Do They See Me...Or am I fooling Myself?

How do your children see you? How does your husband see you?
Are you a whirlwind and a blur?
A sweetness to the eyes?
An Ogre just waiting to pounce on any wrong doing?
A delightful thing to behold?
A Big Teddy Bear?
An Angry Monster?
They don't see you much because you are away working, or with your friends?

How do you wish for your children to see you? How about your hubby?

"Lord let me be the person you have planned for me to be. A mother and a wife, always mindful little eyes are watching. Help me to be a good wife and an even better mother. Its hard to be careful with my words and how I say them. Its hard to be everpresently aware of my actions, because they are who I am. Remind me that I am raising the future. How I treat them today will result if we have a relationship tomorrow. In Your Name, Amen"

J..is for joy..

I had the most tremendous gift of the day last Sunday night. We had a busy day getting in order for the coming week, and my three kiddos and hubby were somewhat helpful. Grins.
I happened upon my four year old, who was so carefully putting her toys away, and quielty she was singing, "Yes, Jesus Loves Me." Her melody was so full of joy as she put books away, and set each doll in its place.
I peeked in to my preteens room and she was on her laptop, chatting with her friend, laughing at whatever was being said.
My son and his friend were in the room off the kitchen playing pool, of course their laughter could be heard all the way to the kitchen.
A home filled with joy. What a blessing.
J is for Joy
E is for Emmanuel
S is for Saved
U is for Unmistakable
S is for Shalom

"Lord, You fill the empty places in my day. You wrap me up in Your Love, and the Joy is Unmistakable! What a miracle life is. What a wonderment in the day to day task, family, work, cooking, cleaning, Finding joy in being your servant. Amen."

Happy Halloween Everybody!

I wear my Heart, on my Sleeve

To be honest with you, being home sometimes gets....like a snowball affect.
I cant leave the house because someone is sick, or I am.
This has turned into a 3 week affair.
Surgeries, sickies, being sick.
We get completely out of routine. Workouts stop, choir, church, dance, fun outings..it all comes to a complete stop.
Coffees, lunches, visits.

And then, I get emails from friends, sending love and I am even more thankful for all we have.
A card in the mail from a coworker sending my hubby care over his surgery. How thoughtful that is. The doctor's office seeing my daughter at the drop of a hat, the tremendous help from my in laws, and this: a note telling me that our family has been on several prayer chains.

"Dear Lord, you know how I am feeling at this moment. I am so grateful for the prayers, the care, the love that Your children are sending our way, and that in itself has a tremndous healing power. But You know that. You instructed us to care for each other, pray for each other, and love each other. How wonderful a planner You are. Amen."

Life and other Random Bits...

what is happening in our home today...

post surgery healing...the viral flu....coughing....soup....

"Gracious Father..you are providing me with peace when I ask for it, You are my comfort, I asked for guidance, You were here, I asked for healing, you are here.
I am so thankful for You. Even when we are feverish, coughing, achy and not feeling so good physically, I know You are with me and my family. In Your Name. Amen."

Fourth Day..home again ...

We got home Friday afternoon, by midnight Codi was down with the flu.
All the kids spent Friday with Bob and Judi. I am thankful they were willing to help out.
Robert was in a lot of pain and after affects of surgery Friday and Saturday, but we did make it home without complications.

Today he is feeling better stomach wise and but he is still feeling pain from surgery. He ate today, very little but he did eat.

Laura is restless, lil Robert is home and feeling better from his bout with the flu. Codi is going through the rough part of the flu with fevers and chills. Codi is spending it at Maw maw and Bob's.

Here is what I am thankful for today: a laptop, loving grandparents, netflix, xbox, cell phones, and Uncle Eric and Aunt Tammy.

"Lord thank you for all the blessings you have given us. I am thankful for the caring people in our lives who are willing to answer our calls for help. Thankful for the sunshine today. Its so nice to look outside and see the bright sky and fall leaves. What a beautiful world you have created for us. In Your Holy Name, Amen."

Second Day....

We spent the night at a hotel last nite, us two girls. The hospital policy does not allow for minors, age 14 and under, to stay with family members who are under the care of hospital staff. So at 10:30 p.m. we called the Ramada and they had a room available and gave the hospital rate of $55.00 for a double room. We were able to shower, hot water thank you! and a complimentary breakfast! Praise the Lord for all good things!
Today is a new day, I am thinking when we get to the hospital, today will be faster paced and we can go back home.
On a side note, my 10 year old has the flu, he is staying with his grandparents.

"Lord, I am lifting up my son and husband to You. Lead me to your will to serve my family to the best of my ability. I am your servant always. Amen."

The Twelfth Hour. . .

We are still here. After urging, R has been moved to a private room until his stomach settles.
Now we wait until 8:00 p.m. to see if we will be going home or staying overnite.

Thankful for:
Attentive Nurses
Quiet Private Room
Slice of pizza and soda, with a cup of cottage cheese for my sweet helper.

"Thank you Lord for Your continued Love and Presence in situations that are not always smooth.
Your Grace is overflowing."

Surgery Over....

we are still waiting for Robert, its been 8 hours since we came into the lobby. So far we have consumed: egg bagel, whopper, pancakes, fries, gummy fruits, sugar wafers, two cups of coffee, gatorade, orange juice. Codi and I , not just I :-)

Dr Moore came out and reported that Roberts surgey went well. He is in recovery, and now we wait to take him home.

First Day of Surgery...

R is in surgery. We are waiting...praying....for a healing of his body.
You don't know how incredible a person Robert is. Maybe you do.
Either way, if you are a praying person, wont you pray for Dr. Moore to fix what is causing Roberts health problems. Pray for his quality of living to get better. Thanks.

First Day of Surgery

We are sitting in the pre op room with big Daddy, waiting with him before he first gets a cat scan then second, goes in to surgery. This has been a long time coming and a recurring event for my love, he has sinus disease, and has to go through this every 2-5 years.
I am praying that this surgery will give him some relief from pain, infection and leave him feeling better.
A couple of months ago he was told there was not anything else that could be done, but praise God, we found Dr. Moore. Dr Moore looked into the problem and came up with a game plan. Please God, let this help.
Here is what Robert indures ongoing right now:
Constant searing pain in his right cheek, just below the eye.
A headache located on the top of his head, that never goes away.
Sinus infections that do not clear up.
Polyps, scarring and diseased tissue that prevent him from breathing comfortably because his airways are blocked. The disease attacks his sinus cavities and surrounding tissue.
He does not sleep because of the pain.
He takes various medications to manage the infections and provide minor bits of relief.

So here we are.
Dr Moore is planning to go into the war zone and remove the debris that should not be there and open his airways with a plastic balloon, she plans to remove as much as the diseased tissue so that maybe his headache will go away in his head and he will have some period of comfort.

"Father thank you for this day. Thank you for being the strong comfort in our lives. Thank you for all that you provide for us everyday, for each one in our family and for the gift of salvation. I know you are with us Lord, right now in this very room. I can feel your peaceful presence while we wait for Robert to take the next step in this journey. I know this is in your hands, and I know that Your will be done. In Your Holy Name, I ask that you be with Dr. Moore and her staff, that she be careful, and cautious while operating on the father of my children, that the disease be wiped away and relief be given to my love, I ask this in your name, Lord Almighty. Amen."

To be continued.

The 6th grade girl's volleyball team

October 3, 2009.

Stanton Tournement. 1st Place.

4 yearolds,...puppy...cats...preteen...boyhood..and other random things...

Tonite is Volleyball nite. My athlete plays her first ever volleyball game tonite.
Today was raining and cold. Fall is still on its way. Have my decor out and it looks fantabulous!
Spent time cuddling my female cat, she is THE sweetest cat in the WORLD.
My four year old crafted me a purple butterfly...then told me she loved me.
My son helped out around the house this morning, without complaint, I will take that wave and ride it.
Husband leaves for Nevada tomorrow morning. Going to have a great time with his bro and stay with the bro's whole family for 5 days. Shooting, shooting and more shooting. I feel sorry for R because Cheryl is going to spoil him with her cooking. (Sorry Cheryl, he will probably eat you out of the house, he is so neglected here in Iowa.)

My thoughts for the day....

Friendships...and other heartbreaks, joyfulness and random bits of life

My heart breaks for my child today.
Her best friend is as they say it, 'dumping her' in little subtle ways. No time for her at breaks at school and no time for her after school.
And this is life.
We have season for everything, our lives move like the ocean tides.
Good, bad, in between.
How do we deal with it.

How do we give the right advice at the right moment then know when to say nothing.

My sweet little girl on the edge of being a teen, here is my advice to you.
Move on.
Move forward.
There are so many people in the world who would love being your friend.
You have so much to offer, to give and this is your time, enjoy it.

Carnival Time in Bedford....funday Sunday...

Sunday one of the many churches in our town held their annual carnival and this year we went. The weather was perfect. There were lots of people that we knew, and there were some we had not met before. Lots of kids.

For entertainment there was:

Two different local carriages driven by cute small ponies. A tractor train. About 10 to 12 fun carnival games, bean bag toss; balloon darts; football toss; ring toss; duck pond; with prizes for everyone of every age. A balloon slingshot, face painting.

And lots of food.

Hot dogs,

popcorn,

cotton candy,

cupcakes.

everything my diet screams NO too.

Needless to say my kids went and had a fabulous time. Here are some pics to enjoy. They are not shot well, I was having an off day with the camera.

Me, not the camera's fault.

Enjoy!

Random thing we do...like cooking...and other stuff

I have been so out of the routine of my non-usual random life. Wait, is that a word? Oh well, every morning I have just said to myself, got to get back to a routine. But end up doing the opposite, today is the day we get back to tcb. (taking care of business)

Here are some latest pics of happenings around the house.. and out of the house.

Laura loves to bake, we attended her open house at her preschool. The ladies pictured are her director and her teacher.

Codi and Robert are doing fantastic at school! I cannot believe how fast she caught up with her missed days and assignments. This week she has an overnight fieldtrip, everyone has school pictures on Thursday and The two mighty Roberts drive to Omaha for a day together on Friday. I believe they are planning a guys day which includes The Great Outdoors, hunting and fishing mega store and lunch. ( I am so happy they are doing a day together). Laura is liking her school more and more, I am so relieved to hear, 'I like school' instead of the opposite. Well, that is me catching up. If you would like to leave a comment, click comment and it just follow the steps. Have a blessed day!

Comments,,,,

I am thinking about shutting down my blogsite because I recently discovered something else to take up the long hours of the day.....

1sr Day back....wait....no...one more day at home

woke up with the birds. walked puppy for 45 minutes, and of course came home to 'my tummy hurts'....wednesday maybe?

And here he is........the newest addition to the family....M & M!

have you ever seen a cuter pup?

He's Taking that Plane Ride West...

Last nite hubby asked me if I minded him going to visit his brother, who lives on the other side of the rockies, in Nevada.
Mind you, I saw his free ticket, given him by his parents. Plus, his mother just 'mentioned' Robert might go before Robert ever even brought it up. (So nice to be the first one to know information like that).

My point is: I do not mind if Robert visits his brother. I am all for it. Go, honey, you deserve that rest and time away from it all more than anyone I know. No cell phone, no mowing, no elk, no go, go, go. Just a good time with your bro.

However, since we do live together and share a last name, could I get information from you first hand? Is that okay? Thank you oh so much.