Looking out and seeing . . . and remembering the netherland

Well, I woke up hurting this morning and decided to get up and get some crackers and take some medicine. The pain really is under control for the most part, if I take my meds on time, but at night I don't always get meds in me before they wear off . . . you know the whole sleeping thing . . . so I end up waking up in pain on a lot of days. Well that was this morning.

So I got up, ate crackers and took meds. I kicked on the tv and our local weatherman said to expect snow today, not of an accumulating nature, just some snow. So I looked out and nothing. It wasn't snowing or drizzling or anything, just cloudy and dreary, just like my mood. So I went about my morning of checking out some of ya'll's blogs and two of my fav's had posted updates, so that was fun. So I checked on Em and Betsy and felt better about my knee pain after reading their wonderful blogs, and then decided to open the curtains. And when I did . . . . . . voila ~~ SNOW ~~ beautiful, wonderful, lovely, not-sticking to the roadways kind of snow. AHHHHHH Beautiful!!!!! I was so happy that I went in to Dak's room (been a big change on the room front, but I'll post about that later) and woke him up and had him look outside. He looked out and said, "oh our first snow day ~~ great!!!!!" (Okay so this snow is not going to keep him from school tomorrow, but he went back to sleep dreaming that it might . . . oh sweet dreams, young one.)

Do you remember snow days? Oh I do. We lived in a remote village in the netherland, better known as Abesville MO. (Okay it wasn't the netherlands or Siberia, but it might as well have been to us 5 kids. We'd gone from the big city to a place that didn't even have a stop light, what?) Seriously maybe like 200 people adorned our little village. Our parents moved us there when I was starting the fifth grade ~~ what? Yeah my oldest sister was a senior. A SENIOR!!!!! What were my parents thinking? Okay anyway I digress :-) But when you had snow in the netherland you went NOWHERE. Because you couldn't get out of the driveway and down the dirt road to civilization. But one of the good things about living in the netherlands of Abesville, MO was that you could go outside and sled and build snowmen, yes and snowladies with their babies, complete with carrot noses and button eyes, and I just knew the magic wind would come along and bring them to life ~~ yeah it never happened, but I had hope people, lots of hope (and imagination apparently).

So when I woke up and saw the snow, I remembered. I really do like the snow as long as we can sit inside and watch it snow and eat soup and drink hot chocolate and play board games and watch football and snuggle. I love it!!!!!

My mood is now better. I have ice on my knee and medicine in my body ~~ things are looking up. We are going to try and take our Christmas card pics today. One of my fav things to do. I just have the best fam. Dick and Dak so willingly do this for our cards each year and they love me enough to not make it normal. . . . because let's face it we are anything but normal!!! :-)

The pic at the top is from our photo session last year, (yes I know very normal looking) but the main pic we used was us in silly hats. So cute. And the year before that we were wrapped up in blankets. This year? Yeah we don't know yet, but I'm sure at least one of them will include a lot of silliness.

So enjoy your Sabbath at church, I can't wait to be back on my feet good enough to be back to church. I miss it so. It may be awhile, so I'll just keep watching our sermons on the web (love that) and praying and loving my Jesus every step of this journey.

Have a Blessed Sunday,

Thanksgiving Fun

This is Dak and me posing for a pic we think hubs is taking, but he has the camera set for video and so he starts taking a video by mistake. We are whining at him and making funny remarks and talking about my very expensive knee and my cankles (which I DON'T have Dakota!! :-)

Anyway, it turned out very cute even with the whining and posing, hahahahaha, and just thought you might enjoy a little Thanksgiving fun just before we sat down to eat. This really started as a pic op for the blog and it turned into so much more.

So I hope you enjoy this little snapshot of the Winslow House on Thanksgiving!!!!! Don't you just love a bit a silliness? We sure do ~~ Blessings, Dawn

PS Obviously I am playing around with the look ~~ what do you think? Please stay tuned and maybe I'll get it figured out. =) If you have suggestions please let this blogger layout challenged girl know ~~ Thanks bunches!!!

Thanksgiving Joy

HAPPY THANKSGIVING! ! ! ! !

I hope you all are already having a Beautiful Day!!!!!

Yesterday, Dak and his friend Brandon made Sweet Potato casserole complete with topping, ready to go in the oven later this morning, they made and baked two pumpkin pies (they look DELICIOUS by the way), and then last night Dak helped me get the turkey breast out of the brine and rinsed and ready to go in the oven this morning. He also helped get the cornbread broken up for the dressing. Already this has been a great Thanksgiving for us. A lot to give thanks for.

My sister Dena and her daughter (my neice) B will be running the Turkey Trot this morning. I am so excited for them, and so ready to run/walk with them next year. I just talked to her about 30 mins ago and they are already there and ready to go. I am so proud of them!!!!!

Well, our turkey breast is in the oven already and the potatoes are fixin' to be peeled and the dressing is getting ready to get dressed, so things are looking good around here.

On the knee front, Staples are out and I get to shower today ~~ YAY!!!!! ~~ it is, however, a little ouchy today. I didn't sleep very well last night, but that is actually a good thing. When we went to PT on Tuesday she said that we needed to start moving the new kneecap around. So we are, and it is irrating it, because I'm not sure that it likes to exercise yet, but it's new to this body, it will get used to me and my active ways, it's just going to take a little/lot of doing :o) So I'm sure we just got it good and irrated yesterday, so last night it didn't want to sleep, but I'll take it. I'm going to choose to believe that means it is getting better. I'm telling ya I choose to believe the best in this ~~ THE BEST!!!! Because God is working it out in me ~~ and I'm so excited to see what He will do with this ~~ He is in control!!!!!

Have a Blessed and Beautiful Day of Thanks ~~ Kiss your honey and hug your kiddos (young and old) extra tight, and pray. Pray for all that is going on in India and pray for our country and all that we face here, and pray for each other. And remember God is in Control!!! He is on the throne and nothing is impossible with God ~~ nothing!!

Love you all,

Dawn

No Your Fabulous!!!!!

I have been trying to catch up on my blog reading lately. And as I was surfing one of my fav's of ALL TIME, I found this award . . .

that she designated to five of her fav blogs and she included me in that. I was so excited. Let me just say that I am now convinced after reading five of her fav's that we were separated at birth. (more explanation in a moment :-)

I would first just like to thank Em, personally, on this blog for her kindness during this season in our lives. She has called and sent cards and most importantly been a prayer warrior for us. She has let God lead her and has been obedient to that call. She phoned me the other evening, and unbeknowst to her, I was having "a moment". You know the one ~~ breaking down because, well just because I can't paint my toe nails right now and because Christmas is coming and Thanksgiving is upon us and well, yeah, just because. And in the midst of my "moment" Em called and talked me out of my sniffling, ugly, crying spell, and I don't even think she realized it. I so appreciate your friendship. Thank you for this sweet award, it is a welcome distraction to what is going on today: Staples out and PT ~~ now I am happy about both, it just starts another painful part of recovery ~~ BRING IT ON!!!!!

So what is this one about ~~ let me post the rules:

The rules of accepting this reward are that you have to list 5 favorite addictions and then pass along this award to five other fabulous blogs!

1. Now to the part where we were seperated at birth: DARK CHOCOLATE!!!!!

Dark Chocolate just rocks this little ones world ~~ OH YES IT DOES!!!!! And I'm with Em, I'll even settle for the Hershey's Special Dark when necessary ~~ MMMM!!!!! One of my fav DC bars is from our local health food store. I don't know the name of the company, but they have animals on the front of the bar, and one of my fav's in this brand is the Panda Bear ~~ Dark Chocolate bar with dried cherries ~~ be still my heart.

2. Right now, in this season, a current addiction is ICE PACKS!!!!! They keep my knee under their control and me in bliss, covered up on my couch with my knee packed in ice. Oh yes ~~ it is nice!!!!!

3. It goes without saying if you have read my blog at all, but I am addicted to teenagers ~~ one in particular gets my goat ~~ yep Dak~~ And currently he is sitting along side me surfing Itunes on hubs laptop and he just got through seranading me with "Footloose" ~~ Yes the Footloose song from the movie (is there any other), yes the movie I walked out on in the '80's. They are singing it in a production he's involved in with his Chamber Choir in February. Kickin' it old school ~~ Love this kid!!!!!

4. COOKBOOKS ~~ Okay so this maybe an unhealthy addiction :-) My idea of a good time is sitting on my couch surrounded by my MANY cookbooks or cooking magazines (new and old) and reading, yep reading, just like a good book. I love to peruse them and dream of what this recipe will look like and taste like. I love it!!! Yes I know sad really~~

5. Wow I'm at the last one for this segment of five (just five huh?) ~~ I am addicted to my husband ~~ is that weird? Seriously, I think I'm a stalker :-) I love to watch him with Sky ~~ it is true bliss ~~ I love to watch him hang out with Dak ~~ I love to watch him watch me ~~ I just love him!!!!! He is by far, the kindest, most genuine person I know. He is truly ALL THAT!!!!!

So this concludes five of my five gazillion addictions!!!!! :-)

And now to passing this along: So I have so many more than five fav blogs, but I do want to pass this along to: Heather L.A.S.S. ~~ Meredith ~~ Laura ~~ Linda ~~ and Betsy ~~ I love ALL these blogs and so many more. These ladies so inspire me and lift me up with their enthusiasm for life and their love for Jesus!! Ladies YOU ROCK!!!

Thanks again Em, for this much needed island of fun, in this ocean of craziness!!!!!

Have a Blessed day,

Dawn

Humbled and Thankful . . .

I wanted to share with you a journal entry from 11/15/08 (last Saturday) on our (very long) way home from the Mayo Clinic and surgery.

As you read this please know that I am okay, but this is the humbled part of this post.

"This week has been one of the most humbling of my life to date. When the pain hit its high on Wednesday and then lasted into Thursday, my thoughts went to the Lord and I thought, 'are you taking me home? And if you are, have I done all you intednded me to do? Have I been the girl you wanted me to be?'

This past week has so helped me to see even more that it just isn't about me, and God is in control!!! In those moments when the pain was so bad I didn't think I could stand it, God was there. As I laid in my hospital bed, He was there. I cried out to Him and told Him I needed Him, and He reminded me that He is my sustainer and He reminded me last night of the words He gave me in church last week, He is the lifter of my head. I can honestly say that last week I'm not sure I understood, but today I do. He truly was the lifter of my head when I couldn't lift my head on my own. He held my hand through my husband. He has blessed me greatly indeed."

So how am I today? I'm doing better. I'm still having much difficulty bending my leg, but I'm making strides everyday. I'm adjusting to what things are like right now, and I'm doing good. Looking really forward to this week, because I get staples out and I start PT on Tuesday and Thanksgiving is Thursday. Hubby has just left to go buy our bird ~~ yep that is a smile that is coming across my face. I love that man!!!!!

We got to have Sky this weekend. That was so fun, very hard on hubby because he essentially had two children to take care of :-) but he did a wonderful job, of course. And Dak gets back home today from a weekend away with family and friends. YAY!!!!!


I so wanted to post a Thanksgiving post last Thursday, but was still having a difficult time sitting at the desk without my leg up, so sorry about that. But today I'd like to post a few things I'm so thankful for and hopefully I will be back on track this week with posting.

I am thankful for Jesus who saved my soul from death and gave me eternal life in Him.

I am thankful for God who lifts my head and sustains me every moment and reminds me of His love.

I am thankful for my husband that loves me unconditionally and shows me that love EVERY SINGLE DAY WITHOUT FAIL!!!!!

I am thankful for my son, that God has so richly blessed us with. He brings joy to painful moments and reminds me of the faithfulness of God everyday.

I am thankful for my friends that love me and help me even when I want to do things by myself. They step in and love me and hug me and tells me its okay. And then do what needs to be done, all the while making me feel like part of the process and important ~~ love that.

I am thankful for the thorns that come with the roses. I know that I am learning through this process and that Jesus is in control of all!!!!!

I am thankful for the Blogworld. What a wonderful thing it is ~~ I learn so much by reading about others struggles and the way they deal with them and also to see how God moves in the lives of His kids ~~ it truly is astounding.


Thank you so much for reading and commenting and emailing me through this season. I truly look forward to seeing who has left a comment or emailed me, it lifts me up.

It's good to be back, and I look forward to getting back in the blog-swing of things just as the holidays are upon us.

Love and Blessings to you all,
Dawn

Home Sweet Beautiful Home!!!!!

Yes we are home -- Hallelujah!!!!! We got home yesterday about 12:30 pm. Home has never looked so good, let me tell ya.

Thank you so much for the e-mails and comments and I just want to apologize upfront for not keeping everyone better informed. It has been a tough week, but one I hope to elaborate on in the coming weeks. But for this post I just thought I'd give you a quick update before I drift off to my own personal crazy sleep land -- pain meds will definintely do that to ya :-)

The surgery is over and I am recovering. It does appear that this will be a rather extensive recovery time, but we're up for the challenge. Hopefully tomorrow I will be able to get PT scheduled and get on that road for awhile.

If you are wondering what we are really in need of prayer wise right now, it would be for strength. The PT we are currently doing is tough and will only get tougher if this leg doesn't get more movement. I'm almost straight out but having a really difficult time bending it. And it is extremely painful. I am taking more pain meds and just trying to deal with that whole thing. But it really is okay.

I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I've committed unto Him against that day.

He has it all under control. I rest in knowing that I am His and He is working it out. I have learned so much over the last week. God is revealing Himself in this. To God be the glory, great things He has done.

Blessings to you,
Dawn

Heading Home Please Pray

Well we are heading home and only made it about 2 hours and 35 minutes before we had to get a motel. I've been so sick and really had a difficult time with the medicines.

Would you all please pray for us that we get a good night's sleep and have a productive day on the road tomorrow without me being sick or having too much pain? Please pray that God would work through the Aspirin and Tylenol that I'm taking just like if they were a narcotic for pain relief without the side effects. Hopefully I will not have to take many more narcotics.

I love my husband so much, and let me just tell you watching the pain and joy he has experienced with me the last several days along with all the times he has WILLINGLY helped me with items that a girl never wants help with from her husband. And he hasn't made me feel embarrassed or bad about it a single time. I love him so. Please pray for him, he has been very busy with me and we still are not home yet. Please pray that God will continue to give him strength and give us traveling mercies.

I'll try to post tomorrow when we get settled for the night and let you know how far we were able to make it tomorrow.

Love you all and thank you so much for your prayers,

Dawn

Surgery is Set

Well, we have had quite the day, and once we get through this surgery and things settle down I plan on posting about it, but for now, I need to get ready for bed.

I wanted to let everyone know that we are to be at the hospital at 8:30 am.

I'd really like to thank everyone for your prayers. They mean so much to us.

Have a Blessed week,

Dawn

Itinerary and a day in the life of my current knee!!!!!

Hello all ~~ I wanted to take time out from packing (whew I'm tired :-) to post our itinerary.

We will be leaving Sunday morning from here (MO home) at about 6:00 am. Hopefully we will arrive in MN by 4:00 pm.

Monday Morning: Pre-op appt with Dr. Dahm at 10:45 AM
Monday Afternoon: Pre-op appt at the hospital (Methodist Hospital - Rochester, MN) at 1:45 PM

Tuesday: Surgery ~~ We do not know the time yet. We will find out on Monday. I'm hoping to be able to post Monday afternoon or evening the surgery time.

I should get out of the hospital on Thursday or Friday. Either way we plan on starting for home on Friday. We are going to probably take two days coming home. So we should be home by Saturday (November 15th).

So how am I feeling you ask? Actually pretty good!!!!! The anxious bug hit earlier in the week, followed by a case of the nerves, and now? I'm ready to go. No I'm not packed, and no I don't have all Dak's stuff ready for him, and no I haven't made all the phone calls I need to make, BUT I am ready to go. God has given me such a peace. Once in a while I still get hit with the anxious nerves, but I am just trying to breathe and relax and remember that my Jesus loves me and He's got me. All is good!!!!!

The last couple of days I've let my mind wander to that place where I think about no pain in my knees. That is a good place, let me tell ya. I've asked myself "how are you going to feel when your knee doesn't hurt all the time and you're able to get around and do the things you like to do with your family?" The answer to that brings a smile to my face: GREAT!!!!! The doc's all say this surgery isn't perfect and we could still face problems and pain with this, but I'M BELIEVING GOD!!!!! He's given them the technology to do this, so they'll do what they know to do and God will do the rest. I believe that. I'm so looking forward to walking while Dak runs circles around me and going hiking, oh sweet hiking in the woods with my fam once again. We've set a goal of mushroom hunting in the spring. YAY!!!!!

Just two more days of taping my kneecap in place ~~ WOOHOO ~~ we are so ready to be done with that part of the process. And on the subject of taping my kneecap, I wanted to give you a glimpse into my hubby's mornings around here. We get up at 5:00 am and he leaves for work about 5:20 am. In the course of that twenty minutes he gets all ready for work, while I make him lunch and write out his verse-of-the-day, and then I get my leg stretched out on the couch while he gets a pillow positioned just right under my heel so we can get my leg relaxed enough so my kneecap will move over into place. Then he puts three pieces of tape on my knee and then takes a stronger tape (one piece) and grabs the edge of my kneecap and pulls it over and tapes it down. And he does this every morning (with the exception of Saturday ~~ we take that day off of taping sometimes).

So why do I tell you this? I think it's actually harder on him to do that than on me. It would be awful if I had to be the one to do this to him, because I wouldn't want to cause him any pain, and that is the way it is for him with me. He always gives me a sad look and then hugs me. He loves me so ~~ I am so Blessed.

So when your praying in the next few days, please remember my sweet and very dedicated husband. The next week will be REALLY hard for him as he will be spending the days with me at the hospital and then he'll be going to a motel room at night without me. Boo ~~ But then, oh sweet bliss, I'll be out of the hospital and we'll be on our way home.

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU for all of your prayers. I will try to post on Monday evening the surgery time and then I probably won't be able to post again for several days.

Being Thankful

So three weeks from today is the official Day of Thanks; Thanksgiving. But I would like to propose that everyday should be a Day for giving Thanks. Thanks to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for the gift of Salvation. That is truly something to be thankful for with every breath.

During this current season in my life I find that Thankfulness has taken on a new dimension. I try to be a thankful person. Thankful for my Jesus, my husband, son and g-babe; for family and friends. I'm so thankful to live where we do and have the neighbors that we have. So thankful for the school that Dak goes to and being able to minister in that school. And most recently I'm thankful for knees. However stinky mine are right now I am ever mindful of having legs so I can have problems with my knees. Yes I am thankful.

So with Thanksgiving just three short weeks away ~~ it will be here before you know it ~~ I wanted to give you some yummee dessert dishes you can sink your rather tired teeth into.

You know each week, I have tried to give a recipe or craft item that I'll be making the next week to show. Well, I have that item this week, only I won't be making it (unless I do it in the next couple of days :-)

But if anyone would like to try it for me, oh please do. I found it here. Just type in candy cornucpia in the search and you will find.

So without further ado . . . How cute is this? And it is not even that hard to make. I saw this in the "Good Things" section of my MSL mag. So Cute!!!!!

And these turkey cupcakes I told you about last week. How cute are these? They just make me smile.

So I did try these, and this is what I came up with.
I asked my hubby what he thought and he thought it was a sheep.
A sheep, really honey?
Hahahahahaha, HeeHeeHeeHeeHee, we got a good laugh out of that one.
Anyway I think it's very cute ~~

Now if you'd like to make these most adorable cupcakes I will have them on my recipe blog here. Along with this delicious recipe: Pumpkin Mousse. Stop it ~~ I know. It is the most delicious stuff. And it is posted on the recipe blog as well with variations: Pumpkin Mousse Trifle and Pumpkin Mousse Tarts. MMMMM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Now along with the tradional dessert fair like, Pumpkin Pie and Pecan Pie we usually have Banana Split Cake made by my baby sis. It is so good. And she can't show up without it. I mean literally we'd have to kick her to the curb (okay not literally, but hubs has threatened :o) It's just that good!!!!!

So there you have it. I will probably not be posting a Thanksgiving post next week since I'll be hanging out in all my hospital gown loveliness with a ginormous bandage on my leg and a Z Pizza in my lap. YUMMEE!!!!! But if any of you would like to post a Thanksgiving post in my place, please oh please do that and let me know via e-mail so I can come check it out.

I got some good news at lunch time today when I talked to hubs. He said that after work tomorrow evening he will be going by daycare to pick up Sky and bring him home with him. Chase has to work tomorrow afternoon so Sky gets to stay tomorrow night with us. How great is that!!!!! We didn't think we'd get to see him until we got back. So that is good news!!!!!

Well tomorrow I will be posting our itenerary for next week. I would just like to thank everyone for your prayers and comments, they mean so very much us. Well, if you have packing and/or traveling tips for us, please send them along our way.

Have a Blessed evening,

Dawn

Whatever is True, NOBLE . . .

So what is the definition of Noble? Merriam Webster defines it this way: possessing outstanding qualities ~~ do you know anyone that fits this description?

I definitely do!!! During the course of every knee related thing we've been dealing with as of late, I have come to know in a deep way some people who are absolutely Noble. They are people who are so willing to give of themselves to our family just to help out ~~ just because they care. Some have given monetarily others having given of their time and talents to help us and then there are MANY who are giving time on their knees for mine, in prayer. Everyone who has said a prayer for us or helped us in any way is Noble to us ~~ you are people possessing outstanding qualities and we love you SOOOOOOOO VERY MUCH!!!!! Some of you we will be calling on in the days after surgery to help with taking care of my NEW kneecap ~~ oh hallelujah!!!!! doesn't that have a nice ring to it? And we just want to say: THANK YOU!!! The apostle Paul tells us that we are to think on noble things. We are so thinking of everyone who is helping us in anyway!! Lots of love going out to you from the Winslow's ~~ LOTS OF LOVE!!!!!


So I'd like to show you some pics of the happenings around here and share some good news (relatively speaking :-) at the end of this post.

1st up the pics!!!!!

I must give a shout out to my baby sis on this first one ~~ she has a SWEET affection for Eeyore ~~ and you all remember that our sweet G-babe was Eeyore on Halloween (see pic at side ~~ oh please just take a gander over ~~ can you ever get enough of this one? ~~ We can't!!!!!)

Anyway, I was at WM yesterday, and one of those Noble people I described in the beginning of this post had given me a GC for WM before we left for Mayo the first time, and I still had some left on it, so I thought I'd try to find some comfy's to wear while at the hospital, and this is what I found ~~ on clearance no less, GET-OUT-OF-TOWN!! I know ~~ TOO CUTE!!!

Me and Eeyore just hanging out!! (Dena how totally cute are these ~~ I know :o)

And yes that is Eeyore plastered all over the PJ bottoms as well :-)

And then on another note, these are the stickers we got at the polling places yesterday.

The big one is what Dak got at school yesterday and the little is the one I got at the polling place.

School had a mock election for all the kids to participate in. I think it is so important that our kids are involved in this process, even if they are to young to vote in the actual election. These votes count as well in the big picture, because it is such a GREAT lesson for our students of today ~~ who are our future leader's and voters of tomorrow!!!

Our candidate didn't win, but it was such a GREAT lesson, because Dak said he prayed for this election and he had faith. His candidate didn't win, but he said that God still answered his prayer, of that he was sure. Isn't that great? I love that kid!!!!!

Mom and I went to town today to get her flu shot and we ate lunch at Lola's. It is kind of like a tea house, but not ~~ clear as mud right? Mom had the chicken salad sandwich on marble rye with a cup of healthy hearty vegetable soup, with chips and a pickle, and then I had the veggie with dill aiola on honey wheat with a side salad with blueberry poppy seed dressing ~~ yes you did read that right ~~ be still my blueberry lovin' heart ~~ and we both had blueberry tea to drink ~~ oh my stars ~~ delish!!!!!

Okay anyway I digress ~~ we also did a little shopping today and mom bought me these adorable jammies ~~ are these not the sweetest? Thanks mom!!!!!

Okay and this she got for G-babe ~~ I KNOW ~~ this is the sweetest ~~ he is going to be the cutest reindeer you have ever seen. I'll be sure to take a pic of him in this sweet head gear attire ~~ thanks again mom!!!!!

And then my friend and I are just finishing up our latest Bible Study and getting ready to embark on a new one. And this is the one . . . We are soooo excited!!!!!

I love studying the Word of God.

So for the good news (relatively speaking) part. The doc called this afternoon and they have the MRI results for Dak. He DOES NOT have a torn Achilles tendon. What he does have is swelling and fluid on his calf from a bruised bone on his heel ~~ ouch!!!!! The good news is that he won't have to have surgery!!!!! PTL!!!!! And with rest and light duty workouts, he should recover just fine. We are sooooooooo thankful!!!!!

Well there you have it. Some good news, a few thoughts on Noble ones, and some fun pics.

Tomorrow is our next Thanksgiving installment ~~ oh how fun. It will be the last installment before surgery ~~ so please feel free to kick back and enjoy with a Peppermint decaff yumminess with whipped cream from Starbucks or a lovely Sonic drink of your choice :0)

And then on Friday I will be posting our itinerary for next week.

Blessings to you, Dawn

Whatever is True, Noble, Right, Pure, Lovely and Admirable . . .

The Scripture says to think on such things. In fact it says this exactly:

"Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things." Philippians 4:8

These are the things I will be CHOOSING to think about in the coming days.

I really started the count down in my mind last week, saying things like, "we leave two weeks from today or surgery is two weeks from tomorrow, in three weeks surgery will be done and we'll be on our way home." Yes how I've tried to put things into perspective so when we got down to the week before I wouldn't do the freak-out thing where I realize we leave in a week and on an on. . . and for the most part I thought it was working pretty well, but this morning has been anxious ridden for me for some reason. And it actually hit AFTER my quiet time this morning.

So I thought I'd go back to the Scriptures I read this morning and read them again, and I did, but felt like I needed to read a little more. So I started reading in Philippians 4 and my eyes fell on verse 6-7:

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

Don't you just love the Word of God? It speaks right to the heart of whatever your going through. I need peace and here it is in Holy Writ: The Prescription for Peace. Present your requests to God, pray, petition Him, oh and sweet peace will come child. (my paraphase :0) I love that.

Well, now the countdown has officially begun. We leave for Mayo one week from yesterday. We have pre-op appointments one week from today. And surgery is one week from tomorrow. I will be getting an itinerary up a little later in the week and hopefully will be able to blog on Monday evening after appointments to let all know the actual time of surgery. We would so appreciate your prayers.

So let me just speak for a moment about anxiousness. Right here in the Word Paul tells us NOT to be anxious about anything. Why? Because child, God's got your back. Sometimes I think we just need to be reminded of that very thing, and sitting in church yesterday I was. As I was sitting in church God spoke this to my heart, "I am the lifter of your head!!" PTL!!! I am so thankful that God has me, I am His and He is mine. So I will spending this very busy week preparing for what is coming up and busy remembering that God is the Lifter and Provider and Strength .


So that is some truth of the Word for you to chew on today, and think about. I will be addressing the things I'm suppose to be thinking about this week and every week; the things listed in the title of this post, knowing that God will give me strength and peace.



I would like to post a couple of pics from this gloriously busy weekend we just had. But Blogger won't let me ~~ bad blogger!!!!! Yes we've had our moments recently :0)

Hopefully I'll be able to post some pics tomorrow of Dak in All Districts Honor Choir and cuteness our itty bitty and the new holiday table centerpiece for this week.

Hope you all have a blessed day and week. Thank you for your prayers and all of your sweet comments.

Blessings,
Dawn