Whew! Made it through the gall bladder surgery. Had some breathing problems though; my oxygen levels weren't staying high enough so I had to stay in the hospital an extra day. But I'm home now and on to full recovery. Have some pain in the abdomen and I still have the pain in my right jaw. Continue to ask the Lord for healing from that too.

My husband is so special - he made me breakfast this morning. Also some women from my church are going to bring in dinners for the next 3 days. What a blessing! Lord, I'm asking for huge blessings for all those who have blessed me through this surgery time. You all know who you are. I love you...

Long day - went to Mexico - Ron had to go to the dentist. He got a tooth pulled, I feel bad for him. Had to be there by 10:00am and we were home by 1:00pm. He drove down - I drove back home.

Feeling bad because Ronnie's cousin and husband, our good friends, will be leaving at the beginning of next week to go home to MO. We will miss them sooooo much. They have been here since December 2011. The time went too fast.

I have 2 dr appts next week. One for the gall bladder surgery and the other for the jaw pain (trigeminal neuralgia) that I have. I am hoping for some answers.

Still traveling on...having some pit stops along the way. Physically, I'm having pain issues in my jaw and gall bladder. Next week, I go to the dr for both problems.

Finished a couple crochet projects in the past couple weeks. Also, created a new design on a T shirt for my sister-in-law.

Weather is cold and rainy. Nothing to brag about in Arizona. But of course, this kind of weather is not the normal for here. We can see lots of snow up in the mountains. Nice to look at - snow, keep your distance!!!!

Sorry I wasn't here last night. We had company for dinner and talked for awhile after. It was a nice time. We had hoped to play Upwords but maybe next time.

Had a dr appointment in the morning. The appt time was 9:10 - but when did I see the dr? It was after 11:10. That was a bit irritating. Went to buy some food after. Had a lot to do to get ready for dinner. Ronnie was very helpful to me. Thank you, Ronnie! You are a blessing!!

What did I do today? Well. I did get up. LOL! I had a quiet time while I ate breakfast. After some time in prayer, I worked on a crochet project and watched some TV. Really, I was pretty lazy all day.

Had another busy day. Ronnie's cousin and husband came for a visit. He helped Ronnie get a new ceiling fan up in the office area - YEA!!!! Then we had lunch. I made bean soup and we had turkey and ham sandwiches to eat with it. Very good! After lunch we played 2 games of Upwords which I lost both. Oh well, it was fun to play.

Then came the bad news - my jaw started hurting - extreme serious pain! When it finally settled down, I was able to take a pill and the pain has gone away. I am so thankful for that. I can't do anything when I have the pain - it just hurts too much.

We had good news about our grandson who has joined the Coast Guard. He has done extremely well and is graduating from boot camp with honors. Then we had time on the VP with Micah, Nicole, and Amana. We have a really special family!!!! I love you all!

Busy day! Went to church - very refreshing! Birthday party after for 6 yr old daughter of youth pastors - it was at Eegees. Then our Bible Study class after that back at the church. We had some good discussions! Then what?? Home and nothing else accomplished except I did manage to make some dinner. Oh we talked with Micah and Nicole and Amana for a short time. I wanted to call my step father but I realized too late that the time is now 3 hrs different instead of 2 so I couldn't call.

I'm wondering how my sister-in-law is doing now that she has moved to PA. Haven't talked with her in awhile. I thought about calling today but thought she would be quite busy with just getting there and family visiting. Maybe I'll try tomorrow.

One of my favorite TV programs was on tonight - "Once Upon A Time." It is so hard to wait for a whole week to find out what is happening next. Have you seen it?

I suppose this is it for tonight - hope your day was great and blessed by the Lord.

It's been a long day - why, because I feel like I've done so much. And yet, I feel like I did so little. Let's see - I had several phone calls. I finished a Tshirt project that I have been working on, I worked on my Bible study for tomorrow, I worked on my crochet project, and I paid some bills. I guess I did more than I thought. Hope you had a productive day also.

I was just looking at my blog and saw the last date I said anything was 2010. Dear Blog - I am so sorry for not staying in touch with you. I have determined to try to do better. Is that possible? I will see.

I am making dinner right now and waiting for it to finish baking. Interested in what I'm making? Chicken Casserole - it has cut up chicken with cream of chicken soup (diluted a little) then covered with a bread dressing (like what is used with Turkey). I bake it for 20 to 30 minutes and serve with a vegetable.

I have worked on a crochet project today. Finished one yesterday except for a ribbon bow. When they are done I will take a picture and show you.

Today we helped our pastor and wife with some cleaning up of a rental home they have. We were there about an hour and a half. Didn't do a lot but they said every little bit helps.

Okay that's it for now my alarm is going off so gotta go.

New Recipes

How cool!!! I landed on a web site that had a bunch of neat recipes: Muffins That Taste Like Donuts, Whole Wheat Pumpkin Muffins, Apple Crumb Pie, Cannolis, Bacon Banana Buttermilk Pancakes, Caramel Apple Tarts, Apple Bread. They all look so good. I think I will try the Apple Bread first. I'll let you know how it turns out.

Labor Day

We went to the mall on Labor Day not to necessarily buy anything, but to look around. So many people and so many people spending money. Quite confusing when you hear how bad the economy is. Anyway, I saw a Dairy Queen that is also an Orange Julius. I was thinking how good an Orange Julius would taste. I haven't had one in years. Then I remembered, I have a recipe for that. It just takes orange juice, milk, sugar, vanilla, ice cubes, and a blender. Let me know if you would like the recipe. Yum, so good!!

Weird!

I was looking at a recipe book this morning that I put together myself. Wow, so many recipes. I have to admit I just like reading recipes. I know that's weird but I read the recipe and then I imagine how it looks, how it will taste. I can usually tell by reading the recipe if I will like it or not. Here are some of my titles of recipes in the book I am making: Apple Goodies, Orange Pineapple Cake, Almost Candy Bars, Cashew Fudge Tarts, Cashew Beef, Butterfinger Cookies, Pistachio White Chocolate Chunk Cookies, Crescent Dogs, Tamale Pie. And that's just a few. I know I have your mouth watering. It's weird that a recipe can tell us about a dish and even suggest how it will taste without ever tasting it. That's why most of these recipes I have never made. I just know they would taste good. Weird!

Burned Biscuits

A friend sent this to me and I have no idea who the author is but it's an excellent story that should encourage you in loving others:

"When I was a kid, my Mom liked to make breakfast food for dinner every now and then. And I remember one night in particular when she had made breakfast after a long, hard day at work. On that evening so long ago, my Mom placed a plate of eggs, sausage, and extremely burned biscuits in front of my Dad. I remember waiting to see if anyone noticed! Yet all my Dad did was reach for his biscuit, smile at my Mom and ask me how my day was at school. I don't remember what I told him that night, but I do remember watching him smear butter and jelly on that biscuit and eat every bite!

When I got up from the table that evening, I remember hearing my Mom apoligize to my Dad for burning the biscuits. And I'll never forget what he said, "Honey, I love your burned biscuits."

Later that night, I went to kiss Daddy good night and I asked him if he really liked his biscuits burned. He wrapped me in his arms and said, "Your Momma put in a hard day at work today and she's real tired. And besides, a little burned biscuit never hurt anyone!"

Life is full of imperfect things and imperfect people. I'm not the best at hardly anything, and I sometimes forget birthdays and anniversaries just like everyone else. But what I've learned over the years is that learning to accept each other's faults and choosing to celebrate each other's differences are the most important keys to creating a healthy, growing, and lasting relationships.

And that's my prayer for you today. That you will learn to take the good, the bad, and the ugly parts of your life and lay them at the feet of Jesus. Because in the end, He's the only one who will be able to give you a relationship where a burnt biscuit is not a deal-breaker! Be kinder than necessary because everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle.

Every relationship based on burnt biscuits is a lasting one. So, pass me a biscuit, please; and yes, the burnt one will do just fine.

Last Night's Recipe

Last night I pulled some carrots from the garden and cooked them up. Made some Chicken a la King and added the carrots and some peas. I served it over baked potatoes. It was delicious. The night before that I sliced up some cucumbers from our garden, added some thinly sliced onions, vinegar, splenda, a little salt and pepper. Now this is a dish I would not even taste but my husband loves it. But then he also likes Harvard beets.

Tried something new

This morning I decided to try a new recipe from my Amish friend. A few birthdays ago I received a handwritten little cookbook from an Amish family. What a treasure! This morning I made a recipe from that book for pastry using crescent rolls from the dairy case and cream cheese. For sugar I substituted splenda. My husband and I both loved it. I'm wondering if I should publish a cookbook of my own favorite recipes. This one would be in it! (and it's so simple)

Recipes

I was thinking this morning how much I love recipes. Kind of strange, I know, maybe I got it from my mother. She had lots and lots of recipes. Why did she have them? Who knows...I know she never made all of them. She passed away this past summer (I sure miss her) and guess what I got. Bunches of her recipes! Now why would I take her recipes when I already have too many myself. Maybe to keep her memory close, maybe to find out more about the things she liked (at least in the food area), maybe so I would have them to pass on to my daughters. I guess many reasons all of which I can't think of right now.

I like to read through a recipe and imagine what the finished product would look like, would taste like, and do I have the ingredients, would my husband like it? I saw one this morning in my email. Yes, I even get recipes in my email. It had scallops in it. Now I hate scallops but my husband likes them. I thought, now this is a recipe he would like. It even uses zucchini squash which he also likes but I don't, unless it is in zucchini bread. Yum!

I think I am rambling but thought I'd share my rambling thoughts with you. Hey, anyone out there like recipes, like I do?

Too Soon

We'll be leaving for AZ and it seems too soon to go. Lord, I know Your ways and Your plans are only for my good. Keep watch over us as we travel to our home away from home.

TODAY!!

This is a new day to praise the Lord! Old things are passing away-all things are becoming new. Tears are for a moment but joy comes in the morning. The joy of the Lord is my strength. My help and strength come from the Lord who makes heaven and earth. Behold, He who keeps Israel, will never slumber or sleep. His eye is on the sparrow and I know He watches me.

Today!!

Today is the first day of my blog! Where will it take me and what will it say? No one can say for sure; I, most of all, will be surprised where it goes. Thanks for tagging along.