Ten Things--Including books, scrapbooking, renovations and potty training!

1.  I am 45 years old and have just purchased my first pair of progressive lens glasses.  I was a little frustrated when I first put them on because it seems to be more fuzziness than clarity.  I put them on for about 1 minute at home after I purchased them and then packed them away for almost two weeks.  I finally got them out today (who wants to waste the cost of a pair of these!) and have been wearing them all day.

I have found that although half the things that I look at seem fuzzy still, my head is not throbbing like I thought that it might by now and I'm praying that at some point I will adjust and know "where to look" through the lens for the appropriate distance that I'm trying to see.

2.  Valentine's Day is just around the corner and I came across this great idea on Facebook and I've adapted it for my children/friends

I printed out what the verses actually said so that I could enclose them in a card or something similar if I wanted to.




(That only took me about 30 minutes to figure out how to put those pictures into this blog post after having to turn the pictures to the correct view--I'm not very computer literate and my kids aren't here to help!)

3.  I finished the book Unglued from my previous post and it was very good.  I have now started reading Practicing Hospitality  

If you click on the title above it will give you a detailed description of the book.  I am really enjoying it and I see more house guests in my future.  I struggle with hosting people in my home and am hoping to get some great Biblical advice and encouragement.

4.  We are expecting a big snow storm starting at some point on Friday, I believe.  About 12-18 inches is expected.  We have not received that much snow this winter, but the temperatures have really kept our pellet stove humming along.

5.  I am headed to a scrapbooking crop next Saturday and am looking forward to getting about 100 pages completed.  I use a power sort system from Creative Memories, which helps me to organize my pages beforehand and therefore I'm able to get a lot done.  I look forward to seeing my friends for about 6 hours while my hubby watches the kiddos :)

6.  My husband is going to be replacing our tub enclosure/faucets, etc.  We only have one bathroom (with our only shower/tub) in it.  I will have to take pictures of before and after the great event.  It hasn't been replaced in a long time and is a funky shade of blue.  We have mold issues with the enclosure and will be very thankful when my hubby is able to complete the job.  The faucet is so old that the faucet is corroded and the water runs out the bottom of the faucet.

We (mostly my hubby) has renovated almost every room in our home and has renovated the rest of the bathroom, but knew that this was going to be a huge and inconvenient job so he put it off until it cannot be ignored.

7.  As I previously posted, I had been on Weight Watchers and had lost about 19 pounds and then I let myself go when I was going through a particularly stressful time at the end of November and thereafter.

I have now gained some of the weight back and don't look forward to seeing what the scale says on Saturday when my husband wants to go back to Weight Watchers again.  Let's refer back to number 4 above about the snow storm...Maybe we will be snowed in and won't be able to make the meeting...hmmmm...

8.  My daughter, who is away at college, has been living in a beautiful big house on a peninsula overlooking the ocean.  The agreement was, when she agreed to move in, that she would get free rent and in return she would be a "presence" in the home for the homeowner who is well into her 80s.  Rebecca would help the woman if she needed help and was a companion to her as they enjoyed watching Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy and that series on PBS Downtown Abbey.

I was so saddened to hear from Rebecca last week that the woman had a sudden medical emergency (after Rebecca had left for college for the day) and the woman called the ambulance and ended up dying shortly after she had emergency surgery.  Rebecca was so saddened to find out that her friend did not make it.  

Rebecca is now alone in the home, but it is located in a close community where the owners in the area keep a close eye on one another and it seems as though it will work out till the end of the semester that Rebecca will stay there.  Also, one of the woman's daughters is local and stops in a couple times a week to check on Rebecca and the house.  They have treated her so kindly and are even continuing the keep the cleaning lady coming so that Rebecca still won't have to clean!

9.  A big event in our home is that Elisabeth is now potty trained!  Believe me, it is a BIG event!  She was not easy to train and I thought for a while there that she would be in diapers for another couple of years, at least lol.

She is a joy to me (if she wasn't here I would be alone all day while the others are in school).  She is such a "girl" as she has to change her outfits at least 5-6 times a day, which usually include a tutu and cowboy boots.     She also cut her own hair the other day.  I saw some curls in the trash and she told me that Alex (in college) and then Nate (in school) had done it.  Little stinker.

10.  This is the month of Caleb's birthday.  He would be six years old.  I can't even imagine him as a school boy and find it difficult to realize that the day set apart for him (February 26th) won't be celebrated at his school with a birthday hat and cupcakes.  Instead we will remember him as the 17 month old who never saw his second birthday.  Life sometimes seems cruel as time marches on without any regards to my grief.

I did read somewhere, and I am paraphrasing here, "As time passes we are getting closer together again".  How reassuring that I will be reunited with [Caleb and my Heavenly Father] and I am one year closer to that date as his birthday rolls around again.

Please know that I will do everything within my power here on earth to take the love that I have for you Caleb and share it with the children that God has placed in my life...my own or otherwise, for all children are created by God and He loves them all.  It is easy to get caught up in my grief sometimes, but I must remember that Caleb couldn't be happier right now and my job here on earth is to show others the love of Christ while I'm able to do so...

That being said, I love you more than ever Caleb and I look forward to the day the I get to hold you again.  You are a treasure in Heaven and I long to be with you again.

Blessing to you all,  Thanks if you read this whole post.
With Hope,
Cheryl