Wednesday, August 31, 2005

Observations

*I am sooo thankful for my home, family, water, electricity! The things we take for granted that those many people in the path of hurricane Katrina and her aftermath don't have any more.
*There's nothing like getting to talk to your son for two minutes!!!!!!!
*Medical science is wonderful but the power of God to heal and protect it even better!
*Flowers are such a pick me up.
*Chocolate is one of the greatest gifts to (wo)mankind.
*Fun is such a subjective word, one persons fun can be another persons terror (I love WILD rides, my men do not, where did I go wrong?). My husbands idea of fun - playing with trains - is really my idea of boredom or WORK. And I'm sure my idea of fun, sitting down with a good book, is his idea of a nightmare.
*little babies are definately one of the greatest gifts of all.
*I'm looking at my rear view mirror of life and seeing the summer fade into the distance. It went by WAAAAAY to fast.

Wednesday, August 24, 2005

The question continues

This blonde isn't having that much fun. Nancy my mother-in-law is in the hospital with extrememly high blood pressure, dizzyness and other not good stuff. She'll have an MRI and cat scan done tomorrow and they'll be working to keep that blood pressure down. I guess we just never know what tomorrow or today will bring do we? Life is wild isn't it?
The open house on Sunday went well, it was hot and humid but I think everyone had a good time. I'm hoping to post some pics in the next day or so. Have another one this Sunday then we'll have about a month till the next big event. TTFN

Friday, August 19, 2005

God, widows and sci-fi Friday

My dear friend Margaret is getting ready to head to China to be a full time missionary. Her husband Larry (who was also a dear friend of ours) passed away a year and a half ago. We've seen in her life how God takes care of widows. She's in the process of selling their house and had come up against the buyers wanting her to do more than what they had agreed too. She felt she needed to stand firm on what they had originally agreed to and told her realtor that. The bottom line, both realty companies decided to take 1% off their commissions to pay for this problem (something they should have caught). God is good, he answers prayer and takes care of his widowed daughters.

Thought for today: the essential part of creativity is not being afraid to fail
Edwin H Land

Am hoping to finish Gabrielle's scrapbook tonight, it's sci-fi Friday so I need to watch some GOOD tv while I do that.

Thursday, August 18, 2005

What a week

Can't believe how this last week has flown by. Ben left for the army reserves on Monday, it's so quiet without him around. We're getting ready to host our Iowa Garden Railroad club this weekend so lots of cleaning and weeding and sprucing up to do. Next weekend the Kansas group will come up. Had a wild night at work, started out pretty slow and then POW everyone decided to come in and eat at once. That take home cash makes it worthwhile though. I'm hoping to get some good photos of the layout this weekend.

Thursday, August 11, 2005

The quest


My quest is a simple one, learn to take better pictures with our camera.
Here's a blonde moment...practice is a GOOD thing. I've been dragging the camera out more and actually using it. I need to reread the manual too. I'm getting the hang (kindof) of stills, next....moving things.

Talk about a bad day, bet the guy driving the semi that caused this didn't expect it when he ate his cheerios in the morning. My little snafu with the lemonade really doesn't compare.

Tuesday, August 09, 2005

A CLEAN kitchen and a CAT

So here's to a clean kitchen, or one that will be completely clean tomorrow. Spent the day doing the upper (all the stuff on top to) and lower cabinets, they gleam my precious. Tomorrow the floor, fridge and woodwork will join the cabinets in their cleanly splendor.
I'm in power cleaning mode this month. Last week it was the basement, this week the main floor and next week......the upper floor....BWAHAHAHAHAHA. I would love to be able to afford to pay someone to do all this. Maybe in my next life.

A CAT, our youngest cat Spike.
He likes to follow us around the yard when we're out and about.
Last night when I was playing with my camera he just 'happened' to be right there.
And he actually looked my way when I wanted him to, I think I felt the earth shift a little.

Saw this site and thought it fits right in with my cat theme. Toooooo funny what we do with our 'family' members.
A good cat quote:
When I play with my cat, who knows if I am not a pastime for her more than she is to me?
- - - Michel deMontaigne

Since being in power clean mode I haven't had the time to create anything. Am going to scrap all day and into the night on Saturday with my "2nd Saturday" scrapping friends. Can't wait!!!!!!!

Monday, August 08, 2005

Good night Sun


We have the most wonderful sunsets. Tonight's was just kind of mellow not breath takingly beautiful, but wonderous in an understated way.
I'm finally getting to the point where I can catch a decent pic with our Fuji FinePix S7000. I haven't really spent much time getting used to it and thought that after having it for almost a year I needed to work some on it. We bought it so Marty could take some digi photo's of his trains for magazines and calanders (a way to write it off in other words).

I've been checking out Andrea Sher's blog . She takes some wonderful photos, angles and shots that I wouldn't think of and I'm being inspired by her. Maybe I should think about a photography class..hmmm.......I really like this blog world. I'm being encouraged and inspired left and right.

A good garden railroading friend, Richard Jones, passed away from cancer this weekend. He fought a courageous battle. We'll miss his quiet enthusiasm and soft heart. We got to know Richard and his partner Marshal in the last 2 years and enjoyed his friendship. Richard is one of the reasons we enjoy our little garden railroading world, gooooood people.

Sunday, August 07, 2005

Our House Is A Very, Very, Very fine House

We were asked on a board I belong to to describe our dream house. I thought about it and decided that I'm living in my dream house. It fits all the criteria:
  • there's enough room for everyone
  • it's in the country
  • it's ours - or, well it will be in about 15 years (darn mortgage payments)
so here it is our house, no our home.
So the other day I was going to tell about Holly our world travelling missionary friend. She was in Mexico in 1999 and got a nasty parazite that causes degenerative blindness most commonly called River Blindness. She started loosing her eyesight in 2002 and was to the point of going through occupational rehab in 2003 which included having to use a white cane for mobility and a voice accelerated computer program for her work. Through all this she continued with her missions work and was open to the blessings God had for her.
In Dec of 2004 she headed to India for outreach and noticed an improvement in her sight. When she got back in Feb she also noticed there was no further deterioration of sight. Her sight has since improved to the point that she can drive again during the day.
God is still performing miracles and Holly is living, breathing proof!!!!

Thursday, August 04, 2005

Harder than it looks

Well, this blog thing is harder than it looks. I made the mistake of trying to post last night after I got home from work. It was late, I was tired, the back arrow is evil, I'm REALLY blonde.....I lost the post twice trying to add attachments. Think I've figured out what I need to do to hopefully not loose all I've typed. We'll see if it works in the future.
Got and email from my dear 'old' friend Terri (we've known each other for like 41 years, the things we know about each other are scary). She just became a G'ma for the first time a couple weeks ago. It's a strange thing when those in the next generation begin to propogate, especially when they belong to your friends. You know it's supposed to happen, but when it does it almost takes your breath away. Weren't we just at that point yesterday????? Steve Miller had it right when he said that 'time keeps on slippin into the future'.
I've been playing around with my new favorite toy, Adirondak Alchol Inks. I have an unlimited supply of bottle caps at work (the steak house has a lounge) so I pounded, inked and made a tag.
Turned out pretty good if I do say so myself.
Think I'll wait to tell about my friend Holly M tomorrow. Be prepared to have your socks blessed off.
Today is 'try to get caught up in the office day'. I have the unenviable job of deciding who gets paid what (we owe the lumber company how much?) and getting the bookwork caught up. Can you tell I'm excited???????

More words of wisdom from Mark Twain
Don't go around saying the world owes you a living. The world owes you nothing. It was here first.

Tuesday, August 02, 2005

Day 2


AAAACK! Just lost all I entered by backing up, oh well here we go again - okay in this instance this blonde is not having more fun -
Had an eventful day. Tom (son #2) spent the night in the hospital with his girlfriend Jamie as she was having a baby. Soap opera plot 'she was already pregnant with another man's child when they began thier relationship' (dramatic organ music in the background). Anyhoo....

So Gabrielle Brianna made her entrance early this morning. She's a cutie pie. She weighed in at 5lb. 4oz and was 18" long. We've (Marty & I) started getting congratulated on being grandparents and then the questioning looks come and then we have had to say we're not really grand parents. I can see it's going to be a little complicated.
At least life isn't boring.

Wil and I spent the afternoon cleaning the basement. It was pretty scarry, lots of dirt and cobwebs, I'm still sneezing truly icky stuff out. Got about 1/2 way done, will hopefully finish up tomorrow. Told Marty he should just pull the trash trailer up to the basement door, lots of crap to throw away.

Ended the day making a visit to the hospital and got to hold a little bundle of joy. What a good end to a nice day.

Have to end with a good blonde joke my dear friend Deb told me.

'A dumb blonde, a smart blonde and Santa Clause all jumped off the empire state building at the same time, who hit the ground first?
I said, Santa Clause..........what do you think?
Answer: the dumb blonde cause the other two aren't even real. HHHAAAA!!!!!!!

God is Truly Good!!!!!

Monday, August 01, 2005

Taking the plunge

Well, I'm taking the plunge, getting brave and diving into the blog world. I've been enjoying other peoples blogs for the past couple of months and decided to try it myself. I can't believe I'm actually nervous about it, my heart rate is up, my palms are sweaty I'm getting a little adrenilin rush. Okay, now, what to type, what to type? I'm at a loss for words, not something I usually suffer from.
So here's to diving into uncharted terrritory, opening up my life for others to see, boldly going where no man has gone.........alright maybe I'm getting carried away a little, it's not a trip on the starship Enterprise just into cyberspace. (chuckle)

I do have one quote to share. Last year about this time I figured out that having a sense of humor is a gift, that life is serious but humor makes it bearable and enjoyable. I love the way Mark Twain saw life and found this quote by him the other day
"Humor is a great thing, a saving thing. The minute it crops up, all our irritations and resentments slip away and a sunny spirit takes their place."