Thankful Thursday

A Problem with my Mammogram... it was as I thought, a benign cyst.

It measured 2+ by 1 inch. I may need to have it aspirated. It was, last year, 4 smaller cysts and they all merged. Now it is my hope that I can just stay home a while. I have to go to consult about changing my medications.s however. I have gained a tremendous amount of weight (20 pounds in a couple of months) on this drug and I just cant afford it on my knee. I do hope I have no withdrawal to go through.

I went and got snacks for the children and had them all unload the truck when I got home. Wow talk about great incentive! :) I have an extra kid today. I will have on Thursday's to help out a single Mom. So blogging has fallen off due to other things pulling on me. This is a child who feels at home. Mother of many...I am.

I had two new squash blossoms in the garden this morning and I told Dash we should look into getting a garden snake. We have a lot of crickets. I have witnessed a few other insects and the lizard population is growing. We need these good insects to pollinate. Dash said " Mom , I just love nature it is so beautiful to watch"... I have succeeded in opening his eyes to it YA!

Kids are watching Nim's Island, a movie about adventure and fiction verses reality and courage overcomes timidity. Good Movie.They are happy peaceful. Full tummies. Soon to do the homework. How rich they are to be here in America, here in this home with a Mother attending to them.

I resisted temptation to over eat sweets today twice., It may not sound like much , but for me this was a huge start. ..."so you want to change ...Do you really want to change?" Asked HE ...softly tenderly. I left the store purchasing nothing. I passed up the Taco Bell and drove to the store for healthy snacks and lunch. I ate a healthy late lunch and a healthy smack.

I heard a scripture that said that God sings songs over us. It really touched my heart because many times it will be a lyric of a song that will give me the need strength or comfort for the moment. Gave me pause thinking about it. Makes me want to sing right back to him...

Did I ever tell you your my hero?
Everything I wish I could be...
I could fly higher than an eagle...
Because you (God) are the wind beneath my wings.
Everything to me.

Wordless Wendsday

My life timefriend Jaye became a Grandmother last night!

Life...
The spinning wheel goes round and round.

Tackle It Tuesday

Hello

My tackle was a bit different this week.
I went to Bible Study. Where I encounter opportunities to reach out to make another more at ease. In Arizona Mexican looking folks are even now encountering a racism that is alarming. I was the new woman and no one was sitting with me or even reached out to me. I saw a woman who came and sat by me. She was Hispanic and spoke with a very strong accent. Girls she sat by me because she thought I was a Hispanic person. Not one other person welcomed her! I notified the woman who was leading that this lady was new to help get her seated in group. The fact that I reached out started another. How sad is that??!

Last week a young woman was hindered by my request to share our kids names so we could pray for each others families, she "is very private". Well with some mild tension she disclosed that after all was said and done that during the week her teenager had her first minor encounter with the police. She said that she knew we were all praying for her daughter. Then she actually thanked me for asking if I might do so. I am angering folks and not even knowing it.

Well in class (a study for Mothers) we had several young women who had become Mothers before they were wives. I see the judgmental receptions they encounter and tackled the afternoon by offering hospitality to one such a young impoverished woman and her three year old. Her boyfriend ( soon to be husband) who works nights sleeps days and she has to keep a small child silent as possible (in a one bedroom apartment)(ha!). I gave her transport here and home and just hung out and rested while her daughter could hang out and just play. She is being wed in three weeks and so I told her I would be delighted to make her a wedding necklace. She has only raggedy jeans to wear on her day! I am praying for a way to get her a baby blue dress or nice top or something that will give her beauty to remember and treasure. The woman who brings her is not a very kind person (a missionary ???) she is a distant relative. Pride? The young woman (22 yr old) was rejected by her family because her American Indian boyfriend of four years looks Mexican! He has been a good father and provider. Her family will have nothing to do with her or her beautiful child! STUPID IGNORANT BIGOTS! ...ahum excuse me I get riled up! The three year old child is disowned by the maternal grandma (dis-respect intended!). She owns two t shirts and the relitive (the missionary) corrected her for not wearing a different nicer outfit?? She was so ashamed that she did not look nicer and appoligized to ME? She said noone will interact with her at the church???? She just moved here 2 months ago. I know only half of it yes...but really how risky is it to offer love, kindness. If I am being taken advantage off I am free to risk it. I think in this the risk was very low.
I shared my clothing and food with them. No, she had no motive to "taking" anything from me.
Sweet thing refused a glass for her soda as to not make me wash one.
I told he I would delight in washing her glass:)

Made me think I wish I had a bag of stones to pass out...Wonder if anyone might have one lefft to put in their pocket to reflect upon....:)
These girls have an abortion they murder their young, they keep the kids they encounter fundamentalism. How much harder this makes it for them to chose life. We as Believers ought make a way to be safe to do the right thing. Repentance does not excuse us from the consequences, but it does offer us unmerited favor with God. If God be for them so should we!



I am a mother of many. Now I see that the group I have joined has a root in Mothering these very young moms.

The class instructor was so started by my reaching out that she called to thank me! Wow this fellowship makes me wonder what I am getting into. This was just the second womens Bible study. I really only have met a few of them, not very open rather click like.
I think of Jesus torquing off the pharisees. I am just a nice wrench...hahah
Sorta makes me want to tip some tables. :)

I was exhausted by the days end.
I made breakfast cookies and called it a day.

Hanging laundry on the line *the science*

To my great Joy My U. got the new clothes line hung up this weekend. I have been using a single line for 8-9 years now and never have enough room or never as much as I wished I had. . You see I love to spoil the fun of the electric company!
They find great fun in the humor of us paying to dry our clothes in a dryer and then paying more to cool the house down after the dryer is emptied. Then all those hot clothes gust heats up the room and the poor soul hanging them even more.
So I in my great wisdom (cocky aren't I) have been hanging my clothing for years!
Trying to sell the house this year and doing away with a clothes line for several months really showed up on the electric bill.
I saw this multi line clothes line at a dolor type store for $25.
Well My Time is a valuable commodity.
You may ask well hanging clothing is time consuming...Oh really?

Lets count the costs. After I go hang out this next load...
Well it is now 9:30 p.m. hee hee hee
I hang the t shirts and such upside down and put in a hanger.
When dry they gust go right into the closets.

Pull the placket and botton top botton

I worked on Laundry all day!

The white jug is a recycled laundry jug cut open on one side for the clothes pens. I have 200 and use them all up when sox and undies are on the lines.

I am so happy with the lines.

every 15 minutes I had another double load to hang and put away.
It was awesome. The weather was balmy and the breeze through the wet cloth was nice.
I wore a nice big hat.

Off the line right into the closet!

This was such fast work of it. The shirts dried in less than 15 minutes.
Done by the time the washer stopped and the dishes were loaded.
The delicates were almost dry by the time I had the whole load hung, and I work fast!

Load by load. I had a months laundry to do because of all the health issues.
The childrens clothing has been washed twice but our things were all in a huge mound!
I think I did 12 double loads (front loader Neptune washer) and a quilt that was hanging in the master bedroom.

The house was cool.
I used the dryer for 5 minutes to soften the jeans with a wet towel.
Don't let the things dry hard. Remove them from the line just when dry.
I did not pay the cost of unning the dryer all day and having all the wet clothes add up waiting the turn to go into the dryer. I only dried the dress shirts in the dryer and that after 8 p.m.
I think I paid for the clothes line and clothes pens in one day! :)
This was so wonderful to have a day outside. The breeze was so sweet a gift and the job finished a big relief.
I rested and iced after the dinner meal.

Sunday Smiles

Happy Day of Rest to all of you.
Sorry for the absence.
I am getting back up on my feet and rebounding pretty well. The good foods that Debbie gifted me with have been such a help. I have had salads and soy yogurt. It is really inspirational to eat live foods.
Saturday Morning a new begining for me.
After realizing it was up to me to do something proactive to gain my future back.After a lot of soul searching and prayer I have realized that it is time to humble myself and join Over eaters Anonymous. I went to my first meeting Saturday morning.
It is a 12 step program. I faced my "first step" realizing that I am powerless over this compulsive behavior. No matter how hard I tried.
It was a very "Long first step " the meeting was at the end of a VERY long hall the length of a very large building. It was a very long first step with the walker. I hope next Saturday to do it without the walker.
I have been working on a few Earrings for a show I hope to do in November. It would be great to do the Etsay store too. It is in need of help from someone who knows how to set one up.

Yesterday I was able to make a simple supper that was so appreciated by the family. The kids cleared their plates , not a grain of rice left on them. It was a joy to eat a meal together. I have been icing my knee. It is doing much better.

My Dear Hearten Husband installed the clothes line and we are now up and ready to catch up on the Mounds of Laundry in my room. I have been unable to catch up now the last four weeks. The children s clothes were completed over and over but our pile sorta just grew. We are so blessed to have so many clothes to be able to do so.

I awoke just after dawn to a new day.
My leg fresh and the garden calling my heart. I fed the dogs and grabbed a wonderful banana. To the garden.

Come away , come away come away with me my love....

I come to the garden alone while the dew is still on the Roses. The voisce I hear ringing in my ear the Son of God disclosed.......He talks with me...
The furrow for the radish and carrot row was readied the other day, it was a huge task just to rake away the hay on that day.

I found the green beans loving life by the compost. Lots of compost tea here.
The trellis will need up real soon now. I think we will have the beans by Thanksgiving.

Can you see the baby crook neck squash?
A yellow summer squash.

Seeds are so beautiful!
Who would think that such a small thing could yield such abundance.
These are slicing beets.

I got the carrots, radish mixed in the long row, cooking carrots in a row on their own.

I planted the lettuces a romaine and a black seed salad? Looked interesting.
The soil under the straw was found to be moist and tender a gentle turning and I had the row ready. Yes..I rested after every few moments. I had a chair out there and just sat and enjoyed the hummingbird visiters.

After all was in the earth and a good watering was had a thick layer of straw was thrown over everything. This is working wonders on keeping my soil soft and the moisture in. A garden that gets all dried out is not too very happy. I so look forward to having a rain harvesting system by next year. I know it will pay for itself.

Daddy man mowed and we used the hand truck on one end to move the hen tractor. I raked and mucked and My Mr cleaned it up with a shovel. I am resting and that sweet sweaty soul took the kids to a local public pool to bring a little end of the summer pleasure to them.

Earlier we watched some home movies, the Mr and I. We took a trip to Tennessee and Kentucky in 1997 it was before kids.
How we long to travel more.

Please pray for my sister Carrie.
She is to have a total knee replacement on Wednesday next.
I believe the suffering with my knee is too teach the compassion that she is going to need to receive from me (in part).

I did not go to the pool to keep my leg safe.
The bruising is down, and the strength is returning quickly to it.
I will rest it the rest of the day...
Ice is a good thing. :)
I did not "over do it" this morning, but it is done for the day.
I took an afternoon nap of an hour or so. Lazy afternoon is in order here for me.


I received some thoughtful awards from a dear heart over at
"Talk to Grams"


Thank you Care'Oh' Lynn :)
for such a sweet thoughtful kindness...

When it rains it pours...and waters the garden for you...

Hello, All

It has been a week of challenge ,trial and hope. One of kindness offered ,received and embraced. A week of great pain and triumph. Provision and urgency. When it rains it pours, and gratefully it waters the garden when I am not able. It has been the end of our monsoon here. So amazing all month that each time I was incapacitated the rains came and a shower or deluge watered for me and kept the garden going.
Knowing Monday that the last of the knee injections was to happen after Bible Study on Tuesday ...I worked very hard to get all the priority things done. Then for the few minutes I had on Tuesday morning after the kids were off on the buss...well it is not how I wish it were around here. Knowing however I have done my best I was pretty much at peace.

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I loved Bible study ! The prayer fellowship before hand filled my heart with rich pursuits of intercessions. Compassion's for those who need them, as we all do. There was one particular soul who came up to me thanking me for prayer for here. She said"thank you for praying for me no one ever really has before"...This child is a mother of a three year old and getting married in October. She faces bigotry for her American Indian fiance is judges Hispanic and here in Arizona the racism is flourishing. I am going to celebrate this child by making her bridal jewelery. I saw what to do in a dream last night.
We broke into study groups and I joined the group on Motherhood. It was a varied group of around 10 ladies. I so enjoyed the shared minds and conversation.
Leaving early to meet Julie here...I got here just as she had sat down on the front porch...I headed off for my last knee injection.

My sweet "Jewels (Julie)" has tendered and transported me three weeks in a row now. I have made some decisions and some progress in my goals.
I had an Epiphany that just because the surgeon has indicated I need a knee replacement that I do not have to just resign myself to it. I have decided to join a 12 step program for over eaters. I am a compulsive over eater. An emotion, stress eater. Lord know with the stresses of my life that I need Him and I surrender. I need help. I researched a meeting and found on on Saturday mornings. I will attend tomorrow.

Well after the injection I extended myself within reasonable limits and took Julie and myself to lunch. She drove and let me off at the curb. It was a great effort to accomplish and at the end of it I was spent. Empty and needing to rest. Well...However badly I needed to ice and rest it was not going to happen...
The alarm in the deep freezer was going off! Mr U had inadvertently left the door ajar and the 100* garage had melted everything that was in the door and This time the 15 year plus unit was done giving us service.
I prayed and saw us at a Lowe's and with a unit replacing the dead one by night fall.
I contacted my Beloved hubby and he was on his was home early...Then It occurred to me that as I saw Dove getting off the bus alone that Dash had student counsel and I need to drive on that poor knee and go to get him. Both knees were a blaze but the right knee is much more angry and intense in the pain.
As I pulled into the driveway and the young ones ran in to potty and get snacks...My love pulled in . I got into the passengers seat and we all loaded up and went to the place I saw us going too. There it was but no apparent way to deliver it.


I knew that it would be here so I told the salesman so. I told him after "the impossible!" was noted that I have watched my God do it even so...Then he asked and it seamed no way...The kids and Daddy man went to go get the car and I slowly , humbly rode a cart to the door. Painfully limping to the car just after the sales man had had an Epiphany..."we do rent trucks and we do have two of the models in stock"...
I got in the car and told my Hunney. We were almost on "E" so we went to go get fuel and he dropped me off to go into a Costco to see if they had a unit. (knowing all the while the other one was ours ) I did so to respect my husband. I limped into the store and got a cart and rode said cart into the isle only to discover they only sold chest type units.
I met the family at the entrence and we all loaded up and returned to lowe's to get the truck rental and the unit. I limped back to get a different electric chair cart and was then met by the family. Mr U rented the truchk and I bought the unit, handed him the reciept and took the kids home. I called a good friend for help and the drive home was escutiatingly painful!
Got home and the kids got laundry baskets for me and I did my best to empty all the grains and things that could be unloaded and transfered it all over to the other freezers best I could. The men pulled up about the same time. They got the rest of the unloading deligated over to them and I inched my way to the sofa with the ice packs.
My right knee bled under the knee cap.
I have been down ever sence resting and enduring the painful aftermath.

Well Wednesday at 3 a.m. apparently in my sleep I rolled over just as My darling was retuning to bed after a bathroom trip...His knee with great force met my right knee under the covers and I awoke screaming. For three hours I lay trying not to vomit from the pain. He rubbed my back sweetly. Poor guy feels so terrible. I told him (trying to keep light heart ed) that it has a target on it.
So I have a bruse now under the knee cap and over the knee cap as well. Down the shin is beging to subside from under the knee cap. When it rains it pours. I lost my self controll with Dash and yelled at him terribly. I appoligized we made up but he is still angry at me.
Every day God has blessed my little community with a monsoon shower. My garden lives. The tomatoes will need to be replanted but All matters to My Father. My efforts are no in vain.

Now by Thursday (yesterday) morning life was not so great. My resolve was faltering and my spirit weakening. Loneliness set in and so I used my tools and reached out. Thank you Denise and Debbie. I needed your ear and I know it still must be cooling Ha ha.
I was so hungry and I prayed and asked God for help. Debbie my dear friend called. she asked if she could bring some food and I recieved humbly, thankfully. I told her that I was SO craving a red bell pepper to just eat like an apple, she was hummored and then explained. At the grocery they were on special, normally she never purchaces them for they are costly...she was standing there eating a slice of one when I asked. We both were humored and I really felt embraced , both by Debbie but also by the provision. God touched me tenderly in that red bell peper. I though of that old prophet who was given bread by that Raven. :)
She went to a store that has the thing that have no dairy and no wheat. She went to some great lengths to get soy yogurt and hummus and salad. It felt so good to eat salad. I had the soy yogurt for desert. The children all had salad and yogurt for breakfast this morning. Good , healthy foods like we were so accustomed too. This last month with the implant surgury and the three weeks of knee shots has been hard.


After I spoke with Debbie another call came in. It was my Dear sweet Mother-in-Love she was concerned about me and when she heard the saga she wanted to go rent a wheel chair for me. We recalled that they had the walker. I needed snacks for the kids after school also. I have a little girl who comes on Thursday. Her Mother is a single Mom and the girls are best friends. I had prayed because I could not think of any snacks without trying to make one. The Grandparents came. Arriving just as the school bus did. The kids ran to the house with joy to see them. They had snacks. Cookies and pretzels. I had juice an the young ones needs were met.
She also gave me the cutest top perfect colors for a pair of capries that I had little to match. She passed on several patterns for girls clothing.
The folks helped me alot. Grandma tended the kids for snacks and Granpa called me into my closet and asked me to suppervize while he hung the clean clothing I had stacked on a bench in the closet. I have not been able to get it hung. The child who was with us told me how ..."I feel like I have two homes...Mrs J Your a good mom." It really was so sweet.
For three weeks now every seventh day I am down for 48 hours. All the while recovering from this implant surgury in my mouth. I might get the stitches out in two more weeks.
Rain, rain, rain...



If it were not for the rain we would all dry up and wither away into complacancy. :)
The garden still lives, the chickens are getting big and I am doing better today.
The walker made me able to slowly join the kids at the bus stop. I am able too move me left knee very well. The right knee is not so happy it is still not too pleasant. It did feel right to give it a "little " exercise by walking to the stop with the kids. I think it is helping the bruse disapate.

I am going to try to do a wedding set for that sweet woman.
I may be doing a jewelry show on 11-15 to sell my art work.
I need to call on it. I need to do paper work and that is a sitting down job.
Well it is time to go ice my knees. Good day to all of you.
Thank you for your prayers they make me warm.