Christian Photographers Community

I had bad joint pain  with both Lipitor and Zocor That's why the Dr first tried me on Crestor with samples. I didn't have the joint pain with Crestor , So I've always dreaded trying a new statin drug and avoided it as long as possible in fear of that awful pain..

And when I tried the (very expensive!) Crestor, it was the worst of all for me!  Isn't it strange how different drugs affect us differently from others?

We have been to the gym and worked out, I have showered and am ready to tackle the rest of the day.  I have hunted and hunted for a new set of music CDs I bought, and cannot find them.  Have prayed for God to remind me where I put them, and am trying not to think maybe someone came in and stole them!   

I plan to go to the senior center for lunch.  They are having lasagna, which I like a lot but Darrel doesn't, so he may not go.

It's time to decorate this place for Christmas! 

And a big WELCOME to Christle!  Do come back and let us know some great things about you!

Kitty and I went shopping yesterday morning...I got a new swimsuit and she bought some stocking stuffers.  Then we went to Don Pablos for lunch. 

She brought me home, I came in and changed shoes and got in the car and went back the same route to the pool.  I am sore today!  So the bed felt wonderful...so wonderful, I didn't get up until real late.  But today is a do-nothing day so why not? 

My nephew may call and then I have to go to my garage and move my mower and maybe some other things so he can put his Corvette in my garage.  It is in Kaye Don's garage now but he is renting his house to a neighbor who sold his house and has to be out by Dec 1st.  How do you move into a house or rent when the closets are full of clothes, the drawers are full, the bathroom and kitchen cabinets are full?  I guess it is better than renting a motel room for however long.  Kaye Don told them to take their time...just as long as they are gone by the end of April when they come back from Florida!

Today is a bright and sunny day.  Looks warm out ...but it isn't!

Hi, folks,

It has been an eventful day today, with several things happening.

So, I'm achy and tired, and headed to bed.....zzzzzzzzzzzz kof-kof

Ooops - better put on my Cpap!

RuthAnn

Etta Sue, your brother must really trust those folks, to "rent" them his house, with all their stuff in it!  Wouldn't it be a much nicer world, if EVERYBODY  could be trusted?  I hope all goes well with that arrangement.

Ruth Ann, didn't I tell you NOT to work so hard?     I know, I know....we do what we feel we need to do, or have to do.  But please do take care of yourself!

Ol' "doubting Janet" found those CDs this morning...praise be to God!

I think I have been talking way too much, so will leave this one short!

The people renting Kaye Don and Barb's house are neighbors who have sold their house and don't have a new house to move into yet.  They spent the winter last year renting a mobile home beside of Kaye Don and Barb in Florida so they know how well Joy keeps house and all.  Mel is also the sod farmer that used to raise sod on the acreage that Kaye Don and Ivalou has.  So they aren't strangers...in fact, it will be a comfort for someone to be close for the winter. 

And I have a 'Vette in my garage.  Kaye Don's oldest daughter, Robin, and her husband had their 'Vette stored in Kaye Don's garage for the winter.  So Kaye Don asked me if I had room in my garage for it so that Mel and Joy could park their car/truck in their garage.  So I have a pretty black 'Vette convertible in my garage!  Don't know what year...forgot to ask!

I got my blood drawn this morning...only two sticks!  Why are the nurses so confident that they can do the job?  I even told her to use a butterfly and the back of my hand.  Nope, she tried the left arm and no go!  She tried the butterfly in the left arm and it was slow but she got it! 

Nothing else pressing for the rest of the day.  Just enjoying the bright sunshine and warmer temps!

Hi everyone.  it has been a busy day so far but think i am now home for the rest of the day.  it started with coffee at the Senior Center.  They have the center decorated for Christmas and it looks very nice.  There is a beautiful Christmas tree in the Center.  Then came home for a few minutes and then took the car to get it filledvwith as as the tank was almost empty.  then went on to the grocery store for several ite.  As soon as i got home it was time to take Pat to a meeting as she had felt a bit dizzy when got up this morning.  Then came back toour little town and attended our ROMEO's at 11:30.  We had nine men attend today.  then i had to go back to where Pat had gone to lunch with friends and we are now home and it is already sfter 2 pm and finally able to rest for a couple of hours.  I stayed up rather late last night to watch the Atlanta Falcons beat the New Orleans Saints.  It was a fun game if you are a Falcon's fan.  Not much else to talk about today.

Hello everyone. Just now have a few mimutes on the computer. I finished up my orders. Baking done! Well,at least for today. DH will be looking for something sweet . I must have done 60 dozen cookies plus squares and sweet breads. Yes, I was a pastry cook and also a chef before I retired.  Mentioning that because some have asked. Also taught in a Christian school for a five year period as Supervisor and then principal. This reply is going to be a little short, sorry.  I have to get supper ready. But I did want to acknowledge the wonderful welcomes that was given to me. Forgive me that I did not mention personal names. I will get to know you all I am sure and I will tell you a little more about me when I get a minute to breathe!   ha-ha.
God bless

Chrisle:  Now I know where I can go for a cookie or bar.     Not to worry about mentioning names - we tend to figure it out as we go along. 

A "J" night for me (Chrisle, that is a name for Janet and her sleepless nights).  I went along with Don for his new hearing aid visit and was able to drink strong coffee while knitting and waiting.  He has 30 days to check them out but we won't be home that long so he has about three weeks.  I did like it so much when he could hear me talking to him from behind.  We shall see if this works - otherwise, he won't use the VA aids that sit in his drawer. 

We had the bathroom redo owner over and gave him a list of about 8 or 9 problems with his company and told him we could not recommend his service.  He graciously gave us money back on tile - they put in a more expensive tile than we had chosen so that was very nice. 

Etta Sue:  Do you have the keys to that "vette"?  Road trip!!!!

Hi, friends,

Well, for a change, this has been a "do almost nothing day."

I took a friend to lunch, and that was the sum total of the effort I spent today. And, the lunch was also enough for dinner, too, so it truly was a restful day.

May God be with each of us here and all our extended families is my prayer for this evening.

Love to all,
Ruth Ann

Yea for Ruth Ann, for taking it easier for at least one day!

I will be driving over to Moscow after while, to baby-sit my three great granddaughters.  I told Curtis I have to be home BEFORE two, because our church Christmas party starts then.  It is just for the ladies.  I have no idea what other plans have been made for the season at church.

I got my little three foot tree down, set up, and the new LED lights put on it.  I really wanted to use the 7 foot tree, but Darrel said, no, let's use the little one again.    I plan to do a little more decorating....seems once I start, I tend to keep getting more stuff out.

How about another story?

                                                    FRANCES "SHANNY" HIGGS

Our Legacy Star this week is Frances "Shanny" Higgs.  Frances was born near Fowler, Colorado on June 2, 1921, the youngest of three sisters.  She grew up there on a farm, attending the Fowler school, until around the age of 12.  At that time, the family moved to another farm near the tiny town of Karval, Colorado.  They only stayed there for a few months, while her father got his crops in the ground and going good.  Then they went on their first (and only) family vacation, to visit some cousins.  When they returned to Karval, they were greeted with the terrible sight of completely destroyed crops, beaten flat by hail.  This was so discouraging that they packed up and moved back to the farm near Fowler again.

After sixth grade, Shanny transferred to the Olney Springs school for her junior high years, then back to Fowler for high school.

I asked how she got the nickname "Shanny," and she told me that when she was a very young child, she was riding in the car, sitting on her daddy's lap pretending to drive, and some friends were in the back seat.  They asked her what her name was and she replied, "Shanny."  The name stuck and she has been called Shanny all her life since then.

While still in high school, Shanny went to a dance.  She saw a girl she knew from school, Leta, dancing with a boy she hadn't seen before.  She thought "Huh!" and decided she would go cut in and dance with him herself.  She did this, not knowing the boy was her friend Leta's brother.  He was Willard Higgs, who was born in Missouri, had moved several times before winding up near Fowler.  Shanny and Willard began to date, and were married in March of 1939.

Shanny says she never regretted quitting school to marry Willard, as she had never liked school, anyway.  She says he was a wonderful husband, very patient with her.  She didn't know how to cook, as her job had been helping with the cleaning, and her eldest sister helped with the cooking.  One day Shanny baked some potatoes, and Willard said, very lovingly and patiently, "Shanny, if you had washed these potatoes, I like eating the skins."  He also helped her around the house, sweeping, washing dishes, etc., and she gradually learned all the necessary skills.  She still appreciates her husband's patience with her as she learned how to be a good wife.

Shanny and Willard had seven children.  They lost their second child, a boy, at eleven months of age.  He had been diagnosed as having "too much water on his brain" after Shanny's parents noticed him holding his head to one side.  They were told at that time he may not live a full life span.  Later, he was hospitalized and they were told he had meningitis.  They stayed at the hospital with him until his death.  Shanny said his death wasn't as hard on her as it would have been if she hadn't been warned he might not live long.  She had mentally prepared herself for losing him, so wasn't devastated by it as she would have been otherwise.

They also lost a daughter, Janice, at the age of 49, to cancer.  Janice had children, one of whom was a senior in high school at the time.  This was terrible for Shanny and of course, for Janice's family.

The living children of Shanny and Willard are: Darla, Carl, Lou Ann, David and Tracie.

Shanny said the first new car she remembers them buying was an early 40s black Chevy sedan.  It cost in the neighborhood of $500.00, and if her memory is right, Willard sold some cattle and paid cash for it.  They never bought things on credit, but waited until they had the money for what they wanted.  Shanny says the cars are so much different now from what they were then.  Things like power steering and air conditioning are really nice to have!

"If I wanted something I saw in town, I'd ask my husband first about buying it," Shanny says.  He would always say, "Well, Mother, you have the checkbook, you know if we have the money.  If we do, and you want it, get it."  "I paid all the small bills (not the farm bills, though) and we always got along very well as far as money was concerned."

Shanny says she didn't go to church much herself, but she always saw to it that the kids went to both Sunday school and church.  Four of the kids were baptized at one time, along with Willard's much younger brother, who was the same age as one of them.  Shanny said she usually stayed at home to prepare Sunday dinner for the family, but she did attend occasionally with her husband, and they always tried to life in a Christian way.

Losing their daughter Jan was the worst thing that has happened to Shanny.  The best thing was finding a truly good man to marry.  "We had our fights, but we always made up," she said.  Once, she went home, but her wise dad suggested she go back home, so she did, forgave whatever it was (she no longer remembers) and they made up again.

Shanny didn't know how to swim, so she was determined that all her kids would learn to swim.  They did, and she was going to take lessons along with them, but the minute her nose went under the water, that was the end of that, so she never learned to swim.  The kids also were in 4-H; they did projects and learned a lot of responsibility from that.

In school, they had wonderful plays, and the parents saw to it that they learned their parts.  That was such good training for them.  This was while they were going to school in Olney Springs, Colorado.  They also had Christmas programs, with a big tree, Santa there to hand out gifts and give each child a sack of candy.  Those were fun times for the whole family.

The person who most inspired Shanny was her husband Willard, "because he taught me a lot of things and helped me to become the person I was meant to be."

Her most admired people were her wonderful dad and mother.  "They were kind to us children.  They always dressed up to go places; they wanted to look nice, impressing on us the importance of appearance.  They did discipline us, but never harshly or in anger.  They were an inspiration in every facet of life."  One example of her daddy's discipline is seen in an incident she related to me.  She said the family had a large dining room, as they had harvest crews to feed, also had lots of company.  Shanny's place was on the side, next to her dad at the end of the table.  She thinks what she was doing was throwing her silverware on her plate; her dad didn't say a word, just reached over with his big hand, got hold of her and sat her down in her chair.  She said, "I knew I was wrong, and I never did that again."

"There are a lot of differences here in Southwest Kansas since we first moved here," she said.  "The school bus routes are very different (they were always run well).  There is much more irrigation now than then; bigger farms, with bigger equipment.  A good change is that we now have the care home, The Legacy, and the assisted living facility, Park View.  I'm glad we have this new facility (the Legacy).  I lived in Western Prairie for a few years before this was built."

One memory of Shanny's from the dust bowl days is that when the family was moving to Karval, her mother wanted everything to be clean and fresh and ready to put away in the new location, so she had washed and ironed everything.  She packed it carefully into her husband's old truck and he started for Karval.  On the way, he ran into a 'black duster', so you can just imagine what condition everything in the truck was in when he arrived!  "I remember staying home from school to help my mother clean the house.  She was going to have 'club' at her house, and of course, everything had to be sparkling clean for that!  I remember using a shovel to carry dirt out of the house, and it was a pretty nice farmhouse, for those days.  But we got everything all shined and ready, and the food ready in time for Club!"


Shanny never worked outside her home except during the time they opened a Western store here in Ulysses.  She did work there some.  She joined a lot of clubs and always enjoyed that.  One of her favorites was the ESA Sorority, where she served in various offices, including president.  They had one business meeting and one social meeting per month.  "It was a lot of work and a lot of fun.  We did a lot of good works, such as taking children to Pueblo to have their eyes checked, and various other things.  And at the social meetings, we usually entertained our husbands," she said.



Willard farmed all his working years, raising sugar beets for many years.  They celebrated their 50th anniversary in March 1989, and got to enjoy 14 more years together before Willard's death in 2003, after 64 years of marriage.

Marriages no longer seem to be the real lifetime commitment they once were, Shanny says.

Some of the games she remembers playing as a child were:  Annie, Annie, Over, Tag, and Red Rover, Red Rover.  Talking about the games brought back a memory of a little girl who lived around the bend of the river from Shanny's family.  This little girl used to run away from home and come over to play with Shanny.  The last time she did that; her daddy came to get her and made her walk all the way home in front of the car.  She learned her lesson that day!

Shanny remembers they lived near a big Spanish camp, which was two long rows of adobe buildings.  Many Spanish families lived there year round; it was their regular homes.  They loved Shanny's dad, Frank, and at Christmas time, the children would come to their door and say, "Treat, Mr. Frank!"  And her parents always had candy on hand for the kids, and gave it to them.  (This is a custom from Mexico, for children to dress up in colorful clothes and go through the villages asking for treats.)  The residents of this camp also had their own baseball team, complete with uniforms.  They also had regular dances.

The accomplishment of her life that gives Shanny the most satisfaction is having raised her children to be good, solid citizens.  She said she had only ever seen one baby before she had her own baby, so she had it all to learn!  But "I did everything right," she said.  And her wonderful husband helped with the children too, even to changing them, not often done by daddies in those days.

If she could offer some advice to younger folks it would be this:  take time to sit down and read!  If you don't read, and your parents don't have time to read with you, you will miss out on learning so much valuable information.  Learning, both in Sunday school and in school is invaluable.  Read, read, and read!!

Shanny would like to be remembered as a person who was kind and enjoyed doing things for others.  "I believe I raised a family that loves me, even if they didn't always think I was right," she says.  "They usually came around to agreeing with me.  And I want them to remember that I loved and admired their father."

In preparing for the future, Shanny says she has given back to each child the things he or she gave the parents, also let them choose what things they wanted from things the parents had kept for the kids.  "This will make the kids' job easier when I'm gone," she said.  Looking around, she said, "All I have left is what's right here in this room."  But if she starts missing something, all she has to do is ask, and the one who has it will bring it to her to enjoy for as long as she likes.

A favorite memory from Shanny's early life was this:  "A black family lived in our back yard until they finally got their own place, a little farm just east of us.  There was a man, his wife, and the wife's elderly mother.  This elderly lady helped the doctor deliver me, and always had a soft spot in her heart for me.  We girls had a little white pony, and I would ride over to visit them.  I would sit on my horse, under the mulberry tree, eating mulberries, while the lady sat on a wooden stool smoking her pipe and visiting with me.  They were always our special friends, and were like family to us.  They spent every Christmas Eve with us.  This is a memory I have cherished through the years, and one that always bring good feelings and a smile to my face."

Another special memory is that Shanny's daddy always carried her to bed on his back. She isn't sure how old she was when he stopped this practice, but remembers that it always made her feel special.

We talked about pets, and Shanny said, "I had a little black puppy that I really liked, but the most special pet I ever had was a little chicken.  He was a real sweet pet.  We would let him in on the porch, and he loved to be petted.  I cried and cried when the ironing board fell over on him and killed him."

Her dad would come in from the field and say, "reach in my pocket, Shanny.  I have something for you," and it would be a little field rabbit.  She was only allowed to keep each one for about a day, as they knew if they kept them longer, they would die.  So she got to love them for a day, then they took them back to near where her dad caught them and released them.

Shanny enjoys very much having people come to the Legacy to visit her.  Her room overlooks the main front driveway, so she often sees her family approaching, and this always pleases her.  She enjoys having the Methodist minister visit, also ladies from the clubs she was a part of, friends from way back, and just EVERY visitor.  Please come visit Shanny, I promise you will enjoy it!

Janet, Shanny sounds like someone I'd love to know!   

We got a little snow overnight - [robably less than an inch but with these temperatures it's sure sticking.  December announcing itself!   

Hi everyone.  It is a beautiful day here in Georgia and is to be in the high 60s today.  Went to coffee this morning with three other men at Burger King.  We will be glad when the McDonald's remodeling is completed although we are treated very cordially at Burger King the food isn't as good and the prices a little higher on senior coffee.  I decided to stay home this morning, and probably all day.  I have paid the bills for the month except those that don't come until the middle of the month.  So the bookwork is basically done for this month.  I am looking forward to late this afternoon when the SEC football championship game between Georgia and Alabama will be played.  If Georgia can win all indications are they will play against Notre Dame for the national championship in early January.  If they lose they should still be assured of one of the big bowl games so it has been a good year.  It has been around 30 years since Georgia won the national championship in football.

Christie, wow, that is a lot of cookies and what do you do with all of those baked goods?  Do you have special ovens?  Thanks for sharing that background with us.  Just nice to see you post regardless of how long or personally directed. 

Carol, I hope Don will be able to adjust to the hearing aids.  I have several friends who use them and it sure makes a difference for them.  Glad you got some satisfaction from your contractor.

Ruth Ann, sometimes just going to coffee and then going out to a luncheon group is plenty to do for a day.  Glad you could have a quieter day. 

Janet, you sound like Pat in Christmas decorating.  We are now down to three big plastic bins of Christmas things.  I don't think our tree is even one foot tall but we have used it since our son gave us their very large TV and there was no room for our larger tree.  We got rid of that several years ago so will never be tempted to put it up again.  Enjoyed Shanny's story and she sounds like the kind of person I would like to meet and know.  Her story sure brings back some memories such as childhood games. 

I had ordered some oranges from the Lapel Lions Club and they were to be picked up today.  So I got them and split the box with Ivalou.  First I had to make sure she could cut them and she could.  She loves fruit...I love it but it is not in my diet as much.  But I love these oranges!  So today I will have an orange with my lunch!

I wish I had a key for the 'Vette!  How cool that would be.  I had forgotten the sound of those rumbling mufflers!!  Really brought back memories from old days when I heard the 'Vette rumble in my driveway! 

Not much going on today...just hope to do some printing and thanks to Larry's reminder, need to pay deduct bills from my check book.  That's about it for the day! 

I thank God that I have leisure days when I don't have anything scheduled to do!!

Good afternoon,folks. Just got home from the bake sale. I believe that we did quite well with it. There were other bake sales going on near by. Very chilly here I did not check the thermometer but the truck sounded like it had molasses in it for oil when I started it this morning. Will have to start plugging it in at night. I am not fond of winter now as when I was younger. Just like to cuddle up with a good book and be a regular couch potato.
I should be more constructive though and start writing again. It is just the get up and get to it thing. I have a lot of Christian poems I should compile. I need a few more added I think to make a nice mini book. I need to wait on the Lord for his direction on this. Words are just words without him speaking through them.  I also have written several plays and puppet scripts that I would have liked to had published.  Silly me, gave them all away. They did go to church work so I do feel better about that. I did let this ministry go idle, life gets in the way. That should never be!
Well looks like supper time here.
God bless your day.

I got home from Moscow in time to shower and change, pick up my food and gift and get to the party on time.  I ate too much, so that makes me feel bad.    So many great snacks there!

Thanks for the comments on Shanny's story.  She really is a nice person to know!

Christle, just where do you live that it is cold enough to plug in your vehicle?  I live in central Indiana, USA, and we don't do that.  I dislike winter also the older I get!

I got my big envelopes for the calendars printed and under the tree.  Also printed Christmas cards but not envelopes for them yet!  I have all the calendars printed but one.  Marge is always late to church so she is to give me some additions to her calendar.  When?  She may not get her calendar until January late!

I am all ready for church.  I am running the projector system today.  Today is my third week so I can rest for 9 weeks before having to run it again, I hope!  Let someone else do it this year at Christmas.

Everyone sounds so busy with baking decorating and such.  I have most of my baking done, Thumbprint cookies and a gingerbread house left.  I am doing the house with John as something different this year.  He is going to design it and help baking, and decorating.

I will be away all of next week, a friend needs help with alterations, so that is my agenda. 

Carol "J" nights are common for all us "J" people.  Janet, Jane, Jeanne and Judy.  I have found they are a good way to be able to lift up all my family and friends in prayer.  It can be frustrating though when a big day is planned for the next day.  I have changed schedule many times because of "J" nights!

This is the day that the Lord has made. let us rejoice and be glad in it!

Hi everyone.  Another beautiful and mild day here in Georgia.  Slept in until 8:30 this morning and am now waiting until it is time to go to church.  Pat is still asleep as she is having trouble getting to sleep at night and then sleeps late in the morning.  I doubt that she will try to go to church with me today as she wasn't walking well yesterday.  I did help her make a recipe of caramel corn but the glaze went to sugar so she is not going to take it for the bake sale. She did make a new recipe for peanut butter fudge late last evening and it cooling in the refrigerator overnight before being but.  Other than church and watching some football and resting nothing else now on the schedule.  I have no idea at this point what we will do for lunch.


Etta Sue, we have been getting the Clementines and really enjoying them.  I also bought a gallon of orange juice the other day and that is  something we seldom keep in the refrigerator.  We really wanted it for the container.  I bet they took the "Vette" keys for a reason as didn't want to look out and see you zipping down the road with the top down. 

Christie, I hadn't thought about all those cookies being for a bake sale.  Glad you did well on it.   In what state do you live where it is so cold in the mornings.  I remember when I lived in Alaska having a head bolt heater to plug in at night so the engine would start.  We didn't have a garage nor did most people in Anchorage. 

Judy, what is a thumbpriint cookie?  There won't be much baking at our house this year and doubt that Pat makes much more candy or caramel corn although she said last night she would likely make a batch of caramel corn for Christmas and so that Scott and his wife can take some home with them.  Hope you can share of picture of your gingerbread house this year as it sounds like it should be interesting.  Sure glad my name starts with "L" so I don't have "J" nights.

Larry it is a cookie rolled in crushed nuts and a dent put in the center.....a thumb print...and filled with jam.

Heading out, be back later!

We are having warm and lovely days here on the High Plains of New Mexico lately.  I know Winter will come, it always does.  Sometimes it stays around most of the Spring though. I love these Fall days, the foliage colors have been spectacular this year.  Our Lord really gave us a gift of beauty to enjoy.

Y'all can add me to the "J" night list.  I never can sleep all night anymore, so I just go to bed later.  That is not much help, I still wake up too early. 

Church was great this morning.  Our senior adult choir sang for us, Christmas theme of course.  I would love to be able to join that choir, but just not able to do it.  Chronic pain sure is a bummer. 
Now that my daughter has retired, she has been playing piano for this choir.  She also plays the organ for most Sunday services.

Musical ability skipped a generation when it came my turn...but I do enjoy making a joyful noise unto the Lord.  My grandfather made and played violins, so did my uncle.  My dad played guitar, both of my children excelled in music in school, and then both of my gr-dtrs the same thing...one in choral music, the other in band.  All four of them were selected for All State in their particular area of music. 

Blessings to all,
~Janice

Good evening everyone, I had to refresh my computer ylast night as it was giving me problems closing down, It would not shut down So I found out that "Refreshing" also means reformatting. It went back to the way it was when it arrived, therefore, I had to download and reinstall a bunch of my programs, that took most of today. Now I am all set again. Thank you Jesus that is over. 

Yesterday it was so busy at the clinic I had to call Keith to come down to help out in the cat room where they are kept awaiting surgery, he had to take care of them while they were going down so they wouldn't lay on their nose and suffocate.  Then he had to get the crates cleaned and ready for them to go back into when they were ready to go home.  We had 15 dogs, 15 male cats and 31 female cats. some were left to do today, we didn't get out of there until after 6 last night. The reason  there were so many animals is that the curry County Shelter brought double the amount they were supposed to bring.

I am just about finished with the Afghan I am making for Kendra, I hope to get it to them before Christmas.

Janice:  How wonderful that your daughter attends your church.  My children have been with us for Christmas Eve and otherwise, they go their own way.  Sometimes, I think back to when the 4 little ones and us totaled six and took up nearly an entire pew.  Always someone to cuddle before they went off to SS.  Memories. 

We set the alarm because we do leave just after 7 AM for the first service in the chapel.  I checked on my iPad today and found that Podcasts are available on the sermons and it is so neat.  We can check out the church when we are away or have the sniffles.  Always about 1 1/2 of a week later.  Practicing my machine sewing for several hours today and still do not feel ready to sew the top of the table runner.  Am praying.  Don watched football for hours it seems and still another one on tonight.  He used the new hearing aides at church and said they helped him hear about 80% of the sermon.  Music was still all noise to him and that will never change.  He does think these aides are better than the ones from the VA.  We shall see. 

Larry:  So sorry about the Georgia team.... what a shame.  We are all holding our breath about the Broncos here. 

Dinner was Scalloped potatoes and meatloaf.  The freezer and fridge are slowly getting more empty.  Did I mention that there is a fire burning in Rocky Mountain National Park, very near Estes Park - set by an illegal campfire in October?  It has been burning slowly but came alive with high winds and there are 500 houses evacuated, some are cabins.   We are so in need of moisture.   

I had a good day today!  Darrel and I went to Hugoton to church, they had a special speaker.  Beth was to attend the service at the care home, so I didn't have to worry about her.  It just felt SO wonderful to be in the atmosphere of God's love, and the Holy Spirit ministered to so many, me included (about the sleeping problem.)  He spoke again this evening, and Abby wanted me to stay and help her make fudge this afternoon, so I did.  Darrel came on home, with the promise to pick me up on the hill (the halfway point) after church tonight.

So I got to be in two wonderful church services, plus spend the afternoon with Abby.  Got to see her boyfriend Brighton again, he seems to be a really nice boy. He lives in Elkhart.  Anyway, this grandma is so happy that Abby seems to be wanting to spend some time with me again, after not having time for me for the past few years.  God is good!  Also saw Curtis and his family, they attend My Father's House, too.  It is good to attend church with family!  Love it!  If it weren't for needing to take Beth to church, we would probably attend there all the time, as we haven't been happy in our church for a long time now, mostly because of the racket they call music.  I know, I know---SHUT UP, Janet. 

I must check the calendar and see what's on deck for tomorrow!

How refreshing it was to come late this evening and enjoy the conversation. Those steaming mugs of tea, hot chocolate, and coffee inspired me to have a couple of cups of cinnamon/apple tea myself. Oh, how refreshing it was!

Now, to rest and refresh after a busy day.

May our Lord bless each of us with His own special loving and caring as we rest in Him tonight.

Love to all,
Ruth Ann

Good morning!

Good morning! Wet  here today. No snow just the rain. Rain is better, I don't have to shovel it .
Larry, I live in New Brunswick,Canada. Yes it gets quite cold here. Usually not until late December and lasts until mid February.  The reason I plug in the truck is that it is cheaper than running it to warm it up. Block heater keeps the oil warmer. Gasoline here is at times $6.00 a gallon. Ironically we live about 50 miles from Canada's major oil refinery.....hmmmm, go figure!
Fortunately we do live handy the Maine,U.S border so we cross over to get out gas all summer. Winter we are home bodies and just go into our local town to get groceries and small needs.
I have a cake baking in the oven. In early so that I can have it ready by lunch. Then it is housework to catch up on after last week's baking!
Have a great day everyone and may God bless you in it.

Hi everyone.  We have a glorious day here in Georgia and by afternoon it is to be around 74 degrees.  Not bad for December 3rd. Other than attending church yesterday we did have a quiet day.  I went by Firehouse Subs for sandwiches for lunch.  They really have good subs.  The housekeepers are here this morning and should soon finish their work and I expect the yard people today.  This will be there only visit in December but there are a lot of leaves for them to deal with today although we only have a Bradford Pear tree in the front yard.  Today our men's group is going to meet at Panera bread.  This is the first time for this group to meet there although I have been there a few times.  I have a meeting to attend this evening and that will be it for today.

Judy, the thumbprint cookie sounds delicious. 

Janice, sounds like your daughter is a talented musician and the rest of the family is talented as well.  Some of the church music beyond the traditional hymns has quite complex music as the accompaniment.  It was a sad day when I dropped out of the choir after last year's Christmas Cantata but have reached the point that I usually have to drop out a verse of the hymns to get enough energy to rejoin the singing so not singing in the choir became a necessity.  The choir is doing their annual Christmas Cantata this coming Sunday night and will have a professional orchestra back of the choir. 

Marilyn, I never heard of a computer doing what yours does unless you pressed the reset key which would go back to factory settings.  Have you found the restart or turn off command under the settings in the right hand popout for the Windows 8.  I find that if I just restart the problem will have been solved.  Your volunteer work is beginning to sound like a major job. 

Carol, our church has posted podcasts of the sermons online for several years.  I started it when I was the webmaster for the church several years ago.  At that time they didn't get much use but we continued with them anyway.  The Broncos winning yesterday assured Atlanta won their division for the year.  So thanks Denver for your assistance.  I had not heard about the fire.

Janet, sounds like you had a wonderful day yesterday.   It is nice that Abby is finding some time in her life for you again. 

Ruth Ann, glad you were able to rest after a busy day yesterday. 

Christie, I will have to look up and see where New Brunswick, Canada is in relation to where Pat and Judy live and where Ruth lives.  I see it is close to Maine so that gives me an idea that you are closer to Pat and Judy than you are to Ruth by many miles although expect you are a long ways from Pat and Judy. 

God is GOOD    He supplies not only our needs, but also, in His time, our "wants". 

I've had a great camera, an Olympus CS450 with a wonderful 10x zoom and fantastic macro for nearly 10 years.  Wonderful, but heavy and bulky - not a camera to carry in my purse and I seemed to miss some of the best pictures.  So about 3 years ago, after pinching a lot of pennies I managed to get a nice little pocket size and carried it with me all the time.  About a year and a half ago I let someone else use that little camera to take pictures of an installation ceremony I was involved in.  She dropped it.  Onto a cement floor, with the lens extended.  Her only comment was "It still works", not realizing that with the lens knocked askew the pictures were worthless.  Repairs would cost more than the camera was worth, and would come within the deductible of my homeowners insurance.  So back to only the bigger camera and missing what I thought would make good photo ops.

Scene 2:  The trailer park issued new regulations to enclose all decks/porches with either closely installed spindles or lattice work.  $$$! Two members of my church offered to install everything, if I would pay for the materials.  My wonderful daughter and priceless son-in-law advanced me money to pay for the material.  One of those men was remodeling his yard and had taken down a lot of lattice work and I only needed to buy one panel.   Of course this left a substantial balance in the money I had been given.  I called my daughter to let her know a refund was coming and she insisted I keep all of it and use if for something I really wanted. 

Scene 3:  (getting tired of reading this saga yet?) I started looking at cameras and found just what I wanted.  It's the same size with about 3 times the pixels and zoom of the broken one and the cost was about 1/3.  And that was only about half of what I had available to spend!  So now I'm carrying a camera in my purse all the time and I have money to spare. 

So I repeat:  God is GOOD!

Now shut up Jeanne!