Bits of This and That

 

Good morning!

Happy Monday everyone.  It's been another nice weekend.  On Saturday I got up early and took another 30 minute walk with the dog and then came home and got cleaned up and headed out to lunch with my sister and her husband and my husband's mom.  It was so fun being with family and eating and laughing and talking.  Such a nice time together.  After that we went home and enjoyed a quiet evening watching a couple Hallmark Mystery Movies.  We both have been enjoying these in the last couple months.  We watched one of the Chronicle Mysteries and Mystery 101 movie series,  And I think hubby has a couple more of these recorded to watch.  We usually only watch movies on the weekend.  I know there are some new movie mysteries coming up yet this month that he has set to record. 

On Sunday we had 2 church services and in between hubby and I had Chipotle for lunch and then took a nice nap.  Below is the pre-recorded sermon from Sunday.  It is the last in the series called Big Promises for Big Problems.  This one is titled God's Answer to Despair.

So it was a really nice and relaxing weekend.  Just the way we like it.  Oh and I forgot, we finally got some good rain Sunday evening, which we desperately needed,  Thank you God.

Cathy

Thankful Thursday

Things I am Thankful for (not in any particular order):

**Life - Waking up in the morning is a wonderful gift.  So many don't wake up.  I'm choosing to be grateful for every day I wake up on this side of the dirt. 😁 

**Family - I'm blessed with a wonderful husband, 2 daughters, 2 son-in-laws (well the 2nd one will be my son-in-law in July, 1 grandson, a fun and wise mother-in-law, 2 sisters and 1 brother.  I'm blessed with a great brother-in-law and a sweet sister-in-law, nephews and nieces and 1 great nephew.  Plus, tons of cousins, some aunts and uncles.  I love every one of them.

**Home - We have a nice home (built by my father) that keeps us dry and warm.

**Dog - Love my dog Lucy.  She brings me so much laughter and love and sometimes annoyance, but I wouldn't trade her for anything.

**Church - I love our church and church family and I believe they love us too.  

**God - He is so good to us and loves us beyond all measure.  I pray I will always be able to see others through His eyes.  

**Bible - I love the scripture more and more.

**Child of God - "John 1-12 says "But to all who believed Him and accepted Him, He gave the right to become children of God."  It thrills me to know that I am a child of God.  I mean, really that is the most wonderful thing in the world.  I'm thrilled to be my mom and dad's child, but being a child of Almighty God is amazing.  We are joint heirs with Jesus Christ!!!  What could ever be better.  If you are not a child of God, but would like to be, Romans 10:9-10 tells you how.  "That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.'

**Blogging Friends - I so appreciate each one of you that stop by and visit from time to time.  I love reading your blogs too.  You teach me so much and remind me to stay close to the Lord.  You share your recipes, your pictures, your words of wisdom and encouragement.  I cannot tell you how much that means to me.

I'm going to stop there for today. I'm linking up with Jennifer at Overflowing With Thankfulness for Thankful Thursday.

Thanks for visiting and I hope you have a great day.

Cathy

Retired

This my first actual day of retirement on a day that I typically would have worked. I believe I’m going to love it. However, I do think it’s going to take some time to adjust to it all.

This bag is a gift from a former co-worker who came to my retirement luncheon.  It makes me laugh every time I see it and I plan to use it a lot.  It's perfect for my yarn projects that I take out with me.

I'm not sure what all I'll be doing while retired.  But I've decided to come to the church one day a week and help my hubby with clerical work and whatever else I think of to get into.  I'm sure I'll be posting here about whatever is going on in this "new" life.

God has blessed me with a good job for many years and now I hope to be blessed with many years of healthy retirement.   

Thanks for visiting and I hope you have a great day. 

Cathy

Today's the Day!

This was taken in the late 70's, early 80's in the dispatch center

This is a little more current in the dispatch center

I'm at work for the last time today, at least at this job.  Who knows what the future holds?  Well, I know who knows, Jesus!  The decision to retire was very hard for me to make, but I finally decided and now the day has come.  Actually tomorrow is my last day, but I worked Monday which was my holiday so I could take the holiday tomorrow. 

In about an hour and a half they have a luncheon planned for me.  I have no idea what's going to happen or who will be there and to tell the truth, that makes me a little nervous.  lol  But I know it's really going to be fun, but I'm sure a little emotional and stressful too.

I also know when I wake up on Monday it's going to be weird to realize that I'm no longer employed.  But I'm so excited to see what life brings.  I have so many things I want to do and I'm looking forward to having some time to do some of those things.

So anyway, the next time I show up here, I will be exploring life as a retiree.  Hopefully, I can share some of those experiences here.  I know I love to read about others who are retired.

Hope you all have a great day and thanks for visiting and Happy New Year

Cathy

Here Today!

 I've been contemplating stopping my blog, but I read Annie's post today (check it out here!) and decided to not close up shop yet.  I've been doing this awhile and sometimes feel I really have nothing else to say.  But as Annie says, there is always a song or a verse or something we can share and maybe it will help someone else (as her post did for me).

So today, I say hello and I am still here.  Life's kinda quiet and I seem to do the same things most days, but that's okay because I'm still alive and feeling better (been a little sick the last couple of weeks).  I'm still not 100%, but getting closer.  God is still good and that is all that matters!

Have a great day!!

Cathy

A Sentence A Day - August, the Birthday Month

My August one day at a time.

1 - Saturday.  Hubby and I took a drive out into the country and went to an Amish Restaurant for lunch in Plain City and just enjoyed being together which is a perfect Saturday for us.

2 - Sunday.  Wonderful church service where hubby preached a great sermon about the last day!

3 - Monday.  Picked up our oldest daughter from the airport (grandma came with us) and went out for supper and then spent the evening talking and just having a good time together.  

4 - Tuesday.  My 63rd birthday in which I worked and then spent an evening at home with just hubby and me.

5 - Wednesday.  Typical Wednesday with work, hubby doing live Bible Study on FB and then home for some TV.

6 - Thursday. Had some pretty skies this evening while out with Lucy.

7 - Friday.

8 - Saturday.  Picked up Kelli from her friends and then went to lunch and then I decided to get my hair cut and Kelli went with me and then to Walmart and then home and we watched Frozen 2...first time for me to see it and I loved it!

9 - Sunday.  Church and then Tracy, Kelli and I met Tracy's mom for lunch and then we went to the Black Barn and I got some produce and Kelli and I took pictures at their sunflower field.

10 - Monday.  I took the day off work and we went out to breakfast with Kelli and then took her to the airport and then hubby and I spent the day driving out in the country and just being together.

11 - Tuesday.  Hubby had doctor's appointment and then I went into work and then home to relax for the evening.

12 - Wednesday.  Work, church FB live and then came home and watched the final 3 episodes of the documentary "Into the Unknown, The Making of Frozen 2" and really enjoyed it.

13 - Thursday. 

14 - Friday. Work and picked up some dinner and did some laundry and watched a documentary on David Foster. Love his music. 

15 - Saturday. Got to visit with both my sisters then spent the rest of the day with my hubby. Perfect!

16 - Sunday.

17 - Monday.  Lucy's Birthday and she is 7 years old.

18 - Tuesday.  Finally caught a picture of a hummingbird at my feeder, though it’s not a good picture. 

19 - Wednesday.  Got a new face mask that a friend made for me. 

20 - Thursday.

21 - Friday.  Beautiful sunset. 

22 - Saturday. Had a full day with hubby and no appointments or any plans but just did what we wanted.

23 - Sunday.  Church and then a visit with both sisters and then back to church and then saw a beautiful rainbow after church.

24 - Monday.  Took hubby for his annual eye exam and all is good.

25 - Tuesday.  Hubby's 59th birthday (yes, he is 4 years younger than me.) lol

26 - Wednesday. Work and church online for a nice day and National Dog Day. 

This is from several years ago, but I love it.

27 - Thursday.  Laundry night...yay! lol 

28 - Friday.  Hubby and I met up with his mom and went out and had Italian for dinner and just a real good time talking.  

29 - Saturday.  We went to Chick-fil-A for lunch and got then we took Lucy to get groomed and I can actually see her eyes again. lol 

30 - Sunday.  Church twice and a nice porch visit with my sister.

31 - Monday.  Work and then did a Kroger grocery pick-up and went home and had hamburgers for dinner and did some much needed housework and watched a documentary on Titanic. 

Hope you had a good month!

Cathy

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It's Tuesday Morning

It's Tuesday morning and the 4 day weekend is over. I'm sitting at the table typing this and eating my oats..  Back to work I go in just a few minutes. I'm almost dressed, my lunch is packed, I've done my morning devotions, so I'm about ready.

We had a nice Christmas. It was different, but nice.  Neither girl was able to come home for our traditional morning gift giving.  We had to mail Kelli's gifts to her because she couldn't come home at all.  Kerri had to work but she got to come to grandma's later in the afternoon where we got to spend some time with her and Colton.  That was very good.   Then we got to FaceTime with Kelli while at Grandma's, so she got to see and talk to everyone. And that was very good.

So Christmas was different and weird but it was still good.  Hope you all had a good one.

I better get to work.  Talk to you soon.

Cathy

Tuesday

Hello Everyone! Just wanted to check in and let you all know, I'm still here! lol

I'm doing well. I had a couple semi-hard days and missed work last week, but I feel almost normal right now. I'm learning to understand the doctors and nurses know what they are talking about. Imagine that! Why am I so hardheaded sometimes? They told me I need to eat and I need to rest. Boy are they right! Wish I'd just do the right thing the first time, instead of having to learn it the hard way on my own. lol I go Thursday for my second treatment. Hoping it will go about like the first one or at least no worse. But however it goes, I know God is with me.

We had the memorial service for my dad on Saturday and it was just so nice. Dad would have loved it!! So many family and friends were there. It was like a family reunion. I can just imagine that someday arriving in heaven will be very similar. Seeing friends and family that have gone on before. Sometimes I just can't wait! And now I have another reason to want to go. I plan to do a post on my dad soon. I'm waiting to get a copy of the video we used first. I want to post it here as a memory for me.

Our ladies' Bible study starts tonight. I can't wait. I won't be facilitating this one, but will just be there as a student. So looking forward to it. We are doing Beth Moore's, Believing God. We did this several years ago, however, we have a lot of new people who have never done it. So we thought it was definitely time to do it again. It is the one that has most impacted my life and faith. I'm looking forward to what God is going to say to all of us.

Well, that's all for now. Hope you all have a great day!!!

Calling

Joyce at From This Side of the Pond is participating in 31 Days of Five Minute Free Writings in October. This is where they give you a prompt and you write for five minutes and you do it each and every day of October. Now I'm not a big writer (although I keep thinking I'd like to be) so I don't think I could do the 31 days.  However, after reading Joyce's post for Thursday (on the word "Calling"), I started writing a comment on her blog.  The more I wrote, the more I realized I wanted to make it a blog post.  So here is my post on "Calling"

I've been pondering for awhile why I still have to work and why God hasn't given the okay for me to retire. I mean, I've worked here for 39 years as of September 14, 2015 and I really thought I'd be retired by now.  But I'm not and so far God has not let me in on when I will get to retire.  I'm pretty sure I'll be here at least 2 more years (our house will be paid off then) and no more than 6 years (as that is the max for my retirement-45 years).

Since I'm still here, I've been wondering why.  In other words, what is my calling here at work? Recently, I feel He's told me for now my job is to be an encourager to the ones I work with.  So now, that is what I look for, opportunities to encourage someone. And you know what?  I've found I really like encouraging people.  My prayer is that God will open my eyes to see other people like He sees them and that He'll show me ways that I can encourage them.

What I'm finding, is it is helping me to be a little more satisfied with where my life is at this point. Retirement will come in God's time and I know even then He'll have a "calling" for my life. I don't think we necessarily get to completely retire in God's economy. I think as long as we are here, there is always something for us to do for the Kingdom.

I'm Back

I know I haven't blogged in over a week.  My lunchtime is almost over, so this will be quick.  I just want to say Hi and we're back home from our trip and hopefully tomorrow I'll download a few pictures from the past week and we'll go from there.  Hopefully, I'll be back to blogging a little more regularly then.

Friday Fragments

I can't believe it's been over 4 weeks since I've posted anything.  I'm not sure I've ever gone that long since starting this blogging thing.  Life has been a little tough lately and I'm afraid it's going to get worse before it gets better.  However, I know God is here and involved in it all and I know He has a plan and my job is to trust Him.  So that is where I am.  Trusting. But also, in the midst of the hard things, there are good things too. 

*Mom had open heart surgery in August and was just really recovering from that when we found out she had colon cancer.  So last month she had surgery to remove the tumor.  All went well with the surgery, but she is having a hard time recovering.  In fact, she just left the hospital after over 3 weeks in there.  She is now in a Transitional Care Unit, until she can get back her strength.

*My brother has stopped his chemo as it's not working.  So things are not the greatest there.  Unless God chooses to intervene, there's not a lot of hope.  But I know he has a relationship with Jesus and is ready should God choose to take him home.

*Hubby and I decided to go ahead and go on our vacation as we thought things were fairly stable.  However, we were only gone 6-7 days when we found out things were getting worse, so we came home.  We really hated to leave his parents in Myrtle Beach, but they were very gracious and understood.  So, while we didn't get our full 3 weeks, we did get a few days on the beach and I'm grateful for the time we did have.  Here are a few pictures.

I love when God paints with pink

Sunset - I saw some of the most beautiful pink skies

Panoramic Photo from our Balcony

Sunrise (I saw these almost every morning)

Little Bird Visitors on our balcony

*We have a new Grandkitty.  Kelli has always wanted a cat, but we have always had a dog.  So now that she is out on her own, she got one.  Her name is Esmerelda and Kelli calls her Ezzie.  Isn't that just the cutest name.

*And there's nothing quite like Christmas lists with pictures.  lol

Kerri wants this coat for Christmas!

*One last picture.  Seldom can I get hubby to let me take a picture of him.  But here is a selfie of us on the Riverwalk in Conway, SC

Have a great weekend everyone!!!

Catch-Up

I think life is starting to get back to normal (or at least a new normal).  Mom is doing pretty well and her and dad are now staying at home alone.  We're stopping in and checking on them, but they are doing fairly well alone.  We just need to make sure they take the medicine and eat.  God has been good and mom has very little pain.  She just needs to build her energy back up.  We actually take her this week for a follow-up with her surgeon and heart doctor.  I'm looking forward to hearing what they have to say.  Thank you all for all your prayers.  We really appreciate them and know it was only because of God's grace that she has done as well as she has.

Kelli seems to be pretty well settled in in her apartment with her friends in Florida.  We talked the other night via Google Hangout.  It was fun seeing her and getting to see her bedroom.  She didn't take us around the rest of the place this time.  She seems happy.

Kerri is still all about her wedding...and seems to be getting it all planned out.  She's having so much fun with it all.  I'm happy for her and Charlie.  They do really well together and I think they'll do really well as a married couple.

Tracy and I finally bought a vehicle.  It's a 2011 Dodge Grand Caravan Crew.  We're really happy with it.  It's very comfortable and doesn't look bad either.  lol  I'm just so thrilled the decision is made and we can quit looking for a vehicle now. 

We made our vacation reservations last night and I'm so looking forward to some time in Myrtle Beach in November.  It'll be nice to drive that van.  I told Tracy that now I'll be able to buy anything I want down there because we'll have plenty of room in the van to bring it home.  I'm not really too sure that he's as thrilled about that as I am.  haha

We started early in the summer watching the Harry Potter movies with Kelli.  We'll, we didn't get through all of them while she was here (she's seen all of them anyway).  This weekend Tracy and I watched the last 2.  I really enjoyed them.  I can't believe it took us this long to finally get to the end.  haha  I always seem to be so far behind everyone else.  ha

Well, that's about all for now.  Hoping I'll be able to blog a little more often now.  Have a great day everyone!

One Day

Today is the one day!  Kelli packed up all her stuff this last week and loaded up the car and left for her sister's last night.  She was spending her last night in Ohio with her sister.  She got up early this morning and left for Florida.  She has a friend driving down with her and then spend a few days in Florida and then he will fly back to Ohio.  So it's really real.  Kelli has moved out and is living her dream.

Her daddy and I met for lunch and he asked if I was as down in the dumps as he is.  Of course, I had to be honest and say yes.  I told him we had one day to be depressed and then we have to pick ourselves up and get on with life.  I hope it is just that easy.

Truthfully, I am looking forward to having the house all to ourselves and fixing things the way we want them.  We have a lot of work to do, but that should help the depression pass quickly.

Kelli and I goofing around at Skyline Chili (Kelli's favorite chili place)

Another goofy picture (I can't even believe I'm showing this one).

Dad and I leaving for church and Kelli finishing up packing.  I thought we weren't going to see her again after this, but she showed up at my mom and dad's after church while we were there.  I'm really glad she stopped to see them one more time.

I opened her bedroom door this morning and let Lucy in so she would know that Kelli wasn't there.  Otherwise, she would have spent all morning scratching at her door trying to wake Kelli up.  Lucy walked in and immediately jumped on the bed and laid down like this.  She looks so depressed.  Poor little puppy doesn't understand where her playmate has gone.

Before we can get too far into the remodeling projects, we need to get my mom well.  She is home from her surgery and things are going pretty well.  My sister took some leave from work and is doing the daytime shift.  My sister-in-law and me are taking turns with the night shift.  Someone has to be there 24 hours a day.  It's not easy, with trying to work and everything, but we're doing it so far. I know God will help us to stay the course.  My younger sister is running a lot of the errands and that really helps a lot too.

I can see that mom really is getting a little stronger every day. And that is a really good thing.

So this is my one day to be depressed and I am, but by tomorrow, Lord willing I'll be ready to smile and move on with life.  And hopefully, one day soon, I'll get back to regular blogging.  :)

Have a blessed day everyone!

Looking Good!

Had my 6 month check-up at the Doctor today.  Blood results were good and numbers are improving.  8 lbs less this time than in July.  Doctor very pleased and so am I.  Thank you God!

Now to just keep things heading in this direction!  Found this on the internet and thought it was rather fitting.

Life...

...is not easy.
...is good.
...is hard.
...is busy.
...is scary.
...is what God has given us to live until He takes us home to be with Him.

The past few weeks have been pretty hard in our life. For awhile we thought we were possibly going to lose my brother. But God has richly blessed and it appears the chemo is working. He is getting stronger and has to do more chemo, but the doctor believes they can control (not cure), but control his cancer. We are praising and thanking God for that.

My sister is staying in his house right now as she is trying to recuperate from her sickness.  We are still praying God will touch her eyes and bring her sight back to where she can drive and work again.

So while, all this is not over, I know God has given them both strength to walk this road and he has done the same for the rest of the family.  Mom and Dad are doing pretty well and the rest of us "kids" are being blessed by God with strength and courage to help in any way we can.

While I do not like this road that God has us on, I do believe it is drawing us closer to each other and to God, and also making each one of us stronger in our faith.  God has richly blessed my family and I know He will continue to do so in the ways that He sees best.  I try to always remember Isaiah 55:8
 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,”declares the Lord. 

I thank each one of you for your prayers and by God's grace I will be back here blogging a little more regularly.  I have really missed you all.

Amazing Airport Experience

I apologize for not being around much lately. Things have been busy.

Kelli went back to Florida on Friday. Her daddy took her to the airport. We were both supposed to, but plans change. haha  I just have to share with you what happened at the airport though.  As she was going through security, for some reason her carry-on luggage was flagged in the x-ray machine.  So of course, they had to open her suitcase.  What they found was her Bible.  They told her, for some reason, her Bible had looked like a sword on the x-ray.

As you may or may not know, the Bible is called the Sword of the Spirit.  She was so excited about this, that she ran to tell her dad and ended up having to go through security again.  haha  I just think that is the most awesome thing, that God allowed to happen to her.  To remind her that He is with her always in this last year of school and throughout her whole life.

Have a great day everyone!

Good Advice for Raising Children

This is a short audio (What Time Teaches Mom) file by Patsy Clairmont that is well worth the listen for moms. If I could do it over again, I would try to follow this advise a little more than I did.



Have a great day and go hug your kids. I can't do that, but I think I'll give them a "hug" text.

How Bad Is It?

This showed up on the board at work sometime over the weekend.  If you'll notice, my face has been added to the lady on the left.  The other one is a co-worker and we have both been here for well over 30 years.  I thought it was a pretty good one!

A Wonderful Day!

Yesterday was an absolutely wonderful day.  Hubby and I stayed home all day. 

I did laundry and a few things around the house. 

But mostly, we just relaxed.  I read about half a book and watched a little TV and we sat out on the front porch for about an hour and enjoyed the lovely weather. 

Hubby grilled hamburgers for lunch along with corn on the cob.  Delicious!

Carolyn and Carina were with us for about half the day and then they went out with friends.

So maybe this sounds like a boring day to a lot of people, it was just perfect to me.  Especially since we had run the entire weekend.  (If you want to know about that, see the post below this one).

Today I go to work and then I'm leaving early to take my mom to get the cast off her arm.  I know she can't wait!

Have a great day everyone!!

Weekend Wrap-Up

I've enjoyed the past weekend, even though it was pretty uneventful. Or maybe that's why I enjoyed it. lol  I have no pictures of anything, although Saturday morning I did try to video the birds singing.  However, they didn't cooperate.  They were singing beautifully when I went out with Lily, then I ran in an got the camera and they quieted down.  Really?  They know what a camera is?  haha

Anyway, Carolyn and I watched 2 movies and played with Carina.  I did some crocheting.  I completed week 2 of the Bible Study homework.  Tracy and I went to Red Lobster for lunch on Saturday and shopping at Walmart to get some of the weekly accessories. 

We visited with my family on Saturday night at my mom and dad's.  That is always a fun time.  We never know who all will be there, but you can count on lots of talking and laughing and usually some good food is offered.  This week all the brothers and sisters and spouses were there except my baby brother and his wife.  And I believe a good time was had by all.  :)

Sunday, we had church and it was good because God is good.  We went to lunch with Tracy's parents at Buffalo Wild Wings.  Good food and good company plus TV screens all over the place.  Can't ask for a whole lot more.

Sunday night after church we Skyped with Kelli.  Found out she may get to come home for 2-3 weeks at the end of the semester.  We didn't think we'd get to see her til Christmas, so that was good news.

We got a text from Kerri this weekend and she thinks she is going to get to buy her first car.  She is so excited and I'm so happy for her.  I hope it all works out ok.  Of course, that means my baby really is growing up!  :(

So you see, it really wasn't a big eventful weekend, but it sure was a good one.  Hope you had a good weekend too.  What did you do?