A Pleasant Surprise!

My hubby took me clothes shopping the other day. Yes, you heard that right. Clothes shopping!!!! I had lost some weight due to my tonsillectomy and my pants were literally falling off of me. He couldn't stand it anymore, so he told me he wanted to go get me a new pair of jeans. After taking me to two different stores, we finally found a pair that would work. Before we went to pay, he suggested I find a shirt, too. Then I found a cute skirt I liked. Oh my! He was so generous and sweet. He even refused to let me use my mad money!

So the above picture is me in my new long skirt. I LOVE long skirts. I'm crazy about them! We live in a very windy region and I feel very "safe" in these. They are modest and I feel very feminine in them. I like to dress up even if I never leave the house. I feel better when I am "put together" for my husband when he is home.

Here is the shirt and jeans he gave me. I just loved how vintage, wispy and light it looked. I also really liked the colors. Lily and Jess LOVED it when I came home to show them.

After clothes shopping, he took me to lunch. After 16 years, this man is truly figuring out how to romance his woman. I never thought it would be this way. It is so nice to be able to go on dates now. Having a 13 year old has truly made a difference. As the children get older, I think it is going to be easier to focus more on each other.

Thanks, Steve! You made my day!

REAL Snow Cones and My Musings

 Jessica wanted to take advantage of all our ice and snow and make REAL snow cones.

 We gathered snow. Notice she is getting where everyone has been walking? Ugh! I kept telling her to go someplace new, but she wouldn't listen. Oh well!

 Steve had bought them some cheap pop at the Dollar Store. A real treat, since Mom never lets them by it.

I also gave them permission to use my espresso syrups to pour over it. I think it was probably too sweet. Andrew was not impressed. They all seemed to agree that pop was best.

Now, if I would have had blue raspberry syrup or bubblegum, I probably would have partaken. That is about the only snow cone I will ever eat.

I can't believe how much fun we are having as a family. The movies stay are staying off most of the time, and we are playing game after game of Trouble with the little ones. Reading so many books, I'm afraid I'm going to get the vocal nodules back! I am seriously losing my voice over it. I have a hard time saying no when they bring a book to me. I LOVED reading as a child. We lived on a ranch and didn't have TV growing up. We read, we played, we read and we played.

Tonight, the kids were playing freeze tag (a little loud when we are in the house). I sent them outside and they were still playing it in the freezing rain, ice and snow. I couldn't believe it! I'm not hearing, "Can we watch a movie?" nearly as much anymore. Even Steve seems to be watching less. Steve and I love playing Scrabble together when he is not working. I love doing this because he has never been much of a game person.

I'm just having so much fun spending time with my children. I am enjoying them more than ever. I don't know if it is because they are getting older or I am less distracted by the internet, books, and other media. I am loving it though!

Ice Storm and My Musings

I haven't seen ice like this since '96, the year after hubby and I got married. Wow! I am so thankful that Canon gave me a new camera and I was able to take pictures of it. Was finding it really hard to blog without my camera.

The handles of my wheel barrel planter.

LOL! Look at the poor trampoline. I can't believe my baling twine fix has held this thing together! The whole bottom of it looks like it is about to split in two. Ice is heavy!

With sadness I saw that my beautiful cherry tree on the wall had the largest top branch broken off. Hoping I can figure out how to shape it so it will look good come spring.

There's the break. No wonder, look at all that ice!

Jessica loved breaking off the ice and eating it.

 When it started melting, I told the kids to keep out from under the trees. It is like shards of glass when those icicles dropping off.

 Josh in his shorts. Yes, he is crazy! I really do think he has something against pants. Here he is feeding the goats.

It was so thick, even I could stand on top of the snow crusted with ice!

The poor van has been crusted over with ice for days. Our driveway is such a mess, we could barely get the old Suburban out. We ended up parking it in the middle, halfway up the driveway so no one could get down and get stuck, and so we could get out. As you can imagine, Steve has been on a bunch of overtime with all the wrecks and power lines being down. The older people keep falling and breaking hips. I wish people would just stay indoors. It isn't worth it!

I was scheduled for oral surgery on Friday, but that got rescheduled because of the ice. This left us with getting four days of homeschooling done, which felt good because all the public school kids were out four out of the five days this week, due to MLK Day and snow days.

The boy's Christian sports program, A.C.T.S. was cancelled today. Jessica's last basketball game and sadly her pizza party were cancelled as well. They are all a little bummed, but I am enjoying NOT running kids around. This has left me time to catch up on my blogging, make some yummy meals, and to mend my husband's grandmothers quilt.

We saw "Courageous" yesterday. WELL DONE!!! I would recommend it to anyone! It covered a gamut of themes and had some very good points.

Our reading time is interesting. I only have two children that are wanting to hear the story. Not sure what I'm supposed to do about that? Should I force the other ones to stay and hear, or let them go play? Just curious as to what others do.

Snow Sculptures and Chapter Books

 We finally got some snow! I guess making a snowman was not challenging enough, so they made sculptures  snow women. I was impressed at the level of detail they went into. Josh's had a lady holding a Bible. We all thought her nose was a bit interesting, but a good job none-the-less. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder!

 Here is Lily checking out Josh's lady.

Marcus couldn't figure out how to make the arms on his. I told him to give her a smooch for the camera. He actually did!

Alas, it is starting to melt now. I can't believe how much more laundry there is to do when it snows. It can be quite overwhelming.

Instead of turning on a movie last night, we started reading "Summer of the Monkeys". I was a bit worried about how I could get the little ones to be quiet and listen, so I allowed them to bring their Legos out and play with them as they listened. It worked great! I am determined to start reading chapter books to them. I know, it is pathetic that I haven't made this a priority. Honestly, I just haven't had the patience for it. Every time I would try to get the little ones to settle down, I would get more impatient and frustrated. It ended up not being what I envisioned. Now that Lily is almost three, I'm trying it again. After "Summer of the Monkeys", I plan on reading a "Hank the Cowdog" book and then start on the "Little House on the Prairie" books again. It is hard to find books that 13 years old boys to 3 year old girls enjoy!

Grateful

How can I thank the Lord? How can I tell Him how grateful I am for so many things in my life? I have to start somewhere...

1) Grateful that homeschooling is going so well. We have been consistent and the children are moving forward in their studies. I am seeing some improvement in their writing, spelling and reading. Math even seems like it is moving right along.

2) Grateful that I get to homeschool my kids.  I live in a state with very few rules about it. I don't have to come up with portfolios, syllabuses, attendance, attach myself to a charter school or come up with official lesson plans. I don't even have to test every year! What a blessing. It makes it easier to relax and to teach my children at a pace that they seem comfortable in.

3) Grateful for positive changes in my marriage. Steve and I are working together towards a common goal of raising these children in the admonition of the Lord. We are having regular family devotion times and the kids are learning lessons from both of us as we both do the teaching.

4) Grateful for the "Help Me Be Good" book series by Joy Berry. I bought all 27 books for the younger children for Christmas. I find them everywhere! I think they like these books because they can relate to the struggle that other children experience in trying to behave. It isn't necessarily Christian literature, but the principles in the book are very much indeed what Jesus preaches. I, of course, interject "How would Jesus handle that?" and stuff like that. I read about four a day. They bring them to me all the time and I have seen many positive changes in their behavior. It is nice to be able to refer back to a particular book if I am seeing some attitudes that need to change.

5) Grateful that my body seems to be mending and my health, in general, is good. My hubby bought me an exercise machine and I can't wait to use it. I am a fair-weather exerciser, so it will be good to get on that thing and work my stress out as I listen to some good worship songs with lots of Scripture.

6) Grateful that the two older boys came back from Junior High Camp with wonderful stories about new friendships and lots of attitude changes. I think the sessions must have been powerful! God is good and continues to reveal Himself to my children. My Marcus, was having a hard time the other day with friendships and he knew where to go when he was hurting. He read straight through the book of James and told me about it afterwards. It was so encouraging to know that he ran to God before he even ran to me! Praise the Lord!!!

7) Grateful for family and friends who love and support our family. It is comforting knowing that almost all of our extended family are Christians. I know many do not have that kind of support. I don't want to take it for granted. I have also surrounded myself with friends who will call me out and keep me accountable in my walk with Jesus.

8) Grateful for heat! It was 24 degrees two nights ago and the heat pump started acting up. I called the repairman because it was set at 74 degrees but the house was at 62. Brrrrrr! Thankful that it was only $105 to fix the problem. It could have been so much worse.

9) Grateful for a chance to teach "Believing God" for our Women's Sunday school. This is one of my passions. Encouraging women to get in the Word for themselves. Discussing biblical concepts and edifying one another in the Lord are so important to me.

10) Grateful for this blog that allows me "to shout to the nations" what the Lord has done for me!

My Musings

Please pray for me. I am sick with a cold (on top of still healing from my tonsillectomy), and I am tired and I am struggling to have patience with the six blessings that God has given me. Yesterday, I blew it. BLEW IT!!! It was not pretty. I was so convicted and asked God to forgive me for my outburst and my impatience.

Today is a new day and I ask that you would join with me in prayer that although "I am weak, He will be made strong." I have been in the Word everyday and so excited to be teaching a women's Sunday School. We are doing Beth's "Believing God", and I am just astounded to be reminded just how deep my unbelief runs in some areas. I am thrilled to get the chance to not just do this study again, but teach it to other ladies who might struggle in this area of their spiritual lives as well. I feel very connected to the Lord and feel His presence almost constantly. I love to see Him working in our lives and performing small and big miracles that just amaze me!

I am thankful that today is a more mellow day, it consists mainly of homeschooling, chores, a haircut, heat pump being repaired and cooking three healthy meals.  No running kids around to this activity and that activity. Thankfully, those days are reserved for Mondays and Tuesdays. The rest of the week is a lot easier.

I hope to be blogging more often, but my camera is in the shop and I have no pictures to share.

Have a blessed day and thank you as always for your continued prayers for me and the fam!

Back From the Dead- My Musings

What a week and a half! Man, am I glad that is over. Tonsillectomies are NOT fun when you are 36 years old. I do have to say that it was easier than the foot surgery last year (BY FAR). The Doc says I am cured and I also have the added benefit of my arm and shoulder pain leaving. I was finally able to rest like I needed to! So I killed two birds with one stone. I am happy to say good bye to two physical therapy appointments a week. What a blessing!

I am almost back to my old self, despite a sore throat. I even went outside today and fixed the trampoline net!

Something I really learned about myself is that I really do enjoy my role as a wife and a mother. It is so fulfilling. I know that I take being able to stay home and care for my large brood for granted. I want to be more grateful for this privilege.

As usual, when mom is down and out, dad had to pick up the slack. It created tension which came to a boiling point. Instead of being afraid of the conflict, I embraced it and used it as a catalyst to implement some changes. We are both happier for it. I just want to say that conflict in marriage is not always bad. Time + Conflict = Change. And changing we are. It is a good thing.

Something else I was reminded of is just how effective it is to GO to your child instead of YELL at your child to come here or give an instruction one room away. When I had a voice that was barely a whisper, my children actually behaved and listened better. It was amazing! I am trying to form this into a habit. Stop what I am doing, go to the child, touch their shoulder and get them to meet my eyes, then give the instruction in a gentle, yet firm voice. It works, people!

While I was on my sick bed I finished up Beth Moore's newest Bible study, Mercy Triumphs": A Study of James. It was not my favorite because it was more academic, but I did learn some valuable lessons in it. I have volunteered to lead Believing God  for our women's Sunday school class this coming term. I am super-excited to be able to do Believing God: A Fresh Explosion of Faith again. This study moves and shakes you! It will be a perfect wrap up to James.

I am ever grateful for God's Word. I love how God speaks to me through it, affirms the lessons I am learning, and teaches me to love the unlovable. He is so good and gracious to me.

Entitlement Mentality

Dear Mothers,


It is so easy to want a cushy life when it comes to parenting. You want to be served, not the other way around. It is the brackish sin of self-entitlement.

The book, The Age of Opportunity by Paul David Tripp has some wonderful insight to this problem. He says, “I am afraid that many of us live for comfort and bring this entitlement mentality to our parenting. We reason that we have the right to quiet, harmony, peace, and respect, and we respond in anger when we do not get it. Parents who demand comfort, ease, regularity, peace, space, quiet, and harmony will be ill-equipped for this spiritual battle that is raging for our children’s hearts. They will begin to see their child as the enemy, they will begin to fight with him rather than for him, and even worse, they will tend to forget the true nature of the battle and the identity of the real enemy. They will act out of frustrated desire, doing and saying regrettable things, and they will fail to be effective and productive in those strategic moment of ministry in which God has placed them.”

As parents, we are also guilty of having silly expectations when it comes to our children showing us appreciation. We wonder when we are going to get some of the credit for all the sacrificial things that we do for them, such as sitting season after season in snow, rain, wind and heat to watch them play their favorite sport. Will we receive thanks for endless taxiing to this event or that event? Will they come up and give us a joyful hug when we hand them yet another basket of clean laundry? Will they compliment us on cooking thousands of healthy, well-balanced meals throughout their childhood? HELLO! I don’t think so!!!


David Paul Tripp goes on to say, “I cannot tell you how many times I’ve heard parts of this list recited to me by parents, always with the same final punch line. ‘Isn’t about time I get some credit?’ It seems logical, so harmless, so right. Children should appreciate their parents. Yet being appreciated cannot be our goal. When it becomes the thing we live for, we will unwittingly look with hyper-vigilant eyes for appreciation in every situation.

Teenagers don’t often burst in the door at the end of the day and say, ‘Do you know what I was thinking about on the bus ride home today, Mom? I was thinking about how much you and Dad have done for me over the years. You have been with me and for me from the very moment of my life until now. On the bus I was flooded with gratitude and just couldn’t wait to get home and say thank you!’ If this happens to you, erect stones as a lasting memorial, or light an eternal flame!

Very few parents have headed to bed only to hear sobbing coming from their teenage daughter’s bedroom and had this conversation. ‘What’s wrong, Dear?’ ‘Oh, I was just thinking about you and Mom and how unthankful I’ve been. I feel so guilty that I haven’t appreciated you more, and I’ve committed myself to demonstrating that I appreciate you ever day!’ On the contrary, the trend for teenagers is to be much more filled with self-orientation and self-interest than to be filled with an awareness and appreciate of others.

If this is the mentality that parents have, then they will struggle a lot with discouragement and anger during the teen years.”

We need to be asking ourselves these questions:

1. Why am I doing what I am doing?


2. Who am I serving?


3. What are the things that I have come to expect and demand?


4. Whose desires rule the moments of opportunity with my child-God’s or mine?

From One Mom to Another,

God is Carrying Me

I just wanted to thank you all so much for your prayers. So far the tonsillectomy has been successful. The doc said they were not in good shape and I should be feeling much better in a week or two now that they are out.

The surgery went really well. My sis and I got out our Scrabble game after they put in the IV, and had to immediately put it away again. I went right in! Last time I had surgery I had to wait something like 6 hours. It was very nice.

The best way I can describe the way it feels right now is two baseballs covered in sandpaper in the back of my throat. So far there has been little bleeding so I'm being very careful about trying not to clear my throat and cough. Not easy when you have a post nasal drip.

Sleeping and taking my meds has been a challenge. I can't sleep because my throat is so swollen that I immediately start snoring so I can breathe. It wakes me up because it is so painful. So I just take cat naps all day and night long. I'm watching "Biggest Loser" on Netflix Watch Instantly. It is a great series and keeps my mind off of the pain.

I am so thankful for how God is carrying me. I have never counted my blessings as much as I have since this surgery. After having the bunyonectomy (sp?) about the same time last year, this is a walk in the park. So thankful for that reference point. I can walk around and be part of the family even though I can't talk. Lily is a year older, too so that makes it easier.

Pray that the swelling with go down so that I can get more liquids down me. It takes me about two hours to drink a 1/3 of a cup of liquid. I'm starving all the time! LOL! I will probably losing the five pounds that I put on from my foot surgery that I never could seem to lose.

I'm  looking forward to not having sore throats all the time. It was affecting my singing and what I could eat. I really am grateful for having the opportunity to get this done. The icing on the cake is that I don't have to pay a dime for it since we were at 100% on our insurance.

My sis and I have been playing Scrabble a lot. I'm still whipping her even being all doped up on my pain meds! LOL! She is the Yoda of Scrabble. I used to hate playing that game now I love it.

Thanks again for your prayers. God is carrying me and will continue to hold me in the palm of His hand.

Forgiving Our Children

(From the Archives)

Dear Mothers,


Do you ever find yourself taking what your children say to you personally? I find that sometimes I have a really hard time forgiving my children over particular offenses. Especially when they say things like "You hate me!" or "I hate this house!" Those words can make me see RED!!! The book, Good and Angry addresses this very issue.

Scott Turansky and Joanne Miller say this, “Forgiving children doesn’t mean we ignore offenses. Rather, forgiveness opens the door for significant confrontation to take place. Instead of taking the offense personally, you release the emotional intensity so that you can help a child develop character. The fact of the matter is that most kids don’t appreciate the correction and the amazing patience we have as parents. But the lack of gratefulness we receive in this job of parenting doesn’t lessen our task. We must continually correct our kids while looking for ways to do it that they can accept. Plan your comments and present the critique in constructive and gracious ways. Forgiveness frees you from harshness and allows for controlled, consistent training to take place. Tolerance is easier when you don’t have accumulated frustration. Forgiveness allows you to release offenses instead of saving them up.”

I love that! If I’m not emotional about every situation because I’ve taken it personally, I will be less likely to “blow my top” when misbehavior does happen. Instead of trying to control my children with my anger, I will instead be purposeful in my training techniques.

I want to develop this lifestyle of forgiveness. The only way I can do that is through intentional prayer and walking in The Spirit.

Remember that dealing with annoying behavior in children requires a huge amount of patience and forgiveness. They are still on the “assembly line”, they are not adults and yet we expect them to display adult-like maturity at all times. Children will make mistakes and they will NOT always respond well to correction. Mostly, change comes slowly. This gives us many opportunities to practice forgiveness over and over and over again!

From One Mom to Another,

My Christmas Apron and a Surprise Surgery

 Last year my MIL, Ethel, gave me this beautiful vintage-style Christmas apron. Isn't it lovely?

 I wear aprons everyday. It is fun to have one that is just for Christmas baking. I love the red trim and the back is to die for!

 I need to sew up the heart-shaped pocket because my cell phone has made it sag a bit.

 Speaking of Christmas baking, I caved in and did what I swore I would never do. I got the kids another gingerbread house. I shudder when I think of the mess, but they actually didn't do too bad. I am torturing them by making them wait till Christmas to eat it. Hopefully, there will be no cobwebs hanging on it by then! It will be harder than a rock by the time they eat that silly thing.

Everyone seems to be into drawing right now. Nana Diana surprised the kids with some drawing pads and they have gone to town! Jacob and Andrew's drawing has really improved and I love seeing what they are into. They are expanding their interests from just Legos to something else. That is a good thing! It is also hard to fight when you are drawing quietly.

Christmas is almost upon us. I am done with shopping, just need a wrap a few more presents. I am also looking forward to singing in our Christmas Eve service.

I am going to enjoy talking and singing as much as I can this week because next Wednesday I am going in for a tonsillectomy. I am sick of having sore throat after sore throat. I decided to bite the bullet and ask my family to help me while they are on Christmas vacation. They have lovingly and graciously agreed to care for me and the kids so that Steve will not have to take any days off of work. If I can do a bunyonectomy, then I can do a tonsillectomy. My insurance is at a 100% until the end of the year and my doc graciously agreed to squeeze me in at the last minute.

I ask for you to pray for two things:

1. I will not have excessive bleeding (I guess 1 in 25 people have to go back and get cauterized again)

2. I will heal quickly, so that I can start homeschooling within 10 days. I guess talking is NOT something you want to do.

Thank you so much. I value your prayers more than words can say!

Have a Merry Christmas and may the Lord bless you and yours abundantly!

My Musings

(My favorite Christmas decoration. My jewelry tree that my parents made me)

I just haven't felt like blogging much lately. Life has gotten in the way. I'm not going to lie to you, it's been tough.

(My almond biscotti  is my Christmas gift to our parents)

After Grandma Mary died, my husband graciously watched the kids so that I could go to my mom's and help her with the overwhelming task of sorting out Grandma's things. It was so hard, but I was thankful that my mom didn't have to do it alone. My mom and I even took a little time to play and I got to listen to her do an Underground Tour in Pendleton. She is so cool! She volunteered to do a tour for free for the ladies who are in drug and alcohol counseling. I was shocked at how young they were, but how old they appeared. I silently prayed for them as I followed them in the tour. They were so sweet, polite and thankful.

(Our tree full of firefighter ornaments. You wouldn't believe how many firemen Santas there are!)

I hit the ground running from then on and found myself so far behind that there was one day where I didn't get on the computer to check my email! That is a true rarity!

(Steve's Dad putting the final ornament on our Advent Tree)

I have been dealing with a lot of misbehavior with my children. It has been a full-time job and I am doing my best to keep my head in this game. Part of that is not doing extra-curricular activities, such as blogging or watching movies. I am trying to be as consistent as possible and paying attention to what is going on around me. I have several children that tend to slip under the radar. They know how to escape when there is work to be done!

 (Last year, Lily had fun crawling all over the presents)

( Andrew doing some Christmas baking last year. These bacon/chestnut wraps are a family favorite!)

I've also been going regularly to physical therapy for my shoulder and arm pain. We are making slow progress, but due to my stress level, it is taking a long time. God is teaching me ways to reduce my stress and I am listening. I'm getting down right sick of this nerve pain! I want to get better so badly. I was blessed with a free pass to a gym and have been going regularly. One of the biggest strides I have made is my posture. It is 70% better! I have always had bad posture and it feels like a miracle that I can be relaxed enough to pull my shoulders back and sit up straight. My back is stronger than it has been in years and is less likely to go into spasm. I think gardening will be a breeze this year if I keep it up!

Homeschooling has been going good. Andrew is starting to put some words together on his own and we have now started the Super Silent E. Teaching reading is not one of my favorite things to do. I am so Type A and impatient. I have to really force myself to slow down and wait for him. I love teaching my children science, history and Bible though.

Jessica just finished her third grade grammar book and is headed into fourth! I am going to work more on writing skills and typing with her, especially since she is starting to email now.

The rest are just plugging along. Attitudes have been much better. We are all looking forward to Christmas break!

(Diana is enjoying her Grandchildren at two Christmas's ago. Such a blessing to have family come and celebrate with us!)

It snowed last night! Our first really big snow! Now is the season for muddy floors and wet snow pants to be flung all over the floor. Oh, but when they see the hot cocoa their mama made to warm them up, there will be squeals of delight!

(This is three winters ago, when Jacob was a baby)

I got to go on a date with my dad last night. He took me to dinner and then we went on our annual Christmas shopping trip. So fun and special! I love that man. I am so thankful for the close relationship we have.

Christmas is around the corner. We are in the thick of advent trees, parties, decorating, wrapping and baking.  I love this time of year. I especially love taking time for advent.

That's all there is. If you don't hear from me much these next few weeks, it is because I am focusing on what is the most important thing in my life, the Lord, my family and friends.

Have a Merry Christmas everyone!

Grandma Mary's Fake Eyelashes

 As I was going through Grandma Mary's things I found a few really old items. The first thing was leg make up from WWII. It was still in it's original box! I hadn't even heard of leg make up before. I also found these massive fake eyelashes! I remember her wearing them when she dressed up for a square dancing party.

 It felt like I had huge butterflies on my eyelids. I don't know how she did it for a whole evening!

 The kids and I had fun trying them on. Here's Jess!

 By this time, the sticky stuff was starting to wear off. I'm going to go buy some more, so we can have some more fun.

Look at Andrew's eyes! Too funny!

It was nice to be able to laugh after such a hard weekend. I'm saving those babies!

Grandma Mary 1929-2011

 
This Saturday morning, my  mother called me and said with a trembling voice that my grandma had passed away. I was so shocked. I just cried and cried. I couldn't believe the loss I felt. So many memories flooded my mind at that moment. The children wrapped their arms around me and told me how sorry they were. They don't often see me cry like that.

I was able to get a hold of Steve who was at the fire station and he came home immediately to watch the kids so that I could go be with my mom and sister.  I had a two hour drive to think about the impact that this precious woman made on my life.

(Grandma loved dressing up. Here she is dressed up for our Revolutionary War party)

I knew my grandma loved me. She said it so often with such conviction.

 She treasured my children and showered them with gifts at Christmas time.

She would show her twin granddaughters off anytime she had a chance.

My fondest memory is whenever it was time to say goodbye until she was able, she would stand on the front porch and wave until we were out of sight. She had the most beautiful smile!

She was the Christmas toy queen! She loved singing, moving Christmas toys. You should have seen her collection!

She had really been doing poorly this summer, but she rallied and was doing great these past couple of months. She had severe COPD and was on constant oxygen. That is why we were so surprised that she forgot to put her oxygen back on after getting ready for bed. She slowly slipped away and died like the way we all want to go, in our sleep. Not a hint of struggle. Such a blessing.

We needed to start packing her things out of the apartment. It was a treasured time for mother and daughters. We laughed and cried and cried and laughed. I chose two personal things. I saw her glasses with the pearls that went around her neck, and her motorcycle boots. She had those beautiful boots since I was old enough to remember.

My sister was able to visit her the night that she died. Jackie and the kids went over and had a treasured time with her. No regrets. She wrote about her story on her blog and the pictures are amazing. It's worth the trip.

(She loved holding the babies. Here she is with Lily when she was a few months old)

I am so thankful that last time I passed through, I stopped and saw her. It was a short visit and I had no idea that it was going to be my last. Our last words to each other was "I love you".

I am also thankful to know that she was a Christian. She knew the Lord was her Savior. What a comfort, what peace I draw from that knowledge that I will one day see her again.

As I was driving home from my mom's, I realized just how thankful I am for family. I am blessed to have a family that will drop everything to be there and support each other. Not everyone has that and it is a gift. We are loyal to the bone. We love each other. What a perfect time of the year to think about such things and value them.

Hug everyone a little tighter.

Time is short.

No regrets...

This is some of her family at her 80th surprise birthday party.