Snippets By Oma

30 Days of Gratefulness: The Rest of the Month

I guess I got a bit behind.....still forever grateful...

 

 FORGIVENESS

"Praise the Lord, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits. he forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases; he redeems my lie from the pit and crowns me with love and compassion. He satisfies my desires with good things...

...The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever; he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love forthoe who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him...."   Psalm 103:1-5 and 8-13

What can I say about God's forgivenss? I believe the passage of scripture above says it all. If you are a Christian and are reading this I plead with you to please remember how much God has forgiven you in your life and show mercy on others by not throwing up in their face their past sins. If you are not a believer, I strongly encourage you to not fear that you will not be heard by Jesus because your sins are so great, there is no sin that is too great for our Savior to forgive, he just wants you to sit at his feet, pour out your heart, confess your sins, and recieve his forgiveness and love - you won't be sorry, I promise.

 

FAITHFULNESS

"Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail, they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness." Lamentations 3:22 and 23

"For great is your love, higher than the heavens; your faithfulness reaches to the skies."             Psalm 108:4

As I have mention in previous posts, there was a dark time that I went through after my divorce; I pretty much did my own thing, yet every day I prayed, "Lord, please do not take your Holy Spirit from me." He didn't have to, not by any means, but he was faithful to answer that prayer. I look back and shake my head, and say "THANK YOU, FATHER, FOR YOUR FAITHFULNESS!"

 

HOPE

"Those whose hope is in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles, they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint."   Isaiah 40:31

"'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.'" Jeremiah 29:11

"Hope (in the Lord) does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us." Romans 5:5

I have learned over the years that "hope in the Lord" does not disappoint; when I trust in others there is always the possibility of being let down. If you have ever felt that God has let you down then I would venture to guess that you didn't completely trust that He knows what is best for you because He can see the bigger picture.

 

PEACE

"In everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:6 and 7

This passage of scripture has been burned in my mind and soul. I have had issues with anxiety off and on for a long time - pretty much ever since experience a full blown panic attack several years ago - and when I leave my requests and petitions at the feet of Jesus, trusting that He knows what is best for me, I am filled with peace.

 
 
JOY 

"For you make me glad by your deeds, O Lord; I sing for joy at the works of your hands."          Psalm 92:4

"The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in song."  Psalm 28:7

When I have joy in my heart I feel like I can do anything...it gives me strength. It is more than happiness, which is just surface, joy rises up from deep within your soul.

Because I believe God's Word to be true, these scriptures have been "life" to me.

 

30 Days of Gratefulness: Days 9 and 10

 
 

Day 9

 I am grateful for my mother-in-law, Patricia Starr.

Two years ago today Pat lost her battle with cancer. Even though we knew that day was coming it didn't make it any easier to hear the words "she is gone".

I miss her. I miss her alot.

She is a hero in my eyes. She set such a beautiful example of "dying to self" and preferring others before herself, even when she was ravaged in pain.

I miss her hugs. I can still feel her squeeze and hear her, "awww" as I was given that hug.

I miss the times when her and Dad would come over for dinner. While Rick and Merle were in the living room visiting Pat would be sitting in the kitchen helping me. We would always have a bottle of wine open while we were cooking - many times she would be sitting at the dining room table waiting for me "come up with something for her to do"  and she would get up, come over to me and say, "I need to give you a hug." As she was giving me that hug she would tell me how much she loved me and how glad she was that I was part of their family. The guys would laugh at us girls because by the time dinner was ready she and I had already finished that bottle of wine.

Thank you Lord for the opportunity to know a wonderful woman.

******************************************

 
(Hubby, in the forefront) 

Day 10

Today I am thankful for my husband. 

Ten years ago this coming February I met Rick. We were both in the parking lot of our apartment complex...he lived on one end, I on the other. He was on his way back from walking his dog and we struck up a conversation, we ended up standing there for about 2 hours talking. During our conversation we found we had a common interest of running....I actually was a run/walker.....and decided it would be fun to meet one morning and run to the stairs at St Martins University, that run was the beginning of a lifetime together.

In the late Summer or early Fall of 2001 Rick took me up to those stairs one afternoon and sat me down. He began to tell me all the things he appreciated about our relationship, when he stood up, which I thought was to stretch, he turned around and got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. Of course I said, "Yes"!!

We have the most awesome relationship. I appreciate what a good heart he has. He was careful not to push himself onto my children, who were grown at the time,  rather he said, "I am not going anywhere, time will show them who I am." I think because of that attitude they really learned to respect him.

I have learned from him to "choose my battles" in life. Some things are just not important to get all upset about.

I have been shown "unconditional" love. Rick has accepted me just as I am. He has never tried to make me someone I am not. He does encourage me to follow my dreams and to be "true to myself".

Rick is the most awesome grandfather to our grandchildren. It is funny to reflect on how timid he was when Milla, the oldest grandchild, was a baby. By the time Audrey, grandchild number 3, came around he was really getting the hang of things.  I love to watch him interact with the grandkids, he is so generous and patient. His lap is where the kids love to go to just sit, or to listen to him read "just one more" story.

To say the least, I have been blessed beyond measure.

Thank you heavenly Father for my partner, my friend, my lover....my husband.

30 Days of Gratefulness: Day 8

 
 

I am grateful for my children.

 
(I Love this picture taken by Andi's friend, Leslie)

  At 12:01 am on November 22, 1978 I gave birth to my first child, a daughter, and named her Andrea Mae. Her first name came from a little girl I babysat when I was 13 yr old, I had never heard that name before and I loved it so much that I vowed to give it to my first daughter. Her middle name, Mae, is after her great Aunt Mae on her father's side of the family. Andi, as her friends call her,  is a mother of 2 children 5 and under. She has grown to be a very godly woman. She has taken on the role of "homeschooling mom" this year with 5 yr old Audrey and 3 yr old Elliot is right there with them.

 
(Amanda and her Grandma Taffy - I love this) 

On Monday, May 25, 1981 at 6:24am Amanda Irene took her first breath of life.  Her first name is after her great great grandmother, Amanda Norma. I remember so clearly the day when I told Grandma what we were going to name this baby (those says most parents didn't get the opportunity to find out the gender before birth). She said quite firmly, "what do you want to name your baby that for?" You see, she had always gone by her middle name, Norma. I told her, "because it is a beautiful name, Grandma" to which she just shook her head. Irene is from her great grandmother.  Amanda has always been an individual, something I have really grown to admire about her. She has a God-given gift of mercy, which anyone who really knows her can tell you. She acutally was given an award at church when she was around 6 yr old that recognized that gift back then. The teacher stood before the church and told of a time in class where there was another little girl who had a horrible case of scoriasis, so bad that the skin on her hands would crack which made it very difficult to use scissors to cut out a project. She said that Amanda put her project aside and helped that little girl all evening without being asked. Amanda has been blessed with 3 children 9 yr and younger.

Both of my daughters are very talented and creative women - a legacy passed down from several generations, on both sides of the family.

 
(Caleb hates to have his picture taken so this is his son, Christian)

Caleb Allen came into this world on Sunday, October 3, 1982 at 10:16 pm. It is funny, I never really wanted a boy....I hated changing boys diapers in the church nursery, and I had never had brothers, so....well, God changed my heart SO MUCH that a few weeks before he was born I told a friend, "I don't know what I am going to do if we have a girl - I really want a boy!!" Caleb's name was not as easily settled on as his sisters' were. His father was already a Junior, and we really wanted our son to have his own identiy. One Sunday morning, two weeks before Caleb was due, we were sitting in church listening to the pastor give a sermon about Caleb and Joshua....his father and I looked at each other and one of us said, "what about naming a son Caleb?" and it was settled right there. Caleb's middle name is a family name passed from grandpa to son to our son. Boys are a different breed, that is for sure; when Caleb was 3 yr old he would climb up the back of his sisters' bunkbed and I would freak out! Finally one day God just whispered "peace" to me. I prayed then, "Lord, you know that I cannot watch him every second of the day, please set your angels around him." Now that doesn't say that he never had an accident while growing up, but at least not while climbing on the beds.  Caleb is extrememly intelligent, and has a sensitive heart - when it all really matters. I remember vividly the day he clearly displayed this, it was the day my father died, which was also Caleb's 15th birthday. We'd gone up to the hospital to visit him and it was while we were there that Dad passed away. Instead of retreating out to the hallway he wrapped his arms around his grandma, my sister, and I and let us cry. Then the diplomatic/organizing side of him showed through when he and I cleared the room of all of Dad's belongings. Caleb is a stubborn soul, something that both sides of his family display! Caleb has been blessed with one child, a son.

Thank you God for awesome children, who love Jesus, are great parents, and whom I can also call my friends.

30 Days of Gratefulness: Day 7

 
 
 

I am grateful for my pets.

Paulie, our Chow German Shepherd mix, became mine through marriage; she was Rick's and he'd had her for about 2 years before we met. She doesn't take to people very quickly, but she and I became fast friends. She is named after St Pauliegirl beer.

 

A couple of years after Rick and I were together Missy, our long-haired kitty (not really sure what breed she is), came into our family. We'd seen her hanging around our apartment complex for several days and realized she was a stray. I asked Rick if we could catch her and keep her and he suggested we wait a week and if she was still around we could. When the week passed and the "ok" was given the next step was trying to catch her...Finally!  A couple of days later we took her into our veterinary clinic for a checkup, it was there that we found out that she was 2 years old, a spayed female, AND she had a microchip. I was sad, but we tried to find the owners. We couldn't, but we didn't give up, we went down to the animal shelter and looked through a scrapbook of lost animals...long story short, we got to have our name registered on the chip and she was officially adopted!

 

As most of you know, Buck, a 2 yr old Lab German Shepherd mix, has recently become ours. He was my nephew's, whom is going through a really tough time right now and could no longer take care of him, so we said sure to my sister's pleadings. We were not sure how it was going to work out because the "Chow" in Paulie is very territorial and we'd already tried adopting a Lab a few years ago. This time however, we figured there may be a better chance of it working out because Buck is a male. I am happy to say "all is well". He is the sweetest and most well-behaved dog, more than we could have ever hoped. Now, he is BIG, and there is still a bit of "puppy" in him, so...need I say more?

For anyone of you who has ever owned a pet you know that they are such a source of joy. Their love is purely unconditional. They can give you their sad-eyed look when you are leaving without them, and they can be so convincing for a "sample" while you are cooking. There have been times this past week where all three of these furry kids are lined up in the dining room staring at me in the kitchen...now, how could I resist? They seem to know when you are not feeling well, or are just plain down in the dumps by pouring out "more" love.

Finally, they are free entertainment. I don't know how many times Rick and I have called each other into a room to "see what she is doing", or "would you look at this. There are the times when Missy "lies in wait" to ambush Paulie as she comes around a corner, or when she "runs ahead" of Paulie into the kitchen, something Paulie used to do to her because she was afraid Missy would get her food! Even now as I type Missy is literally laying across my left wrist...crazy kitty!

Thank you God for your creation of dogs and cats, I love those furry blessings you have given me.

30 Days of Gratefulness: Day 6

 

I am grateful for Trinity Community Church.

A couple of months ago I started going to a bible study on Wednesday evenings. It was hosted by one of the doctors I work with and led by the husband of another gal I work with.  It has been a long while since I have been in an intimate group setting such as this, and I must admit I felt a bit timid. I was surprised to find that I felt "instantly" connected to everyone.

Little did I know, that God was bringing me to a place of fellowship with the beginnings of a new church in our area. It has been more than refreshing to find a group of men and women who are genuine, sincere in their faith, show a kindness beyond words and who have a passion for Jesus Christ, knowing our "identity" in Him, and sharing "the hope that lies within us" to others.

I feel blessed to be a part of what God is doing in my neck of the woods, and excited to see what is in store for this church community.

30 Days of Gratefulness: Day 5

 

Today I am grateful for my "daily bread".

Matthew 6:11 in God's word says this," Give us this day our daily bread." For the longest time I thought it meant just that, "Lord provide for me bread to eat".  Years have passed, I have matured spiritually and realize that this passage meant, "provide for me, Lord, my needs for today".

In a world of "want" and "more" it can be difficult to be satisfied. We as a people think we need this or that when all we really "need" is a dry place to live, clothes for our backs, and food for our stomachs....and our God is ever faithful to provide those things.

So I thank you God for providing these things for me and my family.

30 Days of Gratefulness: Days 1-4

 

 

Here we are in November already, the middle of fall, and the month where we officially "give thanks".  God's word tells us to "give thanks in everything.........." and when a person actually stops and contemplates what they have to be thankful for the list can go on for quite a long time, then before they know it they find themselves filled with an unspeakable joy, the kind of joy that comes from deep within, the kind of joy the bible speaks of when it says, "the joy of the Lord is my strength".

Day 1: I am grateful for my eyesight.....eyes to see the glorious colors of fall; eyes to see the crazy antics of my grandchildren; eyes to be able to read God's word; eyes to see the pain in someone's face so I can give them a word of comfort...

Day 2: I am grateful for the sense of smell....Oh, to be able to smell the aroma of a Salted Carmel Mocha, or the fresh crisp air on a fall morning; or the cinnamon scent of Apple Crisp baking in the oven; or the fresh pine of my personal Tannenbaum; or the smoke of a campfire still lingering in my fleece jacket....

Day 3: I am grateful for my health....although the past few days have found me resting on the couch with larengitis and a cold I still have so much to be thankful for when it comes to my health...I am grateful that I am healthy enough to still be able to be active in the outdoors; that when I get up in the morning I am greeted with just a couple of stiff muscles; that I am healthy enough to hold a job; that I am healthy enough to feed and tend to myself....

Day 4: I am grateful for my coworkers....for their hearts to serve others, including one another; that we always pray for one another;  that we rejoice with one another; that we all work together as a team; most importantly, that we all have one common denomiator, that being Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. 

3-Day September Weekend

A week ago I met Christian and his mommy, Jamie, at Farmer"s Market. We had a nice visit and enjoyed the Blue Grass music playing on stage.

Rick finshed the garden area on the side of the house, now I just need to get some bulbs planted for Spring. The bed by the fence will need part shade plants while the bed closer to the house can have full sun. O decisions :)

My Trumpet Vine needed a trellis, so.....

...my sweet hubby made me one. I can't wait until it has had a chance to weather.

The Salvia and Rosemary were rescued from Home Depot's clearence rack, along with .....

these which I don't remember their names, but the flower is like a mini petunia.

The Snow-in-the-summer was salvaged from a pile that a merchant by my work had cleared out before putting building up for lease...these started as a small clump that I cut into 4 pieces, these two have done the best, one died and the other is trying to catch up. Andrea and Erik teased me by calling my home a "rescue shelter for plants"!!

This is a new plant I got this weekend from Lincoln Creek Lumber, it is an Autumn Sage Salvia called "Hot Lips"

This is a really interesting plant called Leonotis "Savannah Sunset".

 

Hiking the Dosiwallips

 Last Friday morning we decided that Saturday we would go for a hike up the Dosiwallips. The trail we picked was to Calypso Falls, a moderate 7 mile round trip hike. I had remembered that the road had been closed 2 miles from the end a few years ago, but Friday afternoon we found out that we would have to hike 5 miles just to get to the trailhead. We just figured that we'd hike to the trailhead and see how we felt and decide from there.

Immediately from the parking area (really just an abrupt end of the road) a trail had been made to go around where the road was washed out from the river. It was 3 switchbacks straight up, flattened out, and 3 switchbacks straight down to where the road resumed. 

 

(This is the end of the road, the switchbacks go up and around this bank on the right)

 

We stopped here for a little break.

The Olympic National Park boundary, 3 miles into the hike.

I don't know if you can tell from the sign, but the trail up to Lake Constance has an elevation gain of 3400 in just 2 miles, but I have heard that it is worth it.....maybe next year.

I have a photo of this same spot that I took over 30 years ago.

This is the beginning of a really "steep" grade...when the road used to be open trailers or motorhomes were not allowed past this point because it was dangerously narrow.

Seeing this campground was SO worth the 5 miles of hiking to get to it. It was so quiet, we were the only ones there, other than the ranger. I have very fond memories of camping there as a youngster.

There is a bird on a rock out there.

We were blessed to see a mama deer and her 2 children.

All I can say to you all is that this was one very BEAUTIFUL day.  

   
 
 

 

IT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE A LAZY DAY

This morning I posted on Face Book that today was a VERY  "lazy" day....at the time it was. I had slept in until 9:30am, a luxury for me and something I rarely do, and was relaxing in my chair with a cup of coffee, the Sunday newspaper, and Hallmark channel on TV.  I intended to drink my coffee, look over the Sunday ads, and knit a little more on the second sock of the pair I started on our camping trip last month. After a half an hour I got up to refill my cup of coffee and that was the beginning of the end of my "lazy" day.

Does anyone besides me suffer from the tendencies of ADHD? I swear, sometimes I just have to laugh at myself. Rick always teases me on the weekend that, "Honey, its the weekend, you don't have to multi-task!" I am not "relaxed" if I don't have a load of laundry going before I start doing the dishes, or some other chore. Over the past almost 9 years I have worked jobs, including my current one, that have required a very "high level" of multi-tasking; I have been thinking all along that it has just gotten so ingrained in me, that this habit just spills into other aspects of my life. So, to get to the point, today I have decided that perhaps more than being an anal "multi-task" maniac, I have perhaps been succombing to the tendencies of ADD...I am definitely NOT hyperactive! My sister, Kimm, and I laugh at each other because she is not happy unless she has at least 3-4 quilts going at once - SERIOUSLY!!  Maybe I don't have ADD, I just tend to get extremely "side-tracked" while I "multi-task"!!

Back to today....my coffee cup did get refilled, but I saw the package of Krustez coffee cake mix sitting on the counter and got started with that, while it was baking I went to turn off the TV and saw one of my plants needed watering, took care of that, went in to change clothes and remembered that my cat had spilled the water cup on my nighstand which splashed onto the bed, so I took the sheets off the bed....and yes, I did get my clothes changed.

After glancing at the timer I saw that I had enough time to go outside and get started planting some plants I had bought last weekend....there was a 50% chance of rain today and friends up north were already experiencing it so I thought I had better hurry up. In the process of doing this I went up to the shed to get out my gardening tools and the wheelbarrow, this is where I got "side-tracked"....

There were some weeds around the wheelbarrow, so I pulled them. I filled up a bucket of soil, put it and the shovel in the wheelbarrow, and as I was wheeling across the yard I passed a couple of trees that I have been wanting to prune for a long time.....OH YES I DID! I set the wheelbarrow down, went back to the shed and got out the pruning shears and went to town on those trees!  I took the wheelbarrow up to the front yard, and told Rick, "I may need your chainsaw!" and proceeded to tell him what I did.

OOPS, I best go check the coffee cake! Yep, the timer had gone off, but lucky for me it had "just" gone off! We dined to a brunch of coffee cake and scrambled eggs and headed back out to work on our projects.

 
  
   I did get the plants planted, the limbs all cut up and stacked in the recycling bin, and that back area all raked...just no more room in the bin for those piles.

Below are a couple of pictures showing you Rick's project today.....he built a box to cover the unsightly dryer vent area which just happens to be by our front door.....did a pretty nice job if you ask me!

After, and

before.

Indoor chores are almost done - 4 loads of laundry with one more to do, and the dishes are done. When I am finished with this post I will fix dinner, fold a load of clothes, and iron something for work tomorrow.....

THEN...I will get back to my "LAZY day!