Joy

My mother gave me some paperwhites to start at the beginning of the month. Wow ~ they are amazingly fast growers :-)  I have been told that they are very fragrant. I’m not sure that they will be blooming for Christmas; however, I will be enjoying them whenever they do bloom!


It is almost time to celebrate Christ’s birth! This year has flown by with so many life changing events.

~ An engagement, landscaping projects, a wedding, becoming a single empty-nester, family trips & visits, volunteering opportunities, a new vehicle and now celebrating the birth and life of my savior, Jesus Christ ~ Yahoo!
I give thanks to my Lord this Christmas season (and throughout the year) for my loving family and friends, both near and far.

Celebrating!



I can’t believe it is almost time to celebrate Christ’s birth! This year has flown by with so many life changing events.
Yesterday started the season of Advent. I downloaded a great ‘day by day’ from Fresno Pacific University which includes verses along with reflection writings.

“The word Advent means "coming" or "arrival." The focus of the entire season is the celebration of the birth of Jesus the Christ in his First Advent, and the anticipation of the return of Christ the King in his Second Advent. Thus, Advent is far more than simply marking a 2,000 year old event in history. It is celebrating a truth about God, the revelation of God in Christ whereby all of creation might be reconciled to God. That is a process in which we now participate, and the consummation of which we anticipate. Scripture reading for Advent will reflect this emphasis on the Second Advent, including themes of accountability for faithfulness at His coming, judgment on sin, and the hope of eternal life. In this double focus on past and future, Advent also symbolizes the spiritual journey of individuals and a congregation, as they affirm that Christ has come, that He is present in the world today, and that He will come again in power. That acknowledgment provides a basis for Kingdom ethics, for holy living arising from a profound sense that we live "between the times" and are called to be faithful stewards of what is entrusted to us as God’s people. So, as the church celebrates God’s inbreaking into history in the Incarnation, and anticipates a future consummation to that history for which "all creation is groaning awaiting its redemption," it also confesses its own responsibility as a people commissioned to "love the Lord your God with all your heart" and to "love your neighbor as yourself.” [Dennis Bratcher]

I hope you are as blessed as I am during this season of Advent!

Ouch



I had a wonderful time visiting my Dad and Jeanine in the greater Portland, OR area. It was very rewarding to watch my Dad heal physically during the 5 days I was there. What a scare for all of us! He is such an experienced driver that there were no other casualties – kudos to Dad :-)


The picture above is one of the truck a couple of days after the accident. My Dad came out of the accident with no broken bones -- only bruising, lacerations and swelling along with soreness.

The Lord is good! I cannot praise Him enough for all of the miracles and blessings He gives to each of us every day.

White and sleek

My new vehicle ~ yes, I bit the bullet.  I am ready for winter!  It is a smooth, quiet ride and handles well in dry and rainy weather.  As an AWD, I am sure it will do wonders in the snow.

Thanks for all the advice.  It was taken, reviewed and some was used and some was not.  I think that is how it usually goes.

My goal is to not have to purchase another vehicle for many years  :-)



New Ride?

I have been contemplating [for about a year] getting a different vehicle.

I traded in my CR-V in 2010 for a Honda Civic Hybrid.  Mostly, this was to shed another piece of my past marriage and to help me heal.  I have to say that the car is sporty and gets amazing gas mileage!  However, it is extremely low to the ground which makes driving in the winter snows difficult.

I had mentioned my contemplation to various family members and my dad had a great suggestion which I would like to pass along to the masses ~ rent a vehicle for a week or so to really make sure it is the one you want.  You will save money and headache in the long run, especially if you find you aren't as enamored of the car as you thought you were.

Sage advise from a thought-filled man!

FREEDOM

Yesterday was my 3 year Freedom Anniversary!  I want to thank everyone for the support and love they have shown me during my time of adjusting to freedom from the bondages of abuse.

The Lord has carried me through and I praise His name each day in thanksgiving :-)

This is short but I wanted to share my joy in freedom!

Autumn is here



Autumn has arrived. I have begun some ‘preparations’ for the cooler weather.


• Outside faucets drained and covered
• Window air-conditioner removed and stored
• Hoses in shed

I still need to do some raking. I have no trees in my yard; however, the neighbors’ trees haven’t lost all their leaves yet. I can wait 

I have put out my “fall” decorations in the house. I have a couple of pillows and some Partylite leaf tealight holders to place on shelves.

My house is not situated in the “line of fire” for trick-or-treaters, so I don’t put any decorations outside.

I love pumpkin and all of the yummies it can be made into. I just found this recipe for Dark Chocolate Pumpkin Bread that I am anxious to try – I can just imagine the smell that will fill my little home.

Update on the newlyweds for those interested: doing well. Both busy with each working two jobs and my daughter in her last year at GU. I used to see her in the evenings at home and that was about it; now since she doesn’t live at home we try to connect at church service on Sundays.

Keeping On



Hmmm, it has been a few weeks since I “logged in” to my blog.

After the wedding, I got back to doing my evening walking workouts with Leslie Sansone’s DVDs. In Home Walking is a great idea for those that are uncomfortable exercising in public – whether that is on the sidewalks or in gyms. It also incorporates resistance training for the upper body – yahoo!

I am pleased to report that I have been told by multiple people that they can see a difference. I also tried on a top the other day that was a bit small. It fits great!

I am getting ready to add a morning routine for an added ‘boost of burning’ :-)

I have decided to take Sundays off as a day of rest – at least from a specific workout, because I am definitely busy on Sundays with church-oriented activities.

I get these awesome daily devotional e-mails from Heartlight. Here is one from the other day:

         Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” Hebrews 13:5 (NIV)

What a wonderful reminder that our Lord cares for us always!

Blessings :-)



I made it!

No breakdowns, freakouts or plain old crying jags.  I believe I have survived the first 2 1/2 weeks of being a single empty-nester.

I am sure this has much to do with the prayers of my small group, friends and family ~ thank you!

I have decided not to replace the TV I gave to my daughter and her husband.  I am so enjoying the reading I have been doing.  I know with the cooler weather and shorter days, I will begin with some crafting, too.

Fall is moving ever closer and that means school starting, small group getting back together, winterizing the home and snuggling in for the winter months.

I am so blessed by the Lord and I hope to share the blessings with others!

Aftermath

Whew, the whirl~wind has come to an end. I am officially a single empty-nester. My daughter is now a “Mrs.” It was an exciting ride and I don’t think I am ‘normal’ yet. I have a feeling that will set in over the weekend.

I am so thankful for all of the family and friends that joined my daughter and her husband for the ceremony and reception. A celebration of a journey being started – a blessing of family and friends to share it with.

In other news, I have planted some of my native, low-watering plants in the front yard. I have solar lights along the walkway, too. It is coming along nicely. I will be planting the groundcover in the spring. I am also hoping to build raised garden beds this fall in my side yard.

I am blessed with a wonderful network of family and friends to help me through this transition of being a mom with a child at home to a mom with a married child.

Thank you everyone!!

Wedding

Thirty-two days until the Wedding! Many items have been accomplished and a few are still pending.


I know the bride and groom are excited and looking forward to the culmination of all of the planning, organizing, calling, meetings and doling out money.

My daughter finished summer school and is working full-time through the end of August with a 5 day break for the wedding. My future son-in-law is working three jobs which keeps him pretty busy; however, he will also be taking a 5 day break for the wedding :-)

They rented an apartment in mid-May and he is living there ~ being a bachelor for a few months. We did move most of my daughter’s belongs into the apartment so that it wouldn’t be such a shock when they got married. She has her daily necessities and is at the apartment enough that she can pick up what she needs.

Each day brings closer the realization that I may not have daily contact with my daughter anymore. I go through the highs and lows of a parent whose only child is getting married and moving out. Mostly happiness and excitement for the newlyweds, a bit of sadness for myself (not trying to sound selfish). I am also curious to see what this new leg of the journey holds for me :-)

This is my third spring at my little house.  The first year was seeing what we had, the second year we decided to remove our front lawn in an eco-friendly way and this year I need to weed our front yard as it is a dirt patch with lots and lots of weeds.  The goal is to put in a walk-way and some native, low-watering plants.  LOL - I still haven't gotten the hang of yardwork :-(  It's great when it is done; it is the doing that is rough (kind of like housework!)...  I still have my daughter at home through the middle of August, so I need to get busy as she will help me get things going  :-)

Otherwise, life is status quo around here :-)

Here I Am

Goodness, where does the time go!  I have had a second "dry run" with my daughter doing a 15 day house sitting job.  I think I will survive her getting married and being a single empty nester  :-)

The MS Walk is tomorrow and I will be there with my tennis shoes on :-)  What a great cause to help fundraise for ~ the best part is that the money raised stays in the local area.

Wedding plans are moving forward.  I think she has everything figured out; just needs to have a bit of time to finish stuff up, YAY!

Spring is here and so is the yard work and landscaping that we didn't do last year  :-(  Since I still have my daughter living here this summer, I am going to make sure I get all I can done with my helper...

Dry Run



A practice run at being a single empty nester… My daughter is house-sitting this week and I am doing a “dry run” for later this year. I have at least one other practice run before the real thing.


So far it has been okay. I am trying a new routine in the evenings which, of course, will probably not work when she gets back ~ LOL. I’m actually sleeping very well through the night [was a tad worried about that].

I’m even trying not to text my daughter all the time, although I may have difficulty with that when she is actually married and not living at home.

I am glad that I have a couple of hobbies, a small group/bible study and a yard/garden to keep me occupied after she has flown the coop.

January 2012

¡Hola! Thought I would drop a note in the blog :-)

A new year with new things already happening!!

My daughter got engaged on her birthday, what a gift for a 21 year old. I am so very excited for her and her fiancé! Of course, this means that I will soon be a single empty-nester which makes this exciting event a little bitter-sweet. However, her excitement is contagious and we are having fun ;-)

Other news of the day, I did it – I bought a Vitamix! I have been contemplating this for a couple of years now and took the leap. This morning was my first use and I made fruit smoothies for my daughter and I. Yummy!!

Tax return is completed and filed ~ probably the last year I will get money back since I was able to claim my daughter as a dependent since she is a full-time student living with me. Nice to have that done for the year; just in time for a little home improvement this spring AND the start of a wedding fund for this summer’s event.