I know I can't move a piano around like I can a keyboard, ha, ha.  I like to move things around.  Of course, the value of a keyboard goes down as it ages, or it could develop internal troubles.  But pianos, they do need tuning regularly.  What to do?  I was constantly online looking for new keyboards to be posted, afraid I'd miss something.
I had quite a few keyboards in my Ebay watch list, some I'd let pass on by, some would be bought while I was still deciding for days about it, but this one stuck around. I couldn't take it anymore, it was going to be won by someone else so at the last minute I bid.  It only took 3 days to arrive and it was a box about 5 foot long, 2 foot tall and 1 foot deep.  I don't know how people moved it from truck to truck all the way from Florida.  Guess the post office is used to gigantic packages.   It does so many things, I'll have to really read up on the manual.  Most of the functions I'll probably never need or use.  What I like is that it has a teaching program built into it and it has about 487 voices.
Now I'm going through the same indecision on finding a cheap, but good microscope for Jonathan's biology class.  So much to learn about them before buying.

Tomato Soup

My daughter Lori made this soup for us on her last visit.  It is delicious!

*2 large cans crushed tomatoes

*1/2 of the big cans of tomato juice (not the litttle V8 kind, but the

really big ones.  I think it's about a quart) (you can freeze the

other half for the next time you make this)

*salt &pepper to taste, 1-2 teaspoons dried basil

*splash of lemon juice

*stick of butter

*1 cup heavy cream

-In a soup pot, mix the crushed tomatoes and the tomato juice with the

salt, pepper, and basil.  Simmer for about 30 minutes.

- Add the lemon juice and butter.

-When the butter is melted, remove from heat and stir in the cream.  That's it!

Great with grilled cheese, french bread, etc.

Past People

   I've been thinking about the past lately.  I guess these types of thoughts are what people call deep.  There were two tragic deaths that I know of recently that really bothered me.  Maybe that is why I'm so thoughtful. I originally posted some of this on Facebook.  I love to people watch. It always amazes me how God made so many differences in people. Think about how a group of little kids will turn out when they grow up. We don't plan how we look as adults, it just happens. Life happens and it affects us in so many ways. Then adults can say "Wow, what happened to make me look like this?"  It could be too much food, too much sun, too much laziness, accidents, illnesses, too much meanness, family troubles, drugs, etc.  Just all the twists and turns of our lives. It makes me think.  Forgot to mention, too much alcohol, too much sin.   

     Do you ever wonder about all the people who lived through all the years man has been on earth? We never knew them, they weren't important to history, but each one had hopes, dreams, feelings, family, and love. Just like them, who will remember us? It's a big world and lots of time has passed; lots of people, lots of dreams.   Every day that those people were alive must have seemed important to them. They had things to do, daily work, goals to achieve. Things they worried about and worked for, but in the end how important were they really? Guess I'm in an Ecclesiastes mood.  They surely had plans for the next day unless they were so ill they didn't know anything anymore.  Maybe that is why God tells us not to plan ahead since we don't know what tomorrow will bring.  I think sometimes about dying, and that I'm not ready.  I've got things planned.  No one is ever ready.  What is ahead is much better than here.   

    To me this place is just so full of fear to me.  I have been so fearful of everything that could happen.  Fear of flying, driving, riding in cars, trains, boats, swimming, camping, bears, cougars, dogs, diseases, tornadoes, accidents like trees branches falling, etc.  Give me a situation and I can come up with some reason to fear it.  Just pure dread.  What a bummer.  I think to be gone and with Jesus would be so wonderful.  No more fear, no more worry, no more dread.  Once gone, things we wanted to do, to say won't even be a thought.  We'll have more important things to do.  I guess all the dread is fear of losing control in a situation like a tornado or pain of some illness or accident.  No one wants pain, but we all gotta go some way or another.

     In Ecclesiastes 9:10 (Jonathan's memory verse for Computer Lit)  it says, "Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the grave, where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom."

Also at the end of verse 11 it says  "....but time and chance happen to them all."

Verse 12:  "Moreover, no man knows when his hour will come........"

Tortured for Christ

We are in the middle of yet another very good book, Tortured for Christ.  I recommend this very much.  As a book that teens and adults could learn about history and the fight of good and evil.

Richard Wurmbrand was a Romanian pastor who ministered to his own people and Russian soldiers occupying his nation in the 1940's. In 1948, he was arrested by the Communist authorities and endured years of imprisonment and torture.

1.  This first one is really sad and hard to read about, but it is important.
A pastor by the name of Florescu was tortured with red-hot iron pokers and with knives. He was beaten very badly. Then starving rats were driven into his cell through a large pipe. He could not sleep, but had to defend himself all the time. If he rested a moment, the rats would attack him.

He was forced to stand for two weeks, day and night. The communists wished to compel him to betray his brethren, but he resisted steadfastly. In the end, they brought his 14-year-old son and began to whip the boy in front of his father, saying that they would continue to beat him until the pastor said what they wished him to say. The poor man was half mad. He bore it as long as he could.

When he could not stand it any more, he cried to his son; "Alexander, I must say what they want! I can't bear your beating any more!"
The son answered, "Father, don't do me the injustice to have a traitor as a parent. Withstand! If they kill me, I will die with the words, 'Jesus and my fatherland."'

The communists, enraged, fell upon the child and beat him to death, with blood spattered over the walls of the cell. He died praising God. Our dear brother Florescu was never the same after seeing this.


2.  "It was strictly forbidden to preach to other prisoners. It was understood that whoever was caught doing this received a severe beating. A number of us decided to pay the price for the privilege of preaching, so we accepted their [the communists' ] terms. It was a deal; we preached and they beat us. We were happy preaching. They were happy beating us, so everyone was happy."

3.  On why one young Russian, Poitr, accepted Jesus: "He said that he had listened attentively when, at one of our secret meetings, I had read Luke 24, the story of Jesus meeting the two disciples who went toward Emmaus. When they drew nigh unto the village, "He made as though He would have gone farther." Piotr said: "I wondered why Jesus said this. He surely wanted to stay with His disciples. Why then did He say that He wished to go further?"      My explanation was that Jesus is polite. He wished to be very sure that he was desired. When he saw that He was welcomed, He gladly entered the house with them. The communists are impolite. They enter by violence into our hearts and minds. They oblige us us from morning to late in the night to listen to them. They do it through their schools, radio, newspapers, posters, movie pictures, atheistic meetings and everywhere you turn. You have to listen continuously to their godless propaganda, whether you like it or dislike it. Jesus respects our freedom. He gently knocks at the door. "Jesus has won me by his politeness," said Piotr. This stark contrast between communism and Christ had convinced him.

4.  "Like them, many others were not only converted. We should never stop at having won a soul for Christ. By this, you have done only half the work. Every soul won for Christ must be made into a soul-winner. The Russians were not only converted, but became "missionaries" in the Underground Church.They were reckless and daring for Christ, always saying it was so little they could do for Christ who died for them"


Free Copy of Tortured for Christ

Reading in the Car

We've gotten into the habit of reading a good book as we travel here & there.  Jon drives, and I read to him and Jonathan.  We are right in the middle of God's Smuggler.  A very interesting book about a man named Brother Andrew who during the '50s and on started smuggling Bibles & preaching into the countries behind the Iron Curtain.  He was constantly in danger but God always protected and provided for him.  We take for granted the freedom we have to have a Bible or to go to a church.  The people in the communist-controlled countries were desperate to know anyone outside even cared about the church and them.  They were in danger just trying to meet in underground churches to hear but it was worth it to them.  One man managed to get his hand on an old Bible that somehow didn't get destroyed or confiscated in his country, but it was missing Genesis, Exodus, and Revelations.  They figured someone probably used the thin pages for cigarette paper.  He had one other tiny copy and was typing those three books out so he could then have a complete Bible to give to a church that had no Bibles.  We are in chapter 15 and don't know yet what happens but we are all ready to hear more.

This method of reading works well for us.  Another of our favorites was a biography of Stonewall Jackson.  What a character he was.  If you want to broaden your reading material into something more educational, try reading to them in the car.  Jon and Jonathan are really my captive audience.  They can't jump out! I guess if they weren't interested they could turn up the radio, but they get so into the books that they wouldn't do that. (besides that would be so rude)  I know if you have younger children or many children it might be harder to do.  But it's worth a shot.  Children have always loved to be read to.

Trouble Sleeping, Birthdays & Funerals

Jon had to perform a funeral today for his uncle R.D. and it was during a thunderstorm.  Jon said the women who were in heels were sinking in the mud.  It was so wet Jon was worried that where the grave was dug under the casket, that the whole thing could cave in.  He was under an awning but even standing on the artificial turf carpet, he said the carpet was sinking with the weight of feet.  Jon's suit got all wet.  I was going to go but my head and face have been hurting all day.  When we were at the funeral home for the visitation yesterday, his other uncle had a stroke.  We were wondering why they hadn't appeared at the funeral home so that explains it. So Jon went to the hospital to visit him before going to the funeral.

I've been very busy trying to get a new church website put together, trying to get the house cleaned and homeschooling.  Once the weather gets warmer, I think I'll be more up to cleaning.  I get cold and can't get moving.

Wendy went to Oklahoma with Jennifer for 4 days and I didn't even know about it.  Soon she will be going to Tennessee to visit Lori & Nate.  We will be going in May to celebrate Suzy's birthday.
We went to Kennedy's birthday party yesterday.  She turned 7.  Today is Lisa's birthday, Wendy's is Wednesday, and mine is Sunday.  Dad's was on the 17th.

I've been having so much trouble sleeping.  It seems like for the last year or two its been happening.  I'll fall asleep, maybe for half an hour or hour, then I see something and I wake up screaming and trying to get away.
What I see is almost always the same.  Black lines, squiggly black, moving lines.  Thin, thread-like lines.  Either coming down out of the ceiling, down along the walls, or on the closet door.  One time it was something orange coming out from the crack in the closet door toward me.  Sort of like an orange plant thing.  Two nights ago it was just one string thing slithering down the door.  I screamed loud and wanted to wake Jon in my panic but I didn't.  He didn't even hear me scream.  But my heart was pounding hard.  I sleep better in the living room.  So I slept there last night and again I will sleep there tonight.  I've been staying up too late though.  It is rough when you can't sleep.   
I'll write more later.  I'm tired now.

It's Still Cold, Even in the House!

I am so ready for spring to get here; will the cold never go away?  We had 2 days in the '50s but now it is rainy again and has dropped to a bone-chilling temp.  Our electric heaters are having to work overtime.  This house is old, built in the '70s.  It is drafty around doors & windows.  These windows aren't like the new ones people put into houses for energy savings.  To me, it feels like a sheet of saran wrap instead of glass.  I can feel air blowing in around the doors and outlets.  We've even taped along where the door closes and all the other edges of the door to block the wind. It was nice when we replaced all the old carpeting with floor tiles, but they are cold in winter.  Oh well, it supposed to get nicer this week.
This is the first day of March, a busy month in our family.
Birthdays:

• My sister Lisa, March 8
• My daughter Wendy, March 10
• My birthday March 14
• Kennedy March 16
• My dad's birthday March 17
• My anniversary (of my first marriage) March 18

I'll be heading to 52 this year.  I don't know what happened, one day I was young and now I'm not.
I feel like I've lived for a very long time, but at the same time, I don't feel like its been long at all.
I feel like I've lived different lives also, BUT not like those strange people who believe in past lives!  I mean different phases of my life.

• Childhood
• new bride at 19
• a mother to two daughters
• a widow
• a single mom to two teen daughters
• a college student
• a new bride again at age 37
• new mom again
• home-school teacher
• pastor's wife
• mother of the bride twice
• grandma...

Time goes on, so who knows what surprises the years ahead will bring, only God.

God Works, Mayra

As usual, God has pulled off another impossibility. My friend Mayra was in need of surgery and without insurance, it just seemed to be impossible. She was stressed, worried and in pain/discomfort. There is no way they could afford a hospital or everything else involved in a surgery. Many people prayed and within a week a nurse at her doctor’s office gave them some good news about a small hospital that would do it at a very reasonable rate and work with them so that it could be done.

Now is the time of her surgery, at 7:30 this morning. Jon is on his way out to the hospital to sit with Mayra’s husband Garrett. God does indeed work today, even though some people don’t even think he exists. Thank you, God.