New to me

Activities

My goodness! The Grands have kept me running. I was able to get dinner started, but housework is out of the question. I'm way too tired in the evenings to be productive in that area, too. I prefer to knit, cross-stitch or write these days. I need to schedule my writing in more if I'm ever going to get any headway with my book. I've got two in the "works".

It snowed this morning, but didn't stick. It's raining now.. and cold. VERY cold. It would get nice and cold in Montana, but not damp like here. The mold and mildew is everywhere and I almost am considering them as pets with all the cleaning up after them that I need to do to keep from sneezing my head off!

Rocky is growing like a weed. She's 4 months old now and weighs 23.80 pounds. Her behavior is getting better. She likes to go for rides in the car now and is pretty good once she settles down. I think she's afraid of going to the vet. Don't blame her. The last visit was better than the first and all her shots are up to date. Now to get her fixed and licensed. Oh joy.

That's it for now. Dinner beckons.

My Birthday (yesterday)

I had a GREAT birthday!! Ron went way out for me this year. Not only did I get a wonderful card, but a dozen roses, delicious dinner at Olive Garden and then he bought me a new computer!! The laptop still works, just not as perky as it used to be. Now I've got a desktop that is amazing. He was so generous and sweet!!

Now to put my music and photos on it. This will be a great opportunity for me to really organize my stuff and not put any junk on it. Nice, clean and 250 Gigs of storage!! Whoo Hoo!!! My first Dell!!

Time to get ready to go watch the Grands. Tah for now!!

Ah, The Holidays

Now that the holidays are over, a calm has fallen over our homes. The children made out like bandits! It was a wonderful time. There is only one thing that would have made it absolutely complete - the rest of the family. I wish my son and his gal had been with us.

We are all scattered across the Western United States - Montana, New Mexico and Oregon. But the distance never stops the love! That reaches across all boundaries of time and space.

I hope everyone in my family knows the love I hold for them in my heart. Not being able to communicate with some of them causes a deep sadness and longing, but I know they are well and I wish them all the happiness and success in their careers and lives. (Yes, you, Dear Brother and Dear Dad).

May this new year bring peace, joy, prosperity and true love into your lives - family, friends and strangers. By loving more, we can all bring that about.

Work continues...

The Richards Family Halloween 2008

Things are coming along nicely in our new home. Yesterday we tackled the den. A good sized dent was made. Enough so that Ron could watch his football comfortably. As I don't have the grand kids tomorrow, I hope to make a bigger dent. It was heartening to have Ron help me with all the work. I was juggling four things at once - baking peanutbutter cookies, preparing dinner, doing laundry and changing the bed linens. Whee!! It's almost a "down" day with the babes!

Both children are napping early today. They are both feeling "uky" and I'm going through Kleenex like mad. I know they will both feel better after a nice rest. PB&J sandwiches are waiting for them when they wake!

I'm crossing my fingers that I'll have the den completely finished tomorrow. It would be very satisfying to be able to have the whole apartment in order and everything in it's place (when I find that place). Organization and purging RULE!!

More later....

Eventful Day

My day started at 3:00. I woke up congested and as I tried to get back to sleep, I found myself getting out of bed and going to the living room. My thoughts turned to prayer. This isn't unusual for me; prayer is the first thing I do when I wake up.

So I settled down on the couch and was just being quiet when the phone rang. I didn't get to it in time, but saw from the caller ID it was my daughter. I immediately called her back. 3:30am phone calls aren't the norm. My grandson was having difficulty breathing and they asked if I would watch my granddaughter while they took him to the ER. No brainer - I threw on a robe and hurried over to their apartment. I'm SO grateful we moved closer!

Jordan was bundled up in a blanket on the floor, his head resting on his pillow and he was really struggling to breathe. I dropped to my knees and immediate told him that God was right there loving and caring for him. That God is closer to him than his breath is and started singing hymns to him. I asked his mom if I could call a Christian Science practitioner for him, and she agreed. I called my husband who then called the practitioner. As dad isn't of the same religion, I want to respect how they care for the grandkids - and they are very alert, caring and responsible parents. My first thought is to handle fear and the feeling of panic. The atmosphere in the apartment started to calm down, and although Jordan fought getting dressed to go to the hospital, we finally got him bundled up and his parents headed out. I turned to the Bible for support. It was a very frightening picture seeing this 4 year old boy so fearful and struggling. The reality that he was, is and always will be a perfect, spiritual idea of divine Love was the main idea I worked with. After an hour, I got a call that he was much better. He had calmed down. The doctor said he had croup.

I continued to pray for him and when his sister woke up - it was amazing she slept through all the noise and activity - she asked where he was. I reassured her that all was well and mom, dad and Jordan would soon be home. Joanna called again to let me know they were on their way home, and in the background I heard Jordan say, "Don't wake up Maddie! I'm all better!" He was very brave and wanted to come home much sooner than the doctor would let him. When he came in the door, he ran to his sister, hugged and kissed her and kept saying, "I'm all better, Maddie! I'm all better!!"

I came home and slept for about 2 hours then went back to babysit while Jo and Brandon went to a meeting at Jordan's school. Jordan was sleeping peacefully, Maddie was quietly watching TV. After 2 more hours, I got home and caught up on DVR recordings and started working on a "stained glass" project and knitted - oh yes, and napped. Later in the afternoon I called to see how everyone was doing, and Jordan was playing quietly with his sister. All is well.

I'm so very grateful for spirituality.com - the online Bible Lesson and the continuous streaming audio of Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy was invaluable to me today. When I couldn't focus on reading, the spiritual support was still right there., as God always is to us all.

Progress

How satisfying it is to settle into a new home. I'm taking it a little easier today. My choice of projects is to paint some dark furniture to give them new life. I'll need to buy more paint. I thought I'd be able to use the white primer to spruce them up, but that's not turning out as well as I had hoped. It is making the surface even and clean, but it's too dull otherwise. Methinks a trip to Michael's... In the meantime, I've got work to do!