I Was Right!

Friday was a fun night.  I had so much fun with my sister and brother-in-law.  They are awesome people.  My sister treated me to her delicious spaghetti.  I love, love, love her spaghetti.  Heaven!  We wrapped gifts and made them beautiful.  So much fun.  She showed me all the clothes they had purchased for her adorable grand baby.  He is one lucky little man!  He is too little to know it, too.  But I am sure he will figure out just how special his grandparents are in the next several years.  I also got to visit with my favorite German Shephard, Shyanne (Cheyenne?? how the heck do you spell it??)  She is the smartest dog ever, and almost the cutest.       

Today is my last day at work, before the surgery.  It feels like every hour is taking 4 hours to pass.  This is not a busy time of year in an insurance agency.  So I am trying to answer every call since I won't be doing any work for the next 4 weeks.  But at the same time, there is not much sense in starting any "projects".  All in all, it is an odd day to be working.

My worry and stress are still there lurking, but I am dealing with it as it arrives.  Trying not to let it overwhelm me.  Remembering that God is in control, and that he can handle these small things, and any big issues that come up.  Remembering that He is LARGE and IN CHARGE.  Rememebering that I am small and submissive.  God is good. 

I finished 4 projects this weekend.  That is a load off my mind, but I have so many more projects to work on, books to read and relaxing to do for the 4 weeks, that it is almost exciting to think about it!  Ha!  Who ever looked forward to a hysterectomy?

Maybe I will make a little journal to write down my thoughts and feelings and observations to share with you after the big event.  I won't be able to post for a month, so I will keep track and then read them after and decide if there was anything worth sharing.  Maybe some brilliant thought or observation will emerge.  I will miss this blogging thing for some reason.  I am not sure why.  But rambling about my thoughts and feelings and activities is cathartic or something important, because I keep doing it!

So merry Christmas, and happy New Year to all 3 or 4 of you that read this regularly, and to any other random individual that stumbles across this blog.  God bless you all!   

Fun Night!

Tonight I am going to hang out with my sister at her house.  Why don't we do that more, Deb?  I guess life just keeps us busy and we forget to spend time together.  Not good.

She just had surgery on her neck and has a ton of gifts to wrap since she can't really move her head and neck around much.  So I am going to help her wrap her Christmas gifts.  Did you know that I LOVE to wrap gifts?  I LOVE IT!!  I use way too much tape and I care deeply about each gift looks.  That is a part of your gift after all... the wrapping needs to be beautiful!

I hope you get to have some fun wrapping, and bonding with your sister.  This will be my first wrapping of the year.  I have not wrapped even ONE gift this year!  Gasp!  It is already 12/17!!  I need to wrap at least one  before I go to Owasso tonight!  Looking forward to this evening if you cant tell.  I love my sister a lot and we don't get to spend much time together.  Usually when we see each other there are 15 other family members around.  She is a wonderful person, with a beautiful heart.  Spending time with her is a GIFT!

Enjoy your weekend.  Monday will be my last day at work before surgery and I don't know if I will have time to post.  Since the computer is fried at home, I won't be able to post for quite a while.  I'll miss you blog-world!  

Frito Pie

Here is a bit of random-ness for you.  Frito Chili pie for dinner tonight at church.  Come join us for yummy meal and a little heartburn on the side.  29th & Yale Church of Christ in Tulsa, OK. 

Also, our class subject is:  Opening a Can of Worms.  I wonder what worm we will examine tonight?  We turned in Bible questions and each question will be addressed this quarter in class.  Last week's question was a bit deep for me.  I submitted 3 questions.  I think I already know 2 of the answers, but one of them is a very good question.

Anyway, join us if you can, or if you want to.   There is a serious TON of chili.

Late Breaking News!

I just had to go rescue Jacob.  He had truck trouble driving from Tech, in Sand Springs to the house.  The rim on Kim's Ford split like a bagel and the tire blew out.  The brake pads (that he just put on last week) were gouged by the rotor.  {insert deep sigh here).

He had a flat last week, so we were already planning to replace that tomorrow.  Pay day.  So now we need a new rim, 2 tires and brake pads.  We will be buying used tires and rim.  Fortunately Jacob gets a discount at NAPA because he is a Tech student.  So the pads are just about $20.  Goodness.  There goes another $100 and any dreams of repairing my computer this year. {One more deep sigh}.

My beloved sister likes to remind me that what does not kill you makes you stronger.  I am going to be very, very strong in 2011.  

Most importantly, Jacob is safe.  God is good.  A special thank you to Jacob's guardian angel for being "on the job" during our crisis.   

Thanks Honey!

My husband dusted all the furniture for me yesterday.  That was an additional item off my list!  Woo hoo!  Thanks, Kim!  I cleared the clutter off the dining room table.  So two things off my list.  Jacob does not work tonight, so I can have him move the stove and the fridge away from the wall and clean under those tonight.

Remember back (come back with me) when you were pregnant?  Were you one of those "nesters"?  Shortly before my due date, I found myself on my hands and knees, scrubbing the baseboards with a toothbrush.  If you did not know me then, I was huge.  A whale!  Jacob was a very large baby and I am not a tiny girl, by any means!  Crawling around the living room behind the furniture was not a pretty picture!  Ha!

Anyway, that is sort of how I feel now.  Like I need to prepare the nest!  My sister says she did the same thing before her recent surgery.  Maybe it is just something women do before they go to the hospital????

I need to get some books to read.  I am stocking up on yarn for knitting projects, but I desperately need something to read.  I hate to go to the library since getting the books back will involve me asking someone else to take them back for me.  Me asking for a favor is difficult.  Yes, another personality flaw that I could stand to get rid of.  I still have a hard time thinking that that sort of attitude is bad.  Self reliance, and independence are good qualities, right?  I guess that is not always true.

OK, so one week out from the surgery.  This week will fly by. 

Clean! Outside and In.

Don't you love it when your house is really clean?  You know, the deep stuff!  Not when you ran through with the vacuum and the dust cloth, but the really clean stuff!

Saturday I had plans so I did not get to do my usual house cleaning (not even a run through!).  So yesterday (Sunday) afternoon after lunch I got into my kitchen and really cleaned good!  I cleaned the stove, and the oven, inside and out.  I cleaned the fronts of the cabinets and the counters with Clorox cleanup.  I also cleaned the outside of the fridge, whew, the top was filthy!  I scrubbed the floor, too. I need to clean inside the fridge and under the fridge and stove now.  Yuck, I hate doing that.  But it needs to be done.

I also have to dust all the furniture, unclutter the dining room table, and scrub my bathroom.  Then I can have my surgery knowing that my house is just as clean as it can reasonably be.  That will be a good feeling. I hope I can get it done!

I should pay so much attention to my heart.  It needs some deep cleaning too.  I need to throw out some old resentments and some nasty habits.  I could clean off my generosity and my kindness.  They get dusty and grimey from sitting around unused.  I could stand to get rid of gossip and lying.  I am often discontent with my life, I complain and whine a lot, and I that could be swept right into the trash.  I could make room for more of the good stuff, like love, family, caring and fun.  Maybe even some new stuff like, contentment and satisfaction and even adventure!  I wish it was that easy.  Don't you? 

Haaathchooo! Hatchoo, hatchoo, hatchoo........

You get the idea.  I believe I have my first cold of the season!  Oh goody!  Of course I sneeze a lot anyway.  I am almost legandary for my sneezing, but now it is just ridiculous.  Rats.  I need to get this wrapped up before my surgery on the 21st because sneezing after abdominal surgery is not fun.

Still trying to finish up some projects, one is mostly done, one is complete and one is ready to start.  Then I just need to do about 6 others.  I think i can do that...  right...  who am I kidding?  Some people will get their gifts after the holiday this year.  That is just how it is.

I have been telling my customers at work "Merry Christmas" for a little over a week now as they leave, but it still does not seem like Christmas yet.  I wonder when it will sink in?  Perhaps when I decorate?  I seem to have sailed right past decorating, and it has left a hole in my holiday.

Next issue, does anyone have any hot tips for dealing with stress and worry?  I am trying to remember to pray, but sometimes I get busy worrying and forget.  How dumb is that?  The one sure fire cure to my problem of worrying, and I am too busy worrying to do it.  Ha!  That is so who I am!  I believe I just answered that question myself.  So, next would be, how do you "remind" yourself to pray, instead of worrying?

Lastly, just this.  Hatchooo, hatchoo, hatchoo, hatchoo, hatchoo, hatchoo!

Cruddiness, Creativity, and Gratitude...

What a stinky time to have my computer down.  Ugh!  Just can't seem to find the spare funds to take it in.  There is always something else that needs money thrown at it first.

On the non-cruddy front. Creatvity!  I have been knitting...  a scarf...  a new design for my bags.  You cant see it yet, mostly because I cant upload pix from work, but also because one of you just might, maybe, possibly, find it wrapped with your name on it for a special festive event that is coming in a few weeks.  :o)

Feeling pretty thoughtful lately, and grateful.  I think of this as a time of year to reflect on what makes me feel blessed.  I was reminded Sunday, by a friend who led our congregation in the communion service that we are very blessed to have a savior who takes the burden of our sin away from us.  I am so very humbled that he chose to die, so that I don't have to be chained up by my stupid mistakes and poor decisions.  Thank you, thank you, thank you, for that amazing gift!  And I apologize sincerely, for dragging my problems along with me and feeling miserable, when you have offered to cover them with your precious blood.  What an insult to You!   I think there must be a fine line between acting like you are not responsible for your actions, and shedding the burden that they are to your heart and spirit.  I want people to know that I am sorry for my poor choices, but I don't want to be chained by them any more.  Take them, take them, please.  And thanks again!

And please forgive me for posting from work....  :o)