My Mom

Her children arise and call her blessed.

Proverbs 31:28

Here's my Mom on her 80th birthday, November 11, 2007

She is surrounded by our 3 children and their spouses.

Dad couldn't be there 'cuz he'd been in heaven for 5 years and 3 days.

They were married for 52 years.

Mom had quadruple bi-pass surgery in early October that year.

She has had diabetes for 15 years, been a widow for 8.

We'd planned a big shindig

-that's "party" for those who don't know-

for Mom's 80th birthday:

"What a lady!  Margaret's 80!"

When Mom was sure she'd be strong enough to party-hardy,

family members and friends came from

Arizona, Florida, Minnesota, Washington, Oregon, and California

to celebrate with us.

We reserved Mom's favorite restaurant

PJ's Abby,

and the management graciously allowed 30 of us

to sing one of Mom's favorite hymns,

Be Still My Soul

before they opened.

Rarely has one who shunned the spotlight all her life 

been more, well, in the spotlight!

And deservedly so.

For:

She [was] a wife of noble character...

Her husband [had] full confidence in her

and [lacked] nothing of value.

She [brought] him good, not harm,

all the days of her life.

She...[worked] with eager hands.

She [got] up while it [was] still dark;

She [provided] food for her family...

She [set] about her work vigorously;

Her arms [were] strong for her tasks.

Her husband [was] respected...

She is clothed with strength and dignity;

She speaks with wisdom,

and faithful instruction is on her tongue...

[She is] a woman who fears the LORD

[and] is to be praised...

[Oh, Lord, this is my prayer for her:]

Give her the reward she has earned

[by Your grace]!

Proverbs 31:10-31

As I mentioned here, Mom has had some new health challenges.

She got depressed when we all left after Christmas.  

Isn't she cute?
She and I enjoyed French toast together the day after Christmas.

She didn't eat properly.

Didn't manage her meds well.

Got an infection.

Landed in the hospital for a week.

Has spent nearly 3 weeks in a skilled nursing facility.

That's where she is at this moment.

And I'm here.  So far away!

I told her the Lord has a job for her to do,

lives for her to touch, in that place.

She agreed, suggesting she could start with her 94 year-old roommate.

Oh, for grace to have such steadfast faith!

Lord, please lay Your healing hands on my Mommy.  Show her the good works You planned for her to do and make her arms strong, once more, to do them.  May she experience the joy You promise when we walk in Your ways.  And please guide my bro and me to take care of her well and honor her in all we do.  Thank You for the Godly heritage you've given me and all my family.

In Jesus' name.  Amen.

Thank you to all who've prayed for Mom during this time.

God bless you and keep you in His grace always.

Love,

Linking with Scripture & a Snapshot

 

and

Magical Mouse Schoolhouse

and

Renee Swope's

and

Iris @ Grace Alone

My Life...A Worthy Project

I've never been one to make resolutions.
I think it's cuz I'm afraid I won't have enough self-discipline
to follow through and keep them.

When I read about Cate's Project 2011 at Moments of Whimsy
last weekend I realized this:
I DO have some goals I want to work toward.

The thing that really struck a chord in me
was what Cate said:
"I need to treat my life as a project-
a project that is worth putting
some time and effort into."

Since I am a daughter of the
King of the Universe,
created in His image,
and saved by faith in His Son,
Jesus Christ,
I need to live as though that makes a difference.
People in my family, at work, and in my community
need to see Christ in me,
experience His love, joy, hope, and peace
when they are around me.

These are the goals I think are worth pursuing:
re-institute my daily quiet time with Him,
achieve my weight loss goal and maintain it,
move more!
pray for reconciliation & harmony within my family,
make plans with my husband to improve our marriage,
learn to be a grandma,
make a quilt for my first grandbaby, due in May,
buy & learn to use a macros lens for my camera,
work at taking better photographs,
grow more veggies this spring and summer,
eat more veggies,
initiate and plan girlfriend time,
call my family & friends more often,
grow into my role as mentor,
post weekly photos for the mcp project 52 flickr group,
post weekly updates-or lack thereof-for Project 2011
about what I've done to accomplish my goals.

Achievement begins with movement toward a goal.
I can move confidently in the direction of my dreams
and make a difference for Jesus as I do so.

Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God?  Therefore honor God with your body.
1 Corinthians 6:19-20
Therefore, as God's chosen people...clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience....Forgive as the Lord forgave you.  And over all these virtues put on love...Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts...And be thankful...Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly...
Colossians 3:12-16
What ever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men...it is the Lord Christ you are serving.
Colossians 3:23-24


May God grant you grace, peace, and mercy today!
Love,

Linking with
Cate's Project 2011 @ Moments of Whimsy

and Java @ Never Growing Old

and Mama To Four Blessings

Happy Last Day of 2010!

 Tuesday, our family woke up to this kind of weather:

At the beach near my Mom's home in California, 

people were wearing shorts and flip flops,

 playing in the sand, and walking along the boardwalk.

Others were catching tiny halibut from the pier.

Word nerd alert:

Is "halibut" the correct way to write the plural of "halibut"? 

Help me!

Help me, Rhonda!

Seriously, Rhonda and I want to know the plural of "halibut."

I love the opening line of that song:

Well, since you put me down,

there's been owls pukin' in my bed.

No, that isn't the real opening line,

just the one found in

Dave Barry's Book of Bad Songs.

When I read that, it made so much sense

'cuz I could never figure out what the lyrics really are.

Can you?

About 15 years ago, our family used to read Dave's column 

in the Sunday newspaper.

It was something we could laugh about together.

We had 3 hormonal teenagers, 

one menopausal Mom (me), 

and one worried-about-getting-3-kids-through-college Dad (my DH)

living in the same home and sometimes 

laughing together wasn't on the agenda.

But we sure looked forward 

to those fun moments 

on Sundays after church,

sitting on the couch together,

laughing.

Thank You, Jesus,

for the grace of those times! 

Major digression there.

But what happy memories those are!

We got home to the Beautiful Pacific Northwest yesterday.

There's no place like home!

This morning we woke up to this:

Let's see...

Warm, sunny, bike-riding weather...

My Little Brother is checking out the surrey with the fringe on the top.
Couldn't resist the reference to "Oklahoma."

 Or frost covering the landscape? 

The candy tufts-blooming in winter for the first time-have cozied up to the foxgloves.

I know many would choose the warm weather,

but 

there's no place like home.

After all,

I'm looking forward to the crocuses

[croci???]

coming up and blooming very soon!

What's it like in your little corner of the world?

Would you choose to live somewhere else?

Why or why not?

Linking up with Java at Never Growing Old
for Follow Friday 40 and over.

and
Kailani at An Island Life for
Aloha Friday.

and
Mama To 4 Blessings & Homegrown Families for their

Blessings to you 

on this, 

our last day of 2010!

Love, 

                                          

Meet Me on Monday

It's time for 

Meet Me on Monday,

the delightful blog hop that Java hosts on

-you guessed it-

Mondays.

Each Monday Java posts 5 questions

and then you write a post which includes 

your answers.

If you'd like to join in you can click on her name, above,

and add yourself to the linky do-dah on her site.

So, without further ado, here are my answers:

1.   How do you order your steak?

I don't order steak, ever.

I like to order seafood.

After all, I live in a place where it's available fresh year round.

I love scallops, seared, with a light garlic sauce:

2.  Are you superstitious about anything?

Nope.

I believe that God, the Creator of the whole universe is running the show 

and His plans for me are for my good.

I do get a kick out of blowing out 

my birthday candles with one breath, though.

Every year it gets a little harder.

3.  Who is your best friend (not including your spouse)?

That's a hard choice.

It would have to be either: 

Chris, whom I've known since we were 6.

We were each other's Maids-of-Honor

and I'm her son's Godmother.

It's been years since we've seen each other, 

but we're having lunch a few days after Christmas

in town we grew up in.

OR

Cheryl, whom I've known since we were 21,

and in college.

We had our babies together, watched them grow up,

graduate from college, and get married.

Even when we don't talk for a long time,

it's easy to connect about our faith in Jesus.

OR

Karen, aka:  the Real Karen.  She calls me Karen too/2.

We've taught Sunday School together, worked on lots of 

Women's Ministry gatherings, been in Bible study together, 

and watched our kids grow up.

Without her help with all 3 of my kids' weddings,

I would have...

Well, I just don't know how I would have got through them

without her!

My DH and I are her granddaughter's Godparents, too.

4. When is the last time you wore a dress (for the guys...a suit)?

If skirts don't count, I'd say it was for my daughter's wedding.

Above, right:  my best friend-the DH.

Doesn't he look handsome?!

5.  Do you have any trips scheduled?

Yes.  

On Christmas Day the DH and I

and all of 3 our kids and spouses

are flying to California 

to share Christmas 

with my Mom & brother,

DH's brother, nieces, and nephews!

Grace and peace to you!

Love,

     

What Will My Legacy Be?

As I shared here, there's a lot of junk in my past that I'm not proud of.

But when I walk in the grace of God's forgiveness

I'm free to dream about wonderful things:

like the fact that I will be a Grandma for the first time

around Mother's Day next year.

And I've begun to wonder

what kind of legacy will I leave for my children?

And now, my grandbaby?

The Holy Spirit reminds me that He is still at work in me,

that I am His beloved work-in-progress.

And He gives me this word of encouragement:

"Remember the faith of Timothy's mother and grandmother.

You, Karen, have that faith in Me.

Fan it to flame by spending time with Me."

I'm weak Lord!

He continues patiently,

"I did not give you a spirit of timidity, 

but a spirit of power,

of love

and of self-discipline."

[2 Timothy 1:5-7]

I want to be that kind of woman!

I want it to be said of me,

"She had faith in the Lord no matter what." 

Nichole Nordeman's lyrics brought these thoughts to mind today:

I wanna leave a legacy.

How will they remember me?

Did I choose to love? 

Did I point to You

enough to make a mark on things? 

Wanna leave an offering.

Child of mercy and grace 

who blessed Your name unapologetically

  and leave that kind of legacy.

Just wanna hear, "Good and faithful servant!"

[the video is at the end of the post]

Thank You, Jesus, that You continue to draw me to Yourself.

Give me grace to grow in my faith today.

Grace and peace to you, friends!

Love, Karen

Linking up with Iris & friends @ Thankful Thursday.

I Get To Play With My Dishes-Day #14 of Thanksgiving

It's one of my favorite homemaking tasks:

Playing with my dishes in preparation for a holiday meal.

Does that sound weird?

I don't get to use them very often, 

at least, not all at once.

Nearly all of them have memories for me.
Like the silver chest above.
We bought that service for 12 with money my parents gave us
for Christmas one year.

And the napkins pictured below.

20 years ago, when experiencing the beauty of fall 

was still new to me

-we had moved from San Diego-

I went in my yard and picked up 3 different kinds of leaves,

traced their shapes onto calico 

and sewed the shapes onto napkins.

That was the year we had the DH's great aunt 
and 6 new friends for Thanksgiving.

It was only the 2nd Thanksgiving I'd ever spent apart from my parents and brother.

Our dining room table, pictured here and only 5 years old then, 

accommodated all 12 of us wonderfully well.

I bought this bowl and pan at a beach community the year

-the only year in 32 years-

my Dear Husband forgot our anniversary.

Notice the mountain peaks in this bowl?

It came from Redstone, Colorado, a tiny community in the Rockies,
elevation 6000 feet.

This was my first piece of crystal.  Got it the year my son was born, 1983.

Don't ask me why I thought I needed a divided crystal vegetable bowl.

I must have been sleep-deprived, 
having just had my 3rd baby in 37 months.

This pretty Chantal deep-dish pie pan
is really too big for our needs 
except at holidays.

Oh, and all those post-it notes?  

I label the dishes so I know I have enough dishes 
and so anyone helping in the kitchen

will know what food goes in which dish.


Again, dear reader, I ask,
does that seem weird?

Putting the serving spoons in them ensures that each dish will have

the proper tool once it gets on the table.  
Saves time and confusion those last few minutes

when we're trying to get the meal on the table 

in a timely manner.

I learned to get my serving tools and dishes out 
a few days before a holiday, and to label them

from Emily Barnes about 25 years ago.

Anybody remember Emily Barnes?
What a precious spiritual and practical mentor 
she was to me!


This year I'm going to use these as bread plates.
Aren't they pretty?

This piece, also from Redstone, will be our water pitcher.
We got this the year DH and I rode horses with our friend, 
who lives there, up into the Rockies to 9000 feet.
Our guide cooked for us. 
After dinner we made s'mores by the camp fire.
There was a full moon that night.
It hailed marbles the next morning at 5 a.m.

When it comes time to serve pie, we will use these.

One Thanksgiving, I remember being secretly shocked

that my dear girlfriend wanted to use paper plates to serve the pie!

I thought, "On Thanksgiving?!"

I wish she was coming on Thursday,

but that's not possible.

She died of breast cancer at 42.

So there you have it, folks.
Playing with my dishes is a walk down memory lane for me.
As I lovingly lay them out,
I get to remember holidays 
and special dinners spent with
loved ones.


And for that, I am truly grateful.


Now, don't you dare forget that 
God rejoices over you and me!
Love, Karen


WHOOPEE!  
I found a whole crowd of like-minded bloggers who love to play with their dishes
so I'm linking up with 
The Tablescaper for Seasonal Sundays 

Take a peak at some of the beautiful tables these girls set!

God Rejoices Over Me!-Day #13 of Thanksgiving

The Lord your God is with you,

He is mighty to save.

He will take great delight in you, 

He will quiet you with His love,

He will rejoice over you with singing.

Zephaniah 3:17

Wow!  Thanks, Lord,

for all the ways

You actively love me!

I need to be grounded in that

because this week I'm facing a big challenge to my weight loss goals.

My scale has only changed 1/2# since my weigh-in last week,

but Julie says to think in terms of

NON-SCALE VICTORIES.

So the verse above is my NSV, my anchor, for this week.

Let me back up just a smidge.

On Saturday, it was meal planning time again,

times 3!

1. My DH and I needed nutritious meals between Saturday and Wednesday night.
2. We are hosting our daughter & SIL and our son and DIL for Thanksgiving.
3. So that means 6 of us will also need meals on Friday and Saturday.

I gathered the usual suspects:

my Weight Watchers' cookbook, my grocery list, pen,

and a pile of recipes.

Panic and confusion hit me.  I couldn't settle down to the task at hand. 

Does that ever happen to you when faced with lots of choices and/or a mountain of work to do? 

Then I asked God for His help, asked Him to quiet me with His love,

to guide my choices.

Guess what?

He  did.

Within an hour, I'd planned 14 meals,

including our Thanksgiving feast,

and all our meals from last Saturday to next Saturday.

Here's what I came up with:

*recipes from Weight Watchers cookbooks

Saturday-Dinner:  Ham Calzones*-the DH loved these so much, we had the leftovers on Sunday night

Sunday-Lunch:  Fried eggs, toast, thick cut ham

             Dinner:  Stuffed Cabbage* [I will make this next Monday]

Monday-Vietnamese Chicken Thighs* and Rice; Green Salad

Tuesday-Shrimp & Pineapple Saute*, Rice, Green Salad

Wednesday-Herb-stuffed Pork Chops*, Green Salad

Thursday-Brined Roast Turkey and all the fixins-I'll try to post our whole menu later gator.

Friday-Breakfast:  scrambled/fried eggs, bacon, toast, cantelope, orange juice

           Lunch:  Deli Ham Sandwiches, Green Salad, fruit

           Dinner:  Turkey Tortellini Soup, Green Salad, French bread

Saturday-Breakfast:  Pioneer Woman's Cinnamon Baked French Toast, sausage patties, fruit, orange juice

               Lunch:  Fajita Beef Tacos (slow-cooker recipe), Green Salad, Refried Beans

                Dinner:  Leftover Beef Tacos and Salad

Sunday-Anyone who is hungry on Sunday will have to cook or take the cook out to eat!

Monday-Dinner:  Stuffed Cabbage*.

I know that our Thursday through Saturday meals are higher in calories/points than usual.

But I can work my point system and I'll be alright.

It's good to have a my Weight Watchers points plan already in place.

How will you navigate this week?

What is your game/meal plan?

I weigh in tomorrow at my Weight Watchers' meeting. 

I'll let you know how I did.

However that goes,

I've got my NSV verse above.

Linking with Annett @  FitMomsFitKids for

and

Blessings on your week!

Love, Karen