Farewell, for a week :-)

And we are off!

Well, we will be tomorrow. But I just know that I will not have time to say "Adios" manana, so you get it today.

Summer Camp- Here We Come!

Thank you Lord, for what You do with our efforts to serve You. Thank you for the kids and the adults; please bless them with a safe and powerful week. Speak to our hearts and open our eyes to the work You are completing in us. Show us Your will in our lives, that we may be an open door through which only You are visible. Give us endurance and deep sleep! Above all, please bless this camp, and help it to be glorfying to Your Name. Amen.

The Long Factor

What really intrigues me about this grieving process is that I honestly feel like I "lost" my Grandma B many years ago, getting worse as time goes by from each stroke. So to actually be grieving that loss now is curious. Maybe I just never took the time to grieve before.

Today, by the way, is the service, and our family time together. Your prayers are still appreciated :-)

Thank you.

Kiera in the Kitchen

This morning I was getting scrambled eggs ready for the girls. Kiera has REALLY been interested in helping and watching in the kitchen lately, and normally I let her, unless she starts grabbing knives or other risky business.

I had the box of eggs between us, and yesterday she handed me the eggs so I could crack them.

Today, however, she apparently thought she was a big girl and could crack that baby by herself.

I cracked one on the counter, and a split second later another crack came from beside me, only instead of crack it on the corner, she has simply mashed in on to the top of the counter :-)

Splat!

So cute! And slightly messy. Especially when I give her a towel and ask her to soak it up and she swings the towel from side to side to mop it up :-)

Thank you

I just want to take the time to thank those of you who have written or called with your condolences. I really appreciate it. I still have my moments when I am as strong as ever, and then the tears flow. I almost feel like my own personal science project. When, Why, How?

My answers? I have no idea.

Be Informed

I know this seems like a stray thought, but I want to mention this to everyone.

Please be aware. Aware of our country's position in the world, aware of where we are on God's timeclock.

I think most people would agree that we, as in the USA, are not present on the end-times horizon. We don't know how or when or why, but we are very likely not a world leader in the not-so-distant future.

Do not let unpreparedness be your downfall. Ask the hard questions. What will happen if? How will we eat? How will we survive? Do not be caught with your eyes closed or averted. Keep them open!

A good start is to read this-- a WND article on an EMP's massive destruction capabilities. To put it simply and quote Chuck Missler "An EMP attack would catapult the United States back to the 1800's." I don't know about you, but I do not have the knowledge nor the means to survive like my ancestors did. This means prepare to be able to survive until we do.

Please Read. Please Pray. Please Act.

Balance

Grandma Bryant went home to glory last night. I find myself contemplating the balance between grief and joy. Joy mainly because she is HOME-- her journey is over and her true life has begun! I can't even describe how excited I am for her! And yet the tears still come...

I told Melia that Great Grandma had gone home to be with Jesus, and she comforted me by telling me that "God will give her a new body." No idea, other than the grace and wisdom of God through the words of a faithful 4 year old.

Luke 16 But Jesus called them to Him and said, "Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God. 17 Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it."

"Lord, give me the faith of a child. Not that I do not believe, but her faith has no expectations, just freedom."

I Can't Believe This Summer

I am so trapped inside this whirlwind of a summer. Yesterday I shopped for summer camp, took the girls in for a visit with Grandma B, went to the Dark Knight with Gabe, and then attended a prayer meeting. Today we are going up to Lake Chelan to spend time with Gabe's family (a MUCH needed break!)

Gabe works this weekend, so hopefully I will get some syrup made (apricots from the neighbors house) and canned, and more shopping done (50+ people for a week!)

Your prayers are much appreciated. My mind is the most drained thing of all! I need the ability to concentrate and take one task at a time.

And yes, I will share pictures again someday. When I have time to sit :-)

Sunday Night

I will try to catch up a little later on; I tried to post Friday, but when I hit "Post" I got an error message and it deleted everything I had put... Ugh. Not enough time to redo it.

Anyway, Grandma has moved into a nursing home facility for the days she has left.

Saturday, Gabe, Darcy and I took the girls up to the waterslides in Chelan with the church youth group, and we had a great time! Even Kiera warmed up to the "fun" part of water and not all terrifying.... although apparently she had some great "fear" faces on as we were coming down :-)

Just a little update for you... sorry I have been so absent lately, it's just life going on around me and I am having trouble keeping up.

Wednesday Night Update on Grandma

A huge prayer request-- not sure how to follow the "who's at fault" trail, but because Grandma *seems* to have improved over the initial 24 hours following last Thursday (which was the "you need to stay with her" day/night), Medicare doesn't want to keep paying for hospital stay. The family's preference would be for her to stay, and for us to continue on in this big room, which allows for the bunch of us, plus visitors-- it is a huge blessing, one that has made this time easier. Pray mainly that things would be worked out, and that we can just continue on as we are-- this could go on a while, but in all likelihood, it won't. More like a matter of days... but God has plans and purposes that we do not know or understand, so please also pray that His will would be done, and that He would be glorified through this. Pray that we would be testimonies of His peace and love and grace.

THANK YOU for your prayers.

THANK YOU cousin Rachael for contacting your mom-- Grandpa, as he is, is such a private person that it took a few days for him to even give Mom permission to contact people outside the immediate family. So we really appreciate you doing that! (No one said anything to me about not saying anything....soooo I am in the clear ;-) Other than that, Mom seems to think he is doing ok. Seems like he is finally coming out of the denial that this is going to be it, barring any further miracles. Enjoying the family being around and the visitors. Mom and Karla are staying with him pretty much 24/7, so keeping tabs on him. Pray for his strength too, please.

Another Update, Cause I just don't know what else to write....

Gabe and I were able to visit the hospital last night with the girls, and it was a busy room! Thank the Lord that they moved us to a quiet, larger room at the end of the hall where there is a couch and room for more of us! Grandma seems to be doing ok, she can still answer a bit, and mom said that she responds emotionally to Bible reading, which is so touching. Day by day, we live in His grace. Darcy gets to come home Thursday, so that will be special for her to be able to visit too.

The lone kitten (if it's a boy, maybe we will name him Ranger :-) is doing well, as far as I can tell. I still catch her nursing and she has moved him into a box, which I am very happy about.

I am starting to get a few green beans here and there, and more snap peas, blueberries and tomatoes. Rennea (MIL) recommended that I miracle-gro my corn, so I did it to everything! The corn already (1 day later) looks to be shooting up!

I also have some baby basil bushes if anyone close by wants one-- They were the cute little threesome in my square garden I had last year. They smell yummy!

I finished copying 1st Peter and 2nd Peter, and now am considering which to do next. Thinking about one of the minor prophets, as I really hardly know any of them. I will decide quickly, as this is quite addicting. I am up to a chapter a day, or more if time allows, and during the day my thoughts drift to when I can sit down again and work on it. What a blessing it is being! Thank you Lord!

Update

As of last night, when the girls and I visited the hospital, Grandma had been doing better. She was able to answer some questions (basic yes, no) and then when Melia said she loved her the mostest, Grandma said "mostest" back :-) Not sure I will take Kiera again, she was a little wild for the hospital environment... but then again, when she has playmates, that tends to happen.

We lost one kitten, but the other is doing well. She still hates me coming in, but deals with it. I am just not sure what is wrong with her "mothering" mentality. Lack of instinct? Continued prayers, definitely. Melia prays for her often :-)

Anyway, just catching you up. Sorry not a whole lot to post, but we're busy :-) as you know.

Thank you for your prayers.

Testing?

I am not sure how much more emotional stress I can handle!

First off, simple prayer request and thank you to those of you who already know and have been praying.... My Grandma is in the hospital, and probably won't come home. Not sure just how to put it gently, but we are told to expect her to meet her Lord anytime. This is my mom's mother. I think we are all doing ok, as this had been a long time coming, but the pain and emotions are still very visible, as we do love her so much.

Note of interest: I was thinking today of how different she has been the last, how many, 10? years since her first stroke. But her presence was still here. So even though we are used to the knowledge that any day another stroke could come, we will still miss her sitting there in her chair, listening and sometimes responding. This is all the great-grandma B that Melia has ever known, and she knows (as much as she can, which is actually suprising) that we will miss her. Melia asks if she can go to the hospital with me, because she "loves the girl that is sick" and "wants to see her one more time." *sniff*

And I know this doesn't even compare, but it is just another heartstring being stretched to it's limit! Tonight when we got home I checked on the cats and found that Marsha had birthed another litter (I was pretty sure she was prego, but had no idea she was so close!) Two darlings... but then the stress of praying and trying to decide what to do. Do I pull them and try to feed them myself? (Tube feedings every 2 hours) Do I leave them with her, hoping she will take care of them? I went out to take pictures, thinking I would not touch them. She cowered between me and them, growling and hissing at me. I petted her (unheard of!) and she never made an agressive move towards me. So, using the same hand with her scent on it, I felt their little bellies because I could not visually see that they were full. They weren't.

Melia and I prayed that she would take good care of her babies, and that she would feed them lots of milk. After getting the girls to bed and talking to Gabe, discussing maybe partially supplementing to give her a chance to come around, I just prayed and prayed that God would help me to make the right decision. One hand-- I desperately don't want to lose them. I was miserable knowing that I was responsible for the deaths last time. Other hand? Do I want to prolong the inevitable? Is it inevitable? And He provided. He gave me the idea to go out and check on them with a flashlight through the window, and if she was taking care of them, or by them, I would leave them be. If not, I would decide about partially or fully supplementing then.

I went out, tried to sneak up on the cat house, (hard to do on gravel) got up to the window, and shined the flashlight--which promptly blinded me. Nice try. Shined it again, aiming it carefully away from my face, and with my own eyes saw that she was actually nursing them!

Praise Him! Thank You Thank You Thank You Lord!
Your continued prayers are coveted, as both these situations can (and in one case, will) change at any time. I don't trust Marsha, but I do trust Him. A reminder that my eyes are "blinded" when I am only looking at what I can do. I need to refocus, look again, and expect miracles.

:-) He is so good.

Some Random Thoughts and Questions

Busy busy busy! But in a good way!

I am totally sold on the Edamame (soybeans) box from Costco-- easy little microwave boxes, in one big box, decent price, and good to eat! We all like them, even though Gabe thinks they are slightly bland. But this is easily remedied! They are slightly labor intensive, just because you have to squeeze them out of the pods to eat them... but not annoying or anything. They are in the freezer section :-)
My question? Can I grow my own soybeans? Anybody know?

Gabe's thought that stunned me this morning: He had gotten the girls' vitamins out of the fridge, along with ours at breakfast. I wondered what made him do this, and his response:
"You know what happens to you when you forget your vitamins?"
(I get grumpy...or depressed and lethargic)
So, does this happen to kids? Do they need their daily vitamin B-12 too?
They do seem to be happier today...

I made basmati rice tonight for dinner, mixed in with some beans, peppers, corn, onions.... Boy, that rice sure gets long! It was good, for my first try. Somehow, Gabe does this amazing rice and veggies option that is just yummy! Not off a recipe, of course... Just what sounds good at the time. Anyway, anybody have some good basmati rice recipes? Since I bought the big Costco bag? :-)

One of those days....

Don't you despise those days? The ones where you can't wait for it to be over?

That was me and the girls today.

I need to remember to take my vitamins.

And we all need more sleep.

Naptime was such a battle today, just because they were so tired! I am praying for healing and rejuvenating sleep tonight for all of us!

Picture title

hee hee,
I thought of a caption for one or all of kiera's pictures below.

Baby Model Changing Room.

:-) I laughed.

Kiera Being a Big Girl

Wow, I can't believe I still have pictures from Melia's birthday to share, when I have so many more since then! Prepare yourself, when I can find time (because blogger is slow) I will be inundating you with darling and funny kid pix.

These are Kiera on the morning after Melia's party, trying on all her clothes :-)

Spiritual Disciplines Class: Q&A

Ken V said...
I'd like to know more about your class... was it worth the time? Were there any surprising new insights? What new disciplines are you feeling challenged to try out?
Well.... where to start...
Koinonia Institute based their achievement levels on three "tracks;" the berean track (scripture study), the issachar track (end times knowledge-where we are on God's timeclock) and the koinonos track (living the Word).

The first two classes we took (old and new t) were obviously Berean, and this one signified our switch to Koinonos. And it was a switch! Not so much head knowledge, and a whole lot more heart knowledge. This makes it much more difficult for me! (I like black and white!)

But because we are on our first achievement level, the class itself was pretty basic. It went over what it really means to be a disciple through the lens of Judean schools. (I found this fascinating-- one of the literal meanings is "to follow in the dust of your Rabbi." Am I so close to Jesus that I live in His shadow?) To be a true disciple, I must be of the Shema, of Prayer, of the Word, and for others. Included was a week on the emergent church, which I appreciated because although I hear the term and know I don't want to be part of it, I didn't really know what was behind it.

The biggest leading I felt was to make my own copy of the Bible. I posted on this earlier because it was such a special answer to my prayer of how to go about studying now that our church bible studies are ceasing for summer. I just (finally) started on this-- I am starting with 1 Peter. (I wanted to do a book I didn't know much about, and a short one. It fits :-) I did a whole chapter today during naptime-- I think I will try to cut it down and try for more often-- We don't "hand"write very much in today's culture, do we?

Anyway, I totally think the class was worth my time, not because I "enjoyed" it per se, because Dan is a very different teacher than Chuck Missler, so the style was difficult to get used to, but God has led us to take these courses, and that means everything is part of the package! I learned a lot, more about what is lacking in my life because of time, but also that I need to act on the answers He gives! The classes like these that hint at being uncomfortable (!) give evidence to the areas in my life that need work in order to glorify Him.

Praise Him for His faithfulness and patience!

The Hose: Picture Succession

I'll let the pictures tell the story.

Happy Birthday Melia; Part Two

Whew! What a busy couple of days! But we were ready and waiting when our family began to arrive for Melia's special 4th birthday party! It was a fabulous evening, even cool enough outside to let Melia open presents in the yard-- just a great time. We are so thankful for our friends and family -- this means you!

Enjoy the pics!

Melia being bashful about starting to open her presents.

Melia can't handle how excited she is that she received a baseball mit from Grandma and Papa.

This is what happened when we sang Happy Birthday to her :-) Just can't handle her emotions very well :-) Shy Shy Shy!

I will post more later-- it's naptime! (No, not normally, but today I am walking on empty...)