I'm doing a happy dance Today!

I'm doing a happy dance today!

I'm soooo happy very happppppy. I'm on a different Chemo. NOOOOO meds! I feeeellllllll ggggrrrreeeaattttt!

I'll blog all about it later but I wanted to update my blog right away.

4 more Chemos to go!!! Woooohooooo!!!

My Fall Schedule

The school year has started out with a bang! I have two freshmen and a 6th grader still in school. It took me a few weeks to get back into the swing of things but I am enjoying all the action. Bo is in Soccer, he has had two games already. He is on a travel team so we will be traveling a bit. Last week, and this weeks games were home. Next week we will be traveling to Howell. Bo's team is 2-0 so far. This pretty much ties up our Tuesday and Thursday evenings for practice and Saturday or Sunday afternoon games. I just love watching him play.

I've been exercising everyday, I also try to mow the lawn when it needs it and get as much extra exercise in as I can. They say Chemo patients have a tendency to gain weight when they are on steroids. I have still kept my weight to a twenty pound weight loss. Exercising also helps if you are going through a hard time. My spirits have been up and I see things in a whole new light. Even with my boy on his seven months deployment and my daughter being in Texas I am doing pretty good.

My twins are conditioning with their dad for their up coming wrestling season. They condition three days a week. At first, I thought the boy's weren't going to be able to handle it. I really think they enjoy working out with their dad. I'll write about their season when it begins.

Our Wednesday evening programs starts up next week. I won't be working in Awana this year. I'll be taking the year off and going to Bible Study with my husband. I will be helping out in Jr. Choir again this year. It will start up the first Saturday in October.

I have two cleaning jobs that I do now, one of them is on Tuesday and one is on Wednesday. This is only every other week. This is in addition to my 2 motor routes and my Janitors job. I like to stay busy! The extra house cleaning jobs don't affect my family because they are all in school now. I think I have my schedule for the Fall and Winter months pretty well down now.

Yes, I'm still singing on our Worship team at church. We are starting up a new service starting tomorrow. It is a full contemporary service in addition to a Blended/contemporary service. I will be singing on our Contemporary service at
11:00 a.m. each week. I'm so excited to see what the Lord has in store for our church now. I pray this brings in a lot more people. I'll update what the Lord is doing in a few months.

Well, I'm off to my Janitors job.

20 Ways To Maintain A Healthy Level Of Insanity

20 Ways To Maintain A Healthy Level Of Insanity

1. At Lunch Time, Sit In Your Parked Car With Sunglasses on and
point a Hair Dryer At Passing Cars. See If They Slow Down.

2. Page Yourself Over The Intercom. Don't Disguise Your Voice.

3. Every Time Someone Asks You To Do Something,

ask If They Want Fries with that.

4. Put Your Garbage Can On Your Desk And Label it "In".

5. Put Decaf In The Coffee Maker For 3 Weeks Once Everyone has
Gotten Over Their Caffeine Addictions, Switch to Espresso.

6. In The Memo Field Of All Your Checks, Write " For Smuggling
Diamonds".

7. Finish All Your sentences with "In Accordance With The
Prophecy".

8. Don't use any

punctuation.

9. As Often As Possible, Skip Rather Than Walk.

10. Order a Diet Water whenever you go out to eat, with a
serious face.

11. Specify That Your Drive-through Order Is "To Go".

12. Sing Along At The Opera.

13. Go To A Poetry Recital. And Ask Why The Poems Don't Rhyme?

14. Put Mosquito Netting Around Your Work Area and Play tropical
Sounds All Day.

15. Five Days In Advance, Tell Your Friends You Can't Attend
Their Party Because
You're Not In the Mood.

16. Have Your Co-workers Address You By Your Wrestling Name,
Rock Bottom.

17. When The Money Comes Out The ATM, Scream "I Won! I Won!"

18. When Leaving The Zoo, Start Running Towards The Parking lot,
Yelling
"Run For Your Lives! They're Loose!"

19. Tell Your Children Over Dinner, "Due To The Economy, We Are
Going To Have To Let One Of You Go."

20. And The Final Way To Keep A Healthy Level Of Insanity .. SMILE>>

Learning to be content in all Areas of my Life

Contentment is a state I want to be in everyday of my life. With the help of God's words I am getting there.

Contentment by William Cowper
(Phillipians, iv.11)

Fierce passions discompose the mind,
As tempests vex the sea,
But calm, content and peace we find,
When, Lord, we turn to Thee.

In vain by reason and by rule
We try to bend the will;
For none but in the Saviour's school
Can learn the heavenly skill.

Since at His feet my soul has sate,
His gracious words to hear,
Contented with my present state,
I cast on Him my care.

"Art thou a sinner, soul?" He said,
"Then how canst thou complain?
How light thy troubles here, if weigh'd
With everlasting pain!

"If thou of murmuring wouldst be cured,
Compare thy griefs with mine!
Think what my love for thee endured,
And thou wilt not repine.

"'Tis I appoint thy daily lot,
And I do all things well;
Thou soon shalt leave this wretched spot,
And rise with me to dwell.

"In life my grace shall strength supply,
Proportion'd to thy day;
At death thou still shalt find me nigh,
To wipe thy tears away."

Thus I, who once my wretched days
In vain repinings spent,
Taught in my Saviour's school of grace,
Have learnt to be content.

Contentment

"Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." Philippians 4:11-13

"Then tax collectors also came to be baptized, and said to him, 'Teacher, what shall we do?'
And he said to them, 'Collect no more than what is appointed for you.' Likewise the soldiers asked him, saying, 'And what shall we do?' So he said to them, 'Do not intimidate anyone or accuse falsely, and be content with your wages.'” Luke 3:12-14

"Now godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition." 1 Timothy 6:6-9

Reasons for Contentment

"The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He makes me to lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul;
He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil; for You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
You anoint my head with oil; my cup runs over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life;
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever." Psalm 23

"Let your conduct be without covetousness;

be content with such things as you have.

For He Himself has said, 'I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

So we may boldly say: 'The Lord is my helper;
I will not fear. What can man do to me?'” Hebrews 13:5-6

Hindrances to contentment

"He [Jesus] turned and said to Peter, 'Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.'" Matthew 16-23

"...all seek their own, not the things which are of Christ Jesus." Philippians 2:21

"... in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!
"...all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. But evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived. But you must continue in the things which you have learned..." 2 Timothy 3:1-14

His way to contentment

"Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world." 1 John 2:15-17

"And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." Joshua 24:15

"For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body...." Philippians 3:20

No man knows the time or the Day!

I won't write about my personal life on this blog today. There are so many wonderful posts giving tribune to the 9/11 victims today. I feel for all the families that have lost loved ones to this tragic event.

We have no assurance today won't be our last day here on earth. We need to live each day as if it were. Those people got up as if it were just another day, not knowing it would be their last.

We have read and heard about all the calls that were made to loved ones from the airplanes and the Towers. We can make a change in our lives today. When we leave our homes, do we have any idea if we will return? We could get in a car accident or have a heart attack, anything could happen.(Do you think those people thought someone would take over their plane, or a plane would crash into their building) Look what happened to my 3 month old baby; I left for work, two hours later he was dead in his sleep.

I am going to start treating people as if this will be the last time I might see them. . I spent a lot of time with my husband and children this weekend. I put things aside that I could do when they were gone to work or at school.

What if you knew today was the last time you would see or talk to your loved ones, friends, co-workers, would you treat them any different? Would you tell them about Christ? Would you be a little kinder to them? Would you take the time to just listen? Would you take the time to call someone you haven't talked to in a while to tell them how much they mean to you? What about that person you might be fighting with, if you knew this was your last day, would you call them to make it right? Would you take time for that "I love you" or "A hug" or when the kids call you do you tell them I'll be their in a minute and never come. When that car cuts you off, (And it will) maybe say a little prayer for that person instead of a curse word?

God tells us in His word to keep watch. No man knows the time or the day that He will come back. I think our lives would be a lot different if we live as if each day could be our last.

"Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.

"Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time? It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns. I tell you the truth; he will put him in charge of all his possessions. But suppose that servant is wicked and says to himself, 'My master is staying away a long time,' and he then begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards. The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth (Matthew 24:36-51).

No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come. It's like a man going away: He leaves his house and puts his servants in charge, each with his assigned task, and tells the one at the door to keep watch. Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back--whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn. If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. What I say to you, I say to everyone: 'Watch!' (Mark 13:32-37)

If we examine these passages carefully, it is apparent that Jesus is warning us to stay alert and “Watch!” as we see the Day of the Lord approaching. However, we will not know “the day or the hour.” Do you know this isn’t your last day?

Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour (Matthew 25:13).

Ethan's first day of School

There is so much going on since school started but I really don't have time to write about that today. I have to head off to work this morning but I wanted get my babies pictures posted. I couldn't miss taking pictures of Ethan's first day of school. I was just blessed to be able to see all of my Grandchildren that morning. I have to admit it is handy living three minutes away from them.

This is my grandbabies, Josh and Ethan. They are just about to get on the bus.
I couldn't help but capture this picture of my granddaughter, Jenna. She looks so pretty in all of her pearls.
The bus driver was kind enough to let us run across the road and get a picture of Josh and Ethan inside the bus.

Keeping the Romance Alive!

It's Marriage Monday; C h r y s a l i s is the host of Marriage Monday. Don't forget to click over and see what other christian women have to say on this subject!

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My husband's big saying is "Don't they say romance always starts in the kitchen". This is where we spend most of our time. Cooking together and talking while we cook, seems to keep that spark going. Oh, I might get a kiss on the back of my neck as he passes by to get something out of the refrigerator. The mood just seems to carry us through the evening. I love that our children see us enjoying one another. It has kept the "SPICE" in our marriage for over 22 years. Hee, Hee

We don't go on a lot of dates. We still have 3 children at home that takes up much of our time. What we do is; each Saturday morning we set aside time to run errands together. We go to Whole foods, or Krogers, the bank and sometimes even out to lunch...You get the point. We just make sure we set this time aside for one another. I have to say, it really is a time that I have come to look forward to. We normally let the kids sleep-in and it is just the hubby and I.

I think another part to keeping your marriage alive is giving up those little things that don't really matter. Sometimes it means listening to my husband rather than reading or going to sleep. I stopped harping about who is going to take the garbage out. Nagging will take all the romance and fun out of your marriage. My husband likes to know that I think about him when he is not around. Little acts of kindness helps and keeps that spark going. The way I respond to my husband can kill the romantic mood. I really do try to think before I speak.


I also look for ways to serve my husband, not be served. These things I'm mentioning go both ways.


Keep the "FUN" in your marriage. Be silly. Write each other notes or poems, buy little gifts, call just to say I love you, give many hugs and kisses, and consistently encourage each other. A fellow my husband works with divorced his wife after many years of marriage. My husband asked him why? He said, "I wasn't having fun any more". I'm not saying run out and get a divorce if your not having fun. What I am saying is get that fun back in your marriage.

My husband and I have a daily sharing time. We get up early before my husband leaves for work (15 minutes) and just talk. We laugh together, mainly because my eye-balls are hardly open when he wakes me at 5:00 a.m. it is still a time we cherish.

Finally, keep God at the center of your marriage. Read Scripture together. Talk about how God has answered your prayers. How God is working in each of your lives, your families, and how He is working in your marriage. We also like to discuss what we learned from our Pastor's sermon on Sunday. It keeps us close and the conversations flowing.

Happy Birthday to my lovely Daughter-in-law, Jessica.

This is my daughter-in-law, Jessica, my son, Bret, and my lovely Granddaughter, Jenna.

This post is dedicated to my "Best Friend" Jessica; My lovely Daughter-in-Law.


Happy Birthday Jessica!

You keep yourself busy raising my three grandchildren, yet you are always there for me. If it weren't for you, I don't know how far the cancer would have spread before I went to the doctors. You loved me enough to call me over and over again to ask me to please go. I really don't know what would have happened had you not been so persistent. Even using the love of my grandchildren. : )

You are always there when I need you. You are there to listen when I need a friend! You know I don't like to cry in front of people, yet, even through my tears, you haven't looked down on me but have been my support. Thank you for even being there when I lost my hair. I still can't believe that while you were on vacation, you thought of me and brought me all those pretty scarves. I love all of them! Finally, thank you for taking care of my son so well and my three Grandchildren. BTW-Your a good listener too!

Words will never describe how much I love and care about you.
You have been a big support to me for many, many years.

I am so happy that Bret recognized you with such a wonderful Birthday surprise today. A day at the SPA and a Lap Top computer! I can't wait until I see you tomorrow, I bet you are more beautiful (if that is possible) then you were when I saw you yesterday.

Love and Hugs,

Lori

It's that time of year Again!

Every time school starts up I get a sick feeling; I know I won't get to see my children very much. With all of their after school activities, school all day, homework, sports, Awana and youth group, there isn't much free time.

I home-schooled my children for 5 years before making the decision to put them in the public school system. My husband got very ill and was home from work a lot. After months of being sick with bad migraine like headaches, he lost his vision in his right eye, they diagnosed him with a brain tumor. (Prolactinoma) After this, we sent our 4 younger children to a Charter school. I home schooled my daughter until she was going into her ninth grade year. My children ask me every year if they can just be home-schooled again. I know I just don't have it in me to home school again.

I just can't believe that it’s time for my children to go back to school. With everything that has been going on in my life, I haven't spent enough time with my children. I can't believe Boaz (My baby) will be in 6th grade. My twin boys (14) are going into the 9th grade, and my Sailor will be leaving for his 7 month deployment in a week. He said, he would be able to email me some when he is over seas and he will try to call a couple of times. BooHoo, I talk to him almost everyday now. Ohhhh, poor me! It's just going to be another adjustment is all. My daughter has been in Texas for almost a year and a half now. My oldest son is 30 (He is a district manager over 8 Auto port plants) with a beautiful wife and 3 children of his own. I can't believe my middle grand baby is going to start Kindergarten tomorrow. Guess who will be running over to Ethan's house in the morning. Yes, Me! I have to get pictures of him leaving for school for the first time. I pray I don't cry when he gets on that big yellow bus. Little Ethan and I have spent a lot of time together in his little life. Oh goodness, it's not like I won't ever see him again. I really enjoyed our mornings together when the other children were in school. Oh my, am I a whiner tonight. It will take me about a week before I get into the swing of things again.

Ohhhh, I don't like growing up. I think back to the years when all of my children lived at home. Those were some fun times! Enough of my whining and boohooing (is that a word) for one night.

I spent a bit of time today getting everything ready for my boy's to go back to school. I do believe we are all set! It is now time for showers, prayers and off to bed. We have a very early start tomorrow.