Christmas is Still Coming!

We're looking forward to having our Christmas this Saturday with our kids!! Kelli's and Megan's will arrive later on Friday and we'll party all day on Saturday...YAY!!!!!! First, though, we have to get Tru feeling better...poor little guy...it's his turn to have pneumonia! Get well fast, buddy!!! We're praying all of you travel safe and are well for the weekend!

Thought for the day

I love this verse from The Message.
Matthew 7:24 "These words I speak to you are not incidental additions to your life, homeowner improvements to your standard of living. They are foundational words, words to build a life on." It's easy to start taking familiar passages for granted and to feel like you already know what it says and you've "got it". But when I read it worded from a different perspective it always takes on new life. This reminds me not to take the words of Christ lightly just because they're familiar. Every word He says is a word I need in my life. If I let it pass by me I lose the opportunity to let God do His work in my life. I need to pay more attention and be alert and aware of what God may be saying to me when I read His word!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!

Merry Christmas, everyone!! This has been a memorable Christmas...blizzard, cancelled plans, Jon working. It's been just Logan and me hanging out yesterday and today...the same tomorrow and Sunday, no doubt. The snow and wind have been unbelievable with more coming tonight and tomorrow. Holthe's and Melby's all stayed home...smart choice. Culver's are in Winfield until they pick the best time to go back to West Des Moines. So all of us are safe and warm except for poor Jon working all the time. He said they probably have more people out of power tonight than they had last night. What a helpless feeling. Please pray for the safety of all the people who are working to keep us safe, warm, and dug out again!!!! Here are a few pix from my day.

Plan B

Now we're thinking that we may wait till New Year's weekend to have our Christmas if that works for everyone. At least that's plan B. But there are other options...

Jon and Kelli and the girls won't be making the trip this weekend. I'm not sure Megan and Greg will even be able to get here.

Pray for the Week Ahead!

Today we were home all day...well, I was. Jon went over to the shop for the afternoon. He's still working on trying to put in a remote start on the Suzuki. He has a ton of hours in it...so wishes he had hired it done. I cleaned, baked, and listened to lots of great music. It's getting close. I'm done shopping but still have some wrapping to do.

Mom had a stomach virus and ended up in the hospital for dehydration. She was MUCH better after a 24 hour stay and is home again doing okay.

The weather looks dicey for the week ahead. Pray for clear roads and weather!!! Pray, too, that Emmy gets much better and no one else gets sick!! My stomach is off tonight...don't need that!!

More Ills

Today was a blur. We said goodbye to Daryl this morning and both went to work. At 10:30 my mom called me and wanted to know where I was. She had called my sister's house 2 hours earlier wanting to go the the ER. They were both sick with the same stomach virus and told her to call me. She got in confused and thought THEY were going to call me, so she'd been waiting for me to show up for 2 hours...not a happy camper. She was mostly just dehydrated, and her blood pressure was high. They admitted here at least overnight to get her fluids up and her blood pressure down. In the meantime, I went and got all her meds refilled. After work I went to see her then went to her house to clean floors and gather sheets and towels for the laundry. I'm tired. We'll see if they really let her go home...I don't think she's really going to be ready to be on her own.

Emmy is not handling her steroid so well...cutting it back to half to see if that goes better. Pray that she (and the rest of the family) are well enough to enjoy Christmas. Jon's one med was doubled yesterday to hopefully give him more relief in his arm so he can sleep better and have less pain overall.

Thought for the day

We are shot. Going to bed!

Surprise Visit

Surprise! We got a phone call tonight from a friend who was coming into town and needed to crash here. Daryl was in the area for a family thing so we get a chance to visit! My shopping is all done, and now I'm waiting for things to arrive so I can finish wrapping. I still need to use up a vacation day, but I haven't figured out how to fit that in yet. It's still a little crazy at work...not so much for me but others are still under some pressure which means it's harder for me to be gone. I still have things to do before next weekend, but it will work out fine.

Keep praying for Emmy...poor little thing has asthma and pneumonia. Lots of rest and meds for the next while. We will need to take it pretty easy with her when they're here and help her mend. At least Kelli understands all of this better than her mother did! She knows just how it feels.

Thought for the day

Any new plan for keeping Christ in Christmas? We'll be doing our birthday cake for Jesus again. I'm always open to suggestions!

Preparations

It's been a busy weekend. On Saturday Tabbi and the boys were here for a few hours. After they went home I did some wrapping. This morning we went to church and since then I've been baking buns and peanut blossoms. Actually, the "buns" are still just dough in the bowl, but it's time to make them into buns and bake!

I hope you have had a great weekend! I got to watch "It's a Wonderful Life" last night while wrapping...YAY!!! Well, time to get back to work!

Thought for the day

By the way, God does still give gifts of healing, word of knowledge, tongues, and prophecy no matter what a preacher says from the pulpit! He still speaks and works through people filled with His Holy Spirit. Read your Bible and believe what it says instead of listening to any person that tries to construe it into something it's not!!!

Reading Plan

Today I finally got caught up at work. Harvest is winding down, and the stress level is going down. I really enjoyed a snow day home yesterday. I did laundry, cleaned, and made M&M pretzels. I'm getting closer to having my shopping done. My plan is to completely finish shopping this weekend either online or in the city. I probably have some more cards to finish, and I haven't started wrapping. But I promise to have everything ready by the big day!!!

I'm thinking about my plan for devotions for the coming year. What I've been doing the last two years is I divided the Bible into 5 sections: Old Testament history, Poetry, Prophets, Gospels and Acts, and Epistles and Revelation. I started the sections at the same time reading 2 chapters at a time in Old Testament history, 1 in Poetry, 1 in Prophets, and 1 in either Gospels and Acts or Epistles and Revelation. I didn't get to every section each time I read. If you read this amount every day you can finish in one year with time to spare for missing weekends and other days. I took me 2 years to get through. I have lots of plans for getting through in a year, but this was less pressing (obviously). When you finish any section you just start it over. What I like is you get passages from different sections instead of feeling like you're in the Old Testament forever. I would alternate Gospels and Epistles...Matthew, then Romans, then Mark, then 1 Corinthians, etc. I do that because it can be long to read all four Gospels back to back. You do finish the sections at different times, but they are pretty close. I'm still not sure whether I'll stay with this plan for the coming year or not, but I'm always open to suggestions!!!

Thought for the day

The Bible is worth investing time in...not just because it's good material. It actually is a gateway to God's heart. The goal is not to master the book but to know and fellowship with the Creator.

Catching Up

I'm catching up a little...I put up my tree and decorations on Saturday and wrote some cards on Sunday. I may be cutting back on the number of cards this year, we'll see. I've done some more online shopping and it's starting to look more manageable.

We got snow dumped here today...probably 6 plus inches already with the more intense blizzard conditions still coming overnight and tomorrow morning. It's definitely a winter wonderland out there!! Tonight around midnight we're supposed to get the 30-40 mile and hour winds that may bring trouble. Jon's on call, so pray for his safety! All the schools in a huge area are called off and LOTS of other places closed and stuff cancelled.

Thought for the day

Snow day tomorrow...thanks, God!!

Falling Behind

It's been a busy week with a busy weekend ahead. I've been working some longer hours getting out statements and catching up on corn records. The late harvest has really put me back in getting ready for Christmas. I went to my ladies' group Wednesday night. Last night we went to Tre's and Tru's school Christmas program...an eventful one...more details later. Tonight we went to a retirement party for one of Jon's coworkers. Tomorrow I go to Tre's basketball game, and tomorrow night we go to my Christmas party. Sometime I have to get my tree up and the rest of my decorations. I need to work on cards and letters, too. Plus, I have shopping to finish...eek!! How are all of you doing?

I'm determined to be more "aware" of Christ this Christmas, but I'm feeling a little overwhelmed that I'm already behind. I need a great strategy! Any suggestions? I'm also thinking I need to get up earlier in the morning...I'm losing ground on my quiet time with getting everything else done. It would help if I could go to bed earlier, but that would require eating supper earlier which would mean I need to get off work sooner, and so it goes. I feel a little out of control...I sure hope God is in control! I guess that's my thought for the day!

WHEW!!!!

Whew!! Okay the high-stress meal of the year is over! Cooking a big heal and having it all come together for a group of people has never been my strong suit, so it's a little stressful for me, but it was worth it! It was great to have everybody together. Very glad Kelli, Jon, and the girls were able to change plans and come after all!! The kids had a great time both with cousins and aunts and uncles! I hope all of you had a great holiday and are ready to gear up for Christmas!

Thought for the day

The holiday rush is here again...decorations, letters, cards, shopping, wrapping, baking...What is that you do purposefully through this season that helps you focus and not lose the wonder of Christ coming as a baby? It helps me to have some short alone time...maybe with music, maybe not...maybe candles, maybe not...just a chance to be still and remember why I do what I do for Christmas, not just scramble to get it all done. What is it that helps you???

Emmy Turns 6

Happy Birthday, Emmy!!! It's great to be six!!! I hope you had a great day!

Baking and Memories

Hi, everybody!! It's the weekend before Thanksgiving, so today we went and got groceries for our turkey dinner which will be next Saturday. After that I baked some cinnamon rolls and buns...actually I should say I'm still baking. The cinnamon rolls are in the oven now and the buns will go in after that in shifts. The tough part is they will go in the freezer till Saturday...bummer. We may be able to snitch a few out first. It's been a good weekend. Yesterday I went to watch Tre's basketball game while Jon was helping on the farm. Today after going to church I got caught up around the house while punching bread dough. I'm working with the girls to figure out Christmas gifts and holiday plans...I LOVE this time of year!!!

Thought for the day

I was thinking about Philippians 3..."forgetting what lies behind, and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." Forgetting what lies behind can be easier said than done. We are human beings, and we have memories. When we have a pattern in our life of repeated failure, broken relationships, or refection it is impossible to actually forget. When we are faced with similar circumstances now it's easy to fall into the thought process that the pattern will repeat itself. To set those memories aside we have to make a deliberate choice to see what God's truth is. He declares to be new creatures with a new life hidden in Him. Our old life was crucified with Him, buried, and we were raised to a new life in Him. He is the truest thing about us, and our identity finds its reality in His life. Hang onto the good memories. Learn from the not so good. But understand that who you really are is wrapped up in the mystery of Christ in you, the hope of glory.

It's Done!!!

It's finally done!! You can go to www.blurb.com to see a preview of my book! Click on bookstore and search for Fringes of His Ways. Hope you like it...I'm tired and going to bed!

Review Copy!

WOOHOO!!! My review copy of my book came yesterday! I've made some changes, still considering another change before I upload again and order my books. I'm really happy with the way it looks. I hope it will be meaningful to more people than just me. Thanks to all my girls--all of you found changes for me to make that really improved the book. Thank you, Jon, for putting up with me while I take the time to get it done and for letting me spend the money :).

Yesterday I spent the morning cleaning up and waiting for the FedEx truck. Tabbi and the boys came around noon and we were able to take the boys out for combine and semi rides which they loved. They stayed overnight and went to church with us this morning before going home again. I spent all of the afternoon proofreading, editing, and doing laundry. Jon was cleared to drive truck again, so he's glad to be able to help with harvest. Now he will be busy with trying to keep up his therapy while being able to work more. I'm tired. It's been a good weekend!!

Romans 12:2

Jon's supposed to do another four weeks of physical therapy, but he got a good report from his doctor. He goes back there in four weeks, also. He did have to cut back a little bit on the intensity of his routine, but had some other restrictions lifted. The cutting back helped decrease the swelling. Today he didn't have to go to work and went to help on the farm instead. That made him feel MUCH better!!
Last night we got to visit with our friends who are visiting from New Jersey. Tom and Joanne are doing great and headed back home today. It was so good to see them again!!

Thought for the day

This was the verse on my flip calendar yesterday
"Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will know what God wants you to do, and you will know how good and pleasing and perfect His will really is." Romans 12:2 (NLT)
I love that version of this verse. "let God transform you into a new person by changing the WAY YOU THINK." We get focused on changing our behaviors and don't understand why we keep hitting a wall. It's our thinking that we have to let God change. We are to take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ. That means that must take our thoughts and examine them before God to see if they line up with His word...the Truth. If not, it's the thought that must change...we must let God have His way, and when we surrender to His will we will find that it is good , pleasing, and perfect. But we won't arrive at that end until we let Him have His way in our thoughts. It's all about surrender...again!!

Choices

Jon is still doing physical therapy, but still has too much swelling in his hand and wrist. We're praying that it will go down so that he can make more progress. He's working very hard on his exercises and stretches. We're looking forward to the weekend...Megan and Greg are coming Friday till Sunday morning. On Saturday we'll all go watch Tre's basketball game, but we don't have any other specific plans. Megan's been working hard on proofreading my book draft, and I'm ready to make some corrections then put in my order...I'm so excited!!

Thought for the day

The more I get to know different people, the more I realize we all endure something. Some people have a health issue; some people have a failed relationship of one kind or another; some people live with misunderstanding and disappointment. The common thread seems to be that when the individual puts his or her struggle into God's hands, he or she grows and comes to know God in new ways. That is a choice we actually have to make...will we grow bitter, or will we grow in humility and tenderness? God becomes even more precious when we let Him fill the void that is left by our losses. Let's choose wisely!

Ego

It's been a busy week. Jon started physical therapy and is spending about 3 hours a day on doing his water therapy and exercises. He's very diligent! There is still a lot of swelling in his hand which we hope to see improve soon. Wednesday night I went to my ladies' group. Last night we were invited out for supper to a really great new restaurant...Tony's BBQ Bistro in Walnut. The food was REALLY good, and the spinach artichoke dip appetizer was the best I've ever tried. It's a small place with very personal service. Tonight we went to a casual get together for Jon's work that was very nice, too!
Tomorrow we go to Tre's first basketball game, and it will be great fun. We have plans for Sunday afternoon and evening, too...we're invited to Greg and Megan's for a visit. Jon will be busy just fitting in his therapy!

Thought for the day

I was comparing some scriptures the other day and was looking at the verse 1 Peter 2:11. In the NASB it reads "...abstain from fleshly lusts, which wage war against the soul." Now "fleshly lusts" makes me think of the bad stuff...you know, the kinds of sins that you think you'd never commit. But now read it in The Message..."Don't indulge your ego at the expense of your soul." Ouch! That hits a lot closer to home! That is addressing my attitude, my pride (again), my thought life, my patience, my...myself! So every unkind thought, word, or action is an indulgence of my ego and costs the welfare of my soul in every instance. Okay, then I remember Romans 13:14 "But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts." There it is again...lusts of the flesh. Though The Message takes that verse a different direction, I should think that we can make the connection that we should not make any provision for our egos. For one thing, that seems to point to being very aware of our motives...why do we do or say what we do or say? Do we try to be noticed or take an upper hand? Do we pick our associations or activities based on the opinions of others? Do we live our lives to make an impression on someone else? All these things would be making provision for our egos. Instead, "put on" the Lord Jesus Christ...become the servant of all, prefer others over ourselves, and show mercy as we've been shown mercy. All these heart changes begin with a decision...a definite line in the sand...but are also moment by moment surrenders of the will and will require a lifestyle of dependence on the Holy Spirit. Isn't that what Jesus has had in mind all along...a lifestyle of dependence on Him? He loves us enough to make real life impossible without Him.

Harvestfest

Yesterday was Harvestfest in Harlan. Tabbi and the boys were over for a while for costume contest, games, free hot dogs, and trick or treating uptown. It was colder than we thought and finally started raining so we left before the parade...I'm not even sure whether they had the parade as it kep raining. We went to see "Where the Wild Things Are" last night...didn't like it much. Certainly not for young kids. Don't think we'll be buying that one, but the good news is "Ice Age 3" comes out on DVD this week...now THAT'S fun! Firiday night we went to the Step Up To Life banquet in Omaha with Poggensee's and Dallas, meeting Jim Greve there. Lois had to work and Kathy had a migraine :( Very nice evening. Tonight we may be going to a concert at Hansen Bros Coffee.

Thought for the day

Everything I read is pointing me to humility and loving and serving others unreservedly. I was reading 1 Peter chapter 2...lay it all aside...that being offenses, sins, misjudgments, bad choices, stupidity, malice, deceit, envy, slander, hypocrisy...mine and everyone else's. Exteding grace. Having tasted His love, "now drink deep". Don't indulge my ego at the expense of my soul. (The Message) That really gets my atttention. In the NASB it reads "abstain from fleshly lusts which wage war against the soul." That makes me think of more obvious outward sins, but "don't indulge your ego at the expense of your soul" puts things in a different light. Now (again) we're talking about my ego, my pride, and my attitude. We are to honor all, love the brotherhood, and submit. All of this helps to contribute to the joy of obedience and fellowship and dependence on Jesus.

Windows

Finally a day of sunshine!! It's quite windy, but I did get the windows cleaned today. They were really dirty, and I feel much better to have them done. Now I'm waiting for the screens to dry so I can put them back in...then I'm done! Jon seems to feel better today...he went out to the farm for a while and that was a good change of scenery for him. I'm finally feeling a little bit caught up, but still somewhat congested and having a scratchy throat. I still need to get the the store, too. Then it will be back to another work week. That shouldn't sound so sad, but somehow it does. I hope your week will be a good one!!

Thought for the day

I think I need a nap...