Happy Thanksgiving! Giving more thanks...

Isn't today just a WONDERFUL day that the Lord has made?

I just finished the pie making with Joy EARLY this morning. I am SO THANKFUL for daughters who are sharing the big job of meal preparation when we have a big event for our BIG FAMILY. Truly its a blessing to share the load. Over the years we have fallen into a pattern of who prepares which part of the meal, and this year Joy decided to try her hand at pie making (normally Ruth's contribution to the meal, but she won't be with us today). So all of us planned to bring pies and Joy came early to learn how to make my "tart" lemon meringue pies, my specialty that developed over the years. She did an AWESOME JOB!  [We hit a few snags when we discovered that my sugar supply was almost depleted and we had to borrow some very early.] But we finished by 6:30 AM and were able to play a hand of cribbage over a cup of tea before she went home to spend the morning with her two boys. (She won!)

Brunch?  Looks like mincemeat pie is on the menu for our mid day meal, since early dinner at 2:00 is too long to wait for food... yummy day in store!

Have a wonderful holiday with your loved ones! See you!

UPDATE: Dinner done and food and fellowship was GREAT! After the meal, Sally beat me in a hand of cribbage... so I am on a SLIDE! Twice in a day! (Just wait!)

I'm tagged AGAIN? Well, I am thankful, anyway...

Ten things I am thankful for (can't top Alice's cool photo list, so won't try).

1. My salvation... (don't leave home... or earth... without it!) and my church!
   
2. My family... well, everyone knows ten numbers won't cover each one by name, so I will start with my three remaining siblings who give me nieces, nephews, etc. to love and pray for.
   
3. My spouse who gives me way more than I will ever deserve.
   
4. My four lovely daughters and best friends... who love me in spite of me.
5. My nineteen growing and glowing grandchildren, of all ages (well, 2-almost 20, anyway).
6. My special times with aforementioned grandchildren, who never cease to amaze me with their mental, spiritual and physical growth. This often makes me recall some of the unusual things I would think up, too! They keep you on your toes!
7. Sons "by law" that have become SONS in the flesh, that someone else "grew up" for us!
   
8. My computer with internet... who knew? Friends across the world at your fingertips!
9. My health, both mental and physical... I enjoy it while I have it! I won't take it for granted!
10. MY BIBLE! Oh, yeah (thought I forgot, didn't you?)... like air, ya GOTTA have it! Makes the day so much better (and gives some good answers for those inquisitive youngun's)

Let's see, I tag... ummm... how about Lindsey! I have been watching your blank blog for a week and I see you are feeling better...YAY! Good to see you again! Go for it!

Hydrangeas

It's hard to believe that I LOVE hydrangeas, I know...  (just kidding)

I am so disappointed on the years when my primary bush fails to produce blooms, or dries up immediately after flowering. 

But then there are the years that it produces LUSH VIBRANT blooms in purples, pinks and variations in between.... AHHH! Lovely. That's the time to take LOTS of photos!

Thus, I made my blog header and background so I can see the "good year" for more than a few months!  

Hope you enjoy them... (I sure do!)

Amy's house...

I woke up at "Amy's House"... 

This past two weeks we were caring for Al's infected cyst, then it's removal and wound care. I remember thinking I would like to just get away for a few days with hubby. Apparently my mind decided to go without me!

Amy is a sweet and soft-spoken friend I met on the message board that I frequent. I spent some time with her when I went to the convention in October. I see her smiling face whenever I visit the board. She is a Christian and has been an encouragement to me a few times when I have been "down".

Amy told me she lives in the San Diego area and works at the big zoo there. Having only been to San Diego a few times, last night as I dreamed, my mind conjured up some beautiful home for her family on a bluff overlooking the Pacific Ocean... more like Monterey than San Diego, actually. And I woke with a chuckle that the few minutes of peaceful interlude at the ocean was "just the ticket"... I felt renewed and refreshed for the new day. [and I didn't have to go thru the airport security checks, either.] Thanks, Amy! It was a lovely visit!

Tuesday's BIG Surprise...

Yesterday I arrived at Joy's house to monitor homework with the two youngest boys after school. When I walked in I saw a laptop open and on the chair (they are not allowed access to unsupervised computers). Just as I asked why they had this laptop open, Gordy (who lives in Texas) came around the corner and said hello. WOW! Nice surprise! That sure explains a lot of unusual activities of late! 

Glad he could be home for a few days. 

Lenka sightings...

Joyce and my hubby went to meet Lenka in Oct. 

I made a scrap page to remember it.

Then Joyce and Alice went to see Lenka last week and took the page for her to sign.   Her comment is seen to the left of her name "WOW". Pretty cool!

Homework...

Several times each week I monitor homework with my teenage grandsons before their mom gets home from work. We have some curious conversations prior to getting down to business.

Yesterday Ethan and I had this discussion before he did his science homework.

Ethan:  My science teacher was telling us today that we use too much water in our country and we should not bathe every day to conserve water. 

Me:   He wouldn't want to be around you if you didn't bathe every day.

Ethan:  EXACTLY!

Me:  Interesting... in health class they teach you to bathe every day to protect the environment.

Ethan: And in science class they tell you NOT to bathe every day to protect the environment.

Me: In science class they teach you to protect the WATER from your body odor and to protect the AIR in your health class! I guess the lesson here is that you should should run around fast in the shower... EVERY DAY!

An oldie, but a goodie...

When we were painting the auditorium building (2005?) , we had a great plan to get two coats of paint on the room in only one day. Instead, What a DAY! Here is a note I wrote to Lyle and Ron in China...

"We are painting ourselves to death. Hope you will pray for us often...

Yesterday we tackled spraying the building inside, but found the sprayer not clean from previous usage by other party. Hose completely blocked with dry paint. With plans to paint the light first coat by early afternoon so the evening crew could put a final coat on, this is how the day actually went.

• Day started at 3:30 am. Rise and Walk
• Planned to start painting at 10 am, so we were at Home Depot (HD) at 8 am with 2 vehicles for ceiling tiles, 5 big buckets of paint. Hmm... no paint available in that finish in Gig Harbor store.
• Drop tiles at office, and both vehicles to Silverdale store for more tiles, and hopefully paint. (now 9:30)
• Store has lots of tiles, all the final coat paint. Head back with all of it (NOTE: now have 4 veh trips to HD in just under 2 hr... Keep count, as it gets interesting)
• Back at office at 11, and we cannot locate the manual for sprayer.
• 11:30 Go home for early lunch and call around to "Borrowers" to trace the missing manual
• 1:00 Return to office to paint after a "power nap"
• still no manual, but have some memory of use. Stir paint, prepare area and start spraying... clogged line
• 2:00 to Home Depot, Gig Harbor again. Get spayer nozzle (after locating the ONLY paint clerk) (trip 5)
• ($135 and several hours later, it's now 2:45. Hook new spray gun to NEW hose and the new gun pours paint out of fittings, and nothing from sprayer worth using!
• 3:30 Cannot use new gun. Clean and return it to HD by 4 PM (trip 6)
• 4:30 Return to office and find Mr Hughes has cleaned original spray gun with solvent, per rental store help (WE own the machine, but they have been SO helpful!)
• Manual has been located and delivered...so helpful!
• 5:PM, workers arrive to spray second layer and find the first just starting. Workers start rolling on the "recycled paint" provided by Mr Turk. By now it has clogged the sprayer so badly, I am sent to HD to get MORE PAINT, drywall primer, to replace donated paint, which can still be rolled on, but not sprayed. (trip 7)
• 8:30 PM Ran out of primer. Run to HD again (trip 8: Store clerks now ask, "are you STILL HERE?" and "are you BACK AGAIN?" LOL)
• 9 PM still painting, but workers dropping off fast. Finish almost the big room, back rooms, 2 baths, most of hall, some beams. (TIRED.. Hubby now lame)
• 10 PM home at last, too painful to sleep. Still lame."

New photo trick!

    Look what I learned to do this week on my own... have seen it elsewhere and wondered, "how did they do that?"  

    This shows our sunny yellow home on Cabrini. I can use any word or photo to make a personal calendar page, greeting card, holiday card ... Send me your ideas! I LOVE THIS! (can you tell it takes very little to excite me? LOL)

Tagged, I am it... thanks, Alice!

I'm tagged, I'm it?!? I hate this! It might be my only blog entry!  (Thanks, Alice!)

I had to look at my scrambled files to find the sixth photo that was actually a photo to get this... (I keep my photos everywhere and need to reorganize the folders.)

This photo of Preacher and Bro Blue was taken Oct 5 2008 at Bro Blue's retirement service, that Al preached. Memorable shot of them!

Joyness... you are tagged! Go for it