Our 30th Wedding Aniversary Trip

 The children spent the night over at the homes of friends so we woke loaded and drove. Stopping for breakfast at Jomba Juice for a healthy start. We arrived at the Verde River Valley Railroad Depot just in time to sign in and get refreshed before boarding.

 We waited in the warm sun with many others. This trip we splurged for 1st class seats. This included our lunch and water. Our tab was covered in part as a gift from our steward. She wished us happy Anniversary.

 It was a wonderful day for the trip. Warm and pleasant. IT was just so nice to be on our own a while.

 After the two hour ride into the canyon lands we are taken back via the engine shifting track and then going to the end of the line of cars to pull us back.

 We saw one bald eagle in flight and a few blue herons. VERY little wild life.

 We enjoyed the tunnel as do most folks. We traveled back to the depot and then drove on into Sedona proper an hour away. We got our hotel room up on the plateau where the airport is. The next morning early am we were picked up at the hotel by the pilot and off we went to get the other passengers. The tall woman in pale pink was a wonderful gal named Mae. She taught special needs adults, and the pilot ad adopted so to speak a 50 year old relative after her caregiver died. Our kind of folks.
We all pitched in and even though our group was delayed by the little family we were first up.

 We held up the fabric as the air filled it. Then the air was heated.

 IT was so exciting and wonderful the share this time together. The roar of the fire was load.

 We had a Champagne toast with OJ, bear claw pastry and strawberries with cream. Fun to watch these rough men serve.

 After a nice nap and breakfast at the airport we were set for a nice mile hike into the West fork of the canyon. I did great! My new knee served me well. It finally gave a gripe after several times across the creek. We stopped at that point and turned around but I did it!

 This bridge was built a few years back. They put in a parking lot and charge ya now. Years back it was so much sweeter to find wilderness on our own terms.

 This is part of the old estate that was there in the 1920's. There is an old apple orchard and several out buildings.

 This cave we think was for food storage. Used to be local folks came here and hung out . Mostly kids.

Well there was still a little snow deep into the canyon. The end of the trip was Saturday we had a wonderful supper of Chinese Egg Fu Yong. We were delighted to find quality supper. My kids are just finishing school at the moment.

It was so wonderful to have a rest together. Time to take each other in arm and just stop for two days all the stress and high pressure. It was so good for us.

We sold the camper and purchased a Saturn for good gas millage. We have our truck up for sale right now with two coming tonight to see it. We hope it sells. With the 1996 Saturn having only 50,000 original miles on it we feel so happy. IT looks like a 2006 in condition it was garaged. We awoke at 4a.m to drive a 100 mile round trip to Sun City West ( a retirement community). We drove off with it at 6 am for $3600.! It will only cost 35. to register for two years and the insurance on it is exceedingly low. IT is said to get 30-40mpg. Our living cost will continue to be influenced. That is our goal to live as inexpensively as possible. We have been really accomplishing a lot with a sound budget.

Thus we were able to have enough saved for our wonderful trip together. Memories and adventure.

The good news of the day is NO surgery on my right shoulder. A partial rotater cuff tear that will get managed with exerciser and shots every three months. No news yet on my wrist. The MRI on it is tomorrow. IT showed a need for fusion of a bone in my hand and the soft tissue will show up on the MRI.

These last few months.

In the Yard and Garden:

Planting of 4 trees

Blueberry bushes

Tomatos

Bell peppers

Cucumbers

It is a far harder thing to do with the shoulder issues so few gardening projects for me, just enough to cushion the grocery budget through summer.

The wildflower bed in the front is very pretty with lots of bachelor buttons.

On Education:

Third Quarter grades

 Five to six days a week at least 5 hours a day and my dream of giving an education to the children has been hard won. Dash will continue next year and want to attend Jr High, Dove wants to return to Jr. High next year.
My hopes for a firmer foundation are being met.

I have been earning a new skill in my beading now I am able to better knot and string.

Around the house:

LAUNDRY

Letting go of clutter and passing it on gives space to the bikes.

Just trying to keep up

Parenting:

My days are full of school, fixing three meals a day from scratch and being available to the kids and my husband.

Adoption day 14 for Dove

Dash had his 11^th birthday yesterday.

 It was a different more mature day. All these many years of making a party and spending a budget on that was changed to all of the budget onto one item. His desire an Itouch, not a phone but a tool for filming and correspondence/media.

 Happy Child. The sweet Grandparents took the children out to lunch yesterday and I dashed up to the grocery and purchased a small cake. Due to my arms making one was not doable. The injections the afternoon before left me far too tender.

 Big sister get to share her knowledge for she had one given to her last year for Christmas. All I do mean all kids these days have phones. Mine DO NOT. We much prefer to have the control over contacts and do without incurring monthly bills. I do not even have a cell. We really hate any bills except what must be to have utility and mortgage, insurance.

Daddy Man set up the new tool

It was hard to allow such an expensive item but we kept to the limits. It was wonderful to see Dash so happy and not begrudge his choice to forgo a party (I had to buy a small cake :)

Boundaries have been a huge focus in the training of the last 3 months. My desire is well able young adults, functioning as successful independent people. We are really focusing on responsibility and reality thinking. When you throw a ball up it will come down and one must consider what they will do about catching it or letting it get away to be lost.

The things of the spirit:

For the last several months my spirit has been healing the wrongs done me during the knee replacement. Those feelings left me in a real struggle filled with anger and pain. I really felt that God had abandoned me, or had asked just too much of me. Endurance is a hard thing. One day I will understand when comforting another where only those experienced intimately could. I think that perhaps the pain medication might of actually been stolen by employees. It is a common issue in nursing homes.

Health and self care:

Shots in each shoulder two days ago allow me to sit here and type a while. Although still tender the level of pain has resided significantly. Avoidance of any further surgery left me all but lame in both arms so pain was insistent and tasks stacking up. I was under the false understanding that no further cortisone injections were available that my limit had set me up to have corrective surgery as the next step. So for several months unwilling to go there I have been in pain unable to do much that required me upper body strength. The surgeon has ordered an MRI and surgery will occur on my right shoulder eventually, but today my pain is greatly improved! Bless GOD!

Creative outlets:

Sun catcher

 Mixed media, those are beads (of course) for the back ground. Sorta starry night image. I have yet to do the highlight in the eyes.

 My heart is my offering.

I have been working on a painting for our anniversary as a gift to my husband.

 This is so fun for Dash and his buddy. Imagine two 5th grade boys loving pix-elation the precursor of pointillism.

 Keeps the iron hot every day.

Relationships:

Our 30^th anniversary is in two weeks and we will get to go on holiday.

The children have sleep over’s every other weekend. My house is most often full of children making U tube videos’. They have such fun writing scripts and filming each other.
All of you have been so neglected as has my writing been. Just dealing with the levels of daily pain , slowed by it, I have all I can do to tend to each day. Now that my shoulders feel a lot better due to the injections I have been able to type! However I should stop soon.

Last night Dove and I spoke until well after midnight. She opened her heart up. Best hours spent listening.

Finance and Budgets:

We much prefer to have the control over contacts and do without incurring monthly bills. I do not even have a cell. We really hate any bills except what must be to have utility and mortgage, insurance.

Taxes are done! YA!!!!

We have been saving for our two day stay in Sedona AZ, a Hot Air balloon ride over the red rocks. We were able to match a goal for Dash and gave him a gift that excluded any party. The amounts spent in times past were not too different. We are now partially retired, well at least the checks will come monthly on our years past employer. It really will help us to have a little ease raising the kids into the teen years.

Goals ahead:
In May we hope to have enough saved up for a new refrigerator. My current one is 25 years old! Still works but it is hard on my back to bend now that my knee is now able to be knelt on. We hope to get one with the freezer on the bottom.

Mariage Monday:

 Husbands love your wives, likewise wives honor your husbands sums it up.

It is the OFFICE of husband/wife we are to submit too not the person. Those offices hold high duty and due diligence to responsibility.

When a husband loves as we ought be loved,
 submission that is religiously or legalistically based has NO place in a holy union.

Love as defined in deferring to one another becomes rule without those sharp edges and corners.
We are covered under his LOVE, submitted to HIS protective kindness.  A loving man will want all of the beauty and strength a righteous wife has to offer. He desires her empowerment as his helpmate. When a 'man' is unrighteous this then can become a tool to harm he wants some slave, or subjective subservient girl.

However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.

A husband must be worthy of respect to obtain it. To me the command to the husband is, to be respectable. 

It is far more desirable to live able to respect our mates, it is then that deferring to them is compelled through trusting in them.

Please join us for Marriage Monday on Feb. 20, 2012. Here's your chance to tell us what you’ve learned about submission in Christian marriage.

I know that for some women, this is a particularly challenging topic. If you're uncomfortable with this one, no worries. Feel free to take a pass this time around.

However, if you’re ready to dive right in—but stumped as to how to begin—you might consider selecting one of the following writing prompts.

1. Define the Greek word for submission, "hupotasso" [hoop-ot-as-so].
2. Tell us a story. Show how your submissive attitude blessed your husband on a specific occasion.
3. Expound this biblical passage: Ephesians 5:22-33.
4. Discuss what the Bible has to say about submission outside of marriage e.g. to bosses, political leaders, and other authorities.

Or, you can cover this topic from whatever angle the Spirit leads.

See you at Chrysalis on Monday!

Blessings,

e-Mom ღ
http://chrysaliscafe.com

This and that

The three of us (four if you count the dog) are cozy this morning doing school. The lessons of vocabulary, spelling and literature filled the last hour. We normally break at 11 for time to be physical and silly before lunch.

This weekend the garden had a makeover to accommodate the cop being used to block the hens from the garden area. It is coming time to plant for the spring crop. The four of us worked together to make it happen. The side yard also was cleaned even though the kids gave a strong effort it is not perfect but much better than it was.

Infusion was Saturday and the kids both had sleep overs. My dear nurse gifted us a female canary for our dear Steward. Her name will be Stella. She also was so generous and gifted me a platter for the hutch. Really pretty one with inscription of Flowers. It felt like Christmas.

This morning fatigue is really hitting me. I feel as if I could close my eyes and sleep would descend post haste. While teaching all stimulants are avoided. It causes frustrations to come into tempers. Best to be sleepy and hang in there.

Have a wonderful day

Another week of online school

We are getting the swing of things here. The independence is beautiful! They are growing in so many many abilities. We had one very hard day where I was almost ready to throw in the towel but like any good mom I endured the test. Oh boy was I tested.
With a kid that has so many lingering special needs Dash pushed me to the point that on Tuesday after the dentist ( a new $$$ crown) I did not want to even come home for a few hours. I stayed out and grocery shopped and walked around a book store for a long calming while.
When I returned it was all honeymoon with him and has been ever since. We ended the week on a good note.

Infusion tomorrow so I am dragging some. Sleep eluded me until after 3 a.m. last night.

Dove has her first dance tonight or rather this afternoon at the Jr High. In just an hour and a half she needs to be dressed and out the door. Dash has a probable sleep over tonight. So it will just be Steve and I in the morning when my nurse Ashley arrives. She is bringing my sweet Steward the canary a mate for free. Ashley's Mother has a few extra females. This may endear Stewey to us for he can rip the flesh off your eardrum if given a chance.

God Provides

the principle said Dove could attend
a bird perhaps we will call her Stella
grapefruit, lemons, tangelos
a 35 pound bag of dog food, note that the bags have now become 29pounds at the same price.
flowers in the yard
endurance
Buy one get one shoe pair half off. A child got a new pair of shoes and was startled that she could get them. This was a friend of Dove's. Her face when I said I would cover her...priceless. Two 14 yr old with new shoes, best friends receiving at the same time. It felt so good to be able to do it.