2015

The year is almost over. Another year ahead! I have to say 2015 has been a tough year but it definitely had a few snippets of happy. Daniel and Erin's wedding, and now they are expecting!! Health is a huge blessing and seeing my kids become successful adults is a highlight. I know several are searching and looking to find their passion in life and what they are suppose to do. Always praying for them!! I have soooo many "want to's" for the coming year. Only God knows if they will happen. Hoping we can survive with Terry's job change. Performance jobs and commission work is a tough world. I can't say I feel very hopeful. Maybe someday the finances won't be such a struggle. 

I have my list of things I have written down and with my little iron job, I'll see what can happen!! Ha! It's so fulfilling to make a list and go back later and mark it off! I looked in the back of my bible at a list and I was able to mark 3 things off. One thing was the headstone for Joel and it came about because of the coffee shop job I worked at for 8 weeks! And the other two things happened because of our wonderful kids and their generosity! 

Hope you all have a safe and happy New Year's Eve! Going to cook some burgers and do a movie later! Hope I can stay up to bring 2016 in!! Haha!! 

Thanks for being with us all these years!! 

Merry Christmas

have a very merry Christmas! 

Christmas.....

Happy advent things are happening. Baking, crafting, eating, special places and much more. The kids love advent!! I love planning it!! 

Keep praying for Terry's job situation. He did end up taking the salesmen commission job. Monday was his first day. This whole week is training. So tough as it is, he will work 40+ hours this week and only get compensated $150. Please pray next week he will have sales and began building his clientele. Tough. 

It was so wonderful to have Daniel and Erin on the farm. And so thrilled for new baby in the womb. 

Nine years ago, we were in the midst of our greatest trial....Joel and his cancer. Each day is cemented in my mind. I love Christmas and hate it at the same time. 

Hope you have a wonderful Christmas season! 

more grands!!

Finally, it seems the dominoes are falling!! More grandbabies!!! Kristen is due in March and Erin and Daniel are expecting their first baby in June!! We are soooooo thrilled!!! 

going to miss you Roo!

Roo and his momma and daddoooo have gone to Maryland for the holidays and for the winter. They won't be back until April!! Going to miss them so very much!!! 

keep hoping....

This is likely going to be a discouraging post. I heard a song that says "your worlds not falling apart, but into place," I can only pray that is what is happening because it feels like it's falling apart. Terry at this point has only had two responses to job opportunities. One is an assistant manager at braums, a hamburger restaurant with hourly pay. And then other is an office supply salesman and its on commission. I can't even believe this is happening. We are 50+ years old and possibly working at a hamburger place. I promise, i feel like I have lived 100 lives. I'm praying God would please show up! 

Thanks for praying. Thanks for listening.

We did pick out a lovely tree and it does bring cheerfulness to our home! That's what really matters!!  

prayer is good.

Well, today was Terry's last day at his job at the crossroad clinic! He handed over the construction business to Elijah so right now we are jobless. But, hopefully and prayfully God will come through quick! Please pray for our situation! 

Thanksgiving is behind us and Christmas is ahead. I enjoy our advent activities with the little kids. I have been planning them and we are ready for December 1!!! 

Hope you all have a wonderful and memory filled holiday!! Jesus is God!

We stopped by the magnolia market on thruway home! It was wonderful! 

Happy Thanksgiving!

it never leaves....

It comes like a phantom. I never know when it will strike. I heard the electrocardiogram monitor again. The beeps and then the lonnnnnng beep and he was gone. it makes me where I can't breath. I mean I'm just laying down to go to bed and then it just happened. 

The holidays will never be the same. The holidays are tough. 

The kids are looking forward to our annual advent activities. I'm still gathering ideas and plans. 

Engaged

Elijah asked Savanah to marry him and she said YES!! 

shocked!!!

LOOK what the kids did while we were gone!! A second anniversary surprise!!! I LOVE it so much!!! Thank you to my wonderful people!!! 

Anniversary 29 years

Erin and Daniel gifted terry and I with an anniversary trip to pureto plata, Dominican Republic for our 29th anniversary!! So generous!! Love the heat, palms and beach!! 

a reminder

Needed this reminder today that God will not forsake. Went to my car after work and a leaf was on the windshield. It was a heart! Terry found out yesterday that they are letting him go with the crossroads job at the crisis pregnancy center he was working with. Effective November 30. Course Terry and Elijah has agreed that Elijah would be taking over the construction business effective November 30. Sooooooo things are not looking to swell. Terry has never been jobless our whole 29 years of marriage. Hoping God come through or this will be the first time in our marriage life. So pray a prayer he can find a job! My little coffee shop job won't carry us very far. Ha!! But at least it's some bread and butter!! God will surely come through!!! 

treats but no tricks

hard.....

Today is hard. Why? Because today, I picked up Joel's headstone for his grave. This shouldn't be happening! So much arises in my heart. Anger, sadness, heartbroken, it all will never ever escape my heart. I'm angry/so so sad that it took 8 1/2 freakin years to make this happen and not until I got a dang job. I don't care who says what, don't read any further if your judging. This is my blog and I can write what I want to. My heart is still broken that Joel died. I have yet to know why. I still have a hard time wondering where that scripture fits in "all things work together for our good." Christian people are humans with feelings and emotions and I think far to often other Christians think they shouldn't be angry or mad because it's not spiritual. There's hard days, there's days that I seem to accept and move on, but today is a hard day. I'm a mom, with a broken heart. 

engaged

Last night October 24, Elijah asked Savannah to be his bride forever! A beautiful roof top engagement with the most stunning sunset I have ever seen in Oklahoma!!! So thankful for these two and happy for another beautiful new daughter!!!! My other daughter in law, Kristen took all the photos!! 

it's here.....

It's possibly here! Fall! Very crisp mornings! I'm rebelling! I don't like it! Enough said! 

I will be working a few extra hours this week. We have some big events coming up that want chocolate!! Hurray for chocolates! It's been a lot of fun making all the different chocolates. But really, I can't hardly eat and sample them. I grab some almonds and pumpkin seeds occasionally but I'm literally so busy, it's hard to grab chocolate anytime I want! The fun is, getting my paycheck! I get paid every two weeks, so that makes it a little hard to wait for the next one to have enough to do a project, but I'm making it work!! Hosie and i recently are adding on to the flower garden with herb beds and a fire pit area and the crushed granite on the enclosed ground area where we put the metal edging! It's nice to think of plans and finally have resources to do something about it! Sometimes, I wonder why I didn't think to get a job sooner! Guess too many kids at home and housework! But so thankful it's happening now! 

And Roo comes back this week! Gosh, we have missed him and his momma and daddy like crazy!!! We have to get back to Roo Wednesdays!!

Hope everyone has a great week!! 

Fall

Of course it's officially Fall. But I told Hosie "let's plant some more Zinnias and maybe we can have some more Summer before the first freeze!" And we did! They are beautiful! So cheery! I need these all year around. I can already feel the heavy, coldness, cloudy skies are preparing to make their way in to my world of Summer. I dread the cold in more ways than one. Too many painful memories that happened in November through January. It's like a depression settles over me until I can see buds on the trees in the Spring. I feel like I have to really focus on happy things in my life and even if it's a cold day and if there is blue skies, that is like a zinnia in the summer for me. I confess, I no doubt allow the weather and circumstances of the past to set my mind and mood. It's only happened since I have gotten older. Heck, when your young, everything is always happy!! But for today, I have zinnias and 90 degrees weather!! Yay!! 

Also, this Festive Fall tray is so fun for a get together like we are going to tonight!! Elijah's girl, savannah, her mom is having a Fall evening at their property tonight!!

new week!!

I was off Monday because the coffee shop had a movie being filmed inside their store. But back to work this morning. I have a few minutes before I have to leave! I love getting up early, 5:30am and doing my little routine and then heading out! Isn't it funny how when a new routine sets in, we look back two weeks ago and wonder what we did in the place of the now routine!? Ha!! I'm enjoying working! Gives me a sense of purpose. I feel like for sometime I have been just exsisting. I know I have been and still am a mother and housewife and that's all good and wonderful. But I have loss that sense of me. I mean, working at a coffee shop is not like getting my masters but it's something I am doing, I want to do and it feels empowering. It's making me feel significant. I think moms get buried and loose their identity sometimes. I'm for sure not complaining of being a mom but it I have been doing it for so long, I felt like I needed something different in my life. So anyways, who knows if anyone can relate. I just know it's right for me in this season. It's kind of like a freedom. I can be me, do something for me! 

Don't you just love the new photo header at the top of the blog? Erin, my daughter in law did that for me! I am totally clueless when it comes to computers and htmls! So it gives it a fresh new look! So thankful for my family! 

Have a great week! 

work

Work at the coffee shop is going well. A new routine has set in. I get up at 5:30 am. Fix my eggs, drink my water, start laundry and then leave. Tuesday's are extra long because after working at Ricks, I go iron with Hosie. Course I'm doing what is natural for me, cooking and baking. Really, Hosie should be working there! Ha!! But the most wonderful thing is, I'm getting the results with having extra money to finally get to do things I have always wanted to do. And one of those things is, being able to bless my kids with happy mail and special birthday gifts and just having the freedom to purchase something for myself. This week I ordered some essential oils that I love using for health. I was able to go shopping with the girls and not have to worry about having a budget for clothes. We just bought what they liked!! It was so fun!! So, it's been a huge blessing to have this little job fall into place! The people are so sweet and hey, I get all the coffee/drinks I want!! So come to Ricks and enjoy a drink!! 

ready set go!!

First 5k for the kids today. Terry ran too. His work at the crises pregnancy center hosted the run for life. Elijah came in 10th, Jeremiah can in 12. Siah came in 21st and mercy came in 22nd!! There were about 100 runners so they did great!!