Long week.

I don't know exactly what I did, but now my template is white, just white, and I am just too tired to mess with it anymore tonight.

I am finally done working my seven day stretch, and I am off tomorrow!

Woo Woo!!!

I feel better today, although I did go for my shot tonight and my arm really, really hurts. Three more to go, and I am not looking forward to it.

I went to church this morning and ended up crying in Sunday School, I love all my brothers and sisters there, they were so sympathetic and some even cried with me.

My friend Crystal is going through a rough time right now as well. She is only bearing things because God is seeing her through. This Wednesday is the one year anniversary of her brother's death, I posted about it last year on my old blog. He was only 31, so that is looming large in her mind. She is pretty broke and is struggling financially. And she had more bad news this week, her aunt has been diagnosed with cancer in her kidneys, lungs and spine.

Crystal is the dearest, sweetest woman I know. She cried over my cats as if they were her own. Every time she sees her own cats, she cries because it reminds her of my own loss. She is going through her own troubles, yet she she grieves with me over my loss. God has provided me with such a wonderful friend in her, and I pray that I am as good a friend to her as she has been to me.

It has been the longest couple of weeks for me, I am beat.

So I believe I am going off to pray, read my Bible a bit and then sleep.

Tomorrow is another day, and maybe I can tackle the piles of laundry that seems to have multiply over night.

Changes Again!

It seems I can't enough of change.

So I putzed around this morning, and changed my background.

What do you all think?

Christmas is coming. I love Christmas.

There are a few things I want to add here, but I don't have the time today.

I need to cook.

Today is Thanksgiving.

Oh, I know it was really on Thursday, I am not that dumb. But since I had to work, and DT and Boo were off to do their own things, then I am having it today.

I really do need to get off here, I have a lot to do.

Sweep the floor, finish laundry, run to the store, stuff the bird, and you know, all that fun stuff.

Later this afternoon, Crystal is coming to join us, Boo and her beau will be here, and DT and his friend are planning to arrive sometime this afternoon, if they can drag themselves from the woods.

I am ok today, as upset as I was yesterday with the loss we had, I have God filling me up, and I have so much to be thankful for.

And besides, that child must have been very special indeed since God took him or her home.

That gives me comfort.

I still have all my wonderful children, my SIL and DIL, and five sweet grandchildren.

I have my four sisters and a brother. My Dad and my Grandma.

A plethora of other family members.

Two best friends.

And my dear sweet husband who when he heard about the baby being lost, insisted that he is coming home early to be with me.

I have my God who strengthens me, Who loves me beyond measure, Who guides me along my path, Who carries me when I am weak, and Who has given me so much to be thankful for.

Even though part of my heart is saddened by the loss of a grandchild, I come before God with a grateful heart, my heart is full with His love, peace and joy.

Not Alone

My family abandoned me for Thanksgiving.

No, I am not feeling sorry for myself, just stating a fact.

DT's best friend showed up from PA on Tuesday. He got a little lost and ended up at Mickey D's, so I went and rescued him.

They left that afternoon to go hunting down in the swamps on Cape Fear River. Hubby called me yesterday morning, highly disappointed, he missed a buck with a huge rack.

Boo spent the day with her boyfriend and his family. They invited her when she told them I had to work.

Then my schedule was switched from 11 am to 8 pm, to 4 am to 1 pm. Which was ok, I would rather have had my afternoon off on Thanksgiving.

I was extremely tired though, on Wednesday, I worked till nearly 8:30 pm, came home, got a few hours sleep, up at 2 am to go back for 4 am. And Wednesday night was horrible, being the night before a big holiday we were extremely busy and I ended up not getting out of there when I was supposed to.

I slept 11 hours last night.

Told you I was exhausted.

When my friend Crystal found out that I was going to be alone yesterday afternoon, she invited me to her families. So I went.

It was nice, lots of people I didn't know, but I did have a good time. It made me truly Thankful that God has provided me with such a wonderful friend as Crystal.

There was a young woman there who invited me to her house on December 15th to celebrate Christmas. I think she felt sorry for me! And I felt sorry for her, because this young woman has Polio.

But after talking to Crystal, this woman certainly doesn't need pity, she is strong and capable, and apparently very good hearted. I will pray for her though.

I felt like I made a couple of new friends, which is awesome.

Afterwards I came home, settled the animals, changed into comfy clothes, made a cup of tea, and then I called my son. I had already talked to Pookie in the morning when I took my lunch break, and I hadn't had a chance to talk to JP yet.

My DIL answered and I talked to her for a few, she is finally pretty much over her morning sickness with baby number three. Then I talked to Blake, who was very excited because they got a Spongebob table and chair set, then Hali got on the phone and babbled something I couldn't understand except for the word, 'Mommom'. Well, at least she knows who I was! Then JP finally got to talk, he sounded as tired as I felt. He is a hard worker, plus coaching Blake's peewee football games, which by the way, they won the tournament, so football is done for them.

I did have a bad moment on the phone when I had to tell myself not to cry, I miss them all so much and they are so far away. It was when JP told me that Blake is really stretching and is 4 feet tall already, and I said, pretty soon he will be as tall as me! It was just a reminder of how much I am missing with my grandchildren.

I had one of those moments on the phone with Pookie, when she told me how Delilah's potty training is proceeding and the little pip finally figured out that she is supposed to pull her panties down to go potty.

But I am thankful. I am thankful that all my children are doing well, that my grandchildren are healthy and thriving, that I have a new grand baby on the way, that I have family that loves each other.

I am thankful that I have a good husband, who works hard and who loves me.

I am thankful for my friends, those here in my life and on the net.

I am thankful that I have a roof over my head and a place to lay my head at night when so many others don't.

I am thankful for a full belly when so many others are hungry.

I am thankful for my health, when others suffer from so many problems.

I am thankful for my church home, where I have another 'family' who truly cares about each other.

I am truly thankful for the simple pleasures in life, a cup of coffee made just right, a sunrise, the colors of the leaves on the trees, cheesecake, hugs, long talks on the phones, an email from a friend, a good book, public libraries, road trips, and music.

And I am thankful for my God, for my Savior, for His love that carries me through each and every moment of my life.

I am never alone, even when it seems I am.

I think I was too lazy yesterday, I woke up with my lower back and hip complaining. I guess there is such thing as too much of a good thing.

Yesterday morning after dropping Boo off at school, I spotted a huge yard sale, I stopped but was quickly disapointed, they had a lot of junk, but that's what it was, junk. Then I noticed that I needed to put air in my tire, well DT's tire, since he is using the Jeep for his hunting trip, and on the way, I spotted a sign for another sale. I went ahead and got the tire filled then swung back to the sale since it was on my way home. I was glad I did.

Even though she didn't have a whole lot there, she was very friendly. I felt like I made a friend even though we never even introduced ourselves! She was having the sale for the Girl Scouts, her troupe will be going on a trip to Savanna, Georgia, to visit Juliette Gordan Lowe's birthplace, the founder of Girl Scouts. Since, I used to be a Girl Scout leader, we hit it off, and I told her about some of the trips we took. She told me about the trip she is planning for the girl's when they are Seniors to one of the world centers, they are only 11 now, so it will be a few more years yet. I told her how a Girl Scout was attacked on a camping trip back home by a bear, luckily she wasn't hurt, and somehow we ended up talking about snakes. I told her I find snakes in my yard all the time, but hubby is terrified of them, laughing she ran to a table and grabbed three little rubber snakes and handed them to me, 'For your hubby!' she said, we both started laughing, and we said goodbye.

Afterwards, I wished I would have at least introduced myself, she seemed like the kind of person I could be friend's with.

The rest of the day was spent in lazy mode, for some reason I just felt wiped out. I went to bed early and watched tv, the first Pirates of the Carribean was on, so I watched that, then House. I don't watch much tv, but I was too tired to do anything much more. I slept good afterwards, a full 8 hours, so I feel pretty good this morning, except for my back and hip, which I suspect is from being in bed for so long. I need to move around today and stretch the mucles out.

I will have to put on some loud tunes, gather my cleaning supplies and make like the white tornado today, if I get my house work done early, I will have the rest of the day to do whatever. This will be different for me, I usually can't clean during the day time since DT works nights and sleeps during the day, and the house is so small, any noise just vibrates through all the rooms.

Well, I am off, I hope everyone has a great weekend.

Oh, and don't forget to turn your clocks back tonight for Daylight Savings Time.

I always forget to do that!