In the Storm

Off to a family reunion

Not that I've been very good about blogging lately; I need to 'catch up' on my summer layouts, I just signed up to teach a bible study and attend another bible study; we will be hosting our small group at our house now (Jeff still leading); and the boys start school the day after we get home from our reunion. My whole family has been chompin' at the bit waiting for this reunion. It's our first and really just my parents, my brother and sisters, our kids, and our grandkids. But we are headin' to a beach house - aah - on the beach down south in Fernandino Beach.

Blessings on Labor Day!

Update to surgery

Drove to Ft Gordon/Augusta...again...yesterday. Saw the surgeon who performed the surgery and he liked the way the incision was healing. Unfortunately I have a rather large hemotoma (sp.) (bruise, large pool of blood, blood clot) just above the incision. This is ok as long as my body goes ahead and absorbs that blood within the next week or so. If not I'll need to visit the surgeon again to see about them draining the blood...lovely... In addition, they had 'suspect' spots on the mass they removed and decided to send it on to Vanderbilt University for their pathology department to determine cancer or not. The surgeon is hopeful for benign. I'm really not worried about it though - although this large lump of a hemotoma is a PAIN in the neck!!! (I hope I at least got a chuckle out of someone! I'm not usually so witty)

What's for dinner?

Sunday's have become a day of rest - literally - for our humble obode since we've moved our worship to Saturday nights some two, two and a half years ago. This causes the question 'What's for dinner?' to be met with a blank stare. As if I have the answer. One o'clock. 'What's for dinner?' Two o'clock. 'What am I going to make for dinner?' I ask myself. Four o'clock, after Jeff returns home from Lowes with sandpaper to work on my cabinet (I wondered when he was going to get back to that. Does that mean I'm going to have to cook tonight? Maybe if I hold off long enough he'll suggest Jalapenos.) 'We could go to Jalapenos? Jeff put in. (Big smile. Guess I need to go and get a shower.)

So what is for dinner? Jalapenos - of course!

Been Busy

today. At the computer. At the scraptable.

1. Finished up the J O Y wood letters for my ETSY shop that I'll be opening soon with Elizabeth. They are decorated with a wintery, blues/teals/goldish, snow patterned papers.

2. Finished 3 sets of 6 cards for my ETSY shop.

3. John and Jarrod each completed a scrapbook page which I need to take pictures of and post here and also print so I can do a scrapbook page of them doing a scrapbook page. Still with me.

4. I've been printing pictures like made today. Ella. Horseback riding 2004. Go Carts. Putt Putt Golf. Jarrod flying two Lego crafted planes. Boys and their Legos. Guess I've got some scrapping to do.

5. Finished up summer layouts 46 & 47 - will post later.

6. I'm tired. But then I'm always tired as of late.

7. Started the third book in the President's Agent collection by W.E.B. Griffin.

8. It's windy and raining here (finally).

9. Organized pictures, saved to disc, deleted some stuff off the computer.

10. There is no 10. Except we are going to the Praise service at church tonight. The boys will be singing Oh Happy Day. It is the kickoff event for the fall Wednesday schedule which will host Bob Russell, a guest teaching paster. We'll be studying the Life of Jesus. This guy is a retired pastor of a 19,000+ mega church. We love Wednesday's at SCC!!!

Good Summer; Rough Summer

In many ways this has been a good summer for the boys and I; and in many ways, not! We've done a bunch of artsy type things that, because of their creativeness, they have really enjoyed. And since they are manly boys too they have outplayed, No - what a minute - they can't outplay. They've played many hours of Star Wars battles, with and without Legos; SWAT battles, with and without Legos; Power Rangers battles, no legos required; and any number of other 'battles' they can come up with, with and without Legos. We've gone to movies, played games, done art projects, bought fish, made some pottery, painted outside, read some books, watched Stargate SG-1, watched some Rat Patrol, watched some MacGyver...and then there has been the rough parts of summer.

They can get pretty mean to each other. Do a little hitting. Do a little squeezing. Then it's time to redirect them.

So here is a layout I did on the computer. Took two digital quick pages, combined them, modified them with a few more embellishments, added pictures, and voila. Oh I know - but it's the good part of summer right.

Ella at 20 months

I started from scratch and put together this digital page. I used freebies that I've downloaded over time. I've organized all my digital elements now and like working with them so much more. This was easier to put together because of that organization. I just kept stacking one 'image' on top of another. I am very pleased with it. (But now I'm very tired...)

A Canvas of a Different Kind

John and Jarrod have found the painting program on the computer to be a great canvas to work off of. Since it is apart of a requirement for them to get their Artist Badge for Cub Scouts, they have been drawing away on this canvas of a different kind. I am amazed at their creativity. I've taken pictures of each of their works of art which will also be put into a scrapbook (for another part of the requirement). Here is a sampling of their work.

John's rendition of a SWAT lockerroom.

Jarrod. An air battle with ships.

John. My favorite of his. SWAT team in an urban battle.

Jarrod's canvas. Racing to the checkered flag.

Recovering from Surgery

For the sake of the bad with the good (or is that the good with the bad) I captured my 'scar' on day 2 after my surgery. I had the bridge and the right thyroid removed last Wednesday. I am still tired all the time and some discomfort but little to no pain. The swelling is beginning to go down quite a bit and the colors are changing, both signs of healing. I will need to wear scarves for about 6 months when I'm outside to keep the scar from not getting worse and allow it to fade. So here it is folks, looking like someone sliced my neck,

Can you see the discoloration on my hand? IV. After the fifth try.

Summer Layout #45

That means just 5 more to go. Does that mean I'll stop at 50. NO! Of course not. Just means I met my goal. It's been fun setting a goal and finishing it. Here is #45. I like this one too. I like my title and the sketch, and the papers.

The Voice of God

I have never heard the audible voice of God. But I'm hear to tell you that I have heard his voice in many other ways.

I have been walking in the early mornings either by myself or with Jeff, depending on which day of the week it is. One morning I was by myself. I left our addition and turned the corner onto the east to west road that I take to give me a two-mile jaunt. As I turned the corner and was crossing the street to face traffic I was jolted right there in the middle of the street by what I saw ahead in the sky. In a direct line with the road, the moon looked to be 1) so close I could reach out and touch it, and 2) it was orange and pale yellow and some grays, as vivid as you can imagine. There in the middle of the road I thanked the Lord for His creation.

You know don't you that that was the voice of God. He said, 'Here, Susan, I made this just for you, to see and enjoy this morning because I know that getting up at 5 am has been a struggle for you and I wanted to encourage you to keep at it."

I listen to music as I walk and one of the songs by 4Him is 'The Voice of God'. What I just spoke of is how I interpret this song:

I have dreamed of being Moses
Standing on the mountain top
When he heard the voice of God
And I admit that even sometimes
I�ve imagined I was Paul on the road to Damascus
When he heard the Savior's call
CHANNEL
But though I have never heard God�s audible reply
I hear Him speak unspoken words of life

CHORUS
I hear His voice
Every time I hear a newborn baby cry
When I hear the sparrow singing
At the dawn of morning light
I hear His voice
When I hear the thunder echo through the sky
When I hear the wind whistlin� through a forest full of pines
Then I know, yes I know
I have heard
The voice of God

In this faithless generation
Some refuse to just believe
In a God they cannot see
But I have had a revelation
And I�m as sure as I can be
That the God of all creation
Came to live inside of me

CHANNEL
And though I have never heard His audible reply
I hear Him speak unspoken words of life

REPEAT CHORUS