Hanging Ornament

One last Christmas picture while it's still 2006....

I did get my ornaments finished! I tried several different things for the top and finally settled on the ribbon bow hanger. I'm quite pleased with them!

Third Time's The Charm???

Last night I decided to cast on a new sock and reached for one of my sock kits. Finished the ribbing and one pattern repeat and while it's not my new favorite pattern or yarn color, I do think it will make very practical socks.

Today I sat down to knit some more and realized that this sock was going to be ginormous! Now I am not a dainty person at all and I have feet to match, so I had opted for the size medium on this pattern. As I tore this sock out and rewound the yarn I puzzled over my big feet in a size small sock.

This evening was the perfect time to cast on and start again. Keith and I looked for a movie on pay per view and decided on Disney's Cars. I figured that I wouldn't have to pay close attention to a cartoon movie and again finished the ribbing. Upon examination it still looked large to me. Then the light bulb finally came on - the pattern calls for size 2.0 mm needles and I grabbed my size 2 needles! I laughed, tore the stitches out and rewound the yarn again. Now to hunt through my stuff and look for the right needles. ~ sigh ~

Bacon Bubbles

So here we are back to work after a wonderful Christmas. Kind of hard to get back into the work mindset, but I'm sure soon enough we'll settle into the normal routine.

And in fact, I actually went to my knit group last night at the coffee shop - woohoo! It's been three loooong months since I've been able to go and I feel like a new woman. :) I had a childlike glee last night and kept wanting to jump up and down in my chair clapping my hands and saying "I'm here, I'm here, I'm here - oh boy, oh boy, oh boy!!!" Had such a nice time and it just seemed so normal.

The picture of Keith and Joe was taken during our family Christmas on Saturday. James, Loni and Xena got Joe some Sizzlin' Bacon and Chicken Barbecue flavored bubbles! Joe and Xena both had a lot of fun chasing bubbles and eating them and as you can see in the picture Joe was perfectly happy licking the bubble wand.

~ Elizabeth

For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad. - 2 Corinthians 5:10

Christmas Tree Cat

I just had to get a picture of Meeko under the tree. You see, he loves it and spends most of his time under it. I was fortunate that when I decided to take a picture he was sleeping in the front of the tree where he was very visible.

Right now he's pretty irritated at us as we have rocked his kitty world by putting presents under the tree. He's lost his favorite sleeping spot to a bunch of boxes and he's taking it pretty hard.

But he doesn't just enjoy sleeping under the tree...he also finds chewing on the tree highly amusing. And the vision of a certain cat in the movie Christmas Vacation always comes to mind. So we don't leave the tree lights on when we're not around - just in case you know.

A Moment In Time

Always a retriever, Joe nabbed the tissue box and brought it to us. Thus we felt reassured that he was keeping an eye on things.

My Beloved and I have been off work all week and have thoroughly enjoyed it. We've done some serious Christmas shopping, some leisurely walking around shopping and following these, some lazy napping. It's nice to be able to face all the holiday "to do" lists without the accompanying frenzied feeling.

We now have the tree decorated and the garland and lights up in the living room. The glow of the lights on the panelling is just such a warm feeling. Very late last night I sat in the living room with only the glow of the Christmas lights and was struck by how beautiful it was. I almost went to get the camera and take a picture, but then I realized that it wasn't really a photo of the lights that I wanted. What I truly desired was to totally capture that moment in time and place it in a very special place to be brought out any time I might need to feel comforted. The beauty of the twinkling lights and the peace in that room was so perfect.

I just sat for some time reflecting and praising. It was almost like time stopped and there really was nothing else I felt I must do right then other than what I was doing. Shortly thereafter the dog came in and sat at my feet and the cat came and sat on my lap, purring his contentment as well.

These are the stolen moments of time that make all the running around worthwhile. May we all have moments that are this special sprinkled throughout the craziness of our day to day lives.

While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. - Luke 2:6-7

Glitter Ornaments

For some strange reason I woke up at 3:00 in the morning and never did manage to get back to sleep. Rather than waste that time I finally decided to just get up and put it to use!

Besides some boring things I accomplished - some laundry, picking up, etc. - I finished my glitter ornaments. These were so easy to make and are sitting in their little box just filled with bling. All they need now is a coordinating jaunty bow at the top and they will be finished.

No Cards From Me

Very strange thing happened yesterday. I sat down all ready to get the Christmas cards addressed and in Monday's mail, but almost immediately started getting a headache. Didn't stop to give it any real thought until Keith walked into the room and asked what smelled so bad. Upon further investigation we discovered it was the cards! Apparently the glue underneath all the glitter was smelly - it had a very petroleum-like smell to it. And the foil-lined envelopes were rather pungent as well. We set the whole mess outside to try the airing out method and opened the house and got the fans going to try and get the "fragrance" out. I checked on them this morning and could still smell it, so they are headed to the trash.

So for family and friends that are reading this blog, you will not be getting a Christmas card from our family after all this year. And believe me, it is for the best.

~ Elizabeth

Christmas Table

For some reason I am in love with red and white this year and it has shown up on my Christmas table. We usually choose very deep greens and reds and have a floral centerpiece, but I was in Kohl's this year and saw these jolly placemats and just fell in love with them. Even better they were on sale! I gathered up an armload and walked around a bit and then discovered the candle with the same color and similar characters. I suppose it was fate at that point, so it came home with me as well.

One of the side benefits of this arrangement is that in the past I would see the table each morning with pieces of the floral centerpiece strewn about and bits of cat fur on the table. Meeko is so old and large and really I have only seen him on the table one time, but obviously he must be stealth cat and jumps up in the dark of the night. Apparently the candle centerpiece is very boring to kitties as I have seen no evidence of him on the table this year.

We do have our tree set up, but no decorations as of yet other than the lights that came on the tree. This year with Keith and Lynne' in school at night and me not being able to lift anything has really slowed down our decorating! I'm not worried though - we'll either get it done this weekend or this will be what we have this year. There really is more to Christmas than just decorations, though I will be disappointed if we don't get the rest of the stuff up.

And today is my first day of physical therapy - woohoo! I have no idea what to expect, but I'm excited because it means that I am still healing and getting better. I have got to get these arms in shape before next summer because I'm looking forward to lots of grandbaby holding time! :)

Gratitudes
1. I'm now able to lift a cup of coffee with my left arm to get a drink!
2. I work with some really fun and silly ladies that make it enjoyable to get through the day.
3. A friend that shares her daily Bible reading schedule with me, which makes every day so blessed.

~ Elizabeth

But may all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you; may those who love your salvation always say, "The Lord be exalted!" - Psalm 40:16

Tumbling Tuesday

As I was cooking dinner tonight I realized that I never posted a picture of my super simple cross stitch project. Obviously I haven't done the finishing on it, but the cross stitch portion is complete and I'm pleased with it. And since it's probably not real clear in the picture, let me point out that I set it on the "counter" at the side of the grill while we were grilling burgers tonight for the Kodak moment. Because nothing says beautiful cross stitch like a grill in the background....

Last night was another night of way too much excitement around our home. We heard sirens, a normal sound around here, but this time they kept getting louder and we saw a fire truck fly down the street. Never one to sit and wonder, I went out on the front porch to check it out - wearing my flannel pj's I might add. But I was not alone as there were pj-clad moms coming out from several houses. Lots and lots more sirens, then a police car flew in and blocked off the next block over. We started hearing chainsaws and such, so my neighbor told me to go get shoes and a coat and she was going to do the same before we headed down the street.

Lynne' joined the group walking down the block and we counted 4 large fire trucks, 2 fire chiefs, 2 ambulances and 6 police cars. We joined the huddle of neighbors across the street from the fire and watched for a bit, then came home. The garage was totally destroyed by fire, including the vehicles inside. Luckily nobody was injured, including the firemen and officers.

We talked as we were walking home as to whether or not it's a good idea to be a nosey neighbor. It was rather sad and sobering to be standing around with that many neighbors and watch a sad event. I suppose that it's always true that tragedy brings people together though.

Houston, We Have Knitting!

OK, not a lot of knitting, but it is something! Saturday morning after I saw Keith off to work I just wanted to do some handwork, so pulled out some needles and yarn and cast on for a scarf. There are only 18 stitches and 4 rows of garter stitch here, but it seemed like it took forever. And I do have to admit that after this was finished I took an hour nap - LOL!

But for that period of time I felt peace even more than shoulder soreness. While I adore my wonderful wooden Lantern Moon needles, sometimes it's just nice to use the aluminum needles and hear the rhythmic clacking. That sound is such a comforting sound and I was glad to hear it again, even if for a short time.

People that don't craft might think this all sounds silly - and maybe it is. But my hobbies bring such comfort and joy to me and it's good to see that maybe soon I'll be able to enjoy them again. Tonight I think I'm actually going to try - gasp! - cutting paper and making a card!

~ Elizabeth

Movies and Dogs

Another picture of my pooch. Honestly he just makes me laugh so much, from the tail wags that move his entire back end to the way he whines and snivvels when the cat gets too close. And he has just been loving the last month with friends coming to visit me after surgery. Or in Joe World, friends coming to visit HIM and pet him and bring him gifts. Goofy pup.

One such visit was this morning. Dawn and I have been looking forward to the movie The Holiday since the movie trailers first started appearing on tv and today was the big day. She came to pick me up this morning and had to come in first to bring a treat to Joe. I suppose that might have just a little to do with why he's happy to see my friends!

When we pulled into the theater parking lot we had a bit of a surprise and then lots of laughing - the parking lot was virtually deserted and this NEVER happens! Of course, we were seeing the 10:25 showing and I guess that one doesn't have a big turnout. Dawn did point out that perhaps we could get the senior citizen early bird special that early, which would have been nice considering how costly movies have become. Or how "old" I'm becoming to start noticing that sort of thing!

The movie was wonderful and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I think one thing that I loved was my lack of embarrassment over "those kinds of scenes" if you know what I mean. At one point the couple on screen were talking about...um...hitting the sheets and the next thing you saw it was the next morning - woohoo! I do not need to see every detail of that sort of thing plastered on the 40 foot movie screen!

Gratitudes
1. Having friends to play and laugh with!
2. Having friends that know they can call me during an emergency and that I will drop everything to be there for them. She has been in my prayers all evening.
3. Having a husband that fully understands that I'm still not able to do much around the house, including cooking dinner, so he just asked where I wanted to eat tonight!

~ Elizabeth

For the Lord loves the just and will not forsake His faithful ones. - Psalm 37:28

Back To Work

A wonderful picture of my Joe dog to start the blog entry - does it get any better than that?

Today was my first day back to work since my shoulder surgery. I had been cautioned that it would be difficult, but I don't think I realized just how tough it would be. My arm hurt, I was tired and I started getting very down again. Then it hit me that we do not have to face these things alone, even when we feel very lonely. Not only do I have a loving God to turn to, I have Christian girlfriends that I can always count on for prayers. I hesitated to ask for prayer at first because it just seemed like such a silly reason. But I swallowed my pride and sent an email, then went out to my car and took a nap for my lunch. When I came back in there were some very warm and loving emails waiting for me. How honored and humbled I felt to have these wonderful women praying for me.

And the afternoon did start getting better. One of the coolest things is that I (?) suddenly realized that if I would raise my chair then my arm wouldn't be resting on my desk at such an odd angle and wouldn't hurt so much. Again I'm going to use my grandmother's quote - "It's not odd, it's God!" The power of prayer is awesome indeed.

I do know that we feel the most vulnerable when we are tired and hurting and that's when Satan reaches in to get a foothold. As time passes and my shoulder continues to heal and I get more used to the work routine I know it will get easier for me. And knowing that I have friends that are praying for me makes it even better.

Gratitudes

1. Friends and loved ones that care enough to listen, really listen.
2. Grandbabies-to-be! I got to see the ultrasound picture today of that precious baby.
3. Thankful that even with as much as my shoulder is hurting, that we have modern medicine and surgeons that are able to fix things.

~ Elizabeth

Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. - Hebrews 4:16

Dallas Snow

We had inclement weather today and here's the proof! I tried to get Joe excited about playing in the snow, but he clearly is not impressed.

1st Baby Page!

Last night I did the first page for the baby or pregnancy book. I'm doing this digitally, so have already done this picture twice and am liable to do it several more times as I want it to be perfect! This subject - first grandbaby - is very important to me - LOL!

I'm not sure at this point if I am a big fan of digital scrapbooking or not. I will say that it was kind of nice to sit at my desk and do this page and when finished I had no cleanup at all to do. Even if I decide to do this album "non-digitally" I think I'll also do one digital just for the practice.

Gratitudes
1. For the first time I'm glad I'm home from work right now as "the weather outside is frightful" and I'm glad I don't have to drive in it.
2. I'm very thankful for my great surgeon and his staff. I go this afternoon to get the rest of the stitches out.
3. Happy that I have a warm, cuddly cat that slept on me and kept me warm last night!

~ Elizabeth

Unless the Lord builds the home they labor in vain who build it. - Psalm 127:1

Sunrise....

I followed this link from somebody's blog and discovered that I am Sunrise. I don't know how accurate the description is, but I do know that I most definitely am a morning person and really enjoy the opportunity to witness a sunrise.

You Are Sunrise

You enjoy living a slow, fulfilling life. You enjoy living every moment, no matter how ordinary.You are a person of reflection and meditation. You start and end every day by looking inward. Caring and giving, you enjoy making people happy. You're often cooking for friends or buying them gifts.All in all, you know how to love life for what it is - not for how it should be.

What Time Of Day Are You?

Early Morning Contentment

Doesn't this scene look comfortable and inviting? My morning didn't start out this way though. The last few days I've been in a bit of a funk because of my arm still being in a sling and it's really holding me back from the things I want to be doing. But during my Bible and prayer time this morning I was struck with the realization that even though I can't do some things and I'm still not able to drive, I am so very blessed. I did make it through surgery. The surgery was successful. I only have the use of one arm right now, but this will pass - and so many people do not have the luxury of saying that. I was very humbled by what the Lord was telling me.

And since Monday has always been my favorite day of the week, it just seemed fitting to start fresh with my renewed attitude and joy. It is so comforting to know that when we are hurting we can turn to the Lord and get our focus back and our feet headed in the right direction again.

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight." - Proverbs 3:5-6

Sometimes it can be difficult to humble ourselves and ask for help and forgiveness. I find this to be especially true of women in the regard that we tend to be "fixers" and want to make things better. And when I think of the many things the Lord has to take care of it can almost feel trivial to ask for His help. But that is so what He wants us to do. The contentment I felt this morning after prayer and Bible reading was enormous.

"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened." - Matthew 7:7-8

Gratitudes
1. Having the Holy Bible readily available in our country to turn to when we have questions.
2. Early morning quiet time.
3. Beautiful fall leaves and gentle, cool breezes.

~ Elizabeth

"Gratitude is born in hearts that take time to count up past mercies." - Charles Edward Jefferson

Thanksgiving Meal

With all the grandbaby excitement I forgot to say much about our Thanksgiving meal! This is the table before we ate. James and Loni have a very beautiful dining room table and we enjoyed being able to sit there. The candlelit centerpiece Loni made herself and it was so pretty and the candle smelled just right. The platter under the turkey is a milk glass platter from my grandmother - it was perfect!

I also took a picture of our meal as we were unloading it from the box. We ordered it from a local grocery store this year and it was very good! In addition to the box of food they also gave us a 12 pound turkey, so all we had to do was bring it all home and heat it up. I am just so thankful that we were able to be together on Thanksgiving and that is by far the most important thing. Well, that and finding out I'm going to be a Grandma - LOL!

Gratitudes
1. Never having to worry about where our next meal will come from.
2. The abundance of love in our family.
3. Being healthy enough to enjoy time together.

~ Elizabeth

An Amazing Thanksgiving

Yesterday became a Thanksgiving that I will always remember. We got to James and Loni's house and hadn't been there probably even fifteen minutes when James said they had an announcement to make - Loni is pregnant! There was stunned silence for a moment, then I started blubbering and hugging and everybody was laughing and talking at once. WOW - I'm gonna be a grandma! :)

We stopped messing with food long enough to go in and call both great grandmas to tell them the news - and we all just kept grinning.

Our meal was quite a success and very good. Certainly was easy to find things to say we're thankful for! Oh and Lynne' is so tickled to be an aunt. She says that she's going to be the "cool aunt that always has gum" - LOL!


After putting the food away and starting the dishwasher we all headed to nearby trails to walk and enjoy the beautiful day, along with the dogs. The picture of James, Loni and Xena will be titled "Day One" as this is the first day we knew about the baby! Xena was so full of energy the entire day and she really did enjoy the walk. The funniest part was when we walked on a little bridge over a creek and they took her down to the water. This little pup is a NUT and loves to splash around! Joe went down to the creek with Lynne' (and don't their coordinating outfits look nice!!!), but all he did was walk through it a little bit.

Then when we got back to the house Loni got out the karaoke machine and we had a blast! And much to my chagrin I learned just how badly I carry a tune. ;) Ah well, still very much fun!

Gratitudes
1. Obvious one here - that my first grandchild is on the way!
2. My family of five all get along so well and we enjoy being together so much.
3. Lots of rest today to speed the healing along - I must get this shoulder healed so I can start knitting baby things!

~ Elizabeth

"The decision to have a child is to accept that your heart will forever walk about outside your body." - Unknown

Sense of Smell

I love the quiet, early mornings. I'm sitting in the living room watching the sun stretch its rays over the horizon, Joe is in position at the window watching the world go by and Meeko is laying in the middle of the room bathing. I've finished my shower and am enjoying my first cup of coffee and am suddenly transported back in time to the lake with my parents. You see, when shopping for shampoo recently I saw that Suave has coconut scent and I quickly snatched it up. So my coconut shower first sent me down memory lane and now my coffee clinched the deal. For my darling daughter-in-law introduced me to Coffeemate's coconut creamer and it is oh so good.

In addition to loving the taste of all things coconut, the smell is definitely a memory inducer for me (isn't it funny how smells can bring back memories almost as fast as a picture?). Coconut paints a vivid picture in my mind of going to the lake with mom and dad as a preteen. We'd hop in the boat and I'd start slathering on Coppertone's Tanning Oil, which had the most wonderful coconut scent. I'm not even sure if there's such a thing as tanning oil anymore as I spend my "tanning" dollars looking for the highest SPF product available, but back when I used this I don't think anybody knew about skin cancer - or if they did we surely didn't know about the link to sun yet. Anyway, back to the boat (!), and off we'd go across the lake at full throttle to the islands. Daddy would find the perfect spot for us and drop anchor. Mom and I would gather the gear necessary for our afternoon - a tire innertube, floppy hat, can of Pepsi and a papback novel. Into the lake we dropped, then got in position on top of the innertube and we'd wrap our toes/feet around the anchor rope to keep from floating out to "sea". We would bob along contentedly for as long as daddy would put up with it, usually the entire afternoon. It really was a perfect afternoon.

And that's what comes to mind when I smell coconut. About the only thing I need now is to find out if Yankee Candle has a coconut candle and then I'd be set!

Gratitudes
1. The early morning peace of the breaking day.
2. The ability to smell wonderful scents and be able to remember good times growing up.
3. Having a friend to call when I need a ride to the doctor (stitches out this afternoon hopefully!) and she actually sounded happy to oblige!

~ Elizabeth

always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. - Ephesians 5:20

A Brief Sojourn

Okay, I can see by my posts that too much time alone is leading to me getting WAY too deap and serious! LOL!!!

What do you get when you put together an Elizabeth on pain meds (I did just do my exercises people!), picked up by a wacky friend, stop at the Starbucks inside Barnes and Noble (where I learned that even though it says Starbucks it's actually a Barnes and Noble Cafe that serves Starbucks, therefore they do not accept Starbucks gift cards - figure that one out!) where we each got a Venti Peppermint Mocha, buzz by the magazine rack for the newest Interweave Knits and Rachel Ray and a cozy seat in front of the knitting books? Oh my....lots of laughter! So many of the patterns would look awesome on my daughter, but on me? Not so much. This was just too much fun!

I did make an observation about myself tonight that was funny at the time and now I'm not so sure. We were looking at the mugs at Starbucks and there was a pink thermos-like thing that I said reminded me of a flask. She showed me how it's apparently one of the latest and greatest things out there for the in crowd. I just sighed and remarked that the more I hear this sort of thing that I will surely be assimilated soon and must own one! Very sad, but true - I admit to being a follower. Though I will say that sometimes by the time I give in it's no longer cool to like whatever it was!

Gratitudes
1. Simple pleasure of drinking Starbucks at Barnes and Noble with a friend.
2. Coming home to my cozy,welcoming home with a smiling husband, daughter and golden retriever waiting for me.
3. The abundance of foods to choose from in common grocery stores in our country.

Thanksgiving

As we approach Thanksgiving this year it will be quite a bit different than our usual. I'm not able to go on a long trip, so I called James and Loni yesterday and asked if they would mind having the holiday at their house. And since I can't do much at all to help with cooking we will be ordering one of the premade meals from a local grocery store and adding a couple of favorite dishes to the meal.

I'm really excited about this and truly looking forward to it. We enjoy going over there and of course Joe will go with us as well. It will be fun to watch the two dogs and the grandcats interact. And the five of us always enjoy playing cards and games together.

Even though it seems that most of the time people fear change, I think this year will be good.

~ Elizabeth

Day of the Dawns

Today was a day of several disappointments for me. None of them are really worth mentioning by themselves, but by the end of the day I have to admit that I was on my last nerve. Luckily though, the Lord had some intervention in mind for me.

First came a phone call from a friend who was on her way over with dinner (now I also need to mention here that I had received other dinners from friends after my surgery that were just as appreciated and the only reason I haven't mentioned them before now was my not feeling well). So when I got off the phone this afternoon I was filled with a sense of warmth. Not only was she providing a meal for us, but she was also providing some of her time and love when I was sorely needing it. She stopped by, loved on Joe a bit, chatted and shared hugs with me and she was off.

Keith and I enjoyed dinner and talking, then I brought the mail in. I saw a letter from the mortgage company informing me about an insurance problem. I tried calling, but of course the offices had already closed. I went to my desk and started one handedly slinging papers around while looking for the needed letter. AHAH!!! I triumphantly stomped into the living room clutching the proof and started ranting to Keith about the injustice of it all. He sat quietly until I ran out of steam and then remarked that I was getting way too upset over this and needed to calm down! Honestly, I think I felt the hairs on the back of my neck stand up at this!

Thankfully, the phone rang right at this moment and a friendly voice said "Hey what are you doing?" Bless her heart, I proceeded to tell my friend just exactly what I was doing. She calmly asked if I wanted her to bring me a Starbucks and it hit me that I really was losing it. I quieted down a bit and asked if she had a spare half hour and could she pick me up and TAKE ME instead? Of course she did!

When I got in her car we both just laughed and she pointed out that I was going stir crazy from being cooped up for this week after surgery. We got our Peppermint Mochas and sat on the sofa in Starbucks and just chatted a bit. She got out her knitting bag and worked on a sock (I've seen a sock on 2 circs now and the lightbulb went off!!!) and more chatting. Amazing that a large caffeine drink actually seemed to have a calming effect on me!

We got back to my house and she gifted me with a charming set of three Christmas blocks she'd made at her church last night (picture tomorrow). Then she came in to love on Joe, say hi to Keith and look at my knitting stuff.

Truly both of these friends were angels to me at a time when I sorely needed it. And the most amazing thing about these encounters? They are BOTH named Dawn! Coincidence??? I think not!

~ Elizabeth

Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it. - Hebrews 13:2

Beautiful Fall

I don't remember a fall as beautiful as this one for many years. Normally we change from very hot and trees full of leaves to our mild winter temperatures and all the leaves on the ground - seemingly overnight. But this year we've beem treated to a veritable riot of colors.

I've heard explanations having to do with the temperature and amount of rainfall. But I believe it is a sign of God's great love to give us this gift of beauty. For to look at the splendid colors on display truly is a gift, as long as we slow our busy lives down enough to see and appreciate it.

As an aside - the surgery went well and I am in an immobilizer sling for four weeks, which translates to one handed typing. :)

~ Elizabeth

The rarest Autumn morning,
of leaves set all ablaze.
The mildest touch of sunlight,
amid the Autumn haze.
The booted feet of daybreak,
falling to the ground,
The cool clear air a stirring,
God's poetry profound.
- Unknown

Cross Stitch

A quick little post to show that I really am doing a little bit of crafting, even with my bum shoulder!. :) Tonight I'm planning on some serious tv watching and cross stitching, so hopefully more to share tomorrow.

Dallas Mavericks!

Last night was again a ton of fun! A friend gave me tickets to the Dallas Mavericks basketball game and this is the first time Keith and I had ever gone to an NBA game. When I got the tickets I don't think I realized just how good they were though and we were more than pleasantly surprised. These were platinum tickets, which came with their own parking garage and special entrance into the arena! We then showed our tickets to the attendant, who directed us to the "private" escalator and up we went to the platinum level, where we were seated and the wait staff came over to take our order! I swear we were like kids in a candy store - LOL!

One of the things we found most interesting is the difference in basketball and hockey games. Hockey games are famous for the player fights, but I gotta say that basketball in general has some really fired up fans, players and coaches. It was fast paced, loud and FUN! We will most definitely go again, though I doubt we'll be able to afford tickets in the same place.

And on the way to the game I-35 came to an absolute stop headed into downtown. Five lanes of traffic stopped behind some police cars parked across the highway. We quickly switched radio stations and discovered that President Bush had just landed at the airport and was on the way to another arena downtown, so I guess they were clearing the way for him. So far I think this might be the closest I've ever been to a President! :)

2 days until surgery and I can't wait. I am so ready to get this arm taken care of and start healing!

~ Elizabeth

My tongue will speak of your righteousness and of your praises all day long. - Psalm 35:28

Nascar Weekend

What an awesome weekend we just had! One of the things Keith and I love to do most in the world is go to the Nascar race and this weekend did not let us down. Because of traffic woes in the past, this year we went over to James and Loni's house Saturday afternoon for a slumber party. Had a great time with them and my precious grandpuppy. :)

Early Sunday morning we got on the road to Texas Motor Speedway. On the way a friend called and was already at the track. I of course had to give her a hard time and tell her that MY driver would beat HER driver in the race. Alas, her driver won and I did call later to congratulate her.....and eat a little bit of crow!

One of the best parts of this sort of thing is watching people. TMS is the largest Nascar venue and holds 200,000 people! With that said I will add that this race didn't have that many as I saw the two end sections of the back stretch had no people. Regardless, that's a lot of people. The photo above was a trailer on the midway for one of the most popular drivers, Will Farrell as Ricky Bobby! It really tickled us to watch people start laughing when they saw who was on the trailer.

The first few laps with the pace car featured Terry Labonte in his car and his son Justin driving the car that Terry won his first championship in! This race is Terry's last, so many a tribute was given.

We had great seats and even though Tony Stewart (admittedly one of my favorite drivers) beat Jr (our personal favorite), it was a great race.

We got home last night at almost 10:00 and were very pooped pups! And speaking of pups, Joe was very glad to see us as he did not get to go. He hardly ate while we were gone and Lynne' said he stayed in his crate and pouted the entire time! ;)

And only 3 days until surgery - woohoo!

Who's The Sweetest Boy???

This picture was taken last night. I was sitting in the chair in my bedroom doing some cross stitch and Joe fell asleep at the foot of my bed with two of his toys. :)

Yesterday was a fun day - a dear friend met me for a "pre-birthday" lunch! It's always fun to have lunch with friends and during the week can be especially nice as it reminds you that there is life outside your job. We had good food, lots and lots of talking and PRESENTS - LOL!

And since today is my birthday it's just really tough to get into the working frame of mind. Though I did think for a little bit that I was going to be getting a REALLY BIG PRESENT today. I was awakened at 4:00 by the strangest sound and I finally discovered that it was the refrigerator motor. So I sat and contemplated what color new refrigerator we'd be buying today! ;) Turns out Keith thinks it's a bearing and can be replaced, so thankfully no spur of the moment big purchase - WHEW!

~ Elizabeth

So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. - 1 Corinthians 10:31

Pluggin' Along

Well there still is not a lot of typing or crafting or cleaning house or really much of anything right now and won't be for awhile. My shoulder is just really hurting quite a bit and it's hard to do things with only one arm. The good news though is that the surgery is scheduled in one week - woohoo! Sounds silly to be happy, but at least once the surgery is done the healing can begin and I can get my life back again. And I need to be fully healed before next summer's extreme sports begin again. ;)

In the meantime I did get a new cross stitch sampler started, though with the time change and lack of sunlight when I get home I haven't gotten a picture of it yet. It's actually a very simple piece by Shepherd's Bush that says Home Is Where You Are. Loved the colors in the kit and since one of our family mottos is "Wherever you go, there you are", well this just seemed to be a good fit.

And my fellow knitting friends have been keeping me busy sending links to some wonderful yarns, so I've been busy shopping for when I'm able to knit again. It's good to have friends. :)

~ Elizabeth

"There is always something you have to walk away from when you are walking toward the better thing." Joyce Meyer (with apologies if I got her quote a little bit off!)

Baby Quilts

Yes, it's come to this - no crafting of any sort from me, so I'll post a picture of somebody else's work instead! Saturday we went to a shower for the first baby of my cousin's son and his wife. Mom, grandma, brother and his wife were in town for it and mom made this quilt for the baby. The hearts are paper pieced and she used Warm and Natural batting. Isn't it lovely?

We had a really nice time at the shower and got to see the twin boys, who are just starting to eat solid foods now. They are such beautiful babies and seemingly didn't mind the crowd of people or the being passed around at all!

The nine patch quilts were also made by mom - one for each of the twins. When my cousin opened them she immediately put them on the floor and had the boys on them! Mom also used her embroidery machien on these quilts and put the boys' name on the back of each one.

~ Elizabeth

Rejoice in the Lord and be glad, you righteous; sing, all you who are upright in heart! - Psalm 32:11

Boba Tea Party!

Last night I met some friends at Color Fat Straws for drinks, quasi-knitting and laughter. Pictured is my drink, a Passion Fruit Iced Tea with "boba" at the bottom (tapioca balls). VERY strange feeling to drink these as they have a texture along the lines of a gummy bear. It did get pointed out to me, after I had a wonderfully ladylike coughing fit when I tried to breathe in a boba, that you are NOT supposed to just drink them straight down without chewing them first - LOL! Not sure if I would order this again, but I did have a sample of a friend's smoothie that was yummy!

Barely visible in the background to the left is Lise's Fetching glove that was oh so pretty. And behind my cup is the pair of 1776 socks that Ronda made that caused me to sigh and want to pull my yarn out of the closet and actually get it on the needles! Ah well, all in good time.

The quasi-knitting was me, sitting with the left arm in a sling, knitting vicariously through the others. It was still fun to be with them and watch and laugh and talk, but it made my fingers itch to be stiching!

And since the boba tea place was so close to James and Loni's house I followed them after work and we went out to dinner at a Mexican restaurant first and had a really nice time. The weather is so beautifully fall right now and we were able to sit out on the patio and truly enjoy it. Then of course a quick stop by there house to love on my grandpuppy and out the door to meet my friends.

An evening I'd like to do again and again.

Crafting Willy Nilly

Once again I'm going to be flitting to and from my crafts. I keep telling myself that there are just so many things that I enjoy doing! This time (here comes the justifying) there's a reason though: I'll be having shoulder surgery in two weeks! The MRI showed that I had torn the rotator cuff and a possible tear of the bicep muscle, so I'll be having arthroscopic surgery. The surgeon said that I will not be able to move my left arm at all except for specific exercises for awhile, so that leaves knitting out. Then I remembered counted cross stitch and how I would only use my left arm to hold the fabric and no movement required! Yesterday during my lunch hour I went to the local needlework store and had a ball. It's been quite some time since I've been and there are so many beautiful things to choose from. I purchased for a project - picture to follow - and am eager to begin.

Which led me to pulling down my cross stitch box last night and going through it. So many beautiful things, unfinished of course. ;) I guess we'll see if maybe that's what I'll be working on for the next little while.

Say Hi!

This is Joe's newest trick! At the "say hi" command he sits up in a "beg", then wave his arms around and it's just too cute.

Coming off an absolutely awesome weekend. Friday night of course was dinner out for Lynne's 21st birthday. Always love being with my family and when there's an event it's even better.

Then Saturday, bright and early, Lynne' and I left the house, went to get Loni and off the three of us went for a day of garage sales / flea markets / antique shops and of course lunch at a hardware store in small town. It was a wonderful day!

Cherry Tree Hill Yarn

When I returned from Arkansas I had a wonderful package waiting for me in the mail - my order of Cherry Tree Hill sock yarn! I've heard about these yarns for ages but have never had the opportunity to pet them or see them. Some of my enabler knit friends pointed me in the direction of an online sale and really, what's a woman to do? Not only am I not disappointed, I am simply delighted in the feel and the color and am anxious to cast on another pair of socks with one of these.

And when we had the garage sale in Arkansas it was an absolutely stunning day. The morning started off quite chilly, so I pulled out my hand knit socks and clogs to wear that day. Silly as it might sound, I truly did have happy feet all day long! There's something intensely satisfying about knitting your own socks and each time I would slip my feet out of my clogs and wiggle my toes it would give me a smile on my face.

~ Elizabeth

She selects wool and flax and works with eager hands. - Proverbs 31:13

She's 21 Today!

Today is my baby girl's 21st birthday! When the alarm went off this morning I looked at Keith and said "Good morning old man". He looked puzzled and asked "what???" since this isn't normally a term of endearment that I use with him. I pointed out that when your youngest child turns 21 I think it means that you're officially old now. We both just laughed.

When her alarm went off she came into the bedroom with us with a grin from ear to ear. She said "Well, I'm officially an adult today." Keith asked her how that made her feel and she paused a moment before saying "tired". I couldn't help but think to myself baby girl, it's only just begun - LOL! ;)

Arkansas Report

Back from Arkansas and actually I got back late Sunday night. Have you ever been so tired though that when you sit in a quiet room you can almost hear the buzzing in your head? That was me all day Monday. Yesterday was running around and now today almost feels like I’m living my life again.

The trip was actually rather surreal. Going through my grandmother’s things and then selling them wasn’t exactly pleasant. But it did put the kernel of the idea in my head that I need to get rid of an awful lot of my own “stuff” after doing this. Grandma’s house was always neat as a pin, so it wasn’t that at all. It’s just that I now know that there will be somebody that has to go through absolutely each and every little thing, up to and including opening each piece of paper to determine what to do with it, and I hate to do that to my kids! :)

As the photo shows, the theme of the four days seemed to be coffee, in all shapes and forms. When Danette (my cousin) picked me up on Thursday our very first stop was the Starbucks drive-thru near my house. And amazingly we turned the four hour drive into a seven hour drive with all our stops! We stopped once at a casino on the way and she taught me how to work the machines. Of course I didn’t win anything, but she did and was kind enough to treat us both to Starbucks inside the casino (she also taught me how to order regular coffee there – who knew?) – and then on the road we went again. Shortly thereafter we spied a really nice Goodwill store so we swung in there. It really was nice, but I didn’t find any treasures.

In the midst of all the tears this weekend, I also came away with some phenomenal memories. Some of the things make me laugh every single time I think of them, which is way cool:

• Hearing Danette’s 3 year old granddaughter Mackenzie through the cell phone saying “Hello MeMe!” and watching Danette’s entire face light up with joy.
• The two of us laughing each time we’d let Grandma’s back screen door slam, simply because it sent us back in time to when we were much younger and did the same thing.
• Going to dinner one night in a nearby town in a barn that the guy had converted to a restaurant – awesome comfort food! On the way there Judy (my aunt), Danette and I were sitting in the backseat and we broke out into Cher’s song “Gypsies, Tramps and Thieves” as we rode round the “mountain”.
• Saturday night the four of us (two aunts, two cousins) got into our pj’s and climbed up on Judy’s bed to look through really old photos and hear stories of days gone by. Slumber Party! :)
• Discovering just how alike Danette and I are – even down to how we fix our coffee! We really are “sistah cousins”!!!

State Fair of Texas

Well I'm starting to sound like a broken record, but we really had a nice time yesterday. Keith and I both took off work to spend the day at the fair. The weather was really nice, hardly what you would call a crowd and of course the Fletcher's Corny Dogs! This year we were able to see the creative arts building and look at the prize winning quilts and canned goods. Keith enjoyed seeing the Lego entries - who knew there were Lego entries??? And for the first time we rode the Texas Star - ferris wheel - , reputed to be the tallest ride in the Western Hemisphere. Pretty cool and since the gondolas were like little cages instead of open seats it really wasn't frightening at all.

Now this morning I'm sitting at home enjoying the beautiful fall weather that arrived last night. I dearly love the cooler temperatures and cool breezes and apparently Joe and Meeko do as well since they keep rotating around the open windows in the house with their little noses pressed up against the screens.

My cousin from Houston should be arriving shortly and we will be hitting the road towards Arkansas to stay with my aunt and help go through my grandparents' house and prepare to close it up. Definitely a bittersweet feel to the trip and yet I'm looking forward to it more than I could possibly have imagined. I love that I'll have car time alone with my cousin because I'm certain we'll solve all the world's problems and I am eagerly anticipating the two of us spending time with my aunt. I love these two ladies so very much and time together is just very special.

And while putting on my makeup earlier I realized that the left side of my face got a little more than its fair share of product. Rather than either take some off or add some to the right I just shrugged my shoulders and decided that it worked out well since my cousin will be driving and will be able to see the pretty side - LOL!

~ Elizabeth

Children can withstand a lot of pressure and trial from the outside if the home inside is held steady by parents whose character is steady. - Stuart Briscoe

No More Evil Knievel For Me

Last Thursday I decided I should get a second opinion on my arm since it's still hurting so much. I was so tickled by the nurse's assistant at the facility. She asked about the accident and I told her about riding the motorcycle offroad. This young girl's eyes lit up and she told me that she and her boyfriend had recently gone bungee jumping and had we tried that yet? LOL - umm....methinks you have the wrong idea about me! She told me that she is 23 and she hopes that when she is my age that she is still doing fun things like riding motorcycles! So during the short conversation with this young lady I learned that a) I am old and b) she thinks I'm a daredevil!

The doctor x-rayed my arm and it's not broken, but he did recommend I get an MRI to further check things out. He told me that I would be heading to the imaging center that does the Dallas Cowboys and I do think that I disappointed him with my lack of being impressed. However, Monday afternoon I went to the training center and stopped at the guard shack while he checked my name on the list. I have to admit that I told the young guard that I must be really important to be coming here! He laughed and showed me where to park. I honestly think this place rivals Disneyworld in cleanliness - not even a leaf would dare to fall on the grass and mar the perfect beauty!

This afternoon I heard the results and I have a torn rotator cuff. I suppose this means I need to start acting my age now instead of running amuck all the time! Perhaps this means I will settle down now. ~ sigh ~ Or maybe it just means that I will again reflect upon the enormous blessing it is to have health insurance!

Coincidence - I Think Not!

This morning about halfway to work it started raining, then by the time I got closer there was an honest to goodness storm. I was so happy watching that water come from the sky and glanced at my rearview mirror and discovered it was only 65 degrees! Fall is a wonderful time of year, bringing hope after the horrid heat of the summer. And ironically enough Dallas County announced water restrictions again yesterday due to the drought, so the rain was especially great.

But what made this storm especially meaningful to me was a brief flash in time. The radio was playing the song "Holy Is The Lord" by Chris Tomlin - Holy is the Lord, God Almighty - and right as the next line was being sung there was a HUGE flash of lightning - The earth is filled with His glory!!!!! How cool is that??? The earth truly is filled with His glory and it was awesome to see the emphasis with the lightning.

Tiger Joe

Saturday I went to lunch with friends and next door to the restaurant was a thrift shop, so what's a girl to do? Since Halloween is coming up there were quite a few costumes and I managed to snag two headbands for Joe. This picture was taken at the park on Sunday and doesn't he look happy?

The funniest thing about the headbands though is that when he tried this on Saturday and went in to show Meeko (!), the cat was scared to death. Smacked his ears down on his head and started howling and hissing. All we can figure is that Joe must have appeared to be the biggest cat he'd ever seen! If it wasn't so pitiful it would be even funnier. ;)

And I love to put headbands like this on Joe because he must honestly believe me when I tell him how handsome he is. He struts around the house and shows everybody and it just really tickles me.

~ Elizabeth

"Never lose an opportunity of seeing anything that is beautiful, for beauty is God's handwriting--a wayside sacrament. Welcome it in every fair face, in every fair sky, in every flower, and thank God for it as a cup of blessing." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Sunday Lunch

I am a firm believer that even the most simple lunch can be fun if you eat outside on a blanket. And so for lunch Sunday, once we saw how awesome the weather was outside, we decided to run through the McD drive-thru and head to the park. We haven't eaten McD in a long time and sitting outside like this made it taste like a feast. Joe had a grand time watching all the pockets of people playing on the playground, playing basketball, riding bicycles, etc. When we finished eating Lynne' took hold of his leash and went running with him, although with his girth he did tire very quickly. These are truly the best of times.

~ Elizabeth

"A memory is a photograph taken by the heart to make a special moment last forever. And of all the memory-pictures that happy times can bring, the best are those that families make together." - Unknown

Dallas Stars!

Oh what fun we had Saturday night! We finally splurged and bought tickets to the Dallas Stars hockey game. It just so happened that Saturday night was opening night at home, so that was especially fun. And they were playing the New Jersey Devils, so of course we expected a good game and we were not disappointed. Our seats were great and it really was just a fun evening together. When we parked downtown and were walking the many blocks to the arena we passed several sports bars that were filled to overflowing with people watching the Red River Rivalry football game. As it turns out, Texas did not disappoint there either!

Now lest anybody think I'm bragging about Texas sports teams, Keith, Lynne' and I just finished watching the end of the Dallas Cowboys game and let's just say it wasn't a stellar performance there. ;)

Happy Blogiversary!

One year ago I made the first post on this blog! I wish I would've realized it earlier so that I could've made a cake or something.

It's hard to believe that it's been a year. And it's really true what they say about time flies when you're having fun. :)

Season Premiere!

WooHoo - I know what we'll be doing tonight!

10-4 Good Buddy!

Get it....10-4....October 4??? OK, I can't take full credit for this clever bit as I heard it on the radio this morning.

This photo shows the dinner Lynne' and I had last night. When we went grocery shopping at Super Target we saw the cutest containers of different kinds of rice. Cute packaging pulls me in very quickly, so we took a second look and were very intrigued with Bamboo Rice and decided to give it a try. You can see it in the bowl at the top of the picture and let me just say that it didn't really taste any better than it looks! It wasn't BAD, just wasn't something we feel the need to have again. We did discover that if we poured a lot of soy sauce over the top it wasn't nearly as bad.

~ Elizabeth

Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. - Romans 12:14

Joe the Wonder Dog

LOL - this dog just totally cracks me up! One of his tricks is to "stay" and Keith will balance either a treat or one of his toys on his head. He doesn't love it though and keeps moving his eyes over at me like "please do something mom"!

Speaking of his tricks, when I got home from scrapbooking on Saturday Keith said he'd taught Joe a new trick that day! He is now able to "shake" hands. Seems funny to us that we never taught that one to him. But here is what he does know:

1. sit

2. stay

3. lay down

4. let go (when we play fetch and he thinks he'd rather keep the toy than give it back)

5. dead dog

6. twirl

7. spin

8. beg

9. speak

10. growl (This turned out to not be a good trick to teach him. It started out he'd lay on the bed with us and we'd play "growlies" with him where he'd growl for us to pet him, then when we'd stop he'd growl again, etc. We think it's adorable that he'll growl on demand and it looks silly to see him growl while wagging his tail. But what we didn't think of is that when he goes to the vet or boarding and he's sitting in a crate and growls to get attention it ends up with the exact opposite result of what he's wanting! People that don't know him are not going to run over and pet a 100 pound growling dog!)

11. dry off (This one cracks me up totally and probably was the longest time to teach him. He will now do that full body shake that dogs do to dry off when they get wet! The funniest part of it is that if he's not totally in the mood he'll just do a little shimmy of his hind end and it looks quite silly.)

12. get the ball (or whatever toy we say)

13. and now shake hands

Pretty impressive I think!

12 Hour Crop

This is a picture of my workspace after cropping for almost 12 hours on Saturday! And as I gaze upon this photo it hits me that it's really no wonder that I get so little done at crops! I still contend that the most important part of a crop to me is the fellowshipping and laughing - and if I'm honest with myself I'd add the "eating, Starbucks and Sonic runs" as well. ;)

When I got home late Saturday night and was telling Keith animated stories about the day he just shook his head at me. Among the stories was another chapter of "and we have to move up there when we retire honey because I just love the area and people so much"! Of course I'd have to keep our current home as well so that I could still play with my friends here. It really presents quite a pickle, which is probably why he just shakes his head and pretty much ignores me on the subject.

My arm is still very sore and I had to baby it quite a bit on Saturday with the sling - except for when I threw that baby off and did the YMCA like a crazy woman! The problem with doing things like the YMCA when you're my age is that after the "performance" was over I sat in my chair panting for quite some time. Hard lesson to learn about yourself, but really I'm just not as young as I used to be! The bright side though is that I'm no longer as inhibited either. When I was younger I would never have done the YMCA in front of a group of people - LOL!

Caught Him!

hehehehehehehe!!!! I surprised Meeko when I walked through the bedroom and saw him curled up and sleeping on........one of Keith's socks and one of Joe's toys! Silly goose - he always acts like he doesn't like Keith and Joe. Busted!

Uncluttered Foot Paths

This is the sky that greeted me Wednesday morning on the way to work. Of course things like this are never as spectacular in a picture as they are in real life, but I figure by seeing this picture on my blog perhaps it will remind me of the splendor of the sky and the feelings I had when I saw it. There is a very intense pink/orange color at the base of the clouds and the upper outline was a beautiful clear light. What an awesome God we have to show us such beauty!

I'll admit to being a wee bit awestruck by this vision and it set the tone for a good part of my morning that day. I seem to be getting a plethora of advice lately on my faith, both from real people and reading things online and it's not always good. How is it that everybody seems to be knocking so many things lately? Are we not of one faith? The pettiness is just too much sometimes and I was getting way too tense about it all. I have come to the conclusion, through much prayer, that I have given way too much "power" to other people that perhaps I shouldn't. The online people especially as I really don't know anything about them. But even the "real" people that seem bound and determined to change me to their vision of what I should be. I believe now that I will just let them talk, smile sweetly and let my Bible do my teaching. I also have an awesome pastor at church, a knowledgeable Sunday School teacher and a Bible study leader that can help to guide me. The path of my feet seems to be uncluttered again and all is right in my world. :)

~ Elizabeth

Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in your brother's way. - Romans 14:13

Fall Swap Card

Just finished doing a card swap with some very talented ladies that I crop with. This card was my entry - our theme was "fall". The stamps are CTMH.

Think Pink Challenge Scarf

YAY - the fingers are starting to move better again! Now I have some catching up to do. :)

Last night at our knitting group we turned in our scarves for the Think Pink Challenge. This scarf is the Single Cable Scarf from the One Skein Book and is made from Blue Sky Alpaca - oh so soft! I'm very pleased with this scarf and will most definitely do it again. I also did a fuzzy, novelty yarn scarf. I think there are about ten scarves from our group and I can't wait to see the picture of all of them together!

And before we met at the coffee shop for knitting and such we first met at a Vietnamese restaurant for dinner. Really good and I'm glad I went with some "pro's" since I'd never had this cuisine before. Quite tasty and I hope we return!

We're Back!

We're back home from four blissful days at the lake! However, due to my love of extreme sports this post will be brief. Sunday afternoon Keith and I were riding the motorcycles "off road". I hit a rock and tumbled, landing on the rocks shoulder first with the motorcycle on top of me. At first I was unable to move my left hand or fingers at all, but after a short while got movement back in my fingers. We went to the doctor yesterday and nothing is broken, but I have very limited movement in my left arm and it is safely held in a lovely sling now. Typing one-handed is sloooowwww, so the rest of my stories and pictures will have to wait for a couple of days. :)

Faux Embossing and Bible Study

This week has certainly seemed like a hamster week. You know the kind - you run and run and run and it never seems like you get anywhere. I've even stayed home the last two nights from scheduled plans with friends and still can't seem to get it all done!

Last night after we ate dinner Keith had homework to do, so I sat in the room with him and finished this card that I had started last Saturday. The technique is Faux Dry Embossing and the leaves are just punched out of the same paper as the background. I'm quite pleased with it, though the scan makes the ribbon appear bumpy and it's not!

I went to the first meeting of my Ladies Bible Study on Monday night and really like it. But when I think of that and our new Sunday School class and the homework for both I start to hyperventilate. I love what we are studying in both these classes, but I just worry about having the time to get it done. Really I think I'm just going to have to learn to say "no" to some things and also eliminate some things from my schedule. I'm starting to get too tired and apparently it shows as friends and workmates have started asking if I feel ok since I look bad. Not really what a girl wants to hear - LOL!

~ Elizabeth

"I prayed for faith and thought that some day faith would come down and strike me like lightening. But faith did not seem to come. One day I read in the tenth chapter of Romans, 'Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.' I had up to this time closed my Bible and prayed for faith. I now opened my Bible and began to study, and faith has been growing ever since." - Dwight Lyman Moody

Weekend Report

Once again Keith just kind of shook his head at me over this photo. We were on our way to Home Depot and getting in the truck I noticed how pretty the crepe myrtles looked hanging over the fence, so off I went to get the camera. It rained a good portion of the day and the blooms looked so pretty with raindrops hanging off of them.

All in all we had a very nice weekend. Yesterday was the first time in a very long time that we did absolutely nothing and I have to admit that it was nice! I wasn't feeling great, so we just sort of hung out on the couch watching tv and enjoying the rain together. We did watch the nascar race, which gave me some quality knitting time, and Lynne' brought in the Blue Man Tour dvd for our evening's watching. When Keith switched to the Dallas Cowboy football game was about when I had enough of the couch!

I have been pretty good about doing the exercises on the big blue ball and still enjoying it. Now last night Joe was pretty revved up and thought it grand fun again, so while leaning back on the ball I had a golden retriever holding his tennis ball right in my face! Ah well, it's hard to get on to them when they are being so cute!

Saturday Keith had to work, so all of our best made plans for the weekend changed. This did give me the opportunity to head up to the scrapbook store and see a friend that was in town for the weekend. She moved to Omaha about a year ago, so it was good to see her again. We all had a nice visit and lunch together and it's always fun to catch up. Fun to see pictures of her son's first day of Kindergarten as well. He is just adorable and hard to believe he's getting that old.

~ Elizabeth

May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer. - Psalm 19:14