Today's blessings

Two and a half years ago the Lord blessed me by giving me a car. It belongs to both Jack and I but it was given especially from my Heavenly Father to me as a blessing from Him. Yesterday I was driving home from my Bible Study in Kitchener and was thinking how wonderful it is to be able to drive to the Bible Study.

About 5 weeks ago Jack had an accident in our van and totaled it. Thankfully he wasn't hurt. We were down to one vehicle. The first couple of weeks after the accident we had a rented vehicle. Then we juggled using the car until the Lord provided us with another car. Yes, the Lord once again gave me a car for my use.

Using the car I go to the post office to pick up our mail, to the bank for various reasons, to the grocery store to get groceries, and go to appointments at the optomotrist, dentist, doctor, etc. Occasionally I meet friends for lunch, here in St. Marys and other towns. It gives me a wonderful freedom.

One tremendous blessing from having this car is it allows me to go visit Alysa, Lenn, and my family. I am always so encouraged to do this traveling. It seems to brighten my life and renew my strength.

My heavenly Father keeps showing me in so many ways how much He loves me. My love for Him keeps growing. At times I can feel His arms around me, loving me and telling me to keep trusting Him.

Lunch with Friends

We have a new restaurant here in St. Marys. It is called Darjeeling Tea Room. I met two friends, Eve and Kathy, from Stratford there yesterday for lunch. The restaurant serves almost any kind of tea that you would be interested in drinking. There are jars with the various teas in them on shelves along one side of the room.

This Tea Room is mainly for women. Men wouldn't be interested in having lunch where beautiful china cups are used instead of mugs. There are tables of various sizes, along with an area with several comfortable chairs with a small coffee table in the middle of the chairs.

It's a great place to come and have a leisurely lunch with your friends. The menu gives you choices of soups and sandwiches. We had a soup that was called "chicken pot pie soup". It was delicious. Their sandwiches include tuna, egg, cucumber and cheese and several other choices. I chose the tuna sandwich and it was very good.

Spending time with friends has always been a blessing to me and I'm thankful the Lord has given me friends like Eve and Kathy to be with and who enrich my life.

I'm Back

It has been about 9 months since I've blogged. The last week in February I headed south. My final destination was Dallas, but I had plans to stop in Memphis and then Ft. Smith before going to Dallas. I have needed a family fix and the Lord heard my cry and said I could gas up the car and turn the car toward the southern states.

I had planned to drive part way to Memphis, but the day was going so well, that I kept going. By 6:00 p.m. I had gone through Nashville and decided to call Patsy and see if she wanted me Thursday night instead of Friday. She wasn't home from work yet, but John said to come on. So, three hours later I was in Memphis. About 30 minutes before I got there I started getting pretty tired.

We had a great weekend and on Monday I headed to Shirley's. Sunday evening, before leaving Monday morning, we got a phone call from a first cousin on the Long's side. My cousin, Tolice, wanted to know if I was interested in stopping in Arkansas for breakfast. It worked out that she and another cousin, Virginia, would meet me at the Palestine exit on I-40. To my surprise, my sister, Peggy Ann, drove from Helena to meet me there also. We had a great time catching up on the past 50 years. This was a wonderful blessing from the Lord.

My time at Shirley's was spent putting a quilt together, good shopping for bargains, time in Alma with Joy and Shirley at a great store called A-Z, time with some of Shirley's friends on Wednesday evening, and just being together. I'm always refreshed after being with Shirley. She does put a zest into life that is good for all those that have the privilege of spending time with her.

Then I headed to Dallas to be with Lenn, Sarah and the boys. I do love spending time with them. We went to Angela's for supper the night that I got there. She is a lot of fun and is a good cook. The boys do love being with her. The next morning, Saturday, we went to Chuck E Cheese for a birthday party. Talk about a lot of energy. It was fun watching them play the games.

Sunday afternoon we went to a park for their friend, Tonia, to take family pictures of them. It was hard for them to be still, but I think Tonia got a number of good pictures.


Sarah and I found material for some curtains for Andrew and Matthew's room, as well as Robbie's room. I had brought my sewing machine down so I could sew them. They turned out quite nice and Sarah was pleased with them.

Wednesday afternoon we took the boys skating. I didn't skate (I didn't want any broken bones). Lenn took off from work early so he could skate too. Robbie seemed to enjoy just running around the rink in his socks better than having the skates on.
It was hard to say good-bye. Our next time to be together is at Rock Lake, near the Soo. I can hardly wait.

I spent the night in Ripley, Tenn. on the way back home. It was so good to see Kitty and Scott, and spend an evening with them. I do wish that we were close to all of our family. I do miss them.

Thank you Lord for the blessing of being with so many of my family.

Back from vacation

It has been forever since I did any blogging, so I thought I would get back to it. Monday night I got home after being gone for about 6 weeks. In later blogs I'll talk about what all I've been doing.

Monday evening I flew into Detroit, from Oklahoma City. Jack picked me up and we had a 2 1/2 hour drive back to St. Marys. It was about 1:00 a.m. when we got home. We were both very tired.

It was nice sleeping in Tuesday morning. I did, however, feel like I had been run over by a 2 ton truck and then he backed up on me. Unpacking my suitcases upstairs made a complete mess of two of our three bedrooms. I had left with one suitcase and came back with two. I always manage to collect things wherever I go.

We had a funeral to go to in the afternoon, so I just left things messy. Since we wouldn't be home, I thought that no one would see what our upstairs looked like (thankfully). After the funeral we went to Cambridge (over an hour from our house). We were meeting a friend for supper. So it was another late night.

Yesterday was spent going to Stratford for groceries, gas, and getting my hair cut. Also I had to get back into cooking supper every night. It has been great not having to cook. I got quite spoiled. Last night I stayed up late to get bills, bank statements, etc. in order. I like to keep things written down so we know what is going on in our finances. When I went to bed my mind was still on fast mode, so it took a while for me to get to sleep.

This morning I needed to take the car up to get the oil changed. Since it is very close to "Curves", I decided to walk over and get my exercises done. I was afraid that I might be too tired, but did get it accomplished. It helps to talk with the other women there while exercising, it takes your mind off of what you are doing.

The man from the car dealership drove me home, because they were going to do something else to the car. Just as I was walking up the stairs to my house I realized that I had left the keys to the front door with the car. I usually have another house key with the van keys, but hadn't put them in my purse after getting home. Wayne (man from car dealership) drove me back and I gave them a valet key and got the house keys. I did have a good visit with Wayne during the two trips to my house. He is good friends with our nearest neighbors, does farming, goes camping, etc.

Well, that has been my week so far. I can hardly keep my eyes open, but I'm going to try and not lay down for a nap. I want to sleep tonight.

New Friends

I am enjoying developing friendships with the women that I've met at Curves and also up at the Friendship Center (Senior's Center). On Monday I was talking with Mary Ann (at Curves). I found out that she lives across the street and down a couple of houses. I was so excited that maybe soon I can be visiting this new friend by just walking across the street. I'm also learning more about these women each time I go to Curves. As we exercise we chat with one another. It makes the exercising go quicker.

It has been wonderful to occasionally meet someone downtown. It gives me the feeling of belonging here in St. Marys. Sometimes you just don't realize how lonesome you are for friends until you start getting some.

We have had some beautiful days the last week and that certainly lifts your spirits. I enjoy going for walks. It not only gives me exercise, but just being outdoors makes me feel closer to God. I know that He is everywhere, but His creation just speaks volumes to me, lifts burdens, makes my heart peaceful. The LORD continues to bring blessings into my life.

A Lovely Restful Day

It's been quite a while since I last blogged. I've been aiming to get started again, but it is one of those "round to it" things.
I just want to share some thoughts about yesterday.

We have needed to get a new muffler and also new rear shocks on the car. Last week I made an appointment to take the car in yesterday for 8:00 to have them both taken care of. I knew that I could have a ride back home from the men at the garage, but thought I would just walk downtown while it was all being done.

It was raining some, but wasn't too cold (probably in mid 40's). I had on a sweat jacket underneath my Northern Reflection raincoat (I've had this raincoat forever). I got it when having anything from Northern Reflections was "in". The lining is made of flannelette. Of course, you don't want to wear this raincoat when it is hot out because you sweat like the dickens in it.

Also I took my pink flowered umbrella with me that Alysa gave me for my birthday a number of years ago. I had asked her for a nice big one and she found this beauty. I do love walking in the rain (but not if there is thunder and lightening). One other thing I brought with me was a book that my sister, Shirley, had sent me to read. I had plans to find a place to read it.

In December I joined Curves and try to go every day if possible. Since Curves is almost next door to the Pontiac dealership, I decided that I would drop off the car and then walk over and do my workout. That was my first adventure.

The downtown was only about 1/2 mile from Curves. It was cloudy, but wasn't raining yet so I started walking. Besides my purse, and umbrella I also had my bag with my running shoes in them that I wear at Curves. Inside my shoe bag also was my book.

When I got downtown I went to the bank and post office. Then I did a first for me. I went to a cafe called the Coffee Culture. There I bought a diet coke (of course) with a glass of ice to go with it and a great cranberry/lemon muffin. I found a small table and sat and read and drank the diet coke and ate the muffin. It was a wonderful time. Yes, I'm definitely stepping out of my box (a little bit).


Since coming to St. Marys I've been lonesome for "girl friends" here. Going to Curves has been a boost to me because I've gotten to know quite a few women. When I was finishing up my diet coke I looked over and saw one of the women from Curves. I have been thinking about her because her husband died week before last. I said hi and we had a good conversation, the beginning of a friendship. Since I feel the Lord has me here in St. Marys to reach out to the women for Him, I was so happy to see this is developing. The Lord is good!

I had given my cell number to the garage and since they hadn't called yet, I still had time on my hands. I walked through the Salvation Army Store and then decided to see if I could get an appointment to get my eyes checked. There are a few things that are good about turning 65. The Government pays for your eye exam. So I found the office and made an appointment. Of course, the Government does not pay for the actual glasses. While I was there the garage called and I started my walk back to pick up the car.

It had started to rain and I was able to use my umbrella. While crossing the bridge I had to hang onto it for dear life because the wind was blowing badly. I'm seeing spring flowers in so many of the yards and this lifts my spirits so much.

This is a long blog, but I have to tell you the rest of the morning. I picked up the car and decided I wasn't ready to go home. There is a Tim Horton's downtown and I do love their chili. Yes, I went there and got the combo. It has the chili, a bun, a drink(had to have a diet pepsi, the only down in the morning, they don't have coke products) and a doughnut. I read while I was eating. I do enjoy a good book. Then I went to the library next door and used their computer because my wireless was down.

It was a lovely relaxing day. Thank you Lord for this refreshing day.

Thankful Heart

I'm Thankful to the LORD:

1. Because He hears me when I cry out to Him. He listens and doesn't condemn.

2. He reminded me how much He loves me. I am very special to Him.

3. He reminded me today that He especially wanted to bless me by bringing me to live in St. Marys. He did that for
me.

4. He reminded me that I don't have to perform duties for Him. He wants my heart.

5. Only what He thinks about me is important. I can't be worrying about what others think about me.

6. He is interested in my physical well being. I go to Curves and I love it. I'm making so many new friends and getting in
in shape and healthier.

7. Today I enjoyed having lunch with a dear friend. Thank you LORD for her and our friendship.

8. I drive the car that He gave me a year and half ago. I was able to drive it to see Alysa in the fall and then in January
to see Lenn. He is so good to make it possible for me to see my precious children.

9. He has a plan for my life and I shouldn't be concerned about the plans others have for me. I need to only listen to Him
and do His will.

10. He died for me and holds me safe in his arms.

11. His mercies are new every morning. Great is His faithfulness to me.

Flower Arrangement

I've been wanting a flower arrangement for my buffet for quite a while. I just haven't seen anything that just smacked me in the face and said "this is what I've been looking for". I knew it needed to be a low arrangement. When I was at Shirley's (my sister) we were at Michael's Craft Store and I saw a low wooded basket and knew that was what I needed. Then we found some greenery at Hobby Lobby. I still needed the flowers to go in it. I stopped at Hobby Lobby in Jackson, Tenn. on the way home and they had their flowers 1/2 off. I found the flowers that I wanted. Below is a picture of my flower arrangement. I love how it turned out.

Rain, Thawing and Flooding in St. Marys

We always look forward to the snow going after several months of winter. This weekend it was sunny and warmer (around 32).

Tuesday it rained all day, heavily. This melted a lot of snow, causing a lot of extra water in the Thames River here in St. Marys. By Wednesday morning we had very heavy fog. The fog was due to the cold ground and the warmer air and rain. Schools were closed because of the fog. We also cancelled our Senior's Meeting in Exeter. The fog was bad all day and into the evening.


Thursday morning I went to Curves for my workout. Just behind the back of the building is the River. The River is very high and I couldn't get over the waves of the River. It even had some whitecaps.

The Ball Field next to the River also is flooded.

Our Waterfall usually is between 6-8 feet deep and in this picture it probably is a foot or less.

One good thing it did. It got rid of quite a bit of our snow in the front yard. Thankfully we haven't had a problem with our basement flooding. We are almost two miles from the river. It is wonderful to be free from snow for a few days. I know that it will come again, but I'll take a few days in the middle of winter without piles of snow.

Traveling South

The Lord has many ways of encouraging us. He always knows just what we need. January 19, 2009 I headed down to Dallas to visit Lenn, Sarah and the boys. Being so far away from them is a hard thing. The LORD worked this out for me and I thank Him for it.

When I drive down it makes it possible for me to visit some of my family on the way. My first day was a long day of driving and it ended with me arriving at my cousin's (Bobbie) house. It is always a joy to be with her, even for just one day. We sat the next morning and watched the inauguration of President Obama. Shortly after that I left to go to Memphis. My sister, Patsy, lives there and I spent Tuesday night with her. We even had time for a trip to Dillard's Department Store and found a couple of good bargains. Yes, she had diet coke for me.

Wednesday morning I left early and spent the day driving to Dallas. The further south I got the warmer it became. It wasn't hard to leave St. Marys because of the mounds of snow that were every where and the expectation that I would hopefully go where there was no snow.


It is so fun to be with Lenn and Sarah. The boys are full of energy and something is happening at all times. Andrew, Matthew and Robbie are so different, from their personalities to their physical activities. Andrew is active physically(very), but he loves to have books read to him, loves music, very interested in numbers, remembers how old a person is, etc. , enjoys watching videos, and is starting to want to play board games. Matthew is the artist of the family. He loves coloring, painting, building projects, finding treasures outside, plus playing outside. Robbie is still developing his personality. He doesn't say many words, but understands everything you say to him. One thing he loves to do is have someone read to him. He brings you lots of books. It also is the only time I could get him to sit on my lap. He certainly holds his own with his two brothers. He drop kicks any ball, has great hand eye co-ordination with a little golf club, bat, etc. All three boys love to laugh and it is a great joy to be with them.

I'm always impressed with Sarah and how she handles taking care of a husband, three boys, cooking, housekeeping and church related things. Lenn is very blessed to have her for a wife and the mother of their children. She is committed to the LORD in all areas of her life. She has a heart for others and makes many sacrifices because of it.

One of the greatest blessings the Lord can give you is to have children. Lenn has blessed my life in so many ways. I love it that he loves the LORD with all his heart. He also loves his wife and boys and works hard to provide for them. It was so fun to see him playing with the boys, and how excited they always are when he gets home. He and Sarah work hard at training the boys as they grow. Lenn has a calming affect on me when I am with him. Another thing I love is to stand next to him in church and sing praises to our LORD with him. Quite often I learn from him through his out look on life and the Christian walk.


All of this to say, being in Dallas has lifted my spirits, made me feel loved. I always feel energized when I come home. Thank you, LORD.

U.S. Thanksgiving 2008

I have spent several hours working on this blog. Several things have kept me from posting it. I've had to change things, then lost things, then couldn't figure out how to get the draft to work and add to it. So, if the sentences are out of order or if the pictures don't come up good, etc. please forgive me. I guess I'm still a work in progress where this computer is concerned.

Thanksgiving was a special time for us. Jack, Alysa, Maddie and Jackson came for the weekend. The first thing we did Friday morning was to go to the library. Alysa and Jackson stayed with the his age group while Maddie and I went upstairs for the older group. Afterwards Maddie and Jackson wanted to check out some books to take home.

Jackson found some Thomas the Train books and immediately sat down to look at them. He was so into reading them.

Maddie also found some books. She has learned to read and it is exciting to see her interest in learning new words and finding out what the stories are about.

Alysa is always a good sport and helped both of them find just the right books.

Jackson had hardly gotten in the door when he sat down and started reading his books. He was so cute sitting there that I couldn't resist taking his picture.

Jack loves to sit down and play the piano. He has composed several songs and loves to play them.


We have a new indoor pool here in St. Marys very close to our house. Jack, Maddie and Jackson enjoying swimming in it. It took Jackson a while to venture down into deeper water, but he finally did. (I have a picture with Jack, Maddie and Jackson at the swimming pool that I have tried to upload, but can't. So, I'll have to just leave it out.)



Sledding is also a fun thing to do in the winter. There is a good size hill close to our house that Maddie and Jackson enjoyed. The hardest part is walking back up the hill pulling the sled.


Maddie is so sweet with her missing front tooth.

Son Jack sat and helped Father Jack learn some things on powerpoint.

One of the most fun traditions we have is for Jack to go to Value Village (in London) and hunt for bargains. He then will have a "mashion show" for us. When Maddie was small she couldn't say fashion, so we have a "mashion show".

It was a wonderful weekend and we do thank the Lord for His rich blessings.

Going to an Auction

Tonight I went to an auction that a friend was doing. His name is Bob Heywood and he has been doing this for years. His wife, Martha, helps him by doing the paperwork as Bob auctions each item. He has two other men that hold up the items that are for sale while he takes the bids. The auction was held at the community center in Exeter, Ontario.

Bob has been living in this community all of his life. Besides doing auctions, he is a real estate broker. Sometimes when people want to down size to smaller living quarters, they will want to get rid of most of their household items. Bob will have an auction for them. Probably most of the people that were at the auction tonight were 50 and over. There will also be antique dealers that come. They find good deals among all of the "stuff". People that are there to buy will bring empty boxes for their purchases (also they bring newspaper to wrap up the breakables that they buy). Bob has a fun personality and often brings in humor as he sales the items. Having a snack bar where people can get coffee, diet cokes, etc. helps in keeping things relaxed and friendly.


This winter Jack and I went to Israel and Bob and Martha went with us. They are a special couple and they give of themselves to all those around them. They are very involved in Exeter Bible Chapel. Martha helps in so many ways, teaching Sunday School, helping with the finances and computer related things, does nursery and kitchen duty, plus a host of other things. Bob leads singing on Sundays, preaches, leads Bible studies, plays the piano and accordion, takes many funerals in the community. The Lord has blessed us with this special friendship with Bob and Martha.

New Snow

This past Saturday morning we got up to 18 inches of fresh snow. We had already had 10-12 inches the previous few days. Monday it started warming up and some of the snow has melted. Even if this all goes, we still have 5 more months of snow. Once it is here, we just adjust and get on with life.
Here is our BBQ covered with snow.

Anyone for lunch?

Snow Storms and White Outs

I would like to know the connection of my teaching a Bible Class on Tuesday nights and blinding snow storms that hit the same night.

Last winter I taught a Precept Study that lasted 6 weeks. I had it every Tuesday night in Exeter. Exeter is about 30-35 minutes from our house. Of the 6 Tuesdays, only one night did NOT have a snow storm. I drove in white outs both ways on 5 of the 6 nights, by myself. Between St. Marys and Exeter is farmland. On both sides of the road you have open farmland. The wind blows unhindered across the road, making it hard to see when it is snowing.

Two days ago, on a Tuesday, I had the first of my Precept class at a home near to Exeter. As far as the weather, it was only lightly misting rain when I drove out of my driveway and out of St. Marys. As I turned on the highway to Exeter, it started to snow, heavily. I couldn't believe it. We have not had any snow and I thought it would be at least November (4 days later) before we would start having snow.

I almost started to laugh when I saw the snow coming down heavily. To top it off I had only worn a light fall coat and had my summer type shoes on. I just have a hard time putting summer shoes and fall jackets away.

I thought the snow might be finished by the time the Bible study was over, but no such luck. Before leaving Jan's house, I found the snow scrapper and cleared the front and back windshield. So, the white out weather is upon us. Once again the Lord will prove Himself faithful in His care for me as I drove to and from Bible Studies.

Jackson in Chicago

What do think of when you hear the word fuzz? Until two years ago I would never have thought of it in connection to a two year old boy. At an early age Jackson would pull the cotton batting from his car seat and brush it across his face, with his thumb in his mouth. Every time he goes to bed he has to find some fuzz. He hunts until he finds some. His Mommy has a winter sweater that he loves to snuggle into because of the "fuzz" on it.

Today we went to Hobby Lobby and we were looking at a display with Christmas trees. Below the trees was cotton batting and some of it had fallen on the floor. He saw the part on the floor before either Alysa or I saw it. He immediately said "Fuzz" and picked it up. So he held it the rest of the time we were in the store.


Jackson is a happy, delightful little boy. He loves to jump, climb, run, laugh, sing, etc. We went to McDonald's for lunch. Between eating fries and his hamburger he was climbing and sliding in the playland there.

Right now he playing with a toy that sings the alphabet. He is playing it over and over and over again, holding his fuzz. Yes, it could definitely get on your nerves (the toy, not the fuzz).

Maddie in Chicago

It is always a delight to come to Chicago to be with Maddie. She is a 6 year old and is full of energy, imagination, joy, laughter, etc. Yesterday Alysa, Jackson and I took her to school. I hadn't seen this school before, so Maddie showed me around it and then introduced me to her teacher. There is a beautiful chapel at the school. She enjoys being there every day. She is even learning to do power point on the computer. I only learned to do power point several months ago. It won't be long before she will be teaching me things.


We received a package in the mail yesterday from Aunt Shirley. She knew I was here and sent me several things, but also included some things for Maddie and Jackson. Maddie called Aunt Shirley to thank her for the outfit for her doll, Sophie. She looks so grown up talking on the phone.


Every morning Maddie decides what she will wear to school. Today she also wanted Mommy to put her hair up in braids.