Friday has finally arrived!

 Actually, for some reason, yesterday felt like Friday most of the day.  But here we are at last!  I have nothing on my calendar so will be working on some PowerPoint slides for the upcoming board meetings most of the day.  I need to go through folders too and delete things from 'way back when' I started and as we no longer use them, need them, I can get them out of the folders.  May be a long day, right?  

I need to do some baking for Tuesday's retirement party, but I will wait until Sunday or Monday to do that. Just making sure I have everything for what I plan to bake.  Mainly scones.  I did go online and ordered a bunch of stuff from Fry's yesterday - and I mean a bunch!  I deleted a bunch as well as 'not needed at this time'.  I just don't have the space to store much in the pantry. But, I hadn't bought groceries in about a month so was out of a lot of things.  Hubby insisted on helping carry in the groceries... and nearly fell again.  Luckily, I was in the kitchen at the counter unpacking bags and he came in and I heard the words 'Catch me!' and turned around as he was going down.  I managed to catch him before his head hit the counter.  And I gave him 'what for' and told him he is never to carry groceries - or anything else for that matter - ever again.  What if I hadn't been where I was?  I was close enough to catch him this time - but the next time - I may not be, and his head would hit the counter. I survived catching him with three marks on my arm (where I think he grabbed with his fingernails) and a sore wrist.  I'm fluffy enough that I make a soft landing, I guess. LOL Actually, he didn't land on me; I caught him before he went down. It startled him, for sure. But he is listening to me now, at least.  Well, for the most part. He knows it is best for him.

I bought some 'aids' for hubby to put in his ears for when he works out with Morgan.  Sound amplifier? I can't think what they are called.  Anyway, he can't wear his hearing aids because he sweats and then it kills the battery and corrodes the inside of the hearing aid. So I got him these. He can't hear Morgan's instructions without them.  Well, yesterday he comes in with a pair of tweezers and told him that the soft part of the aid was still in his ear.  So I'm looking in his right ear with a flashlight and can't see anything - but eventually see a black spot inside his ear. Thinking that was it, I was trying to get it - only afraid I was going to go too far and hurt him with the tweezers. Finally I told him he will need to have someone else who is a professional to look at it and take it out.  But then, I checked his other ear - and the white piece was right there and I was able to get it out. So now I'm wondering what the black 'thing' is in his left ear.  Since he wasn't aware of it, perhaps he will wait until we go see Dr. Mark on August 7th - Dr. Mark is to burn off his pre-cancer spots - plus do a biopsy on his forehead of one he thinks is basil cell.  Dr. Mark can send him to an ENT or let us know what to do.

Today is my big brother's birthday.  He is 81 today - when did he get so old?  You wouldn't know it though, for he definitely keeps active and encourages me to keep active - body and mind - as well.

UGH.  It is so muggy out that even I am complaining!  Something I don't normally do, for I enjoy the heat - but this humidity is hard to deal with - I don't sweat... and yet, here I am!  

Hubby has his oncologist appointment on Monday morning and I have to go with him. Drive, of course, but I have to go to make sure we get all the information.  The doctor also sends to Dr. Mark his summary. I'm not sure why we have to meet, but hubby went for his blood workup yesterday for this doctor.  They, of course, watch his numbers for the prostate cancer.  Thus far, it has been really low. But, Dr. Mark says other things are coming up so they need to be checked.  Anyway....

Don't have anything really planned for the weekend... that I can think of, anyway.  May need to do a trip to Sam's Club to finish getting supplies for the retirement party.  I just remembered that we can get reimbursed for decorations and stuff. Need to let the director who is coordinating this know.  In the two hour period for this party, I think we will have about 100 people - but I can be wrong.  I saw the 'agenda' (seriously!) for Chuck's retirement.... of course he is two up on the ladder.... but oh my - it is an entire afternoon with speakers and toasts and a meal.  Of course all the executives will be at that one - he has 30 years in .  Or was it 40. I don't remember now.  Sue has 9 years here.

Well, I'm at a loss as to what to write about, so I will leave you with this....

Philippians 2:14-15 (NKJV)  Do all things without complaining or disputing, that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world. 

I often have to remind myself of that; quit complaining (sorry that I do it so much on here....) for I do not want to be known as 'that person'..... but as one who depends on God to handle all things.

Have a blessed day!

Blessings!

The trees are up

 but I didn't put decorations on the one last night.  The other doesn't need decorations.  I was very hungry as I didn't get away from my desk yesterday, I was so busy.  When I finally turned everything off at 4PM, I told hubby I wanted pizza. It was odd, but he made fun of me, stating that I don't usually come out of the room and say 'I'm hungry, I want pizza'.  Well, that's true, I don't, as I usually head to the kitchen to figure out something to fix. But i was tired (I was awake at 2AM, remember?) and I was hungry. We went to Streets of New York as it isn't far away. I love their New York Combo thin crust pizza.  And last night it was especially good, cause I was hungry and I ate three pieces!!  Hubby had gone out to lunch with a friend so he wasn't as hungry as usual.  I brought 3 pieces home and will have those for lunch - well, at least one of them. Hubby will probably eat the other two.  

We came back home and I parked in the driveway so that I could unload the trees and decorations, etc. out of the cabinets. I didn't get everything out - hubby insisted on carrying inside as he wanted to be a part of the decorating.  Sigh.  All these years I have done it alone just fine.  And this year he is pushing his way in to 'help'.  After putting my car in the garage, I was hurried along to get the first tree up.  It is the one in the front room and he could barely let me get it out of the box before telling me what to do.  I kept my mouth shut. Then 'we' started to piece it together and I felt he was pushing down on the section and I couldn't move it into the hole and told him to quit pushing - and then we exchanged words. We finished getting the three pieces put together, plugged in to make sure the lights all worked, and he just stood there.  Finally he went to sit down and was telling me what to do. In the midst of all this I turned to him and just said something like "I know you want to be included, but you ruin everything and take the joy out of doing things when you push your way in. Stop it!"  He huffed and puffed but kept his mouth shut after that - except to tell me there was a 'hole' in the tree and I needed to move branches.  Sigh. If he had waited about putting the next section on, I could have straightened out the branches first.   Thank goodness the lights are already on both trees!  That's one part of putting Christmas trees together that I don't miss.  I do miss the tinsel though, although it got everywhere.

Long story short; both trees are up.  One I do not need to decorate, the other can be - or not. I just didn't have it in me last night to put the decorations on.  Boxes and bags are still sitting in the back room, waiting for something to be done with them.  The Christmas bedspreads will come out this weekend; I have to clean the bed off in here to get it on it. The other I can swap out today.  I love having Christmas quilts and everyone should have one, in my opinion.  Have Christmas themed shower curtains too and will get those on this weekend.  

In case you haven't figured it out, I Love Christmas.  I love what it stands for (celebrating Jesus' birthday) and honoring that, but I love the buying and giving of gifts.  Not for me, but for others.  I love to find unique things and needed things and give to others.  This gives me the opportunity to do so.  Hubby isn't going to let me retire so I might as well keep spending the kids' inheritance, right?  No, I haven't overdone it. In fact, I only have underwear coming in for a grandson up north. That's what he needs, so that's what I bought him.  I will fix him up a snack box too. He always asks for my salsa.  In fact, with his siblings and him, they make me laugh.  They all always ask for salsa; that's all they want.  Two other grandchildren used to ask for my salsa and cranberry pumpkin nut bread and a cheeseball. They don't ask anymore as they can make their own if they want.

I want my grandchildren small again and wanting to come to Grandma's house to bake cookies!! A couple of the granddaughters still come - we've tried to make it work the past couple of years - and bake cookies with their little ones.  I so much miss my time with the grandchildren. I've always said they kept me young.  Perhaps that is why I feel so 'old' now... everyone has gone to live their own lives. And that is ok.  We all grow up and 'leave home'.  At least I left them with some memories.  And now I can get a few of the great-grandchildren to bake cookies and that is always a joy.

A thought just occurred to me.  I wonder if my children would ever want to come and bake cookies with mom?  Or make pickles with mom?  Or make bread with mom?  I never did that with them; life always got in the way.  We didn't get to make those memories.  So I have made them with their children.  Ah... I'm getting too far into things... need to move on.... trying to remember - it wasn't pickle slices, was it pickle spears or long-ways pickle slices my son mentioned he wanted.... he will have to let me know as I plan to make pickles this weekend.  Picking up three cases of mini cucumbers today.

Had to stop and jump on Amazon... got a thought for someone for Christmas.  I think a couple gifts I've been able to get this year will be a surprise to a couple people.  Not saying what nor who... will keep you guessing.  Maybe that's why I'm excited about Christmas too - I can't wait to see their faces!  There is a positive about all the shopping I've done this year on Amazon - I let the points build up - and had nearly $500 'saved' in Amazon points so everything that I order now has been 'free' because I'm using my prime points.  See - I did something good and I'm saving spending a lot here at the end of the year.  That justifies my spending, right?  LOL  Well, it's my excuse and I'm sticking to it!

Hubby is getting ready to head out to breakfast with his bible study so I will have a couple hours alone. I'll need to run out and pick up my combo box with cucumbers and cranberries about 10AM if I can get away.  I saw late last night (cause I have my company emails on my phone) that my male boss sent me an 'I'm sorry' email... he wants a critical meeting the first of next week with the higher ups - and he knows how difficult that is going to be. When that happens, he always prefaces it with 'I'm sorry'.  I have that to do first thing this morning. And I still need to get minutes from the board meeting completed.  I did get the expenses submitted so that is one major thing off my list. But I still have to extend numerous meetings into 2025.  Who would have thought we would live to see 2025 back when we were 20?

Psalm 119:143 (NIV):  Trouble and distress have come upon me, but your commands give me delight.

I don't know why that verse has struck a chord with me; I currently am not in trouble (that I know of) and I don't think I'm in distress.  At least not at this time. Yes, I do go through a lot of anguish with situations and struggles, but I know that God always gets me through them, no matter if I feel He will or not.  Every day I have to put that day in His hands and ask for help to get through it.  Some days it is really tough; but He always helps me complete the tasks I have to, and deal with the issues as they come up.  God is good; all the time God is good. 

The scribes, or whoever it was that wrote Psalm 119 - actually, there were several contributions to Psalm 119... this specific section has TSADDE at the top. Not sure if that is a name or just identifying a section.  If I recall correctly, the entire psalm is about the Torah, the Word of God.  The Law of God.  It is the longest psalm... and is always found in the center of the Bible.  Isn't that interesting.  Have you ever taken the time to read the entire psalm in one setting?  It does take several minutes, but I do challenge you to read it. You might learn something you didn't know.

Following God's commands for us isn't always easy because 'we' get in the way.  Our 'rights' as we define them, don't always agree with God's commands.  But I have discovered after all these years, that I can not do life without His laws.  I cannot be 'whole' without His Word directing my path.  Whenever troubles and distress come upon me - and trust me, they have many times over these past years - I know that when I go back to God's Word, He brings comfort and peace to my soul.  In every trial and hardship, with every tear I have cried, He has been there to hold me, and walk me through whatever it was I needed Him.  You ever wonder why I am so dependent on God?  It's because I can't do life without Him.  I would not be here if I had not turned to God and allowed Him to direct my path.

It's in the darkest moments of the soul that you will still find Him.  He never leaves; He is always there. Grateful, Thankful, for His love for me.

Blessings!

Day after Thanksgiving....

What a fun time we had yesterday with family and eating more than our fill!  Mary, Tom, Stuart and I played a game of scrabble - and in spite of bickering on whether words are authentic, using Mary's 1982 edition dictionary (which made us laugh for at the top it says 'for those who want to be right') that is very outdated - Mary won the first round.  Then Mary, Tricia (with Stevie's help) and I played another round of scrabble - which I won.  It was a lot of fun, food was delicious, and just being with family is priceless.

Reading on facebook it looks like a lot of friends ate too much - and then late last night went to the "black Friday shopping frenzy'.  Not me!  I figure I wouldn't save anything for I don't know what to buy anyone yet - and I would just buy because it is on sale - and then would spend more than I would otherwise!  I already have each of the couples their 'big' gift.  (Now when they read this they will try to figure out what it is! LOL)  I just don't know what to get individually.  I like to shop with the person in mind, looking for that special something that I either know they want, or would really like.  Going shopping just to get a good deal without anyone in mind to get it for - is useless to me. 

I did do the Black Friday shopping thing one year.  A girlfriend talked me in to it so at 5AM we were at a WalMart which was already across the front, down the back and going up the middle when we arrived.  When we got inside, me - having no idea what I even wanted to buy - just wandered up and down the filled aisles - finally found a VCR I thought I would give to someone (I think) that I got for $25 (this was maybe ten years ago) and stood in line.  For 45 minutes.  For just a VCR.  S T U P I D.  Decided that was the last time I would do that.  And it has been.  If I feel the urge to go shopping, I wait until late in the day - most of the items are still on sale and I don't have the crowds up against me.  I can't stand being surrounded by people pushing and shoving.  I have been known to put everything back out of the cart and leave the store empty handed!

There have been a couple things that have come to mind to pick up - and I may head out later this afternoon to check them out.  Then again, may just put on some chick flick and stay at home and watch it too. :-)  I have other things I probably need to do instead of shopping and watching movies.  I'm speaking at Pioneer Village on Sunday so should continue to review and work on my message.  My real focus on it will be tomorrow and again Sunday morning before heading up. 

Had a wonderful visit with Ralph and Ralphie, Nathan and David this morning for breakfast.  I love being with family.  After breakfast we headed to JCL-NM to visit a friend in the hospital.  Now we are back home and just getting caught on on things.  It is a beautiful day outside with the sun shining.  I think it is to be 70 today.  Maybe I can get Tom to go for a walk later.

What are you up to today?  Busy out doing the Black Friday shopping thing?  Getting your Christmas items out of storage to work on putting up?  (Hope I can do that this next week!!)  Take some time to remember someone who may not have had family and friends to be with yesterday.  Visit someone in the hospital.  Pick up the phone and just say you care to someone.

You may get a call too.

Blessings!