It's Like Someone Flipped A Switch

The difference in how I feel is amazing.

From deathbed sick to wow......

it feels so good to feel good!

I was nearly giddy last evening.

Then......drum roll please....

I slept the whole night through!

That is huge.

Nights are very long when you wake up 

every hour or two.

I will honestly try to take it easy over the next 

couple of days. 

No relapses desired here.

There is at least one thing 

on the agenda today, though.

Yesterday Chelsea made brownies to 

take for dessert on Sunday.

It's a fellowship meal.

One of the dogs,

most likely Bandit, 

got into them as they cooled on the table

and ate about a quarter of them.

Since I was supposed to be responsible to 

put them in the freezer after they cooled...

Chelsea's instructions before she left for work....

it is up to me to replace them.

Well, that and the fact that she will work about

11 hours today...lol.

I was simply going to make the same thing again

but then came the special request.

Chelsea decided that I could make 

no bake cookies because I do it so well.

She said she remembers them from when she was

about knee high.

Talk about buttering me up.

This girl who has taken over all of the 

sweets making in our house asking for 

a special request....

and saying that they are a favorite 

childhood memory?

Of course I'll do it.

Just have to keep the dog 

out of them.

One important update.

If you followed all of links yesterday

you saw a miracle in process.

More children being rescued from their 

lives behind the walls of indifference ....

and worse.

Those of you who participated in 

meeting the challenge to help 

Laurel and Harmony....

what can I say?

You did good.

So good.

Thank You!

Now we pray that God continues 

the miracle and gets them into 

forever families quickly.

While there is still time.

Time is so short for them.

HE is good.

Whatever HE does,

however HE works it will be good.

Now, I could use a nap.

Maybe another day or two of 

recup wouldn't hurt.

But, I do feel soooooo much better!!

Thanks for your well wishes and prayers.

This Made My Jaw Drop Open!!!

If you go to this link

and read what my dear friend Susanna has written....

and then follow the link in that 

blog posting to the 

Micah 6:8 Blog

You, too, can be blown

away by the opportunity we have

to free these children from 

"Katie's Orphanage".

If you don't have a clue of what I am 

speaking of than I highly recommend reading

more at Susanna's blog...Such as Katie's Story 

on the sidebar.  It will change your world.

I promise.

I am totally, completely

blown away!!

Now to get my "2 cents" contributed.

So S .i .c. k. - Update

Maybe if I make a big hairy deal about it 

I'll start to feel miraculously better.

Maybe if I call the doctor

I'll start to feel miraculously better.

UPDATE:  Dr. appointment at 9:15am.
Maybe they can do something?
Hoping.

Funny, 

on Sunday we were discussing this

very type of sickness.

Stomach bugs.

We agreed that we would rather have a cold

for two weeks than get a 24 hour stomach thing.

I never imagined that I would, this very 

week, be headed into day four

and at least 10 pounds lighter

from the very thing we shuddered about.

Praying that the rest of our family 

and the church family stays healthy.

This is ugly stuff.

Sorry to have been MIA this week.

Hope to be much more 

upbeat very, very soon..

Cheery Daffodils

So cheery,

The daffodil.

Wish I was as bright and chipper

as I write this but it is 12:16 am

and I am waiting for the time to come to leave

the house and go get Jonathan from work.

Many parents do this thing...

but it is not on our top five things to 

love about being a parent.

I am very spoiled, though.

I always have company on the half hour

drive to Jonathan's job site.

Either Chelsea or one of the moms

comes with me.

Occasionally, if things are crazy,

the moms will just go and get him.

But most of the time it is me and one of the others

that dodges Amish buggies in the early hours

of Monday morning.

 

You would not believe how many buggies are out

at this time of the night.

We have counted them on occasion.

Nearly 50 one night when we took the most

populated road.

But, I have a route that allows us to avoid 

the most of them.  

 

It was a good day.

Church was great with time for fellowship 

in the afternoon...inspired by those rascally teenagers

who can't seem to get enough Ultimate Frisbee.

Sadly, Chelsea pulled something in her leg and 

had to stop playing early.

But, I think she still had a good day.

 

It is nearly time for me to go pick up Mom

so we can head out....

Wishing you a happy Monday.

And I am off!

Cherry Blossoms Drifting Down

Every year when the video of cherry blossoms on 

the National Mall begin hitting the news I flash back

to my Junior class trip.

We were a class of 13 in a small Baptist school.

They took us to Washington D.C. in two large vans.

The driver of my van was my history teacher.

He was in his 40's, never married and quite unprepared

to handle a van full of teenage girls.

I'm afraid we caused him much angst as we popped 

out at many stop signs and red lights to circle the van

before returning back to our seats.

Let me just say here, 

that was not safe.

I don't recommend it to anyone.

However, to hear him sputter and holler

at us somehow we just got the biggest charge out of it.

I am aware that these are not cherry blossoms.

but they were nearby and 

totally adorable in their own right.

Aren't they?

My strongest memory of our actual time in 

Washington was seeing the Jefferson Memorial with 

the blossom laden trees reflecting on the water.

I remember climbing the stairs of the Lincoln Memorial

and looking up upon the large statue of this 

dedicated man so vital to our past.

There he sat.

So regal and "frozen in time".

As Chelsea and I played under the cherry trees

at Longwood Gardens on Monday I scanned

these memories in my mind's eye one more time.

So precious.

Don't discount the impact of taking your children

and young people to see historical sites.

While I may have seemed just like another flakey 

teenage girl on that trip I was absorbing the things

I saw and heard.  They had an impact.

I've never forgotten.

Mr. M.  may not have been the most effective at keeping

us in the van but he struck gold as a teacher for being

willing to take us to see these sites.

To apply the things he had been teaching 

us all year long.

More From Longwood Gardens....

The photos above were all taken along the mini brick walk in the Conservatory.

It is so much fun to see what they have growing along there.

It is a combination of variety with perfection in height management.

While the weather was actually perfect during our visit we were commenting

on how amazing it would be to sit in here during a rainstorm.

Chelsea said I made the find of the day when I discovered a wonderful bench

under some fabulous pine trees.  It reminded me of places my brother and I used to 

play when we were kids.  

We would build forts under the pine trees.

Of course sometimes we would have to climb the trees....

but that wasn't an option yesterday.

From the outside...looking in....

From the inside...looking out....

The graceful sweep of these boughs is so pretty.

It reminds me of a book duo I loved as a girl,

Patsy of the Pinewoods 

and
Patsy at Pine Cottage

by 

Marian Schoolland.

I think I am going to have to find copies of 

these books.

I read them over and over again.

A gorgeous day to sit on a throne.
Especially if one happens to be color coordinated
with that throne.

It was such a nice day.
My favorite photos are yet to come.
The cherry blossoms....and forsythia.

Have a happy day!

Vee is Hosting A Note Card Party

You would think this would be simple for me since

I have already done this exercise to find photos

which I have actually turned into note cards.

Those are already for sale in my Etsy shop.

But, I just had to make this about finding

new photos note card possibilities

and kind of with a theme.
I actually have a whole file of photos
to make into note cards 
and NONE of these is in it.
Really just couldn't bring myself to 
not have the whole searching out photo
experience....*smile*

Otherwise it seemed a bit like cheating.

So, I went with flowers....

Surprise!

LOL

Of course I considered our pets,

funny signs, and other theme ideas

but as I browsed former posts 

these are the first four that popped out

to me.

If you would like any of these in the form of note cards,

just ask.  I have my local printing company 

on standby. 
*wink*

I hope you have enjoyed your visit here and 

will take a few minutes to visit other 

Note Card Party Participants.
I've been to most of them and can 
tell you that you will be inspired.....

Thanks Vee!

You are such a blessing!!

Longwood Gardens Showed Off for Us....

After checking out the weather forecast on Sunday evening we decided that 

cloudy conditions and 70 degrees would make for a good day at Longwood Gardens.

So, when we left our home in foggy conditions we had no expectation that by the 

time we pulled into the parking lot in Kennett Square the sky would be 

brilliant blue and the sun would warm our backs.

But, as you can see, that is exactly what happened.

It could not have been a better day.

Wow!

What a treat.

I have so many photos that they will just have to come out in batches.

Mom, Chelsea, Jonathan and I had a delightful visit.

Chelsea and Jonathan love that Grandma Ruth is always ready to play along with their silliness.

We have a bit of a mini tradition of taking goofy photos on the benches that are found

all over this lovely garden.

Mom and Chelsea check out a miniature room.

It is adorable.

And now back to the vegetation....

Pink perfection!

Orchids are the featured plant right now.  

Look at the floating orchid jars...love those!

Chelsea said something about how they even make the dirt pretty

at Longwood....smile.

I totally love the mini brickwalk in the conservatory but there is another 

spot that we have to visit each and every time.

It is found within a bamboo "forest".

I spotted Jonathan taking advantage of the quiet beauty.

Well, it was quiet until I got there.

Then I started "speaking" to people who were too far away to 

hear me...begging them to move out of my photo space.

I mean, really, did the man have to stand in the doorway?

Just look...at the before and after in the following photos.

Anyway, I had to be quiet because I was interfering 

with Jonathan's relaxation. 

LOL

Ahhh...I need to stop writing this post and get to work.  I have a very ambitious agenda

ahead today.  It involves filling candle orders, taking them to their happy new owners.....

taking Oliver to the vet to see how much damage was done by something that bit him.

He has two very nasty looking puncture wounds.  

We'll get his vaccinations updated too.

I need to clean, do laundry and do some cooking.

This keeps getting back burnered to the people and candle business

but the time has come that they really can't be put off any more.

So....I have a couple of projects to get started on today.

I hope your day is good.

Thanks for stopping by.

Don't miss Chelsea's testimony.  The link to get there is in 

the post prior to this one.

So amazing how God has grabbed her heart and 

changed everything.

Just everything.