Happy Thanksgiving!

Yes, I dropped off the grid! I haven't been here--blogging--in almost a month. What happened to me?

I had to get a J.O.B.

Yes,  we've been here at home for three months now and the money ran out. Hubby is working for a roofing/construction company but it doesn't pay quite enough to cover all our expenses. So, reluctantly, I started the search for work.

This time of year is a great time to land something quickly. God blessed and I'm now a part-time, temporary, Wal-Mart Associate. What does that mean? It means that from now until Christmas I'll be putting bottles of pills and other "pharmacy" related items on the shelves at Wal-mart. (And I'll be getting exposed to every bug and illness that walks in off the street. *sneeze* *cough cough* *snort*)

No, it's not your "dream job", but I needed money quickly and in less than an hour of turning in my application, I was called. They hired everybody who showed up for an interview, and, well, there ya go! I don't hate it and I don't love it. I see it as another opportunity to cry out, "God, what in the world are You doing in my life?!?"

Hubby told me I've had a bad attitude since I started though I've tried to keep my chin up. Mostly I've been so tired, I can hardly put one foot in front of the other. And, yesterday I started getting a sore throat and a terrible headache. Hmmm. Maybe the oncoming sickness made me a little less than Ms. Sunshine? *sigh*

Today I didn't have to go to work, and I'm popping the Zicam, garlic, Emergen-C packets, and anything else I can think of to get me through the next few days. It is Thanksgiving after all, and I don't want to be a grumpy sick old lady!

Family members are already on their way to my house for the holiday weekend, and I'm excited to see all of them. I'm very sad that the kids and grandkids who live and serve our country in Hawaii won't be with us. My occasional teary moments over their absence add to the river of snot already flowing because of my cold.

I would like to take time to list everything I'm thankful for since tomorrow is Thanksgiving day, but that would take a LOT of time. So let me list just a few because I need to rush to the store to do my grocery shopping (Yeah I know it is a little late, but I've been working!) and to buy several boxes of Kleenex!

1. Always I'm thankful for my wonderful family both immediate and extended. I love all of you!
2. The wonderful land in which I live. I may not always agree with our elected officials and adopted policies, but it is still the greatest place on the planet to call home.
3. The fact that God never changes. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. With my life always in the middle of some kind of a change it is nice to know there is one solid rock under which I can hide.
4. Challenging times--sometimes I have to force myself on this one--that make me call on God to rescue me, for I know He is the only one who can.
5. Eternity that awaits and the blood of Jesus Christ that gives me eternal hope and security.

Now, I'm off to the store...y'all can pray I make it back alive!

Oh yeah--please pray for deployment to a storm next week! We would SO love that! Thanks.
Happy Thanksgiving to all of you. May God continue to bless us all and may we all live worthy of His blessings.

 

A different perspective

Dear readers and blogging friends,

In November did you miss my list of things for which I am thankful? Are you wondering what happened to my Merry Christmas post? Never fear, they never happened.

Oh yes, I agree. I've not been diligent with my blog the last few...well...for most of 2009. I don't know about you--how things have been around your house or in your life--but 2009 has been a tough year for my family and me. The past twelve months (for various family members individually and as a group) saw marriage, death, job loss, long periods of unemployment, new careers, moves, surgery, serious illness and hospitalization, stressful times of separation, joyful times of coming together again, accomplishments, disappointments, distractions, financial stress, disagreements, unity, dreams born, cold reality checks, mistakes, successes, depression, lessons learned, accusations, affirmations, tears, answered prayer, trials, temptations, victories, hurts, healing, moments to cherish and days we hope we can forget.

I want my blog to be a place you can come to find hope, encouragement, joy...I write my blog for my readers and for Jesus. I don't write it for me. This past year I have struggled, like a cow caught in quicksand, to be a joyful vessel, a positive pen, for Jesus. I do have a long list of things for which I give thanks, and I did want everyone to have a very merry Christmas. But all year I found it very difficult to put into positive words the things that were in my heart. So, I've been a bit silent. It has been a hard year, but we come to the end, knowing that still, through it all, we have been blessed by God. Though blessed more than I deserve, still burdens and trials and so many difficulties have taken from me until I am left tired, worn out, discouraged, and hoping for a better year in 2010.

I looked at the calendar today and realized that a new year is just a couple days away. Boy, am I ready for it. (But only if it promises to be a really good year for me.) Do I hear an AMEN? Surely at least one of you out there shares my sentiment.

Seriously! How cool would it be if 2010, like a McDonald's Restaurant, sat on the corner of This Way and That Way, had a drive-up window, took orders and filled them accurately and promptly? (Okay, maybe Burger King instead of McDonald's.)

I'd drive through and order me up some thinner thighs, natural brown hair, two extra hours for every day, a good health with plenty of wealth combo, and all the little packets of happiness they could poke in the bag! Too bad life's not like that.

Sometimes life is hard no matter what, and sometimes life is what we make it. Now if you've read my little blog long enough to know me, you know I'm not much for making a New Year's Resolution. I can barely deal with one day at a time, and I'm sure not going to stick my neck out and announce something I plan to accomplish or "stick to" all year long. The way I do things, I'd have it messed up and be a failure before the sun went down on my words.

So, what AM I going to do with the new year ahead? Pray for a different perspective. Let me explain.

Two weeks before Christmas, Rick (my hubby) was sent to the Seattle, WA area to work. (Now that was a PRAISE THE LORD kind of thing because work has been scarce this year.) He planned to fly home for Christmas and some of our kids planned to drive home so we could all be together. It was a good plan until the December '09 blizzard blew across the country leaving hubby stranded at DFW and the kids spinning off the highway into a ditch.

Everybody finally made it home and Christmas was not totally ruined, (we did have a good time together) but snow and the white Christmas so many people dream about really dampened my spirits for a while.

On the 27th hubby and I got on a plane headed back to Seattle. On the last leg of the trip from Las Vegas to Seattle, I had a window seat. Clouds were thick, I was tired and grumpy, so little did I see. But, for a few minutes, we flew through a clear area. Take a look at what I saw out my window.








Snow and ice--absolutely beautiful--from the air. A different perspective changed what I thought about the elements that had caused my family so much distress days before.

If 2010 doesn't deliver what I've ordered, I'm going to try to remember to ask God to change my perspective so I can find beauty in the midst of something ugly, hope in hopeless situations, joy in the middle of the things that make me cry, faith in fearful times, love in lonely hours, and God himself in control of it all.

May you each have a very happy new year!

Happy New Year!

I remember a line from a song I heard many times as a child. I think it is from Walt Disney's version of Alice in Wonderland.

I'm late, I'm late, for a very important date. No time to say hello good-bye, I'm late I'm late I'm late!

I seem to be going in circles, feeling like I should be somewhere doing something but I'm too frazzle-brained to know where and what. The only thing I do know is...

No time to say hello good-bye.

But

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL!!!

How to Get Your Christmas Shopping Done In a Hurry!

Okay, just one more post.

I know y'all are all worried about my getting all my stuff done. So I wanted to let you know that the shopping is finished as far as I'm concerned. And here's how you can get it done as quickly as I did!


Ready?



It's a secret, so don't tell...

GIVE CASH!!!!!

If you don't like that idea because it is not personal enough, just include a note that says, "Spend it all on green underwear!" How much more personal can you get?

Merry Christmas!

OOPS! Now if my kids read this, they will all know what they are getting for Christmas!

I'm In The Mood!

There's a song that goes, "It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas..." But around here, things don't look much like Christmas. There's no dashing through the snow or Frosty the snow man. A couple of days ago balmy temperatures in the high 70s were non-conducive to the Christmas spirit. The grass is still green (it stays that way here) and though some trees have lost their leaves, most trees, bushes and shrubs are still clothed in summer colors. My geranium even put on some new blooms last week! I've not done any Christmas shopping--simply could not get in the mood.

There is something I learned a long time ago. You might want to write this down and put in on your bathroom mirror or stick it to your refrigerator. Pin it to your sun visor in the car. Engrave it upon your heart.

Attitude follows action.

We'll talk about this on a deeper, more spiritual level some other time, but for now we'll just keep with my Christmas mood--or the lack there of.

What do you do when you want to be in the mood to do something but you just can't get your mind in that place of desire? Apply the attitude follows action principle and get busy doing what you would normally do if you were in the right frame of mind or mood. So that's what I did.

I made Rick drag out our two foot tree, and I spent all day--okay--the best part of a half of an hour--decorating for Christmas. I put a spicy smelling wax tart in my little warmer and turned it on to create the aroma of spiced cider simmering on the stove. I put the rinky-dink tree on the little table by our one recliner, then hung a couple of dozen half-inch ornaments on it.

Martha Stewart I am not!

Next I hung our nativity sun catcher on our big back window, and I was done.Jesus is the reason for the season.

Rick hung some lights on the awning outside a few weeks ago, so as far as he was concerned, he had already done his decorating.

My mood was improving, but it was still not quite there.

Last night we had to go to Wal-Mart to buy a new electric heater. (The old one got to where it would not come on unless you kicked it. Then it got to the point that it would not shut off unless you kicked it. Then--finally--kicking it would not even make the thing shut off.) We moseyed around the store to see if there was anything else we needed to throw our money away on, and I decided I needed a Christmas CD or two. (I think I have some back in Texas, but it has been so long since I've been there, I'm not sure any more.) Listening to Christmas music helped my mood some more.

Today it has been cold and rainy. At one point the rain felt like it wanted to be ice crystals as badly as I want to be in the mood for Christmas.

Again, isn't God good? I think the cold rain was the finishing touch, the last thing I needed to boost my Christmas spirit! Now, I'm in the mood!

I've got some other very important things on my list of things to do that I have to get done first, but now I'm in the mood to go Christmas shopping. I'm actually excited about buying gifts for all the people I love so much. (Well not ALL of them. I can't afford that!) My goal for next week is to power shop until I get 'er done! So look out mall, here I come!

I hope you are in the mood, so that you can enjoy the anticipation of one of the most wonderful celebrations of the year. If you're not, then get busy. Remember, attitude follows action!

It's The Thought That Counts, Right?

I have a new friend. Her name is Fay. She's a sweet lady. I think she may be about my mom's age because she has a daughter about my age. Fay manages the trailer park we currently call home, and her husband takes care of the maintenance issues.

For some reason Fay and I have hit it off. It's one of those freaky things where we've only know each other a few weeks but it seems like we've know each other all our lives. Fay is easy to talk to and--well--she's a typical southern lady, so she is hospitable.

I think what makes our relationship seem so familiar is the fact that we both have the same Holy Spirit living within us. Recently another woman who lives in the Houston area stated that though we had just met it seemed like she had known me forever. Again, she and I share one Spirit. I think that is really cool!

The other day the ladies at Fay's church had a "Secret Sister" Christmas party, and she invited me to go. I thought about it for, umm, maybe a half a second before I said, "SURE!" Do you know how long it has been since I got to go to a totally female party? Or ANY kind of party for that matter.

I knew that I might feel a little awkward since I didn't have a secret sister and all, but I'm used to awkward moments.

I got dressed up in a new outfit, fixed my hair, and put on my face--ready to have a good time. And I did! The party started with brunch--Southern style. No fruit trays and mini muffins for these gals. No sirree. We're talking egg casseroles, biscuits and gravy, thick cut bacon, butter and jelly, and grits. You KNOW we had to have grits!

The lady dishing up the lumpy mush asked if I liked grits. When I told her I had never eaten them she stepped back, (I thought she was going to faint) and asked me where in the world I was from? I think she truly believed that every culture on the face of the plant earth must LOVE grits, and if I'd not eaten them before then I must be extraterrestrial. (Awkward moment)

I was a good guest and let her plop some grits on my plate. I discovered one southern food I can live without. But that's okay, because after stuffing myself with all the good food, they served up Krispy Kream donuts for dessert!

After we ate it was time for the secret sisters' reveal and gift exchange. My sweet new friend, Fay, took a gift for me so I would not suffer that awkward moment. You know the one. Everyone but you has a gift to take home. I love Fay and I appreciate the gift she gave me. Really I do.

She had plenty on her mind and calendar--her mother went to be with Jesus just a day or two earlier--and she didn't even have to invite me to her party. But she did. And she bought me a gift to boot. I'm so blessed that she put so much thought into making me feel welcomed and comfortable. And it is the thought that counts...

Because the gift... Well..........

Can someone tell me what it is and what I should do with it?

It's as cute as can be, but what would you call it? And what would you do with it?

An angel sitting on a...humm...a...a ball? And she is holding a ladybug in her hands and there is another lady bug by her foot. So should I put her in the flower garden that I don't have? Or should she remain in the house? I can't seem to find the perfect place in the camper. She just looks lost and out of place no matter where I place her.

Suddenly I can relate.

Thanks to a sticker on the bottom of the ball I know what it is NOT. It is NOT a toy. Okay, so I won't give it to the granddaughters for Christmas.

As I stare at this funny little angel, holding her ladybug, I realize that the real gift I received is the new friendship I have with Fay. And I know exactly what to do with it. I'll cherish it for the time because I never know, from one day to the next, when I'll be packing up and moving to a new temporary home.

Fay and I plan to go to another Christmas party Friday night. I'll tell you all about it later. I can't wait to see what gift awaits me!

Sunset Over The Gulf

The day before Thanksgiving we took Rick's parents to Gulf Shores to see the beach and then to eat at Lambert's (Home of the throwed rolls) on the way back. The sun sets around here about 4:30 in the after noon (it is pitch black by 5:00) and we made it to the beach just in time to catch God's handy-work. I wish you could have been here too.

I hope these pictures slow your heart rate, lower your blood pressure, make the corners of your mouth turn up, and inspire you to sing or pray, or both. I wish I knew how to make one of those YouTube videos. I'd make one with "How Great Thou Art" playing in the background! But since I'm not of the know-how, you'll just have to imagine it for yourself!

I took a few more pictures. You can see them in a slide show by clicking here. [Actually you'll see a slide show of ALL the photos I have on Flickr, but you don't have to sit and watch the whole thing. You know that, right? ;)]

Now I need to head to the gym--and it is pouring rain again. My umbrella is in the car, so maybe I'll put a Wal-Mart bag on my head and walk fast. Picture that in your mind and laugh the rest of the day!

Happy Thanksgiving!

I'm thankful for so many things I hate to start trying to list them for fear that I might leave something out. You are just going to have to trust me--I do have a grateful heart. I hope I express that all year long, not only at this time of year. You, my readers, can hold me accountable. If I ever seem to be ungrateful, I expect you to let me know. You have my permission to leave negative comments.

Sometimes I am so overwhelmed by God's goodness and blessings heaped upon me, all I can do is simply say, "Thank You God...for everything."

My prayer is that each of my readers will be just as overwhelmed as I. As we rush about the next few days, and the next few months, let us all remember where every rich blessing, even every breath we take, comes from. And let us all say, "Thank You God...for everything!"

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Company's Comin'

Hey y'all, I'd love to chat but I don't have time! I'm cleaning house 'cause company's comin'.

You may say, "What's the big deal?"

The big deal is, when you live like we do, (traveling about the country) you never have company! No one ever comes to visit.

But Rick's parents are coming for Thanksgiving. Yea! They left Houston this morning and are expected to arrive here some time tomorrow. (They are taking their sweet time getting here, but that's okay--they are old.) LOL Glynda, if you read this, I love ya! (I may have just blown my Christmas present!)

Like most days lately I've had too many interruptions and my day has not turned out like I had planned, so I've got to get busy! The dust rag and vacuum cleaner are not doing their "thang" without me!