Mind if I Ramble?

I've been thinking that it's time for a "what I have been up to" post. So I stopped to think about what-I-have-been-up-to............

....ummm..... not a whole lot this week. Mostly I've been sick.

Tuesday I took my vehicle to get the oil changed and tires rotated. Since I take it into The Big City, I like to add some shopping to the trip. I've been looking for a new purse and decided to try TJMaxx. I was excited when I saw how many there were to choose from. But nope. Didn't find one I liked. My daughter says I'm too picky. I probably am. I bought a big slouchy hobo-y one from Target a few months ago and really tried to like it, really I did, but I think the whole slouchy part was what I didn't like. Everything would just end up in a jumble and I couldn't even find my car keys, which believe me, shouldn't be hard at all since I have them on lots of key rings. I like the idea of a big purse, but maybe one that didn't leave everything in a blob. I don't like the idea of paying $150 for a purse!

I know you are all just totally riveted with my life so far.

So....while I was in said Big City, I started feeling ill. I wanted to teleport myself the hour and a half back home. But I made the drive okay and didn't even get lost. (Well, there was that one wrong turn, but I always knew where I was.) Finally, finally, finally after being home for several hours, I took my temp and that totally explained why had the shivers and felt achy.

So mostly this week I have felt really tired with alternating moments of freezing with sweating. Until Thursday night when The Cough set in. Ugh. I am supposed to sing on the worship team tomorrow, but I don't think it's going to happen. My father-in-law called this morning and thought I was his son. Nice.

Despite the yuckiness, I drug myself out of the house last night to go to the musical at the high school. This year they did The Wizard of Oz. As always, the kids did a good job. It is weird to not have my own kids on stage or in the pit as they were for seven years. I think the girl that played the Wicked Witch of the West stole the show. She was really good and had the witch voice and cackle down-pat.

All that theater-going wore me out.

So...
(awkward transition)...

My mom is still in the hospital. She had a heart attack three weeks ago. Two weeks ago she had triple by-pass surgery. A few days after that she had an allergic reaction to the heparin (blood thinner) and that set her back some. Then a couple of days ago her heart was in atrial fibrillation (an abnormal heart rhythm), they got her up to walk and that made the heart go back into normal rhythm, but when she got back into bed, the heart-rate dropped and stopped. The nurses had to do CPR and put her on a ventilator. She went back to ICU for a couple of days. They drained 2 1/2 liters of fluid from her chest cavity. Whew! (*EDITED TO ADD::: I talked to my dad tonight and Mom is still in ICU. They have a chest tube in and have drained another couple of liters of fluid from her chest cavity!) She's really been through it. We have been to see her several times. We haven't been able to this week since I have been sick. The last thing she or my dad needs is to get a respiratory illness.

I continue to pray for relief and peace for both my mom and my dad.

(Another awkward pause as I switch subjects...)

Right now my wonderful hubby is off to the grocery store for me. He just dashed back into the house to get the grocery list. A necessary item. I am wanting to do some cooking and put several things in the freezer for a rainy day. But wait. I live in Minnesota. And tomorrow is November 1st. Make that for a snowy day!

Tonight we will go to a Chinese restaurant for supper as is our October 31st tradition. We did not celebrate that holiday when the kids were little and wanted to get out of the house when people would be ringing our doorbell, so we would go out for dinner at a Chinese restaurant since the Chinese don't celebrate that holiday. Only back in the day we lived where there was a very nice Chinese restaurant. Now we live where we have your basic buffet. But at least we have a Chinese option and don't have to settle for the local diner or a tacky Mexican substitute, if you know what I mean. Last year when the kids were in the same town at the same college, they went out for Chinese together. It about made me cry.

Okay now. Pretty sure you are all bored to tears with this non-cohesive rambling.

Random Dozen #9

1. Tell me something about your favorite teacher.
He was my 10th grade history teacher. His name was Mr. Quick. The class was Colonial Revolutionary Period. He made the class fun and challenging and actually even thought I was really smart.

2. Tell me about one pivotal moment in your life.
I would say my pivotal moment was about a three year moment. From 1998 to 2001 we lived in Singapore. Those three years changed my perspective on so many things. It brought our family closer. It gave all of us a wider view on the world. It brought me closer to God. It brought some unhealthy things in our lives into focus so they could be fixed. It eventually brought us to our current town and our current church. The things we have all learned through being a part of this church have definitely been pivotal in all of our lives. (Go here to read my son's blog post for an example.) Having said all that, those three years were the hardest three years of my life.

3. About favorite colors--a lot of people will ask you what it is, but I want to know why it is. What feeling or memory does it evoke?
Red for it's energy and fun. And I like almost any shade of green. (not a fan of Hunter Green) I think I like greens because of it's calming nature. Funny. The two colors I like are for opposite reasons. (My laptop is red. I kind of wanted a green one, but we were getting our daughter a laptop at the same time and she chose green. Good thing they had my other favorite color!)

4. What's a sure sign that you're getting older?
How often I have to pay to not look as old as I am. ;) And a few months ago we called some friends over to watch a movie with us and thought we were being like the "young-ins"...starting a movie late. It was 8:30pm. When I told my daughter that she about fell over she was laughing so hard.

5. Please don't sermonize, but Halloween--is it a yes or no for you?
NO.NO.NO. My kids never went trick-or-treating. And I don't think they regret that. I sure don't.

6. What's your favorite musical?
The high school our kids went to does a musical every year. Of the seven they were a part of I think my favorites were "West Side Story" and "Kiss Me Kate". Megan was "Kate". That was one awesome performance. I sat in the second row marveling at my daughter. I never knew she had all that in her. "West Side Story" was quite difficult musically and I was proud had how hard those kids worked. Caleb played the alto sax in the pit. This year the high school is doing "The Wizard of Oz." We are seeing that this Friday night.

7. Are you more of a city mouse or country mouse?
Let's see, would I rather live in the sewers or in a field.... A mouse is an icky rodent. I'd rather live in my house. ;) I would like to live in the country where it is quiet, but not too far of a drive to the city for the essentials and for entertainment.

8. Did you know that it is possible, for a small fee, to name a real star after someone? (It's true! Google it!) If someone were to name a star for you, would you appreciate it for its whimsy and romance, or would you say, "Are you kidding me? For $19.95 we could have gone to the movie and actually bought popcorn."
I'll go with the ''Are you kidding me? For $19.95 we could have gone to the movie and actually bought popcorn." Kind of stupid and a waste of money. And where does the money go? I don't think the star needs it.

This question comes from Paula at His Ways Are Not Our Ways.
9. What's the craziest thing you've ever been doing and texted during it? I only thought of this b/c I was about to try to text during my walking video but I didn't. Paula, you do know that this blog is rated G, right?
I have texted several "weird" places. In the bathroom, (while using it...) during church, during prayer time.

10. "It's not a party unless _______."
there is yummy food and good friends.

11. When you're stuck in traffic or a waiting room, what do you do to pass the time? PS: There are no magazines available.
If I am in the car, sing loudly with the radio or a CD. If in a waiting room, I fiddle with my cell phone. I don't even have that fancy of one right now. I look forward to getting one that has more things to do on it.

12. If you weren't yourself, would you be friends with you?
Really tough question for me to answer right now. I am struggling with thoughts that as people get to know the real me, they don't like me. My former pastor and friend would tell me that is a lie from The Pit, but it's a real struggle I have right now fueled by some pretty ugly things in my life I shouldn't write about here. If you are interested, email me.

Go to Linda's@2nd Cup of Coffee for more answers to random questions.

The Other Side of a Cloudy Day

This is a picture of a spot in town that I have been liking to go to to sit in quiet and read my Bible. There have been a lot of cloudy days recently. Outside and in my heart.

But God's word is refreshing. Always.

When I flew to Kansas a while ago it was a dreary day down here on the earth.

After the plane bumped through the clouds, I looked out the window and this is what I saw:

In my head I thought, "This is the other side of a cloudy day." No matter the dreariness of the day, rest assured, this is what is on the other side of those clouds.

Psalm 113:3

From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets,
the name of the LORD is to be praised.

Jesus Messiah

I think this is an awesome praise song and these kids are amazing!

Zephaniah 3:17

The LORD your God is with you,
He is mighty to save.
He will take great delight in you,
He will quiet you with his love,
He will rejoice over you with singing.

Some More Answers To Some More Random Questions

Another great list of questions from Linda@2nd Cup of Coffee. Go there to see who all participated this week.



1. Candy corn: Your thoughts? Yum! My daughter-in-law made a candy corn/peanut mixture that I couldn't stop eating.

2. Briefly, what was the first conversation you ever had with your spouse? (or best friend, if you're not married.) (Or someone significant, like your librarian.) I don't remember the very first conversation. We were both involved in the same Christian fellowship group in college and knew each other for a few years before we started dating. I remember a conversation after I had spent the summer in Colorado at a camp and at an Evangelism Project. Pete wanted to hear all about my summer and so we met at lunch on campus and talked. That was the beginning of building our friendship that led to him being my best friend.

3. Could you ever become a vegetarian? No, no, no. I don't mind a meatless meal once in a while, but not all the time. Love a good steak, pork chop or chicken.

4. Have you ever dressed up your pet in a costume? Since I don't have a pet, I'd have to say no.

5. Name something about childhood that you miss (like Clark Bars, Teaberry Gum, Malibu Barbie, cracking fake eggs on people's heads with your fist and "It's the Great Pumpkin" airing only once a year). Going to my neighbor's house to watch "The Brady Bunch" in prime-time.

6. Have you ever won a trophy? If not, what do you deserve a trophy for? Nope. I have no idea what I would have or could have deserved a trophy for.

7. When do you think is the appropriate time to begin playing Christmas music each year? I don't start listening to it until the day after Thanksgiving. Is that too late?

8. What's your favorite board game? Life. But my husband doesn't like it. I like it because it doesn't take a lot of strategy. That's probably why my husband doesn't like it.

9. How do you feel about surprises (receiving, not giving)? Yes, please! Sadly, no one has ever given me a surprise birthday party. (Kinda whiny, I know...)

10. Is it easy for you to say, "I'm sorry?" My first thought was "of course not." But the more I thought about it I would have to say it depends on who it is I need to apologize to. I can be stubborn.

11. What is your favorite candle scent? The one that smells good... I once got a candle holder that came with coffee scented candles and just could not stand the smell. I threw the candles away.

12. October is traditionally "open house" time in public schools. If you had a literal open house in your home (like a reception) what light snacks would you serve visitors and what would you show them (as in art projects, graded papers) that would uniquely represent you? I would serve desserts, because I make desserts for Bible study every week. Someone at church a few weeks ago said something about having heard that I was a good baker and they weren't even in our Bible study! Maybe I would put out my Bible, and some of the quilts I have made, or pictures of quilts. This blog would be a good thing to display since it really tells about me.

He Did This

After I dropped Pete off for work this morning, I plopped in my newest CD by Selah. This song had me on my knees in thanksgiving in no time. (Okay not really on my knees since I was driving and all...) (The video isn't by Selah, but the message is most definitely the same.)

How deep the Father's love for us,
How vast beyond all measure
That He should give His only Son
To make a wretch His treasure

How great the pain of searing loss,
The Father turns His face away
As wounds which mar the chosen One,
Bring many sons to glory

Behold the Man upon a cross,
My sin upon His shoulders
Ashamed I hear my mocking voice,
Call out among the scoffers

It was my sin that held Him there
Until it was accomplished
His dying breath has brought me life
I know that it is finished

I will not boast in anything
No gifts, no power, no wisdom
But I will boast in Jesus Christ
His death and resurrection

Why should I gain from His reward?
I cannot give an answer
But this I know with all my heart
His wounds have paid my ransom

The Cabin

When we starting talking about going to Door County for our vacation get-away, I struggled for a bit to figure out where we would stay. A motel was just not the ticket. We wanted something that was not in the midst of a bunch of people. I read on another blog about someone using a site called vrbo.com. (Vacation Rentals By Owner). So I investigated that and found the perfect place. We had been leaning towards a place on the water and were not sure about being in the woods. We debated between a couple of places, and the price ended up being the deciding factor.

Once we got there, our minds were quickly relieved.
This was the view out the back. We looked at this during every meal. So peaceful. Soooo quiet.
This was the view out the front door. Isn't it beautiful?

Once inside the cabin it was quickly evident that the owners are Christians! There was a plaque in the kitchen that said, "Life - The time God gives you to determine where you will spend eternity." And many other evidences from the movies to the books to the cross outside the back door.

The picture below was in the bathroom. Wash me and I will be whiter than snow. Pslam 51:7

This painting was in our bedroom. It says: His eye is on the sparrow and I know He watches me.
The following pictures are of the interior:
Look! My own personal chef! :) Yep, that amazing husband of mine planned and cooked every meal! I am so spoiled!



I think the coolest feature was this quiet-close toilet seat. If you've never seen one then clearly you don't watch enough HGTV.

Update:

We saw my mom this morning a 6am before she went into surgery. We left shortly after that to head down to Kansas to see the kids. Pete is taking Megan to the sight of her PCAT (Pharmacy College Admissions Test) tomorrow.

About 10am we got a call from my dad saying that the surgery was done and Mom had come through fine. They did a triple by-pass (complete with taking artery from her leg) but the heart valve the doctor thought was damaged didn't need any repair. That was good news.

I talked to my sister a bit ago and mom is recovering in ICU and not listening to orders to not talk very much. :) Thank you to all of you for praying!

Psalm 73:26

My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength of my heart
and my portion forever.

Praying for my mom and her major heart surgery today. Will you join me?

Another Random Dozen.

UPDATE:My mom is scheduled for surgery Friday to repair (or replace) a heart valve and triple by-pass for arteries that are 97-99% blocked. Her lungs which were filled with fluid have now mostly cleared.

Once again, I am answering these random dozen questions. Why? Because it helps me think of something to post about and because they are random, which is always fun.


1. I've always wondered why we were taught both printing and cursive. Do you prefer to print or write cursive? (Keyboard is not a choice.) I write in kind of a made up combination of printing and cursive leaning towards cursive. Why did we learn cursive?

2. Are you a dreamer or a realist? I really don't think I'm a dreamer. So that must make me a realist. Those of you reading this who actually know me, what do you think?

3. Billy Joel or Elton John? Love BOTH. Their piano playing is outstanding. Can't choose. Sorry.

4. What is the scariest movie you've ever seen? Not limited to horror flicks but also includes ones where the tension or suspense is killer, for example, Flightplan (2005): A bereaved woman and her daughter are flying home from Berlin to America. At 30,000 feet the child vanishes and nobody admits she was ever on that plane. I saw Halloween with a boyfriend in high school because I was stupid. Never saw another horror movie and refused to ever go to a haunted house after that. The other movie that popped into my head was Not Without My Daughter. It totally freaked me out to think about my daughter being trapped in a situation that was dangerous. I cried so hard after the movie was over. I bet I would hate Flightplan.

5. Now what is the scariest real-life moment you've had? Handing my 10 month old son to a nurse for surgery. My 20 month old daughter having an internal bleed and being told she had lost half her blood. Getting a phone call that my mom has had a heart attack.

6. What word do you misspell without fail? Definitly (it's supposed to be definately....no wait definitely. Whew! Got it!)

7. Name something you like to do but are not really talented or good at. I've always wanted to be a graceful figure skater. The last time I skated (about 15 years ago) I fell and smacked my head on the ice and won't do it ever again. I also thought it would be great to know how to ride horse really well, but have never had the opportunity to learn. Play the piano remotely as good as my husband. Okay I'll stop listing.

8. Do you get your emotional/mental batteries recharged by being around people or by having alone time? Strangely kind of both. If I'm around people a bunch I really feel a need to be alone. If I've been alone quite I bit I feel energized after being around people. I know. I'm weird. I can handle it.

9. Have you ever been on TV? Once really briefly. A park in our town had built a new play area for children and the news talked to me about it. I don't even remember what I said.

10. Apple or pumpkin pie? (Don't be greedy.) LOVE my mom's recipe for pumpkin pie. I have tried other recipes, but hers is THE BEST.

11. How many magazine subscriptions do you have? I get Taste of Home. It's a gift subscription from my parents for my birthday. We let all the other magazine subscriptions run out to save some money. Out-of-state college tuition. Fun. (The two only over-lapped one year thankfully.)

12. What lesson do you have to keep re-learning? That God is the one in control. Not me.

Door County, Wisconsin

We had a wonderful time in Door County. Following are more photos than you ever knew you wanted to see of fall in Door County. The colors really changed in the time we were there. We only had a couple of days to take photos as it rained the majority of the time we were there.

Enjoy!

When The Darkness Closes In

I got word tonight that my mom has had a heart attack and is having by-pass surgery in the middle of the night.

I am fascinated by the songs that pop into my head when hard things happen. When Megan was in the hospital at 20 months of age (you can read about it here) God gave me the words to Like A River Glorious:

Like a river glorious is God’s perfect peace,
Over all victorious, in its bright increase;
Perfect, yet it floweth fuller every day,
Perfect, yet it groweth deeper all the way.

Stayed upon Jehovah, hearts are fully blest
Finding, as He promised, perfect peace and rest.

Hidden in the hollow of His blessed hand,
Never foe can follow, never traitor stand;
Not a surge of worry, not a shade of care,
Not a blast of hurry touch the spirit there.

Stayed upon Jehovah, hearts are fully blest
Finding, as He promised, perfect peace and rest.

Every joy or trial falleth from above,
Traced upon our dial by the Sun of Love;
We may trust Him fully all for us to do;
They who trust Him wholly find Him wholly true.

Stayed upon Jehovah, hearts are fully blest
Finding, as He promised, perf ect peace and rest.

Tonight God has given me the words to Blessed Be Your Name. It is my offering of praise to Him.

Random Dozen

1. On an average, how often do you splurge and buy something for yourself? Not very often. But since we are on vacation, I have bought several things just for me. I have found a couple of things here that I have thought about buying for years... as in over a decade!

2. Are you more like Hall or Oates? Just kidding. Real question: What is the last creative project you began/finished? Feel free to post a pic of it. (I am the same age as you, Linda, but I don't know a lot about Hall & Oats ---sorry)

This is one of the latest things I have made. I made a quilt for my son out of his old T-shirts. I am pretty proud of it.

3. OK, Goldie Locks, do you consider your house too big, too little or juuuust right? My husband and I have talked about this a lot lately. We like the size of our house right now. We want to have a home that is comfortable for when friends and family come and stay with us. We don't want an extravagantly huge house, or one that is so small we feel like we are on top of each other when we have company.

4. What is your favorite outdoor chore? Out side chore???? Isn't that what husbands are for? I have a girlfriend who LOVES to mow her yard. Mow as in 2 1/2 hours behind a push mower. Yuck.

5. If you knew that cigarette smoking was not bad for your health but would be a weight loss tool, would you use it? Why or why not? No. I did for a short time when I was pretty young and really regret it now.

6. On a road trip, would you rather drive or ride? Isn't that what husbands are for? To drive on road trips? :) I don't mind driving, but can't do it for hours on end. Sometimes I get bored riding forever and like to break it up by driving.

7. What do you consider a trivial pursuit? I have looked through a couple of antique stores this week and think that the pursuit of collecting something like a certain type of dishes or antique tools or you get the idea, can be pretty trivial and easily lead to an obsession.

8. This weekend, we downloaded the movie "Duplicity" with Julia Roberts and Clive Owen. Within 5 minutes, I was bored and annoyed, but I kept watching 5-10 minutes at a time hoping it would get better between small chores. I finally gave up and Jorge watched it alone, and then regretted wasting that time because he disliked it intensely, too. So ... how long do you watch a movie or read a book before giving up on it? I was watching a show on TV last week that I was trying to like, but after about 20 minutes turned the channel. Books are harder to give up on. I keep thinking it will get better. I am reading a book right now that is getting pretty tedious, but by now I am almost done so I will finish it. But I won't recommend it to any one else.

9. Is there a song that you really love but are embarrassed to admit because it's not cool or it's racy or because it's by Hall and Oates? I like some of the stuff by Queen. (Remember them?) I love the music and the harmony, but the words are not very good. My husband says there are 4 kinds of music: Good Music/Good Words; Good Music/Bad Words; Bad Music/Bad Words; Bad Music/Good Words. Queen falls under the Good Music/Bad Words category.

10. On a scale of 1-10 (10 = extremely) how spontaneous are you? It depends on how much time I have to plan that spontaneity... :) I am the more spontaneous one in this marriage though. We are having a great time being pretty play-it-by-ear this week on our vacation. So I never gave myself a number rating did I?

11. Are you a food and/or beverage snob? I used to think there wasn't any difference between Diet Coke and Diet Pepsi. But I was oh so wrong. Diet Coke is definitely better.

12. Who/What are you trying to control in your life? Not sure I like this question... I would like to say I'm not controlling, but I have a feeling I am. But I am on vacation and don't really want to think about anything that serious or self-examining. So I won't. Pretty good cop-out, don't you think?

Thanks to Linda@2nd Cup of Coffee for these questions. Go check out her blog!

P.S. Did I mention we are on vacation? We are having a marvelous time!

Relaxing....