Mixed Emotions

    

I`m not sure how I feel about my daughter being so far away. She should be in  New Zealand by now. With the time change, they actually lost a day by flying there. Isn`t that weird? And it`s winter there, which gives you an idea of how far away it truly is!

Even once she arrived on the west coast, she still didn`t have enough money raised to get to NZ, so we had a bit of a stressful situation. I scraped together what I could and an aunt and uncle in NY very graciously helped her out as well.  She has been raising support money for this trip for 2 or 3 months and did pretty well. Thanks to a couple J-Landers who also contributed! It`s so exciting to think that because people stepped up to sponsor this trip, that lives will be forever changed; people will hear about Jesus!!

So I`m taking the advice that some of you gave me to relax now and enjoy some "me" time. I have 3 days off and boy, do I feel like I need it.

Today my friend Janice and I had lunch and ran some errands together. I got some good books at the library.  :)  I went to the bank, I paid bills, did laundry, and got through a mountain of paperwork.

I`m off to relax and enjoy my evening .......

Cheers!

ps --- don`t get me wrong, I`m happy she has this opportunity . I guess I`m just missing her.

 

And He said to them,

"Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature."

 - Mark 16:15

Tags: New Zealand, Mark 16:15

A Happy Melancholy

I know it`s a strange title for an entry, but it sums up how I`m feeling .....

My daughter has raised enough money to go on her trip, (although she still owes more and needs more sponsors.)

She left last night.

 -- Happy that she got to go on her trip ......

Melancholy now that she is gone.

I miss her and feel alone.

 

Yard Sale

It`s a pleasant day here in northeastern Ohio. It`s about 68 degrees and partly cloudy.

My neighborhood is having its annual yard sale. Corey and I ( well, mostly Corey. ) spent a lot of time last week cleaning house and going through the shed to see what items we could sell or throw away. Wow, did we throw out some junk!

Since she still owes money for her New Zealand trip, all of today`s proceeds will go toward that. We don`t have high priced items to sell - mostly books, Cd`s, beanie babies, some household items, things like that. I think she has made $45 so far.

My poor Mandy about had a fit this morning when I took her out potty as she saw all the neighbors out and people getting an early start on buying. Running in circles, barking, growling .... geez!!! Then once I brought her back in she cried for about an hour. lol. Poor baby. She`s so spoiled. No way was I letting her stay outside. I jokingly said I could put a price tag on her, but my mom brought up a good point; Mandy wouldn`t let anyone even get close enough to her to buy her!

So I have the luxury of doing what I want today on my Saturday off while my daughter tends to the sale. I was out there for a bit chatting to people and whatnot. I ran out to get some gas and a soda for myself and an iced coffee for Cor.

I`m reading a good book by Jody Shields called The Crimson Portrait. It`s a rather strange story about a doctor during WWI who collaberates with an artist in a makeshift hospital to help wounded soldiers with horrible facial wounds. One man will be made into the image of a grieving widow`s lost husband. Shields is a talented writer. This is the first book I have read by her. Somewhat in the style of Anita Shreve.

I hope you`re all having a good weekend.

Love & God bless,

Thanks to Sugar for finding Imagechef.com. Love it!

Tags: yard sale, New Zealand, Crimson Portrait, God bless!

Thursday`s Greetings

Hi again friends.

Check out the above pictures. I had story time at the library today with some "friends." They`re a bit stony and inhuman until you get to know them.

Ahem -----

The other two shots are from a little store I visited in Amish country. Antiques, gift shop, and a wine shop that sells wines from vineyards all over the state of Ohio.

The sky darkened and the rain began to fall, so we headed home. Otherwise I would have had more pictures to bore you or entertain you with. ( Depending on your point of view. )

Saturday evening I met up with my friend Cathie at a local festival - hot rod show, bands playing, lots of carnival food and fireworks. It was a good time, but I was bombarded with hot flashes! What`s the point of getting ready, doing the hair and make up, only to feel like a sweat hog all night?? LOL

I have mentioned before that my daughter is leaving for New Zealand soon. It`s a missions trip so therefor she has to raise money on her own to get there. It`s almost time to go and she is still short on the financial end. She was in tears earlier and I felt so helpless. But then we prayed and things turned around.

There`s kind of a new phrase that we`ve been hearing for the past couple years - " Think outside the box. " That`s basically what God`s been telling us for years! Lean not on our own understanding!

Where we can see no way out of a situation, God can and does make a way where there seemingly is no way.

So to those of you who have been praying and/or are donating funds ..... thank you!!  Lives are changed because of these trips .... not only the lives of those that are ministered to, but people like my daughter who watch in awe at what God does in people`s lives ( and in her own life as well!)

Anyhow, I hope this finds you all happy and well.

I`m feeling great physically.

And spiritually - I know God is in control.

Happysummer!!

thanks Jen for all the great name tags you make and find for me   :0)

Tags: Amish country, God

Beauty Routine in Progress ......

Hello and happy weekend to ye!

Thanks for your good wishes and suggestions for the minor health issues I`ve been having. The swollen ankles and feet mean that I`m getting old I think! The fluids in the body succumb to gravity and thus end up retained in my left ankle. Lovely. The doctor did prescribe a support stocking. I haven`t gotten it yet, although I`m sure it`s very attractive. I do prop my leg up when I can.  Heh, somehow that doesn`t sound quite right .......            ô¿ô 

My bloodwork was all good - cholesterol, thyroid and all that.  Yay!  The pain in my side is gone. Thank God. I can once again move and breathe which is convenient.

Anyhow, I don`t have much time to do a journal entry because tonight is All About Penny - the night that I am giving myself a pedicure, coloring my hair, filing the nails, plucking the unwanted hairs - ( Come on, ladies, you know what I`m talkin` about! Ugh. )

Tomorrow I have to work. In the evening I`m going to a local festival featuring live music, fireworks and whatnot. What`s summertime without doing that?

Have a great weekend.

God bless and be well.

Spring Cleaning and Rearranging

I wish I could tell you that I have not posted an entry in a week because I`ve been busy with so many exciting things. The truth is that while I have been busy, nothing much very exciting is happening at the moment. But sometimes I prefer it that way.

I have had a pain in my right side for a few days now. It`s right by my rib cage. The doctor didn`t seem too concerned. Actually I think I may have pulled a muscle. I also wanted my doctor to look at my swollen foot and ankle. Again, there doesn`t seem to be a reason for concern there either. I went to the hospital yesterday to have an ultra sound done on both legs just to make sure there was no blood clot lurking around. Later I called off work. I was tired and my side was bothering me. I came home and slept.

Today we had the carpets shampooed. Everything looks so much nicer! Corey has been a big help to me lately. For one thing, she loves to cook, so she`s been making dinner. She also spent several hours sorting out all the junk that is stored in the shed. I moved to my current location about 4 years ago and whatever I didn`t know what to do with then went into the shed along with other miscellaneous items since then. We have bags and bags of stuff that we`re throwing out. The rest will go toward our yard sale in a couple weeks. I told Corey that any money we make she can use for her trip to New Zealand. This will be a missions trip so she has to raise the money to get there, plus buy her own plane ticket to LA, which is where they will be departing from. Please pray that she gets everything she needs. Our church is helping, as have many others. My ex-husband`s brother and his wife contributed $500!!

Also if you wouldn`t mind praying for the people that they will be talking with and helping while they are in NZ it would be much appreciated.

Today I`m catching up on the many things I wanted to do yesterday and didn`t ..... laundry, cleaning the patio, etc. Corey and I also re-arranged one of the bedrooms -- something I have been wanting to do for a long time now. It definitely looks better and there is more room.

I hope this finds everyone doing well. I plan on visiting journals today. I`m  behind again.

The picture at the top is one I took at a nearby park. I know I`ve posted it once before, but it`s pretty and that`s how it looks here today. Beautiful weather.  :0)

 

Love to all & God bless!!

Work and Hot

Hi everyone and a very happy Thursday to you!

Are most of you having this same hot weather that we have here in Ohio? When it gets up to 90 degrees that`s way too hot for me, but it was a beautiful day. I worked all day but I did a bit of yardwork once I got home.

Speaking of work, most of us know what each other does for a living. Do you like your job? What is the hardest part about it or the area that you feel the most stress?

I`m a bank teller. I like the job. The pay and benefits are okay, and I`m in an office now where everyone gets along fairly well. Speed and accuracy is not a problem for me. I can do transactions quickly and I usually balance to the penny. ( Hence my name - lol. )

And although I do okay at getting referrals, this is the most difficult part for me. Talking up the products in order to get a customer to see a banker at the desk does not come easy for me. I`m not pushy or aggressive. If I look at it as an opportunity to help the customer get a good deal then the focus becomes easier. Anyhow, I did reach my quota in order to get a pay-out for the past two months.    :0)

I like the professional atmosphere of working in a bank. I like that it`s cool in the summer and I`m not on my feet all day. I like being off most holidays. I do NOT like when a customer goes OFF because we ask for ID if we are not familiar with them. We have to be extremely careful about who we give information to and that we get ID for people making withdrawals if we don`t know them. I don`t talk about work much but decided to for this entry and to see how you readers feel about your own jobs.

Two other subjects that I could talk a LOT about are my daughter and my mother, but believe it or not, I`m a rather private person. It never bothered me to talk about the leukemia I had, though.  I guess that was therapeutic for me and it`s my decision to tell what I want about myself. I don`t feel as comfortable writing about family or friends other than at a superficial level.

Time out .... a certain Cocker Spaniel is barking for her potty break .......

Anyhow - - - Corey and I went shopping earlier in the week looking for jeans. When she goes to New Zealand soon, it will be their winter. Mild winter, but winter nonetheless and she`s complaining she needs jeans.

I wanted her to look at Kohl`s since I had a gift card. She was skeptical but said okay. No luck. 

A store at the mall she likes - again, no luck.

Old Navy , where she always buys jeans - again, no luck!

Those were the only stores she would consent to look at since I wasn`t going anywhere that would cost me an arm and a leg.

Me : How about Target?

Corey: ( huffy sigh )  No, Mom

She loves Target, but I guess  their jeans don`t fit her right, or it`s a bad selection or who knows what.

Me: Okay then - Walmart

Corey: ( gives me the You`ve - Got -To - Be- Kidding-Me look. )

Me: Fashion Bug has cool jeans.

Corey: Ewww .......

Need I say she was getting a bit cranky? lol

She ended up getting them at Old Navy but by ordering them online. She found the same kind and style that she bought there last time and loves.

Oh yeah, while we were there at the real store, not finding any jeans, I did buy some flip flops. Lovin` me some flip flops!! They have every color and  at 2 pair for $5 !! Between the two of us we have green, yellow, light pink, dark pink, black, brown, red, tan, blue ....     Cheaper than purses that`s for sure!

Have a great weekend. I`m off tomorrow and have lots to do.

Ta - ta

God bless!

 

Thanks to my friend Chris over at  Cab's Creations for the great (and very appropriate!) name tag.  Chris visited me last summer and we had a great time. (Miss ya! I may just stop by and see you this summer sometime. )

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stormy Weather

Ha Ha, you didn`t know I was on the cover of all those above magazines, now did you? What a fun new feature!

The weather here is being dished out in typical Ohio fashion; it`s bright and sunny, then it rains. Then the sun peeks out, then the dark clouds form, the wind gets fierce, thunder and lightening begins, then the downpour. Later the sun returns. And so it goes -

Yesterday my employer had a company picnic for our district. It was quite nice. The park where it was held was lovely, the food was good and the games were fun. ( water balloon toss )        :0

Later Corey and I went to Walmart where I bought a couple shirts. I love new shirts maybe even more than purses! Corey bought a set of luggage. She`s bound for New Zealand soon! Wish I was going. My baby`s going so far away for six weeks!!

I`ve been feeling great. Today I went walking. I get tired after a long day, but it`s a normal tired, not that down to the bone weariness I had during treatment.

I`m off to read journals and try to catch up some. Just been busy, don`t worry about me.   :>)

Love & Hugs,

thank you, Donna!