Splendid Saturday Mornings





This time of year - the best!

Ally

Perfect....they are just perfect!

Perfect in this room.
Perfect on this rainy day. 
Perfect color.
Perfect gift.
Perfect and  beautiful.
Thank you David and Barbara!

Happy Birthday Dutch!

So cute at "almost 5 years old"  and SO full of mischief!

1. Still full of mischief!
2. But the nicest man I know.
3. He is the love of my life!

The Bees, The Backgate, and The Honeycomb!

In September the bees were here, covering the gate.

Night photo last September, bees were working!

Yesterday - Delicious!

 Rich in honey!



Can you see the honey dripping from the comb?



Backgate that once held thousands of bees

Saturated honeycomb

Beeswax combs without the honey

The honeycomb broke off of these because it was too heavy. This is what's left inside the gate.

Almost a year ago, the bees arrived on our back gate.  Thousands of them.  Their buzzing was very audible.  You knew they were there.  They swarmed all over the gate and a few ventured further into the backyard.  For the most part, they stayed around the gate and were not a bother.  We could still enter and leave by this gate (that is the bravest among us and did not include me!).  As you can see from the above photos, they were VERY busy and were up to something very tasty! 

Yesterday the Dutchman was doing fence/gate repair work.  As he tore down boards, this is what he discovered inside the backgate!  Lots and lots of Honeycomb!  Lots and lots of honey.  We have a 5 gallon bucket packed with honeycomb.

"Gracious words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the body." 

Proverbs 16:24

(Added note:  Tomorrow!  Last radiation treatment!  I am soooo ready!)

Spent the day with Anne today.

A beautiful weekend on the coast with the Dutchman

Too tired tonight to edit or add more photos.  Maybe tomorrow.  Maybe not.  Back to work tomorrow! 

Happy Birthday Charlene Rogde!

High School

 Happy Birthday to my sister.  She is one of the sweetest people you could ever meet.  She never changes.  She is a woman of faith and she is a lot of fun!


Birthday Girl today - as beautiful as ever!





Make a photo slideshow

Middle of the week and it's pretty good!



Halfway through the week!  2 radiation treatments down and only 23 to go!  Piece of cake!  Yesterday I got my tattoos and saw movie star doctor.  I will see her every Tuesday.  Come to think of it, radiation therapist looks like Anne Hathaway.  Some beautiful people working at the CC to beat the big C!  They are all so nice there and I will be in and out within 30 minutes most days.  This is so much better than my emotional week last week!   I can do this!
My joy this week:  Jayme is here!  I couldn't have anything better than to have a week with her.  She's cooking and last night she made, for my sister and I, our favorite "family" dish: Cream Salmon on Potato Chips.
Jayme arrived Monday, fresh off the ship from a 4 day cruise to Mexico with her childhood friend, Sheri. They had a blast and she's planning a family cruise now.  

They had a blast - I'm going with them next year!




 

Happy Birthday Cody!

Happy Birthday Cody!  Wish we were there celebrating with you! 

Ally and her daddy

Birthday Boy

Ally is discovering the joys of living in the snow country.

The Dutchman

"If you live to be a hundred, I want to live to be a hundred minus one day so I never have to live without you."   A.A. Milne (Winnie the Pooh)

Four Things.........

Week In Review:

1.  I am delighted it is Sunday, a new week, new beginnings.  It always feels like a
     fresh start and I like that. 
2.  Last week was quite full and I expect this week to be everybit as busy. 

And because earrings are about the only things I can fit into, last week I started back to the gym.  GB3.  Close to home.  Lots of equipment.  Steam room.  Pool.  Everything I need, so it should be so easy!  And once I am there, it is.  And even after only five days, I feel healthier.  Back to the gym is good - I just need to make it a life style.  And KEEP GOING MONDAY through FRIDAY!!!

3.  Last Tuesday was the first day of the Precept class I joined.  It is so good to be back.  Excellent teacher!  and then every Tuesday night is the Bible Study in my home.  I wasn't sure if we would continue, even though we have been meeting weekly since 2006.  God has always brought the women to this study,  He is doing it once again.  I always tell them "It's no coincidence that you are here!"  And once again I see God orchestrating the dynamics of this group, so I am just going to get out of the way!
4.  Friday morning I had the prayer group at my house.  Then Friday afternoon I had two doctor's appointments.  Long day!  Catscan and prep work done in preparation for my radiation treatment.  My doctor at the Center is young and beautiful - she looks like a "movie star doctor"!  2nd doctor visit was with my regular oncologist and I think he is just the kindest man.  That visit went well and I won't have to see him again until after my treatment. 
5.  Saturday morning busy cooking (for the movie/dinner that's taking place at my house Sat. night).  Then an unexpected and sweet visit with my 90 year old aunt and her life-long girlfriends, also my dear cousin from Alaska.  Saturday ended with  the "Tues. Night Bible Study girls"  coming over for "movie night" and dinner.    It was a great time with some new women joining us.
6.  Above I only touched on a few highlights of the week.  This week I will hear from the C.C. and begin my radiation treatment.  "Movie -Star Doctor" said 5 weeks, not 6 weeks of radiation, that warmed my heart a bit.  I am all for getting this over with!  (and yes, patience has been a big lesson in all of this).  Friday was emotional for me.  Now I am over that and SO ready to move on.  I realize I am so blessed to have this detected sooooooooo early.  Thank you Lord!  His faithfulness is so sweet and I am full of gratitude.  And continuing to develop perseverence! "Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize?  Run in such a way as to get the prize!"  1 Corinthians 9:24
7.  Last, but not least, let me mention my husband ---  he is my Rockstar!  and then really last, but not least, I can't end a post without a picture of Ally and Shannon!

"Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase."  Martin Luther King, Jr.

Born January 15th, 1929.  Died April 4th, 1968

Last Monday we were in Utah

One week ago I was playing with you!   You were chattering and singing and dancing and staying very busy.  Your "falling down" and then exclaming  "oh! oh!"  brought lots of laughter and attention, so over and over you would run across the hard wood floor and then bam, down on your knees, a sing-song "oh! oh!" and await the response  from all of us.  You made us all come alive with laughter as you continued your performance.  We loved every minute of it!  and then out for dinner.  Who would have thought that at 15 months you would  love to go for Tepanyaki?!   It was a quick trip to Utah and some time with you but worth every mile we drove.  You bring such joy to us! 
One regret:  I didn't have my camera!  So no pictures of you this trip!  But here is a "Pebbles" photo.  Love your "do!"

Since my last post, the year ended with an unexpected trip to North Carolina....

This photo slideshow generated with Smilebox

"Look!  The virgin will conceive a child!  She will give birth to a son,  and they will call Him Immanuel, which means 'God is with us!; "  Matthew 1:23  (New Living Translation)

It is the evening of December 25th and Christmas Day is coming to a close.  It has been a beautiful Christmas with family and friends.  The only thing that would have made it better would have been if the kids had been here.  Next year we will spend it together again! 

It has been far too long since I have posted.  Last post, I was still waiting for some test results.  They turned out to be good....all glory goes to God!  The story in a nutshell is this: 

I went for annual mammogram.  Was called back for a second mammogram.  Was told they needed to schedule a biopsy.  I dd all these things....each step of the way feeling certainly this was nothing.  I never believed I would hear the Dr. say "....your results not so good........early stages of breast cancer...."  However, that is what I heard.  The good news is very early detection!  I have had surgery and mid January I will start six weeks of radiation, taking a medication, and that will be it!  When I posted last, it was post surgery and because of a concern of drs, they were waiting for more results from a 2nd lab.  Glory!  It turned out to be good results!  I am doing very well.  I can do this.  This was detected early.  Therefore, I post this to say ladies, PLEASE have your annual mammogram.  When you are too busy, too distracted, too in denial, make that appointment anyway!  It may save your life!  I feel like the "poster child" for having that mammogram!

I am learning many things on this walk.  One is this:  God's grace pours out at that moment we need it.  Not too soon.  Not too late.  He is there  here!  He is bigger than anything I will ever face and He will carry me through it all!  I have so much to be grateful for.  He will do the same for you!

Gratitude!  So much gratitude at this time in my life.  Including for this little one: 

Can't help but be crazy in love with her!

As my friends obviously know, I love flowers!!



Fresh flowers all over my house and so gorgeous! 
There's a story to this and I will post soon.  Just waiting for some more test results to come back first. 
In the meantime, It Is Well With My Soul