Baking Cup Cakes

Today was baking day. We had some cookies to frost that we made the other day and had so much frosting left over we decided to make cup cakes. The girls worked hard as you can see. Oh, the pictures are backwards again. I'll get this figured out some day. Picture 1 Haleigh and Sydney are filling the paper cups with cake batter. Bella is getting the runs down the side of the bowl! #2 Haleigh is filling the cups. #3 Syd and Bella are licking the beaters! #4 Bella is putting the paper cups into the pan. #5 Sydney is mixing the cake batter. #6 the girls are frosting the cookies. You can see these are backwards!

Backwards or not, we had a good time.

Lord, thank You for good times and good helpers!

Sydney

This is Sydney's other shirt she bought yesterday at Kohl's. It's really cute with a hood. She's a sweet girl who is getting very particular about her clothes! It's an age thing!!! Actually it's a good thing!

Thank You, Lord, for Sydney. Please be with her as she's growing up so quickly. Help her to make wise choices with her clothes, her friends, movies she watches, music she listens to, etc. Help her to feel You with her.

Going Shopping

These girls love to shop! Oh, I guess I shouldn't be surprised! They are typical girls!!! These pictures are of Sydney in one of the two shirts she bought. Picture 1 she's showing Papa her new shirt. Picture 2 she trying the shirt on in the dressing room at Kohl's. More pictures tomorrow...
Thank You, Lord, for good times shopping with Christmas gift cards.

Two Granddaughters

This is Sydney, 9, and Isabella, 6! Two of our granddaughter's and they'll be staying with us this week. They'll keep me busy and I'll try to keep them busy!
Thank You, Father, for Sydney and Isabella. I love them and You love them even more!

Ice and Rain

This is solid ice, like a giant ice sickle! Jerry and Ted went out to rescue our table and chairs on the deck. The ice has done major damage to our deck outside the sun room! They just found it today. What a job that's going to be to repair it. It can't be done now, it'll have to wait til late spring. It's raining hard right now. I don't like rain in winter. I don't know who does...
Lord, I praise You because You are Sovereign and In
Control. You know about this rain and how slippery it's going to be on the roads and highways tonight and tomorrow morning. Please keep travelers safe.

A Special Gift

Once in a while something really special happens to us. We've all had it happen before, and I just had it happen to me Wednesday evening after the Christmas Eve service...

I think I should back up here and tell you how I've made lots of new friends ever since I started writing Prime Time News. I get hugs and thanks from folks I would consider only acquaintances but apparently, I think because of the newsletter, I have become their friend! The newsletter goes to everyone 50 years and over.

One of these folks, Sherry, came to me, put her arm around me and said: "I prayed and asked God if I could give Anita a Christmas gift and He said, Yes! So here you are!" She held out a small brightly wrapped box to me. I was so surprised I hardly knew what to say! She told me to open it after I got home. Well, I opened it as soon as we got in our car. I love it! It's a small Hummel figurine - a child holding a scroll in one hand and a pencil in the other hand. A writer! Is it because I write the newsletter? I don't know but I love it. Another serendipity!

The newsletter belongs to God. He has given me the task of writing it and I do it with His help.

Lord, I thank You for the privelege of writing Prime Time News. Help me to always depend on You for guidence. I give You all the credit for the good it seems to do.

Christmas

We had a good Christmas, lonely but good. Jerry gave me a new large crock pot (my old one gave up working) and a beautiful purple robe. I gave him a couple shirts, one white, one flannel; and a weather station. That's a fancy name for an indoor/outdoor thermometer. It's the kind that sits on a table beside him and show the temp. both inside and outside, also the humidity, and the time. It's a rather complicated thing and we can't seem to get the correct time on the clock. The temperatures seem right. Oh well.
Rob and Jessica and Haleigh came over so we exchanged gifts with them and then had lunch together. That was fun. Ted, Sydney, and Isabella are coming today so we still have a gift exchange to go.
We talked on the phone to all our kids, which was very nice. Actually we talked to Tim, Shauna, Annie, and Kaleb a couple days earlier because they were going to Indonesia over Christmas. I called my mom and had a nice visit with her. But I actually had to cut it short because we had trouble hearing each other.
Lord, thank You for Christmas. Thank You for the gift of Your Son, Jesus. Thank You for my family. What a beautiful time of year.

Isaiah 9:6

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6

Grandma

Today was Grandma's birthday! (Jerry's mother) She had been a Christmas baby! When these pictures were taken she was 75! She lived to be 91! Today she would have been 103! Wow! We had a birthday party for her at our house for her 75th birthday. The whole family came, which was a whole house full! All of Grandma's kids, grandkids, and great-grandkids! Even Santa Claus came! He brought a gift for each child. In the picture he's handing one to Kurt. It was a very exciting day for everyone. Santa's appearance was a complete surprise to everyone, except my family and then even our younger kids didn't know. It was such a fun day!

Lord, I have such wonderful memories. Thank You for memories, family, birthdays, Christmas! Thank You for the meaning of Christmas. Help us to always keep you first.

Memories

It's Christmas Eve. We're about ready to go to the Christmas Eve service at our church. It's always a wonderful service. It only lasts an hour or less.

I have so many memories of Christmas past so I think I'll write about them. I'll start with my childhood. I remember being so excited and thinking Christmas morning would never arrive. I was a child in the 40's and money was scarce...but I don't remember ever being disappointed on Christmas morning.

The year of 1947 my mom's sister, Aunt Lou, came through for us. Aunt Lou and Uncle Al had only one child, Judy. She and I were best friends. But Judy loved horses, not dolls! They knew my parents had little money so Aunt Lou went shopping for dolls! She also made clothes for them! Lorraine and I were so happy!

The next year, 1948, I wanted a scooter. It was in the Sears catalog, red and white, with a brake! I dreamed about that scooter. I don't know how my folks could afford to buy it for me, after all they had three other kids to buy for too. But Christmas morning there it was. I loved my scooter. I was in third grade that year.

I have lots of wonderful memories of Christmas with Jerry and our children, too. An outstanding memory is of our five kids getting up at 6:00 on Christmas morning (every year) and singing We Wish You a Merry Christmas! They thought they were waking us up but we were always already awake! How could we not be with them shushing each other and saying, "Shhh, be quiet, you'll wake up Mom and Dad." Of course we always let them think they woke us up! But one year, at about 3:00 am, we were awakened by one little boy singing at the top of his lungs, We Wish You a Merry Christmas! I had to go out and convince Teddy it was still night time and he had to go back to bed. At 6:00 o'clock he was up singing with the rest of the kids!

Then there was the year, a couple of years after Pam was married, that the phone rang at 6:00! We were still in bed, the kids just about ready to start singing. I answered the phone and Pam was on the other end of the line wishing us a Merry Christmas. Then she told us some exciting news! She was expecting her first baby! I didn't really know if I should believe her or if she was kidding me! She convinced me it was for real! That baby was our first grandchild, Andrew.

Another wonderful memory was Jerry's mother coming to our house every Christmas morning to watch the kids open their gifts. She was an early riser so she always came by 6:00! Some years she came before 6:00, more like 5:30! Our house was still dark, we were still sleeping...she'd have to sit in her car and wait until 6:00 when the kids woke us up! The last several years of her life we had her come on Christmas Eve and stay all night so she was already there in the morning.

One more memory I must write about. Ted was grown now and in college and working. He was working at a boys ranch for troubled boys. He told me he wouldn't be able to come home for Christmas, he was scheduled to work. I couldn't believe it! I told him to tell his boss he had to go home. He explained to me that someone had to be there with the boys and most of the other workers were married with families so it was more important for them to have the time off. I was so disappointed. Our kids were growing up and life, as it had been for years, was changing. Well, I tried to accept the fact that Ted wouldn't be home but I was very sad. Christmas morning two cars came driving up the driveway! One was Jerry's mother and the other was Ted! He came in loaded down with presents for everyone! He said his boss told him to go on home! He had about a 2 1/2 or 3 hour drive to get home but he was there at 6:00 AM. That was a wonderful Christmas and I'm left with a wonderful memory!

Lord, thank You for Christmas, for the birth of Your Son, Jesus. Thank You for the wonderful memories I have of Christmas past. Help us to remember Jesus Is The Reason For The Season.

News

Well, here's some exciting news for you! I'm expecting again! Yes, I know...I'm expecting a new granddaughter! June 27, 2010! Her name is Katie and she is marrying my grandson, Andrew, on June 27, 2010! More details will follow in the upcoming months.
Heavenly Father, thank You for Katie. Thank You for Andrew and Katie. Help them as they make these big important plans. Guide their lives together. Help them to seek after You.

Christmas Greetings

I love our coat closet door! I always tape our Christmas cards to the door as they come in the mail. It's three fourths covered now and will probably be completely covered by Christmas day. It's so good to hear from family and friends that we love but seldom hear from. Once in a while we hear bad or sad news...yesterday we heard that a distant cousin died last February. Neil was 91 years old. I only met him once but I'll never forget him. I was working on our genealogy which took us on a trip across the country. Neil and Maxine lived in Nebraska where my grandma's family homesteaded. My grandma, as a young girl, helped drive a covered wagon across Nebraska! They finally arrived at their destination and began to develop their farm. Their first house was made of sod! Grandma and her siblings grew up, married, and raised their families. (My grandparents eventually moved to Iowa.) Neil was the son of my grandma's sister. He actually died in the same house he was born in! Jerry and I went to Nebraska in search of my roots and there we met Neil and Maxine. They took us all over the area showing us places significant to our family: farms, cemeteries, towns, etc. We'll never forget our days with Neil and Maxine. They raised and shared with us the best corn we've ever eaten! (better than Iowa corn? Now, that's debatable!) We've been exchanging Christmas cards every year since. Yesterday a copy of Neil's obituary came in Maxine's card, she knew I would want a copy for my family records. I feel so sad and yet so proud to have been a relative of Neil.
Thank You, Lord, for Neil's life. Thank You for allowing Jerry and me to go to Nebraska and get to know Neil and Maxine. I feel so sad and yet so blessed.

Our Decorations

Some of our decorations for Christmas in our living room. (1)Our coat closet door gets covered with greeting cards from family and friends. (2)Jessica made the greenery with bows for our stairway our first Christmas we lived here! (3)Pam gave me the wall hanging several years ago. I love it. The lighting isn't good for this picture, sorry. The candle lights surrounding the nativity set are very old. They were given to me by a friend, Elizabeth, at least 15, maybe 20, years ago. She was aging and getting rid of things. So how long she'd been using them I have no idea. When one burns out I'll have to throw the whole set away...I'll never be able to replace one of those candle lights. (4)Our Christmas tree. The fiber-optic flickering red, yellow, white, blue, and green lights don't show up in the picture. They are beautiful. This is our first year for an artificial tree. We bought it at a yard sale! A real bargain! Remember, you can click on the pictures to bring out details.

Thank You, Lord, for beautiful decorations to help us get ready for the day we celebrate the birth of Your Son, Jesus.

December 22, 2008

Today my dad would have turned 99 years of age! Now, that wasn't an impossibility...his sister, Bessie, lived to be 102 and his uncle, Alvie, lived to be 101! My dad died just four days before his 96th birthday. This picture is of my dad and his sister, Eva. Dad was the youngest of seven children. He loved chocolate covered cherries. Every year someone gave him a box of them, sometimes he got more than one box. Some years he got them for his birthday, some years for Christmas. He always acted so surprised and happy!

Lord, once again I thank You for my dad and for the wonderful memories I have. I also thank You for my Christian heritage he left me.

Update

We just got an update on Joan. She's been released from the hospital, with orders to see her doctor very soon. He had put her on a new medicine and probably needs to be adjusted.
Thank You, Lord, for giving the doctors wisdom in how to help Joan. Please help her doctor to know how to adjust her medicine.

What a morning!

Today, the first day of winter, is a frigid day! The wind is blowing snow and it's bitter cold out. But that's not the worst of it. This morning just as we were finishing singing a hymn before the pastor started his sermon there was a commotion in the next section of pews over from ours. It seemed someone was sick. Sure enough...Joan was being taken out! Pastor took a moment to pray for whatever was happening (he really didn't know). I heard a siren, and as always, whenever I hear a siren, I pray for the person needing help and for the family of the person. The siren stopped and it occurred to me that it could be an ambulance for Joan! I turned and looked back through the door...sure enough there sat a fire truck and an ambulance! 911 had been called. Jerry suggested I go out and see what was happening with our friend, Joan. Paramedic's were working over her. It seems her blood sugar was off...way off. I don't really understand about sugar, all I know is she was very, very weak, and pale. They took her to the hospital and we're waiting for a report. As they loaded her into the ambulance those of us left in the foyer formed a circle to pray for her and for Penn. Our former ass. pastor Gene led us in prayer. We never know do we?
Heavenly Father, I praise You because You are our Healer. Thank You for Joan and for our friendship. Please touch her body. Help the doctors to know how to treat her and to get her blood sugar adjusted.

Snow

Yesterday Jerry came into the house and said there are gold stars in the snow! I had to go investigate what he was talking about...sure enough there were gold stars on the snow! I took a couple pictures but I'm not sure you can make out the stars. Click on the picture to bring it up close. It's hard to see stars and they don't show gold, but that's how they looked to us! We aren't sure where they came from but suspect the trees.

It's snowing so hard this morning we can't even see across the road! The stars on the snow are completely covered up, as is everything else. No cars are going by. Today is a snow day for school kids. It's a good day to stay in and enjoy the fire!

Thank You, Lord, for the beauty of snow. Please be with those who are traveling.

My Dad

Three years ago today my dad left us to go to heaven. I miss him so much. He was soon to be 96 years old. He and my mom had recently celebrated 72 years of marriage. While it's very sad to me to think about, at the same time I have wonderful memories of the day he died! My brother, Richard, and I had both gone out to be with Mother and Dad, and with our sister, Lorraine, because his health was failing. They were living in a senior community. However, he seemed to be stable so on Saturday we were thinking we should go home, probably on Monday, with Christmas so near, knowing we'd have to return sometime soon. Sunday morning I left our cabin early so I could go to visit Dad before going to church. Oh my goodness, he was so alert and in such good spirits I asked him if he'd like to go home. (He was in nursing) He said yes, he'd like that, so I pushed him in his wheel chair to the wing where they had their apartment. My mom was so surprised to see us! Let me back up here to say that before I left home I had made a birthday card for Dad and had put pictures of him and me on it. 1) I was one, he was 28; 2) I was 11, he was 39; 3) he was walking me down the aisle, I was 20, he was 48; 4) as we were then, I was 67, he was 91. I called Richard at our cabin and asked him to bring the card in the pocket of my suitcase so I could give it to him now instead of waiting four more days to his birthday. When I gave it to Dad, he loved it...he understood what I was trying to say. There was a wonderful feeling between us. We skipped church that day but had a wonderful time just visiting, reminiscing, looking over Christmas cards, etc. I took Dad back to his room at lunch time. That afternoon we all went back to his room to visit again...but Dad was no longer alert. We don't even know if he was aware of who we were. That evening we got a call - Dad was gone.
Thank You, Lord, for Dad. Thank You for the wonderful memories I have of him. Thank You for those precious hours You gave us with him on Dec. 18, 2005. Thank You for his heavenly home today and that some day I'll see him again.

Christmas Decorations

Yesterday I watched Dr. Phil. Did you? It was on folks who go to extremes. A woman was there who decorates her house for Christmas to the max! There was every imaginable Christmas decoration, except I didn't see anything about Jesus being born! It was all commercial. There wasn't a bare spot in her house! It was very distasteful. I'm writing about this because I recently posted about my sister-in-law, Vel, and her Christmas decorations. I posted three pictures and said it was only a fraction of her decorations, which is true. However, I want to make sure no one misunderstands me. Vel's house and decorations are absolutely beautiful. I wish now I'd taken more pictures. She has pine boughs draped across the walls and lots and lots of wreathes. She wrapped her pictures, that are hanging on the walls, with Christmas paper! They look like presents hanging on the walls! So clever! She has two large, beautiful Nativity Sets. Behind each of them she hung a large navy blue piece of clothe for the night sky and on each is a large star that lights up, highlighting the reason for the season. She has gone to a whole lot of work decorating because she loves it, and take my word for it, her house is beautiful. Nothing like the one on Dr. Phil yesterday.
Lord, thank You for creativity. Thank You for the reason for the season. Thank You for Jesus.

Wordless Wednesday!

Brrrrrrr!

Brrrrrr! Is it cold outside! This morning it was 40 degrees and this afternoon it went down to 15 degrees! It was also very windy all day but now this evening the wind has died down, thank goodness.
We went out for breakfast this morning to Omelet's and More. Three couples met: Penn & Joan, Dave & Naomi, and Jerry & me. It was so fun. We just relaxed and drank coffee, and ate and drank coffee, and talked, and drank coffee, and told stories, and drank coffee, etc. By the way, the coffee was free!
The men are working again on the city water going past us. This morning they hooked us up at the road. That'll be another $125.00. This is a very expensive venture. We still have to be hooked up at the house and a meter added. Don't forget the meter! From here on out we'll have to pay a water bill! They also have to flush out all the lines.
Today I worked on the newsletter most of the day. It'll soon be ready. When I say I worked on the newsletter it means I mainly sat all day...not good.
Jerry took me to Bob Evans for supper tonight. We both had beef tips and noodles. Very good. So we ate out twice today! Whoa!
Lord, thank You for friends, and good times. Please help us on these cold, cold days to be warm.

Amendment

In my last blog I left out a major detail...! In the picture you can see my hand is up by the side of my head. I was talking on the phone to my sister, Lorraine, out in Portland, OR. Pam reminded me of this in a comment to the blog. I had forgotten...sorry, Lorraine. So, actually five of us are in the picture because Lorraine is there too...you just can't see her!
I could have just edited the blog and written it in but not many would have read it again so I decided to write an amendment.
Lord, thank You for Pam, Christy, Lisa, and Lorraine, and Vel for taking the picture. We were having such a good time. We made some good memories. Please lead each one of us in our separate lives. Draw us close to You.

I Don't Get It!

I don't get it! When I was in Colorado this picture of Christy, Pam, Lisa, and me was taken on Lisa's phone by Vel. Lisa sent it to everybody who has a photo cell phone, I don't. So she said, "no problem...I'll just e-mail it to you." Well, she had to send it to me twice because the first time when I saw mail with just numbers, I deleted it, thinking it was junk! Wrong, it was Lisa sending me this picture. She said. "no problem, I'll resend it." So here it is. This didn't just happen, this was while I still out there, I'm just now getting around to posting it here. But, I don't get it! How does this work? Oh, well, I'm glad it does. We were having such fun!

Let me tell you more about that morning! Christy was staying over at Lisa's house. The first morning when Christy opened her bedroom door, the two parrots screamed (very loudly) at her and the Great Dane met her at her door! Rather scary!!!

Lisa made breakfast and she and Christy brought it to us at Bill's house Friday morning! It was pumpkin pancakes! Mmmmm! It was so good! My first time to eat pumpkin pancakes, I didn't think I would like it. Wrong, again. I loved it.
Lord, thank You again for family. Thank You for the memories I have of my week in Colorado.

Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday, Christy! We just spent a couple of days together in Colorado visiting Grandma. I was so proud of both you and Pam. Grandma was so pleased that you came to see her. Now, we're all back home and life goes on. I can't believe how the years have gone by. Here you are a mother of five! When you turned five I was in the hospital with my fifth baby. You had to wait for your five year party, but you were patient. Helen made a beautiful girl cake for you! Oh, so many memories. I hope you have a wonderful, happy, happy birthday. I love you.
Lord, bless Christy with Your Presence today. Thank You for her life. Please be with her as a wife, mother, sister, daughter, friend. Keep her safe and healthy. Give her a good day today on her special day.

Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday, Rob! Can you believe it? 36 years today! Life has taken on a whole new dimension for you and your family in the last several months. Going through this adoption process of Elmise and Armon has changed all of us, but for you, as Papa Rob, life will never be the same. Seeing God work in so many different ways is amazing, but to be in the very middle of it all has got to be phenomenal. You are in our prayers. I wish for you a very happy, happy birthday. I love you.
Lord, Thank You for Rob. Bless him as head of his growing family. Keep him close to You. Help him to lean on You for his Strength. Please give him a good day today.

Lisa's Pets

Lisa loves animals, birds, nature. It's a good thing because she is a forest ranger in a state park near where they live! Lisa, Doug, and Justin have two parrots. I don't remember what kind they are. I'll find out and then edit this...

This is Duchess and Duke. Quite a pair.

Lisa and the parrot they recently had given to them. This parrot had been abused and he has lost all his feathers on his body! His head is beautiful, as you can see. He's gotten a few new feathers replacing ones he has lost. Lisa said they don't expect him to get all of them back. He'll probably just get fuzz covering his body. It's so sad. He was mean to Doug and Justin, probably because it was a man who had abused him, but he's getting over that as he's getting to know them! He says some words. (I forget what) He really trusts Lisa because she loves him.

Duke...I posted pictures of Duke and Dutchess last April when we were out there, you may recall them. He's a beautiful Great Dane.

Vel with Dutchess and Duke.

Thank You, Lord, for these pets. Lisa's family gets a great deal of pleasure from them.

Macy's Christmas Window!

Vel decorates their house in an unbelievable manner! Everywhere I looked there were decorations. I only took a few pictures because pictures don't do justice to what is really there. Picture #1 shows the Christmas train that goes around the main Christmas tree. I've never seen a train like this one. If you click on the picture you'll be able to bring it up closer. It even sounds like a real train. Picture #2 is her display on the baby grand piano. The tree has colored flickering lights. The snow men sing and blink lights, etc. The third picture is on the mantle. This is only a fraction of her decorations. I told her it looks like Macy's Christmas window in New York City. I've never seen it in person but I've seen it on TV! It's fabulous and so is Vel's decorating. You really have to see it to believe it! She had a couple of very nice nativity sets out too. I took a picture of one but it didn't turn out goo.

Lord, thank You for this wonderful season of the year. Thank You for the real reason of Christmas. Jesus is the reason for the season!

Family

Sisters and Cousins: Christy, Pam, and Lisa. Don't they look like they're enjoying each other?

Here's the family that was present, minus Doug-behind the camera and Justin-at a school activity. Back row: Richard, Cookie, myself, Vel, and Bill. Front row: Christy, Pam, and Lisa. We missed everyone else that wasn't there.

Siblings: Richard, Anita, and Bill.

Richard and Cookie. Vel had cooked a very good spagetti supper for all of us. We're still sitting at the table here.

Justin, son of Lisa and Doug. He's a really good kid and I'm proud to be his grand-aunt.

Lisa and Christy, cousins. They are only two weeks apart in age! This is the first time they've seen each other in 13 years!

Lord, thank You for family. We had a really good week together and made lots of memories. Thank You, Thank You, Thank You.

Mother's Home

The day before I flew out to visit my mom would have been my parents 75th anniversary. I wrote a blog about them... These beautiful red roses were sent to my mom by Lorraine, my sister. This picture doesn't do them justice but I wanted to show them with Mother. I dropped a penny in a day before my last day and they perked up for a few more days! Everyone was enjoying them.

Meet Johnny. He's the resident dog at the home where my mom lives. I tried and tried to get a good picture of him but I think he's camera shy! This is the best shot I got. This is a very impressive home where my mom lives. They are only licensed for eight residents so they have become very close and all look out for each other. Sorry, the picture is in the wrong place...

My mom's roommate is Tommy Lee! She claims that's her real name, I'm not telling you her last name. She is really a good friend to my mom. Her mind, like my mom's, is very good. She has physical problems. She and Mother take care of each other.

Millie is a very sweet person but she doesn't know why she's there and she's very restless. She paces the floor and wants to go home or she'll ask for Joe. I asked her, "Who is Joe?" Joe is her husband and he often comes to take her out for lunch. I saw him once...a very nice, good looking man, who seemed very patient with her. Very sad. Millie told us she used to be a secretary and could type 140+ words a minute, with accuracy!

The first morning I was there a police car pulled up at the same time we did. One of the residents, Betty, was taken inside by a policewoman. Betty had somehow gotten outside...unnoticed, and wondered off. A bell rings whenever the door opens but somehow she slipped out. She was looking for her parents, especially her dad. Her mind seemed to wonder. We'd be visiting and all of a sudden she wouldn't make any sense in what she was saying. It was so sad.

Bill was the only male resident! He loves to read and his wife takes him to the library about once a week. It's very near. She comes to see him several times a week. I asked him what kind of books he likes and he said historical novels, so I asked him if he used to teach school. I was thinking history or social studies. No, he was a rancher! The more saw of him, the more I could see him out riding his horse, rounding up the cattle! His wife told me she helped along with Bill and the other cowboys. He has thick, gray, curly hair. He's tall and walks with a walker but boy, does he go!

My mom. Her mind is very good, but her body is wearing out. Everyone knows that my mom loves God. From day one she prayed before she ate. They all eat together at a dining room table. Everyone waits for her to pray. Different ones told me how much they love to hear her pray.

There are more, of course, but these are the ones I got to know the best. I'll miss them but they are in a good place.

Lord, thank You for this home where these folks live and are taken such good care of. Thank You for the workers who seem so friendly, and loving, and capable. Thank You for letting me go to visit my mom.

Visiting Mother (Grandma)

I'm back in Michigan now! My plane landed at 4:00 PM today. It's been a long day. Pam and Vel drove me to the airport this morning. We left Bill's and Vel's house at about 5:00 AM! It's so good to be home with Jerry again. This first picture is of my niece, Lisa and my mom.

Here is Christy and Grandma. Christy flew from Atlanta!

The cousins with Grandma! Pam, Lisa, and Christy with Grandma. She was so happy to see them.

This is me with my mom the first day I was there. Bill took the picture.

Pam with Grandma. Pam came from Chicago. Mother's mind is good so she knew the girls and they all visited.

Thank you, Lord, for the wonderful time we had with each other and especially with my mom.

A Good Day

We didn't get all that much snow today. I went to visit Mother this morning and stayed for lunch. This afternoon Mother and I relaxed and both of us dosed off for a short cat nap. (Mine was shorter) Pam and Christy arrived safely, rented a car and drove down to Bill's (with help). He brought them to Mother's 'house'. It was so good to see them and Mother was so pleased to have them come to see her. So it's been a really good day again.

Thank You, Lord, for the safe travels for Pam and Christy. It's so wonderful to all be together with Mother (Grandma). Thank You for family.

Snow

It's snowing this morning. Not a good thing. Pam and Christy arrive today from Atlanta and Chicago. I'm so excited to see them and I know my mom is too.

Lord, once again, You know about the weather. You know about my girls traveling today. Please help them to arrive safely.

Today

This was kind of a slow day. I went to see my mom before lunch but didn't stay to eat today. I don't know how often I should stay for a meal. Then this afternoon I went back for several hours. We had a good visit. Everyone is so friendly at this home. She asked me to pray for God to take her home soon. It was a hard thing to do but I finally agreed. At 94 1/2 she's ready to go. Tomorrow Pam and Christy arrive! Here's an interesting tidbit...she prays for every meal out loud. The other folks wait for her and they've all told me that she prays for them before they eat. It seems to mean a lot to them and it makes her feel good, like she's doing something good.
Lord, thank You for Mother. Thank You for this home and for the residents and for the workers. Thank You for the boldness she had when she first went there to pray out loud in front of all the others. It's good to know their reaction and their respect for her. Lord, I ask that You honor her request to take her home soon. I love You, Lord.

A Good Day

I had a good day today with my mom. I went to her home, she's living in, about 10:30 and stayed until 4:00. We ate lunch together. It's a very nice home with only eight seniors living in it. She's as fine as can be at 94. She's says she ready for the Lord to take her home and wonders what He's waiting for! It seemed so good to be with her today and I'm looking forward to tomorrow.
Lord, how can I say thanks? I Praise You because You are Sovereign. Thank You for my mom and for the good day we had today.

Here I Am!

Here I am in Colorado! I had great flights (2). I had a time connecting with Bill & Vel in the airport! But we finally found each other... I'm just about to go now to see my mom. I'll write more later.
Lord, thank You for the safe trip here. Please be with us, be especially with my mom. Thank You for her. Watch over Jerry at home.

All Systems are Go

The weather has calmed down both here and in Colorado, so all systems are 'go'. I'm just about ready to go, just last minute things. Jerry and I have been busy cooking for him. We've got a crock pot of chili made. Ted brought a beautiful ham when he came for Thanksgiving. It has a bone so we made some bean soup in the other crock pot. I hard boiled some eggs for him. All the clothes are washed. Christmas decoration boxes put away. Let's see, what else... I don't know, most of the decorating is done but some has to wait til I get home...like the out door nativity set I bought last summer at the yard sale. I'm anxious to get it set up but not enough time for now.
Lord, thank You for clearing the weather up. Please be with me as I travel to Colorado to see my mom. Be with her, especially. Give us a good time together. Please be with Pam and Christy as they travel to Colorado on Thursday. Also please, be with Bill and Vel as they put up with me.

Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday, Maddie! You are two years old today! I can't believe it! You are so cute and when I look at pictures of you, do you know who I see? Your mama!!! You look like your mama when she was two years old! I sure wish we could be with you more. We miss you and your whole family. Have a wonderful day today and a happy, happy birthday! I love you.
Lord, thank You for Maddie. Please keep Your Hand upon her as she grows. Help her to learn about You and to always love You.