Great Is Thy Faithfulness

Today was a beautiful fall day. Mitchell and Ty had a day off from school, so it was great to enjoy some time outdoors with them. We went on a tour of our yard and marvelled at the beauty of the world we're so blessed to be a part of.

I took the above pictures today. Our trees have really started changing color in the last few week or so. We've got two Tamaracks, which are pine trees that actually lose their needles in fall. In winter, they look dead; but in spring, new growth emerges and during the summer they are a beautiful light green shade. But to my amazement, their needles actually change color prior to falling off! The background picture and the picture in the lower right hand corner are pictures of our Tamaracks. I don't know why I'm so mesmerized by them . . . I wasn't expecting their needles to change color . . . I thought they'd just stay green and fall off. But here they are, changing into a beautiful golden shade right before my very own eyes!

This is our first fall at the acreage. We officially began our journey to purchase this place just over a year ago, in mid-September 2006. After many inspections of the house, septic system, water supply, furnace, etc. and the final sale of our old home, we made this place ours and moved in on December 20, 2006. It's hard to believe that it's been a whole year since we began dreaming of owning this place. Once again, God proved to be faithful and answered our prayers with a resounding "YES" and has blessed us with this amazing place.

A while ago someone asked me what my dream home would be like. I told them: "I already live in it." And truly, I do. Yes, our house is old. It was built in 1923 and moved on to a partial basement in the late 70's, with some minor cosmetic upgrades in the distant past. Yes, there is a lot of work yet to be done to get it to my ideal specifications. However, due to many factors, the interior renos haven't occurred as quickly as I had originally hoped. But that's okay. I still love it here. I love the character of our home. It is a home like no other. It is unique in its design and I've never seen another house like it. While it has some flaws, it is still my dream . . . and our yard is amazing. Evergreen trees totally encompass our 17 acres, and the rest of the yard is full of other trees and shrubs. The original owners of this property put a lot of time and effort into landscaping the yard. I've yet to meet them (they live in the town nearby), but when and if I do, I will be expressing my gratitude for their foresight in planning the yard.

I could just sit and cry over how much this acreage has blessed us. The timing for everything was perfect. It was God's timing, not ours. And while, at the time I was impatient for the logistics of buying this place to be worked out, God knew what we needed and when we needed it. Our place, which once was just potentially ours, is now our home. It is a home where we give and receive love. It is a home where we sense God's presence through nature. It is a home where new found freedoms can be explored and developed. It is a home of safety and security. It is a home where God's love and faithfulness abounds.

Great is Thy Faithfulness
words by Thomas O. Chisholm
music by William M. Runyan

Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father;
There is no shadow of turning with Thee;
Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not;
As Thou hast been, Thou forever will be.

Great is Thy faithfulness!
Great is Thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see.
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided;
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!

Summer and winter and springtime and harvest,
Sun, moon and stars in their courses above
Join with all nature in manifold witness
To Thy great faithfulness, mercy and love.

Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth
Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide;
Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow,
Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside!

Click here to hear this hymn . . . no lyrics, just music. You can sing along!

What's In A Name?

Karla shared this meme on her blog and I just had to be a copycat!

1. YOUR ROCK STAR NAME: (first pet & current car):
Casper Saturn

2.YOUR GANGSTA NAME: (fave ice cream flavor, favorite cookie):
Cotton Candy Shortbread

3. YOUR “FLY Guy/Girl” NAME: (first initial of first name, first three letters of your last name):
Kare

4. YOUR DETECTIVE NAME: (favorite color, favorite animal):
Pink Polar Bear

5. YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME: (middle name, city where you were born):
Renae Saskatoon

6. YOUR STAR WARS NAME: (the first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 letters of your first):
Areki

7. SUPERHERO NAME: (”The” + 2nd favorite color, favorite drink):
The Black Diet Coke

8. NASCAR NAME: (the first names of your grandfathers):
Henry Gerhard or . . . Gerhard Henry

9. TV WEATHER ANCHOR NAME: (Your 5th grade teacher’s last name, a major city that starts with the same letter):
Derbowka Detroit

10. SPY NAME: (your favorite season/holiday, flower).
Winter Gardenia

11. CARTOON NAME: (favorite fruit, article of clothing you’re wearing right now + “ie” or “y”):
Watermelon Loungie Pants (or should that be Watermelon Lounge Pantsies?)

12. HIPPIE NAME: (What you ate for breakfast, your favorite tree):
Muffin Oak

13. YOUR ROCK STAR TOUR NAME: (”The” + Your fave hobby/craft, fave weather element + “Tour” and the year):
The Calligraphy Snow Tour 2007

TRY THIS MEME OUT!
IT'S SO MUCH FUN!

Life

Live your life while you have it.

Life is a splendid gift . . .

there is nothing small about it.

~Florence Nightingale~

Happy Birthday, Mitchell Scott Bentin!

A smiley cake for a smiley boy!

Mitchell celebrated his birthday with his Uncle Scott!

Some pictures taken right after Mitchell's
official "birth" day--September 24, 1999, 10:14 p.m.

Mitchell, on a day like today I cannot help but reflect on the gift of you. You were my pride and joy from the moment you were born, and I've always marveled at your uniqueness. You were such a good baby . . . I was a very blessed mommy. You were a happy toddler, and for the most part, a cooperative preschooler. Now, as you are getting older and maturing and growing into an eight-year old boy, I am amazed at your strengths and abilities. You are smart and funny. You are loving and affectionate. You are helpful and considerate. You have an amazing memory and have a creative mind. You are aware of God's presence in your life. You are the gift mommy needed at a very trying time in her life. You are wonderful. You are adorable. You are forever loved.

Energy Revived

Just letting you all know that I had a really good day at work today . . . and I'm not feeling overwhelmed about tomorrow either. I've got a to-do list and I'm just going to work through it the best I can. What gets done, gets done. What doesn't, doesn't.

I'll post on Monday with pictures from my sweet boy's 8th birthday! Wow! I can't believe 8 years has gone by SO quickly.

Is It Time for Bed Yet?

I am tired. Drained. Exhausted.

As of tomorrow, I've been employed part-time for one week. However, I've been at work every day this week, for 5 hours a day, just to get "the hang" of things at my new job. But after my first week, I'm not sure if I will ever get "the hang" of things. I've never worked in an accounting office, so my experience in this environment is pretty limited. I get the administrative stuff. I just don't get the accounting stuff. Yet.

Right now I am feeling really overwhelmed with all the new stuff I'm learning, and just getting into the groove of working outside of the home again. Thankfully, our morning routine is going really well . . . way better than I expected. The boys have been exceptionally cooperative and we've had time to spare each morning since I began working.

It's the time from now (almost 4:00 p.m.) until right after supper that I seem to be lacking in my ability to accomplish much of anything. I'm tired. My brain is fried. And I can see all that needs to be done around me, but my weary body doesn't provide the energy I require to get everything done that I expect to on any given afternoon or evening.

If you came to my house you might not think I have any reason to be feeling overwhelmed. For the most part I've been able to keep our surroundings pretty tidy this week. But I've got to kick it up a notch tonight and tomorrow (after work) because on Saturday, any family living in the surrounding area is coming over to celebrate a joint birthday party for my brother, Scotty, and my son, Mitchell. Scotty's birthday was last Friday. Mitchell's is on Monday. So, we're combining the two parties together and celebrating at our house.

My menu plan is pretty basic. I'm making pizza from scratch (four kinds: meat, vegetarian, Hawaiian and four-cheese); my mom is bringing a Caesar salad; we've also got chips and pop; and my brother's wife is bringing the birthday cake. So it's not really the food prep that's overwhelming me. It's the fact that I need to thoroughly clean my house prior to anyone setting a foot through our doors. And cleaning takes energy. And right now, I have no energy.

All I want to do is crawl into my luxurious bed and go to sleep.

P.S. I've also got to start doing my laundry tonight instead of tomorrow night, if there is any chance of my laundry being caught-up prior to the party. It's going to be a long night.

You Make Me Smile!

Amy at Laughing Through The Tears honored me with this award. Thank you, Amy.

Guess what? I'm passing this award on to everyone on my blog roll. I wouldn't visit you regularly if you didn't make me smile!

My request for all blogging buddies is to PAY IT FORWARD! Honor your friends with this special award today.

I'll Put You Out of Your Misery

Okay, so that last post was a little unfair. And I'm not going to make you wait until tomorrow for the answer. Due to the comments and personal e-mails I've received since my last post title, I thought I had better let the cat out of the bag and reveal who exactly it is that's pregnant.

And I'm sorry for misleading you. You all left such kind words of Congratulations--I was feeling guilty for leading you all on like this. But, I must admit, it was kind of fun to get this much shock value out of a post.

Kristy, you win. You guessed it. It's my sweet puppy Alaska who's pregnant, not me.

Remember a while ago I referred to the incessant barking we had going on over here because our female dog was in heat and I feared that she was bred while we were on vacation? Well, I surmise that's what happened. She'll be having her puppies in about two weeks from now. I hope she can get through it. She's not quite two years old. And knowing her, she's going to be whining the entire time due to the pain she's experiencing.

But the good part of all of this is it means I'll have some absolutely adorable puppies to sell. They're a lot of work, but it's worth it in the end.

Anyways, I hope you aren't all too terribly upset with me over the disappointing news that it's my dog and not me, who's about to give birth.

Alaska: The Mother-to-Be

Guess Who's Pregnant?

I'll let you know tomorrow.

Flexibiltiy

I started my new job on Friday. I now provide administrative support to an accounting firm. I left for work as soon as the boys got onto the bus. I arrived at work and had an excellent first day. My boss treated me to a mocha-orange coffee and donuts. Yummy! The hours zoomed by as I dove right into my new position. I left the office just in time to arrive home for the boys to get off the bus. For them, it was just a normal day. That's what I call flexibility.

Backtrack to Thursday, 12:55 p.m. I arrive for my job interview five minutes early. Whew! The office is connected to a newly built, huge, luxurious house. The office is uniquely designed. When I first arrive I am greeted by the owner's wife and am pleasantly surprised to see a familiar face in my midst . . . a fellow church member! She's one of the nicest people I've ever met. And she is an employee at this office! I couldn't believe it. The potential for this job was too good to be true and I hadn't even been interviewed yet.

At 1:00 p.m. I meet the owner. He and his wife, as well as my church friend conduct the "interview". But this interview was more like an orientation session. I felt comfortable right away. I drank a cup of coffee, and chatted with the group of interviewers. I am informed of what true flexibility is: Basically, I set my own hours according to not only the needs of the company, but also the needs of my family. Yes, at this point I thought I'd died and gone to heaven. Not quite. I'm just trying to add some drama to my story.

Fast forward to an hour later. The owner informs me that if it were up to him, I'd start tomorrow. But they've got two more people to interview. Way to burst my bubble. But I was informed that they'd give me their answer either way by the end of the day.

I was then given "the tour" of the office and part of the adjoining house. Nice.

I left the interview feeling quite confident of myself. My "in" with the fellow church member certainly was a benefit to me. In fact, I'm quite certain that she's the human reason behind my getting this position. Oh, I forgot to mention that the owners of this company also happen to be Christians. Yes. Heaven.

Two hours later I was at home. The boys were already off the bus and settling nicely into their after-school routine. I was somewhat anxiously waiting for the phone to ring. I say somewhat anxiously, because, for one of the first times in my life, I felt at peace about the results of a decision that was completely out of my control. It was in God's hands.

The phone rang almost two hours after I'd left the interview. It was the owner's wife. She offered me the job. I accepted. I hung up the phone and did the happy dance. So did the boys.

I started work the next day. I'm totally green. It's been a while since I've held a permanent office job. But my bosses seem to be completely okay with that and understand that I need time to adjust to my new surroundings.

Aside from the obvious benefit of being able to set my own hours, this job has several other perks. I get the summer off. I get the summer off. I work in an office and I get the summer off. Do you know how huge that is for me? It means I don't have to send the boys to daycare all summer long, and I get to spend time gardening. I get to relax. I get to enjoy my summer.

Another benefit is that I don't have to pay for parking. Plus, the owner's wife owns a coffee shop and as a result, our (free) coffee at work is above normal standards as far as I'm concerned. I'm no coffee expert, but the coffee at the office is really good. Really good. Unfortunately, I am now heavily acquainted with the washroom. Too much coffee on my first day.

So, basically my job is somewhat seasonal as far as busyness goes. For the next while I'll be working everyday, just to get the hang of everything. There's a lot of work to catch-up on, so I'll be busy for quite some time. Especially since most of what I'm doing is completely new to me. However, the truly busy time of the year is from January to April (you know . . . tax time). I'll be working approximately 28 hours per week for the first four months of the year, and then 20 hours per week for the remaining months of the year, minus July and August. This is just a rough guideline. Flexibility, remember?

As I said in my previous post, God is faithful. He provided me with the flexibility I wanted, but never thought I'd get in the real world. I'm excited about this new endeavor. But I've already realized that work (at my job) is going to be easy compared to trying to keep up with all the work at home that isn't going to get done in my absence. My goal is to be the most efficient I've ever been. Not just at work, but at home, too. It's going to be an adjustment. But thankfully, it's an adjustment that me and my guys are willing to deal with.

Celebrations

Today I'm celebrating two things.

The first is the 34th birthday of my brother, Scotty. He's exactly 1 year, 3 weeks, 1 hour and 1 minute younger than me. I hope you have a great year, bro! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

The second is my new job. I had my interview and got confirmation of being hired all within two hours of meeting the company owners. I'll give more details on my new job at a later date, but I'm starting today and I'm working every day next week, so I likely won't have a lot of time to post in the next 7 days. But what I will tell you is this: God is faithful. God heard and answered our prayers beyond anything I could imagine possible.

I hope all have a wonderful weekend. Blessings to you all!

One of Those Days

Have you ever had one of those days where 24 hours passes by and you haven't accomplished much of anything, other than getting in your 8 (or less) hours of sleep? I'm sure you have. I had a day like that yesterday, and the reason for it is laziness on my part. Pure and simple laziness.

I hate to admit that, but it's the only conclusion I can come up with.

Everyday I wake up with an agenda ingrained in my mind. And I measure the success of my day based on whether or not I've accomplished everything on my agenda. I wish I weren't this way. But I am. I wish I could be free of guilt on the days when I don't accomplish everything on my agenda. But I'm not. And I am feeling very guilty about wasting away my day yesterday, with nothing to show for it but a full stomach due to all the food and drink I consumed while I was not completing tasks on my agenda.

I think subliminally I am trying to convince myself to "take it easy" before I actually find a job and return to work, wherever or whatever that may be. I am being easily-led to distractions and not staying focused on chores that are staring me straight in the face. This isn't normal for me, which is probably why my lack of accomplishing anything yesterday is bothering me so much.

I have a job interview at 1:00 p.m. today. If this job is as good as it sounds, it will suit the needs of our family perfectly. While I am confident of my success to obtain this position, I am choosing to refrain from giving you all the details. I'll fill you in on all that if and when I get the news of being hired.

But, I would appreciate your prayers regarding my interview. We've been relying on God's guidance and direction in relation to my finding work, so ultimately it's up to Him whether or not I get this job. However, I still get nervous over interviews, and the follow-up that may or may not happen as a result of the interview (i.e. reference checks).

God is in control of our days. I'm trying to be an excellent steward of my resources, time being one of those resources. But yesterday I failed miserably at that; today I will do better. I must do better.

What I Did Last Night

Brian Melo: 2007 Canadian Idol Winner!

Jaydee Bixby congratulates Brian Melo on be named the new Canadian Idol.

Avril Lavigne performs her new single Hot.

Bon Jovi was all smiles during their finale performance.

Season 4 Canadian Idol Winner Eva Avila performs Fallin' For You.

Dark horse Brian Melo takes

Canadian Idol crown

Eye on Idol

Alt-rocker Brian Melo will be getting all he ever wanted and more as the newly crowned Canadian Idol, defeating rockabilly golden boy Jaydee Bixby and emerging from his early image as the competition's dark horse.

After learning he'd earned the title in the final moments of a two-hour, star-studded finale, the modest Hamiltonian gave the crowd a taste of what they can expect of his victory lap as a signed singer.

His version of "All I Ever Wanted" closed out the show, and will hit the airwaves and multiple online music retailers at 12 a.m. on Sept. 13. It will be the gateway to at least a year in the spotlight, but if the judges' insights prove true, could turn into a lasting music career.

"When you think about the numbers of people who audition for this thing, it's a remarkable accomplishment to make it to this far," said judge Zack Werner, adding that Melo had grown more as an artist during his time on the show than anyone would have imagined.

In fact, Melo faced possible elimination more time than many of the members of the Top 10, landing in the weekly bottom three/two more often than almost anyone on the show.

But instead of letting low votes discourage him, he seemed motivated to work harder each week, becoming one of the competitors with the steepest learning curve the show has ever seen.

The finale began with a Bon Jovi medley performed by the Top 10. Beginning and ending with "You Give Love a Bad Name," the singers moved like a well-oiled machine through a series of hits penned by the week's mentoring musical act.

Rockers Greg Neufeld and Dwight d'Eon brought their guitars along for the ride, once again showing fans they're more than just pretty faces with nice voices.

Next to grace the stage was Canadian-bred pop-punker Avril Lavigne, who sang two songs from her latest album: "Hot" and "When You're Gone." Belting into her token pink microphone, the internationally successful 22-year-old showed the competitors just how successful a young artist can be.

Next up was crowd-pleaser Bon Jovi, who played "Lost Highway," the title track from their recent album. It was followed up by international hit "It's My Life," which earned a standing ovation from the crowd and even a bit of dancing.

The busy evening's third guest was Eva Avila, last year's Canadian Idol, who has since scored two hit singles and a modeling contract. Working the crowd like a pro, Avila was right at home on the Idol stage and even offered some advice for her soon-to-be-announced replacement.

"Just remember that you are so privileged and enjoy every minute but you never know how long it's going to last," she said.

The ever-modest Melo seemed ready to do just that, his generally wide grin beaming even larger than usual as he began to grasp what the next year of his life had in store for him.

"This is incredible" an overwhelmed Melo told the crowd, then offering specific thanks to Idol vocal coach Debra Byrd. "I didn't think a year ago that I would be standing here. If it wasn't for the fans, my friends, my family and everyone in the Hammer... It's been amazing."

Updated Wed. Sep. 12 2007 2:07 AM ET
credit to the official Canadian Idol website.

Jesus, Shepherd of My Soul

Abandon yourself to His care and
guidance, as a sheep in the care of a
shepherd, and trust Him utterly.

HANNAH WHITALL SMITH

Week in Review: September Sabotage

I struggled to post all last week. But I'm going to make an attempt to let you know what's been going on around here all in one post. How's that for efficiency???

Last Sunday, September 2nd, we spent the morning in church and the afternoon and evening having a great time at my sister's house playing Canasta--guys against the girls. And well, the girls won. BIG TIME. It was great!

On Labour-Day Monday, Thomas visited. His 17th birthday was on the 2nd, so we celebrated with him when he came to visit. The boys had a great time eating and playing together. Their play involved Woods & Water (a board game) and some pretty strenuous football.

Three Brothers: Ty, Thomas & Mitchell

Tuesday was back to the routine of school. Mitchell and Ty are adjusting amazingly well to their new grades. I'm so proud of both of them. They're excited each day as they prepare for school, and they have so much to tell me when they get off the bus each day. I love hearing all about their day.

I spent the majority of Tuesday in the city, meeting with other women who are the primary caregivers for kids with RAD. It's a support group that I attend whenever I can, even though my RAD kid doesn't live with me. I go there to support them. They've been such a huge help to me . . . now it's time to return the favor.

On Wednesday my parents came to visit and help out around the yard. We've been slowly cleaning out the garden so that it can be tilled before the snow flies. So far we've cleaned out the corn, lettuce and peas. Next will be the cucumbers and tomatoes. Last week I made my last batch of relish. And hopefully by the end of this week, most of my salsa processing will be completed too. Did you know I've got tomatoes coming out of my ying-yang? I do. And they keep growing. And growing. And growing. And I keep giving them away. Do you want some?

In a couple of weeks we'll be digging up our onions, garlic, potatoes and carrots for fall/winter storage. I'm praying that the snow will stay away before we get a chance to do this all. We've got pumpkins and watermelon as well, but I'm waiting until the last possible moment to pick those items. The longer they're on the vine, the better.

As you all know, Ty's minor surgery took place on Thursday. We left for the hospital at 5:45 a.m. Bright and early. I was so tired from that earlier-than-normal wake-up. It took me a few days to return to normal after that whole ordeal.

Wayne's been very sick with a bad head cold/sore throat and because of that, his week at work was anything but great. He actually, for the first time at this job, made a major blunder in his assigned task, and received a friendly reminder (i.e. letter) from the owner advising him that his mistake could have had catastrophic results. Thankfully, he only received the friendly reminder and not an official "notice of negligence". That's not something he wants in his employment file. In any case, he missed work on Friday and spent much of the weekend relaxing, trying to get completely better.

On another Wayne-work-related note, his boss has finally come to the realization that it might be a good idea to offer more overtime. It's taken him over a year to finally succumb to the requests of his employees and he is now offering a 4-day workweek, with four, ten-hour days, Monday to Thursday, followed by an overtime day on Friday for 8 hours. We are very excited about this. While it means Wayne's shifts will now be slightly altered, his pay cheque will be significantly higher and he won't have to sacrifice his Saturdays in order to get overtime.

Regarding the workforce, I've been diligently seeking a part-time office position. I attended a potential place of employment on Friday morning. What initially started out as a 5-minute interview resulted in me being short-listed further and I was required to attend yet another interview an hour after my first one. Long story short: The next "interview" was actually a training session for 8 potential employees, grooming us to be insurance agents. This went on for 1 1/2 hours. Next on the agenda was yet another interview. That's when I put an end to the nonsense and informed them (for the fourth time) that I was interested in ADMINISTRATIVE WORK; THAT I HAD NO DESIRE TO TRAVEL FOR 7-10 DAYS EACH MONTH IN ORDER TO OBTAIN CLIENTS; THAT I WANTED FLEXIBILITY IN SCHEDULING; THAT I WANTED THE OPTION OF PART-TIME HOURS; THAT I WOULD BE GETTING PAID A WHOLE LOT MORE THAN THEY WERE OFFERING, CONSIDERING THEY WANTED AN OFFICE MANAGER, NOT JUST AN ADMIN. ASSISTANT. Yes, I left that establishment quite disturbed. To me, it was a waste of a day. The reason it was a waste is because before I even allowed the initial telephone interview on Wednesday morning to take place (yes, as I was trying to get my boys ready and off to school), I informed the gentleman on the other end of the phone of my criteria (listed above in capital letters). He said my criteria could be met. But if "they" knew all along that those criteria wouldn't be met, then why on earth did they call me in for another interview? It baffles me. I'll tell you, the next time I get a call to come in for an interview, I'm going to do a bit of my own interviewing before I hang up the phone--I don't want to waste a potential employer's time or mine, for that matter.

But, I got some interview experience, which I need. It's been a while since I've gone through such a rigorous interview process. Hopefully next time it will be worth my while.

Okay, so I think I'm rambling. But I just wanted to let you know where I've been and what I've been doing. I've got many distractions around here right now, and I'm okay with that. But I do miss my blogging friends a lot. And I miss writing. Did you know that I think about what to blog about all day long? If I get a good idea, I jot down some basic thoughts and save it for a rainy day. Yes, I think I'm almost obsessive over this blog; which is probably why I miss posting so much.

Want to see another distraction of mine?

My favorite distraction

This is my piano. I'm no concert pianist, but I do like to tickle the ivories. Every day. It's therapeutic for me. And I don't care how bad I sound or how bad I sing, this is my way to worship God each day. I've got a couple of worship books and I just page through, pick songs I know I can play (or blunder my way through) and sing to my own accompaniment. I adore my piano.

So, my distractions of last week include the above, plus, the following (sorry if I repeat myself--it was just one of those weeks): catching up on about 20 missed shows of Canadian Idol. I'm now totally caught up and I can watch the finale this week in real time; laundry; cleaning; a bridal shower for a very good friend of mine; searching job banks for potential jobs; preparing resumes and cover letters; baking cookies; baking buns; cooking decent meals; laundry; cooking; cleaning; cleaning out the garage so that I have a place to park my car for the winter; talking on the phone; caring for a sick husband; playing with my boys; looking for work; preparing snacks for my boys; grocery shopping; pets; cleaning; laundry; vegetables; vegetables; vegetables. And, more snacks.

Yep. That about sums up my week.

Friday Feast #156

Appetizer

Using only one word, how does grocery shopping make you feel?

Exhausted.

Soup
What is your favorite part about the season of Autumn?

I love the leaves changing color and the "crunching" of fallen leaves as I walk on them.

Salad
Have you ever had any bad experiences online?

No.

Main Course
Name three things that make you happy daily.

My husband, my boys and my pets.

Dessert
What one household cleansing or organizing item would you not want to be without?

Bleach.

Come feast with others over at Friday Feast

Success!!

The eraser has been removed from Ty's ear.

Yeah!

We left for the hospital at 5:45 a.m., and Ty was taken into surgery at about 8:23 a.m. By 8:27 a.m. the doctor was finished the procedure and reported success. And Ty has the remains of the eraser to prove it. I was able to see Ty by 8:30 a.m. right after he woke up from the anesthetic.

Thank you for your prayers. Fortunately, an intravenous line was not required and the anesthetist just put Ty to sleep with the aid of a mask and some sleeping gas. So it was all pretty uneventful and probably the most routine procedure that our ear, throat and nose specialist has ever done.

Ty wanted to return to school for the rest of the day, so that's where he is right now. And me? Well, I'm going to go get some shut-eye. Good-night!

Going to Sleep

I leave for the hospital with Ty tomorrow morning at 6:30 a.m. His surgery is to take place at 8:00 a.m.

Please pray for Ty as he is quite apprehensive about "going to sleep" with the aid of intravenous.

I would also like to request prayer for the doctor as he removes the foreign object from Ty's ear canal. My biggest concern is potential damage to the ear drum. I'm trusting that God will protect my little boy, right down to his inner ear.

We are required to stay at the hospital for six hours post-surgery, so I'll let you know tomorrow evening how everything went.

And on another note, I must apologize for not having blogged much this month as of yet. For some reason I am responding to other demands around here, and blogging has been put at the bottom of my To-Do List. Hopefully I'll be able to write something substantial over the weekend.

TTFN! (Ta-Ta For Now!)

I'm Forever Grateful

In His Image by Zdinak

You did not wait for me
to draw near to You,
But You clothed Yourself
with frail humanity.
You did not wait for me
to cry out to You,
But You let me hear
Your voice calling me.
And I'm forever grateful
to You.
I'm forever grateful
for the cross;
I'm forever grateful
to You
That You came
to seek and save the lost.
~Mark Altrogge~