december update

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The year has filled up and finished out with best friends in Jr High for Dove. Semester finals for both kids. Dash with his K12 home school distance computer classes we worked real hard. I say we for it is a good 5 hour job for me each day and then some. I suppose it need not be but we take education very seriously around here. They both finished off well, Dash had an extra three days of winter break.

This is my favorite coffee creamer and coffee gets me through may a long mornings around here. Insomnia is a mainstay with all the medications that are detoxed within four months four medication one was done twice. Pain a way of recovery for my knew knee and back issues. Naproxin in my 4th  week now to avoid injections in my spine. The steroids are not good for my immunity.

 Decorations were few this year for exhaustion have really left Steve and I as minimalist.

 Alas you know we must all get ready for that fat red man who brings us free stuff and steals all of our cookies. That is Doves description her humor is sweet but stands corrected with the heart of what Santa was all about.

 We had Dash's Adoption day number 10 on the 13th. It was a huge splurge but his heart to go out to a Carl's Jr fast food. Good grief what a rip off of ones cash. We just watched and rejoiced in his celebration. His heart mattered more.

A wreath at the door was all the welcome for the lights were too much this year. I know it is only four months out from my new leg but it seams an eternity. We are regaining strength. This break from teaching Dash is a refreshment to me. 

 Christmas Eve this dear one opened her home up till almost midnight with the laughter and conversations that covered the months apart. Our nieces spent time with our kids and the four of them were just delightful to behold. Our kids almost a whole generation younger were mesmerized by the evening with cousins.
Oh it was so so wonderful an evening!

 A photo shop game

 Dash slept on the sofa and morning came soon.
Once Willy had his bone we began our exchange. We were so grateful to the divine and human generosity of our provision.

 My darlin gave me a set of head phones that are cordless so as to be able to have music during the day while Dash is doing school. Oh the silence my son demands to concentrate. This is really sweet. I hope that the difference will keep me going on chores during the day. The lethargy has left my tasks so needy.

 This sweet man and I will be taking a partial early retirement to add to our income in March. We will work no less but it will be on his former employer of 27 years. It is really going to set us to a lower stress. Raising kids is expensive, us retiring on paper only years fly in life.

 Steve's brother took us all out to Christmas dinner. What a wonderful weekend is being had by all. Getting too tired to write more. Just needed to say...

Merry Christmas to one and all.

I stand amazed at the kindness that came and made this season turn around for us. It has strengthened our faith and built our humility and willingness to receive. We are refreshed.

On my IVIG my numbers are doing well, the infusions are working to keep me infection free. He will renew my strength one day I just know it.

Choosing the best Turkey for the money

Good Morning
The butcher taught me a trick this morning. When choosing your turkey pick a hen not a tom. Look at the bird if it is more of a 'v' shape that one is the tom. If side by side the hen will have a wider curved appearance. The hen is more meat per pound. He said he can't tell everyone or he would be stuck with a lot of toms to sell off.
I got my bird for free to use later.

Tomorrow

'Thankfully' I rest with the pleasure of family and friends.

May beauty wrap you up too and rest refresh you. Take time for the young ones as well as the elders. Laugh if you burn a biscuit or scorch a pot. Be silly and except the turkey and yourself just as you are. Perfection is found in the heart free of pretense. Remove all fear over concern what others might or might not think of you. You are beautiful. Your efforts a gift that I appreciate as I hope and trust those who receive them ought. Each little detail is seen. God sees it. Others might and neglect to speak it. When you notice them in others speak up.
Remember you can not read others minds so do not assume. They can not read yours so speak out.
Happy hearts of gratitude be calm. Remove the fret and enjoy the fruits of your labors.

A different thanksgiving dinner

A very strange Thanksgiving this year for us. We are going out to a restaurant with the Grand Parents and My husbands Brother. They are serving the turkey and all the fixings. This year it is the best we can muster. Strange though not to even have this place decorated.

web sight for restaurant
I want to tap into some joy, some thankfulness.  I hope to play and laugh. Maybe I'll try to help and pull a few things down from the attic.

So very much to be thankful for. We have love, health and faith. Beauty surrounds us.

Hope your day is wonderful.

Primary Immune foundation conference/convention is here at this resort

JW Marriott Desert Ridge Resort and Spa. Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Coming home Sunday.
 Mercy! a five star resort. There will be a refrigerator in the room so I can take things to eat from home. The fair will be much too costly for this girl.
My nurse will come on Saturday morning to start my six hour infusion. She will then be able to attend with me free of charge. A gift to her. My prayer is a good infusion. This is some treat. I won a scholarship that covered the lodging. The conference was fit into budget. It will provide an evening meal. It will be so fun to play...be a princess.

On Wednesday next the process to begin my knee replacement will begin. The hope is for a minamally invasive surgery. Loosing weight now has got my BMI down to 32.13 as of today. The BMI of 35 makes one non acceptable for the robotic technique. Scary times ahead. My camera is iffy.

We are all doing well. My leg stopped working the last day of vacation. Now it locks up several times in a day. We got to have holiday however.

The last several weeks I have been in study.
Interior decor redo
The whole of the house has been transformed. From room to room balance in decor has been achieved. Although there are several more details to attend too I am so pleased. Plants will become my next goal.
NASA (yes) lists the top 10 plants to remove indoor air pollution. It will be my wish list of desire to accomplish 9 of them. On is not good for us folks with latex allergy.

 knee surgon

If I qualify this new robotic arm makes a lesser recovery. My thigh muscle would not need to be cut.


convention at the JW Marriott Desert Ridge Resort and Spa

Turning 50 tomorrow

In two hours at 3:20 a.m. 

I will be alive exactly half a century

Mercy my birth weight was 

9 pounds 11 ounces!

Steve has offered me a bucket list item

A hot air balloon ride!

He said "whats money for but to spend it sometimes?"

With IVIG on Saturday we have to wait, probably next weekend.

HE got a Wii fit for me last week. It is fun, even told me I was 47 today when I did my test for balance. Can't beat that. I even whopped it up a bit. Thank you all for the sweet support and cheers for my daughter. These kids are such a blessing. Dash's teacher has requested that I come and do a painting demonstration on Monday. It is the first time all year in a class room. My immune levels will be high enough to sustain a short visit. It will do Dash's heart so good. Mine too.
It is hard to stay up so late, at least in the morning it will have proven to be so. Better go to bed. 50 is just too old to stay up till 3:30 in the morning! HA!

Happy Easter

This is the most favored Holiday of the year for me.

May it be the day of great favor for you too.

The tasks at hand keep me so full each day that my presence here has fallen to a low priority of late. Having to measure my energy is challenging. Life is good. Each day our little family is growing and maturing with grace even in the most trying of days. Kids are doing real well in school. The three day weekend is a wonderful thing. They are a delight to be with. Bless you all

I trust your all under the sweet favor

Savor it.

told you so...

:)

See you later...

It will be a good homecoming.

Happy New Year

The Kids are still up 11:11 here
I want to sleep soon :)

Christmas Eve Day

 Our little family has been busy with the pleasures of time together. So many activities here at home and out and about. Mostly here however. The kids had an early start on the 24th and caught two sleepy parents off guard and unprepared. the two presents they chose to open were opened in the morning. Normally it is an evening event. We realized that the day long would give more time to enjoy. It is so set that rules of Christmas are never modified. It is a challenging thing for me to be flexible. My husband is teaching me these things at times with some consternation.

 Unfortunately Dash opened a package that I somehow forgot to write no on. It was the case to his big gift. We saved up and were able to give each kid one big gift. His is a DSI. Well now he was so upset and we all had a bit of a melt down. I feeling that my error by not getting a 'no' on the right package, it took a while to let go of the idea I spoiled Christmas excitement. A good perspective is he was very excited for the morning. :)

 Here he is dragging the dog across the floor, the dog was loving it.

 Well Christmas eve means Lamb for me. Some traditions were really challenged and reconsidered this year. My lamb was not one of them. I thought to us a rub on the pan and roll it in it.

 We were blessed to get a leg a $48. leg for $21. It was so good.

However I must get it in the freezer for I am the only one who enjoys it.

I may not do this tradition next year.

Steve and I had our evening communion and well into the midnight hours before our hearts and minds were ready. We spoke out all within us. Talked of all and or any ought we had against each other as we admitted our sin and fault to God and each other. This was a great time of healing and restoration in our friendship. It was very cathartic and yet courageously difficult to walk through. When a family is young as in the kids, it is so easy to neglect each others hearts. It is far too easy to leave things unsaid and misunderstood.  We were so open and transparent with each other. Our ties strengthened and secured. Our love deeply knit.

Then and only then we were ready to join each other in one spirit and had our time of communion together. We fell asleep sound and slept peacefully.

It was a wonderful Christmas eve.

Holiday free fun

Doing a search for local free activities is a wonderful way to have fun without the stress or excuse of no funding. I say excuse for it is far too easy to just give into to 'not being able to afford' entertainment.  We had a nice time.


first off we packed up all the jackets and the hats. Snacks, drinks and the camera. We stopped and got some 'C' batteries and with some old battery operated lights on the dash's we were set.
Our neighborhood has one of the very best lighted streets complete with a back yard set up in a nativity/911 theme. It is a quite walk there, but fun around the rest of the caldesac (sp). Lots of lights.

We did stop and get the kids a $1 McD. We had drinks from home.

Oh we had so much fun. Kids were a bit over the top for the back seat :)

We next went to a local mall where Mrs Clause read a story and the ceiling was 'snowing foam'. Well it was then obvious that our two are no longer little. Oh mercy on those two. They were so humored at how the little kids were too cute. We soon left there after using the facilities. I accidentally fell down a couple of steps onto my knees. Goodness I am a klutz.

We drove far south and found a wonderful opportunity. At 9 p.m. was the last of the free rides on a 'horse and buggy'!  Dove and I found a tshirt on a clearence rack and got a second for a penny. It was a $7 night, plus two tops for dove for $12. She needs clothing so it was a wonderful mom/daughter time while the boys held the line.

It was our turn on the buggy, we got off at 8:53 p.m. second to the last group. It was so cool. Some how there was a $5 bill in my billfold. I have no idea where it came from. So cool we had a tip to give. We all walled around and really enjoyed each other. It was really fun.

We then drove for ever to try to find a light show without ever finding it. We all had so many laughs.

We have a list for tomorrow...
ginger bread houses
light shows
carolers

Look into your local area events and search for free opportunities. Have some fun.

Wonderful family fun Building Ginger Bread Houses

 At Walgreen's I found these kits for $10 each and decided a good gathering could come out of this special treat. Oh we had a wonderful time together doing them. It is nice to take a short cut. The work if I were to make the bread would of been just too much. This was worth every penny.
They were set up most of the day. We had too many things going today. Daddy man gave Dash a HUGE Christmas gift.

Daddy Man cleaned Dash's room!

 Once we all got together and watched a sweet Charlie Brown show we went in to play. Dash and Dad and Dove and I on hers. We had  a good time. Creative and talkative.

 Dash's front door

 Dash's side house (card board to prop it up until all is dry and set)

 Dash's back door

 Dove's front door

Dove's side house

Dove's back door

Christmas Eve Morning with coffee and hot cocoa

Yes we are Crazy...

:)

It is a fun crazy though.

cheese sticks or yogurt first