CRIPPLED

Do you ever have days when you suddenly feel as if you have been crippled, with no warning whatsoever? One day you're skating along and the next, you've been slammed into a brick wall. That's kind of been me this week. I came off of a wonderful weekend with my daughter and her family. I came home, and did all of my preparations for the knee surgery which included, paying my bill, having my labs done at the Texas Cancer Center, groceries and so on. Tuesday evening I get the results of my labs from the TXCC, my platelets were only 87,000!! I was so devastated! This marked the 3rd postponement for this procedure! I was in a horrible mood, questioning if God was trying to tell me something but even more so, I was left to wonder what is going on with my platelets!? My Oncologist tripled my dosage of steroids in the past couple of months and my platelets are still inconsistent. This news from the nurse was THE LAST THING I expected to hear!

I moped around Tuesday evening, quiet and disgusted. I awoke Wednesday morning and headed to go clean my friend's house. I listened to "Desert Song" (by HILLSONG) 4 times in a row, I could feel God's gentle presence grow as I sang praise to Him. By the time I got to my job, I was at total peace inside of myself. God is still sovereign and nothing ever surprises Him the way it can me.

I phoned the Orthopedist's office as well as the Day Surgery place to make sure that my results had been faxed over and to confirm that I wasn't going to be able to have the surgery, once again. To make a long story short, after several phone calls and my orthopedist feeling totally at ease to do the procedure with my platelets at 87,000 I was still on the schedule. Even better though, I had told God that it as all up to Him. If we got the green light I was fine and if it was postponed, I was fine with that too. I had been in my ugly mood for about 18 hours but God just patiently waited it out with me and once I stopped focusing on me and instead, focused on Him, my mood lightened! Isn't our God awesome?

Yesterday morning, Dave took me to Baylor Day Surgicare and VOILA, the fragments that have been floating around in my knee are gone. I was prepped and all of the preliminary details tended to and Dave got to come back and wait with me. I remember them giving me some medication in my IV, Dave kissing me, they wheeled me out and into OR 3. Then I vaguely remember a blue mask over my face. The next thing I knew, I was in recovery and coughing myself awake.

I was home by noon after getting my prescription and Dave getting himself some lunch to bring home. I was tired yesterday and dozed a bit off and on. The Orthopedist had injected pain killer before I left surgery and so last night, before bed, I took 2 of my prescribed painkillers. I had some twinges but it really wasn't hurting. I just wanted to ensure a good night's sleep. The good thing is that my anasthesia (sp?)headache is gone this morning, I am still coughing a bit and clearing my throat to get the traces of it out of my system.

They sent me home with these crutches but in all truthfulness, my knee isn't hurting as bad as you might think. I have always known I have a high tolerance for pain so maybe that's part of it as well. I hobbled up the stairs yesterday with them but I plan on staying home today. I am just going to relax and piddle around.

Part of my day, the VERY best part of my day will be spending time with the Lord and thanking Him for his unending faithfulness to me, no matter how ugly my mood gets!



A PRAYER REQUEST
My 26 year old daughter Jessica is having a spinal tap this morning at 10:30. She has been diagnosed with excess fluid on her brain (Empty Cella Syndrome) and this procedure is still a part of the evaluation process. Please pray for her, she's nervous and fearful. We are believing that everything will go smoothly today, no complications from the procedure and that her recovery will be complete and fast. We are also praying that this will relieve some of the pressure which has been causing her horrible migraine headaches. We are thankful that this will give her Neuroligist a better window into the best way to treat her.

Kit Kat's Birthday

SWEET TART'S BIRTHDAY

Sweet Tart's Birthday

JENNIFER'S BABY SHOWER

Since Jessica knew that she and Jelly Bean were flying up for the girlies birthday party, she decided to throw an impromptu baby shower for Jennifer that same day. She asked my best friend Brenda if she minded hosting it at her house and as usual, my bestest, most gracious friend, said YES! We had a nice brunch and Jennifer received a lot of boy clothes getting them off to a great start.

Jessica with another one of my dearest and best friends, Lois.


Brenda with my sister-in-law Peggy. If Peggy is anywhere around, laughter is SURE to follow!


Brenda and I, she's the sister I never had growing up.


Yummy brunch.


Jennifer opening some of her gifts.


The blue baby blanket that I made for our first grandson. Even before we had confirmation, I felt that God was leading me to make it in blue and so I stepped out in faith.


Dave's contribution to our new grandson!


Jennifer and Jessica with my biological dad. The rest of my family has also enjoyed the benefits and blessings that come from wholeness since God has healed the relationship between him and I.



With my 2 beautiful daughters!


But wait! We're missing another beautiful daughter! Here we are holding a photo of Laura since she was unable to make it!

DANCING GIRL

GOT JET LAG?

Actually, I am rarin' to go since my quick get away weekend. I flew in last night and got home a little after 9PM. I threw in a load of laundry after unpacking and putting my stuff away. I was in bed by 10PM on the nose! Of course I was wide awake at 4 AM, seriously considered getting up to finish my laundry but reconsidered it, since it was nice to just lie in bed next to my Sweetie.

Today is filled with errands, catching up, pre-surgery preparations as well as cleaning a house for one of my clients. Tonight, I'll sit down and watch last week's episode of LOST so that I am all caught up.

I arrived Wednesday evening in St Louis where Jennifer, Corey and the girlies met me at the airport! They were so excited and were dancing around while I was walking towards them. It sure made this GIGI's heart smile. I don't get to spend as much time with them as Jelly Bean so when I can get that kind of enthusiasm, it makes me happy!

One day, we went to Miss Aimee B's Tea Room in historic downtown St Charles. We had a "fancy" lunch, just us girls. Jennifer and I had Quiche with Waldorf Salad and the girlies had a fruit and cheese tray with muffins.






After we ate our lunch, our waitress brought the girlies out a slice of birthday cake with a candle and the whole restaurant sang them "Happy Birthday".




After some shopping, we headed home, all tuckered out.

PASSAGES

Some of you will understand where this is coming from because you have been here. For others, well indulge me if you would please.

I have been a Mom for over 31 years now. In many ways that is what has defined me. Yes I am a child of the King but wife and mother, those are my job titles. They really aren't jobs, they're blessings but let's face it Moms, it's HARD work being a Mom! It's hard physically, emotionally and spiritually! Yesterday I crept one step closer to closing the door on this season of my life. I have been blessed with 4 children. I have 3 beautiful daughters and the baby of the family is my handsome son, Charles.


He turned 18 in October and will be graduating from high school June 5th. Yesterday I took him to go get his driver's license. He was very nervous and I asked him, if he would like me to pray over him which I did. I had been praying for him all morning but that was just my morning quiet time praying. He passed with flying colors! After completing the paperwork and the photo taking, we returned to school where we got him his parking pass for the parking lot.

Every other day, he has early release and so does his best friend Brandon who practically lives at our house. I had tons of errands to get done since I am flying out tonight on my getaway to St Louis. We both walked out the door together, me to run to the grocery store, him to pick up Brandon at school.



I looked at him, no longer my little boy but a grown man and tears came to my eye.


I reached up to him, patted his cheeks and told him to PLEASE be careful. Then I watched yet another piece of my heart drive down the street, away from me, all by himself. I have had to deal with many painful things in my life but there is nothing like the pain that comes from releasing your children and watching them fly on their own strength. Strength that you have given them, instilled in them, spoken and prayed over them their whole lives long. It's the way it is supposed to be, raising children is a lifelong process of releasing them. Not too soon and not holding on too tight. Still, it's ripping my heart out to know that my job as a Mom is nearly complete.

Sigh...where have the years gone. It went by in the blink of an eye!

TEXAS TWO STEP

Last night, the local news reported that the fireball in the sky that Dave & I saw on Sunday was actually a meteorite. In today's world, I am kind of suspicious about the government and wonder if this is some kind of a cover up or the real deal. It's probably on the up and up but you never know? I must have watched seen way too many "X-Files" episodes (which we did by the way!) This is the report from the news.

Tomorrow evening I am flying to St Louis to spend a couple of days with our oldest daughter Jennifer and to celebrate "Kit-Kat's" and "Sweet-Tart's" birthdays with a party Saturday evening. Jessica and "Jelly Bean" are flying up Friday night and on Saturday morning, Jessica is having a little shower for Jennifer and Baby Joel. Then the 3 of us fly back to Dallas on Sunday night. I am looking forward to a little "big girl" getaway. It's been over a year since I've flown back to St Louis without Dave. I'll be sure to take LOTS of pictures. Oh, that reminds me, I need to recharge my camera batteries! Thanks!

I have lots to do today, the least of which is taking Charlie in for his driver's exam so he can get his license. He's very nervous but I told him ,
"If you can pass your dad's requirements, you'll do fine!"
(Dave used to be a defensive driving instructor for the Railroad.) Besides, I have had encounters with Texas drivers and apparently they'll give a license to anybody!

Okay, gotta boot scoot here and get going!

FIREBALL

UPDATED WITH YOUTUBE VIDEO BELOW!

Thanks to Jeff McCord who left me a comment and made me aware that it was caught on film around Austin!


ANOTHER CLIP, THIS ONE FROM THE LOCAL NEWS.

This morning, Dave & I were talking in the car as we headed home from church. Suddenly I yelled,
"What IS that?"

Streaking through the sky in the bright sunlight was a ball of fire resembling a meteor. In all honesty, I thought it was a plane or something crashing to earth. I waited for the big fireball to appear and it never did. We speculated whether it was fireworks, a meteor, a plane crash and so on. It was the largest thing we had ever seen in the sky and can only imagine how bright it would have been if it had been spotted at night. I probably would have thought we were under a terrorist attack in all truthfulness if it had been at night! Remember, we received shuttle debris when Columbia blew up over North Texas several years ago. I have been checking the news sites and I finally found confirmation as to what we saw. This is from the Dallas Morning News.


North Texans among those sighting fireballs speeding toward Earth

03:15 PM CST on Sunday, February 15, 2009

By RUDOLPH BUSH / The Dallas Morning News

Fiery debris from satellites has been tumbling through the Texas sky on Sunday, leading to public reports from Dallas to Austin of fireballs with smoky trails speeding toward Earth.

The Federal Aviation Administration has issued a warning to pilots to be aware of satellite debris falling to the Earth.

Roland Herwig, southwest region FAA spokesman, said that the debris is from a falling satellite but could not directly link it to the reported collision of Russian and U.S. communications satellites.

“It’s yet to be proved it’s those satellites,” he said.

Doug Schmidt of Richardson was driving south on Central expressway near the George Bush Turnpike around 11 a.m. Sunday when he saw a flash of light in the sky.

“It was like a ball of flame with a tail. It looked like a meteor,” he said.

Reports of falling debris have been as widespread as New Mexico. Dozens of reports have come into Waco and Austin, according to published reports.

So far, there have been no reports of injury to people or damage to property as a result of the falling debris

Herwig said that the FAA has warned pilots nationwide to beware, although it appears sightings have been limited to the Southwest.

The Russian and U.S. satellites smashed together over Siberia on Tuesday, scattering debris 300 to 800 miles through space.




FROM THE LOCAL NEWS LAST NIGHT!

SHOW AND TELL FRIDAY

Show and Tell Fridays are hosted by Kelli. Each week we share some of our favorite treasures. Join in and play along!


Today I am sharing these glass serving dishes. I have said before that I love this older stuff and that I am always on the prowl for useful stuff at the antique stores.

I got this first green dish a couple of years ago. I got it for $3 and I immediately saw the potential for it to be a relish tray, serving up olives. I love the color green and the design in the glass. I wish there were some kind of markings on it so I could research it.


When my best friend Brenda was down visiting in December we hit an antique mall. Look at what I found! It's the same serving piece only in gold! This one was a bit pricier but I KNEW I had to have it! Can't you just picture cranberries in it? I am wondering if there are any other colored pieces out there?


At the same time I also found this small piece. It almost looks like it could have been manufactured by the same company. I think it would be pretty to have a candle in it or to use it to serve after dinner mints. Have any of you seen any of these pieces before? I would welcome any info anyone might have!

WHAT WILL THEY THINK UP NEXT?

So, have you heard about this latest scam? Most of us are pretty civic minded and scammers are counting on just that! They are calling people and telling them that they have failed to appear for jury duty and that there is now an arrest warrant out for them. They ask for your Social Security Number and before you know it, you're a victim of identity theft! Here's the link for the FBI's official statement. Gee whiz!


I was given this award by Raggedy Girl and I am just now getting around to thank her for it. I have just recently been cruising her blog, check it out and leave her some love.


I am sharing my Mother in Law's Goulash recipe. I will share my own recipe for "traditional" goulash that I make and serve over spaetzle, in the next couple of days.

"Kathy's Goulash"

1-1 1/2 pounds of ground beef
1/2 onion, chopped
1/2 green pepper, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
Lg can, tomato juice
1 can tomato soup
1 can diced tomatoes
1/2 tsp. seasoned salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 Tbl. chili powder
7-9 oz. elbow macaroni
shredded cheddar cheese

Brown hamburger with onions, green pepper and celery until vegetables are softened. Add garlic and cook a couple of minutes more, drain grease and place in crock pot.

Add remaining ingredients except noodles and cheese. Cook on low heat *8 hours. About 30 minutes before serving, cook noodles to al dente and drain. Place in crock pot, they will absorb some of the liquid. Serve and sprinkle with cheese. This serves about 8 people. This recipe is usually rounded off with salad, corn and garlic bread.

Her recipe is more like a regional favorite I grew up with: Mostcacolli. It's funny, growing up in St Louis, that dish is a staple at EVERY family gathering from funerals to weddings!

UNOFFICALLY IT'S "CONNIE DAY"

Yipee, no work today, no errands that HAVE to be done, it's simply a day to do whatever I wish! I am going to scrapbook and run down to KOHL's. Maybe I'll even spend my gift card I got for Christmas. I am going to put dinner on in the crock pot since it's "LOST" night. Laura and Les now come over for dinner on Wednesdays and we watch the show together. Well, last week Les fell asleep on the couch so we'll see.

My Mother-in-Law would have been the first to admit she didn't like to cook and when she did, it mostly left a lot to be desired. Having said that, there are a couple of recipes that I have gotten from her that are favorites of Dave's (and me too). The first one is her Macaroni Salad but tonight I am making her "Goulash". Now growing up with a Momma from Germany I know what goulash is and what it isn't. This recipe isn't, which is why I call it "Kathy's Goulash". She gave me the ingredients and I came up with the amounts, tweaking it until it got Dave's approval. I remember after Kathy passed away, we went home to St Charles and I made a big pot of her goulash for dinner one night. (Dave asked his dad first if it was alright with him and it was.) I like to simmer it in the crock pot all day long, add my cooked noodles, make a salad and cheesy garlic bread.

I'm off to brown my hamburger and throw it all together. Today will be a VERY good day!

BLAH, BLAH, BLAH...

I am such an exciting person, I know! I have a full day ahead of me what with a housecleaning job, picking Charles up from school by 2:15, taking him for a haircut (he's trying to get a job), grocery shopping, cooking dinner and straightening up the house. Notice I didn't say vacuuming the house because I haven't gotten my RAINBOW back yet! GRRR!

I checked in on Jelly Bean last night and she was a bundle of energy! You would never guess that kid has her tonsils out yesterday! Jessica said they had to keep reminding her to rest and take it easy. Ah, the joys of youth!

On the 17th, Jessica has a consult with a specialist for her MRI results. She has 2 areas of concern, one is the pituatary gland and the other is a build up of fluid on her brain. Once that happens, we'll know a bit more about the problem as well as the best course of treatment. My knee surgery is back on the books for Feb 26th. Please keep Jessica in your prayers and pray that my platelets remain at a good level so that my surgery will continue on as planned.

Next week, I am flying back to St Louis for a quick couple of days to spend time with "Kit-Kat" and "Sweet-Tart" for their birthdays. I'll also get to love on my oldest daughter, their Mommy Jennifer. Jessica and "Jelly Bean" are flying up as well and Jessica is throwing a little impromptu baby shower for Jennifer and Baby Joel Michael. I'll also get to visit with my family which will be wonderful!

That's the news here, nothing earth shattering, which is most welcome!

JELLY BEAN

UPDATED!! (With Pictures!)
Jelly Bean sailed through her surgery, awoke with some pain and confusion but after some pain meds was doing MUCH better. She was released by 9:30 and was soon crashed in the living room!



This morning, Jelly Bean is having her tonsils and adenoids removed. My best friend Lynette (who used to babysit her when Jessica was a single mom) is coming with me. When I last spoke to "The Bean" she told me she was bringing her stuffed bear and her "GIGI Blanket". This is the baby blanket I made for her when Jessica was pregnant with her. I am currently working on a blue one for Baby Joel and I'll be bringing it with me to work on while we wait. The other thing Jelly Bean said, was she asked me if I would put her hair in 'GIGI Braids" before she goes back for her surgery. I have french braided a LOT of hair in my many years of being a Mommy and now a GIGI.

What's a GIGI to say to that request except,
"ABSOLUTELY!"

Soon, these suckers will be history!


I'll check back in later with an update!


These are BS (Before Surgery!)

Little girl in a really big bed! She decided to bring her blankie from Auntie Lou to keep her warm!


Mommy putting on her brave face while inside she was nervous!


Jelly Bean and I, after getting her "GIGI Braids".


My best friend Lynette wanted to come out for her surgery too! We were the cheer leading section!


These are AS (After Surgery). It's amazing how an orange popsicle and a little morphine makes everything better!


Jelly Bean and brave Mommy!


Daddy's girl!


Pimp My Ride!


What a L-O-N-G Morning!




The drugs have kicked in and she's getting a bit loopy!

SHOW AND TELL FRIDAY

UPDATE:
The work crew arrived at 9AM to begin the work of replacing our Air Conditioner and Furnace. 10 hours later they finally left! I felt really bad for them because it was a BEAR wrestling the old furnace out of the utility room. I am happy to say though that our new unit is BEAUTIFUL. Bring on summer, I am ready for it now! Bwah-ha-ha!

Show and Tell Fridays are hosted by Kelli. Each week we share some of our favorite treasures. Stop by and play along!


Today I am posting some signs that are hanging on the wall leading from our kitchen into the "Morning Room".


I found this one on the far left at Hobby lobby. I thought it was pretty humorous.


The Hostess Twinkie sign is a reproduction that I found at ROSS for $2.99. It's even rusted on the edges to make it look authentic.


I just found this one at an antique mall in December. While it's not an antique, the colors go well in my kitchen and it's pretty true! After all, I tend to have teenage boys grazing through my kitchen at any given hour!


These 2 are my favorites. We are from St. Charles, MO; a town that is rich in history. Lewis and Clark departed from here on their journey to find the Northwest Passage! The old Main Street area of St. Charles is right on the Missouri River and many of the brick, colonial style houses date back to the 1700's. The other sign that hangs here I had made especially for my kitchen. Since my grandkids all call me GIGI, it was perfect!


I enjoy the rustic and the farmhouse look a lot. Hope you enjoyed peeking inside my kitchen!

THE MONEY TREE

Wouldn't it be great if you could plant a quarter in the dirt and a money tree would grow? Since that isn't very likely, I put that nonsense right out of my mind and resign myself to the old adage of,
"when it rains it pours".

Last summer in the midst of our lovely Texas heat, Dave and I came to the inevitable conclusion that we were going to have to replace our 16 year old Air Conditioning system. When we had our Double-Wide built, we were living in southern Colorado.In spite of the fact that everyone there uses "swamp coolers" we told our salesman that we wanted A/C. He looked at us like we had lobsters growing out of our heads until we explained to him that with Dave's job, it wasn't a certainty we'd be STAYING in Colorado. Sure enough, within 4 months of our house being delivered and set up, Dave got the promotion that brought us to Texas! We never would've dreamed we'd have been here after 16 years but once HQ moved down here, we began to see the writing on the wall.

The Texas heat (and fire ants) can wreak havoc on an A/C unit. We've been fortunate that the fire ants haven't taken over our yard and set up housekeeping around the outside unit but that's due to having a pest company out here every 3 months spraying for everything from fire ants to black widows to roaches that are so big that they wear 10 gallon hats and shout "howdy y'all" before they scamper off! (Right Jessica?)

We made the decision to have the system changed out in February when it was slower and incentives would be better. The last thing you want is to not have your A/C when you really need it and since we have had to turn it on in MARCH(!) before, this was really the best timing. Long story short, they're supposed to be here tomorrow to do the work.

No sooner than the decision was made, our microwave "gave up the ghost". Remember my "car-sliding-down-the-driveway" story? The next thing to go kaput was my Rainbow Vacuum Cleaner. Actually it was the pivot arm assembly on the power broom but regardless, it ain't working right! I have had to use my cr*ppy Dirt Devil work vac that I keep out in my car. Sorry if I've offended any of you "Dirt Devil die-hards" but once you have had a Rainbow, you'll never go back! I'm waiting for the call that tells me that it's ready and I can come get it, I hope it's soon! As effective as that Dirt Devil is, I might as well not bother! All it seems to do is push the dirt from one spot to another!

The last thing to snatch money out of our pockets was the computer. Charlie was working on his college application the other night when the monitor just went black (sleep mode). I had him hook it up to an old monitor that we still had and it still didn't work. I ran it in Tuesday morning and I just got it back late yesterday afternoon. The video card was replaced and now we are back in business!

It could've been worse but still, where's that money tree when you need it?

MARRIAGE MONDAY

Marriage Monday is a monthly "get together" for Christian women to share their experiences as well as encourage one another in our Christian marriages. This month's topic is the Surprise of Christian Marriage, hosted by Lynn. To participate click here. Fire up your keyboard and tell us something that really rocked your world after you got married. Was it a blessing? Or a disappointment? Was it something you were completely unprepared for? Tell us how you handle the unexpected in your relationship.

Want this button?
For me the true surprise came in the commitment level of my husband Dave. I had been raised by a single mother in the 1960's and didn't have a close relationship with my biological father. That deficit negatively impacted me, in that I had a lot of insecurities and abandonment issues. In my world, if people disagreed with each other, someone was left alone. I had a void, a loneliness within me that I tried to fill with all of the worldly enticements that satan whispered into my ears. I didn't have a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ and was lost in more ways than one.

I became pregnant at 16, got married and had my beautiful daughter Jennifer. By 18 I was a single mother which I took very seriously but there was a wild side to me as well. When Jennifer was with her father on his weekends, I would be partying, getting drunk and living a promiscuous lifestyle. All the while, searching for something, anything to ease my loneliness. I remarried at 20, immediately recognizing that I had done it for all of the wrong reasons. I had another beautiful daughter Jessica, when I was 21 but by 23 I was a single mother once again. Rejection was the re-occurring theme of my life. I had no way of knowing that all of that was about to change.

I surrendered my heart and life to Jesus and let Him begin the monumental task of transforming ashes into beauty. I raised the white flag of surrender when it came to relationships with men. I told God that my judgment was not too be trusted and I would rather raise my girls in a single parent Christian home than in a traditional 2 parent family that didn't have Jesus as Lord. I reminded God that He was a father to the fatherless and that He would have to fill the void for my girls. It wasn't long after I had my epiphany that I met my husband Dave in our church's Singles Sunday School Class. We enjoyed each others company as friends for about 6 months. We were both young in our walk with the Lord and fell in love with one another not long after we officially began to date. It's funny how "together" I thought I was back then compared to what the Lord has walked me through now, all of these years later.

Dave and I had our struggles in our marriage in those early days. He had been a bachelor until he was 31 and was pretty set in his ways. Couple that with the fact that he has a very strong personality, is a perfectionist and is extremely organized, even anal at times. He had never been a father and was thrown into the "deep-end" immediately. I'm sure that given his personality, being married to someone like me was challenging at times. I was insecure, clingy, defensive and skittish. Many times when we would disagree I would think,
"It's only a matter of time and he will leave me too".
I however, had underestimated my man.

Dave's commitment to me, our marriage and our children has been the most wonderful surprise for me. I was surprised that God has given me the grace that He has. I think it's because I see Dave more through God's eyes than my own. He is generous in every sort of way and seeks to be more like Christ in all he says and does. His word is as good as done. He has been more steadfast and loyal than I knew was possible. I have been dealing with a chronic illness for almost 5 years and he has stood by me for every step of the way. In my childhood experiences I didn't have a true definition of marriage. My views and ideals were pretty skewed and off base. In our world we are taught to look out for #1 because if we don't no one else will. That too, has been a surprise for me. In putting each other first, serving one another we have found that marriage isn't a battlefield but a sanctuary. Together, we have shared in the joys of seeing Jennifer & Jessica marry and begin families of their own. Our youngest daughter Laura just married in November and our son Charles is set to graduate high school in June. This year we celebrate our 23rd Anniversary and look forward to many more years of enjoying one another and whatever surprises the Lord has in store for us.