Last weekend, I rested in bed.  Either Friday, or Saturday, I slept for 4 hours solid . . . like I was under anesthesia!!!  Jesse KNEW that meant I wasn't feeling well, since I've never been one to nap during the day.  Thursday, the doctor had told me he thought I had a flu bug that's been EVERYWHERE, lately.  I stayed home from church and Jesse took only Rissy, who was an assistant in the nursery that day.

             
          Rissy multitasking!  (i.e. reading and watching tv at the same time!).  

I had planned to cook a pot roast while we were at church.  Imagine my surprise, when the "pot roast" thawed and I found it was actually four huge (and juicy) sirloin steaks!!!!!  I tenderized them on both sides, and started the charcoal outside.  It was so windy that the lid of the charcoaler caught the wind and the whole thing was carried several feet, before dumping the coals on the lawn.  I ran outside and quickly scooped up the hot coals and moved everything back onto the patio.  Fortunately, they weren't very warm yet, and no damage was done. I kept a better eye on things, after that!

Jesse and Rissy were pleasantly surprised, when they returned from church, and found out we were having steak and baked potatoes with a green salad (balsamic vinegar dressing) and dinner rolls.  It was delicious, and I was pleased that I could buy the cheaper cut of meat (sirloin) and have it turn out so well. 

The strawberry sheet cake was out of this world!  Jesse even was shocked at the wonderful flavor and asked for seconds.  He NEVER asks for seconds of desserts, and tries not to eat them at all.  I've kept the cake in the refrigerator (since it contained fresh strawberries in the frosting) and we have a section left that's about the size of a paper plate.

          
                                  (Red eye correction doesn't work unless the eye is red!
                                                           A piece of trivia, for you!)

Monday, I had to go for a bilateral breast ultrasound, then visit my "would have been surgeon" right after.  The doctor on duty at the ultrasound place wanted to meet me before I left.  Another employee, whose mother has the same diagnosis as me, wanted to come in and say hi.  The doctor looked at me and wanted me to tell him how everything came about - me getting rid of such large tumors in my breast, chest, lymph nodes, and vertebrae.  I gave him the short version of how things went and he said it truly was a miracle.

Yesterday, I got to tell the physical therapist my story and the story of my lower back being healed in 1999.

The surgeon said the same thing, when she saw me, "Still a miracle!"  I had some tenderness on the outside of each breast and she said she thought it was from the exercises I'm doing, at my physical therapy appointments!  We laughed together as I told her those "baby exercises" I had been given sure left me sore!

School is clipping by at a very fast pace.  We should be done in a few weeks - maybe sooner.  I can't say I'm any less excited than the girls!  I'm ready for a change!

Luci has come down with the same bug Rissy and I had last week. so she is resting in bed.  I told her to lay on the den's sofa and listen to me teach history, health, science, and Bible.  That way, she won't get behind her sisters.

      
                                     (She doesn't look very sick, does she?!!)    

Today is Jesse's laundry day and the sheets on Luci's and my beds.  I like the new schedule I drew up, a month ago, and find it is working really well for us.  It helps to see my own name on the list of chores - I can be VERY forgetful at times!

I probably do!  

Be Blessed  ~

The house and kitchen are clean, so I will keep my work to a minimum and rest, again, today.

I have a new strawberry sheet cake recipe I'm going to make.  It's for Sunday's dinner, but I bet we'll cut into it tonight.

It's simple and calls for fresh strawberries.  Yum!

AND, I have some over ripe bananas I want to use in banana bread.

Guess I'll make one big mess and then clean the kitchen up and lay down.

The girls and I will set the dining room table tonight for tomorrow's dinner.

I'm fixing tonight's dinner with the ground beef I didn't use yesterday.  Everyone ate leftovers and let me sleep, last night.  Probably ground beef with gravy over noodles.  Something REALLY easy!  I have a pot roast thawing for Sunday's dinner - another easy meal.

Jesse's friend told him of a huge sale (mainly meat) at a grocery store and he took the girls with him last night.  $300.00 later . . .  

I was very glad I'd spent less than $80 at the grocery store on Thursday!!!!   He bought beef, chicken, and pork. 

Our freezer is overflowing!!! 

And, we have enough butter to last us for months!

My mother-in-law (the one in Amarillo) called this morning, and we had a nice visit.

The girls are fixing lunch and I suppose I should do the same.  I still don't have much of an appetite and feel a little achy.  I want to go to church in the morning, so I will take it easy today.

I hope everyone has a wonderful Memorial Day weekend.  We have no special plans.

Be Blessed `

I over did things yesterday.  Took the girls to their appointment, I had a routine check up in the same building, and Rissy was seen by my doctor, due to feeling poorly.  Ends up, there is a huge bug going around that causes sore throats, fever, weakness, stomach upset, diarrhea or vomiting, headache, and muscle aches.  All viral.  A person can have any or all of those symptoms.  Nothing you can take to make it go away. 

Thursday, Rissy felt really bad (and had a fever) so we kept school at a minimum.  A friend from church came to clean (our maid is still dealing with family problems) and the house was beautiful when we left (and just a beautifully clean when we returned - I love it!)..

After the doctor's visit, I met for a while with the girls' therapist, who had some concerns about Annamarie and her lack of socializing skills.  They are starting a new program - a group - for the purpose of teaching children, like Annamarie, appropriate boundaries, etc. when with friends. 

After that, we went to Wal-Mart to do a minimal amount of shopping.  I didn't use the motorized cart, as I knew we could whip through there quickly and the walk was good for me.  I did fine until I stood in line.  Check out counters 5 and 6 were the only ones open and there must have been between 5 and 10 people in each line.  The lady right before me had a problem with her credit card approval, and a manager had to be called.  A long wait.

Standing bothers me more than walking.  I don't even stand in church, because of the pressure it puts on my back.

In the end, I believe we stood in line longer than it took us to gather all of the groceries.  Seriously - it was a slow line and I began to sweat and my back (especially my hips) threatened to buckle under me.

I got in the car and wished it was my bed!  You know how you become so tired and achy that all you want to do is cry?  Before I could leave the parking lot, I had to take 2 pain pills.  Fortunately, we keep a few in the car for this very reason.

I made it home, the girls unloaded the groceries, and I went to be bed to lie down.  I had planned to have chef salads for dinner and I was grateful that the prep time would be minimal.

After an hour, I felt better.

Later in the evening the tiredness in my back returned with some pain and I began feeling a headache coming on.

The doctor said he believed Rissy and I had the same bug, her worse than me, and I felt flu-ish when it was time to go to sleep.  Eventually, I got up (didn't even want to do that) to take 2 headache pills.  I'm not prone to headaches - they are very rare.  Sometime after 11pm and fell asleep.

I feel better today, but will tame down what I try to do.  There is a only a small amount of schoolwork that needs to be done - a spelling test and 2 pages in their math books.

I have a physical therapy appointment this afternoon and ground beef laid out for tonight's dinner.  Who knows what is for dinner - except "something with ground beef" - and that's as far as my thoughts go!

I'm reading a REALLY good book.  I have had to discipline myself to not read it in one day - but I can hardly stand putting it down.  It's about the horrible epidemic Spanish flu that killed people at the end of WW1.   I only have a few chapters left!

Well, I need to get moving.  I woke up late (since I stayed up late last night) and it's almost lunch - I'm just now eating a slice of banana bread with a cup of coffee FOR BREAKFAST!!!!

Be Blessed ~

We didn't really invite him, but Chirper decided to join us, anyway.

He also helped Rissy with her math test. 

It took me a few minutes to figure out what was going on, but, when I figured it out, I took pictures for evidence!!!!

Here's how it worked:

1)  She'd point to the question on her test.

2)  He would sneak a peek inside her book, to look for the answers.

3)  He mentally connected with her and passed on the answer (kinda what you would call E.S.P., I guess!) to her.  She would point to an answer and (mentally) he would stop her when the pencil was on the correct answer.

4)  Finally she filled in the bubble under the correct answer, like she knew it all along!

He was really good at looking completely innocent!

You know?  Like he was only a cat and was just sitting there being cute.

He tried to side track me by playing with the pencil sharpener and the wood shavings.

We're taking a lunch break, right now.  Interestingly, he left the table as soon as I said we'd take a break.

I'm no dummy!

I expect him to return when school it is resumed, later on,   Then, he'll feed answers to anyone else who needs help.  It seems he know a little bit about everything!  I'll really have to keep my eye on him!

Physical therapy was great, yesterday.  The first person to work on my back muscles and make a real difference.

Unfortunately, the maid called and canceled again this morning.  I'd still like to keep her, if she could only come "sometimes" when she gets her family to help care for her grandpa.  I'm tired of "breaking in" new people!

I'm keeping tonight's dinner VERY simple. 

Homemade hamburgers (in a frying pan, not outside on the charcoaler) and frozen French fries.  I always forget how easy of a meal it is to turn out a bunch of burgers! 

Easy, schmeazy!

Be Blessed  ~

Yesterday's hail storm was the worst one, ever, on record. 

       
                                                Picture from TV news coverage.

Some of what I saw:

*  An aerial view of a golf course showing the hail covering the grass and paved drives.  A man with a snow plow pushing the ice off the little paved roads.

*  A man holding an eight ball (pool table) and a piece of hail in one hand  - they were the same size.

This was a million dollar+ damaging storm, on the heels of the tornado damage from last week.

Beautiful homes had their windows knocked out, their blinds torn up, and (in some cases) their furniture ruined when hail broke the window's barrier and came INSIDE.  They said the winds had 70mph gusts and you can imagine what it would be like to have golf balls or cue balls thrown at your house, en mass, at 70mph.  Lots of BIG dents and breakage.

People caught in their cars, got down on the floor boards for protection from the glass of the windows breaking into millions of bits.  Today, their vehicles have shattered windows and dents, like someone took a hammer to demolish the hood, the trunk, etc.

There's more than one roof that has been completely ripped to shreds, leaving the people inside their homes looking up at the sky through the holes in their ceilings! 

I was lying on my bed, flipping through a book catalog, the girls were lying down quietly in their own rooms.  Out of no where, the tornado sirens went off.  I yelled for everyone to get their pillows and go to the tornado hallway.  I turned on the TV to see what was going on and desperately searched for my cell phone. 

They weren't kidding.

Out of a clear and sunny, Sunday sky, there were tornadoes forming all over.  The tornadoes were followed by baseball and golf ball size hail.

So very grateful, our prayers (before Sunday's lunch) where effective and our home and vehicles were virtually unscathed from the fury that came from the sky!

I so appreciate my home.  It feels cozy.  It feels welcoming after a day running errands.  I like the new colors we've chosen for the walls.  I'm so grateful for the new sofa set in the den.

I love homeschooling my children at the kitchen table, while I hear the washer running to clean our clothes, or smell the sweetness that permeates the air from a cake baking.

I love our pets.

And, we ALL love having company and sharing our home with others.

                       **************************************************************************************************

I read this a day or so ago, in my "Simple Abundance" book, by Sarah Ban Breathnach.  Although much of the book departs from Christian beliefs, I sift through each day's reading and (occasionally) find a golden nugget.

This quote is one such nugget:

I have taken this wisdom to heart, especially in how I perceive the work I do in our home.  Drudgery can be transformed through a willing and open heart, into labors of love.  Begin with the words that describe, or name, your creative efforts.  Let "chores" become "tasks."  Stop calling your daily round "housework" and begin to call it "home caring."  Redefining our work casts a subtle but powerful spell over the subconscious mind.  And after all, caring - for yourself, your loved ones, your pets, and your home is truly what you are doing when you dust, change the kitty litter, sort the laundry, drive the car pool, prepare the meals, and work in the garden.

I *do* look at my home and chores with fondness.  It feels good to transform mess into order.  It feels good to supply my family with nutritious food.

I'm so grateful God kept our little haven safe from the fury of Oklahoma's May weather!

Be Blessed  ~

My mom slept in late, so I decided to get on Xanga myself.

I came to live here last November.  It was right around Thanksgiving.

My dad found me in a pile of leaves on the side of the house.  It was really cold and windy, and I was crying.  I'm so glad Dad heard me.  I had matted hair (I was *really* a mess!) and I was pretty skinny.  My ribs showed and my hips were hollow, but they aren't any more.  I don't know what all of that means, but that's what Mom tells everyone.

Anyway, Dad (I didn't know, then, he was going to be my dad) brought me into his house and there were a bunch of girls, a loud bird that wolf whistled at me, a cat who said his name was Chirper, and a really big dog they called Sushi.

The girls cuddled me and gave me something to eat.  The cat wanted to play with me - I like him a lot and we played together.  The big dog scared me, because I was little and she was HUGE!  She's okay now.  And even though she is huge, I found out she is really nice.

Mom told me they would try to find my home.  She took me  to PetSmart and those people looked for a micro chip in my shoulder.  I don't have one.

They called local veterinarians and looked all over the neighborhood for posted signs.  They thought surely someone would want me back. I guess they didn't. 

After 3 weeks, my mom and dad took me to get shots and bought a name tag for me with my Mom's phone number.

That was 6 months ago, and I don't even remember what my first family called me.  I'm now known as "Little Bit" and I like it here.

I dig out of the yard a lot, and I bolt out of the door quickly if they don't watch me, but I've always come back.  Sometimes I run waaaaay down the street.  It used to worry my mom, and she would send her girls to get me.  The closer they got, the faster I'd run away!   It was a game I liked to play.  Mom didn't think I was very funny!  That's when she told the girls to quit chasing me.  When I run down the street, they go inside and close the big door.  That's NO FUN at all.  So, now, I just run about 2 houses away and come right back.

I don't think another family would take such good care of me and make me feel so special.  So, I'm not going to run away from *this* family.  Not at all.

I'm two years old today.  They keep talking about birthday presents and a party for me.  I'm not sure what that means, except lots of people sing to you.

I can't believe I've only lived here for 6 months.  It feels like my whole life!

I thank God for my nice family and how well my life turned out. 

I'm sitting here, this morning, with a bowl of oatmeal and a cup of coffee at my desk.  I'm wearing a bathrobe that is as old as the hills.  A yellow robe with periwinkle blue flowers and an aqua nightgown.  I'm quite the mismatched fashion queen, right now!  LOL!!! 

I'm trying to catch up on reading everyone's blogs and what is going on in lives other than my own!

We survived Monday (especially) and Tuesday's storms and tornadoes.  I'd be lying if I said I wasn't scared on Monday evening.  Little Bit stayed in my lap.  I had drawn up my knees and his paws were on the top of my knees, but his face was buried between my knees.  It's like *he knew* to seek shelter!  While sitting there, I realized Chirper was missing.  We called, but he didn't come to us.  We found him, later, under Jesse's and my king size bed.  Apparently, he *knew* too.

Like I said, on Monday, I was on my way to our "tornado hallway," when I heard the intersection, just blocks from us, mentioned.  As we crouched in the hall with pillows over us, the wind picked up outside and was vicious. 

It was such a close call, that I felt it important to let the girls know (while we were under pillows) that if anything happened to the house, we were all to meet in the front yard, by the huge pine tree and our brick mailbox.  I hoped those things were heavy enough to still be there!

To say I prayed to subdue the storm would be an understatement!  The girls cried and I prayed a steady stream of words to God, asking for our safety.

Even more scary, is what Jesse went through.  He was on his way home (with Sushi in the truck) and could see the tornado touching down over our subdivision.  He called and called but the cell phones service was too busy.  He busted through the front door and yelled, "Is everyone okay?" then he saw us huddled in the hall.  He said that was the first time he actually saw a tornado touching down.

I couldn't hear the bedroom TV from the hallway, so we had to sit there a long time - waiting for the sirens to stop. 

Jesse came home right before the county turned off the sirens.  Next time, I'll be sure to turn on the den's TV.  I absolutely HATED not being able to hear what the weatherman was saying.

We're having a slow day waking up around here.  Only 5 1/2 weeks of school left.  Yes, I'm counting!!!! LOL

I had had my physical therapy appointment on Monday.  I slept like a log, that night!  And, I was a bit sore yesterday in my shoulder area.  That means the "baby exercises" they've given me are the correct ones!  And, I'm talking *baby* exercises.

Chore Packs continue to work.  Yesterday was my laundry day and I teased the girls about *me* not having a "laundry buddy - three sweet girls were quick to volunteer to be my buddy!!!  Of course, I said, "No thank you!"

We left the dining room table set for next Sunday's dinner.  I kept thinking we'd have a meal out there during the week, but it's just not going to happen.  Oh well, I'm ahead of the game when it comes to Saturday night!

I haven't decided if I'm going to bake a pie or cake for our Sunday dessert.  I have to wash the cake plate today.  Last night, Jesus finished the last of the French vanilla cake with strawberry frosting.

I'm trying to use leftovers this week.  We have quite a bit of roast chicken left and a good size piece of pork roast.  I'm thinking, chicken something tonight.  Thursday's are busy, so barbecued shredded pork on Thursday.

Again, this week, we will only need a few things at the grocery store.  Not spending a bunch of money, and saving it for next winter, feels good!

Even though I feel very lazy today, I know I should get off of here and take a bath & get dressed.

Be Blessed  ~

Our house is fine - so far!

There was a bit of excitement when the tornado sirens went off and I told the girls to get their pillows and go to our "tornado hallway."

As I headed out of my bedroom (where the TV was on), I heard them say a tornado was at the intersection a few blocks from our house.

Yep!

I screamed, "Run!" and they sure did.

Although we were frightened, I was so proud of how quickly my girls (AND Little Bit) got to the hallway and covered themselves with pillows.

High five, girls!

They absorbed everything much better on Saturday. 

When in church, yesterday, their heads all popped up when they heard the words, "Rebekkah brought water to the camels."  FINALLY!  Something from the pulpit made sense to them!

*************************************************************

We didn't do anything as planned yesterday.

Jesse preferred to take me out to lunch, rather than me cook a big meal on Mother's Day.  I'll make the roast chicken dinner tomorrow and just use the formal table on Tuesday, instead of Sunday, this week.   If we are REALLY careful, I might not have to wash the tablecloth again before next Sunday.

We went to a Mexican restaurant we were fairly sure wouldn't be crowded.  It wasn't.  Unfortunately, I'm going through another spell of not being able to taste much of my food.  I had ordered a large lunch combo plate with the intention of boxing half of it up and eating it for Monday's lunch.  I brought it home, but I don't know that it will taste any better today.  The Pepsi, on the other hand, tasted great!

I baked a French vanilla cake, with fluffy strawberry frosting, to serve at our Sunday meal.  We still ate *that* when Stephanie and JanaLyn came over to see me.  I served each slice of cake with some fresh strawberries on the side.  It was very pretty and tasted good, too.

******************************************************************

JanaLyn brought me 3 roses, someone at church gave me a rose, and then someone at the Mexican restaurant gave me a rose.  They make a nice little bouquet in a crystal juice glass on the sill over my sink.

****************************************************

The biggest surprise of the weekend was receiving my new den furniture, a day early.  I was in such a defeated mood on Friday, and then my new furniture arrived.  I hate to sound materialistic because my mood *did* pick up, after the furniture was settled in the den.  However, I'm not in a habit of going out and buying something, every time I'm in a black mood.  This just happened by coincidence.  And, I was very glad it did!

It's perfect  Absolutely, P-E-R-F-E-C-T!!!!!!!!!  It looks better than I thought it would.  It's VERY comfortable and the only adjustment we have to make is to the smaller size.  We had MASSIVE furniture before, purchased when we lived in a house with a HUGE den.  We will give the old set to Stephanie.  These cushions are smaller and they feel dinky, but I'm sure I'll adjust to that quickly!!! 

Fortunately, the ottoman to the old set will work with this set.

******************************************************************

I woke up this morning and had a cup of coffee in one of my china cups.  I'm relaxing before the busyness of the week starts up.  I have my first physical therapy appointment this afternoon.

This morning, the girls saw the pancake mix box on the counter and asked for waffles.  I had planned to wake up on Sunday and make pancakes. 

I should know better.  I don't have full function of my brain and body until after 10am!!!  Who was I kidding - waffles before church???? 

Yeah, right!

This morning, I got out "Wava the Waffle Maker" and the girls had their waffles!

*************************************************************
So here we are at the beginning of a new week - with new resolve! 

The girls new textbooks also arrived on Friday and I deposited them in the storage cupboards in Rissy's room.  I'm going to wait to pull them out, just before we resume those subjects in fall.  It will be a surprise for me to see what subject matter the next year will hold for us.

This summer, I'm teaching music and art.  The girls will learn about landscape and portrait paintings.  I also have "Peter and The Wolf" CD and a great book about each instrument in an orchestra.  I sure hope I do it justice when teaching! 

Growing up, my family was musical and well rounded, so to speak, and I'm trying to expose my daughters to a variety of music.  The TV in the den is currently set on the classical music station.  Well, it was.  Rissy just turned it to standards and swing music.

Since I don't have the girls in an educational co-op group, I have to be creative with art and music.  In another year, I'd like to tackle foreign language.  German.  I have a great curriculum waiting in the cupboard of books with a few CD's.  I'm thinking Luci might not be ready, since she'll be 8 this summer. 

Maybe I should start sooner. 

I don't know.  I'll have to pray about that one!

Happy Mother's Day to those of you expecting your first child.

Happy Mother's Day to the grandmothers and great-grandmothers who still play a mothering role in someone's life.

Happy Mother's Day to those of you who have become a mother to your aging parents.

Happy Mother's Day to those of you who are mother's to pets and the Lord's wildlife.

I pray all of you who "mother" people, OR animals, have a blessed day and find something beautiful in this Sunday with God's help. 

Surely God sees your giving hearts that do not grow weary from doing good.  He says you will reap a harvest and you will.  God doesn't lie.

Be Blessed  `