Thanks Be To Our God

I've been listening to some pretty dern good music in my car lately. I have two CDs of Travis Cottrell in the CD player. (Travis is the worship leader for Beth Moore's conferences.) After I've listened to one of his CDs I always feel like I have been in a worship service, even though it's just me, the car, the highway and God. But I guess that certainly can constitute a worship service, huh?

At the end of Travis' CD When The Stars Burn Down, there is a song called Thanks Be To Our God. I love that song so much I may wear out that part of the CD.  Here's a video of some church's worship team singing the song:



I response to that song, I thought I would make a list of things that I am thankful to God for. (Some serious, some silly.)

1. For a God who loves and forgives.
2. For a husband who loves and forgives and is beyond understanding.
3. For a husband who is willing to take me out for supper at the last minute when I lose my enthusiasm  for cooking at the last minute.
4. For a phone call from my daughter.
5. For a phone call from a dear friend. I haven't talked to her for two years and it was so good to hear her voice.
6. For the encouragement and love I heard over the phone from that friend.
7. For my friend making me feel like I still have friends somewhere.
8. For a short, mild winter.
9. For a lovely spring.
10. For pedicure season and pretty red toenails.
11. For asparagus.
12. For our extremely comfy bed.
13. For my sewing room.
15. For my mom teaching me how to sew when I was 9 years old.
16. For sewing projects that I am looking forward to tackling.
17. For jelly beans (sweet-tart flavored ones are my favorite).
18. For weekends spent with my hubby.

Happy Weekend Everyone!

Has It Really Been 25 Years?

Twenty-five and a half years (or so) ago I learned I was on the way to starting the best job I have ever had. I learned that I would be having my first baby the next spring. The pregnancy was an exciting time and a bit scary, because it was all so new. My favorite thing about being pregnant was feeling the baby move. I remember when I was about 7 or 8 months pregnant, I felt a kick into my ribs and I pressed down on my huge tummy, only to feel a little kick right back! I could actually feel the shape of a little foot! So cool!

The baby was due the second week of April. At the beginning of March I learned that I had pre-eclampsia. I had high blood pressure and was retaining a lot of fluid. I no longer had any defined ankles. Lovely. The doctor ordered me to bed rest. The next three weeks consisted of a daily trip to check the mailbox, multiple trips to the bathroom, weekly doctor visits, and my husband reading The Chronicles of Narnia to me in the evening. (He would hide the books during the day so I wouldn't read ahead while he was at work.)

On March 24th I had one of my usual doctor visits only to find out that my blood pressure was extremely high. The doctor told me to report to the hospital the next morning and get ready to meet my baby. That night, Hubby and I laid in bed and finalized our name choices. We came up with a specific boy's name, and were a little less definite on a girl's name.

The morning of the 25th we checked into the hospital and I was given medicine to start labor. Nothing much happened that day. (It was still three weeks before the baby was due.) Finally that night around 9pm they unplugged me from the drugs and let me eat supper. I spent the night in a hospital room, but I don't think I slept at all.

On the next day, we started back in with the labor drugs. Still slow progressing. The doctors kept asking me how I was feeling, did I have a headache, etc.

Me, about 4 hours before delivery.

 About 6pm I told them I was developing a headache and the doctor decided I should have a C-section. The baby's heartbeat had dropped a little and I think my headache was not a good sign. I remember laying on the table in the operating room and the doctor telling me that it had to be a girl because only girls cause that much trouble. Fast forward about 15 minutes and I heard the doctor say, "It's a boy!" I remember seeing the baby from a distance.

My all time favorite picture of my only a few minutes old son.

I guess I was pretty sick because they took me pretty quickly to recovery and I stayed there a long time (over 12 hours). Sometime in the middle of the night I felt strong enough to ask to see my son. I will never, ever forget those first moments of holding him, talking to him and having him open his eyes to look at me. What an amazing little creature he was

That little boy (who made me sick) has grown...

 

 

 

He has brightened our lives. He was the lucky first-born. The one we "sharpened our teeth" on as new parents.

 

He's a loving brother.

He is a wonderful addition to our family. He added so much fun to the adventures we have had as a family.

He has grown into an extraordinary 25 year old young man.

 A young man who loves God and loves his wife.

Caleb, you have blessed our lives. I thank God for putting you into our lives. Thanks for letting me be your mommy. I love you so very, very much.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Sewing

I've been busy working in my sewing room lately.  I showed you the T-shirt quilt I made for my daughter in this post.

And here is a picture of both of the kids with the T-shirt quilts I made for them.

I mentioned several times on this blog that I was making a cover for my sewing machine. I don't very often put the machine down into the sewing table so I wanted something to cover it up so it didn't collect too much dust. I finally finished it!

A little back story about my choice of fabrics. I love the art work of Mary Engelbreit and my sewing room is decorated with several things of hers. A few years ago I made this quilt to hand on the wall:

I used the fabric leftovers from that quilt to create the sewing machine cover.

I even had some leftover from that cover, so I made a little zippered bag to put

 a couple of chargers in. Now they can be in my purse and be a bit more protected.

I like sewing. :) Thanks for teaching me how, Mom!

Fifty-nine

Today is my parents' wedding anniversary. They have been married for 59 years! For some reason that has really surprised me. No, I'm not surprised that my parents are still married, silly. I just haven't been adding up the years and I hadn't realized that it was 59 years this year. That is a heck of a lot of years. (We only have 32 more to go! We have been married for 27 years and that feels like a long time. I pray that God will bless us with at least 32 more.)

In honor of today, some pictures:

Mom and Dad dancing at our daughter's wedding

 (The cool thing about this event is the fact that my mom was in the 

hospital for three months earlier in that year.)

Mom and Dad last December

Mom and Dad on their wedding day

I just have to post a picture of us on our wedding day. Not because I want to steal their thunder, but to show you all that I wore my mother's wedding dress.

The only difference was that Mom wore a hoop under the dress, I had a different veil and I did not button the buttons all the way up.  (When I watched the royal wedding last spring, the princess's wedding dress reminded me so much of this one!)

Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad!!!

Springy Hodgepodgey

I'm finally feeling better (I had a really, really nasty cold), so I think I can now get back into the swing of blogging. I have some catching up to do, things I took pictures of with intention of blogging about them, and just plain really exciting things to blog about. WooHoo! (Well, maybe not all that exciting, but I thought I would get my readers' hopes up.)

For today, I am answering the questions that Joyce @From This Side Of The Pond, has dreamed up for this Wednesday.

 

1. The first day of spring is here...do you enjoy working in the yard? Weeding, raking, mowing, planting-your favorite springtime garden chore? How about your least favorite? 

Yard work is not my favorite. I might like it a bit more if it wasn't for all the bugs and hot weather. Although, last spring, I did do quite a bit of work cleaning out a couple of the flower beds. I just sat right down and scooted around because it hurts my back too much to bend over. I'm sure I looked ridiculous. I'd say mowing is my least favorite. Thankfully, Hubby likes to do yard work.

2. What puts a spring in your step? 

Having something really fun to look forward to puts a spring in my step. We are heading to a town in Missouri we lived in for 10 years before we moved overseas for Easter/Hubby's birthday. I hope to set up some times with some old friends. Even if we don't see many, I am very excited to just hang out with my hubby there.

Having company puts a spring in my step, too. My parents came to visit last weekend and I had fun planning and fixing meals for them.

3. Describe a time when you had to spring into action?

I remember during my first visit with Hubby's extended family, (28 years ago) saving his cousin's one year old from diving down the stairs. I was watching him crawl down the hallway and grinning at us all, and then he turned toward the stairway. I jumped up and grabbed him just before he took a nose dive. Hubby's cousin was impressed.

I'm sure that when I was a mommy to little ones, there were lots of moments like that as well.

4. We're having carrots for dinner...would you prefer yours raw or cooked?

I like them either way. Have any of my readers seen this recipe from Pioneer Woman's website for Roasted Carrots? My daughter discovered the recipe and they are very yummy!

5. Do you take the shampoos and other sundries from your hotel room when its time to check out?

 

      Yes, I do. 

 As you can see, it can lead to quite the pile-up back at home. I've used up all the little shampoo bottles and am still working on all those little soaps.

6. What's the most enjoyable team or club you've belonged to and what was it that made it so?

Team Family. I loved that as our family grew and as the kids grew, we all felt more and more like a team. Maybe that's why it's so hard that the kids live so far away and we don't see them often. The team seems splintered.

 

7. Is cloning a sign of progress? 

Oh, I don't know. I do think it's messing with God's stuff.

8. Insert your own random thought here.

a) It is a very rainy week and I am thankful. First of all, it's rain and NOT snow. Second, we haven't had much rain since last July. When it was about to pour a couple of days ago, I stood in front of the open window and smelled the rain-air. Wonderful!! I even see bits of green in the grass. Last summer the grass was brown by the end of August.

b) Today is my parents' 59th Anniversary! Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad!

Blogging

I've been under the weather for the past week. A long ways under.

 Being sick means not feeling very creative about writing on this here blog. Being sick means lots of naps, not uploading pictures, not writing my usual captivating (**cough, cough**) posts. (I have been literally coughing way too much.)

I'm slowly getting better each day, rather than feeling worse each day. So there is hope for a new blog post out there!

Now that all my tens of readers feel sufficiently bad for me (you do, don't you?), I will sign off, take some cough medicine, and crawl into bed.

Wednesday Hodgepodge

It's been quite a while since I joined in on the Wednesday Hodgepodge questions that Joyce hosts every week at her blog From This Side of the Pond. Click on over there to join in and read other blogger's answers.

1. Did March come in like a lion or was it something less ferocious in your neck of the woods?
On March 1st, the weather people here were trying to figure out if the weather was like a lion or a lamb. It was a high of 36 and cloudy and windy and dreary. I don't think that qualifies as either a lion or a lamb. What is in-between?

2. Speaking of lions, which one's your film favorite...The Cowardly Lion (Wizard of Oz), Mufasa (The Lion King), Elsa (Born Free), or Alex (Madagascar)? You may notice I left Aslan off the list. Including him would have made this question way too easy for many of you.

Well, now that you mentioned Aslan, I can't shake that out of my head. Grin. Other than the one I'm not allowed to choose, I'll go with The Cowardly Lion. He's funny, and real.

3. What's your favorite spot from which to view the sunrise or sunset?

I have the blessing of being able to view the sunset from our four-season porch. The way we have the furniture in the room arranged allows me to face west. It is beautiful every night. It is different every night. I like to think God has great fun creating something new every day. And sunrises? I assume the sun does actually rise since it's shining brightly once I roll out of bed. I could probably count the number of times I've watched the sunrise on one hand. For my entire life. One hand. Seriously.

4. To what extent is knowledge power and to what extent is truth power? What's the difference?
I can only think of this scripture in reply to that question:

"This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God of Savior, 

who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 

For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, 

the man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself as a ransom for all, 

which is the testimony given at the proper time." 1 Timothy 2:3-5

5. What's something peculiar you've seen recently?
Ummm...

 I don't think this picture needs any more explanation as to why it is peculiar.

6. Bottled water...your thoughts?

Handy in certain situations. I haven't bought a "pack" of bottled water since I had a kid in marching band. I buy them on trips when I've used up the water I brought with me in my Nalgene water bottle. We get them in hotel rooms because Hubby is a super-important-person in one hotel chain only because he has spent way too many a lot of nights in that chain's hotels and they leave a bottle of water and a snack in the room for us.

7. What's your strongest sense?
My sense of smell is pretty strong. I sometimes wonder if something like that is hereditary. My mom could smell if I had eaten pizza just by walking by me in the kitchen. My son has always seemed to have a strong sense of smell. He would be able to sniff a brownie hours after it had been eaten. (I may exaggerate a bit, but not much.)
I also want to say my sense of humor. I feel like I have lost that quite a bit in the last several years. Life has been very hard for me and my sense of humor has taken a hit. I miss it.

8. Insert your own random thought here.
Sometimes I talk before I think. Sometimes I just ramble on and on about some subject I've already rambled on about. When I realized that I've done that, I feel incredibly stupid and embarrassed. You know how on some websites there is a little sentence that says how many times you've visited that site and gives the date of your last visit? I sure wish that little sentence would pop up before I start into a subject that's already been covered.

!!!

I am so very extremely excited to see these two this weekend:

(and of course their spouses)

You know, even though those kids of mine are all grown up and married and everything, sometimes (more than you may think) I still see them and feel them in my heart like this: