Blessings

An Internet friend who designs cross stitch said she is sending me a goody box filled with smaller pieces of cross stitch fabric (that I can use to make ornaments and cards), variegated thread, and some charts. I'm so excited! People on my cross stitch message board have told about things like this happening to them but it's my first time. It will be like Christmas.

Our church met at the city park today for a service and then a fish fry. The service was fun because my friend and I were able to play tambourine during worship and the sound system was so loud that we didn't have to worry about offending people. The way we play is that we play certain "patterns" given to us and to other people by God - such as Faith, Covenant, Joy, etc. Each one has a scripture that it comes from. Mark preached on "greatness" and it was very inspiring.

Part-time

As of last week, my job has been cut down to part-time until next January, when the next tax season begins, and I am going to try to post more regularly. For some reason this year, this is a huge adjustment - probably because we are also adjusting to Phil being on disability permanently. The hardest part for me is never ever being able to be home alone anymore.

It's a relief to have more time to get the basic things done, such as grocery shopping and mowing the yard, but I also hope to get some other things done around the house too. I hope to eventually have some sort of schedule to help myself become more disciplined in order to accomplish some things. I would like to fit in two times of exercise each day instead of only one and I would like to write more. I have started to bake some and am going to try freezing things, such as dinners and baked goods, because I bought a sweet little chest freezer and I want to learn how to make good use of it before next tax season.

I saw something cool on the Internet the other day. You can take plastic Walmart bags and crochet them into sleeping mats. Evidently people are bringing these to third world countries where the people love then because bugs hate the mats and after it rains, the mats dry out quickly. I want to start one and work on it a little each week, as I obtain the bags. I love the idea of turning our trash into something useful.

Inspired by my daughter, who has a huge container garden, I decided to try some patio tomatoes. I had a 5-gallon bucket that someone gave me, drilled holes in the bottom, put rocks in it, then some newspaper (to hold the soil), and a mixture of potting soil and potting mix. I found really nice plants at Lowe's and got a cherry tomato and a Better Boy. I hope this works because there is nothing like fresh tomatoes.

Vintage Steam Engine

An old steam engine came to visit our town yesterday. I believe it was built in the early 1940's and is one of the last of its kind. During lunch, a friend and I went to see it. It was huge and black and produced a lot of steam. It had lights and a bell on the front and wheels as tall as a man. It was a thing of beauty.

Grateful

Well, it looks like Phil will have to go to the hospital again, this time to be treated through an I.V. for MRSA. The oral antibiotics aren't working, which is no surprise. He will go back to the doctor tomorrow and probably go into the hospital soon after. It's frustrating but there is a lot to be thankful for.

I am grateful for the timing - tax season basically ends tomorrow. I am grateful that MRSA, while not common, isn't all that unusual and the treatment is clear. There are no unknowns to deal with. I am grateful for an excellent hospital and an excellent wound care specialist. I am grateful that his life isn't in danger and that this is not an intestinal issue. I am very, very grateful that God kept him from returning to work yet.

I have peace about this. It's frustrating but it will be OK.

A Relaxing Saturday

I don’t know what I’m going to do with myself now that tax season is basically over. When I got home yesterday I mowed … and it was so much fun! It was simply gorgeous outside and I had a good time working in the yard. I found out that I can hook the little cart to the mower all by myself! I picked up a few pieces of wood, took them to the burn pile and then I poisoned everything that I want dead, including clearing some areas to plant weeping love grass (an ornamental grass that grows in clumps which only get a certain height and never taller).

Here is the great news - my leg didn’t hurt!!! I ended up walking all over the yard instead of riding and noticed that my leg didn’t hurt! I think that God has healed it completely! The other great news is that, even with all that activity, my arm is doing really well. As long as I don’t pick up Gabe, maybe it will heal too!

The yard looks great, laundry is done, the tub is scrubbed, and 10 lbs. of hamburger is cooked and frozen. I reinforced the buttons on 5 tops, applied online for some kind of group lawsuit (I might get $75 some day just because I own a John Deere), made a small cake, ate a salad (with spinach) for lunch, and found a small freezer that I might buy. What a nice, relaxing, fun day!

I got to talk to my neighbor down below when I was outside yesterday and he said he would come in a few days and drag a fallen branch away to the burn pile. I felt like God sent me an angel! He said he has a tiller and will help me prepare to plant the love grass on the hills so I don’t have to try to mow there anymore. I can’t wait!

The best part of the day was when Jesse came over to eat spaghetti with us and we ended up watch “Saving Private Ryan” because it was on and I had never seen it (due to reading and believing a bad review of it). He comes over almost every Saturday for spaghetti and I love catching up on each others’ lives.

A co-worker is holding classes on couponing and she has inspired me to get back into it. It’s a different world now because when I used to do it there was no Internet. I spent some time the other night printing and cutting online coupons and looking at different sales circulars. I am praying that God would teach me how to do this again because it’s fun to get good deals. Yesterday I bought a carton of oats for $.57. I saw on the circular that it was on sale for $1.50 and found a $1 online coupon! I don’t want to go overboard and get obsessed with this but I do want to have fun with it.

Mini-Vacation

I had a wonderful weekend in Rogers with my kids. Alex taught me how to play Super Mario on the Wii and I cheered as he bowled at a birthday party. Gabriel is super squishy and huggable, can talk and understand what you say now, and I taught him “up” and “down.” Eva inspired me to get the Sunday paper again and use the sales circulars this time, to start using coupons again and keep them organized, to try making bread again, and she helped me figure out which phone to get when I’m eligible for an upgrade (which was actually a big issue). I made homemade crock pot spaghetti sauce for dinner last night and it was a big hit.

Maybe now I'll be able to make it through the last 3 weeks of tax season.

Progress

It appears that the MRSA is responding to the antibiotics! Praise God! We do not think he will have to be hospitalized again. We also got the prostate biopsy results back. The good news is that they didn't see any cancer. The bad news is that there were some abnormal cells, so he has to have another biopsy in 3 months. I am praying that will be the end of it.

When Phil called his boss to talk about when he might try to go back to work, he was told that the are laying off people for the first time in the history of the company and it would be best if he stays on disability for now and lays low for a few months. Upsetting news but clear direction from God and you can't argue with that.

Work has been extremely stressful because I am having to do parts of other people's jobs as well as my own. Tax season causes so much stress that we all have meltdowns. I can't wait until April 15. The payroll person is leaving on April 2 for eight days and I will have to do all the payrolls. I am dreading it because I don't like doing payroll and am not that familiar with it. But I can do all things through Christ.

I am taking off tomorrow after work to go see Eva and my babies because Kevin is on a trip until Sunday night. I can't wait! My emotional margin has been all used up and I am hoping that this time away will help build it back up so that I don't feel like crying when any little thing goes wrong. When Alex was born 3 years ago, I felt like God promised me that whenever I miss him and feel like I can't stand it anymore, He will make a way for me to go and see him ... and He has done just that. Every. Single. Time. I am very, very grateful. Alex and Gabe are the joys of my life. Being a grandmother is the best thing in the world.