Thursday, January 26, 2012

MY RAINY DAY.....

Thursday, January 26, 2012



Yesterday was Mother-Daughter Dentist Day!

Between torential, flooding rains and a 2-hour drive to Dallas from East Texas, I picked my sweet mother up at her Assisted Living Home; bright blue shower cap on her head to protect her beloved hair from the rain, 2 scarves around her neck, 4 layers of clothes and a quick run to the van in her wheelchair, and we were on our way!

As some of you know, we were able to purchase a handicap conversion van in December for Chuck.  I have swore my entire life that I would never own a mini-van.....a soccer-mom bullet of destruction is what I always called them.....but here I am driving a minivan.  I'm not complaining, though....it's been an answer to prayer by allowing Chuck to take his wheelchair with us anywhere and everywhere we go.....but its a MINIVAN.  Word of advice:  Never Say Never.

And check out my latest Goodwill find........I was beyond words when I found this lovely robe....with my NAME ON IT!!  Yes, it says Lizzy and not Liz.....but hey.....close enough!  And...it was only $4.99!!  DANG......I amaze myself sometimes!
And thought I'd just throw in recent pic's of Murphy and Molly.......Don't they just make you want to rub their head or something??
Murphy


Molly

Friday, January 20, 2012

Bumps and Holes In Our Journey.....

January 20, 2012


A few weeks ago, we spent a few days in Brenham visiting our old friends Norm and Sue.  As some of you know, Norm has been struggling with liver failure.  They've had lots of bumps and holes in their lives over the past year as Norm endured weekly treatments, and the last 18 months have been especially difficult ones for him and Sue.

Their struggle reminded me of a tough time I had a few years ago with a family member.  One night, after a particularly difficult day during that painful time, I had a dream.  That dream got me through that conflict and many conflicts since........and something told me this might just be what some of you needs to hear.......

My dream started with me riding in the backseat of my car with a chauffeur (it's a Jeep Wranger Rubicon, by-the-way, in Mango-Tango orange).   Some friends and family members are on this ride too and none of us can actually see the face of our Driver, but he's mapped out our route and we trust Him to take us where we need to go.  We start off on a nice smooth highway, cruising along at a nice pace, looking out the window at all the other cars going by and enjoying the ride.   Then He turns off the busy highway onto a nice country road.  We're loving the view and notice there aren't near as many cars on this road as there were on the highway.  Eventually, the road gets even less traveled and the asphalt, which has now turned to dirt, is getting rougher and rougher.  We start feeling the bumps and holes in the road and getting jostled around quite a bit.  Some of my friends and family in my Jeep Rubicon in Mango Tango Orange start losing faith in my Driver and want out of the car.  Although He tries to assure them He has a GPS and this road will get us to our destination, they insist He stop cause they can't stand the bumps any longer.  So, He reluctantly pulls over and lets them out.  Although I can't see His face, I can tell by his posture how hurt He is that they didn't trust Him to get them to their final destination.

As we start back up on this very bumpy road, He repeatedly assures us this is the right road; the ONLY road that will get us to our destination, and that He has driven this road many times.  He proceeds to tell me that all of those cars we had seen and passed on the highway were going the wrong direction.....and that He had tried repeatedly to flag them down.....let them know the road ahead ended in death and destruction, but they weren't interested in taking the bumpy road....they wanted the smooth, uneventful, easy road....cause they knew best.  As we bounce around in the backseat from all the bumps and holes, with a smile in His voice, he starts describing our amazing, incredible destination ahead.

What a great dream, huh?  I think of this every day.   It reminds me that with each bump and hole in my journey, I am one mile closer to my final destination......and it reminds me to give thanks for those bumps and holes.  After all, without these trials and struggles, why would we need a Driver?


“Enter through the narrow gate.  For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.  But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it." (Matthew 7:13-14).



Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Beadboard-A-Holic-Opia.......

Tuesday, January 10, 2012


After a week of working on the beadboard project in the Media Room and Kitchen Nook, we can finally say, "It Is Finished".......

Well, almost......

We've lost an electrical plate cover in the Nook; accidently painted the window; and discovered just how filthy our carpet was in the Media Room.

We've made a deliberate act of NOT turning the overhead light on in there for about.....ohhh.....I'd say 5 years.  We've been using "mood" lighting in there all this time for fear of what we'd find if we actually turned the overhead lighting on.

AND......

We were right to leave the light off.....

AND......

The lake is fillin' back up.....it's RAINING!!!

Friday, January 6, 2012

My Friend, Beadboard.......

January 6, 2011 2012



Check out what I saw on the side of the ladies bathroom stall at the movie theatre the other day.....

It's "Hi" in GUM!!  How very clever.......

 For the past week, Chuck and I, along with our friend Steve, have been installing beadboard to the walls of the TV room and kitchen dinette area.  Actually, Liz hasn't lifted a single finger, but she has been right there giving advice and telling them when its wrong.

I came up with the idea to install beadboard to the walls of the TV room cause my dear, beloved husband had rubbed the paint off the walls with his "snack pack" food supply containers while watching TV.  Because they are dark burgundy walls, it really really shows when he scratches the paint off the wall.  See??

I figure with beadboard, this can't happen.  Fingers crossed........

And that's when it happened.......I officially became a "beadboard-aholic".  I love everything beadboard.  I want it in every room.....every wall......as a backsplash in my kitchen......in the backs of all my cabinets....maybe a little on the ceiling......

As I mentioned this to Chuck and Steve, they simply looked at me like I had 3 heads or something.  I could see the wheels turning in Steve's head as he tried to imagine the cuts he'd have to make to do a backsplash........or, heaven-forbid.....a ceiling.

And that's when I "think" I heard him say, "?!*$$@!?"

The next time you see this picture, it will have BEADBOARD all around it!!!!

WHOO HOOO!!!!!