Saturday's Scribbles

 

Good Saturday to you from our corner of Iowa where when looking out the window we see a couple inches of snow on the ground. The white stuff finally came to stay along with some colder temperatures although it looks to me like it may not last. Joel saw a bunny rabbit out in the snow yesterday. Blended right in.  Our neighbor has tucked their old pumpkins up against the side of their garage and the deer and the rabbits have been feasting! Fun to see. know Joel did the same with ours but he took them down to the river and broke them open on the side of the bank so the animals could feast. 

Speaking of feasts,  we plan to have Christmas dinner with our oldest son and his kids. That will be nice. Mostly we have quiet dinners here alone and enjoy that too but it's always nice to be around family.

 It is been a busy week without really much going on if that makes any sense. Just getting the wrapping done making sure all the cards are sent out and doing a lot of baking on my part. I made pumpkin bread, Townhouse cookies, and Angel Crisp cookies and then of course my own almond flour cookies with nuts and raisins. On Wednesday night we went to an advent service at the church which was a Holden prayer service. It was nice and peaceful. I spent quite a bit of time on the phone this week talking to family and friends and we all spent quite a bit of time in prayer regarding the one we love and care about who's fighting such a hard battle. We have seen miracle upon miracle in this situation and we are on our knees humbled and grateful for the movement that we see of God in this person's life and their body.  God is the god of Miracles. 

Speaking of Miracles , we're so thankful that all the people that we've talked to this week are doing okay . Three other family members and one friend have taken hard falls in the past couple weeks resulting in a fractures, bruises, and black eyes!  No one sustained major damage but certainly they are in recovery mode for these Falls. Just so grateful that they're going to be okay. Needless to say having so many people fall has put me on high alert for going up and down stairs or walking outside ! Too much falling for my way of thinking !

 Joel has been working on the wooden TV tray tables that he's making for the grandkids. He had to dig out the snow blower and get that going too. I've been walking inside and listening to the second in a series by Jan Karen about Father Tim. I just love those books! Christmas will soon be upon us and we give thanks for our savior Jesus who came to save the world. We're so grateful for his sacrifice and what it means for all of us. 

So today I'm grateful for the first snowfall, grateful for snow blowers and cozy houses. Grateful for being able to bake bread,pumpkin bread, Angel Crisps,  Townhouse cookies and more.  Grateful for presents under the tree and grateful for all the healing on a daily basis. Grateful for Jesus Healing Touch and the amazing miracles that we have seen this week. It definitely has brought us to our knees. Yes grateful for all these things along with phone calls, texts, hugs, and prayers, and so much more.

 Enjoy your weekend

Saturday's Scribbles

 

Good Saturday to you from our corner of North Iowa where the weather report looks grim. Ice, freezing rain, and snow will be covering our state throughout today. It warmed up last night so that we woke up to 25° which sent Joel out on the porch for his morning coffee. God blessed him this morning with some beautiful birds to share his space. There's a nice bush on the corner of our porch and a cardinal spent time there this morning along with some Juncos and a chickadee! Definitely a welcome sight. There is some spiritual thought that Cardinals are messengers from God. Certainly nature sends messages every day to us about our Creator!

Joel has  headed off to Gabby Grandpa  even though the roads may be a little bit slippery. We are still waiting for the snow to arrive.

 It has been a quiet week in many ways. We finished putting out any decorations we wanted, we ordered a few things online and we went to Advent services at the church where Joel served for 10 years, Our Saviour's Lutheran. Joel rode his bike once this past week because it was so warm! He also has been doing some woodworking in the semi-heated garage. He had a good report from the eye doctor and a quick trip to the dentist for a chipped tooth rounded out his week along with the conference Pastor meeting and lunch with fellow colleagues. 

We continue to have issues with lights. We finally got enough lights on the Christmas tree in the living room and then last night the lights on the small angel tree in the dining room went out. Add this to our outdoor lights and the ceiling lights and yeah we're  having light issues.   I'm not sure what it means but we keep fixing the lights! It also has us focused on God's light....We want that light to shine not only in the house but in our hearts!

I had an eye appointment Monday which did not go so well and sent me home to call Mayo and by the grace of God I got a cancellation there at Mayo Ophthalmology for the 27th. It felt like the right thing and we know God is with us as we go to a glaucoma specialist and get an assessment of my eye. I got the Christmas cards sent out, shortening the list this year because it's just too challenging for my vision.  If I have missed any of you, I send Christmas greetings today.  Merry Christmas! God bless! I've been walking mostly in the house the last few days because it's been bitterly cold. Now today we have ice and snow coming, so I won't be challenging the weather but walking inside. I went back on the medication to help keep cancer away 12 days ago. After researching everything regarding the kind of cancer I had this last time, I realized that even though there's some mystery on whether the medication caused the eye issue, we do know that that cancer is fed by estrogen and I need to suppress the estrogen and stop the estrogen receptors from feeding cancer cells. So I'm adjusting once again to the drug that makes me feel out of sorts and giving thanks everyday that God is with me. 

Speaking of God, today I'm grateful for a warm house, a fireplace, a place to walk indoors, a place to walk Outdoors, and nature showing up for Joel this morning. Grateful for homemade whole wheat bread, French toast with strawberries, and pumpkin bread.Grateful for homemade soup simmering..for the phone calls, texts, and emails to keep us connected to those we love.  Grateful for all this and so much more...

Enjoy your weekend!

Saturday's Scribbles

Good Saturday to you from our corner of Iowa where the weather has once again been unpredictable. We were dealing with -14 wind chills earlier in the week and now this weekend the highs will be in the upper 40s to 50s.  Okay then! We aren't seeing  any critters very much, many are heading south. Joel is still spending mornings on the porch with his coffee. I can venture out for 2 to 3 minutes and then I'm ready to go in the house.

Speaking of the house, we've been doing some decorating but are being minimal this year choosing carefully what we put out. We have five tubs full of Christmas decorations having gotten rid of that many more a few years ago. Just don't feel like putting everything out this year so we've chosen some of our favorite things and have also decided not to put ornaments on the tree. We can still change our mind on that but it looks pretty nice now that we have the lights working well enough. Some of our decorations hold special memories from the different places we have lived and the different people who've given us the gifts that sit in our home during the holidays. We have one decoration that's over 40 years old that some friends gave us. It's a small ceramic church and you can light a votive candle inside it.  On the outside of the church a mouse pastor stands on the steps and directs other mice in a choir and band. It's so cute! I'm sure  you have decorations that make you smile, too.  We also have several nativity sets... One is from the Philippines and made out of bamboo.. a couple of Hallmark ones add to the mix. We do have our Advent wreath up again this year. We don't light the candles but we'll put it out as a reminder of the season and the memory of when our children were home and every night we lit the candles, opened up the doors on the calendar, read a special devotion, and prayed together. So many good memories

. I finally got out of the house after laying around for a few days. Joel and I seemed to pick up some mild funky virus that kept us close to home. A couple others in the family were under the weather too so I'm thinking it just made the rounds. Nothing serious for sure.   On the coldest day of the week we went grocery shopping.  Maybe we wanted to get outside and face it and defy it! Well most days I just stay inside but once in a while it's like .....you're not the boss of me Mother Nature! Fresh air is good for us even if it's in the winter.   Haha

 I'm hoping that your December is going well and is festive in every way. Today I'm giving thanks , especially for lights. Lights in our house, lights on a Christmas tree, lights from on the fireplace and on the rooftops and the overhangs. And especially the light of Jesus Christ in our lives. Grateful for Joel and his support always. Grateful for phone calls with my supportive friend Lana. Grateful I'm still walking. Grateful for memories through our Christmas decorations that make us smile. Grateful for the Christmas specials on TV. Grateful for Joel's early morning coffee Porch Sitting. Grateful for homemade bread baking today and  grateful for phone calls, texts, emails and so much more. 

Enjoy your weekend!

Saturday's Scribbles

 

Good Saturday day to you on this last day of November 2024. It's 7° right now, no snow but sunshine and cold temperatures! I have the fireplace going as I write this. The Christmas tree is standing in the corner with its lights on....well most of it's lights on. Yesterday it was carried carefully upstairs and put in the corner of the living room, and all the lights were on but later in the day when I tried to rearrange a couple strands one whole section went out. Well not totally out because every once in awhile it blinks back on for a few minutes and then goes out again so I'm thinking replacement lighting in the near future. It's kind of like what happened with the overhead living room light. Turned it on and it went poof and the lights went out.  Fan quit running....Joel changed out the light bulbs after checking them, turned it on again and poof All the Lights Went Out or so we thought. When the kids were here one of them turned the light on and it turned on and it's been working ever since. We also had checked all the outdoor lights and they were working fine...until up and going and then one secton would not work so Joel had to re-string them.  Don't know what's going on with the electrical but I'm thinking we might need to have it all checked....unless it's us! Then we better have ourselves checked!

Speaking of kids, four of our five children were here for Thanksgiving along with eight grandchildren and 1 grand dog.  . We had such a good time. Thursday was filled with laughter and chess, cribbage,  and Yahtzee with plenty of good food and pies for dessert. Everyone just took over in the kitchen while Papa and Grandma Na tried to stay out of their way! So grateful.  It was hard to see everyone go yesterday. The house got so quiet, but I think we were pretty tired from all the interaction. Joel slept 8 and 1/2 hours last night and I slept over nine. I posted pictures on Facebook of the gathering.

Today we are more than grateful for our family. For our children and their love of God and for each other ......and for the beautiful people they brought into the world. Our Grands are now amazing young adults and adults and for that we are so thankful.  We are so proud of who they are whose they are, and who they are becoming plus the gifts they give the world. We're so grateful for each and every one of them. we are so blessed.

Enjoy your weekend!

Saturday's Scribbles

Good Saturday to you on this chilly morning in Northern Iowa. This past week temperatures took a big dip with added wind chills in the teens.  Definitely time to bring out the winter coats! Today will be 40 and then we dip back down on Monday again with an expected high of 30 on Thanksgiving Day.  Mother Nature is back on schedule. 

Speaking of nature,  Joel is still sitting outside in 30° temperatures having his morning coffee. Mainly he's been watching the crows across the street looking for our neighbor to throw some corn out again. There are probably deer coming around but we haven't seen them during the day. This is kind of the dreary,  drab season when the color is fading....Seems like it's a good time to have the holidays to brighten everyone's days. 

Speaking of holidays, our family comes to our home this year for Thanksgivin. They start arriving on Wednesday and will be heading home after lunch on Friday. We're so thankful it's our year to have Thanksgiving with everyone. And we're so thankful that the kids come in and take over the kitchen. Especially this year when we are weary,  it's nice support. 

Speaking of support, it reminds me of that story in the Bible where Moses was to hold his arms up while Israel was in battle and he got so tired but Hur and Aaron helped hold his arms up...they came and held up one arm each to support him in the battle.  That's what we're to do for each other isn't it. Hold up each other in support and encouragement. In battle.  A form of worship.

Speaking of worship that message has been coming loud and clear for over a week now... praise praise praise praise worship worship worship worship. In the process two songs have come to my attention from unusual sources. The song "Believe" that Brooks and Dunn and Jelly Roll sang together on the CMA Awards was beautiful. And another song entitled  "If  I've got Jesus"  . I've been able to put them on Alexa and hear them over and over which is a good thing. 

Speaking of Alexa,  I remember when we first got it for Christmas a couple years ago and our grandson set it up. It was all new to us and one night we were just sitting in the living room watching some TV and all of a sudden Alexis spoke and said, "Good night" in a sing song voice..."Sleep well!"  A little more than creepy. I think I replied,  Alexa you're scaring me! (Haha)  There have been rumors that say that China or our government listens to us through the Alexa boxes. One Pastor said  he sure hoped  they were listening because he had been trying to preach a message to them for years about Jesus! You certainly won't get anything useful here by listening to us.....hopefully just a lot about Jesus1 

 This past week we spent time with our oldest son and grand dog, at the Retina Dr's office, shopping for Thanksgiving, and too many hours trying to get our cable working....I walked some and Joel rode zero unfortuately.  Weather got in the way.  We have been busy getting ready for the family to come.... Cleaning, baking, shopping.    It's all a good thing.

Speaking of a good thing, I'm going to end my scribbles with what I'm grateful for. Today I'm grateful for a warm house, safe trip to the retina doctor. Grateful for good news and a hopeful outcome. Grateful for cookies and pumpkin bread baked and the house cleaned. Grateful the family is coming. Grateful I can get some walking in and we can get the shopping done. Grateful for two new songs to help me worship and focus on Jesus. Grateful for all Joel's support and help. Grateful for the help of our kids. Grateful for emails, phone calls, texts and prayers of so many. Grateful for the opportunity to praise and worship our Lord. Grateful for all this and so much more!

Enjoy your weekend!

Saturday's Scribbles

Good Saturday to you on this unseasonably warm day in Northern Iowa. We're tipping the scale into the last two weeks of November but we're still seeing temperatures mostly in the mid 50s.  Definitely a warmer fall. They talk about a bit of snow next week but it doesn't look like it all amount too much if anything. 

 Speaking of snow, Joel was busy putting Christmas tree lights on the outside of the house yesterday, which of course was complicated. He tested all the lights before he put them up and they all worked fine.   Then he got them all up, got the extension cords working and the lights did not work. He spent quite a bit of time trying to figure out the problem and ended up with a few lights not working at all and the rest working fine. Sound familiar? iWhat is it about Christmas lights that tries our patience?  We will have some outdoor lights and for that we are grateful. 

Speaking of outdoors, our pansies are still hanging on for us to enjoy.  Our Maple tree has now given us brown leaves on one side and the other half the tree leaves are green and yellow! The geese are still gathering and the squirrels are still storing food. No deer around this week but maybe they are in hiding as it is deer hunting season.  

Speaking of hunting, Joel used to be an avid hunter until he joined the military.  The first time I went hunting with him and his parents, we were crouched down watching a big buck.....when the buck moved out of sight they talked about where it was now, so being "helpful" I stood up and pointed and said "there it is!"  Needless to say the deer took off and I learned about being quiet and invisible while hunting!  Of course no one ever let me carry a gun which was a good thing.  

This has been a quiet week here in our corner of the world.  There was not much going on and that is okay.Yesterday we made pumpkin bread and we'll freeze most of this batch and then make another batch next week. We send it home with the kids every year either at Thanksgiving or after Christmas. We are looking forward to them coming for Thanksgiving this year! They are taking over the kitchen as soon as they arrive, which is a relief for Joel and I. This year our energy has gone to other things. 

Speaking of other things I have an appointment 2 hours south of us in Des Moines on Monday morning with the retina specialist. We are hoping he can give me some insights into what's happened with my right eye and even suggest a glaucoma specialist if necessary. I try to be honest here with my readers.....needless to say my anxiety levels have been off the charts regarding the future and being told I will lose my vison. A million "what if's" come into my mind making it hard to breathe at times. Yesterday I read a devotional that talked about a woman having anxiety and God telling her to name the"what ifs" in a positive way. Like what if that never happens, what if your children grow up to be strong and healthy, what if this disease leaves your body, what if...... what if..... what if. Last night I woke to seeing the name Jesus in my mind and hearing, "Do what Jesus tells you". It's stuck with me and I woke up this morning thinking .....do what Jesus tells you. In my memories on Facebook came a post that spoke about anxiety and turning your worry into worship and when you do turn that worry into worship God can make the mountain of anxiety  bow down to Him. Yesterday a friend had suggested spending a lot of time praising God regarding my circumstances. Worship andn Praise.  I'm paying attention.  These are the ways God speaks to me and when I receive more than  2-3 verses, or words of wisdom that connect, I listen.

Joel has not ridden his bike much this week. I've continued to walk mostly inside and we've done the usual baking and cleaning and TV watching.  Homemade chicken and rice soup filled our bellies for a few meals.  Tomorrow Joel preaches again at two churches south of town.  Last Sunday we went to worship at the church Joel served for 10 years.  Nice to connect with some familiar faces.  

Speaking of familiar faces,  my niece Deb has created a video of old photos and a taped conversation she had with my mom quite a few years ago.  Listening to my mom share stories of her life was interesting.  AND I learned some things I never knew.  I am still blown away by the fact that my parents knew each other 2 weeks and 2 days when they got married.  Crazy.  So glad Deb took the time to create this 1.5 hours video/audio story of my mom's history.  

So after a week of "waiting" and resting, we continue to be grateful for the doctors who care for us.  Grateful for homemade soup, pumpkin bread, and a full flridge and tummy.  Grateful for Christms lights that are not quite perfect, memories of my one and only deer hunting expedition.  Grateful for warmer temps, our Maple tree rustling leaves, pansies that won't give up.  Grateful for phone calls, texts, a grand's 21st birthday, emails, and new adventures with online food ordering!  Ha.....Grateful I can still see..  Grateful for Deb's video of my mom's life in photos and stories.  Grateful for the love of family and friends.....and so much more.

Enjoy your weekend!