The Nutcracker and an Anniversary Get Away

Steve and I got in on the Black Friday specials this year... we found a 2 day get away in Colorado Springs for $45.00 a night... which included breakfast.  We feel as if we got a lot better deal than all those shoppers who stayed up all night.

This was our anniversary present to each other.... not Hawaii yet;an appetizer for next year.. right? It was a nice, much needed,  restful 2 days for us.  We left on Friday and returned on Sunday.

Friday night we went to the Nutcracker Ballet, which was a first for me; I have never been before... I feel as if I have been missing out on a lovely tradition all these years.  It was a delightful evening.  Three special little girls who are the daughters of our friends were in the  ballet, which was what made it the most wonderful of all.   Not only that, but we bought  the tickets at the last minute, but ended up with seats right behind our friends and their family, out of a crowd of so many, that was remarkable.  With that joy to launch us, the Christmas Spirit is rising in us now, and I feel the desire to get the tree out and decorate it tomorrow... if Steve and I can figure out how to get the tree out of the attic now that Steve is "out of sorts". Steve doesn't even think Eddie can extract that tree this time, so we might have to get our neighbor to come over and help.  Hope you have a wonderful week everyone.  I pray the delights that belong to the Christmas Season  be yours.

Blessings, Pam

Enter His Gates with Thanksgiving

I have been praying this week that the Lord would help me make our Thanksgiving Holiday a special one.  I have found it a little harder to get my enthusiasm up this year.  Perhaps it is just because I am tired, and have had a hard time getting back into my strength.  On Monday, I went to a luncheon at my friend Ava's house, where we had a wonderful surprise party for our friend Roxy, whose birthday is this week. Without doubt Roxy was surprised and blessed, and I was blessed as well.  It was just the thing my heart needed to build some enthusiasm and delight for the week.  I think my tank was filled back up, and Ava's hospitality restored my own sense of hospitality.  After the party I went to Hobby Lobby and found a few Thanksgiving flowers and Decorative Pumpkins for 90% off  original prices(that's always fun) and have spent the last two days cleaning, polishing silver, setting the table and decorating.   We will have Luke, Eddie, Olga, our friends Roxy and Danny , and Steve's Mom with us this year. Russ won't be able to come home this year, so he will be missed.  Now all is ready except the Turkey and fixins.  I thought I would recap the joys of these last few weeks as my own little "Blogging Thanksgiving Celebration", and enter the gates of our precious Heavenly Father with Thanksgiving and praise for all the blessings in my life, and with gratitude that he has blessed our lives and our Country with such bounty and goodness.

Enter His gates with thanksgiving And His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him, bless His name.

 Psalm 100:4

I am thankful for.........

pretty table decorations and...

 polished silverware

Roxy's Birthday 

Old friends (Me on left, then Missy, Amy, Roxy, Lynn, Kathy and Ava on right)

 Missy's wonderful spice cake

Ava's pretty table

My precious Grandson Zane

and

Little  Ezra 

Another precious grandson; driving Grandpa's Backhoe (with a little help from Mom and Dad)

Visiting "Focus on the Family"

With precious Grandsons and...

Old family friends,

(sorry its a blurry one Danielle) 

 Delightful,  golden, autumn days with adorable babies..

Beautiful daughters and daughter in laws,

 and sons and son's in laws

and little Elon

and little Asher and ponies and good friends

And  my gorgeous, man, doing well, recovering and healthy.... thank you Lord;

And for celebrating 32 years of marriage with him tomorrow.... it is definitely Thanksgiving.


My daughter Marie and her hubby Jon are celebrating their anniversary tomorrow also.
Happy Anniversary Steve and Jon and Marie!

Have a blessed Holiday Everyone!

Cowboy Birthday Party

Here are the pictures of the Cowboy Birthday Party.   We had the delightful addition of a little "Cowpony" brought by our friend Donna.  Her name is Daisy.  She was the highlight.  All the little Cowboys got to ride her (with some assistance from Nathan and Benjamin). We had a fire in the  stove outside, hoping for a marshmellow roast, and bales of hay for seats, but alas it became far too windy to continue in that mode; the day started out fairly sunny, but turned very cold and windy, so our delightful outside decorations were abandoned for the inside ordinary; and cowboy hats were exchanged with Beanies but all in all we had a rootin tootin time, and I think Elon enjoyed being the head Ranch-hand for the day.  

Donna introduces Daisy to all.  Himilce and boys and Steve (with Marie and Ezra in background)

Elon wispers to Grandpa asking "is this is the horse that rolled over on you?"

All the little guys gather around to give Daisy some "lovin"

 From left to right... Donna, Zane, me, Asher, Elon (behind) Steve and in upper right hand corner, little Ezra.  Aren't Asher and Zane cute?

 Ezra and Mommy

 From left to right... Zane, Elon, Asher, Donna and of course Daisy.

 Elizabeth and Little Winston are watching.

 Donna teaches each little boy to brush and take care of Daisy.

 Winston is doing a good job... with a little help from Daddy.

 Elon looks quite relaxed as if he has been doing this for years.

 Asher is a little less at ease.

 Since Zane was raised with a  horse Great Dane, he is quite at home.

 Cute even when crying.

"Hey Daisy, thanks for the ride".

 Blowing out candles, and opening presents are always fun even for a tired bunch of cowboys.

Have a great week everyone

Golden Autumn Days

Well, I have been away for quite a while.  It always takes a little umph for me to begin blogging after being away too long.  It has been hectic to be sure.  I hate adding how hectic things are, because it seems like a constant drone or excuse spoken of too often these days... and yet I must say it has been more hectic than I can ever remember.  We have had our own struggles and tragic news of close friends  to  our youngest children... things you don't anticipate hearing about, and things I don't really want to blog about, but have felt compelled to mention, I suppose,  as an obscure way of filling in the gaps of where we have been, and why  my heart has been so heavy.  Then there was also the loss of the father of our two sons in law last month which added to a very sad few weeks;  It is enough to say that life has not been its usual,  since Steve's accident.  The Lord, however, is always good to us.  His grace abounds and He blesses us and comforts us when we need it most.  For us that comfort is found in our  children and grandchildren.  We have had a delightful houseful for about a month now.  Beginning with the visit from Elizabeth and baby Winston whom we enjoyed for about a week, then was joined by her husband, Benjamin.  Next came Nathan and Himilce with Elon and baby Asher, and finally  Marie with baby Zane and baby Ezra.  We were only missing Jon, Marie's husband, who has been in Mexico and Russell who has been out to sea with the Navy.  I don't think I mentioned in my previous posts any updates about Olga, who has come back this semester from Wyoming.  She is going to finish school and work here close to home.

The golden light of Autumn has shone upon us and blessed our brief moment of togetherness.   We were able to do a family picture (the results of which I will post after Nathan works on them a little and sends them our way); a family picnic, and a wonderful cowboy birthday party for Elon, who turned 5 in September.  Here is the little conversation that Steve had on the phone the morning Elon and family got in the car to drive to Colorado

Phone rings.  Steve picks up and says hello.  Little voice on the the other end says: "Hi its me. *!#*!! (un decipherable excitement) something something... Colorado!"

Now if any of you have Grandchildren yet, you will understand  how delighted such phrases as "Hi its me" can be to your heart.  Elon told Himilce that there was no time to stop for breakfast.... nor any other breaks...just go straight there.... I am sure 12 hours of driving was inconceivable no matter how many breaks were  cut.

Nathan and Himilce arrived by car on a Friday evening, and Marie and babies arrived by plane the same night in Denver, whereby I picked them up at the airport and we drove back together, arriving home very late, thus uniting the whole group for the first time in a long time. We had a brief reunion that night, but the next morning was like Christmas itself... all the little cousins together for the first time.  There was noise and laughter just like I am sure we will experience in Heaven... as if we had opened presents all morning... and for Steve and I it was just the same as opening presents.

For 3 and 1/2 days, we were all together, then they began leaving in the order they came; with Marie and babies still amongst us.  We are very blessed.

We have had a wonderful time catching up with each other and various old friends each week (loved getting to be with you Roxy, Amy and Danielle... you were all so good for my heart).    I will post what pictures I can (Elizabeth was sweet enough to e-mail me pictures... I cannot seem to get the pictures taken when so much is going on... but it is exactly the time I wish that I had taken the pictures.. so thank you Elizabeth.  Marie and Nathan will get me some of theirs as well.  Many Blessings to you all. I am hopeful to get over to each of your blogs this week, and catch up with your families, which is always a blessing and delight to me.

Benjamin and little Winston

Uncle Luke with baby Zane

Aunty Olga with baby Winston

Trying to take a family pictures can be a little confusing some times.   Left to right.... Eddie, Olga, little Zane and Nathan

Steve getting around with arm in a sling, and foot in a boot.

"Lolli pops all around!"  Bribery seems to be the only way to get 5 little boys in one picture at one time.

From left to right: Baby Winston 18 months, Asher 2, Elon 5, Baby Ezra 10 months, and Zane 2


Stay tuned for pictures of the Cowboy Birthday Party later this week.

Momentum

Our Momentum is coming back, and we are feeling a little more like normal.  I should probably say "I" am beginning to feel a little more like normal.  I am sure Steve doesn't.  I saw him looking wistfully out the back door yesterday, while sitting in his wheel chair.  Now that is a sad picture isn't it.  But, in spite of a little cabin fever on Steve's part, we are developing a type of normal routine, and he is able to do a little business during the day.  I have been able to catch up on garden and house next door.  I am getting things ready in anticipation of Elizabeth and Winston coming to visit.  They fly in from Florida on Monday. I am searching out the old box of family toys, the "Pak and Play"  and high chair, planning who will sleep where and when (I think I had mentioned on a previous post that the other kids are coming; in increments).

 I am trying to cook a few meals ahead, and use up some of our garden surplus (I am considering a roadside sign for passer-byers to help themselves to our Zucchini which is still going strong).  Our chard, spinach, spaghetti squash, green onions and tomatoes are all ready to be used and I have had to just leave them alone these last  2 weeks.  I was wanting to post recipes of each veggie as they were being  used up through each season.... I have had a passion to cook and create veggie recipes this last couple of months (I'm sure you haven't noticed), and probably won't dry up until the veggies do... so stay tuned for a few more recipes... provided I don't get pre-occupied with children and grandchildren that are coming to visit.... and did I tell you that my children and grandchildren are coming to visit... well, they are... they are coming to visit.  You can't tell that I am excited that my children and grandchildren are coming to visit can you.  I can't wait!

The Cottage

It is Sunday, and we are home instead of in Church today.  It has been a long week, and very exhausting. We are settled in now... I think.  Emotional exhaustion is subsiding... I think.  We got Steve home from the hospital  4 nights ago.  We decided our best approach to surviving the next 6 weeks was to move into our little house next door ;  It is a mobile home, and we call it "The Cottage" now.  It is  a quarter mile from our house and is the house my Mom used to live in before she moved out to Nevada to be close to my brother and his girls while they are growing up.

The house has all flat surfaces, wider doors into the bathrooms for wheel chair access, and a bath tub and shower that is much more accessible than our own at home.  We had furniture already in The Cottage; some left from my Mom, some of our own extra odds and ends, some of Steve's Mom's odds and ends, so we are already set up pretty well.   We do have to haul water, because we are only set up on a cistern.  Between Luke and Eddie and our neighbor, they got the water tank on the back of the truck again, then Luke  and I got the water loaded and into the cistern. I am trying to learn some of the tasks that Steve has always done, and I am a little slow.  Thankfully the boys are helping.

There have been all kinds of other little tasks that  keep life running smoothly, such as can openers and other kitchen utensils,  washing machines,  sheets, towels, clothes, and personals which have all kept me running back and forth between houses through the week, as well as taking care of Steve and running errands for wheel chairs, medications, supplements and so on.   We have had the most amazing help from family, friends, neighbors and church.  I don't think you can truly realize the love and goodness in peoples hearts until you are the recipient of such kindness and generosity.  What would we do without our loved ones who have given to us in every way conceivable.  Thank you all; family, friends, neighbors, blogging friends, for the help, prayers, meals, love, words of encouragement,  and more... Wow... such amazing blessings.  Some very dear friends came here yesterday, and brought food, encouragement, and built us a ramp from our porch so I could get Steve and wheelchair out the door and into the van and to his doctor's appointment on Monday. Phew.  Thank you guys.  It is very difficult to express the emotion I have felt over all these things, but gratitude and love just over flow.

Eddie and Luke are holding down the fort at the other house.  Yes, what a strange family we are.  We now live in two houses.  The boys have been wonderful at keeping things clean for me.  I told them "this house is like a sinking ship... we have to keep bailing water (pick up and keep the dishes clean), and if we stop, it will start sinking again".  That is truly the way it feels to me (keeping up with house work)... it never just floats along clean and lovely for a while, it must be constantly bailed or we are sunk.  So they have  kept it going.  I pop in and help out, and do laundry and cook up a meal, etc... but they are doing great.

Eddie wanted to go to all the "Homecoming" activities at school this weekend (bonfire, game, formal etc..) So between Luke, Grandma Jo and I, we were all able to get him there and back at all the various hours for all the various activities.  He looked very handsome in his blackshirt and tie, and came and chatted with us before and after yesterday.  Incidently, I have loved seeing the personalities of the boys during these difficult times.  Luke, with his quiet, cooking and cleaning and worried looks wanting to help all he can, but never much of a conversationalist.   Eddie,  fluctuating between normal teenage concerns of "how am I gonna get to  my game" to "Pam, I 'm kinda worried about Steve... no one is up there with him... Grandma Jo just left, and you gotta get back up there..." on the phone to me when I went to do an errand the other day.  I have had to leave Steve for an hour or two here and there; with phone and walkie talkie in hand, knowing my mother in law and neighbors were right here to pop in if needed, but Eddie didn't like that.  So Sweet.   As a side note, Our last three kids came to us at the ages of 10, 14 and 15... (now 20, 19 and 15) and have always called us "Pam" and "Steve"... something we have grown very used to. To their friends and others, they speak of us as My Mom, or My Dad, but at home it is as I said.

My other kids are setting dates for those visits coming up; starting with Elizabeth who will arrive with little Winston  a week from tomorrow.  A little after that will be Nathan and family, and a little after that, will be Marie and family.  All we need is Russell and Benjamin, who are out on deployments with the Navy, then we would have all our chickies under our wings.  Such delightful prospects.

So today is truly a day of rest for us.  We are feeling fairly caught up on urgent things. Steve has felt much more himself yesterday and today.  I put on a pot of coffee and can hear it brewing; such a comforting sound to me.  One of the luxuries I treasure in my life is sipping coffee in bed early on a Saturday morning with Steve and  dreaming dreams together.  We skim the  computer looking at houses, motorcycles, airplanes, vacation spots,  goats, horses, cows, chickens,  and barns.  How is that for eclectic.  It is our cozy wake up moment before the world creeps in and responsibilities start hammering at the door.  I love those moments.  Perhaps we will have a moment like that  this morning; peaceful, quiet rest.  I realize this is a long post, but it has been very relaxing to me to just sit and type and re-cap the week, so I hope it hasn't been too much for you all at one time.  Blessings to you all this week.  I will be popping in for a visit with you as the moments open up.

Have a lovely week,

Pam

My Scripture for today

Psalm 23

"The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not be in want.

He makes me to lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters,

her restores my soul.

He guides me in paths of righteousness for His name sake.

Even 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 are a comfort to me.

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. 

You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.

Surly goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life 

and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

Mama Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Cowboys

Well, We have had a little trouble around here.  Yesterday morning, I was awakened by a neighbor who is a nurse, and was called in by our small town ambulance service on a call from our other neighbors about one of their cowboy crew who had been thrown from a horse.  The cowboy was my husband.  They were moving cows up on the mountain, and my husband's horse got himself in a strange situation with hoof and reins... the horse proceeded to quickly back up to try to untangle himself,  stumbled and fell, rolling on Steve in the process; at least this is the story I have pieced together by those who have tried to tell me about it.   Steve had to be helicoptered out, because of the difficulty in getting him out any other way.  He broke an ankle and arm.  We are thanking the Lord that was all.  No back, head or neck injuries.  He was in surgery for about 6 hours yesterday.  They put plates and pins in both breaks.  The ankle was a compound fracture.  Phew.  What an ordeal.

So  It has been a rough couple of days for us; yet we  feel such a peace of the Lord.  He does go before us, and is with us through all things, and His presence is amazing.  We have had such an outpouring of prayers, and kindness from our family and friends, which alone has been a balm to our hearts.

Tomorrow I will be trying to get our house ready for Steve, which isn't super easy, considering we have several levels and our bedroom is up a flight of stairs.  We are not very wheel chair friendly at our house.   It sure makes you think differently when all of a sudden you need to consider wheel chair access.  I have a few Ideas; so I will keep you posted.  I wanted to share with my blogging friends, and of course I am so grateful for your prayers.

The picture above is my little grandson Elon, who really does want to grow up to be a cowboy like his grandpa. With five little grandsons, all adorable little cowboys, there's probably not much point in my post title, but, well,  you get the idea :)

Much Love,

Pam

Psalm 91

 Max McLean Audio Bible, English Standard Version

1 He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.
2 I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust.”

3 For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler
and from the deadly pestilence.
4 He will cover you with his pinions,
and under his wings you will find refuge;
his faithfulness is a shield and buckler.
5 You will not fear the terror of the night,
nor the arrow that flies by day,
6 nor the pestilence that stalks in darkness,
nor the destruction that wastes at noonday.

7 A thousand may fall at your side,
ten thousand at your right hand,
but it will not come near you.
8 You will only look with your eyes
and see the recompense of the wicked.

9 Because you have made the Lord your dwelling place—
the Most High, who is my refuge —
10 no evil shall be allowed to befall you,
no plague come near your tent.

11 For he will command his angels concerning you
to guard you in all your ways.
12 On their hands they will bear you up,
lest you strike your foot against a stone.
13 You will tread on the lion and the adder;
the young lion and the serpent you will trample underfoot.

14 “Because he holds fast to me in love, I will deliver him;
I will protect him, because he knows my name.
15 When he calls to me, I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble;
I will rescue him and honor him.
16 With long life I will satisfy him
and show him my salvation.”