Insurance

Today I am to attend the yearly meeting where Wayne is employed to hear about the changes in our insurance. I'm very thankful to have health insurance; however, I'm always a bit apprehensive as to what the changes will mean for us each year. Will we have an HMO or a PPO? Will our deductibles be higher or lower? Will we be able to use the same doctors or will we need to establish new doctors? My hope is that there won't be any major changes this year.

Camping

Wayne and I were able to take our new camper out for the first time last weekend. We had planned to go to Weston Bend State Park; however, we discovered that it was full. I guess everyone else had the same idea as we did -- a great weekend to go camping. We went a few miles on down the road to Lewis and Clark State Park. We enjoyed our weekend away and saw some new sights while there. We are so excited about having a camper again after several years of tent camping. Don't misunderstand me, tent camping is a lot of fun and we really enjoyed being able to get into some pretty primitive areas in Colorado. But as the years fly by, we have decided that sleeping in a tent is a little more difficult and the lifting and carrying all the camping supplies in and out of the back of the pickup a bit tiring. Personally, I'm excited about the conveniences of our camper -- bathroom, oven, refrigerator/freezer, microwave and more comfy beds.

We are looking forward to being able to take some of our family on some weekend camping trips too.

Two Wolves

An old Cherokee is teaching his grandson about life.

"A fight is going on inside me," he said to the boy. "It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves:

One is evil -- he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.

"The other is good -- he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. "This same fight is going on inside you -- and inside every person...."

The grandson thought about it and then asked his grandfather, "Which wolf will win?"

The old Cherokee simply replied, "The one you feed."

New "old" Swingset

Our friends purchased a New Wooden Swing set for their grandchildren and gave us their "old" wooden swing set. It needs to be sanded, re-stained and assembled. Give us a few weeks and we will have a fun play area for our grandchildren with a climbing wall, slide, fort, sandbox and swings.

Erin, Natalie and Avery and Granny's Great-grandchildren will have so much fun. I can hardly wait to get it together for them.

Oh My!

Has it really been almost two months since I've blogged? Where does time go? Well, all that I can say is that I haven't been just goofing off......I've babysat Natalie, helped Sarah pack, helped David and Sarah move to their new home, been active in my church and spent a long Easter weekend visiting my Mom, brother and sister and their families.

Sorry that it's been so long since I last blogged, I'll try to be better. (but, I'm not promising every day!)

Unexpected Snow

I was so excited that yesterday was suppose to be a lot warmer temperature wise and should have melted a lot of our snow. At one point, I looked out to see snow on the steps and thought that the wind was blowing snow off the roof. Later in the day I was talking with Sarah and she asked, "Is it snowing at your house?". I went to the window to look out and no doubt about it -- it not only was snowing, but it was snowing rather heavy. We probably picked up two inches during the afternoon and over night. This made me rather envious of my company who called to report that they had a safe trip home and that it was 45 degrees and sunny in SW Oklahoma.

I'm so tired of cold, snowy weather. I'm ready for Spring! Warm Weather, flowers, thunderstorms (did I really say that? -- I'm the one who gets nervous when we have storms), planting a garden and even having to start the mowing routine. It won't be long until the seasons will change and then I'll be getting tired of "hot" weather. I guess I'm never satisfied!

A Basement full of Company

I've had out of state company for several days now. Everyone left about 9:00 AM this morning and now it's back to just Natty and I here during the day. I'd like to share some of the happenings over the past few days.

First, I learned that children don't expect Grandma to be "practical" on Valentine's Day. I gave each of the granddaughters Valentines and clothes. Erin let me know that she didn't want clothes for Valentine's Day. When asked, she told me that what she wanted was a big RED valentine. (her valentine was pink) and she didn't want clothes! Next year this grandma will try to remember that and get her a RED Valentine with toys or candy.

Avery is so cute with her crawling and she is almost always so happy and ready to give a big grin with her two new teeth. She also has beautiful big eyes. I found that she has a tickle spot on her neck. She is still too young to care about valentines; therefore, her pink valentine and clothes were alright with her.

I'm looking forward to having Erin and Avery visit for a few days next week. I'm hoping that we have some warmer weather so that we can do some fun outside activities. Like a trip to the playground.

Great Grandma (almost 89 years old) seemed to enjoy the little ones. She even babysat for me one day so that I could fulfil my duties at the church. Great Grandma didn't like our COLD weather. She said that she didn't think she has ever been in such COLD temperatures. (She's from Southwestern Oklahoma)

We all went out to eat last night at Jumpin Catfish, in Olathe. We were seated next to the fireplace, which Great Grandma enjoyed. We had a very enjoyable outing and great food. Jumpin Catfish is one of my favorite restaurants.

Well, I have dishes to do and extra bedding to wash. It's always fun to have company, but I'm ready to be back to my normal routine!

A Fun Day

Natalie greeted our out of state company on Wednesday as a little clown. She did many different things to entertain them. She also took up with Uncle Leon as if she had known him all her life.

This afternoon, Momma was listening to a new CD that she got for Christmas. Natalie amused her Great Grandma by dancing to most of the songs and trying to sing along with the CD.

Tonight, we kept Natalie while John & Michelle went to the Remodeler's Show. (friends had given them the tickets) Wayne would walk across the room as if her were marching (lifting his legs high into the air) then Natalie would imitate him.

Natalie is at such a cute age and we are enjoying her so much.

Sarah, Erin & Avery came to visit this afternoon too; however, I had an appointment and had to be gone the entire time that they were here :( I'm looking forward to spring so that I can take all the girls to have an afternoon at the park and other fun outings.

Tomorrow is the Valentine's Banquet at our church. Since I'm in charge, it will be a very busy day.

Patience and lack of patience

Proverbs 16:32 -- It is better to be patient than powerful; it is better to have self-control than to conquer a city.


Proverbs 19:11 -- People with good sense retrain their anger; they earn esteem by overlooking wrongs.

There are many times that I say or hear someone else say, "What I need right now is some patience". What does that mean? Well, I heard a preacher say one time that "
Patience means: I pause for further instructions." In this busy world that we live in -- one could ask, "when do I have time for patience?" What I often find in my own life is the fact that sometimes I need to take time (pause) and regroup. If I don't pause, I usually make a big mess of things by losing my temper and saying things that I wouldn't otherwise say.

Success in business, school, or home life can be ruined by a person who loses control of his or her temper. So it is a great personal victory to control your temper. When you feel yourself ready to explode, remember that losing control may cause you to forfeit what you want the most.

Let's all take the time to practice patience(pausing for further instructions by going to God in prayer). It will make our lives, our homes and our country a better place.

Tired Grandma

I know why God choose to give the babies to the younger women! Natalie and I went shopping today. She was very good -- even though she didn't get a very good nap. Anyway, the thing that wears me out is getting her in and out of the car seat. I'm sure that carrying her around helped to wear Grandma out too. We made five stops as I purchased things for the Church Valentine's Banquet that is this coming weekend. Anyway, it's been a long day and I'm going to go to bed soon. Company from out of state is coming tomorrow.

Attitude -- Good or Bad?

Some thoughts from the book I'm reading. . .

We alone are responsible for the attitude that we have. John Maxwell has put it this way, "It is a matter of personal choice. Who we are today is the result of choices made yesterday. Tomorrow we will become what we choose today. To change means to choose to change."

Each one of us needs to decide what type of person we want to be (positive or negative). In order to change, we need to make the decision to change and then act on that decision. We should work to replace bad thoughts and actions with good ones. We also need to commit to work on these improvements daily. Change isn't easy, it takes a lot of work. Everyone should find an accountability partner....someone who can remind us that our attitude needs adjusting. (and when that person reminds us, we need to be thankful, not defensive) We all need mentors and models in our lives. Maybe one could be found at your church or in your extended family. And last, but not least, remember that we all slip up from time to time. When we do, we need to remind ourselves of the words of the Apostle Paul, "One thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus (Philippians 3:13,14)

The Golden Rule of Success

However you want people to treat you, so treat them. Matthew 7:7-12

My Bible commentary states: "The Golden Rule as Jesus formulated it, is the foundation of active goodness and mercy -- the kind of love God shows to us every day. Think of a good and merciful action you can do today".

Sparkles in the Rocks

I guess I've always been fascinated with rocks that sparkle. Every time we make a trip to Colorado, I bring back a rock or two that sparkles in the sun. They aren't worth anything (like gold); however, to me they are a thing of beauty.

Have you ever seen a geode? I have one in my "rock collection". They are pretty rough and dull with no shimmer at all on the outside, but Geodes contain gorgeous crystals in beautiful and varied shapes, sizes and colors. People are a lot like geodes...on the outside they appear to be crusty and rough. Too many times, we avoid people because of their outward appearance; however, if we take the time to get to know them and understand them, many times we find that they have a beautiful sparkle on the inside.

When my son, David, was a teenage, he and I disagreed on how he should dress. David would remind me of the Bible passage from I Samuel 16:7 -- "People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at a person's thoughts and intentions." (New Living Translation) Through the years, God has taught me that my son was correct. Just because someone is different than me, doesn't mean that they are wrong. I'm finding that these "people geodes" have a true sparkle within. Thanks David, for teaching Mom an important lesson!

How did I choose the name for my blog?

I'm reading a book, "If Mama Ain't Happy. . . . . .Ain't Nobody Happy" by Lindsey O'Connor. I'm really enjoying the book and kept thinking, "I'd like to share these thoughts with ... (your name could be here)" So, that's how I decided that it was time for me to join the blog wagon.

I would highly recommend the book to each one of you whether your a mom, dad, son, daughter, grandma, grandpa, etc.

Don't Worry -- Be Happy! Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. If you do this, you will experience God's peace. Philippians 4:6