Lights!

Progress was made this weekend with the remodel!  I am getting so excited to have a kitchen area.

My brother-in-law and sister have been such a blessing with this project.

Remodel Anticipation

In our new place, I don’t have a kitchen area – yet J

I do have a brother-in-law (only one) who has done tons of demo and remodeling to their home AND he is the man that did my bathroom remodel in 2010 (check out the Fall 2010 blog posts).

I have picked out the flooring for the kitchen/dining area which will also be put in the bathroom (yep, getting a facelift in there, too!).

I’m hoping to post some before and after pictures of the remodel.

In other news, my mom turned 73 last Friday.  I brought home Chinese for dinner and my sister and family stopped by on Sunday to visit.

Each day is a blessing and I thank the Lord for every one!

Commuting to Work

SO grateful for our transit system here in Spokane, Washington.  Moving to a new location has changed my commute options.

I was blessed to be able to carpool with a gal when I lived closer to work.  Now that I have moved, I am taking advantage of the bus system.  I live close to a Park & Ride and am able to catch an express bus (5 stops before I get off the bus).

I'm just transitioning from driving to and from every day.  The major adjustment is not having the freedom before and after work to stop somewhere, if I wanted.

Gram Update -- REVISED 7/18/16

Enjoying a chocolate chip cookie courtesy of friend Daniela

Update on my beautiful grandmother:

We are finishing up week 6 of my night-sitting and she is doing great.  I am really only there for moral support as she is doing everything on her own.  We are shooting for me to ‘return home’ next week sometime.

She has been sharing stories from her past.  I am learning some interesting facts and tidbits I didn’t know before.

This has been a blessing of time with my grandmother and will be a memory I won’t forget.

7/18/16:  Well, I guess we were counting our chickens before they were hatched...Gram re-injured herself -- the rib area started bothering her again Friday morning and it is painful.  Not sure how this will play out; praying for stabilized health for my grandmother.

April Days

It’s mid-April and the earth is coming alive.  Trees, bushes and flowers are blooming.

I’ve joined a co-worker in taking 10 minute walks outside three times a day ~ invigorating!  We are keeping each other accountable and enjoying every minute of it.

After my week vacation in late March, I celebrated my birthday.  What a blessing the people around me are!  They made my birthday extra-special.  I love that Google does the special "birthday" logo when it is your birthday -- the above was what I got :-)

Spring Trip

Wooden Shoe Tulip Farm

I just got back from a lovely trip to the Willamette Valley in Oregon.  My dad and his wife live very close to a tulip farm that opens to the public for the season.  The above photo is just one of several.

The highlight of my enjoying God's creation was on Saturday morning.  All week had been rainy and cloudy; however, Saturday morning was clear.

Mt. Hood at sunrise

I was able to capture Mount Hood in the back left of the picture.  What a sight from the loveseat in their living room!

My week was a blessing.  I always enjoy my visits with Dad, Jeanine and Lori was able to come up from California.

My Cat

Spice

My little fluff of black and white,

Burrowing under covers on a winter’s night.

Faithful companion through the seasons,

You will hold a special place for many reasons.

Farewell my furry friend,

I’m saddened you couldn’t mend.

A pampered life of thirteen years,

Ending in a day of tears.

I had to put my friend to rest on Saturday.  She was battling kidney failure and it was not going well.

Modest Dressing and Headcovering Anniversary

February, 2015 marked my two year anniversary of modestly dressing in skirts/dresses and wearing a headcovering daily.

I have been the only lady in my church to wear a headcovering.  Just this last Sunday, I had a lady (whom I have done volunteer work with) come up to me before service started and begin to ask about my modest dressing and headcovering – did I make my own headcovering?  Were the changes I made hard?  She had been convicted through a variety of situations and confirmed with her husband as the head of house.

I am so thrilled to have another Sister in Christ who headcovers. I did not ask if it was just during church or always as I do.  Either way, I was blessed with our conversation.

I did let her know that my headcoverings are purchased from www.garlandsofgrace.com and I am blessed by that group of sisters.

The Lord is good!

Christian Fiction

I just finished reading The Daughters of Boston series and The Winds of Change series which continues with the same characters.  Author Julie Lessman ( www.julielessman.com ) has done a superb job writing about a family named O’Connor which takes place at the beginning of the 20^th Century.  If you want to read a saga of faith, hope and love with a bit of history added in, please check these two series out!

I love books that share the Christian faith with those who are reading them.  I enjoy other types of books but Christian ones are my favorite as I get such a blessing and much encouragement from reading them.

A Mentor is a Blessing

A big shout out to my small group leader, Louise.  She is a mature Christian lady that has been leading this Bible study group for over 7 years.  I have been blessed to be a part of this group for the past four years.  Louise holds us accountable in a loving and kind manner.  She models Christian love, discipline and wisdom.  Her life reflects Christ to all who come in contact with her.  I thank the Lord for such a mentor as Louise.

Success...Different Definitions

The end of January is looming on the horizon.  The beginning of 2014 is already coming to an end.

I have never given much thought to 5 year or 10 year planning.  I know that is what all ‘successful’ people do…I don’t put my head ‘in the sand’; however, I do my utmost to follow God’s lead.  Some years I am more successful at this than others.  I do give thought to being more Christ-like and studying the Word of God to know Him better.

Today, I received some disheartening news.  I had inquired about an order I had placed for a cowl (headcovering) from Garlands of Grace (www.garlandsofgrace.com) and through the USPS tracking, found that it had been delivered on January 23^rd.  Well, I don’t have it…either it was delivered to a wrong address or someone relieved my porch of a parcel.

Although I am upset/saddened by this news, my prayer is that whoever is in possession of the headcovering is blessed.  The family of sisters at Garlands of Grace put scriptures leading a person to Christ in with each order, so may that person be a blessed recipient.

My Precious Bundle

Twenty-three years ago on Thursday, December 13, 1990 at 2:02 p.m. the Lord blessed me with a 3lbs. 1oz. precious bundle of joy!  Happy Birthday to my daughter.  She has been and continues to be a source of joy in my life.

Thanksgiving

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving.  I am so thankful to our Heavenly Father for sending His one and only son down to earth for one and all sinners.  I am also thankful for all of my blessings received through His lovingkindness; family, friends, health, home, job, co-workers, the majesty of nature...the list goes on.

The picture has more to do with my being vegan that giving thanks (I thought it was cute).

Visit from Alaska

(off her back deck in Anchorage!)

A visit with my sister from Anchorage was the highlight of this past weekend.  We had a delightful dinner and great conversation on Friday evening.  Then another visit with her, my daughter and my grandmother the following afternoon.  She stopped at my office on her way out of town on Monday to finish a great weekend!

The Lord blesses us with family; how we embrace our family is up to us.  Embrace the whole package and thank God!

Spice; my little companion

I had a request to share about my cat :~)  Her name is Spice and she was born in April 9, 2002.  As you can see from the picture, she is black and white.  She had recently gotten a ‘lion shave’ when I took this picture.  The vet has her noted as a short-haired cat; however, as her owner, I beg to differ and say that she is a long-haired cat.  She greets me when I get home from work – I think she just wants her dish filled – lol.  She chats with me and perches on the love seat with me or lays in my lap for some petting.  She is shy of other people  --  haha, my mom has only seen her a few times.  She sleeps near my feet and is generous with her purrs.  Spice is a special blessing to me.  I enjoy having Spice in my home and will be sad when she leaves; however, I will be glad not to have to empty a cat box anymore.

Bounty

I just received some yummy veggies from Jeanine’s garden.  They are beautiful.  It amazes me the bounty received from the small plants I saw over Memorial Day weekend.  I am excited to try the lemon cucumbers as I have heard they are delicious!  I am still hoping to have my own garden next year.  There are always variables when trying to plan – all will come together as it is meant to.

The temperature has finally come down into the mid-80s ~ much better for sleeping.  I started to whine about the temperature the other day; then realized how thankful I am to live in an area that has four distinct seasons.  True blessings!

Volunteering

This weekend I filled in doing the computer data inputting at our church’s food pantry which is one of the ‘branches’ in the city under 2^nd Harvest Food Bank.  It is always such a blessing to be able to volunteer there.  It has been a help to me in the past when my daughter was little.  We volunteered for many years and received help as needed.  Anytime a person can give back to help others is a wonderful endeavor.