Happy Birthday to me

(See who else is Thankful today by clicking on picture above)

I am thankful that God has blessed me by showing me what his mercy and grace is all about. And giving me another year,a better year.

Last year, I turned 38 while sitting in a hospital bed, staring out the window at the grey sky, waiting to see if the medicine would work, and I might avoid surgery. It didn't. I couldn't.

I alternated between worrying about keeping my lousy job that I did not even want, and helping my husband who was already stretched too thin having to now take care of a very sick wife and his very sick father, who lived with us.

I turned 38. Had a hysterectomy. Stayed home. Lost the job. Buried my father in law.

The year went on. I thought I was going to have to sit on that couch forever, but I didn't. My life changed.

Today I turned 39. It was an exceptionally beautiful day- clear, bright blue sky, a little chilly- and I have never felt better.

This has been one of the happiest birthdays I can remember having. The early morning phone calls, the surprise flower delivery from a friend, the present from my boss, a big lunch with the office, a sweet gift from my sweet husband, chocolate cake, cards in the mailbox, e-mails and more phone calls, and God allowing me another year. In doing so, teaching me what his grace and mercy really mean.

"Everyday has to be productive"

This qoute has been taped to my computer at work for the past few months. It was from a Christian magazine interview with the founder of "Chik-Fil-A", I cant remember his name...

The Lord leaves us here for the purpose of serving him and also to have a positive impact on the people around us. Every day has to be productive. People frown on work, but they don't frown on goals they have set for themselves. Stay busy. Get proper exercise. Eat the right foods. Don't spend time watching TV, laying in bed or napping all day.

Considering the ravens. . . .

Not only has God blessed me with a home, but has blessed me to see how he provided a home for a birdie family as well:



Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap, they have no store room nor barn, and yet God feeds them; how much more valuable you are than the birds! John 12:22 (New American Standard)

Where does the weekend go?

Put the baseboard in kitchen:



Got blinds for the dining room:


Painted the upstairs wall that over looks the downstairs livingroom:


Painted three walls in little bathroom and ordered blue toile wallpaper for other wall:



It does not sound like much now... but I was busy all weekend.

Where does the weekend go?

Extremely random things about my day

A couple of days ago, I figured out that Racetrack (the gas station) offers a choice of cubed ice or crushed ice. I have invented reasons to go to Racetrack ever since. My husband thinks I am a little too impressed with the whole ice choice thing.

I decided today that I want to wall paper one wall in my small bathroom in a navy blue toile.

Snce I feel like I am not getting much done in the evenings, I decided it would be a good idea for me to get up at 5 a.m. each morning and do one thing in the house. This morning, I cleaned and re-arranged the pantry. At 5 a.m. Yesterday, I attempted to save the houseplants that had been sitting in the dark garage without water for the past month. Yes, at 5 a.m.

I got my first house warming gift today- Thank you-you know who you are.

For valentine's day every year, I have always given a small gift to my secretaries. I am now in a new job, and this year, for the first time, the FIRST time, I found three (three! THREE!!) valentine's gifts on my desk. I almost cried. I felt like Sally Field... you really like me.

After two years and eight months of being married, I got my wedding dress cleaned and boxed, but I am not very happy with it. There are stains on the train that wont come out, the train is wrinkled already and I dont like the box it was put in. I am debating about what to do now. Pay to have it cleaned again? Demand a refund? Just put it away and move on?

Grocery shopping on your lunch hour is a good idea.

Valentine's day did me in

How can anyone gain 1.2 pounds in one week?

I blame Valentine's day with the chocolate, the nice dinner, the chocolate, the cupcakes at work, more chocolate, the potato soup a friend brought over, the chocolate, and a jar of peanut butter that was calling my name.

Peanut butter is my enemy.

Add that to a week without painting, and it was a bad, bad week.

Painting the small bath is on my list this week. Thankfully, I am not out of rooms to paint.

Who else is choosing to live well (and hopefully doing a better job that I did this week?) Click here:

Sew Simple

My cousin, who is very talented in a long list of things, can add another thing that she is great at - she is an excellent seamstress/home sewer and now a business woman, with unbelievable good prices.

Check this out:

Before and After photos

Before:



after:


Before:




After:





Before:



After:

My own personal Weight Watchers plan

1. Buy a house that you cant live in without remodeling.
2. Clean and paint every surface.
3. Live for a month with out a stove and oven. Eat all your meals out at Subway, Roly-Poly and Chick-Fil-A.
4. Install brick floors in the livingroom and kitchen that requires you to scrub with vinegar and water five times.
5. Re-clean every surface after floors installed since a thick layer of brick dust now covers every surface.
6. Fall into bed too exausted to eat dinner. NO! Just kidding on that one. I've never been too tired to eat dinner- just too tired to eat dessert.




Darlene (click above link) is raving about Weight Watchers this week.

I ,too, love weight watchers, and cant say enough good things about it. Not only is the on-line membership very helpful, there is nothing like the weekly meetings to keep you on the right track and encourage you.

The meeting today was about finding some exercise that you like to do and then just start doing it. Even 5 minutes a day adds up and makes a difference.

And apparently, so does scrubbing a new floor because this week I lost .8.

What's new?

Fridge is now in the kitchen instead of sitting in dinning room like it had been for the past month.




Brick floor in living room is in.





Couch came out of garage and into livingroom.






Dog is exausted.

My charmed Saturday mornings

For quite some time now, my husband and I have been getting up early each Saturday morning and going out to breakfast at a small little place nearby. When I was a kid, it was a Drug Store, which has now moved to a nicer building down the road. The same people still own the building and tried their hand at a breakfast/lunch spot. Its a huge success because it is really good food.

Recently, however, a few of my husband's friends have decided that is a great time and place to also have breakfast and have made plans to meet him there for breakfast also. Not that I really mind the others joining us, but sometimes I decide to let him go alone to visit with his male friends while I sleep in. Saturday is the only day I do get to sleep in, afterall. As much as I enjoy Saturday breakfast out with the husband, I do enjoy extra sleep.

Which is exactly what I did this morning. Then I was awaken (after sleeping late which is 8:00 a.m. at my house) with a to go order of biscuit and gravy and the morning paper, which I ate and read in bed while watching The Food Network and HGTV.

I know, I know.... Im living a charmed life.

The life of leisure did not last- because the new floor is going in next week and that concrete subfloor isnt going to clean itself.